The View from Number 80

July 6th 2003

Judged Unfit - all reasonable, fair-minded folk would agree there should be no place in society for religious bigotry, intolerance and homophobia - and certainly not embodied in someone presiding over a courtroom. Well, meet Alabama Attorney General William Pryor, who has been nominated for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in the USA. Here is a little background on this gentleman, starting with his views on religion "the political system must remain rooted in a Judeo-Christian perspective of the nature of government and the nature of man." He has been a longtime supporter of Alabama Judge Roy Moore and his overtly sectarian displays of the Ten Commandments, declaring in a 1997 rally that "God has chosen, through his son Jesus Christ, this time and this place for all Christians ... to save our country and our courts." On homosexuality - Pryor infuriated gays with a 2003 "friend of the court" brief in support of a Texas anti-sodomy law. That brief equated freedom of sexual choice between consenting adults with "prostitution, adultery, necrophilia, bestiality, possession of child pornography, and even incest and pedophilia." Here is a quote from Edward Tabash of the Council for Secular Humanism "President Bush has nominated current Alabama Attorney General William Pryor to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal. This is the court of appeal, just below the U.S. Supreme Court, for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Pryor is not a thoughtful moderate or even a moderate conservative. He is the worst kind of religious right wing extremist. He has been leading the defense of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in an effort to preserve the unconstitutional Ten Commandments display on the grounds of the Alabama Supreme Court. He is openly anti gay, anti choice, and sneers at the separation of church and state. The only way to defeat Pryor and to keep from becoming a federal court of appeal judge, one step below the Supreme Court, is for all of us to deluge our two United States senators with demands that they vote against Pryor. Get everyone else that you can in your state to also participate in this effort. Even if either or both of your senators are conservatives, remind them that Pryor is not a mainstream conservative, he is a right wing extremist. Please act now ; our freedoms, the very essence of the Bill of Rights, are all at stake." For those readers who are US citizens now is the time to do something - make yourselves heard by going here (scroll down) to send a message expressing your concern to your senators. For those elsewhere, like it or not, what happens in the US has an effect worldwide. Lend your moral support and work to ensure that your own country's judiciary does not harbor any Pryors.
(80, in writing the above, has borrowed material freely from The Council for Secular Humanism - but this is NOT just a threat to humanists and atheists - Muslims, Hindus, Jews and moderate Christians - to a bigot like Pryor you are all considered heathens and therefore cannot expect to be treated fairly.)
 

Holy Pane - there seems to be no end to daft Virgin Mary and similar apparitions - in fact this is the last time for a good while that 80 will bother to report such "news". Pareidolia combined with a wish to believe, gullibility, faith, call it what you will, has surfaced again this time at a hospital in Boston, Mass. A seal has failed in a glass window panel and a chemical deposit has marked the surface with what some believe is an image of Mary. (If it is the Virgin she appears be running out of ideas - she has already appeared on window glass in Clearwater, Florida.) There have been so many visitors to the Milton Hospital that " hospital officials had asked the Roman Catholic Archdiocese Boston for guidance on how to deal with the apparition and the ensuing crowds." Crowds that, at the weekend, reportedly numbered 25,000. The glass panel's seal is said to have broken 5 years ago but it is only recently that the stain has attracted attention for its supposed resemblance to the Madonna. This article in the Boston Globe quotes one Eddie Bowler, aged 8, who was there with his mother and her prayer group ''God works miracles, and I think this is one of them,'' he said. ''He wants to show people he really does exist.'' But surely even an 8 year-old must realize that this is a pretty tatty little miracle? A pillar of fire or even a party trick like water into wine would be more impressive - and in the latter case more refreshing. The chairman of the hospital had this to say ''We can't take a position on the apparition. Obviously, there has been a significant outpouring of sincere religious belief, and I want to be sure the hospital doesn't do anything sacrilegious or is in any way disrespectful to the Virgin Mary.'' Something sacrilegious? Like performing long overdue building maintenance on a defective glazing panel? Now, if it was replaced with a new panel and Mary popped up again on that one then we would really have something to talk about.

