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ISCNI*Flash -- Vol. 2, No. 7, Part 1 -- June 16, 1996
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ISCNI*Flash is the twice-monthly electronic newsletter of ISCNI, The
Institute for the Study of Contact with Non-human Intelligence.
ISCNI*Flash is a subscription newsletter. Newcomers to the Flash may receive
two issues free before subscribing. CNI researchers, educators and
organization representatives may qualify for a complimentary subscription.
Paid members of ISCNI at America Online receive the Flash at no extra charge.
For more information on how to get the Flash, please see the notice at the
end of part two.
The subject matter of the ISCNI*Flash is inherently controversial, and the
views and opinions reported herein are not necessarily those of ISCNI or its
staff.
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Welcome to the ISCNI*Flash. This edition is in two parts. If you don't
receive both parts, please email ISCNIFlash@aol.com and request the missing
part. Highlights in this edition are:
PART ONE
o RESEARCHERS CARPENTER, FRIEDMAN, MACK GO TO BRAZIL,
FIND GOOD EVIDENCE FOR CLAIM OF "CAPTURED ALIENS"
o UFOs SIGHTED IN MANY PARTS OF AUSTRALIA
Flap Continues; Witnesses Report Saucer-Shaped Craft
o NEW-FOUND SOLAR SYSTEM HAS FEATURES LIKE EARTH'S
Could Help Confirm Theory That Planets Are Common
o NBC'S NEW "DARK SKIES" EXPLORES GOV'T-UFO SECRECY
Yet Another Bleak Vision of Impending Alien Invasion
PART TWO
o NASA ROBOT TRIES HAND AT BRAIN SURGERY
Robot Surgeon Could Be Standard On Long Space Flights
o PSYCHICS NOW GREATLY OUTNUMBER PRIESTS IN FRANCE
Psychiatry Also in Decline as Faith in Paranormal Soars
o WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF...?
Some Experts Voice Concern About UFO Revelations
o STUDY FINDS NO PROOF OF FALSE MEMORY CLAIMS
Could Have Implications For Abduction Research
o CHINA OPENS MUSEUM DEDICATED TO CHINESE "BIGFOOT"
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RESEARCHERS CARPENTER, FRIEDMAN, MACK GO TO BRAZIL;
FIND GOOD EVIDENCE FOR CLAIM OF "CAPTURED ALIENS"
by Michael Lindemann
Information keeps coming in to the ISCNI News Center on the rumored capture
of two or more "alien beings" by military authorities in Brazil. The latest
article received through internet sources (see below) mentioned that
well-known American abduction researcher John Carpenter had recently been in
Brazil to examine the case. Carpenter is also a founding member of the ISCNI
faculty. I phoned him at his office on June 13 and asked what he had learned.
"In short, it's a damn good case. I'd say it's equal to Roswell," Carpenter
said.
He had been in Brazil just last week for a conference, returning to his home
in Springfield, Missouri, on June 11. He told me he was going into a meeting
when I called and could give only brief answers to my questions, but promised
to write a detailed report for ISCNI soon.
I told Carpenter I had just received an email press release on the case from
well-known Brazilian UFO researcher A.J. Gevaerd. "Oh yes, he'll know all
about it," Carpenter said.
Carpenter, along with Stanton Friedman and British researcher Graham
Birdsall, attended the Brazilian UFO conference together and were seeking any
information they could get on the alleged capture of aliens. They learned
that one of the leading investigators of the case, Vitorio Pacaccini, was at
the conference and speaks perfect English.
Carpenter, Friedman and Birdsall invited Pacaccini to a private room where
they interviewed him on videotape for more than an hour. On the strength of
this interview and the evidence that Pacaccini has amassed, Carpenter says he
and the other researchers were highly impressed.
Carpenter confirmed that famed abduction researcher Dr. John Mack had been in
Brazil the previous week. Mack interviewed the three young girls who reported
seeing one of the "alien beings" later captured by the military.
"Mack told me he would stake his career and his license on those three girls
being truthful," Carpenter said.
Carpenter dropped some tantalizing hints of bigger elements of the case that
have not yet been divulged. He says there is strong suspicion that a UFO
crash-recovery is involved. He also said, "There are [or were] five or six
beings on the loose."
All published reports so far have mentioned only two beings.
The following text is edited from a press release sent out on June 9 by
Brazilian researcher A. J. Gevaerd. CNI News thanks James Sutton for
forwarding this information.
