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News Briefs 14-11-2005

The only thing TDG news editors like more than internet search engines, are contributors. If you know of an interesting link, please contact us.

  • A Scottish man diagnosed with HIV is now completely free of the virus, and no one knows how or why.
  • Satanic curses: demonic possession, and the case of Emily Rose. By the way, Greg, the Vatican keeps emailing me about TDG.
  • Rosslyn, Templars, Gypsies, oh my! The Battle of Bannockburn is also in the mix.
  • Have Rosslyn Chapel’s extraordinary carvings been explained at last? It’s all a gypsy trick, those tricksy gypsies.
  • A Professor says he can explain all with his Theory Of Everything. He’s quite a modest guy.
  • Don’t panic, but a swelling wormhole could engulf the universe!
  • Are we all aliens? The new case for Panspermia (which isn’t a male premature ejaculation problem).
  • Hardy lichens can survive unprotected in the harsh conditions of space. You should see the lichen in the toilets of the International Space Station.
  • Engineering aliens: accounting for a variety of life forms that don’t fit in the current sysem. Life As We Do Not Know It: The NASA Search for (and Synthesis Of) Alien Life by Peter Ward (Amazon US or UK).
  • Does a scientific report confirm an alien presence in Puerto Rico? Yes, Americans are now fleeing the tyranny of Bush and entering Puerto Rico illegally.
  • For a team of award- winning Scottish film-makers, the mysterious Marfa Lights, far away in Texas, are the inspiration for a new film. At last, Bill and Cernig are getting together.
  • Here’s part one of an excellent interview with UFOlogist Grant Cameron, talking about UFOs, Canada, Disclosure, and the Presidents. Audio.
  • An inventor has successfully patented an anti-gravity space vehicle, drawing the ire of physicists (who are only jealous they didn’t think of patenting it first).
  • Remember the new species of lemur found in Madagascar that I jokingly compared to John Cleese? It’s been named after him!
  • The mysterious beast of Sengbeh, that ate the entrails of its victims and terrorised the people of Sierra Leone for months, has been killed.
  • Stories of a lake monster in Northwestern China are attracting tourists and creating more interest in the paranormal.
  • Once protected as an endangered species, a mythical monster in a Swedish lake is now fair game for hunters. I hope it eats them.
  • You all know of the chupacabra, but have you heard of Latin America’s Cucuy, a small humanoid with glowing red eyes that hides under your bed?
  • A UFOlogist in Mexico believes Mayan prophecies can foretell UFOs and natural disasters.
  • Is evidence of an ancient earthquake the footprint of a biblical archangel? The Single Helix: A Turn Around the World of Science, by Steve Jones (Amazon US or UK).
  • MagickTV began broadcasting metaphysical programs over the internet … on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. So that explains why I keep bumping into 11:11 when I check the time.
  • From Pravda, an article that wonders if Ancient Egyptians had helicopters and airplanes? Air Zahi will be taking off very soon.
  • Scientists find Goliath inscribed on pottery, possibly lending credence to the Biblical tale.
  • A crane operator whose equipment fell and damaged Machu Picchu has been made a scapegoat and sentenced to six years jail. The company he worked for, and the Government officials who allowed the commercial to be shot there, were never charged and are laughing all the way to the bank.
  • Squatters and scribblers are threatening the Nazca lines in Peru.
  • An American archaeological team has discovered definitive evidence of underwater ancient harbor remains at two separate locations at Bimini. They also discuss the attempted hoax. You can download a pdf file of a 30-page report containing 70 photos. You can discuss the Bimini finds with Dr Greg Little on Graham Hancock’s Mysteries message board.

Thanks Andrew, Stormbear, and Greg.

Quote of the Day:

It’s an amazing thing to think that ours is the first generation in history that really can end extreme poverty, the kind that means a child dies for lack of food in its belly. This should be seen as the most incredible, historic opportunity but instead it’s become a millstone around our necks. We let our own pathetic excuses about how it’s ‘difficult’ justify our own inaction. Let’s be honest. We have the science, the technology, and the wealth. What we don’t have is the will, and that’s not a reason that history will accept.

Bono, leadsinger of U2

  1. Oh Rick, that’s awful about the Vatican
    Those bloody Cathoholics just cannot keep their noses out of other people’s business.
    Why don’t you tell them to bugger off, I would.
    You go ahead and write anything you want to Rick, you have our full support here at TDG.

    Good stories about Rosslyn.I saw a story about the Sinclairs on TV but they denied any knowledge of anything to do with the place.