Whalemeat Again - at a meeting in Berlin the International Whaling Commission has declared itself a conservationist organization. (Perhaps a change of name is now in order). This move recognizes the existing situation as commercial whaling has been suspended since 1986, although Japan, in particular, still kills whales for "research purposes", portions of which then surface for sale as food in that country. (More on this below.) The IWC has also widened its brief to include all types of whales or cetaceans and not just those that have been commercially hunted. This move will now include dolphins and porpoises when a new conservation committee starts work. The Berlin Initiative, as it is known, has been welcomed by most members of the IWC although predictably Norway, Iceland and Japan are far from happy and are talking of leaving the organization. However, to 80 this is a refreshing change of remit and hopefully signals wider recognition that the oceans are not some bottomless food store but an environment in danger from human activities like many another. Regarding the Japanese taste for whalemeat, it seems to carry great health dangers. Research reported in New Scientist shows that some samples of whale liver on sale exceeded the Japanese government's mercury limits 5000 times over. No samples tested were below the limit. Scientists at the University of Hokkaido had this to say "Acute intoxication could result from a single ingestion." So it would now appear that consumption of whalemeat is not only indefensible on environmental grounds but also on health ones. Japan should be all too familiar with the horrific effects of mercury poisoning - see here about Minamata Disease. Perhaps Japan's love of whalemeat will fade when these levels of contamination are more widely known.

(since writing the above 80 has been made of aware of an alarming statistic that makes any single country's inroads into whale numbers seem almost trivial - 300,000 whales and dolphins are accidentally caught in fishing nets annually - something to ponder next time you sit down to a fish dinner. Although the fish may just as likely end up as fertilizer or animal feed. There would seem to be plenty for the IWC to do just addressing this issue.)

July 8th 2003

News of the Decayed - it seems 80 has only to mention the Turin Shroud (see Deceptive Duo below) for the thing to pop up in the news once more. The shroud is one of those "it's dead but it won't lie down" items - any new theory announced, especially one that claims to explain the inconvenient results of carbon-dating, means the cloth is given more publicity. Microbiologist Stephen Mattingly, believes the image on the shroud was caused by bacteria on the skin of a corpse. These bacteria, Staphylococcus epidermidis, infested the wounds of the deceased and their eventual decay and oxidization created the image. This may well be possible and Mattingly claims to have reproduced the effect. He took swabs of Staphylococcus epidermidis from his skin, cultured them, smeared the sticky gunk on his own face and then applied a damp linen cloth. (Would a real burial shroud be damp when used?) The cloth retained an image of his face and hands and apparently became bolder over time as the bacteria decayed. (It has been pointed out that Mattingly's image is distorted by the wrap of the cloth as opposed to the appearance of the face on the shroud itself - it seems likely the shroud image was applied to a flat surface.) So here is a new mechanism, albeit a somewhat revolting one, to print images on linen cloth - nothing too fantastic there, but Mattingly's piece de resistance is to suggest that such microbes could have affected the radiocarbon dating process - hopefully for the "pro-authenticity" sindonologists pushing the date back to the first century AD. There is no good reason why this would be so and has been described as "incredible" by one expert. Even in the unlikely event of Mattingly's assertions ever being vindicated it would still prove nothing regarding the death of a historical Jesus (if in fact such a man ever existed.) It seems like the faithful will have to rely upon what they have always relied upon - blind faith.

(also see Shrouded in Mystery)  

Climate (News) Management - the issue of global warming attributable to human activities and what possibly can be done about it elicits varying reactions around the world. A report from Australia warns of dire consequences, quoting research from Bristol University. This found a volcanically triggered runaway greenhouse effect 250 million years ago caused the average global temperature to rise by 6 degrees. This heating is fingered as the culprit for the Permian extinction, a massive dying off of 95% of the species alive on Earth. Now the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is predicting that over the next century temperatures are set to rise up to 6 degrees. (Here is a good overview of current estimates.)The implications of this in light of the findings about the Permian extinction should not be ignored. Unless perhaps you work for the Bush administration. An article in the UK Guardian states that "The White House has removed damaging references to global warming from a major US government report on the environment due to be published next week." The report, from the Environmental Protection Agency, has had references to health threats from exhaust emissions and details of a sudden increase in global warming over the last decade excised. That's one way to deal with a problem - manage the news, censor it out of existence. Meanwhile in New Zealand farmers are unhappy about a proposed methane tax to bring NZ in line with its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. What is the source of this methane and what does it have to do with farmers? According to this BBC article "In New Zealand, farm animals produce 90% of methane emissions." In total, 15 percent of global methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas, is down to the flatulence of cows, sheep and other ruminants. So while NZ tries to address the problem of global warming the US government prefers, for reasons of its own, to ignore it. Censoring unpalatable reports is no answer. (By the way, the much touted hydrogen economy is no answer either apparently - it takes energy to produce hydrogen - where would that energy come from without adding to pollution? If we had a pollution free energy source we wouldn't need the hydrogen in the first place....... To top it all recent research suggests that hydrogen could well damage the ozone layer at least as badly as the now-banned CFCs.)

