Globally 1 in 5 believe in aliens

Aliens exist and they live in our midst disguised as humans — at least, that’s what 20 per cent of people polled in a global survey believe.

The Reuters Ipsos poll of 23,000 adults in 22 countries showed that more than 40 per cent of people from India and China believe that aliens walk among us disguised as humans, while those least likely to believe in this are from Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands (8 per cent each).

However, the majority of people polled, or 80 per cent, don’t believe aliens in our midst.

“It would appear that that there’s a modest correlation between the most populated countries and those more likely to indicate there may be aliens disguised amongst them compared with those countries with the smaller populations,” said John Wright, Senior Vice President of market research firm Ipsos.

“Maybe it’s a simple case that in a less populated country you are more likely to know your next door neighbour better,” he said.

More men than women — 22 percent versus 17 percent — believe that alien beings are on earth.

Most of those believers are under the age of 35, and across all income classes, the survey showed. Of those who do not believe, most are women.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Couple burned alive for "black magic"

An elderly Indian husband and wife were burnt to death after villagers accused them of practicing black magic, tied them together on a pyre and set them on fire, police said Thursday.

"The aged couple died screaming for help," said police superintendent P.V. Sunil Kumar.

Sayanna, 70, and his 61-year-old wife, Pochamma, were set ablaze after being doused with kerosene.

Both were farm laborers near the southern city of Hyderabad who also practiced traditional medicine. Police have arrested six villagers for the incident.

Belief in black magic is common in some parts of rural India, despite the country's robust economic growth and cutting-edge high-technology industries.

Dozens of women are murdered each year after being accused of witchcraft.

Last year, a barber in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh killed his four-year-old son by slitting his throat with a razor after the man started seeing visions of the Hindu goddess Kali demanding a sacrifice.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Muslim Astronauts given Space to Pray

Malaysia's first Islamic space travellers will be given guidelines allowing flexibility in praying in zero gravity and eating meals in space.

The government-prepared advice is for a Malaysian joining a Russian scientific mission on the International Space Station in October.

Malaysia's two finalists for the voyage are now training in Moscow. They were selected from more than 10,000 candidates.

Malaysia believes Muslim space travellers could face problems, such as pinpointing the holy city of Mecca for prayers.

Those in space during the holy fasting month of Ramadan — when Muslims are required to go without food or water from sunrise to sunset — can choose to fast at that time or to make up for it when they return, the booklet says.

The first space journey by a Malaysian is likely to overlap with Ramadan, which starts in mid-September this year.


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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Brother, can you spare a bride?

Villagers at a wedding in eastern India decided the groom had arrived too drunk to get married, and so the bride married the groom's more sober brother instead, police said Monday.

"The groom was drunk and had reportedly misbehaved with guests when the bride's family and local villagers chased him away," Madho Singh, a senior police officer told Reuters after Sunday's marriage in a village in Bihar state's Arwal district.

The younger brother readily agreed to take the groom's place beside the teenage bride at her family's invitation, witnesses said.

"The groom apologized for his behavior, but has been crying that word will spread and he will never get a bride again," Singh said by phone.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Teachers "purify" students with Cow Urine

Indian teachers sprinkled cow urine on low-caste students to purify them and drive away evil, reports said on Saturday, in a country where millions of people remain oppressed at the bottom of the ancient Hindu caste system.

Upper-caste headteacher Sharad Kaithade ordered the ritual after taking over from a lower-caste predecessor at a school in a remote village in the western state of Maharashtra earlier this month, the Times of India reported.

He told an upper-caste colleague to spray cow urine in a cleansing ceremony as the students were taking an examination, wetting their faces and their answer sheets, the newspaper said.

"She said you'll study well after getting purified," student Rajat Washnik was quoted as saying by the CNN-IBN news channel. Students said they felt humiliated.