PRESS RELEASE - URGENT
On January 20, military forces captured two extraterrestrial creatures still
alive in Brazil. The capture occurred in neighboring areas of the city of
Varginha, State of Minas Gerais, Central Brazil. The fact is to be considered
one of the most significant ever registered in this country and in the entire
world. Military authorities are keeping secret all details of the operation,
but some information has already leaked to the UFO community due to the
investigative job of Dr. Ubiraja Franco Rodrigues and Vitorio Pacaccini, who
live nearby and are recognized as serious and dedicated researchers.
On the afternoon of January 20, about 3.30 PM local time, three young girls
named Liliane, Valquiria and Katia observed a strange creature in a field of
small bushes a few blocks from where they live. It was Saturday and they were
coming back from their jobs when, crossing an empty area, their attention was
attracted by a strange being a few meters away. The [being] was kneeling and
looked like it was hurt, suffering some sort of pain. No UFO was ever seen.
The girls observed it for a few minutes and ran away, afraid that they had
just encountered the devil....
The three girls were extensively interrogated by above mentioned researchers,
leaving no doubt whatsoever about what happened. Very simple kids, they
described the [creature] as being dark brown, with a small body of 4 to 5
feet in height, no hair at all, big brown head, small neck. It also seemed to
have some greasy, dark oil on its skin. A strange odor was noticed by the
mother of the girls, when she went to the site. The head of the creature had
two big red eyes, no pupils, very small mouth and nose and three
protuberances in the head. The girls described such protuberances as horns.
Following the leads, researchers Rodrigues and Paccaccini started making
inquiries everywhere in the town of Varginha, in order to know if anybody
else had seen the same creature. They found several other people who also
observed the [beings] in the same location and maybe other [beings] in
different locations. While conducting their own investigations, both
discovered that different witnesses had seen army trucks and other military
vehicles and personnel that very morning, a few blocks from the place the
girls saw the [being].
In trying to find out what the military were doing, Rodrigues and Pacaccini
came to meet a few soldiers and sergeants. One of them decided to talk
secretly about their mission, in a confidential taped interview. This
Sergeant confirmed that, about 9:00 AM, January 20, the Fire Department of
Varginha was required to capture a strange animal in the area. When four
firemen arrived in a truck in the place, they noticed that it was not a
strange animal at all, and reported the fact to the Army Sergeant School
Commander in the neighboring city of Tres Coracoes (about 10 miles east of
Varginha).
An army truck was sent to the place and both forces captured the creature
using nets and equipment regularly used to capture wild animals. The
[creature] was placed still alive in a box that was then covered by resistant
fabric. The box was placed on top of the truck, the vehicle headed to the
Army Sergeant School and all personnel involved were ordered not to talk
about it with anyone else. "It was a secret operation," [they were told by]
Lieutenant Colonel Wanderley, who commanded the operation.
After [this] unusual confidential report, a few other military decided to
come forward and speak about the captures as long as their identities were
totally kept secret. They all confirmed, on taped interviews, that a second
creature (possibly the same one seen by the girls that afternoon) was
captured on the night of January 20, by personnel from the Army and the Fire
Department.
Details of [this] operation are fully known. This creature, identical to the
first one, was taken to the Regional General Hospital of Varginha that same
night, stayed there for a few hours and then was transferred to a better
equipped facility, the Humanitas Hospital.
A few nurses and personnel from Regional General Hospital had confirmed some
facts and they were all suppressed. Individuals who had contacts with the
second creature were advised to avoid press and UFO researchers and not to
talk about it with anyone, not even their families or relations. At the
Humanities Hospital, the second creature was kept at least for 2 days, and on
the second night, January 22nd, a huge military operation took place to
remove the creature, [then] already dead.
Interviews with some of the military who participated in this new operation,
removing the creature from the Humanitas Hospital, declared that three Army
trucks were used, each one driven by two different soldiers. It is believed
that three trucks were used to remove only one body in order to [prevent] the
soldiers from knowing in which truck it would be transported. The drivers and
their [escorts] couldn't see the details of the operations, as they were
kept outside the hospital area. Military personnel from the Army Internal
Intelligence (called "S-2" in Brazil and extremely violent and repressive)
were responsible for getting the corpse from the interior of the hospital,
placing it in a box and then in one of the trucks.