Deceptive Duo - it is not good news for the more speculative wing of biblical archaeology. (Now there's an odd term - why not koranic archaeology or bhagavad-gitan archaeology? Because they would, like biblical archaeology, be centered on proving or confirming religious texts and their interpretation rather than archaeology centered on, um, archaeology.) Both the Jehoash Tablet and the James Ossuary have been denounced as fakes. The Tablet, claimed as confirmation of a biblical passage describing repair work on the first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, is a forgery according to the Israel Antiquities Authority. "The person who wrote the inscription was a person who thinks in modern Hebrew. A person thinking in biblical Hebrew would see it as ridiculous." Not content with that declaration the Authority said the inscription on the "bone box" which some claim could be that of James, the brother of Jesus, thereby independently confirming a historical Jesus " appears new, written in modernity by someone attempting to reproduce ancient written characters." Interestingly both artifacts were revealed to the world by the same antiquities dealer, Oded Golan, currently under police investigation. The trusting among us may think that is an end to the matter, but other older, wiser observers may well mutter the words Turin Shroud...............

Update - more on Golan - Duke University archaeologist Eric Meyers, a past president of the American Schools of Oriental Research, also notes that Golan is under police investigation. "They found labeled boxes of dirt from every region of the country that was used to make and forge patina. I think he's a central figure here." But where does James Bond fit into all this? This was brought to 80's notice by the indispensable Explorator newsletter.
(also see Backwards Glance - Faking It)

July 17th 2003

Strings Attached - many folk were delighted (and surprised) by George Bush's (currently in Africa) offer of vast amounts of money to assist in the fight against AIDS. It is considered ungrateful to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially one worth a notional $15 billion - but this particular horse seems to be trailing a few strings. These strings lead straight to a subject 80 has mentioned before - Bush's right-wing conservative religious beliefs. In the fight against AIDS many organizations not only combat the disease but also support family planning programs to help desperately poor families, young people and others. The condom that can stop the spread of AIDS is obviously a cheap and effective way to control conception too. This seems to stick in the Bush administration's craw - it goes back to the Reagan era gag-rule which has the effect that agencies "must separate their family planning services from their AIDS prevention and treatment services in order to be eligible for this new AIDS funding." This massively complicates matters for the groups who will effectively have to run two programs - and what if an anti-AIDS condom is used for birth control too - will this be permitted and how would you regulate it? One amendment, attached to the bill, which may provide the answer, "Requires that at least a third of the program's AIDS-prevention funds be spent to promote sexual abstinence, a strategy many conservatives prefer to the distribution of condoms." Another amendment "allows medical providers and nonprofit groups to refuse to “endorse, utilize or participate in” any AIDS treatment or prevention method to which they may have a moral or religious objection." Given the gag-rule and these two amendments it would seem that in many ways the US funds will make life a bureaucratic hell for the hard-pushed agencies in Africa and the Caribbean in the front-line against AIDS. How much of the $15 billion will go on paperwork and administration to suit the religious beliefs of those in Washington? The more strings something has the more it begins to look like a snare.......

Questionable Power - anyone who is a position of power, most particularly the power of life and death over others, should be open to inquiry as to the rationale behind their decisions. But what happens if the person in question believes they receive their mandate for action directly from God? In their eyes any questions are doubly impertinent - to them and their deity. A short while ago, in February, 80 wrote about worries concerning the religious beliefs of George W Bush and the effect they have on his policies and actions - see here. Now Harley Sorenson, in this piece, The Madness of King George, has articulated those same concerns. He supplies a quote attributed to Bush, culled from the Israeli Haaretz.com, which carries a chill of its own. "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East." If this is accurate, one wonders what his God will tell him to do next - the thought of the man with the keys to the world's biggest nuclear arsenal believing he has a hot line to the Almighty is a far from comfortable one. Let us hope during their next little chat that God reminds Mr Bush that he is the elected leader of a republic, not a theocracy, and that he is a fallible human being and not God's chosen instrument.

