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Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
 Posted: 02-12-2003 05:18 Post subject: Xtreme Xmas |
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Festive Fun
25 days of weirdness left but things are already hotting up:
| Quote: | Santa's helper throttles teen
An outing to a shopping center ended with a shock for 13-year-old Joakim Osland. A fjoesnisse, a kind of elf that traditionally occupies barns and wears a red cap associated with Christmas and Santa Claus, became frighteningly furious when Joakim tried to pet his hen, newspaper Firda reports.
Osland and two friends were at the shopping center over the weekend and went to see the fjoesnisse hired in to entertain customers. The nisse in question was standing with a wagon containing a little pig and a hen.
"I was a little curious. The hen didn't look like a normal hen," Joakim said. "She looked incredibly soft. I tried to pet her but she was so quick that she hopped away."
This seemed to drive the 'elf' berserk.
"He came up behind me and shouted at me. I didn't think elves did that kind of thing," Osland told the newspaper. "He grabbed me, first with one hand, then the other, so that he was strangling me. He said I should respect animals. The elf scared me a bit."
Joakim and his friends, Soelvi Hestvik, 15, and Rune Kristiansen, 15, thought the elf overreacted. After the throttling Joakim was red-faced, and had marks on his throat, they said.
"I was unlucky and grabbed (the hen) too hard, but I wasn't trying to hurt it. I love animals. I am used to having a cat, dog and parrot," Joakim said.
"Even so, a grown man shouldn't attack a 13-year-old," Soelvi said. |
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=677418
Emps
Last edited by Mighty_Emperor on 23-12-2004 13:45; edited 1 time in total |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 08-12-2003 03:31 Post subject: Jingle bloody bells |
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| Quote: | A blue Christmas for Austria
Economic woes, a lack of snow and annoying carols are casting a pall.
AP
2003-12-06 04:12:17
VIENNA -- It could be the weather -- there's nary a snowflake in sight. Maybe it's angst over unprecedented labour unrest or global warming melting away ski slopes in the Alps.
Whatever it is, Austria -- known worldwide for its magically festive Christmas traditions -- is in a Grinchy state of mind.
In this tranquil country where a priest penned Silent Night in 1816, Elvis Presley's Blue Christmas suddenly seems more appropriate -- if only more Austrians were in the mood for Yuletide music.
Just in time for this weekend's season-opening St. Nikolaus holiday, labour unions are pressing stores to stop the incessant playing of carols, denouncing the practice as "psychological terrorism.".
"They become aggressive and develop an aversion to Christmas music," said Gottfried Rieser, a leader of the campaign.
Rieser wants shops to limit carol playing to one hour -- 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. -- to give workers a break. "There's no sense in playing Softly Falls the Snow in the sausage department," he said.
Workers are especially touchy in Austria this holiday season.
For the first time since the Second World War, teachers, railroad employees and airline pilots are staging periodic strikes as the government whittles away traditional job protections and the right to retire early and comfortably.
Others are looking warily past Christmas to the new year, when neighbouring Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia join the European Union. Many Austrians fear their country -- historically a place where East meets West -- will be overrun by foreigners who will compete with them for jobs.
Since last Christmas, joblessness has jumped 13 per cent in Vienna. Among the capital's 1.6 million people, 80,500 are unemployed.
Dismay over the sluggish economy has cast a pall over today's celebration of St. Nikolaus, the white-bearded saint who arrives in his bishop's mitre and delivers biscuits and sweets to young children.
And the weather is all wrong. There have been days recently when it's been unseasonably mild.
Austrians blame the "foehn," a system that funnels winds from the Sahara into the Alps. It brings a touch of spring, but it can also put people in a foul mood by giving them tension headaches and sleepless nights.
They're also worried about global warming, and with good reason. A new UN Environment Program report warns that snow is melting at lower altitudes and could mean an end to downhill skiing at some alpine resorts.
Skiing is a multimillion-dollar industry, but this year, many slopes are green.