    I enjoyed the news, what I have read so far.Thanks Rick.

    shadows

  2. Bono, I love your music, but…………..
    “Let’s be honest. We have the science, the technology, and the wealth. What we don’t have is the will, and that’s not a reason that history will accept” Bono

    Some people, like Bono, seem to think that every poor starving person in the world is a good, moral, honest hard worker, who will give anything to “learn how to fish” given the chance. And all we need to do is supply the means for this to happen. If it just weren’t for those big bad corporate evil doers, right? And, oh, golly, how “selfish” we are for not doing this, right?

    Ain’t that simple Bono. And I wish it were that simple more than anybody. But people with full stomachs immediately set about reproducing, and no amount of “education” seems to keep this from happening. And it is amazing how quickly man can reproduce. And then, you have done nothing but create an even bigger problem.

    I don’t know what the answer is, but “eliminating starvation” in and of itself is not it, and there may be better reasons than you think for the world not rushing to implement your short sighted plans, as heartless as that idea may seem. I even feel a twinge of guilt writing it, but this is the way it is, so we might as well face it head on if we are going to anything of real value.

    I have two friends who worked in the peace corps in Africa. They quit because they found that even the poorest Africans, when taught a skill, or a trade, or given tools, instead of doing the proverbial “fishing for themselves” they were supposed to do, immediatley sold what ever they were given, found some women, reproduced as best they could, and then begged for more help.

    Take those billions you are making and come up with some real ideas Bono. You might also want to consider stop dissing the very system that has allowed you to make all that dough.

    1. Apathy
      You miss the point Bono is making, Dashour. We have the means necessary to eliminate extreme poverty — not just starvation, but health. I didn’t include what Bono has to say about health issues (AIDS, diarrhoea, malaria, etc) and education, because the quote was long enough as it is.

      So we have the means, but do we use them? The answer is no. That’s what Bono’s on about. We have the drugs, we have the technology, we have the money, we have the ideas … but we don’t have the desire to do good with it. Bono’s fighting apathy and cynicism, not starvation.

      I’d really love for you to meet Bono one day, Dashour. You have no idea how educated this man is in regards to human rights issues. Many a politician has made the mistake of thinking Bono’s only a rockstar and knows nothing. From the interviews and speeches I’ve read and heard, Bono is a very sharp, educated man.

      If only I had half his passion …

      1. Re: Apathy
        [quote=Rico]We have the drugs, we have the technology, we have the money, we have the ideas … [/quote]

        Yeah – ‘n’ we got bombs too. We got lotsa lotsa bombs. We gone goin’a drop lots a bombs on de africans, n make them love peace – yer either with me, or against me. Love peace – or we’ll kill you wid ar bombs.

        n wen we gone finished wid de africans – we gone goin’a drop lotsa lotsa bombs on de frenchies.

        yer ol’ pal,

        Xibalba

    2. What the Africans need is hope
      I think it is a bit ridiculous to believe what a couple of people said about Africans, that they don’t have the sense to help themselves.
      This may be true for some people but not for all Africans.
      Their country has been plundered by so many nations for so long that they have lost all hope.
      The reason Africans “reproduce” as you put it so quickly is because the children are their only hope for the future.
      They have children to look after them when they can no longer look after the children.
      If this seems strange to you, remember this is not your culture.

      I am surprised at you Dashour, you are usually so astute, and yet you believe this story your friends told you.
      And you extrapolate on it to include the whole of Africa.
      This sort of story does damage to the Africans and to Bono’s cause.

      shadows

      1. My points are still not addresed
        Lee: I have much experience in the developing world helping the poor. As one example, I nearly single handedly supported a free health clinic in Indonesia, where I live, for a couple of years. In amongst the developing world is where I live and move, not slinging names from an armchair in plush 1st world luxury somewhere. I am neither racist nor ignorant, and with all due respect, I am quite sure I have done more of this sort of work than you have, or you would understand exactly what I mean and said.

        Rico: I am quite aware of Bonos intelligence and of many things he has said and done. This is because I am a big fan and I have read a great many interviews with him. That does not make him right. If I did meet him, I would engage him in a discussion of this, and present my point of view that he is naive, not be “awed” with his understanding of the world.

        Shadows: Yes, I did mean what I wrote, and yes, those two friends were just one example, not the only one.

