Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Astrology a science according to one in four Swedes

Nearly a quarter of Swedes, 23%, think that astrology is scientific. Fourteen per cent consider Intelligent Design to be a scientific subject.
At the same time, more than half dismiss these subjects as completely unscientific. This is according to a new opinion study from the Swedish organisation Vetenskap & Allmänhet (Public and Science), VA.
VA in cooperation with Synovate Temo surveyed over one thousand Swedes about how they see science and researchers. Similar surveys have been carried out every year since 2002. Above all it is young women who consider astrology to be a science. The proportion has risen six percentage points since last year. – The results show that people do not have enough knowledge about what science is. Therefore we need more contact and more meetings between researchers and the public, says Camilla Modéer, Secretary General of VA. Trust in researchers at universities has gone down since the surveys began in 2002, but seven out of ten still have great trust in researchers. Attitudes to scientific developments have at the same time become more positive. Almost nine out of ten believe that scientific developments have made life better for ordinary people. Nine out of ten people have high confidence in the potential of research to develop more effective and environmentally friendly sources of energy. A smaller but increasing proportion believes that research can contribute to reducing segregation in cities. Seven out of ten people believe that there is a strong possibility that research will help increase economic growth, which represents a marked increase since 2005. Six out of ten believe that there is a strong chance that research can help reduce climate change. - Research areas that are currently in the news tend to be viewed by many as important. Most people would like to see support for research that people can benefit directly from, says Karin Hermannson, Research Manager at VA.In line with this, the proportion of people that think that researchers should work on things that can give useful results has also increased. Research results should be confirmed by other investigations before they are presented to the public, according to an increasing proportion of the public – now a full nine out of ten. Two out of three believe there are far too many alarmist reports published in the media.
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Saturday, January 06, 2007

Astrology Rid Teri Hatcher Of Menstrual Cramps

Maira Oliveira - All Headline News Reporter
Los Angeles, CA (BANG) - Teri Hatcher has some good energy on her side - so good in fact that it has stopped the worst visitor of the month from kicking her in the stomach, causing her unbearable pain.
Teri says she has stopped suffering from period cramps because the planets are aligned in her favor.
The "Desperate Housewives: star is an eager believer in astrology and thinks her stars are the reason for the mysterious disappearance of her menstrual pains and current cheerful demeanor.
She told Britain's New magazine, "I think I'm very lucky. I don't think the planets have ever been so aligned for me in my life. They're so aligned that I've been having periods and not even having cramps."
The 42-year-old has also admitted she was surprised to be named as one of the hottest actresses in the U.S.
She added, "One of the hottest actresses? That's so funny. I paid someone to say that! I don't know what to say about that apart from I'm 42-years-old, so yippee for me."
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