Topic: News - Archives

Because the mass media focuses on the personalities of political figures rather than their substance, it helps makes possible the election of incompetents such as George Bush, an authority on constitutional law says. What will such a focus mean for the 2008 election cycle?

According to Glenn Greenwald, in the eyes of the media George W. Bush was the more "likable" candidate and was the victor of a "very small minded personality war" during the 2000 campaign in which the mainstream media focused on a candidate's personality instead of more substantial issues like competency and experience. Glenn Greenwald's remarks came in an interview with Dean Lawrence R. Velvel of the Massachusetts School of Law on the radio program What the Media Doesn't Tell You. Greenwald is a former constitutional lawyer who is now a columnist and blogger on politics and the media for Salon.com. The focus of the program is on how George Bush became the Republican candidate in 2000. In addition, Greenwald has just written a book titled A Tragic Legacy that details the disaster that has become the presidency of George Bush. The show will be aired over World Radio Network on Sirius Channel 140 on both Saturday (June 30) and Sunday (July 1) at 11 a.m. Eastern time.

Overturning a ruling by the Vatican II council which called for priests to seek permission before performing the Latin Mass, the new ruling would alow priests to make the decision without approval.

Pope Benedict XVI has approved a document that would allow greater use of the Tridentine Mass (also known as the Latin Mass).

An open letter invites Alan Chambers and other ex-gay leaders to listen to the stories of men and women who feel they were harmed by programs designed to "cure" their homosexuality. The Ex-gay Survivor Conference, an international meeting of former ex-gays and community allies, will coincide with the annual Exodus conference in Irvine, California.

As Exodus International, the world's largest network of "ex-gay" ministries, prepares to hold its annual conference this week in Irvine, California, two former participants in Exodus programs have issued an open letter to the organization's leaders. The letter, which was penned by Peterson Toscano and Christine Bakke, invites Exodus leaders to attend a dinner with "ex-gay survivors" -- men and women who feel that attempts to change their sexual orientation caused emotional and spiritual damage.

The Grey School of Wizardry announces the 2007 Apprentice Wizard Essay Contest to promote magical scholarship in young people. Seven Winners will each receive a one-year scholarship to the Grey School, and other prizes.

Cotati, CA June 28, 2007 -- The Grey School of Wizardry is pleased to announce the 2007 Apprentice Wizard Essay Contest. The theme of this year's Contest is "Why I Want To Be A Wizard." The Contest is open to all aspiring Wizards between the ages of 11 and 17 years old (as of October 1, 2007). Contestants do not have to live in the United States of America; entries are welcome from all countries worldwide. The purpose of the Contest is to promote magickal scholarship in young people, and it is free to enter and submit an essay.

The Prime Minister's office declares "creationism" and "Intelligent Design" to be religious beliefs, not science. Guidelines to be published soon.

The U.K. government has defined "Intelligent Design," the idea that life is too complex to have arisen without the help of a greater intelligence, and "creationism" as religion and ruled that neither has a place within the country's school science curriculum.

While the latest stories on the alleged Duke rape case focus on the downfall of disgraced prosecutor Michael Nifong, one experienced private investigator notes the real story is that this is not a rare event.

While the latest stories on the alleged Duke rape case focus on the downfall of disgraced prosecutor Michael Nifong, one experienced private investigator notes the real story is that this is not a rare event.

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Suzanne McComas, PI & head of the ZZ Agency.

Twenty-one candidates remain for a new version of the seven wonders of the world. Unlike the traditional Seven Wonders, all of these will still exist.

The New Open World Foundation will announce the results of the New Seven Wonders of the World election on July 7, 2007 (or 07.07.07). The ballot itself will close on midnight the day before. The Foundation proposes a revision of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, of which only the Great Pyramid of Giza still exist.

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Of the original seven wonders of the ancient Greeks, the Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one remaining.

Any Americans finding themselves in Leuven, Belgium yesterday might be excused for thinking they'd been time-warped back to a demonstration in the 1960s U.S.

Last Monday, the police entered an abandoned house in Leuven, Belgium, that anarchist squatters had occupied for seven years. None of the squatters were present at the time, mostly due to exams. The premise was evacuated and the police dumped everything inside in containers. The house, which the squatters had baptised Villa Squattus Dei, belongs to the Catholic organisation Opus Dei.

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UNIV-CON, the national paranormal conference, will once again be held at Penn State. Conference guests include legendary author John Keel ("Mothman Prophecies"), Sci Fi's "Ghost Hunters" Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, demonologist Lorraine Warren and dozens more! UNIV-CON is considered the largest paranormal conference in America and is the only paranormal conference held at a university.

Paranormal enthusiasts and ghost hunters from around the country will flock to Penn State this October for UNIV-CON, the national paranormal conference. The conference committee unveiled its list of speakers earlier this week, which include several world-famous paranormal experts, researchers and celebrities. This year's conference, held October 18 - 21, is being called "historic" by conference organizers.

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Stars of TV's Ghost Hunters, Haunting Evidence, Dead Famous and the upcoming Paranormal State, discuss paranormal research at last year's UNIV-CON, the national paranormal conference.

Currently there are no Pagan chaplains in the U.S. Armed Forces, although other minority religions with similar, or fewer, numbers of devotees in the military have one or more chaplains.

A group of Pagan religious leaders from diverse denominations will gather in Lafayette Square Park on the Fourth of July to advocate for a Pagan military chaplain, request more approved Pagan religious symbols from the Department of Veterans Affairs and call for universal freedom of religious expression.