        None of you addressed the point, which was merely helping the needy to the point of being healthy is not going to solve the problem, and in fact it will make it worse in some cases. I made it extraordinarily clear that I am not happy that this is the case, and I wish it were different, but at least I have the guts to say it. Identifying a problem is how to get it soloved, not relying on conventionalism, cliche statements, politically correct utterances memorized out of favorite magazines, or worn out posturing and quoting the slogans of a favored peer protest group.

        1. So, Dash, where are you going with this?
          You’ve accused us of all sorts of things, but I would like to know what your solution is.
          Bono has a plan he is trying to implement.
          I think if you knew the history of author Bryce Courtenay you would be surprised at how much has been done to assist Africans to do their own thing.
          Look him up, and his sister and see the changes they have made in that country.
          I reiterate though that the Africans do not feel that the do-gooders are trustworthy.
          If you have read any of the myriad of books written about the African condition you would see mention of the people like your friends who drive about in their fine vehicles taking down figures.
          Africa is not the country you live in Dash, it is a very different, very complicated place that has been used and damaged for millennia by just about everyone who could get a piece of it.
          I don’t doubt your sincerity for a moment, but this is an entirely different kettle of fish.

          shadows

        2. Re: My points are still not addresed
          [quote=dashour]Identifying a problem is how to get it solved, not relying on conventionalism, cliche statements, politically correct utterances memorized out of favorite magazines, or worn out posturing and quoting the slogans of a favored peer protest group.
          [/quote]

          Quite so – I can’t stand it when people take the “politically correct” stance just because they don’t want to ruffle a few feathers by just telling the truth.

          Also, I don’t understand why some people fling the “racist” remark around simply because the subject of a comment belongs to a “so-called” ethnic minority group. If a black person, for example, acts like a complete arse, it’s not racist to call him an arse. If an Indian behaves like a complete idiot, it’s not racist to call him an idiot.

          I wish people would stop treading on eggshells when it comes to our international cousins. They’re people – just like us “whities” (I’m sure someone here will accuse me of being racist for using the term “whities” now – even though I am one).

          What a funny old world we live in.

          yer ol’ pal,

          Xibalba

          1. I can’t believe this!
            Xibalba are you arguing political correctness or are you arguing that Africans are not worthy to be helped, unlike some other nations that are?
            Because if you are, then you are falling mighty short in your knowledge of the world.
            ALL people should be helped, whether you approve of them or not.
            I am well aware from my own experiences that when you mention Africa for assistance, people groan and throw their hands in the air, and say something about “those black buggers”.
            I find this whole argument bizarre and do not wish to participate further.

            shadows

          2. Calm down old girl
            I’m not arguing for political correctness. Neither did I make any comment on whether I think Africans deserve to be helped or not. Why have you chosen to interpret my post in terms of two things that I didn’t comment on?

            My comments were directed at the rather direct, and ill-thought, comment of Lee, who said “You comments are ignorant and racist”.

            The point I was making was that Dashour’s comments were neither ignorant nor racially motivated, but because someone said something derogatory against africans, Lee, like so many people these days, interpreted this as racism.

            That’s all.

            yer ol’ pal,

            Xibalba
            (This post was brought to you by “Realm of the Dead”)

        3. If I did meet him, I would
          If I did meet him, I would engage him in a discussion of this, and present my point of view that he is naive, not be “awed” with his understanding of the world.

          Bono would like that. The man does like to talk and argue, and he appreciates people who tell it to him straight.

          Be warned though, mate: Bono is the man who convinced Jesse Helms, the notoriously right-wing homophobic racist American politician/bigot, that AIDS is a human problem, and isn’t punishment for homosexuality. So be prepared to be turned upside down and inside out by Bono!

          As for Africa, there’s a good reason why they have so many children — the bigger the number, the better chance of survival. With such a high infant/child mortality rate (about 3000 Africans, mostly children, die of mosquito-borne diseases), having more children means there’s a bigger chance at least one of them will survive into adulthood to look after their AIDS/poverty stricken parents. It may not be right to you or I, but to them, it’s a matter of survival. It also doesn’t help that Catholic missionaries are running around telling them it’s a sin to wear a condom, and have more children.

          I can see your point of view, mate — but children deserve a lot more compassion, and a little less realism. 😉

          Bono’s speech highlights how amazingly simple it is for us to eradicate extreme poverty — we have the wealth, the technology. But for some reason, we don’t. The wealthy continue to spend their money on materialistic luxuries, and pharmaceutical companies continue to monopolise the market to make more profit. The problems in Africa, and Asia, and South America, and other poverty-stricken lands, is not that we can’t do anything — the problem is that we CAN do something, but we aren’t.