All three trucks then were taken to a military facility in Campinas, State of
Sao Paulo, about 200 miles from Varginha, in the middle of the night. There,
the corpse was removed to the University of Campinas, one of the best
institutions in the country. It is believed -- and we already have detailed
information to be soon released -- that the body was autopsied by Dr. Badan
Palhares, world-acclaimed as one of the best professionals in that area alive
(he was the one who autopsied German Nazi Mengele, about ten years ago).
Palhares, as well as any other authority involved, denied he was involved in
any such operations.
UFO researchers from all over the country have been helping Rodrigues and
Pacaccini, in order to discover each and every detail of the capture of the
two [beings]. Media in Brazil has never been so active, and a great majority
of the population believes that the case is real and that the military and
civil authorities involved are keeping the facts secret. Many strange facts
are happening simultaneously, such as [imprisonment] of soldiers, Sergeants
being transferred at short notice etc. The phones of many UFO researchers
involved in the case are confirmed to be tapped and a few threats have been
made anonymously.
Every day new pieces of this fantastic puzzle are being received by
researchers in many cities, and more and more military personnel have agreed
to talk. In a matter of weeks, all information will be fully disclosed by the
UFO researchers involved.
Meanwhile, the region where Varginha is located, in the South of State of
Minas Gerais, is subject to one of the biggest UFO waves ever registered, the
huge UFOs in close range observations, landings and contact.
A.J. GEVAERD, Editor & Director
BRAZILIAN UFO MAGAZINE & BRAZILIAN CENTER for FLYING SAUCER RESEARCH
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UFOs SIGHTED IN MANY PARTS OF AUSTRALIA
Flap Continues; Witnesses Report Saucer-Shaped Craft
[ISCNI*Flash thanks John Stepkowski (legion@werple.net.au) for forwarding
this report from the Sunday Herald-Sun, Melbourne, Australia, dated May 26,
1996]
Residents in three states reported seeing UFOs on Friday night [May 24].
The Adelaide-based director of the Australian International UFO Association,
Colin Norris, said colored lights seen over Adelaide could not have been the
space shuttle Endeavour.
The senior operator of the National UFO Hotline, Ross Dowe, told ABC radio
[on May 25] that calls about lights in the sky had also been received from
people in Horsham, Wangaratta and Penrith near Sydney.
An eyewitness, Kathy Dickmann, 47, and her family watched three lights in the
sky for 20 minutes at 9pm in the Adelaide foothills.
"We thought it was a plane or helicopter at first, but they were moving like
you wouldn't expect anything we know of to move," Mrs. Dickmann said. "Then
we pulled over and just watched as the lights just hovered, flashing on and
off about every second or so for about 20 minutes."
Mr. Norris said other callers described a white ball the size of a full moon
which hovered and then sank to the horizon over several minutes.
Norris and Dowe said six other sightings had been reported around Australia
in the past week.
[The following update is from UFO ROUNDUP, Volume 1, Number 17, dated June 9.
ISCNI*Flash thanks Roundup editor Masinaigan for sharing this information.]
On Tuesday, June 4, the Examiner, a newspaper in suburban Melbourne,
Australia, published an update on the continuing UFO flap in that country.
According to the Examiner, UFOs were seen last week in Narre Warren and
Packenham, Victoria [southeastern Australia], and in Emerald and Cockatoo,
Queensland [northeastern Australia].
>From Monday, May 26, to Wednesday, May 28, UFOs were seen repeatedly in the
Emerald and Cockatoo areas. According to Ross Dowe of Australia's National
UFO Hotline, "Some people had seen it three nights in a row. They were a bit
put out because they don't believe in UFOs."
Asked what the objects could be, Dowe told the Examiner: "I have no idea."
On Monday night, May 26, a brightly-glowing saucer, red in color, appeared
over Packenham. The police in nearby Narre Warren sent a cruiser to
investigate.
The following night, Tuesday, May 27, the UFO visited Narre Warren, prompting
a flurry of phone calls to police headquarters. Eleven people on Lantana
Drive watched the UFO fly south from the Dandenong range, east of Melbourne.
One resident, Dianne Walkerton, brought out her camcorder and shot nine
minutes of video footage, showing the glowing, yellowish-orange saucer flying
east. As the UFO passed over nearby Packenham, it was seen by eight people
in a milk bar. According to the Examiner, "All were adamant that it was not
a helicopter. Rough estimates were that the object was 300 feet above
ground. It made no sound but was generally described as disc-shaped with
three bright yellow-orange lights in triangular formation, flying below the
low cloud."