Quackery Museum - there are probably more practitioners of quackery and pseudo-medicine around now than there have ever been. Despite this, it is useful and instructive to study the methods and techniques of past medical charlatans - many of the tricks and scams pushed today are little but retreads of tried and true cons from earlier times. The level of some folks' gullibility certainly seems to be as high. This BBC page celebrates the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, a fascinating collection of the most amazing contraptions including A Foot Operated Breast Enlarger, the McGregor Rejuvenator and many more. This ad for Electrovita, a specially treated health-giving water, will sound familiar - "special water" is still peddled widely. To keep abreast of the flood of nonsense masquerading as medicine do take a look at the Anti-Quackery WebRing (80 is a member) and also the excellent Quackwatch pages. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it is probably trying to sell you some Coral Calcium or Colloidal Silver.........

Stonehengina - Certain artifacts that have been in existence for hundreds or even thousands of years whose original purpose has been forgotten tend to be reinterpreted often in the light of the values and knowledge prevailing at the time of study. The pyramids on the Gizeh plateau have attracted different explanations, most particularly the Great Pyramid, which has been variously described as a treasure house, a granary, a giant pump, a standard of measurement and even, now and again, as a tomb. (see Birthday Triangle Pyramid) Another ancient monumental artifact is, if anything, more mysterious - Stonehenge. In medieval times and likely earlier it was thought to have been built by giants. Later, Victorians and others mistakenly thought it had been built by the Druids as a temple for human sacrifice and in the technological 1960's in his book "Stonehenge Decoded", Gerald Hawkins proposed the idea it was a vast astronomical computer. Now we have a new interpretation of this fascinating monument. Anthony Perks of the University of British Columbia is a gynaecologist - so guess what he thinks Stonehenge represents? Yes, that's right, a vagina. (In 80's view Perks' ability as a gynaecologist is somehow doubtful given that he thinks one piece of convincing evidence for his ideas is " the similarity between Stonehenge seen from above and the anatomy of the female sexual organ." Perhaps he needs to get out more.) This article in the UK Observer reveals some of the thinking behind Perks' idea - which sadly must remain in the area of interesting but completely unproveable speculation. A major objection is that good old "dirt" archaeology has proved that the henge was not built in one go but over a period of many hundreds of years and involved much modification of the structure - perhaps the later builders themselves had no idea of the original intention. I suppose we can be grateful for one thing - at least Perks is not a proctologist.

(For enlightenment about real archaeology and a critical look at so-called "cult archaeology" you can do no better than visit Doug's Archaeology Site - highly recommended)

July 28th 2003

Simpson Syndrome - the "male menopause" has become quite a trendy affliction with many men, not to be outdone by women, claiming to suffer from a variety of symptoms. These include " hot flushes, depression and a lack of libido" and are blamed on mid-life hormonal changes analogous to the female menopause. Now Professor John McKinlay has told a conference in Scotland the whole thing is a myth and that the symptoms are more likely caused by laziness and an unhealthy lifestyle. He stated "male hormones levels only declined gradually with age, by about 1% a year, and there was no evidence for the existence of a syndrome." McKinlay lays the blame on "pseudoscientists" and drug companies for misrepresenting research results in order to drum up business for hormone replacement therapy for men - a huge new market. BBC online quotes a Dr Malcolm Carruthers of the Andropause Society, who also runs a clinic offering testosterone treatment, as saying "This type of propaganda being put out is denying many men who desperately need testosterone replacement therapy." The cynical thought occurs that he would say that though wouldn't he? With treatments coming on the market that could cost £600 a year there is bound to be a lot of heated argument over this. 80 would like to contribute to the debate by naming the syndrome in honor of the icon of laziness and an unhealthy lifestyle. Instead of andropause let's call it the Homer Simpson Syndrome.

Bush Woes - sometimes everything just seems to go wrong - weapons of mass destruction that can't be found, the very real and worrying attrition of coalition troops in Iraq, shaky intelligence on uranium exports from Niger, a looming colossal budget deficit, elusive dictators and terrorist leaders, and now, to cap it all, those pesky scientists say that "Son of Star Wars" won't work. The American Physical Society has released a report basically saying "Intercepting missiles while their rockets are still burning would not be an effective approach for defending the U.S. against attacks by an important type of enemy missile." Given all the hype surrounding the far from successful tests of this technology and all the spin applied to the less than impressive results, 80 is reminded of the words of Richard Feynmann " For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." There are far more real and immediate dangers around to deal with than "rogue states" and missiles - a terrorist with a truck bomb or at the controls of an airliner. These pose a more credible threat right now.