Hinduism reveres the cow, and its dung is used in the countryside as both a disinfectant and as fuel. In 2001, Hindu nationalists promoted cow's urine as a cure for ailments ranging from liver disease to obesity and even cancer.

The newspaper said the two teachers were arrested after angry parents complained to police. They have been released on bail.

India's secular constitution bans caste discrimination, but Dalits -- those at the bottom of the caste system -- are still commonly beaten or killed for using a well or worshipping at a temple reserved for upper castes, especially in rural areas.

Dalits, once known as "untouchables," make up around 160 million of India's billion-plus population.

In February, the New York-based Human Rights Watch group said India is failing to protect its lower-caste citizens, who were condemned to a lifetime of abuse because of their social status.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Holy Friday for Malaysians

It was a Holy Friday for Malaysians as they headed for the churches, temples, shrines and mosques yesterday.

While Muslims converged at mosques for their Friday prayers, Christians attended Good Friday masses, devotees of Kuan Yin thronged temples while Hindus prayed to Lord Ganesha, the elephant-head God to remove all obstacles.

The scene was a colourful one at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling – Penang’s street of harmony – where a mosque, a Chinese temple, a Hindu temple and a church have stood near one another for over a century.

At the 189-year-old St George’s Church, more than 100 parishioners of South-East Asia’s oldest Anglican church attended the service of meditation at noon.

Poignant reminder: Brother Go carrying the cross during the Way of the Cross procession around the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Cheras yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Kuan Yin temple down the road was a hive of activity with stalls selling vegetarian food, prayer objects and birds, which devotees bought and set free from their cages.

Nearby, Lord Ganesha devotee N. Kalavathy said the Sankatahara Chathurthi was a special day to pray to Lord Ganesha to remove all obstacles.

She said she was “very happy” that different religious prayers were conducted on the same day.

In Kuala Lumpur, more than 300 parishioners braved the hot afternoon sun to attend a special mass at the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Cheras, here.

Father Valentine Gompok presided over the service while Brother Francis Go Sheau Peng carried the cross during the Way of the Cross procession around the church compound.

Catholics take part in the Way of the Cross procession by stopping and meditating at 14 stations that serve as a reminder of Jesus' suffering and sacrifices for humankind.

Special prayers: Devotee R.S Shan, praying to Lord Ganesha at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling.

In Malacca, thousands of devotees from all over Malaysia and Singapore, including many non-Christians, converged at St Peter's Church.

The service, laced with age-old Portuguese and Hispanic traditions, included a procession of the Statue of the Dead Lord on a wooden bier and a candlelight procession in the church compound in the evening.

Among the non-Christians who attended the service were Ipoh residents Mah Peng Kiong and his wife Lilian Teoh who have been coming to St Peter's for the past eight years.

The couple, staunch Buddhists who jointly run a daycare centre in Teluk Intan, offered 1.5m-long candles and thanksgiving prayers.

Birthday wishes: The Kuan Yin temple in Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling was filled to capacity with devotees to celebrate the goddess’ birthday yesterday.

In Sabah, many Christians carried crosses up various hills in rural areas throughout the state during sunrise while churches were crowded with people for masses and special prayers for Good Friday, a public holiday here.

In Kg Maang, one of the many kampungs in Penampang near Kota Kinabalu, 17 people carried up crosses as a symbolic gesture of Jesus' suffering and death.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Catholics angry over naked chocolate Jesus in NY

A life-size sculpture of a naked Jesus made out of chocolate has angered Roman Catholic leaders, and a Manhattan art gallery is reconsidering whether to exhibit it during the Easter season.

The sculpture "My Sweet Lord" by Cosimo Cavallaro was to be exhibited for two hours each day next week in a street-level window of the Roger Smith Lab Gallery in Midtown Manhattan. It was set to open on Monday, days ahead of Good Friday when Christians mark the crucifixion of Jesus.

"We're considering our options," Matthew Semler, the gallery's artistic director, said on Friday. "We're still assessing the situation."