At 11:40 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29, Ms. Walkerton and her neighbors again saw
the saucer. According to Barbara Schyler of the UFO Encounter and Support
Line, the residents watched the object for 10 or 15 minutes before it
vanished over the eastern horizon.
On Thursday night, May 30, police received six calls from the Warren Wood
estate (housing development) in Narre Warren." Residents claimed to have
seen "a brightly-lit large object flying low and fast in the direction (east)
of Packenham at around 7:30 p.m."
At 1:10 a.m. on Friday, May 31, a saucer was reported hovering over
Cranbourne Road near Narre Warren.
As an historical note, Australia had one of the earliest UFO sightings
reported this century. In February 1927, two brothers riding herd on cattle
near Fernvale, New South Wales, saw a glowing, domed, disc-shaped UFO fly
slowly overhead, lighting up the entire valley. It landed a few miles ahead
of them. Checking the site the next day, the men found a circle of scorched
grass.
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* * ABDUCTION RESEARCH PAPERS, VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE * *
From Leading Abduction Researcher & Hypnotherapist
John S. Carpenter, MSW
John Carpenter writes a popular column for every issue of the MUFON UFO
JOURNAL and has done ground-breaking research on multiple-witness abduction
cases. Now you can obtain his research papers, articles, MUFON journal
columns, investigative suggestions, hypnotic techniques, and even a VHS
videotape of his two-hour professional workshop -- a wealth of material,
ideas, and thought-provoking writings from one of America's leading abduction
researchers -- all at very low cost. For a free list of available titles,
send your request by email to StarmanJC@aol.com, or write to John Carpenter,
4033 South Belvedere, Springfield, MO 65807.
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NEW-FOUND SOLAR SYSTEM HAS FEATURES LIKE EARTH'S
Could Help Confirm Theory That Planets Are Common
[ISCNI*Flash thanks Paul Anderson for sending this article, which appeared on
June 12 in the Vancouver Sun.]
MADISON, Wis. -- Astronomers report they have discovered a solar system far
closer to our sun than any of the previous half-dozen planet discoveries.
Moreover, the new planetary system has features strikingly similar to our
own.
Evidence presented Tuesday (June 11) at the American Astronomical Society
meeting in Madison suggests that the fourth nearest star to our sun has a
Jupiter-sized companion orbiting at about the distance of Saturn -- and
possibly a second, smaller companion at the distance of the asteroid belt.
If confirmed, the new planet -- just more than eight light-years from Earth
-- adds another piece of evidence confirming centuries of speculation that
planets are common and that astronomers don't have to look much beyond their
own back yards to find them.
Some of these, astronomers hope, might harbor the potential for life.
"It's the beginning of a whole new field," said George Gatewood of the
Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh, who discovered the planet orbiting a
fast-moving star called Lelande 21185. "We've just lifted up the corners of
the first page of the book."
After decades of false hopes and dashed promises, astronomers have discovered
a string of oddball planetary systems since the fall of 1995.
However, up until now, all have had bizarre features. One planet orbited its
parent star in just four days; others were much larger than Jupiter -- the
giant of our solar system -- and orbited much faster (and therefore much
closer) to their suns. The closest of the previously discovered planets is at
least 40 light-years away.
Gatewood's planetary system, in contrast, looks much more like our own. The
planet weighs in with Jupiter's mass and appears to circle its star at a
similar distance.
Both possible planets also orbit in the same pancake-flat plane favored by
Earth's planetary companions.
Prospects for life are dim, however, because all large planets previously
discovered are mostly gas, lacking any terra firma. In addition, the star
Lelande 21185 is too faint to generate enough heat to support life.
The Pittsburgh observatory had been keeping track of Lelande 21185 for more
than six decades with a telescope that is small by modern standards. By
plotting the star's course through the heavens, they were able to discern a
small wobble in its motion.
Only recently, however, did the telescope get new optics that allowed
Gatewood to see the star with ten times the previous precision. "That's what
gave us the nerve to announce this," he said.
Gatewood has a reputation for careful observing. Charles Beichman, an
astronomer at the California Institute of Technology, vouched for Gatewood's
caution. "He's a very careful worker."
Others were more cautious. "It's an interesting report that requires
confirmation," said Stephen Maran of the American Astronomical Society. "This
is one where many astronomers are being particularly careful."
