Media Watch

by Nick Campion

 

Please send any clippings, cassettes and videos relating to astrology in the media for the archives to me at 51 Bellvue Crescent, Bristol BS8 4TF, UK. You can e mail me here. All tapes will be copied and returned. Also, please let me now if you are yourself doing anything in the media concerned with astrology.

Not much has happened since the great Astrology is Rubbish story died down. Here's one story from the Daily Telegraph (London) Oct. 22, 2003, thanks to David Kesten. The story, Reagan film says Nancy guided him with astrology was filed by Alec Russell in Washington (22/10/2003). It begins "A two-part television film about Ronald Reagan shows his wife Nancy relying on her astrologer to plan the presidential diary". Of course Reagan had been using astrology for many years. Two of his previous astrologers were Ralph Kraum and James Harvey (an esoteric astrologer) and his inauguration as Governor of California was famously elected in 1967(For the full story click here )

And here's just a short curiosity from Catriona Mundle: The Guardian (23/10.03) published an article entitled The sound of shooting stars, by Matthew Genge. Scientists since Halley have dismissed claims from occasional observers that they could hear fireballs as a fizzing and crackling niose as delusional, impossible because of the time sound takes to travel, 5 seconds per mile. More recent investigation of electromagnetic waves found nothing until an Australian scientist, Dr Colin Keay, found that one very low frequency was within the range of human hearing: the VLF radio waves produced when 'hot gaps in fireballs' wake is electrically charged and when it twists and turns it wraps up the Earth's magnetic field lines into a magnetic spaghetti' . Subsequent experiments showed that volunteers with long hair and/or spectacles were very much more sensitive to these noises: hair, glasses and other nearby objects which vibrated acted as transducers, converting the vibration into sound. This is called 'electrophonics'.

Garry Phillipson has been reading Void Moon by Michael Connelly. The blurb for the book as given here says "...Her superstitious friend who lined up the job says it's the bad-luck void moon having its malignant way...." And now it appears that the book, about a female cat burglar forced to come out of retirement and confront the her nemesis, is being filmed with Al Pacino - due out in 2004.

The Houston Chronicle carried a story about astrology on October 14th in the Technology section of the Business Section. It begins "Some people can't wait to check their horoscopes first thing in the morning, while others think it's a bunch of bunk. Either way, this overview of what the stars can tell you is a good place to start if you're curious." and carries a list of ercommended astrological websites. The full story can be read by clicking here.