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Curious Times No. 201
July 17, 2003HOT ENOUGH FOR YA?
The United Nation's World Meteorological Organization has released an unprecedented warning about extreme weather which confirms that global warming and climate change are now a definite reality for our planet. The normally bland scientific institution, which usually publishes detailed scientific reports and staid statistics, is now warning that weather patterns will become increasingly unstable and extreme. The WMO's report highlights extreme weather from the past year, such as record high and low temperatures, record rainfall and record storms in different parts of the world."Recent scientific assessments indicate that, as the global temperatures continue to warm due to climate change, the number and intensity of extreme events might increase,"said the WMO, adding that "new record extreme events occur every year somewhere in the globe, but in recent years the number of such extremes have been increasing." Average global temperatures have been rising steadily since 1976, with the 10 hottest years on record all having occurred since 1990, and the three hottest years being 1999, 2002 and 2001. (The Independent)WE DON'T STUDY ANYTHING THAT MIGHT CONFLICT WITH OUR BELIEFS
Despite reports from several major news sources, it seems NASA has not actually invited Hira Ratan Manek to the United States for studying. Manek is the 64-year-old Indian man who lives off of solar energy by staring at the sun for one hour each evening, and claims not to have eaten solid food for over eight years. But after a check with all of the scientific officers in NASA, none claim to have any interest in studying the phenomena. "I am not saying that Manek is incorrect in whatever he is saying," stated NASA spokesperson Dolores Beasley. "As of yet not a single scientist has come forward to verify that he has anything to do with Manek. If anyone comes forward, we shall take that into consideration.? (Midday.com)CAMPING WITH ALIENS
The radio program News for the Soul (listen at newsforthesoul.com) is planning a camping trip with James Gilliland of E.C.E.T.I. (Enlightened Contact with Extra Terrestrials) to try to view alien craft at his ranch in Washington state. Gilliland claims that UFOs have been making almost daily visitations to his ranch, and has over 700 witnesses and dozens of photos on his website at http://www.eceti.org. Unfortunately, the photos are less than convincing, as they all look like strange light effects due to malfunctioning cameras and nothing at all like alien craft, but what do I know? Sign up for your chance to camp with the aliens on Aug. 2nd and 3rd at . News For The SoulAND WE STITCHED HIS SKULL BACK TOGETHER WITH A STAPLE GUN
A Peruvian man is recovering in a Lima hospital after having brain surgery performed with a drill and pliers hastily bought at a hardware store by the surgeon. When Ceneno Quispe, 47, arrived at the hospital with blood clots in his brain after being hit in the head by a metal object during a street fight, doctors had none of the proper instruments to carry out surgery. "We have no (neurosurgical) instruments at the hospital," said Dr. Cesar Venero. "He was dying, so I had no choice but to run to a hardware store to buy a drill and use the pliers that I fix my car with, of course after sterilizing them." (Yahoo News)MOTHER TERESA TOLD ME TO TELL YOU TO SEND ME MONEY
The nuns at Calcutta's Missionaries of Charity have applied to the Indian patent office to copyright the name "Mother Teresa" in order to stop other organizations from cashing in on the name. The order of nuns has received reports of various agencies which have been using the name of Mother Teresa and the logo of the Missionaries of Charity, including not only "charitable" organizations, but also at least one bank and a business school which went by the name of "The Mother Teresa Institute of Management." (Reuters)YOU'VE GONE A LONG WAY BACK, BABY
Men are paying between $5000 and $10,000 for a chance to play the strangest new game out in Las Vegas. "Hunting for Bambi" is a form of paintball in which men dress up in their camouflage gear, grab a rifle, and go out into the desert to shoot paintballs at naked women. Despite the chance of injury for the women, no protective gear is allowed, and all they wear is tennis shoes. The men get a video tape of their adventure, and the women get some cash. $2,500 if they don't get hit. $1,000 if they do. (klas-tv.com)IT'S A SMALL WORLD
British scientists are trying to find about one billion pounds in funding in order to build the world's most powerful microscope. The European Spallation Source, also known as a "matterscope" will be over a kilometer long, and be so powerful that scientists will be able to view the movements of individual atoms. (Reuters)FIGHT CAMP
So you've sent you're kids safely off to summer camp, have you? Don't be too sure. Investigators in Franklin County, Virginia, are questioning teenage counselors at a 4-H camp where children claim to have been forced into "Fight Club" style fisticuffs while the counselors charged admission and took bets on the outcome of the fights. "We want to reassure parents and young people that 4-H camp is a safe and wholesome environment," said a representative of 4-H, although I can't imagine why we should believe him. 25 of the 400 children who camped at the centre last week have come forward with testimony about the fighting, which was arranged by volunteer counselors who are generally between the ages of 15 and 19. (Roanoke.com)
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