And to make matters worse, Austrians are bracing for a major outbreak of influenza now sweeping France. |
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/12/06/278487.html
See also:
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_844432.html
http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?id=A27FF0B5-5790-431F-9CCA-026E1FBC46AD
Emps
Last edited by Mighty_Emperor on 08-12-2003 03:38; edited 1 time in total |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 09-12-2003 15:46 Post subject: |
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From the front page:
| Quote: | Santa Faints Near Equator While Distributing Candy To Children
POSTED: 10:53 a.m. EST December 8, 2003
GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- Ho-Ho! Oh no!
This Santa needs a non-winter wardrobe.
A Santa Claus passing out candy to kids in the South American nation of Guyana passed out from the heat.
The unidentified man wearing a traditional winter Santa suit buckled under the more than 80-degree heat and slumped to the ground.
Onlookers rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was kept under observation for several hours and released.
Police and hospital officials refused to identify the middle-aged man.
He worries he'd be the laughing stock of the town of Georgetown. |
http://www.wftv.com/newsofthestrange/2689994/detail.html
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| caroleaswas Diva Mentalis Joined: 01 Aug 2001 Total posts: 4607 Age: 8 Gender: Female |
| Posted: 09-12-2003 16:27 Post subject: |
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Nothing fortean to report, but I just must mention that I was in Debenhams on Saturday and Santa was in residence. They didn't have a grotto, just a cordoned off area of the store. A little girl was sitting listening to Santa, who was telling her what was going to happen on Christmas eve and how he distributed the presents while everyone was asleep. The look of wonder on that little girl's face was a sight to behold and gave me a pleasant Christmassy glow for the reset of the day.
Carole |
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| Anonymous |
| Posted: 10-12-2003 22:21 Post subject: |
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The South African Post Office has been banned from inviting children to write to Father Christmas after a complaint.
The Post Office had run a television advertisement encouraging children to write to a special address with their wish list of presents.
But the South African Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the ad exploited the Father Christmas myth and the "natural credulity" of children.
It concluded the ad breached the county's advertising standards code.
'Disillusioned youth'
The ASA took action after journalist Andrew October from Cape Town made a complaint.
He said the Post Office's ad encouraged "a falsehood that could break the fragile spirits of the already disillusioned youth of South Africa".
Unless the Post Office was willing to give all the children who wrote to the address the presents they wished for, the ad should be banned, he added.
The ASA agreed with Mr October, and also noted that an additional aspect of the Father Christmas myth was the belief that only good children got presents on Christmas Day.
Any child who wrote to the address, but did not receive the presents they wished for, may feel they were being punished for naughtiness, the ASA found.
This could prove "extremely upsetting" for them, it added.
'Fantasy world'
Advertising agency Lobedu Leo Burnett, responding on behalf of the Post Office, argued that the ad was "harmless" and that the tradition of writing to Father Christmas is well known and supported by many parents.
It also said that living in a "fantasy world" was a part of the growing up process, although it said small gifts would have been sent to children writing letters whom the Post Office had felt were genuinely in need.
And if this ruling was not damaging enough for Father Christmas, residents in his traditional home in Finnish Lapland are concerned that little snow has fallen since October.
This could mean no white Christmas for the thousands of tourists who travel there each year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3307695.stm |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 11-12-2003 14:09 Post subject: Reindeers on the sun? |
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From the fornt page:
| Quote: | Rudolph casts his shadow on the sun
Av Øyvind Ludt og Carin Pettersson 11.12.03 12:08
It is almost Christmas, and Santa Claus must be working his crew hard. Recently a reindeer shadow was visible on the surface of the sun.
Just in the same way as you sometimes make out shapes in the clouds, such shapes can also be visible on the surface the sun. Peter Kuklok is a hobby astronomer from Germany noticed the shape of Rudolph the reindeer on the surface of the sun a couple of days ago.
What he saw was a so-called corona hole which happened to looked like Rudolph the reindeer or one of his relatives. Corona holes appear as dark areas in the corona, the sun’s warm atmosphere, when the sun is pictured in ultraviolet light and x-ray.
According to Paal Brekke at European Space Agency (ESA), such corona holes are normally connected to the pole areas on the sun, but in this phase of the sun’s cycle, they also occur closer to the sun’s equator.
