text:
Friday, December 17, 2010
Interview: Drew Bolduc, Writer/Director/Actor; Dan Nelson, Director 'The Taint'
Simply put, The Taint is the foulest, most disgusting piece of trash I've witnessed this year (see review here). And it was a lot of fucking fun. It's wacky, hilarious and what a good horror movie should be: shocking and offensive. Well, I'd say its only offensive to those who watch it and simply don't get it.
I recently had the opportunity to interview the brainiacs behind this filthy production. Here is what they had to say about the making of the film, audience reaction to it and how they fashioned those marvels cocks.
Warning: This is the dirtiest interview we've ever posted. You may want to shower afterwards.
Cortez the Killer: So how did the idea for this wonderfully disgusting piece of filth come about? I always thought people from Virginia were boring and overall, pretty mellow.
Drew Bolduc: I kept seeing a bunch of super misogynistic student films, so for a long time I wanted to make one that was just so ridiculously misogynistic, that it couldn't be taken seriously. I also wanted to make a horror movie separately, so I just ended up mashing the two ideas together.
CTK: The practical effects in the film are just freaking phenomenal. Better than most films with bigger budgets in fact. It's one thing to make a film but to be fairly skilled at practical effects, well I've just gotta shake your prosthetic Johnson. How the hell did you come up with all of that stuff?
Dan Nelson: Well, actually most of the effects were done with digital compositing. We'd shoot the practical effect, like a styrofoam head (carved out, painted, and filled with blood), then we'd shoot the same shot again with the actor. I would take the shot into after effects and match up the movement of the actor to the practical effect frame by frame. The shot on top would slowly be removed using rotoscoping until the two shots became one.
Drew: For the penis or blood sprays we used a CO2 refillable whipped cream canister, which we filled with fake blood or semen. I used those when I used to work at Starbucks.
CTK: Did you buy out a sex shop's entire stock of dildos or were each of the penises handcrafted?
Dan: Haha! Most of the penises were one of three dildos. We bought a ton of dildos that didn't look as good for the scene with all the extras, then cut those up and used them for cock explosions. We also built paper mache penises. This gave us a very thin cock that we used for exploding cocks.
Drew: My brother handcrafted some of the cocks. He used molds and some kind of balloon rubber I think.
CTK: Have you gotten this into the hands of John Waters yet and does he approve?
Drew: Not yet, but I really hope that he does.
CTK: Speaking of, who are some of your filmmaking influences?
Drew: Definitely John Waters, Sam Raimi, Troma, Shinya Tsukamoto... Tetsuo: The Iron Man was a big influence on this movie. It really got me into the mindset that I could make an epic as hell movie with no money. It made me put no limitations on what I thought I could do. I also just love seeing movies that remind me that you can do anything at any time in a movie.
CTK: What liquid-y concoction did you use for the man baby batter?
Drew: Flour in water.
Dan: It works really well, but is essentially a glue when it dries. Some people use it to glue paper to walls of buildings as graffiti, so it's not something you want to get in your hair.
CTK: How did you shoot the vaginal POV scene? Oh lawd amighty that was bonkers.
Dan: We bought a fake vagina. We bought it so we could do exterior shots of it. The back end is open and it was a big enough for the lens to fit inside and the material was transparent enough that light would come through. We weren't sure if we could actually use the shot for anything, but the Misandra sex scene wasn't working, so we put it in as a placeholder. We showed it once at the premiere and people liked it, so we kept it in.
CTK: What has reaction to the film been like? Has there been anyone you've severely offended? Any family members keeping you off of this year's Christmas card list?
Dan: There have been a few people that really didn't like it for various reasons. Surprisingly, the overall reaction has been very positive. Our families have been supportive, considering what it is. I'm not sure how many of them actually understand what it is we made.
Drew: My mom is stoked on the movie. My parents are pretty into it.
CTK: What's next for The Taint? I'd like to think there are still people out there who, if they gave it a chance, would find it a very pleasurable experience.
Dan: We're just going to keep pushing it and hope that more people that would want to see it get a chance to.
Drew: We are going to offer the movie up as a digital download, but we don't know when just yet.
CTK: Any upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?
Dan: Not yet. We're distributing the movie ourselves so we're still working on the movie full time. There are some things we've been talking about doing. Maybe something which mixes compositing with puppets. Jessi, who was third in command on The Taint has been working on a script, so we'll see where that goes.
Drew: I've been itching to do a children's show.
For more information on how you can experience The Taint, check out the film's website: http://www.taintmovie.com/
Cortez the Killer
The Taint Trailer (NSFW) from Dan Nelson on Vimeo.
6 comments:
Good work! Hope this crew comes out with more, The Taint is probably the most fun independent film to come out in the past 4 years.
- December 17, 2010 at 5:15 PM
- Carl Manes said...
Love that the film is getting so much coverage, such a friggin outrageous splatterfest! Great interviews gentlemen!
- December 18, 2010 at 8:02 AM
- the jaded viewer said...
Awesome interview. The fact they've went straight to the horror blogging community to get the word out says volumes. They know if we like it, other horror fans will to.
- December 18, 2010 at 1:58 PM
- Cortez The Killer said...
Thanks guys! And yes Jeff, what a great job of getting the word out through us, the hardcore nerdy horror fans. Can't wait to see what theys guys come up with next.
- December 19, 2010 at 9:44 AM
- Geof said...
This film was f'n insane and I loved every frame of it!
Good interview as well. This is something that all horror fans should check out at some point if they can get a copy. And I can't wait to see what they come up with next either.
- December 19, 2010 at 6:25 PM
- scary film review said...
wow, you scored an interview? i loved this film, it was a true gem for me and my humble blog
- December 21, 2010 at 8:06 AM


