April 13, 2000

"MAY GOD STRIKE ME DOWN IF I AM LYING"

This intriguing sculpture - a meteorite taking down Pope John Paul II - was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and is on display at the Kunsthalle gallery in Switzerland.

ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO IGNORE

Among Sonoma University's Project Censored‹the 25 most under-reported news stories of 1999‹lie these gems: Multinational corporations profit from international brutality; pharmaceutical companies put profits before need; financially bloated American Cancer Society fails to prevent cancer; NATO defends private economic interests in the Balkans; planned weapons in space violate international treaty; U.S. and NATO deliberately started the war with Yugoslavia; early puberty onset in girls may be linked to chemicals in the environment and increases in breast cancer; World Bank's resettlement program displaces millions; bacterium in cow's milk may cause Crohn's disease; IMF and World Bank contributed to economic tensions in the Balkans; U.S. nuclear weapons controlled by unstable personnel; and on and on it goes. Feeling nauseous yet? There's plenty more where that came from. For some disturbing yet necessary reading, hit the links to all these stories and complete sources at www.projectcensored.org.

CENSORSHIP, PROPAGANDA, NUCLEAR WAR

A weekly newspaper in China has been shut down by the Chinese government after publishing a 16-page edition devoted exclusively to the risk of war with Taiwan. The Science and Technology Digest reported that China was prepared to attack Taipei with a neutron bomb if propaganda, mass demonstrations and diplomatic pressure proved ineffective in achieving reunification. (Asia Post)

REAL MEN DON'T OIL WRESTLE

SThe Bears of Turkey, a homosexual tour group that is planning to attend the 639th Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Championships in Edirne, Turkey, is facing opposition from the wrestlers they plan on watching. Oil wrestlers say having gay men watch is "immoral...we are trying every way to have this stopped." This is a sport in which burly men covered in olive oil and wearing leather trousers wrestle, and a sport in which putting a hand down the opponent's trousers to get a better grip is a common tactic. (Reuters)

THAT'S MORE THAN HE'LL GET FOR HIS BRAIN

29-year-old Kembrew McLeod has sold a piece of his soul for $1,325 on eBay. "The reason I've been selling my soul is to make money. In America, you can metaphorically and literally sell your soul and be rewarded for it. That's what makes this country great," he gushed. His soul comes in a 4-ounce jar labeled "Kembrew's Soul." (Boston Herald)

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

Ever wonder why genetically modified foods haven't been subject to proper tests by the Food and Drug Administration? Mother Joneshas published an interesting article that exposes how intimately biotech executives are linked to the American government. The article dissects Monsanto, beginning with CEO Robert Shapiro, a long-time business associate of Bill Clinton. Other links in the chain: a Monsanto vice-president is former executive assistant to the commissioner of the FDA; a member of Monsanto's Board of Directors is Clinton's personal attorney; another Director was chief administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under both Nixon and Reagan; Monsanto's chief legal strategist is a former White House chief of staff; senior vice-president of clinical affairs for Monsanto's pharmaceutical division is former acting FDA commissioner, and on and on and on... Makes you proud to live in a democracy, don't it?

IF YOU OUTLAW BESTIALITY, ONLY OUTLAWS WILL HAVE SEX WITH ANIMALS

Missouri lawmakers are planning on outlawing bestiality, after late night comedy shows starting ribbing the state for not have a law against sex with animals. In 1977, when Missouri rewrote its sodomy laws, lawmakers accidentally left bestiality out of the measure, making it legal to have sex with animals. The new legislation will impose a maximum five-year prison term and $5,000 for the crime. (AP)

GOODBYE BLUE SKY

The world's biggest ozone monitoring experiment has discovered the largest ozone hole ever recorded over the Arctic and northern Europe. Over 60 per cent of the ozone layer has been lost at altitudes of about 18 kilometers. (News Unlimited UK)