Devil Duck - what could be more more relaxing than a nice cup of tea - especially tea made from the petals of Jasmine flowers? One man, Gilbert Walker, from Panama City, Florida, found the effect far from soothing. After drinking the infusion he smashed down a door with a brass duck (?) and then chased a neighbor with a dagger. Luckily his case came up before an understanding judge who accepted that the man suffered from a psychosis. Although 3 court-appointed psychologists offered this diagnosis none could attribute a cause. Handily the man's defense lawyer seems to have some knowledge of such substances - "Jasmine is an herb commonly taken to calm the stomach but is also used as a love potion in satanic and cult rituals, defense lawyer Mike Hunter said." Wow, satanic jasmine tea - what next? It would seem some types of jasmine can be hallucinogenic - the fact that Walker was drinking up to 10 cups a day for a stomach complaint couldn't have helped any either. It is lucky he stayed away from the twinkies and cola. 80 is now trying to figure out the satanic symbolism of a brass duck......

Nessie Found ? - at last remains of a plesiosaur have been found at Loch Ness! Four "perfectly preserved vertebrae" were found in shallow water on the banks of the Loch. A plesiosaur, a 10 meter, snake-necked sea-going carnivore, has long been favored by some as a candidate for the elusive Nessie. The finder, a Mr Gerald McSorley, had this to say "I have always believed in the Loch Ness monster, but this proves it for me." Suffice it to say there are a couple of major problems with this belief - plesiosaurs have been extinct for many millions of years and the lake that is called Loch Ness is a product of the most recent Ice Age, which ended about 12000 years ago. It is unlikely that such tedious facts will slow up the dedicated Nessie hunters or the local tourist authorities who are only too delighted at the business the lake monster attracts. For those of you unable to join in the popular summer pursuit of Nessie spotting there are a couple of sites that feature webcams, here and here, trained on the Loch, enabling you to join the ranks of the armchair cryptozoologists. Just don't go asking awkward questions such as what food source in the Loch would such a large creature subsist upon and how many of the great beasts would be needed to make a breeding population. For a comprehensive list of reasons why Nessie is NOT a plesiosaur see this page from the fascinating Plesiosaur Site. Also while you are there do take a look at this from the FAQ page concerning dinosaurs and creationism - recommended.

August 6th 2003

MMR OK - the combined Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine has been the subject of scares, particularly in the UK, which implicated the treatment with a rise in autism in children. Back in 2002 a Danish study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NJM), found the risk of autism is the same in children who had been vaccinated and those who hadn't. An earlier study from Finland had also ruled out an MMR-autism connection as well as any connection with the onset of inflammatory bowel disease which had also been suggested. Now researchers at University College London (UCL) say figures show MMR vaccine has not triggered an increase in the number of children being diagnosed with autism. Any apparent rise is more likely attributable to a greater awareness of the condition. Sadly for many people all these independent results will not be enough - the medical researchers are talking verifiable fact whilst their opponents are talking beliefs. To quote Dr Edward Campion of the NJM "Unfortunately, objective data are not likely to put an end to the controversy. Strongly held beliefs are difficult to change." Surely one would think there is now enough evidence published to settle the matter. The UCL team could not have put it more clearly "The claims that MMR vaccine is involved in the initiation of autism, and/or with regression, and/or with bowel problems associated with autism are not supported by any credible scientific evidence, while there is compelling and increasing evidence showing no association." Depressingly there is a vocal group of anti-vaccinationists, (including many chiropractors)  who peddle their ideas apparently little caring about the risk to children's health. To learn more about vaccination take a look at the Green Light - a mine of information and, like 80, a member of the Anti-Quackery Ring.

Skeptic's Dictionary Now In Print! - anyone who has read 80's maunderings will have noted much use is made of Bob Carroll's excellent Skeptic's Dictionary. Now at last the book version is available, published by John Wiley & Sons. It can be obtained online from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. "Featuring close to 400 definitions, arguments, and essays on topics ranging from acupuncture to zombies, The Skeptic’s Dictionary is a lively, commonsense trove of detailed information on all things supernatural, occult, paranormal, and pseudoscientific. It covers such categories as alternative medicine; cryptozoology; extraterrestrials and UFOs; frauds and hoaxes; junk science; logic and perception; New Age energy; and the psychic. For the open-minded seeker, the soft or hardened skeptic, and the believing doubter, this book offers a remarkable range of information that puts to the test the best arguments of true believers."
(If you purchase a copy via the Amazon links further down this page it will assist with the upkeep of the View from Number 80 website.)