text:
My best orientation mistakes
- 33Dec 10, '10 by skicoachrnI am week 4 in a 6 week orientation as a new RN in LTC/Rehab. I have done some really stupid stuff so far
10)__ Tried to hook up an IV antibiotic with kangaroo (g-tube) tubing!
9)__ Unhooked a suprapubic catheter to flush without pinching the tube. Hello pee! I love pee!....just not on my shirt and shoes.
8)__ Tried to draw up insulin in a 60 cc syringe using an 18 gauge needle!
7)__ Stood around feeling really clueless.
6)__ Asked a s/p CVA pt. with right sided paresis to squeeze my hand....with her right hand.
5)__ Hid in the bathroom when asked to flush that dang suprapubic catheter again.
4)__ Had daily fights and arguments with the IV pump. "There is no freakin air bubbles you stupid machine I finally did it right this time. Stop beeping!!!"
3)__ Said to a Pt: "I really like how your penis looks". so embarrassing....but at least the ulcer on it is healing!
2)__ Hid in the bathroom for 14A's flush again......
1)__ Tripped and fell into a Pt's bed landing pretty much fully on top of him! talk about a laugh.
I have never felt so stupid, clumsy and DIS-oriented ever in my life as I have in the last 4 weeks of orientation.Last edit by Joe V on Dec 15, '10
- 6Dec 11, '10 by ccampbell1012Hilarious!!!! This made me think about all my embarrassing moments...that I still continue to have. I think more nurses should share their stories. For some reason, after nurses have been practicing for awhile, they start to act like they never made mistakes or did anything silly. While we need to have a professional demeanor and not be silly about the job, humor certainly does help in the times when it just seems depressing. Thanks for sharing some funny things! The best thing is that it seems like you have a funny personality and I know patients really appreciate that....well most anyway. They are scared and going through trying times. They need humor too!
- 9Dec 13, '10 by anon456Very funny! And humbling-- thanks for sharing what I will be looking forward to.
My own story of being a clutz was when I was caring for a pt in ICU who was very very ill. His wife was coping by reading her Bible and had put a beautiful and large angel statue on his bedside table. I moved it to a shelf but it ended up back on the table, and she told me as long as this angel was watching over him he would be okay. Well . . you can see where this is going. I was trying to mix some powder antibiotics into that IV piggyback thing that is so hard to do, and I fumbled and flipped the bottle off, and caught it, and knocked the angel off in the process. The wife had a look of shock on her face, and I apologized about 1000 times and she said it was okay. But I could tell it shook her.
The next week I went back and the patient was not in his room. My first thought was that he had passed away, and I could just see his wife saying, "I knew it was over when the nursing student broke his guardian angel." Luckily I found out later he had improved and been transferred to another unit!!
- 0Dec 14, '10 by skicoachrnOMG! I can imagine the look of horror! I bump into stuff each time I go into a room. Our rooms are like broom closets for crying out loud! Broken angel on the floor is just too metaphoric for words.
- 16Dec 14, '10 by elkparkAlthough it was not a "mistake" so much as a cultural conflict/misunderstanding, the orientation goof I always recall most vividly happened after I relocated to a small town in Appalachia to work in inpatient psych. All the other nursing staff on the unit were local people, and I was considered quite a colorful oddity (having come from a place they considered a "big city") but I was working hard to try to fit in and get along with everyone. One day early on, I asked the two techs working with me that shift to do something, I forget what, but something that was clearly within their job description and appropriate and ordinary for them to do. They both looked me right in the eye, smiled brightly, and said, "I don't care to."
Where I came from, growing up around "nice" ladies from "nice" families (and everywhere else I'd lived since then), "I don't care to" was the polite, ladylike way of saying "no." I was completely flabbergasted. I remember clearly standing there, frantically thinking, "OMG! I asked them to do something perfectly reasonable and they both flatly refused! Rank insubordination!! I don't remember this being discussed in my management class -- what exactly do I do now??????" I got all huffy, drew myself up to my full 6', and said, "Well, alright then, I'll do it myself!" and stomped off and did whatever it was. I spent the rest of the morning wondering what kind of crazy situation I had gotten myself into, were the techs this rude and insubordinate with the other RNs or was it just me (because I was new and from somewhere else), wondering what I had done wrong in the first place and what I should have done differently, etc., etc., etc.
It was only much later that day (or maybe the following day) that I found out that, at least in this particular area of Appalachia, "I don't care to" means "yes" (the equivalent of "sure, I don't mind" where I came from) -- and they had spent the rest of the day wondering why I'd reacted so strangely to their saying that yes, they'd do what I had asked, and how crazy, exactly, was this new nurse from "off."
I did survive and even learned, over time, to fit in. I came to love the area so much that I still live here >25 years later (and have become familiar with all the local idioms ). But I still always remember that moment, and the blind panic I felt when they both said brightly, "I don't care (pronounced "keer") to", whenever anyone talks about embarassing moments in orientation (or "cultural competency in nursing" ) ...
- 3Dec 15, '10 by Miller86I have done some stupid things in the last month or so after finishing orientation. I still cringe when I think about them!
1) Nurse A tells me she is going on break and to get patient 7A onto a stretcher for an x-ray when they call down for the patient. Unit clerk tells me they are ready for the patient in 7. I get another nurse and we prepare 7B for the x-ray and the transporter takes them down (why didn't I just first make sure!). 15 minutes later, I get a call and get yelled at for sending the wrong patient and wasting their time. I feel so embarrassed when the nurse returns and finds the patients test will be delayed. I bet she will never trust me again.
2) I clearly have an issue with tests/procedures. I come onto the shift and right as i'm taking notes for report, my patient is needed for an abdominal ultrasound. I agree to have them ready for pick-up. I go into the room, assess them and set up the stretcher. Patient gets sent down. I get called to the phone. Unit clerk on the ultrasound department "Why is your patient's TPN still running? All we need is normal saline running." Again, I could have died right there.
I know it will take practice and silly mistakes to really learn but I just pray each shift I don't do something miserable. At the end of it all, I still love my job so I guess it's not completely awful!
- 6Dec 15, '10 by troop742We have all done some silly things. As a new ED nurse, I managed to get more activated charcoal on me than in the patient. However, I wonder if this wasn't made up. A medication mistake (or choosing the wrong equipment) is no laughing matter, perhaps some of the comments were for comedic value. Some of those errors would have flunked a 101 student.
- 8Dec 15, '10 by taft207While on the surface some of this is funny many thing like the IV to tube feeding and the insulin error have truly been done and cost the life of pt. actions like this have caused TJC to regulate everything we do. Please think before you act and before you post on public forum. There are people out ther who will believe anything they read on the net.
- 0Dec 15, '10 by jhntshWhew, had a shift from hell yesterday. From getting lost on the unit several times, not being able to locate supplies and unable to navigate new computer system that was upgraded recently. I am a new grad resource nurse so I float to different units all the time. Yesterday was my first day on this particular unit and I was assigned a 'resource nurse' to guide me if necessary. Guess what resource nurse called in sick so I was actually replacing her. To start off I was on unfamiliar grounds, I had pts in contact and droplet isolation who had a myriad a test going on all day, a pt with chest tube and a pt who knows the system very well. Needless to say by the end of the shift I was frazzled. I was running an antibiotics when my pt started yelling that she was numb along one side of her body seeing yellow and all the other symptoms of an allergic reaction. I tried to remain calm and confident; stop meds, did vitals check for hives and flushed her line with NS. Reassessed over 15 mins and restarted meds after speaking to charge nurse.When I went to check on meds NS was infusing instead of meds. I was like what is going on. On further assessment I figured that my well versatile pt reset the pump and had saline infusing instead of meds. I was already frazzled for the day and this just sent me over the edge I was like do I really want to do this?
I hope it will improve very soon or else I will be building public policies instead of being at the bedside.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Baltimore Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin
Also Pleaded Guilty to Violating His Supervised Release From a Previous Conviction
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis sentenced Keith Massenburg, age 45, of Baltimore, today to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin, and violation of supervised release from a previous conviction.
The guilty plea and sentence were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Gerido of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Baltimore City State's Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein; and Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts.
According to Masenburg's plea agreement, on March 2, 2012, Baltimore Police officers executed at search warrant at Massenburg's residence in the 1600 block of North Caroline Street in Baltimore. Massenburg was located walking up the staircase from the basement to the first floor. Massenburg advised detectives that there was a gun and drugs in the basement and in the second floor front bedroom. Officers located a .38 caliber revolver and ammunition in the basement, along with drug packaging material and paraphernalia. On the second floor, officers recovered a plastic bag with 1.36 grams of raw heroin, a loaded .40 caliber handgun and $3,500 in suspected drug proceeds. Detectives continued to search the home and recovered a loaded .44 caliber handgun from the third floor front bedroom.
At the time of the search, Massenburg was on supervised release for a previous federal conviction on gun and drug charges.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF, Baltimore Police Department and Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant United States Attorney H. Brandis Marsh, Jr., a cross-designated Baltimore City Assistant State's Attorney assigned to Exile cases, who prosecuted the case.
Help us combat the proliferation of sexual exploitation crimes against children.
Protect yourself from fraud, and report suspected cases of financial fraud to local law enforcement.
Talk to your kids about gangs and how to avoid them.


