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A note added July 24, 2003: This has been an exceptionally controversial journal entry, largely due to the fact that people are unaware of the scientific basis of certain of my statements. I have provided this background elsewhere, but I will provide it again: Sudden Climate Change. Also, from the Atlanti c Monthly.

There have been dozens of references since. The Superstorm scenario has become accepted as a scientific possibility, just as was the Warday scenario in its day, after an initial period of denial and controversy.

Current Ongoing Extinction Event. There is no real scientific argument about this. It’s only emotional. People would rather not believe it was true, but the evidence is overwhelming.
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Four teenage boys have done a “Doug & Dave” and confessed to making the Suisun City, California, wheat field crop circle last month. They say they were inspired by a TV documentary on crop circles. Of course, claiming to have made something doesn’t mean you’ve actually done it, but the design of the California circle does lead to suspicions.

This design is unlike the designs in the U.K., because it contains a long, straight path running from the edge of the field to the circle. One of the mysteries of the U.K. circles is that they’re found in the middle of fields, with no paths leading to them, so no one can figure out how they’re made.

If you want to see some real crop circles, check out crop circle researcher Lucy Pringle’s exquisite postcards.
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Japanese researchers have found that a single virus causes behavioral changes in mice that are similar to those of people with mental illness. Viruses have long been suspected of playing a role in psychiatric disorders, but until now, there’s been no proof. A protein produced by the common human virus called the Borna disease virus (BDV) is one suspect. Keizo Tomonaga inserted the gene for the virus into mouse embryos, and these mice developed cognitive disorders, and grew up to be more aggressive and hyperactive.

The cells that are affected by BDV are the ones that are involved in forming and maintaining nerve connections in the brain. Major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia are also characterized by dysfunction in these cells.
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These days, summer always seems to bring a long season of wildfires, clouding the skies with smoke. Dr. Paul Epstein says, “The rise of U.S. wildfires is turning global warming into a real and direct health threat for American adults and children.”

Epstein says, “The chief concern has to be that global warming, if left unchecked, will mean more intense weather extremes, including drought. The resulting?and worsening?wildfire problems in the United States could well mean a steadily increasing toll in the related health problems.”
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