Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

[Barry Karr <SkeptInq@aol.com>]

 From Skeptic Newshound  Joe Littrell


 'Left Behind' and the Rupture Over the Rapture
 By Karen R. Long
 Religion News Service
 http://washingtonpost.com:80/wp-dyn/articles/A46794-2001May4.html

 "The Rev. David Buegler paused outside St. Mark Lutheran Church, shaking
 his head ruefully. He and three other clerics had just spent two intense
 hours warning believers about pitfalls in the "Left Behind" book series."


 Evolution one of the most controversial topics in the Bible Belt
 By Sarah Cavanah
 Oklahoma Daily
 http://news.excite.com:80/news/uw/010501/university-58

 "You wouldn't think teaching Introduction to Botany would be a
 controversial job."


 Harvard med school to study alternative medicine
 By Jonathan H. Esensten
 Harvard Crimson
 http://news.excite.com:80/news/uw/010501/tech-235

 "The study of herbs and non-traditional therapies such as acupuncture got a
 shot in the arm Monday as Harvard Medical School (HMS) announced a
 $10-million gift to study non-traditional medicine."


 Massage may effectively treat chronic lower back pain
 Washington Post
 http://washingtonpost.com:80/wp-dyn/articles/A25425-2001Apr30.html

 "THE STUDY AND RESULTS Researchers in Massachusetts and Washington
 investigated the effectiveness of two alternative medicine therapies for
 treating chronic lower back pain. They  randomly assigned 262 patients into
 three groups, whose members received traditional Chinese  medical
 acupuncture, therapeutic massage or self-care educational materials that
 included exercise books and videos."


 Why Your Pharmacist Wants to Know About Your Herbs
 Washington Post

http://washingtonpost.com:80/wp-dyn/health/columns/intake/A25423-2001Apr30.htm
l

 "If you take herbal medicines and prescription drugs, your pharmacist has
 some questions for you."


 Much 'bark' about nothing
 By T. Lalith Singh
 The Hindu
 http://www.indiaserver.com:80/thehindu/2001/05/05/stories/0405403l.htm

 "It survived the vagaries of nature for nearly five centuries. But it could
 face a bleak future as human superstition is out to chip away its very
 existence. The massive tree in the Naya Quila area of Golconda fort,
 popularly known as `Hathiyon ka jhad (Tree of elephants)', these days is
 fast turning out to be an ill-conceived destination for people in search of
 `good health', `strength' and `virility.' Kicking up more `excitement' than
 its shade!"


 Programs: The real virus threat
 By Gene Emery
 Reuters
 http://news.excite.com:80/news/r/010502/13/column-programs

 "Dear Anti-Virus Software Companies: You've spent years protecting us from
 computer viruses that pose serious threats, which, fortunately, most of us
 never see. Now it's time to start protecting us from a serious virus
 problem computer owners confront all the time -- virus hoaxes."


 Conservative vs Orthodox: Did Exodus happen?
 By Melissa Radler
 Jerusalem Post
 http://www.jpost.com:80/Editions/2001/04/29/News/News.25248.html

 "Did Moses really lead the children of Israel out of slavery from Egypt?
 More than 3,300 years after the Bible says the Exodus occurred, rabbis in
 Los Angeles are battling it out in the pages of the local press over what,
 if anything, happened to the Jews in the land of the Pharaohs."



 Show me the mummy!
 By Chris Colin
 Salon
 http://www.salon.com/people/feature/2001/05/04/mummy/index.html

 "Nothing really changed for Bob Brier when he pulled the brain out through
 the dead man's nose. The brain, as it happened, had proven too viscous, so
 Brier, a logical sort, stuck his metal hook up the corpse's nose and
 stirred the brain into a consistency that would easily exit the head. Sure
 enough, when he rolled the body over, out poured the brains. It ain't
 gruesome, it's anatomy, Brier says."


Geller pitches in for stadium roof
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/wales/newsid_1296000/1296899.stm

"Paranormal expert Uri Geller has attempted to save the FA Cup Final in a
mind-bending experiment."



McVeigh factor destroys militias
by Mark Shaffer
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com:80/news/0506militia06.html

"Eric Frizzell fondly remembers the heady days of the Yavapai Militia."


Putting the fun back into fundamentalism
Irish Times
http://www.ireland.com:80/newspaper/computimes/2001/0507/ct1.htm

"Are you tired of people's gods fighting with each other? Do you get fed up
with the repetitive sermons at your place of worship? And do you believe -
truly believe - you could do a better job of running the universe? If so,
you too can join the multitude of online alternative religions, evangelists
and self-styled gods and goddesses."


Police, experts deny that Dumka doctor stole kidney
Times of India News Service
http://www.timesofindia.com/today/07mpat7.htm

"Medical experts here find no truth in the rumours that Dr B Hansda, who
runs a small nursing home in Dumka, has removed the kidney of a patient."


Masked man or monkey, it's a menace
By Parmindar Singh
Times of India News Service
http://www.timesofindia.com/today/07mdel7.htm

"Some say the assaults are by a monkey, others believe a masked man is
responsible. But whatever it is, it has spread panic in Ghaziabad."



U.S. TV networks stalk region for monster cat
by Jennifer Campbell
Ottawa Citizen
http://www.ottawacitizen.com:80/city/010507/5027376.html

"Chalk River showed up last week on the radar of several American
television networks."


'Cloud Coaxer' Had a Stormy Career in Parched Deserts
By CECILIA RASMUSSEN
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com:80/news/state/20010506/t000038326.html

"A starchy Quaker sewing machine salesman who billed himself as a "Moisture
Accelerator" owns a unique place in Southern California history, somewhere
between meteorology and jurisprudence."