          It’s kinda hard to look an African child in the eye, and tell them they’re living in extreme poverty because their parents won’t stop breeding, then go home to your air-conditioned homes and convenience stores and iPods and reality tv.

        4. What???
          I may rely on conventionalism, cliche statements, politically correct utterances memorized out of favorite magazines, or worn out posturing, and quote the slogans of a favored peer protest group, but at least I am not a racist like you and Dashour.

  3. Man cured himself of AIDS
    It is widely known in the medical world, that people who are the descendents of plague victims (yes, some of them survived the disease) carry not only immunity to the plague, but also show signs of immunity to HIV.

    Until now, however, there hasn’t been a confirmed, medically documented and authenticated case of this happening, which is what makes this guy a first.

    I bet, once his genetic history has been researched, that it will show he is descended from surviving plague victims.

    Watch this space!

    yer ol’ pal,

    Xibalba
    (This post was brought to you by “Realm of the Dead”)

    1. Man cured himself of AIDS
      You may be right Xibalba. I do like your explanation more. However, let us also not forget that medical authorities, like all human institutions, make mistakes and get things wrong. What if somebody picked up the wrong sample of blood, or labelled it with the wrong name, or some such minor error. I dont say this is what happened, but it might have. I know it’s a more boring explanation like most explanations.

      Neanderthal
      ‘Whatever you do, comes back to you’

  4. Thanks TDG
    Just wanted to extend a big thankyou to all the people that make TDG happen. Ive been an avid reader for some time now but havent made a habbit of logging in. Something im aiming to change 🙂

    cheers!

    1. Cool!
      Nice to hear from you DS…look forward to hearing more of your thoughts in future!

      Peace and Respect
      Greg
      ——————————————-
      You monkeys only think you’re running things

    2. Logged
      Heh, I’m a news editor, and I don’t always make a habit of logging in either! Actually, I think I always forget to log out, so I’m always logged in, but I’m not really physically here, and even when I am really physically here, I’m still not really here.

      Cheers mate. =)

  5. A lesson in political correctness from Wikipedia
    Political correctness (also politically correct, P.C. or PC) is a term used in English-speaking countries to describe real or perceived attempts to impose limits on the acceptable language and terms used in public discussion.

    In numerous English-speaking nations, the term often has a pejorative or ironic meaning — typically connoting an excessive attempt by social or political liberals to alter language and culture. It is also sometimes used to describe attempts to respect marginalized groups (e.g., the Canadian Oxford Dictionary (Oxford University Press Canada 2001) defines political correctness as “the avoidance of forms of expression or action that exclude, marginalize, or insult certain racial or cultural groups” ).

    According to predominantly conservative critics of what they call the “political correctness movement,” PC involves censorship and social engineering, and has influenced popular culture, such as music, film, literature, arts and advertising.

    Liberal and Progressive commentators, however, argue that the term “political correctness” was hijacked by conservatives around 1980 and redefined as a way to reframe the debates over diversity and unequal distribution of power and privilege in the United States. They say that there never was a “Political Correctness movement” in the United States, and that many who use the term are attempting to distract attention from substantial debates over discrimination and unequal treatment based on race, class, and gender (Messer-Davidow 1993, 1994; Schultz 1993; Lauter 1995; Scatamburlo 1998).

    The term PC is often used to mock either the idea that carefully chosen language can encourage, promote, or establish certain social outcomes and relationships, or the belief that the resulting changes benefit society. This mocking usage often targets certain forms of identity politics, including gay rights, feminism, multiculturalism and the disability rights movement. For example, the use of “gender-neutral” job titles (“firefighter” instead of “fireman,” “chairperson” instead of “chairman,” etc.), the use of the expression “differently abled” rather than “disabled”, or the systematic use of “Native American” rather than “Indian”, are all sometimes referred to as “politically correct” to characterise proponents as overly sensitive or even coercive.

    The term PC is frequently used in a manner that implies, first, that there are a significant number of people who make conscious political choice of the words they employ in their speech and writing, with the intention of influencing broader usage and, through that, social outcomes; second, that this group is roughly equivalent to the political left, or some large sector of the left; third, that these conscious political choices of words constitute a single phenomenon, designated as “political correctness”; and fourth, that these usages are enforced in a manner that is repressive to freedom of speech.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_correctness

      1. What works and what does not work.
        Amongst all this emotionalism, I detect the following things:

        1. Nobody has addressed my point. It is a point very difficult and saddening to contemplate, for me as well, so instead, they attack the messenger and call him names.

