Some interesting stories

The Rev Moon of cult fame has reportedly gotten himself crowned Messiah at a ceremony in the Senate office building with some senators and representatives in attendance. Wonder if any of our three were there? The big mystery, however, is which senator invited him to use the room. Of course, we could buy the idea that, as some of them said, they were just there to honor some constitutents who were to receive church awards. Give us a break.

Now there's a report in the mainstream media that there is a scientist out there who's just about ready to build an elevator out into space. The writer seems to take it humorously, at least to some extent, but Scientific American takes it seriously enough to carry a full article on it. Arthur C Clarke, the scientist and science fiction writer who first came up with the idea for satellites that could carry television and telephone around the world, first brought the idea to my attention in a novel years ago. What's been needed is something strong enough to hold an elevator 30 miles high and now they think they may have that material made out of carbon that's a spinoff from buckyballs, so far the strongest material known in the universe.