text:
picture taken with: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------camera: PENTACON PRAKTICA BX20 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- lens: CARL ZEISS JENA P, 1 : 2.8, f = 135 mm, MC ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- film: expired and xpro ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- FUJI T64 TUNGSTEN PRO RTP 135 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- date of expiration: October 2008 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISO setting: I changed ISO setting every once in a while ranging from ISO 25 up to ISO 50.This photo was shot on film. Taken by andyresag with a Praktica BX20 loaded with Fuji T64 Pro film (available in our Online Shop) in Berlin, Germany. These tags describe this photo: kunstlichtfilm, day, horse, fuji t64, fuji, fuji rtp, fuji tungsten, tungsten, x pro, xpro, x-pro, expired, cross process, cross processed, crossed, pentacon, 35mm, 35 mm, 135, berlin, germany, europe, 2012, praktica, animals, and andyresag. Date: 2012-04. This photo can also be found in the album March-April 2012, expired and crossed Fuji T64 Tungsten Pro RTP 135 .
Please login to get more out of this site
You are currently not logged in, do so now to add comments, like articles as well as photos, submit to competitions, translate articles and gain access to unlimited photo upload! If you are not registered yet, go here to find out more about Lomography and join now! If you just want a limited account for now you can use Twitter or Facebook. We would love to have you as a member here!
4 people like this photo
Liking photos helps us to present the best ones to you and others. 4 people like this photo. 4 people like this photo: pixonaut, luba, rik041, and aexel.
No comments yet, be the first
Where is this?
Nearby popular photos – see more
Nearby LomoLocations
Berlin Körnerpark
The Körnerpark may be quite small, but it has a lot to offer.
Old & rotten amusement park
If you have a look at my articles, photos and likes you can cleary see a tendency to fun fai…


text:
(SwStr: t. 578 [582, 670, 959]; l. 200'; b. 34'; dph. 17'6"; dr. 8')
Arizona was one of the well known 14 Southern S. S. Co. ships and tugs "impressed for public service" at New Orleans, 15 January 1862, by Maj. Gen. Mansfield Lovell, CSA, acting under Secretary of War Benjamin's orders.
An iron paddle-steamer, barkentine rigged, she was built on the Delaware for Charles Morgan by Harlan and Hollingsworth as Hull No. 57 in 1858, with a beam engine and single boiler. As a "sea steamer" she was not the best choice for a river gunboat; from the springof 1862, she became very valuable as a Government-operated blockade-runner to the Caribbean, carrying over a thousand bales of cotton per voyage under command of a Captain Forbes of New Orleans.
On 28 October 1862, USS Montgomery caught the former Arizona trying to run into Mobile from Havana with saltpeter and other munitions. She had become Caroline under "provisional British register"—the usual routine cloak for blockade running—but like many others made it an open secret by carrying the Confederate ensign forward, British colors aft, as she was reported at Havana in October 1862.
She brought $84,500 in Philadelphia prize court 23 June 1863 and followed the familiar pattern: Commodore C. K. Stribling sent her back to her old locale as USS Arizona, an armed member of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron that captured her. She took part in the fight at Sabine Pass, Tex., in September 1863. On 27 February 1865 she burned 38 miles below New Orleans.


