Astrologer Sues NASA Over Comet Probe 999
0110011001110101 writes "NASA's mission that sent a space probe smashing into a comet raised more than cosmic dust -- it also brought a lawsuit from a Russian astrologer. 'Bai is seeking damages totaling $300 million -- the approximate equivalent of the mission's cost -- for her "moral sufferings," Izvestia said, citing her lawyer Alexander Molokhov. She earlier told the paper that the experiment would "deform her horoscope." ' "
The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:4, Interesting)
She should have been able to predict it (Score:3, Interesting)
I predict she will lose!
Don't claim to tell me my future when you can't even tell me what I had for breakfast. Wanna really impress me? Buy the winning lottery ticket. Over. And Over. And Over.
Not the first (Score:5, Interesting)
Let it proceed... (Score:4, Interesting)
Besides, she has 1 million dollars waiting for her if she can prove she has paranormal abilities [randi.org]
Re:Her parents should be proud... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:4, Interesting)
If the Russian court agrees to let this case proceed, it opens the door for all kinds of inane, utterly frivolous lawsuits from astrologers, witch doctors, faith healers, and every other kind of kook out there who wants to make a quick buck by accusing actual scientists of violating some crackpot principle.
On the other hand, it would also show very clearly that there's absolutely no evidence that such crackpot theories are valid. Think about it - this woman stands to gain $300 million if she can show that her particular crackpot theory is valid. If the court case proceeds, and she can't show that astrology works - given some pretty damn big incentive - then perhaps less people will be inclined to believe in astrology.
By the way, what's the deciding factor between whether or not something is a) a crackpot theory, b) a superstition, or c) a religion? Seems to me, the amount of believers and money involved has something to do with it.
A crackpot theory is typically believed by one or two people. Astrology is a cottage industry. And Christianity has a billion believers and stupid amounts of money.
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:5, Interesting)
On a side note, I have to leave Texas before my children get in to school. I already had my "linux" fish ripped off my car once since I moved here.
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:2, Interesting)
I've seen faith healers do things M.D.s can't. While I'm not a Christian, I have to point out that when Jesus healed people he said, "Your faith has made you well," giving credit for the miracle to the person's ability to believe, not to himself. I've seen many posts on
There are things science can't always explain. I've seen astrolgers that don't know me but have written up complete reports about who I am and what I feel, think, and believe -- without ever having met me. I've seen people healed by faith healers, and I've met psychics who can vividly describe situations and people that later become part of my life. And before you start talking about "cold reading", I have a solid background in psychology, and did not give these people a chance to meet me or be exposed to me to cold read me.
The difference is I have always been open to different beliefs and, rather than judging them as negative or people in them as "kooks", I've taken the time to find out about many religious, many pseudo-relogions, and as many belief systems as I could explore. I've seen things happen that you would claim are impossible -- yet I've seen them happen in ways that are scientifically valid, such as double blind studies.
Like I said, the difference is that I was open and willing to explore, instead of judging and speaking about what I did not know.
Re:Far reaching aspects of this case (Score:5, Interesting)
The woman is suing the government for depriving her of her ability to make an income in her current profession.
Bullshit.
Changing the course of a celestial body in no way deprives this person of her livelihood. She's supposed to read the movements of the stars, right? Ok, so this was one of them. We, humans, products of the universe, make changes to it just like stars and planets exert their own forces on comets. An astrologer should be reading the movements, not complaining about them being made.
Now, naturally, since she's just making this shit up anyway, what it really amounts to is an increase in her ability to make income; she can call all her clients up and say "You must come in immediately for a new reading, as NASA has just fucked up the heavens." and dupe these poor sons of bitches yet again. And if anybody thinks this lady is up to anything but a (successful) publicity stunt, you're way off base.
Also, in more direct conflict of the parent statement:
1)TFA doesn't say she's suing them for loss-of-business damages, but "moral sufferings" ....you just made that up.
2)300 million? How long would it have taken her to earn that much? Because that's what the damages would be determined by if the cause of action was what you claim. It isn't.
Re:Astrologers are morons anyway (Score:5, Interesting)
Not only this, but for some parts of some months the Sun is in non-Zodiac constellations. I have a cousin that's an Ophiuchan...
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:3, Interesting)
On the other hand, you realize that a Linux fish is essentially a mobile insult against their religious expression which is their right to express (as is your mockery).
Really, the only way you can win is to put it back on and then train a video camera on it until you catch whoever is doing that and haul'm into criminal and civil court. It would be vandalism in the criminal case and "emotional damage" in the civil. Could be lucrative.