        2 Lee, how sad that your definition of racist allows you to fling that so indiscriminately. A catch all phrase to preclude one human being from ever making a criticism at another, even when it is correct. Xibalba said it best, (thanks pal) no need to requote him.

        I have been a minority all my life. I speak several languages, (learned out of respect for other cultures and races), I married into a different culture and race, and I have my entire life lived outside of my culture. I know racism, Lee, I have been the victim of it half my life. I also know that hiding behind a “movement” like political correctedness is a chicken shit way for me to deal with it. Far better is the most wisest statement of all time regarding this issue, which I learned in grammer school, which politicaly correct klingons seem to have forgotten:

        “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me”

        Any attitude about one’s self esteem less corageous than that makes the problem worse, not better.

        2. Many people would rather do what makes them personally FEEL good, and feel less guilty about their own standard of living, then what is going to actually work. They do and say what makes them feel like responsible, caring, mature members of humanity, even at the risk of making the problem worse, not better.

        As long as they get their peer group “kudos”, for being “politically correct” and get their pat on the back for not being “racist” or “ignorant” or “selfish” then everything is right with their world, and they’re doing the “right” thing.

        Somebody like me comes along and suggests that this “right thing” may make things worse instead of better, what do they do? Defend the source of their “feel good”, rather than consider the plan may not actually work that well.

    1. Shadows, Lee, Rico:
      Here I outline exactly why Bono is wrong, from a different angle:

      Bono says “we have the means right now to end starvation” This is naïve and demonstrates a lack of understanding of economics. He is buying hook line and sinker the economic theory of Keynes, and the disgusting monetary policies of western governments, plus the economic naivety of those who think all we need to do is stop spending on war, and start spending money on good things. Oh God, how I myself wish things were so simple. We COULD do this, if we had the money. We don’t. The west is already bankrupt. Read on:

      Hey Bono! Ever hear of the Austrian school of economics? If you REALLY want to get intelligent, study there for a year, and get a clue as to what counterfeit fiat money is doing to all of us, me included.

      Daily Grail Friends:

      The reason we do not have the “means” that Bono claims, not really, not in the long run, is because of what is known as “fiat currency”.

      Does he (you, dear reader?) understand what the term means? Most people do not, and I dare say many congressmen probably do not either.
      It means the right of a government to PRINT its own money whenever it feels it needs it. (Like a war)

      THIS is the root of all government evil. THEY get to counterfiet, WE do not. Before Bono or any other “save the world” do-gooder presents their opinion on how to fix things by different spending habits, it is absolutely crucial to understand exactly what “money” is. Where it comes from, who decides when, why and how to print it, and how it is distributed. The average person merely takes it for granted that when they “work” they get paid with “money”, normally, and they figure that somehow there is a system for all this.

      There is. And that “system” is one of the most terrible, most evil of all institutions that governments have ever snuck by an unsuspecting populace. Its called “fiat money” and the system behind it, in the US, is called the U.S. Federal Reserve. In Australia it is the National Reserve Bank. It is because of fiat money, and these systems of Federal Reserve Banks, that we can go to war. It is why big corporations can get way out of hand, and way too big, and unfarily squash the little guys, it is why your money gets worth less and less every year, and it is why right now, you (Americans) owe $28,000, each and every one of you, to the rest of the world, as your share of the national debt. (Much of this debt America owes to Japan and China).

      The west does not HAVE any more money with which to help the starving. We are utterly and completely bankrupt, and have been ever since we went of the gold standard in 1971. America BORROWED every single cent used for the war in Iraq, as well as many other follies, and is now 8 trillion dollars in debt.

      Even if the West had never spent one single cent on military expenditures, and instead spent it ALL on helping the poor of the world, we STILL would be in the same financial position of bankruptcy, because for decades we have been living on borrowed money, spending what we do not have, and ultimately have to pay back one day, or collapse, like has already happened in Argentina, Turkey, Russia, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, and other countries. The terrible thing is that the West’s collapse is going to be a lot worse, and it is then going to make the situation in developing nations all the more severe.

      For those who say “oh iya, doomsday economists have been saying that for years and it never happens” I profer this: This is exactly what they said about the aforementioned countries. (i.e. “You have been saying this about Argentina for years, but it doesn’t happen” ) Yes, it does happen friends, and the worldwide collapse of fiat currency is already written in stone. THAT is what we need to address before we go and make any more plans to “spend” whether it be on the poor or on war, either one.

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