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* * GET WEEKLY "MEDIA WATCH" AT THE ISCNI WEB SITE * *
ISCNI's exclusive weekly viewer's guide, covering all aspects of CNI fact and
fiction, is posted every Friday at ISCNI's Web site, https://www.iscni.com, on
the "What's New" page. MEDIA WATCH covers the week from Saturday to Friday.
Take it! It's free!
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NBC'S NEW "DARK SKIES" EXPLORES GOVERNMENT-UFO SECRECY
Yet Another Bleak Vision of Impending Alien Invasion
"Dark Skies," premiering this fall on the NBC network in Saturday evening
prime time (8-9 p.m. ET), is the latest entry in a growing field of programs
that paint a picture of alien invasion. Unlike such programs as "Babylon 5"
or "Space: Above and Beyond," where the action is far from earth and clearly
imaginary, the scenario of "Dark Skies" stays very close to home and mirrors
the bleakest images of the UFO conspiracy mind-set.
NBC clearly has high ambitions for this show -- they're already hinting at
episodes all the way out to the turn of the century. According to the
network's current hype, "Dark Skies" is "an epic science fiction-adventure
series, combining 40 years of history and a world of speculative fiction into
its first five seasons... on the way to a final showdown between humans and
aliens on the eve of the millennium, a struggle the likes of which television
audiences have never seen."
ISCNI*Flash wants to know: Is someone trying to tell us something? Or is
alien invasion just the entertainment media's flavor of the month?
In case you're interested, here's some further detail on the plot:
"In 1961, two idealistic college graduates, John Loengard and girlfriend
Kimberly Sayers, went to Washington to be part of John F. Kennedy's New
Frontier. They set off to change the world. They never imagined they would
lead the battle to save it.
"The adventure begins when Loengard studies the Air Force investigation into
UFOs. He soon stumbles into Project Majestic, the government's ultrasecret
program to fight a covert invasion of the planet by a mysterious
extraterrestrial intelligence. Loengard finds himself both a victim and a
warrior at the front-lines of a secret war that will shape the course of
human history.
"Hunted by both Project Majestic and the aliens, John and Kimberly go
underground in a desperate struggle to warn humanity, a fight that will
ultimately involve them, their children and millions more in a resistance
movement known as 'Dark Skies.' It's a battle that involves them with many of
the historical events of the late 20th century, including John F. Kennedy's
assassination, the New York blackout of 1965 and the destruction of the Space
Shuttle Challenger."
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* * CONTINUED in Vol. 2, No. 7, Part 2 * *
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Except as otherwise noted, the entire text of ISCNI*Flash is copyright 1996
by ISCNI, Inc. As a condition of receiving the ISCNI*Flash, all recipients
agree not to post the ISCNI*Flash on any Newsgroup, Web site, BBS or similar
electronic location, nor redistribute the Flash by any electronic means,
except for the express purpose of encouraging others to subscribe, or unless
with prior permission of ISCNI. In general, ISCNI will approve the electronic
posting or redistribution of single articles or short excerpts from the
Flash, provided credit is given to the author and the ISCNI*Flash in every
instance. Hard copy (paper) reproduction and redistribution of the Flash, in
whole or part, for educational purposes is permitted.
==================================================================
From: ISCNIFlash@aol.com
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 16:23:23 -0400
Subject: ISCNI*Flash -- Vol. 2, No. 7, Part 2 -- June 16, 1996
To:
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ISCNI*Flash -- Vol. 2, No. 7, Part 2 -- June 16, 1996
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This is part two of the two-part ISCNI*Flash, the electronic newsletter of
ISCNI, the Institute for the Study of Contact with Non-human Intelligence. If
you did not receive part one of this edition, please send email to:
ISCNIFlash@aol.com
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NASA ROBOT TRIES HAND AT BRAIN SURGERY
Robot Surgeon Could Be Standard On Long Space Flights
NASA, May 31 -- A simple robot that can "learn" the physical characteristics
of the brain soon may give surgeons finer control of surgical instruments
during delicate brain operations.
In a new procedure being developed at NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain
View, CA, a robotic probe will "learn" the brain's characteristics by using
neural net software, which is the same type of software technology that helps
focus camcorders. The probe, equipped with a tiny pressure sensor, will
enter the brain, gently locating the edges of tumors while preventing damage
to critical arteries.