text: Strict Standards: Redefining already defined constructor for class XML_Parser in /home/sites/www.americanpoems.com/web/store/aom/includes/os.php on line 1188 Strict Standards: Declaration of XML_Parser::raiseError() should be compatible with PEAR::raiseError($message = NULL, $code = NULL, $mode = NULL, $options = NULL, $userinfo = NULL, $error_class = NULL, $skipmsg = false) in /home/sites/www.americanpoems.com/web/store/aom/includes/os.php on line 1604 Strict Standards: Declaration of XML_Unserializer::startHandler() should be compatible with XML_Parser::startHandler($xp, $elem, &$attribs) in /home/sites/www.americanpoems.com/web/store/aom/includes/os.php on line 3503 Strict Standards: Declaration of Cache_Lite_File::get() should be compatible with Cache_Lite::get($id, $group = 'default', $doNotTestCacheValidity = false) in /home/sites/www.americanpoems.com/web/store/aom/includes/cache.php on line 1020 American Poems: Sporting Goods: Midwest MWC-0001 3-Piece Homeowner's Garden Tool Kit With Poly Leaf Rake, Bow Rake & Round Point Shovel (Discontinued by Manufacturer) Home Apparel Appliances Books DVD Electronics Home & Garden Kindle eBooks Magazines Music Outdoor Living Software Tools & Hardware PC & Video Games Search All Products Apparel Appliances Arts & Crafts Automotive Baby Beauty Books Computers DVD Electronics Gourmet Food Grocery Health Home & Garden Industrial & Science Jewelry Kindle eBooks Kitchen Magazines Miscellaneous Mobile Apps MP3 Downloads Music Musical Instruments Office Products Outdoor Living Pet Supplies Photo & Camera Shoes Software Sporting Goods Tools & Hardware Toys VHS Video On Demand PC & Video Games Watches Wireless Wireless Accessories Advanced Search Sitemap View Cart Checkout Location: Home » Sporting Goods » Midwest MWC-0001 3-Piece Homeowner's Garden Tool Kit With Poly Leaf Rake, Bow Rake & Round Point Shovel (Discontinued by Manufacturer) Midwest MWC-0001 3-Piece Homeowner's Garden Tool Kit With Poly Leaf Rake, Bow Rake & Round Point Shovel (Discontinued by Manufacturer) enlarge Brand:Midwest Rake Category:Lawn & Patio In Stock Sales Rank:363,145 Shipping Weight (lbs):10 Dimensions (in):61 x 22 x 8 Model:MWC-0001 UPC:185842000576 EAN:0185842000576 ASIN:B003K15IA8 Features: Includes Leaf Rake, Bow Rake, Shovel Hardwood Handles Tempered steel heads Bow rake has 16 curved tines allowing greater raking action Shovel has rolled step Accessories: Midwest MWC-0002 3-Piece Homeowner's Outdoor Cleanup Tool Kit With Poly Leaf Rake, Poly Shrub Rake &... Midwest MWC-0003 3-Piece Homeowner's Shovel Kit With Round Point Shovel, Square Point Shovel & Scoop... Editorial Reviews: SynopsisMidwest MWC-0001 Long Handle Tool Combo Pack Homeowner's Kit, Includes a Leaf Rake, a Bow Rake, and a Round Point Shovel. The 24-inch Poly Leaf Rake has a molded head, 48-inch hardwood handle and cushion grip. The HomeScaper 48-inch Round Point Shovel has 16 Gauge Tempered Steel Heads, Rolled Step, Riveted Connection, and 45-inch Hardwood Handle. The HomeScaper 16-inch Bow Rake has a Wood Handle, 16-inch Tempered Steel Head with 16 Tines curved tines allowing greater raking action, and 54-inch Hardwood Handle. CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. Brought to you by American Poems Categories •Apparel •Appliances •Arts & Crafts •Automotive •Baby •Beauty •Books •Computers •DVD •Electronics •Gourmet Food •Grocery •Health •Home & Garden •Industrial & Science •Jewelry •Kindle eBooks •Kitchen •Magazines •Miscellaneous •Mobile Apps •MP3 Downloads •Music •Musical Instruments •Office Products •Outdoor Living •Pet Supplies •Photo & Camera •Shoes •Software •Sporting Goods •Tools & Hardware •Toys •VHS •Video On Demand •PC & Video Games •Watches •Wireless •Wireless Accessories Related Categories •Shovels Spades, Shovels & Trowels Hand Tools Gardening & Lawn Care Categories


text:
Mountain biker Mark Schulze wanted to capture the feel of riding a mountain bike for his film, The Great Mountain Biking Video. To accomplish this, Schulze stripped-down a red motorcycle helmet and jury-rigged a mounting for the first consumer color video chip camera. A cable ran from the camera to a padded backpack that contained a Panasonic VHS portable video recorder and a DC-lead-acid battery for power. The rig was heavy, unwieldy, and hot, but it brought a whole new perspective to action sports videos.
Schulze continued to work on his helmet cam design and eventually managed to pare the entire contraption down to a feathery 12 pounds. Asked why he never bothered to patent or commercialize his design, Schulze replied that he was too focused on shooting the best mountain bike videos. To this day Schulze continues to produce videos as the founder of New & Unique Videos.
Schultze married his wife, Patricia Mooney, on a mountain bike and the couple filmed their wedding with the original helmet cam.
Want to get Outside more?
Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest fitness tips, expert gear reviews, the best travel advice, and more.


text:
A giant artificial waterfall could make the Rio 2016 Games the greenest Olympics ever. The Solar City Tower, a concept that won the architecture competition for the 2016 Olympic Games, could soon become a reality, and grace the open skies above Rio's blue waters. Besides the staggering beauty of the proposed structure, the Solar City Tower is also entirely self sustainable, and will produce enough green energy to power the Olympic Village.
The Solar City Tower was designed by Rafael Schmidt from Zurich-based RAAFA, and is likely to be built on Contunduba Island in Rio's beautiful Guanabara Bay. If the project is confirmed, builders will be strapping on their safety shoes this year. The positioning of the Solar City Tower will place it in direct sight of incoming visitors to Rio by both land and sea, making it an iconic landmark. The Solar City Tower will also be a proud symbol of Brazil's dedication to green technology and sustainable development. The Solar City Tower, which will rise 105 metres from sea level, will use solar energy during the day to pump large volumes of sea water into the tower. From there the water will fall like a waterfall back into the ocean, where it will also be used to turn turbines that will power the Olympic Village at night. Apart from its green energy function, the Solar City Tower will also act as an observation tower and tourist destination, sporting a Cafe and bungee jumping zone.
Every Olympic Games has a goal to be greener than the one before, in line with the global movement towards green energy. However, a successful Solar City Tower could make Rio the starting point for making sustainability a central focus of the Olympic Games, which may eventually move towards a carbon zero Olympic Games. Considering Rio's dedication towards green living, the Solar City Tower will be an appropriate addition to the city. No doubt workers in mens and ladies safety shoes will be vying to work on the project.