But then again, the explanation may just be as simple as it is the shadow of one of Santa Claus’ reindeers as Father Christmas decided to start his deliveries early this year. Has Santa Claus been to your house yet?
This picture was taken by the satellite Soho, as the researchers in ESA and NASA enjoyed the picture so much that they selected it as this week’s picture. |
http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/english/article163959.ece |
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| littleblackduck Great Old One Joined: 16 Aug 2001 Total posts: 470 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 12-12-2003 15:42 Post subject: Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer on the Sun |
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I checked this story out to the best of my ability to see if it was a genuine simulacrum or a hoax. As far as I can see, it is a classic newspaper hoax--these Norwegian news sites are playful and mix local, serious and weird news with weird jokes, in a manner very like old-fashioned small-town newspapers or modern tabloids
If anybody has evidence that the Rudolf-shaped hole is genuine, I would be delighted to know.
By the way, I posted a series of posts about the dangers of fruitcake being used by terrorists in the Conspiracy threads.
It may end being bumped here--just a warning.
Actually, it is three or four separate postings--I try to break my longer rants and digressions up into sections. Makes it easier for people to read them or not read them, according to their tastes and lights.
I can totally see why journalists and editors have to let off steam from time to time with a good old-fashioned hoax or silly season story. They just see way too much tragedy and comedy, often mixed together. |
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| littleblackduck Great Old One Joined: 16 Aug 2001 Total posts: 470 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 12-12-2003 15:48 Post subject: Re: Jingle bloody bells |
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I would like to call your attention to the statement that "Silent Night" was written in 1816--this was the famous "Year Without a Summer", because Krakatoa had exploded earlier.
Fort has much to say on the scientific theories connecting extreme weather events and sky phenomena with volcanic eruptions.
ADDED LATER:
Another news story lately made the connection between a volcanic eruption and the famous painting by Norwegian painter, Munsch, "The Scream".
Should we be scanning the Art Museums of the world for Fortean phenomena--I've already seen many medieval prints and paintings presented as evidence for UFO's.
Strange how the meteorologists have suddenly taken an interest in art (they also dated a Van Gogh--or was it a Gaughan--from astronomical information contained in the painting).
My theory: these things come in waves as experts discover the press release and publicity potential of the art-science link.
The doctors have been diagnosing famous artists and writers for generations, but then, a lot of doctors and lawyers would sooner be doing something else.
Last edited by littleblackduck on 12-12-2003 16:03; edited 1 time in total |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 12-12-2003 18:45 Post subject: |
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lbd: Excellent follows ups - thanks for that 
More news culled from the front page:
| Quote: | Couple Robbed While Watching 'Bad Santa'
Wed Dec 10, 8:35 PM ET
Add Strange News - AP to My Yahoo!
CALDWELL, Idaho - Forget Santa, these were some bad elves. While John Roberts and Sandy Norton were out seeing the Christmas movie spoof, "Bad Santa," Sunday night, somebody stole about 0 of decorations and lights from their home.
"It's a crying shame," Roberts said. "This is a time of year to give thanks."
Caldwell Police Capt. Chris Allgood said it is difficult to track down stolen house decorations unless they are specifically marked so they can be identified.
For his part, Roberts has bolted down some of the remaining decorations, and he has installed a motion-light sensor to discourage future thefts.
But he is not letting it dampen his Christmas spirit.
"This is a beautiful holiday," Roberts said. |
Source
Emps
Last edited by Mighty_Emperor on 23-12-2004 13:29; edited 1 time in total |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 13-12-2003 05:12 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Santa Caught with His Trousers On
Wed Dec 10,10:06 AM ET Add Oddly Enough - Reuters to My Yahoo!
SYDNEY (Reuters) - An absent-minded bank robber dressed as Santa Claus will spend Christmas in an Australian jail, after he forgot about his pants.
Gregory Harland-White, 40, planned to rob a bank in a small town on Australia's island state Tasmania dressed as Santa Claus, dump the suit in a horse trailer and get away on a bicycle, The Mercury newspaper in Tasmania reported on Wednesday.