Preaching to the Converted - actor/director Mel Gibson denies that his latest film, The Passion, is having trouble finding a distributor although no date has been set for a release yet.  Interestingly Gibson seems to be trailing the movie with groups that are likely to view it with sympathy. More sympathy than the groups that have accused him of anti-semitism in the work. Recent preview showings included a group of 900 evangelical pastors from the New Life Church and leaders of the Focus on Family evangelical organization. Gibson is quoted as saying “I’m not a preacher and I’m not a pastor, but I really feel my career was leading me to make this." (Lethal Passion anyone?) "The Holy Ghost was working through me on this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the power to evangelize.” One wonders does this imply that criticism of "The Passion" is criticism of the Holy Ghost? Gibson is certainly claiming extraordinary powers for the movie "Everyone who worked on this movie was changed. There were agnostics and Muslims on set converting to Christianity.” Given this hype it is no surprise the reception from the selected preview audiences was favorable. Ted Haggard, New Life Church pastor and president of the National Evangelical Association said “It conveys, more accurately than any other film, who Jesus was." Translated read this as "the film conformed more closely to Haggard's chosen beliefs and prejudices than any other he had seen."
(80 has looked at the fuss surrounding Gibson's magnum opus, his and his father's beliefs before. For an fascinating view of "Who Crucified Jesus?" do look here.)

Update - this is a good piece from the UK Guardian regarding the furore over Mel's magnum opus.
 

Naturally Good ? - there is an ever more prevalent attitude that if something is "natural" it is somehow healthier. This is particularly true with medicines and foods. But in the real world things are often not quite that simple. For example folklore from all around the world had long known that willow when ingested had pain relieving properties. Salicylic acid, obtained from willow became a commonly used treatment for pain, inflammation and fever. There was a drawback as salicylic acid itself can cause many people nausea and stomach pains. It was found that turning it into acetylsalicylic acid alleviated these unpleasant side effects and the drug we know as aspirin was launched on the market in the late 19th century. Now the very process of obtaining salicylic acid and then producing acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) would seem to be taking a natural substance and making it less natural - with very obvious benefits. Given the choice between say, chewing white willow bark for a headache and perhaps suffering a gastric upset as well or taking a couple of aspirin, 80 will plump for the "unnatural" drug every time. Another tree that is a source of medicines is the neem, the so-called "blessed tree", the ultimate herb. Claims for it go far beyond the medical as this page shows "It is known to help control diseases like Malaria, Cancer and AIDS, combat desertification and deforestation, reduce excessive global temperature and even help in population control." Now New Scientist is reporting research showing that neem extracts can damage the DNA of sperm and may even be a "long term genetic hazard". Until further research is done it has been recommended that the use of neem products should be restricted. This has caused protests from practitioners of  Ayurvedic medicine who dispute the findings. On this matter, having read some of the claims made by Ayurvedic proponents, 80 will stick by the findings of science. This not to condemn "natural" products or endorse unnatural ones - it just makes good sense to find out as much as possible about any substance ingested, be it food or drug. This last word is from the Natural Resources Institute in Greenwich, UK, quoted by New Scientist "No one should be under the illusion that just because neem products are natural they are safe."

China Chimaera - not to be outdone by the Scots, especially in the tourism stakes, China's own lake monster has been putting in an appearance according to this article in the People's Daily. Appropriately enough the local director of the Tourism Bureau was on hand to confirm "It was spotted twice by hundreds of people in different parts of the lake." A local photographer, who claims to have seen the creature (oddly the article has no picture) otherwise known as the 'Lake Tianchi Monster', says it has a horse-like head. However, in this Reuter's report the beastie (or beasties - we are not sure of how many) according to a forestry bureaucrat, one of many observers "appeared only as white or black spots". Early reports say "In 1903, according to local records, a creature resembling a huge buffalo with a deafening roar sprang out of the water and attempted to attack three people before one them shot it in the belly six times. The beast roared and disappeared back into the water." Yet a more recent sighting " compared the head of the monster to that of a human - except with big round eyes, a protruding mouth and a neck 1.2 to 1.5 metres long. It also had a white ring separating its neck and torso and smooth, grey skin." Right, so to help any would-be monster spotters ready to set off to Lake Tianchi equipped with binoculars and cameras, this is what to look for - a black (or white) spot that may (or may not) have a head like a horse, or a buffalo or a human being with "big round eyes, a protruding mouth and a neck 1.2 to 1.5 metres long" and gray skin that is capable of jumping out of the water "like a seal" - and there may be "many as about 20". There, armed with all that information it should be a cinch to spot.