text:
Book your room at Zulu Nyala Country Manor
Standard Double RoomMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Standard Twin Room, 2 Single BedsMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
4-star hotel with 2 outdoor swimming pools in Johannesburg (Chartwell)
Collect 200 points
Simply enter your Nectar card number when prompted. Your points will be credited 30 days after you return from your trip.*Offers may apply
This hotel is located in Johannesburg (Chartwell), close to Lion Park. Area attractions also include Montecasino and Madame Zingara Theatre of Dreams.
Hotel Features
In addition to 2 outdoor swimming pools, Zulu Nyala Country Manor features a restaurant, a bar/lounge, and a conference center.
Room Amenities
Televisions come with cable channels. Guestrooms also feature sofa beds, wireless Internet access (surcharge), and air conditioning.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
At your hotel
At your hotel
Zulu Nyala Country Manor features 2 outdoor swimming pools and outdoor tennis courts. The hotel offers a restaurant. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast. A computer station is located on site and high-speed wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary.
Event facilities include a conference center, conference space, and meeting rooms. This Johannesburg hotel also offers multilingual staff, gift shops/newsstands, and a garden. For a surcharge, the property provides a roundtrip airport shuttle (available on request), an area shuttle, and a shopping center shuttle. Complimentary self parking is available on site.
Zulu Nyala Country Manor has designated areas for smoking.
- Restaurant
- Outdoor tennis courts 2
- Luggage storage
- Number of outdoor pools - 2
- Area shuttle (surcharge)
- Conference space size (meters) - 440
- Number of meeting rooms - 5
- Wedding services
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Bar/lounge
- Conference space
- Meeting rooms
- Front desk (limited hours)
- Total number of rooms - 49
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Laundry facilities
- Fireplace in lobby
- Tennis on site
- Complimentary newspapers in lobby
- Free breakfast
- Shopping center shuttle (surcharge)
- Computer station
- Free Wi-Fi
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Designated smoking areas
- Multilingual staff
- RV, bus, truck parking
- Garden
- Year Built 1991
- Free parking nearby
- Free self parking
- Conference center
- Airport transportation (surcharge)
- Television in lobby
Stay connected
Available in all rooms: Wireless Internet access (surcharge)
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Park your car
Free self parking, RV, bus, truck parking, Free parking nearby
In your room
- Separate bathtub and shower
- In-room childcare (surcharge)
- Private bathroom
- Separate sitting area
- Access via exterior corridors
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Ceiling fan
- Air conditioning
- Minibar
- Coffee/tea maker
- Daily housekeeping
- Bathrobes
- Complimentary toiletries
- Hair dryer
- In-room safe
- Cable TV service
- Iron/ironing board (on request)
- Sofa bed
- Dial-up Internet access (surcharge)
- Wireless Internet access (surcharge)
Eat and drink
A complimentary breakfast is offered.
The Manor Restaurant - This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar.
2 outdoor swimming pools are on site along with outdoor tennis courts.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Ecotours nearby
- Golfing nearby
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible bathroom
- Accessible path of travel
- Accessible parking
- In-room accessibility
The fine print for Zulu Nyala Country Manor
When you arrive
Minimum check-in age is 18
Check-in time starts at 2 PM
When you leave
Check-out time is 10 AM
How you can pay
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation.
- A city/local tax will be charged
- Fee for high-speed Internet (wired) in public areas: ZAR 120 per hour (rates may vary)
We should mention
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms.


text:
Nurses Calling Patients "Jerks"
- 2Sep 1, '12 by PacoUSA, BSN, RNI am a new nurse, and I hope I don't ever become one of these nurses. I work on a demanding medicine floor, where many patients become quite needy and require a lot of attention from the nurses. I have been appalled to notice that some of the nurses on my floor resort to bashing patients while they are at the nurses station. I have heard some of them refer to certain difficult patients as jerks (or worse), and if told by the CNA or another nurse that their patient needs pain meds, they roll their eyes and in a huff go to pain scale them.
I don't know if I am wrong in feeling the way I do. I know how hard our jobs are and I realize it's therapeutic for nurses to vent about their work, but this just seems to go beyond venting. I don't feel patients deserve to be name-called at all. Some of these nurses are also the same ones that say on report that certain patients are difficult to handle in some way, but then when I have them, I get along with them very well (except for one old lady I once had, she was nice to no one, but I never bashed her with other nurses). So I take with a grain of salt what nurses report to me about the patient's demeanor. Perhaps I have a different approach? Sometimes I do give off a "I will take great care of you but I won't tolerate crap" approach. Perhaps also because I am male? Who knows.
Thanks for listening. This has been bugging me for a little while and just wanted to put it out there.
- 24Sep 1, '12 by Nascar nurse, ASN, RNSome patients really are jerks....some nurses are jerks too. You are correct that it is not professional to be bashing/name calling at the nurses station. My best advice is to just stay out of the drama and do your own job.
- 29Sep 1, '12 by OCNRN63Just wait till the glow of being a new nurse fades. You're going to find that some patients really are jerks; the issue is being able to suppress your frustration while you're caring for them and vent outside of the patients' earshot.
People can be jerks outside the hospital. Just because now they're patients doesn't mean they become angels.
Be thankful that's all you heard people call patients. There are far worse things I've heard.
- 6Sep 1, '12 by StephalumpI was raised to believe that name calling (even something as tame as "jerk") is not cool and I sill believe that, although I reserve the right to feel any way I want about someone and if I need to vent, so be it.
My problem with the issue is that it's being done at the nurse's station. Totally unprofessional and inappropriate. I don't care how douchey the pt is - insulting a customer/patient/client at work isn't ok in any profession, and nurses aren't excluded from that
What's worse to me than the pt in question overhearing is someone who ISN'T the pt overhearing. Everyone thinks everything they hear in the hospital is about them.
Of course sometimes someone will treat you so badly you won't care if you're being unprofessional. I get it and I wouldn't stone you, but that doesn't technically make it ok. It just makes it understandable.
- 15Sep 1, '12 by Esme12, BSN, RN Senior ModeratorUnfortunately......there are people that deserve to be called jerks, or worse. The problem I have as well is saying it at the nurses station. Patients hear much more than the staff believe so that should not be a behavior for the station. I have absolutely said some very unattractive things about various patients throughout my career and trust me when I say they deserved every word. But I never spoke about it at the station.
There will come the day that you will feel a patient has been a real donkey behind to you and it will make you hurt and angry. There are some really nasty people out there and you are only human. You aren't less of a nurse for being human what makes you more of a nurse is how you handle the situation.
I wish you the best.
- 15Sep 1, '12 by blondy2061h, MSN, RNIf I have a rude, insulting patient who is in the hospital for 6 weeks, and I keep having to take care of him, in 12 hour increments, knowing each time I go in the room I'll be hit with a barrage of insults, I would rather insult him at the desk than in the room.
- 14Sep 1, '12 by workingharderI've had very few patients/residents that I would classify as jerks. It may be that I've been lucky. Or, it may be that in real life I look like an old, grizzled "Hell's Angel" biker. Not my persona at all, but I use it to my advantage. Here's a general rule of thumb: about 6% of the population are, and always will be braying jackasses.
- 12Sep 1, '12 by Cold StethoscopeQuote from Paco-RNUh-oh.Perhaps also because I am male?
I have no statistics, but I think that, in general, people are less apt to bully a man than a woman in most cultures.
- 14Sep 1, '12 by dudette10The worst patient I've had so far called me stupid and a dumbass. He hurled expletives at me as soon as I walked in the room. He called the CNA working with me on care a fat ass.
This guy was alert and oriented and angry at the world for reasons unbeknownst to me.
Yes, he was a jerk. I make no apologies for my assessment of his personality.