Harland-White bought his Santa suit from a chicken feed shop near the bank and armed himself with two pieces of pipe taped together to look like a gun.
After robbing the bank of about ,000, Harland-White ran into a nearby horse trailer to dump the Santa suit, before heading for his get away vehicle, a bicycle chained to a power pole more than a block away.
But he forgot to take off his Santa pants and was quickly caught, never making it to his bicycle. Harland-White pleaded guilty to bank robbery in a court in Tasmania on Tuesday and is awaiting sentencing, The Mercury said. |
Source
| Quote: | Holiday Ad Has Hidden Hate Message
Hanukkah Flier Contains Anti-Semitic Line
POSTED: 4:43 PM CST December 11, 2003
UPDATED: 5:50 PM CST December 11, 2003
DALLAS -- A holiday shopping flier that's been distributed to thousands of households in north Texas is creating controversy because a message of hate is included within an advertisement.
An ad for "Party City" was supposed to highlight a sale on Hanukkah items, but it also contained a hateful anti-Semitic message.
The advertisement includes the sentence "CC Hates the Jews" in large, bold letters.
According to ADVO, the company that printed the advertisement, a graphic artist working on the ad had left his desk for a moment, and a co-worker with the initials C.C. changed the text on the ad.
The graphic artist didn't notice the change and the ad went to print.
However, despite the explanation, the Anti-Defamation League wants more questions answered.
"How did it get out of the graphic shop in Pittsburgh? How did it get by ADVO? How did it get by the printer and all of that?" Mark Briskman said.
ADVO representatives in Dallas said they are mortified by the oversight and that they are trying to figure out why the error was never caught. |
http://www.nbc5i.com/holidays/2699927/detail.html
Last edited by Mighty_Emperor on 23-12-2004 13:46; edited 1 time in total |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 17-12-2003 19:35 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Clandestine Clauses make spirits bright
Mischievous Santas drop in to surprise shoppers, art lovers
By Jim Sheeler, Rocky Mountain News
December 15, 2003
The Santa in the gray furry pimp coat was the first one to spot the target.
"There it is! There it is!" he shouted. "There's the mall!"
"Ho, ho, ho!" shouted another Santa, dressed in fishnet stockings and puffing on a cigar as she drew out her flask of whiskey.
Inside their converted "sleigh" - a school bus decorated with garland and Christmas lights and graffitied with spray-can snow - dozens of somewhat scroungy Santas prepared themselves Saturday afternoon for an event that some call the Santa Rampage, some call Santarchy.
Officially, it's known as Santacon, an orchestrated invasion of mischievous Kris Kringles that, over the past several years, has spread to dozens of major cities across the United States, along with Tokyo, London and Vancouver.
They're not an activist group. There is no grand agenda - other than mostly harmless street theater that, as one pseudo Santa said, aims to "enlighten people in a fun way by confronting them with something they don't expect."
As they sloshed through Denver for more than 15 hours Saturday, their sacks were stuffed with toys made of disembodied dolls, melted army men and decapitated Barbies with Homer Simpson heads.
Most of the Santas wore cheap suits bought at Wal-Mart and made in China, deviously accessorized over the last few weeks.
Some wore furry platform shoes, others combat boots. One wore little at all.
There were Jewish, Christian and atheist Santas; male and female; Kringles gay and straight.
Saturday afternoon, more than 40 naughty St. Nicks found themselves in the place that has become Santa's second home - one where this bunch is usually unwelcome.
"I'm scared," said one of the Santas as he looked up at the imposing Dillard's entrance, wondering where security people were stationed. "I hate malls."
"Do you think we'll get all the way to see (the mall) Santa this year?" another said.
"I don't care," said a third, as she finished a beer. "I just hope we make it to the bathroom."
But is it art?
It started Saturday afternoon, as the Claus cabal streamed into the meeting place posted on the Web site for The Cacophony Society, a loose-knit group of anonymous merry pranksters that organizes the annual event.
The bunch included an architect, engineers, a psychotherapist, graphic designers and computer programmers.