"Potentially, the robot will be able to 'feel' brain structures better than
any human surgeon, making slow, very precise movements during an operation,"
said principal investigator Dr. Robert W. Mah of the NeuroEngineering Group
at Ames. Brain tumors typically have a different density than normal brain
tissue. This difference allows neurosurgeons to find the tumor's edge through
experience.
"NASA's Neurosurgical Computational Medicine Testbed is a unique and
essential element in our goal to improve the safety, accuracy and efficiency
of neurosurgery," said Dr. Russell J. Andrews of the Veterans Affairs Palo
Alto Health Care System and clinical associate professor of neurosurgery at
Stanford University. "This collaboration is a good start toward meeting that
goal." Mah has worked with Andrews since 1994 to develop the smart robot.
The probes used on the robot are much smaller than standard probes, and
should further reduce potential brain damage. During standard brain
surgery, the surgeon uses a magnetic resonance image [MRI] to guide placement
of the probe in the brain. The physician samples the tumor by inserting a
biopsy probe through an opening in the skull.
"A probe can be as large as 0.2 inches in diameter," Mah said. "As it enters
the brain, there may be injury to brain tissue. If an artery is damaged as
the doctor inserts the probe, the patient could bleed to death," Mah said.
In contrast, during the robotic neural net procedure, the speed and maximum
pressure are controlled by a "smart" computer program that continues to learn
as it gains more experience. If it hits an artery, the probe will stop
before it penetrates. If the computer stops the probe, the surgeon can
decide what to do next.
"Besides having robotic computer control, we have miniaturized everything.
Instead of a probe that is almost 0.2 inches in diameter, all we need is a
probe about one-third that size," Mah said. "That minimizes brain damage,
too." A biopsy needle extracts a tissue sample through the probe.
Ames is developing robotic telepresence surgery to deal with medical
emergencies that may occur during long-duration human space flights. "On a
long-duration mission, there likely won't be a medical specialist on board to
deal with a specific surgical problem," Mah said. "A surgeon on Earth could
control the surgery by issuing high-level commands, such as 'start surgery'
or 'take sample' to the robot. The computerized robot would go as far as it
could within safe limits. Then it would wait for the next command from
Earth."
During early tests, scientists used tofu, a food made from soybeans that has
a consistency very similar to brain tissue, to model tissue types. "These
tests were used to teach the neural net software what are normal brain
tissues and arteries and what are not," Mah said.
The software learns to distinguish tumors from normal brain tissue by
remembering the pressure signatures or profiles for each kind of tissue, and
then making a model. Using traditional computer programming to do the brain
modeling job is not practical. "It is very difficult to model the human
brain. A human computer programmer would have to mathematically model each
patient and each kind of tissue," Mah added.
A modified form of the brain surgery robot could be used for other kinds of
surgery. "It could be used in the kinds of surgery that can use 'smart'
sensors. Besides pressure sensors, there are sensors that can detect
temperature, acidity and the amounts of various kinds of chemicals," he said.
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PSYCHICS NOW GREATLY OUTNUMBER PRIESTS IN FRANCE
Psychiatry Also in Decline as Faith in Paranormal Soars
PARIS - France's self-image as both the home of rational thought and "eldest
daughter of the Roman Catholic Church" has been severely dented by statistics
showing the country now contains more psychics and clairvoyants than priests.
The decline of religion and the rise of magic as the millennium approaches
has prompted a passion for crystal-ball gazing. Last year's tax returns show
that more than 50,000 people make money from faith-healing, predicting the
future, astrology or similar practices, while 35,000 are men of the cloth.
About ten million people, almost one-fifth of the French population, have
consulted a clairvoyant, according to a magazine survey, and the paranormal
business has an estimated annual turnover in France of more than 1 billion
francs.
At the same time, the parish priest is becoming rarer. As Brigitte Bardot,
the former actress said recently in a rant against the Muslim ritual of sheep
slaughter, "our church bells fall silent due to lack of priests."
The number of psychiatrists has also dropped, to 6,000. "The astonishing
thing is that the more science progresses, the less it affects obscurantist
phenomena such as clairvoyance," Gerard Miller, a Paris psychiatrist says.