text:
Over the years I have been lucky to work with a lot of great people on a wide variety of projects. These projects spread across different industries, and range from small business to national brands.
A Window configuration app was built in order to give All Weather Windows users a fun, simple way, to engage with their product.Read
An updated look and feel paired with a more user-friendly navigation system helped the Alberta Soccer Association reach out to its members and communicate more effectively.Read
124 Street changed their organizational focus, and in turn required a new aesthetic to match their new brand.Read
A robust website was designed to meet the content requirements at TOP and to keep users informed about their various programs.Read
An updated look and simpler navigation helps Edmontonians find key information about what's going on Downtown.Read
A showcase of the breadth and depth of the PDERAS team and to display recently completed projects.Read


text:
On Aug 13, 9:13*am, Food Snob® <bryangsimm...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I started wondering about that as I thought that Stouffer's frozen
> lasagna is better than 90% of the "home made" crap people bring to
> potlucks, such as meatballs in a sauce made from grape jelly and Heinz
> chili sauce.
> Anyone ever catch anyone else doing it?
> --Bryan
No, but my Dad and his wife attended a BBQ where they were holding a
potato salad contest. She won with Reser's...


text:
Justin Bieber
Taylor Swift's Tour Tumbles Forward As Ed Sheeran Tumbles Onstage
Taylor Swift set out on tour earlier this week, and with just two RED Tour shows under her belt with opener Ed Sheeran, it has already been an eventful jaunt. The pair kicked it off […]
Jason Aldean To Perform On New Year's Eve Television Special
If you plan on staying home on New Year's Eve you'll want to make sure you watch Dick Clark New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2013. Broken Bow recording artist Jason Aldean will perform. […]
New Music To Know: Hunter Hayes
Country singer Hunter Hayes will perform at the 'Grammy Nominations Concert — LIVE!' airing on CBS, December 5 at 10PM EST.
Veronica's College Of Hollywood Knowledge
Veronica took on Melissa in Veronica's College of Hollywood Knowledge, the questions that were asked to Veronica and Melissa are listed below, take a look at the questions and see if you would have got […]
Celebrate Fashion's Night Out With Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber
Glee's Darren Criss will be there too. He wants to dress you up in his love.
Taylor Swift And Ellen DeGeneres Showcase Comedic Chemistry In 'Ellen' Season 10 Promos
There's never a dull moment when Taylor Swift and Ellen DeGeneres get together. Watch what they've cooked up for Ellen's Season 10 promos!
Kenny Chesney's 'Fishbowl' Debuts At Number One
"Welcome to the Fishbowl" is Kenny Chesney's 11th album to debut at Number One on the Billboard Country Albums chart.
Justin Bieber Shocks Fans With "Maria"
Mariah Yeater, the 20-year-old may have dropped her paternity case against Justin Bieber back in November but Justin hasn't dropped the subject. On his brand new album, "Believe," Justin sings about Yeater's accusations that he […]
Hunter Hayes Says 'Wanted' Was A 'Dream Checklist'
Just a little over a year ago, a then 19-year-old Hunter Hayes was on a radio tour promoting his debut album Storm Warning. He's come a long way since then, headlining sold-out shows, touring with […]
American Idol Recap & Justin Bieber's Tour Dates In Florida
Jimmy Carter our Entertainment reporter called the show today to give us the latest news coming out of Hollywood and Nashville, the topics included, American Idol, Justin Bieber, & Duets with Jennifer Nettles. The topics […]


text:
White Sox waste Dylan Axelrod's gem in loss to A's
BY DARYL VAN SCHOUWEN firstname.lastname@example.com May 31, 2013 11:56PM
Article Extras
Updated: July 2, 2013 8:11AM
OAKLAND, Calif. — Dylan Axelrod, the survivor who does more with less, couldn't have done much more in his 11th and best start in a game that seemed to reach a new height of frustration for White Sox manager Robin Ventura.
Axelrod, the former Windy City Thunderbolt from the Independent League, stood toe-to-toe with Athletics veteran Bartolo Colon on Friday night, retiring 21 of 23 A's before John Jaso and Josh Reddick finally got to him with back-to-back doubles to open the eighth inning, breaking a scoreless tie and sending the Sox to a 3-0 defeat.
The loss was the Sox' fourth in a row after three against the Cubs and dropped them to four games below .500.
While giving a tip of the cap to the 40-year-old Colon (6-2), who handcuffed his team on five hits in a complete-game performance, Ventura had no defense for his team's offense.
"It's one of those where [Axelrod] felt like if he gives up one hit, he's going to end up losing,'' Ventura said. "We have to be better offensively. Right now we stink.''
There was little blame for Axelrod (3-4), who lowered his ERA to 4.04 while watching his personal three-game winning streak halted. Axelrod allowed four hits in seven-plus innings, striking out a season-high seven and walking none.
"It's tough,'' Axelrod said. "[Colon is]. It seemed like both of us didn't have much rest on the benches.''
Coco Crisp's two-run single in the eighth against Jesse Crain made it 3-0. One of those runs was charged to Axelrod, the other to Matt Thornton.
The Sox had five singles against Colon. Two preceded double plays, two were infield hits and one was a harmless two-out hit.
"It stinks,'' Ventura said of his team's offense that ranks last in runs. "It needs to get better. I don't think it's approach. When you go over offensive stuff and give them information, it's sound stuff. It's just a stretch that stinks.''
Axelrod, who has been anything but odorous, takes issue with the notion that his stuff is just average.
"I feel like my stuff is pretty good, actually,'' he said. "A lot of movement … I just don't throw 95 [mph], so people say I don't have good stuff. I'm not going to strike out 10 guys a game. I'm not going to be [Jeff] Samardzija. It's a combination of knowing my strengths and how to attack hitters and not trying to be anybody I'm not.
"Being able to throw any pitch at any time is a big key. I feel like hitters can't sit fastball on me at any time, really.''
"He's a command guy, not a guy who is going to be noticed for his velocity or any of his single pitches but for putting all of his pitches together,'' pitching coach Don Cooper said. "His work ethic and preparation and game plan, it's a nice package. And he can pitch. He can locate and change speeds.
"When he puts it together, he can execute any plan against any guy coming up. He can go soft, he can pitch in, he has a good cutter. All of it together is what makes him who he is.''
Axelrod is the kind of pitcher, as Cooper puts it, who is "easy to root for.''
"You can consider him the dark horse, the underdog,'' Cooper said.
With no offense behind him, Axelrod was a huge underdog Friday.
"Wins and losses are a funny thing,'' he said. "Baseball is tough.''