Ages ranged from mid-20s to mid-60s. Some drink, some don't. The pilot of the sleigh - the sober Santa in the pimp coat - is a former RTD bus driver.
The first stop was the Denver Art Museum, where they became their own exhibit.
There, they scrutinized the artwork as critic Kringles, scratching their white synthetically bearded chins and furrowing their brows in faux contemplation:
"Ho, ho, . . .
. . . Hmmmmmm."
The stares and snickers were immediate, much to the Santas' delight.
Instructed not to frighten children, they handed out "nice" gifts to the kids - mostly leftover Happy Meal toys, whimsical Santa stickers or secondhand tchotchkes picked up at thrift shops.
The adults get the "naughty" gifts - autographed photos of a half-naked Santa with the missive, "Santa Loves You, Baby" or anatomically enhanced action figures.
Some patrons sneered at the invasion, but most caught the giggles.
But even the most open-minded of art lovers couldn't help but gasp at a hairy Santa clad only in a bikini top and miniskirt that barely concealed his cleavage - front and rear.
"Oh, my goodness," another woman said, pointing as the Santas left the art museum.
"That Santa doesn't have a shirt on!"
A surprise welcome
Inside the Buckingham Square Mall, the storybook setting turned surreal as the Santas swarmed inside an empty children's play area called the Dickens Christmas Festival.
The setup - painted to look like Victorian England - was soon filled with 40 Santas playing Twister, riding scooters and jumping rope.
In the previous four years of Santacon, the clandestine Clauses never lasted more than a few minutes before being escorted out of their targeted mall.
But in a mall that has been largely forgotten, where many of the stores are shuttered, they were welcomed with hugs.
"I love them! Oh, God they're fabulous! And their energy! They're great!" said Wanda Lakota, as she snapped photos.
"There's so much that's commercial, but this is just people having fun. This is what Christmas is about. This is awesome."
Then, finally, the moment arrived: They encountered the Big Elf himself.
As they approached the mighty mall Santa, he jumped from his throne.
He (actually she) immediately approached the Santa throng, and the fake Santas weren't sure what to do.
That's when the mall Santa smiled, and asked to pose with THEM for a photo.
"You know what? I think that we've got so many things to worry about in this world, and they're having fun," said the mall Santa, a.k.a. Tara Pickett.
"If you want to go and do it and you aren't hurting anybody, I say go for it."
As the sun set, the Santas embraced the dark, planning trips to strip clubs and tequila bars.
"It's lonely at the North Pole," one of them explained.
"Actually," another one explained, "there, we can act out our decadent side without offending anybody."
After they bailed out of the bus once again, headed for a topless joint, one of them left behind a small placard that she had carried during the day.
It had since fallen to the floor of the bus.
Amid the spilled beer and grime, its message was dingy and barely legible:
"Whoever creates the most joy WINS." |
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_2505744,00.html
Link to SantaCon:
www.santacon.com
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 17-12-2003 19:36 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Grinch Pilfers Inflatables In Rockland County
Email This Story
Print This Story
Dec 16, 2003 11:51 am US/Eastern
(1010 WINS) (NEW CITY, N.Y.) The Grinch stole Christmas, and now someone has stolen the Grinch.
An 8-foot-tall, inflatable decoration in the form of the title character from Dr. Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" disappeared from a yard in New City over the weekend and police say there have been several thefts of the new balloon-like ornaments this season.
Clarkstown police Sgt. Harry Baumann said eight to 10 of the decorations -- which come in models including a snowman, Santa Claus, a polar bear and Winnie the Pooh -- have been taken since Dec. 1.
"They're light, easy to deflate and easy to take," he told The Journal News. He said some similar Halloween-themed decorations were taken in October, but he believes the thieves are more likely mischievous children than an organized network.
Sandy Blanco, whose Grinch was pinched, hung a sign where the balloon had been. It said, "Someone stole our Grinch! Have a heart, please bring it back."
