The White Falcon - 18.09.1981, Side 4

4 White Falcon September IS, 1981
IN THE NEWS*
Reagan administration pushing for defense
Defense Secretary Caspar
Weinberger has said the deployment
of the MX Missile may be the most
important military decision this
country will make since the 1930s.
But it's only part of the Reagan
Administration's strategy for
closing what it sees as a gap be-
tween US and Soviet Nuclear power.
The administration is putting
together a "strategic package" of
new weapons and equipment, most of
it, like the MX, still under dis-
cussion. For instance, sources
say Defense Secretary Weinberger
hasn't yet settled on a formula for
modernizing the fleet of bombers
that carry nuclear weapons.
But he is expected to recommend
building 100 B-l Bombers. There
have been several technological ad-
vances since President Carter
canceled production of the B-l
four years ago. And those improve-
ments would be incorporated into
any new bomber.
The B-l would fill the stra-
tegic aircraft gap until at least
the 1990s. By then, the United
States hopes to perfect the
"Stealth" Bomber, which could
elude Soviet radar. Weinberger is
expected to call for accelerated
research on the Stealth concept.
Probably the least controversial
part of the package is a second
generation of nuclear missiles to be
fired from Trident submarines. They
would be much more accurate and
about 50 percent more powerful
than existing Trident missiles. And
they would give the U.S. a potent,
sea-based weapon against such tar-
gets as Soviet command centers,
missile silos and nuclear storage
depots.
In addition, the administra-
tion may want a full 600-ship Navy
and a new military transport plane,
possibly to carry MX missiles.
Production of such complex hard-
ware is difficult at best. And the
defense industry could face problems
n'.th its subcontractors. Analysts
say suppliers of raw materials,
fabricated parts and electronics
gear may not be able to meet the
demand, especially if the adminis-
tration goes for all its defense
goals at once.
A lack of labor could also keep
defense contractors from meeting
the administration's timetable and
cost estimates. The supply of en-
gineers and skilled workers is al-
ready strained.
Coin print furthers Shroud of Turin theory
The Shroud of Turin is back in
the news, with claims that a rare
ancient coin proves that Jesus
Christ was buried in the cloth.
The Reverend Francis Filas of
Chicago’s Loyola University has
studied the Shroud of Turin for
35 years. He is among those who are
convinced the 14-foot piece of linen
was the burial cloth of Christ.
Filas said recently, that a rare
spelling mistake of an ancient coin
proves that theory.
He says the mistake appears on a
coin issued in Palestine between
the years 29 and 32 AD, right around
the time of the Crucifixion. He
also contends that the Shroud has a
coin imprint containing the same
spelling error.
The cloth, kept under tight
security at a church in Turin,
Italy, seems to bear the imprints
of a crucified man. Where would
the coin imprint come from?
Centuries ago, coins wTere used to
close off the eyes of a dead
person.
Filas says the mispelling was
uncovered after a photograph was
enlarged 25 times. Ard he believes
this "completely excludes the
possibility of any forgery of the
sound imprints."
According to the Priest, there
is no way that "the tiny letters,
one-thirty-second of an inch high,
Channel one
Whether America is ready for it
or not, or for that matter, whether
America needs it or not, channel
one is here. Channel one is the
brand name for a plastic screen that
fits over your TV set and breaks up
the usual color picture into a
kaleidoscope effect.
It’s supposed to be used when
there’s nothing you really want to
watch on TV but still want the
companionship a lit TV screen offers.
could have been painted on a cloth
as a photographic negative."
He adds that modern coin
collectors were not even aware of
the unusual ancient coin.
However, some researchers doubt
that a coin imprint exists in the
photographs of the Shroud.
has arrived
Its promoters like to describe it
as a "mood synthesizer" which "in-
duces the same effect as watching
the flames in a fireplace." They
also liken it to creating "the
visual equivalent of background
music."
They're also charging around 25
dollars for it, which would seem
to put it in the-pedigreed pet
rock category.