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* * ROSWELL UFO ENCOUNTER '96 * *
"It Did, They Are" is the theme of Roswell, New Mexico's citywide UFO
conference/festival/extravaganza, taking place July 4-6. Speakers include
ISCNI*Flash editor Michael Lindemann, "Gulf Breeze Six" spokesman Vance
Davis, abductee Melinda Leslie, hypnotherapist Barbara Lamb, long-time
researchers Clifford Stone and David Perkins, and other special guests. Also
features tours of Roswell's UFO museums, planetarium shows, art and craft
displays, much more. For more information, call Deon or Stan Crosby at
505-622-4742; or send email to iufomrc@lookingglass.com.
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WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF...?
Some Experts Voice Concern About UFO Revelations
[It's often said that the main reason for UFO secrecy is the government's
fear of public panic if the reality of UFOs and alien visitation were made
known. But is this claim true? According to author Colman Jones, it probably
is -- but there are other concerns as well. For example: who will get the
huge military advantage of being the first to figure out how UFOs work? Some
experts say that no project in history would be treated with greater secrecy.
The following article, which appeared in the latest edition of NOW Magazine,
is copyrighted 1996 by NOW Communications Inc. and is reprinted here with the
permission of the author. Thanks to Errol Bruce-Knapp for sending this
article. Colman Jones maintains a web site at:
https://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/2587/feature2.html]
by Colman Jones
On January 1, 2000, Bill Clinton enters a Rose Garden press conference,
accompanied by other world leaders.
Staring straight into the news cameras, the U.S. president solemnly declares,
"I have an important announcement to make: we now have reason to believe that
this planet has been visited by extraterrestrial beings who are studying our
race. Their ultimate intentions are unknown."
What if this unearthly scenario were actually to transpire? How would the
world's peoples react?
It's a question that some of the world's best minds have long been
contemplating, and their conclusions may shed light on why governments have
not been more forthcoming on the subject of UFOs and aliens -- namely, the
fear of the public reaction that such a blatant declaration would provoke.
For example, according to a 1960 report prepared for NASA by the Brookings
Institution, a Washington think-tank, discovery of life on other worlds could
cause the earth's civilization to collapse.
Citing anthropological studies, it noted, "societies sure of their own place
have disintegrated when confronted by a superior society, and others have
survived even though changed."
"Clearly, the better we can come to understanding the factors involved in
responding to such crisis the better prepared we may be."
But at a special 1972 symposium on extraterrestrial intelligence held at
Boston University, Nobel Prize winner George Wald took a more pessimistic
view. "I can conceive of no nightmare so terrifying as establishing such
communication with a so-called superior technology in outer space," he
testified.
A 1975 report produced by the Library of Congress for the House Committee on
Science and Technology also warned against automatically assuming that open
contact with other life forms, if discovered, would benefit humanity. "Since
we have no knowledge of their nature, we may be aiding in our own doom," it
said, and went on to speculate about a foreign civilization's possible
negative views on a lower technological society, seeing it as a threat.
"It's a huge unknown," agrees Michael Michaud, a former U.S. State Department
career diplomat for 32 years, serving at U.S. embassies all over the world,
specializing in environment, science and technology. He has written
extensively on the implications of extraterrestrial contact. In an article
published in the journal of the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics, Michaud noted that discovery of extraterrestrial life by
military authorities might not necessarily be made available to the public.
Reached at his home in Geneva, Switzerland, the now retired diplomat cites a
late 1970s incident, in which he was personally involved, in which a
nuclear-powered Soviet satellite was discovered by the U.S. to be losing its
orbit, descending towards the earth with a nuclear reactor on board.
Michaud recalls: "This was discussed intensively between ourselves and the
Soviets, and later with certain other governments, long before any public
release of the information was made. That affair was classified until it was
announced publicly after the satellite came down, so it's entirely
conceivable that a government might handle the [discovery of extraterrestrial
life] the same way, if it were done only through governmental means."
Michaud has frequently argued that one of the most profound effects would be
the feeling of common identity that might be generated by contact. Bringing
his 32 years in diplomacy to bear on this, Michaud says the outside identity
contrasting with our own might be potentially very useful. "I'm not sure it
will solve all our squabbles, but it will make them seen a lot less
important, and there will be larger context in which they will be placed."
Stanton Friedman, considered by many the grand-daddy of ufologists, says
there are plenty of reasons for a UFO coverup. Interviewed at his home in
Fredericton, New Brunswick, the 61-year-old nuclear physicist points out that
military considerations would override all others, especially as concerns the
technology underlying alien spacecraft: "You want to figure how the damn
things work. Say you've got wreckage, you set up your secret project. The
basic rule for security is that you can't tell your friends without telling
your enemies."