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called for a boycott of the affiliated Roger Smith Hotel, writing to 500 religious and secular organizations.

"This is an assault on Christians during Holy Week," said Kiera McCaffrey, director of communications for the league, which describes itself as the largest U.S. Catholic civil-rights group.

"They would never dare do something similar with a chocolate statue of the prophet Mohammad naked with his genitals exposed during Ramadan," she said.

The archbishop of New York called it "scandalous" and a "sickening display."

"The Catholic community is alerted to this offense of our faith and sensitivities. This is something we will not forget," Cardinal Edward Egan said in a statement.

Semler said the hotel had no knowledge of what the gallery planned to show and was being unfairly targeted. Moreover, he said the work was not irreverent.

"It's intended as a meditation on the Holy Week," Semler said of the sculpture, which depicts Jesus as if on the cross. Easter Sunday, this year April 8, is celebrated as the day of Jesus' resurrection.

A photo of the piece on the artist's Web site (http://www.cosimocavallaro.com/) shows the work suspended in air.

New York is familiar with clashes between art and religion.

In 1999, then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani threatened to withdraw a grant from the Brooklyn Museum of Art for a painting depicting the Virgin Mary as a black woman splattered with elephant dung adorned with cut-outs from pornographic magazines.

Current Mayor Michael Bloomberg is taking a different approach.

"If you want to give the guy some publicity, talk more about it, make a big fuss," Bloomberg told WABC radio. "If you want to really hurt him, don't pay attention."

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Malaysia's Noah Ark

A huge structure, built by a cult that promised its followers smooth sailing into the hereafter, is headed for doom.

Purportedly the Noah’s Ark of modern times, followers of the late Sulaiman Mohd Said, who once predicted that the people of Klang would perish in a terrible flood, built the boat-like structure that is now close to ruin.

Sulaiman persuaded his followers, that when the floods came, they would be the chosen ones to sail away to safety with him in the “vessel.”

The Selangor state government now wants to tear down the building.

“Yes, the building will go. The order to demolish has been given to the Klang land office,” said state executive councillor in charge of religious affairs Datuk Abdul Rahman Palil.

The state government made the decision in August last year, to wipe out any memory of the deviant Ajaran Sulaiman or Ajaran Bahtera Noah.

Sources from the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) said Sulaiman did not know how to read the Quran nor did he have any formal religious education.

Apart from claiming that his so-called Noah’s Ark would save mankind, he also claimed to be the Prophet Isa (Jesus).

Jais sources said the movement had wanted its followers and their families to move into the vessel and make it their “mothership.”

Jais had kept a close watch on the leaders since the cult surfaced and banned the movement in the early 1990s.

The mammoth structure – which stretches like a row of terrace houses and includes a surau, two towering masts, portholes and Quranic verses on the wall – is located in a remote village in Meru Barat.

A check by The Star showed the structure had long been abandoned, but the locked entrance was guarded by two hissing geese.

Sulaiman purportedly set up the movement in 1989, by registering it as a business entity with a capital of RM2.5mil and is said to have envisioned a global Islamic enterprise.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Humor in Church Signage

"Fight Truth Decay" is a favorite. "Come in for a Free Faith Lift," is another -- two examples of the toe-curling puns plastered across so many notice boards outside British churches.

Now the hunt is on for the best pulpit pun, with a 500 pound ($985) prize for the number one religious slogan.

"It never fails to amaze us how many interesting posters there are," said Margaret Slater of the church property specialists Congregational & General Insurance who are organizing the competition.

"Some of the puns really make you smile and we've seen some great examples of creative copywriting too," she added.

Among the classics she cited were "Chxxch -- Have you guessed what's missing. UR!" and "God, You're Great!"

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Purity Balls : Young Girls Vow to Put off Sex until Marriage

"Dream dates" have a whole new meaning for a growing group of teenage girls.

