Today's Topics:
Dallas: a religious cornucopia
New Mind Control Modalities
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Date: Sat, 23 Sep 89 18:55:37 CDT
From: Charles Forsythe <convex!forsythe@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu>
Message-Id: <8909232355.AA21974@rigel>
Subject: Dallas: a religious cornucopia
This was sent to me by Linda Branagan -- Convex doc. writer and Connie Dobbs
look-alike. I think its an excellent illustration of why "Bob" began his
mission in Dallas.
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The following is a true story.
Last week I walked into a local "home style cookin' restaurant/watering hole"
to pick up a take out order. I spoke briefly to the waitress behind the
counter, who told me my order would be done in a few minutes.
So, while I was busy gazing at the farm implements hanging on the walls, I was
approached by two, uh, um... well, let's call them "natives". These guys
might just be the *original* Texas rednecks -- complete with ten-gallon hats,
snakeskin boots and the pervasive odor of cheap beer and whiskey.
"Pardon us, ma'am. Mind of we ask you a question?"
Well, people keep telling me that Texans are real friendly, so I
nodded.
"Are you a Satanist?"
Well, at least they didn't ask me if I liked to party.
"Uh, no, I can't say that I am."
"Gee ma'am. Are you *sure* about that?" they asked.
I put on my biggest, brightest Dallas Cowboys cheerleader smile and said, "No,
I'm positive. The closest I've ever come to Satanism is watching Geraldo."
"Hmm. Interesting. See, we was just wondering why it is you have the lord of
darkness on your chest there."
I was *this close* to slapping one of them and causing a scene -- then I
stopped and noticed the T-shirt I happened to be wearing that day. Sure
enough, it had a picture of a small, devilish looking creature that has for
quite some time now been associated with a certain operating system. In this
particular representation, the creature was wearing sneakers.
They continued: "See, ma'am, we don't exactly *appreciate* it when people show
off pictures of the devil. Especially when he's lookin' so friendly."
These idiots sounded terrifyingly serious.
Me: "Oh, well, see, this isn't really the devil, it's just, well, it's sort of a
mascot."
Native: "And what kind of football team has the devil as a mascot?"
Me: "Oh, it's not a team. It's an operating-- uh, a kind of computer."
I figured that an ATM machine was about as much technology as these guys could
handle, and I knew that if I so much as uttered the word "unix" I would only
make things worse.
Native: "Where does this satanical computer come from?"
Me: "California. And there's nothing satanical about it really."
Somewhere along the line here, the waitress has noticed my predicament -- but
these guys probably outweighed her by 600 pounds, so all she did was look at
me sympathetically and run off into the kitchen.
Native: "Ma'am, I think you're lying. And we'd appreciate it if you'd leave
the premises now."
Fortunately, the waitress returned that very instant with my order, and they
agreed that it would be okay for me to actually pay for my food before I left.
While I was at the cash register, they amused themselves by talking to each
other.
Native #1: "Do you think the police know about these devil computers?"
Native #2: "If they come from California, then the FBI oughta know about
'em."
They escorted me to the door. I tried one last time: "You're really blowing
this all out of proportion. A lot of people use this "kind of computers".
Universities, researchers, businesses. They're actually very useful."
Big, big, BIG mistake. I should have guessed at what came next.
Native: "Does the government use these devil computers?"
Me: "Yes."
Another BIG boo-boo.
Native: "And does the government *pay* for 'em? With *our* tax dollars?"
I decided that it was time to jump ship.
Me: "No. Nope. Not at all. You're tax dollars never entered the picture at
all. I promise. No sir, not a penny. Our good Christian congressmen would
never let something like that happen. Nope. Never. Bye."
Texas. What a country.
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Date: Sun, 24 Sep 89 16:49 EDT
From: Michael Travers <mt@MEDIA-LAB.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: New Mind Control Modalities
Message-ID: <19890924204909.6.MT@OUROBOROS.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
TO RELAX OR STAY ALERT, NEW MOOD-ALTERING SCENTS
Fragrances are no longer just another luxury. Now, manufacturers
say they have merits in behavioral therapy.
``This is a new category of fragrance,'' said Annette Green,
vice president and administrator of Fragrance Research Fund Ltd., a
group of 20 manufacturers formed nearly a decade ago to study the
psychological effects of fragrances.
In the last year, the group has awarded grants to university
researchers to study what it has dubbed aromachology. It had a
pool of $500,000 last year and will have an equal amount this year.
``Our findings will open up a whole new way for fragrances to be
used,'' Ms. Green said. ``We will see fragrances pumped into
factories where laborers are doing repetitive jobs. They will be
used in nursing homes, hospitals, subways, and prisons to relieve
stress.''
The grants focus on a range of clinical, developmental,
sociological and physiological questions. For instance, one grant
awarded this year will enable Dr. William Redd to continue his work
on fragrances and stress at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Redd has already discovered that patients feel more relaxed during
long and stressful CAT scans when fragrances are released into the
testing room.
Fragrances have also been found to make people more alert. At
Catholic University, Dr. Joel Warm and Dr. William Dember found
that people doing mundane tasks were more alert after receiving
occasional whiffs of muguet and peppermint through oxygen masks.
Few aroma therapy fragrances are expected to trickle onto the
market before 1994. But last year, Avon, a member of the Fragrance
Fund, released its first such product. Its Tranquil Moments
supposedly helps people relax. Another fragrance, to be introduced
this year, purportedly helps relieve drowsiness.
Japan apparently is ahead of America in aromachology
applications. Last year, Shimizu Corp., the country's fifth-largest
construction company, received a patent on a computer system for
delivering fragrances to large buildings through their ventilation
apparatus.
In tests financed jointly by the company and Takasago
International, a Japanese fragrance maker, the error rate among key
punch operators declined nearly 50 percent after they were exposed
to a lemon scent and almost 80 percent after whiffs of lavender.
So far, Shimizu has installed its systems at a tourist center
and a home for the aged in Japan. So far, it says a major American
bank has also expressed interest in the system.
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End of SubGenius Digest
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