"Normally, people don't do these type of things," she said. "It's such a Grinch thing to do." |
http://1010wins.com/topstories/winstopstories_story_350115951.html |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 17-12-2003 21:07 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Hammer attack suspect: Merry X-mas, from the devil
By Norman Miller/MetroWest Daily News
Monday, December 15, 2003
A Natick man accused of beating his female roommate with a hammer last month has sent a Christmas card to her dog in which he claims to be the devil.
Kathleen Powers, 49, formerly of 74 South Ave., said the card, sent by Michael Stuart, 49, disturbed her so much she had nightmares.
``What's happening in my head now, I'm having dreams, nightmares,'' said Powers. ``I'm having the nightmares - it's bees in my throat because he choked me. Bees are stinging me. I don't see him and I don't see his face.''
In the rambling note, Stuart wrote, ``Merry Christmas and happy New Year, and that goes to you too, Patience.
``When you spell God backward, you get dog. Patience is a dog, the all mighty star in heaven. I am Lucifer, the all mighty demon in hell.''
Prosecutors said at Stuart's arraignment last month he hit Powers 12 times with the hammer, choked her, tried to rip her tongue out of her mouth and punched her dog.
Stuart is jailed on charges of assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and mayhem.
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http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/localRegional.bg?articleid=550 |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 23-12-2003 02:52 Post subject: |
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From the front page:
| Quote: | Nothing says Christmas like a colonoscopy
Last Updated Sat, 20 Dec 2003 11:57:27
CALGARY - For between 0 and ,000, people in Calgary can treat their loved ones to a medical exam, a personal health plan, or a battery of tests – with a complimentary relaxation massage to boot.
The gift of an MRI, CT scan or virtual colonoscopy can also be arranged, for an undisclosed price.
The idea is part of a marketing brainstorm by two of the city's private clinics to promote their medical services as the ideal Christmas gift.
The Personal Health Planning Institute has sent out flyers advertising holiday specials on personal health assessments, which include a team of five doctors examining a patient, running tests and setting up a diet and exercise plan.
The promotion is aimed at the spouses of overworked professionals.
"We thought, 'This is the greatest gift they can give — the gift of health,'" said Dr. David Peterson, spokesperson for the Institute.
Canada Diagnostics Centres are also offering specials on MRIs, CT scans and virtual colonoscopies.
Peterson says there are many people in the city, particularly men, who don't have family doctors.
"They think they're indestructible. They only go when they're in a crisis. So … we have spouses that are concerned their husbands or wives are overworked, not looking after themselves, not eating properly, stressed out," Peterson said.
"We're really here to optimize people's health. We're not a replacement for their family doctor. We're here to help them live healthier lives, give them peace of mind about their health."
But a University of Calgary medical bioethicist says people may be better to stick with peace on Earth at this time of year.
Dr. Ian Mitchell calls the promotion a clever marketing ploy, but not necessarily what a doctor might order.
"I think most people reading it will know you can't buy health. If they do this, they're buying a picture of themselves, they're not actually buying health," said Mitchell.
"If they want health, why not spend their money on a holiday?"
Mitchell added that CT scans and MRIs that are not medically necessary can turn up misleading results, and cause more stress to a person's life instead of decreasing it. |
http://cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/19/medical_gifts031219
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| SoundDust Milkshake Holy Grail (Mediocre Old One)
Age: 11 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 23-12-2003 20:33 Post subject: |
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America's controversial Christmas trees
| Quote: |
For an overwhelmingly Christian country which prides itself on freedom of expression, removing "offensive" Christmas trees and censoring school Santas may seem curious.
But as far as American public institutions are concerned, it is not Christmas but the "holiday season".
Any school, public library, university or government building which at this time of year crosses the constitutional boundary between church and state - be it simply through singing Silent Night or erecting a nativity scene on the lawn - risks being the target of a lawsuit.
The supporters of such campaigns believe they are necessary to ensure the US, founded by those fleeing political persecution, does not exclude anyone on the basis of their faith - particularly amid post-9/11 religious tensions.
But for others, both within the religious right and beyond it, the joy of Christmas is being eroded by a group of politically-correct lobbyists who are turning another great American cause - freedom - on its head with a particularly joyless form of censorship.
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