text:
Yakety Sax
|"Yakety Sax"
|Single by Boots Randolph
|"I Really Don't Want to Know"
|45 rpm
|Monument Records
|Spider Rich
Boots Randolph
|Fred Foster
Yakety Sax is a pop-jazz instrumental music composition composed by James Q. "Spider" Rich and Homer "Boots" Randolph III and popularized by saxophonist Randolph in his 1963 recording, also known as the theme music of The Benny Hill Show.
The composition includes pieces of assorted fiddle tunes and was written for a performance at a venue called The Armory in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Two bars of "Entrance of the Gladiators" and "The Girl I Left Behind" are also worked into it.
The piece was inspired by sax solo in the Leiber and Stoller song "Yakety Yak", recorded in 1958 by The Coasters.[1] The tunes are similar, and both feature the "yakety sax" sound. Randolph first recorded "Yakety Sax" that year for RCA Victor, but the piece did not become a hit until his re-recording for Monument Records in 1963, which reached #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Other noteworthy performances[edit]
- Guitarist Chet Atkins recorded a version of "Yakety Sax" in 1965 called "Yakety Axe". Atkins's version used a similar tempo and showcased his country guitar picking style in place of a saxophone. The title change referred to the colloquial term for an electric guitar as an "axe". In 1990 he collaborated with Mark Knopfler on the album Neck and Neck where he recorded a slower-tempo version, with verses composed by Merle Travis that he recited rhythmically to the music. The original version of "Yakety Axe" was Atkins' highest charting song on Hot Country Songs, reaching number 4; it also went to number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] Atkins and Randolph, who both worked together on Elvis Presley recording sessions in the 1960s, occasionally merged their two versions of "Yakety Sax/Axe" in joint TV appearances, with each musician trading off a "verse".
- Bill Haley & His Comets recorded "Yakety Sax" on three distinct occasions: for Orfeón of Mexico in 1964, for Guest Star Records of the US also in 1964 (which was released on a split single with Haley's "Yakety Sax" on the A-side and "Boot's Blues", a track by Boots Randolph on the B-side), and a live concert version for Sonet Records of Sweden in 1968. "Yakety Sax" was also a staple of Comets live performances, usually featuring saxophonist Rudy Pompilli, who was featured on the Orfeón, Guest Star and Sonet recordings.
- Sax player Marty Maggio released a version on BSW Records in early 2011.[3]
- In 1989, the British band the Highliners released "the Benny Hill Boogie", which is based on "Yakety Sax".[4]
- During the Beach volleyball tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the theme was played when the sand-rakers came out between games.[5]
- It is used on a Philippine noontime show It's Showtime.
- In 2011, Sanne Mestrom played Yakety Sax during a classical music concert by Andre Rieu & JSO at Radio City Hall, New York.[6]
- Country and Western star Dolly Parton performed a version of the track on saxophone at the 2014 British Glastonbury Festival.
Television, film, radio, and internet[edit]
"Yakety Sax" is often used in television and film as a soundtrack for outlandishly humorous situations. It was frequently used to accompany comedic sketches in the ITV comedy program The Benny Hill Show,[7] where it accompanied otherwise silent, rapidly paced comedy sequences that typically involved a farcical chase scene. Indeed, "Yakety Sax" is so closely linked to the show that it is also known as "The Benny Hill Theme". On "The Benny Hill Show" the music was performed by Ronnie Aldrich and His Orchestra. Aldrich was the musical consultant of that series. This use of the piece, and the chase scenes themselves, have been parodied in many other movies and TV shows, including Get a Life,[8] the 2006 British film V for Vendetta and the animated TV shows Family Guy and South Park.
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/boots-randolphs-yakety-sax!-mw0000652781
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 34. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
- ^ ""Yes" Country". CD Baby.
- ^ Rockin' Song of the Week No.100 - The Highliners, at Rockabillyville; published 29 May 2010; retrieved 17 June 2012
- ^ Golen, Jimmy (28 July 2012). "Beach volleyball brings its beat to Olympics". Associated Press.
- ^ Andre Rieu at Radio City Hall on YouTube
- ^ "Boots Randolph, 80; versatile musician recorded `Yakety Sax'". Los Angeles Times. 4 July 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- ^ Get a Life - Season 2, Episode 7 - "Chris Becomes a Male Escort"


text:
Watch C-SPAN 2 Live | C-SPAN 2 USA Online | C-SPAN 2 Channel Free
C-SPAN 2 Live – C-SPAN 2 Online from USA – C-SPAN provides public affairs programming.C-SPAN 2 live online. Watch free online C-SPAN 2 live broadcast. C-SPAN 2 is basically a U.S based live news channel.C-Span 2 online for free, C-Span 2 live. C-Span 2 – Public Affairs TV.C-SPAN2 is a sister channel of C-SPAN i.e Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network. Watch Live High Quality Streaming of C-SPAN 2 USA Online.Watch CSPAN 2 for free on internet. The best of web TV live stations on internet. Over 200 of the most famous online TV channels are available.
Please wait 15 to 30 seconds in order for the stream to load!
Embed For Webmasters


text:
Ogolnopolski Turniej Go w Lublinie 23-2014
The Ogolnopolski Turniej Go w Lublinie, a class A tournament, played from 31-05-2014 to 01-06-2014 in Lublin, Poland, was won by Koichiro Habu 4d, second came Tomasz Kwiatkowski 3k and third was Tomasz Kniaziewicz 7k.
Result table.
placed by Newsbot at 00:56 Tue 03 June 2014
Search for articles: Enter as many words as you like; separate them with a space.


