Nexus - 0104 - New Times Magazine-pages

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NEXUS NE Britain’s New Healers Margaret Thatcher has turned to natu- The newly formed Federation of ral therapies to help overcome neural- | Healing Organizations wants to estab- gia in the neck and shoulders since | lish that faith healing works and if suffering a dizzy spell at Buckingham current trials are successful the Confed- Palace last November. eration will campaign for acceptance as The treatment was kept secret to | a standard therapy by the National avoid suggestions that she was showing | Health Service. signs of stress, but has been revealed to The Royal Family was instrumental consist of massage oils containing rose- | in the adoption of homm@opathic reme- mary and thyme extracta. dies under National Health and last Controlled clinical trials on faith | year Prince Charles, convinced healers healing, placebos and the “loving touch” | have a special role to play in fighting in healing are now underway in three | illness, opened a centre where priests, large British hospitals as are healing | doctors and healers can work together projects in several London districts. to treat patients. CONCRETE CANCER Concrete corrosion threatens about half of Sydney's buildings and will cost $200 million to repair annually by 1989. Affecting reinforced concrete par- ticularly, the concrete decay syndrome known as spalling occurs when oxygen and moisture reach steel reinforce- ment, causing it to rust and expand, Surrounding concrete is cracked off high-rise buildings, plummeting to the ground without warning. North Sydney Mayor Ted Mack, a qualified architect, said the problem is so serious in strata title units that he would not buy one over three storeys. Major buildings in Sydney which have been repaired for spalling include the Water Board in Bathurst St and St Martin’s Tower behind the Q.V.B.- whichis being cladded with aluminium. Another condition called alkaline aggregate reaction is causing problems in two dams in Victoria, a bridge in Western Australia and several indus- trial buildings. The true life-spans of many of our constructions may be fairly short due to this built-in obsolescence. ‘Paranormal Biodegradable Normal Plastic There have been a steep increase in | ICI Australia has produced a new a psychic experiences during the 1980s, | plastic that organically decomposes according toa study by the University of | into harmless gas in weeks. Chicago's National Opinion Research Biopol, the first truly biodegradable Centre. plastic, is made by bacteria fed on re- According to the centre, 67% of | newable materials such as sugar or Americans say they've experienced | starch instead of chemicals derived ESP, compared to 58% when the centre | from fossil fuels. began polling in 1973. 42% report “con- Biopol is broken down by enzymes in tact with the dead” (27% in 1973). the human body, is immunologically “Visions” are up from 8% to 29%, | neutral and can be used surgically in deja vu from 59% to 67% and clairvoy- | sutures or as pins to hold broken bones ance up to 31% from 24%. together. Other Gallup polls through the Fibres spun from Biopol can also be 1980s show 23% of Americans now be- | used for swabs, dressings or tampons lieve in reincarnation and 43% report | that break down rapidly under bacte- an ‘unusual spiritual experience’. rial action in sewage systems or com- —S SS: Meanwhile, Indonesia's first para- | post heaps. normal festival has been cancelled be- The plastics is about three times as cause performers have withdrawn from | expensive as high-volume, low-cost the event. The performers had prom- | plastics used in soft drink bottles, etc. ised to levitate, turn into tigers, enter | Butin Britain, ICI has reached a tenta- small bottles and display telekinesis. | tive agreement with a major bottle The reason for the last -minute cancel- | manufacturer to use Biopol - making lation was that".-harmful, disturbing | the polymer cheaper through industry forces had made them unable to per- | expansion. form," said organiser Amien Budiman. mes Four - Autumn 1988 ETI EvIDENCE Tests on six strands of hair found in central and southern China, where sightings of the Yeti have been re- ported, showed that the hair did not belong to humansor animals, according to the WenAui Daily. Plastic Normal 1