For this reason, Friedman says, military authorities would have a vested
interest in keeping recovery of alien vehicles under wraps. "What if the
other guy figures out how they work before you do?"
Obviously, such a revelation would also pull the rug from under many of our
most cherished institutions, be they religious, economic, or political. As
Friedman notes, "The biggest implication here is loss of power to people who
have it. What would happen is that the younger generation would immediately
push for a new view of ourselves, instead as Canadians, American, Russians,
Chinese, etc., but as earthlings.
"That would be splendid, until you realize that there's no government on this
planet that wants its citizens to owe their primary allegiance to the planet
instead of that individual government. Nationalism is the only game in town."
==+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++==
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* Other titles available. Orders and information, call toll-free:
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==+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++==
STUDY FINDS NO PROOF OF FALSE MEMORY CLAIMS
Could Have Implications For Abduction Research
[In recent years, a group of psychotherapists has argued that some people who
vividly recall being victims of incest, childhood molestation or ritual abuse
are actually victims of "false memory syndrome." The events never happened,
these experts have argued -- so the real victims become those people who are
falsely accused of crimes on the basis of these false memories. The
possibility of "false memory syndrome" has also been applied to people who
believe they have been abducted by aliens. Now, however, a new study
indicates that there is probably no such thing as false memory syndrome. The
following report was written by journalist Alex Constantine.]
by Alex Constantine
At Carlton University [in Ottawa, Canada] a group of graduate researchers
have concluded a study of the so-called "false memory syndrome," an
explanation for recovered memories of child abuse promoted by a "foundation"
of psychologists who appear frequently on talk shows to denounce therapists
for filling the heads of children with recollections of horrific crimes. The
False Memory Syndrome Foundation (FMSF) was co-founded by Dr. Ralph
Underwager, the clinical psychologist who once said it was "God's will"
adults have sex with children and suggested most women who are raped "enjoy
the experience." Equally peculiar is the FMSF advisory board, a clutch of
psychologists from leading universities, many with backgrounds in CIA mind
control experimentation. The researchers at Carlton concluded they could find
no proof that an insidious pathology, the "confabulation" of memories,
exists, a charge the FMSF has been making about ritual abuse for years.
The Ottawa Survivors' Study searched for evidence of the false memory
syndrome in 113 adult women who, as children, reported they'd been sexually
molested. Four sets of questions concerning symptoms of false memory were
drawn up. The women were asked about the type of therapy they received,
problems with personal relationships and patterns of stress. A detailed
analysis of their responses also sought the presence of pseudomemories, the
core of false memory theory.
The study was headed by Connie Kristiansen, a professor of psychology at
Carlton who proposed that the university evaluate the statistical claims of
the Foundation, which have been widely repeated in the press. The FMSF
insists that [at least] 25 percent [and possibly] all recovered memories of
child abuse are completely false, in contrast to the results of the Ottawa
study.
About half of the subjects remembered abuse. The other half had remembered
buried memories of abuse as adults. The responses of the two groups were
analyzed, and only two of the 51 women with recovered memories had symptoms
that met the false memory criteria, leading the researchers to conclude that
the syndrome does not exist as defined by the Foundation, and may not exist
at all.
They advised that false memory syndrome should not be used in the courtroom
to discredit recovered memories of abuse until the validity of false memory
theory can be demonstrated.
==+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++==
CHINA OPENS MUSEUM DEDICATED TO CHINESE "BIGFOOT"
[ISCNI*Flash thanks James Sutton for forwarding this story.]
BEIJING (Reuter) -- China has opened a museum dedicated to the elusive "Big
Foot" ape-man said to roam the Shennongjia Nature Reserve in central Hubei
province, the Xinhua news agency said on June 2.
The museum displays samples of reddish hair and plaster models of huge
footprints collected over the years that are said to prove the existence of
the creature, which local residents call the "Wild Man," Xinhua said.
Opened last month, the museum also features documents and pictures of various
scientific and exploratory operations mounted over the years to track down
the creature.
"All the materials in the museum are genuine," the agency quoted Chen Renlin,
Chairman of the Shennongjia Cultural Research Society and self-proclaimed
"Big Foot" expert, as saying.
Since the 1950s, both scientists and amateurs have searched in vain for the
creature in the Shennongjia valley, as well as for its cousin the Yeti in the
Himalaya mountains.
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