Re:Cost analysis (Score:3, Interesting)
But will she use it to make the repairs, or spend it on vodka, lottery tickets and incense?
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Let it proceed... (Score:5, Interesting)
A test of the Russian Courts (Score:4, Interesting)
Should this case not receive the honest critic of its validity that it should get, I can see Russian courts becoming basically ignored on the world scale. Why bother defending yourself if you can't win? You might as well lose and just let them try to collect.
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:2, Interesting)
Religious sentiment aside, there are quite a few very pragmatic reasons why one might approach cloning with quite a bit of caution. If it were to reach the sci-fi level of cloning, there's all sorts of issues of identity management and "clone's rights" (e.g., for harvesting of organs, etc.) that are not worked out. From the immediately practical point of view, how the law treats (or should treat) embryos and the like is anything but clear and settled, and from the technical standpoint, we don't understand enough about epigenetics to haul off and start wholesale cloning for medical purposes (only to find out later that we accidentally introduce a novel autoimmune response that will not only cause harm, but billions of dollars in medical care and litigation).
I know it's vogue to lambast religion these days, but the world's religions are getting a seriously bum rap. Sure, there are people that attribute their psycopathy on their religious affiliation, but despite a fondness for giving those people a disproportionate amount of media coverage, there's no evidence that such people are anything but a small crackpot minority -- sort of like astrologers who sue NASA.
At least here in the USA, the media will present any crack-pot viewpoint in opposition to the majority viewpoint and push the impression that both are equally well subscribed to and supported. Global warming is a good example. In the scientific community, there's really no debate, but to hear the press tell it, it's a contraversial subject.
Re:Let it proceed... (Score:3, Interesting)
With other words: in order for her to prove her claim, she has to prove that astrology from now on is false and that all astrologers following the same method will fail to reach "true" conclusions. It actually seems in the interest of other astrologers for this case to never go to court.
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:3, Interesting)
Job Security- sounds smart to me! (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:3, Interesting)
In this dimension? The former. There are certainly counterexamples (the state atheism of the USSR and China), but the forcing of religion (or a different religion) upon the unwilling has been a recurring theme for most of recorded history, and judging by the sample of people knocking on my front door, it remains dominant over the promotion of atheism.
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:3, Interesting)
Please provide links to the scientifically valid studies. I'm very curious.
The corollary, of course, is that it shouldn't be so open that it falls right out.
Links, please!
Reasoning: (Score:1, Interesting)
(http://www.psi.edu/projects/siberia/siberi
Re:A point of clarification (Score:3, Interesting)
You can't apply logic to faith, because logic is a form of faith. Logic will always supercede other faiths if they're analyzed logically, just like logic will always be superceded by religion, if explored religiously.
Whether you fundamentally believe that logic means something or if you fundamentally belive that your existance means something is just as much a leap of faith.
Religion and logic don't necessarily disclude one another, but for those who belive in both, the order of which supercedes which might determine whether they're agnostic or if they're religious.
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:3, Interesting)
especially when this is simply the opinion of the church [newint.org]... not the opinion of god.
Re:McDonald's lawsuit was completely frivolous (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm finding there are 2 types of Texans, one I dislike a lot, and the other I like a lot. The neo-con lunatic is the kind I can't abide, but I'm finding these are not natives, they seem to be imported. The other kind of Texan is the gun toting, fuck government, don't tax me, if-I-want-to-kill-myself-being-stupid-let-me kind. I like them a lot and I did not find this in either California or anywhere in the north east.
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:3, Interesting)
> Cold reading does NOT depend on meeting the victim before hand, or even knowing anything about
> them before hand. That would be 'hot reading'.
From Wikipedia: "Generally, the cold reader will
> make a series of vague statements, will observe the subject's reactions, and then will refine the
> original statements according to those reactions"..."even without prior knowledge of a
> person, a psychic could still obtain a great deal of his subject's history by carefully
> analysing his or her look and other background information, such as gender, religion, race,
> education level and place of origin."
I was a physics major in college and I read tarot cards for fun. Go figure.
I tell the person for whom I am doing the reading that Tarot cannot tell the future, and that it is a game. I have gotten pretty good at cold reading, and even after telling them it is fake, I have had many people amazed at the accuracy of the reading. Even after telling them that it is fake, they still want to believe that it is real. I call it fun with random numbers.
jfs
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:2, Interesting)
Yeah, and get cracking - geocide [ucam.org] is hard work!
Re:The Russian court has got see reason, here. (Score:4, Interesting)
-aiabx