The young ladies get dressed up from head to toe -- all for a formal night out with their fathers.

The focus is on bonding, and promising to stay pure until marriage.

The Markle sisters are primping for a big dance, but for the girls, there's one important difference: their date is their dad.

And the big dance???

It's called a Purity Ball.

It has all the hallmarks of a wedding: vows are exchanged, there's a white cake, even a first dance.

But instead of fathers giving away their daughters' hands, they're holding on tight.

One dad said, "As a father, I here pledge to protect my daughter and to respect her."

"In today's day and age, if the daughters are sexually active before they're married, that ceremony really is meaningless because the father's not giving anyone away," said dad Brett Markle.

Tonight, the girls make a solemn pledge to their father.

Sarah Markle, 12 years old, said, "I'm going to stay pure until I'm married, and I'm not going to date or kiss a boy or anything until I'm married."

Purity balls like this one are growing in popularity.

There were dozens held last year -- some paid for partly with federal money from President Bush's abstinence initiative funds.

But critics say if these girls are only learning abstinence, they're not being taught important information about STD's and condoms.

"I could see it winding up in more teenage pregnancies and that type of thing, because they don't know everything that they need to know," said Deanne Keegan, a United Church of Christ youth counselor.

Brittany Baysor admits it might be tough to keep the pledge.

Baysor, a freshman at a public high school, took the pledge. She said, "Some of the boys joke around with it. They say it won't work. They think I'm going to get drunk at a party sometime and have sex with the first guy I meet."

But the dads at this event say they don't care what the world has to say, because they believe their relationship with their daughters will help them stay strong.

The first Purity Ball was thrown in 1998 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Today, hundreds are planned each year in cities across the country.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Priceless Metalwork Stolen from Penang Church

Empty space: Chin (right) inspecting the wall where the metalwork used to be hung while pastoral committee vice-chairman David Wong looks on.

A priceless antique metalwork depicting Jesus falling while on his way to Calvary to be crucified has been stolen from the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus in Balik Pulau here.

Pastoral committee chairman Anthony Chin, 67, said the century-old work was part of a 14-piece set specially procured from Italy for the church.

“My wife Agnes Loh and me were praying at the 153-year-old church at 7.30pm on Feb 23 when we noticed that the metalwork had gone missing from the wall.

“We initially thought that it had fallen off but a check showed otherwise. A report was lodged at the Balik Pulau police station four days later,” he said yesterday.

“We then informed the 3,000-strong parishioners to be on the lookout for the item but to no avail. We are hoping that whoever took the item would return it to us.”

Chin said at least two thieves could be involved as the antique was quite heavy.

“They must have then carried the metalwork out of the church. The door was locked from the outside but could be opened from the inside without a key.

He assured the thieves that no action would be taken against them if they returned the irreplaceable item.

“They can just leave it at the church’s doorstep. It is of no use to anyone but it is of great spiritual value to the church parishioners.

“Anyone who has seen such a metal work can also call me at (04-866 8581) or my handphone (012-576 3063). All information received will be treated as confidential,” he said.

Chin said two antique porcelain flower stands, which were part of a set of five, placed next to the altar were also stolen from the church in December.

“The pastoral committee is considering installing a CCTV system. Additional locks have already been placed on the doors,” he said

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

God-Fearing Villagers Snub "satanic" Bar Codes

A hundred residents of a Russian village have refused to switch to new passports because they believe the documents' bar codes contain satanic symbols, state television reported Wednesday.

"We believe these new passports are sinful," Valentina Yepifanova, an elderly resident of the village Bogolyubovo, told Rossiya television as she clutched an old, tattered passport she said she wanted to keep.

"They have these bar codes and people say they contain three sixes. We are against that."

Some residents of Bogolyubovo, which means "God-loving" in Russian, have also stopped collecting their pensions at the local post office because the payment slips also have bar codes that might contain the mark of the devil, Rossiya TV reported.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]