NANCY/ZETA FAQ v1.3
This is an attempt at a Nancy/Zeta FAQ for sci.astro. Questions,
comments, and additions should be sent to Jeff Smith
Q: Who is "Nancy"?
A: "Nancy" is Nancy Lieder, zetatalk@zetatalk.com
She considers herself to be the vessel through which the "Zetas" -- benevolent
aliens from the Zeta Reticuli system -- speak.
Q: What's the deal with the "Zetas"?
A: Some background on the "Zetas" (pre-Nancy) can be found in UFO
Abductions: A Dangerous Game by Philip J. Klass, ISBN 0-87975-509-1
(pp. 20-24), and in the December 1974 issue of Astronomy Magazine. I
am also told that the 1971 low-budget sci-fi movie "Starship
Invasions" stars a race of telepathic, benevolent beings from Zeta
Reticuli. Like Nancy's "Zetas", they have a pyramid-shaped secret
base on the floor of the ocean, and are members of a league of races
which are supposed to be keeping the peace and shepherding younger
races. As one sci.astro poster put it: "Nancy's entire premise seems
to be based on one scene of this single movie. She's not even
original."
Q: So, is she crazy?
A: I've never met Nancy, so I can't say for sure. She claims to hear
voices in her head and has unshakable conviction in what they tell
her despite obvious conflicts with how the real world operates: both
signs of schizophrenia. However, she charges for her "Zetatalk"
pamphlets, books and tapes, which shows a cynicism and business sense
that separates her from the common street loon. It is possible that
her constant posting on sci.astro is merely a method of advertising
her wares, in which case she is a devious woman indeed.
Q: When she answered a question I posted to sci.astro, she said that
Newton and Einstein were wrong. Should I believe her?
A: Nancy knows nothing about physics or astronomy. Or rather, her
posts contain no information about the real world. Most of her
physical "theories" seem to be mushy restatements of Aristotelean
notions mixed with misunderstood high-school geometry. Her posts are
good for entertainment value only.
Q: Nancy tells me that comet Hale-Bopp didn't exist or was the 12th
planet or an alien mothership. Is that true?
A: No. Hale-Bopp was a large, bright and beautiful comet, no more, no
less. There is no 12th planet, and certainly not one of 2nd
magnitude, which "Nancy" has claimed in the past.
For information about the comet, check out:
<http://www.halebopp.com>
<http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/hale_bopp_info.html>
<http://www.skypub.com/comets/comets.html>
<http://www2.astronomy.com/astro/comet/comet.html>
<http://www.seds.org/spaceviews/halebopp/links/>
This last site has a HUGE list of more sites with more info.
Additionally, you can pick up issues of the magazines Astronomy or
Sky and Telescope, both of which contained "Comet Spotting" charts.
Q: Nancy doesn't understand orbital mechanics/Newtonian
physics/magnetism/what-have-you. Should I explain them to her?
A: Explaining things to Nancy is a frustrating and pointless task.
She has had her misconceptions and errors pointed out and explained
by dozens of people in the past, with no effect. Her ignorance of
science is willful, not accidental, and does not respond to patient
teaching.
By replying to Nancy's posts, it is argued, we just create more noise
on the 'group and gratify her ego. However, several lurkers have
commented that the lengthy rebuttals of Nancy's foolishness has
taught them more physics and astronomy than all the other posts
combined.
What is clearly NOT needed, however, are more flames of Nancy. They
don't discourage her -- indeed, personal attacks just seem to
increase her posting frequency -- and they clutter the group. If you
MUST yell at her, take it to e-mail..
Q: How can I get rid of Nancy?
A: The easiest method is to killfile her. Unlike many other
net.kooks, she has posts from only one account. Kill
file zetatalk@zetatalk.com and she'll never darken your newsfeed
again. Better yet, kill file the partial subject "Zetas explain" and
you'll avoid seeing 90% of the followups to her posts as well.
Q: Kill filing her isn't enough for me! How can I get her kicked off
the net?
A: Short answer: you can't, and you need a hobby.
Long answer: Other than being a pest, she hasn't really done anything
wrong. You can send polite e-mail to the postmaster at Netcom
and complain, but it probably won't do any
good. Even if you do get her Netcom account revoked, she could easily
hop onto AOL, GNN or any number of other services. The best strategy
for coping with Nancy is to killfile her and ignore her. She'll
eventually get bored and go away.
Special thanks to Greg Neill and Kenneth Freeman.
Jeff Smith