text:
Dentistry Today Live Blog
Welcome to our live blog.
MyRay – Hyperion X7 Digital Pan-Ceph Imager
Sunday, 27 November 2011 14:12:21 Category Greater New York Dental Meeting 2011
Ryan Carlstrom, Director of Sales at MyRay, showcases the Hyperion X7 Digital Pan/Ceph Imager, explaining how it stands out from other pan/ceph imagers, and what kind of practices can benefit from this technology.
Tags: Untagged
About the author
Dentistry Today


text:
Abandoned house has couple concerned about public safety
- Details
- Parent Category: News
- Category: Bourbon and Leasburg News
- Written by Matthew Sherrill
- Hits: 332
During its regular meeting on July 16, the Bourbon City Council addressed citizen complaints about an abandoned house and broken sewer line. No formal action was taken on the house.
Comments (0)
Only registered users can write comments!
Powered by Compojoom comment 4.2.1


text:
P90X3 Coupons
2 verified offers in June, 2014
We have 2 P90X3 offers for you to choose from including 2 sales. Latest offer: 'Sign Up for P90X3 Emails and Receive Exclusive News and Offers' In the last day, 1 promos have been used. The last time an offer was used was December 25, 2014.
Check Out P90X3 Services and Offers Today
Ends 2/28/2015
Click to Save
Sign Up for P90X3 Emails and Receive Exclusive News and Offers
Ends 2/28/2015
Click to Save
Expired P90X3 Promo Code
These have expired, but they may still work.
Get P90X3 for only 3 payments of $39.95
Expired 10/31/2014
Click to Save


text:
STARmeterSEE RANK
Up 14,686 this week
José Sacristán (I)
Actor | Director | Soundtrack
José Sacristán was born on September 27, 1937 in Chinchón, Madrid, Spain as José María Sacristán Turiégano. He is an actor and director, known for A Place in the World (1992), Éste es mi barrio (1996) and Voyage to Nowhere (1986). He is married to Leonor Benedetto. He was previously married to Liliane Meric. See full bio »
More at IMDbPro » Represent José Sacristán? Add or change photos


text:
Purple Plates, Another Withdrawal, Don't Miss This, A Request, Airborne News, An Assignment, Another Pet Psychic, No Wonder!, Very True, Moving Forward – Maybe, PBS Offends, Lilieci Case Solved, A Loser Is the Winner, That Pot Head Man, Unlikely Penguins, Adelaide Woo-Woo, Homeopathy Alert, and In Closing…
Reader Dean Malandris:
Those of us trying to maintain our life raft of sanity in an ocean of stupidity have probably developed a sense of being "comfortably numb," as Pink Floyd once said. If rationality is represented by low-lying land mass, and woo-woo is represented by the ocean, then the more I look around, the more I'm convinced that we're suffering Intellectual Global Warming. I originally thought this was a web site that might have described, in intricate detail, the contents of Nikola Tesla's kitchen cabinets, or side board, but oh no: www.tesla-energy.com The only sensible thing I could make out was on the "About Plates" page, where it says:
Plates have been in use for more than 30 years (1971) and have still the same effects as on the first day.
Plates have been in use for more than 30 years (1971) and have still the same effects as on the first day.
That, I can believe…
Last week I mentioned at randi.org/joom/content/view/172/27/#i10 that a major test of homeopathy in Greece has met the expected fate, being abandoned by the homeopathy community. Now, this 1,000-word notice has arrived from Gábor Hraskó, Executive President of the Hungarian Skeptic Society:
It seems that we are halted in the preparations for bringing the homeopathy test to Hungary. The board of the Hungarian Homeopathic Medical Association made a decision last week not to support the test. In advance I organized a small, but enthusiastic group of scientists within the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and around to support the test. I also made preliminary checks on what kind of permissions we would need from the authorities. I visited the board of homeopaths together with a doctor, who is relatively well-known in Hungary. The meeting was very kind, but I experienced the very same attitude I used to meet with when speaking to advocates of any alternative therapies. They are real doctors so that it was quite frightening that they had no clue about pharmaceutical tests at all. They made the usual claims that their duty was healing and not testing. Also they said it was very much unfair not to treat half of the patients for sake of science.
Randi comments: Yes, this "treat half the patients" problem is a very legitimate complaint. However, I believe that there are other possible modalities for conducting such a test, and avoiding any compromise of proper care.
They also have another problem that they did not dare to reveal very much, but I think it is one of the major reasons for their withdrawal. They practice the so-called "classical homeopathy" (similarly to Mr. Vithoulkas), as opposed to "clinical homeopathy" in this practice, where they perform the traditional time-consuming screening of the patients and try to find the correct remedy using multiple visits. Their repertoire consist of more than 1000 remedies (I have a small collection of them including Moon light 100C, Berlin wall 40C, Oxigen 200C etc.) and only some 300 of them are currently registered with the authorities in Hungary. It means that their prescription method is – well – at least in the grey zone if not totally illegal. To be honest, I assume this must be the case in most of the countries. In spite of the simplified registering rules applied for homeopathic remedies – they are registered as real drugs, not dietary supplements – but no toxicity and efficacy tests are required, and most of them are not registered. They import them on an ad hoc basis or ask their patients to get the remedies directly from the manufacturer. They know Vithoulkas and in a sense they trust him. He was recognized in Hungary some years before, based on the proposal of the association, but as they say, his reputation is very much declining now. The only real question they asked was why Vithoulkas had not been able to find an alternative hosting institution in Greece? This is a good question indeed and I could not answer it. Partly because of this, they tended to believe that we have some "secret agenda." Their actual list on which they based their decision was as follows. My comments are in brackets: • The ethical background of the experiment is not clear, either from the experimenter or the patient sides. (GH: they have no clue about the ethical norms of normal drug testing); • No institutional background exists in Hungary that would guarantee the fairness and effectiveness of the test. (GH: they do not trust anyone); • There is no local remedy manufacturer. (GH: this would be a real challenge, though as they had said they would use some "good quality" manufacturers in their practice); • We believe that a test like this should involve much more patients. (GH: so that it is easier not to make tests at all). This is of course mostly nonsense, but I cannot do anything about that. I know Mr. Randi said for years that homeopaths will never finally agree on such a test, and I think it is time to close this project. During the last years I learned a lot about CAM [Complementary/Alternative Medicine]; I read their literature, investigated their trials and clinical tests and followed the skeptical interpretations. By now I know that these types of tests are not really adequate for testing CAM in general. Practitioners of homeopathy, or other therapies like acupuncture, can refer to real positive clinical tests that are sometimes even published in prestigious journals. It becomes more and more clear that looking for "evidence" – positive clinical trials – for a treatment, is important, but not sufficient to prove that a treatment is really useful. Even if the physical plausibility of a treatment is zero, as in the case of homeopathy, clinical tests would result in positive outcomes from time-to-time, "false positive" results. This happens even if the tests are performed perfectly, by scientific standards. The standard statistical methods – significance intervals, etc. – that are used in the tests, give valid results only if the methods under testing are relatively plausible. More and more scientists insist that plausibility must play a more important role in the evaluation of clinical trials than it does now, which is practically none. That is why experts tend to avoid using the term "evidence-based medicine" in favor of a new one: "science-based medicine." As homeopathy and other CAM practices can present positive clinical tests, generating a new negative one would not make any real difference. A false positive one would not prove anything, either. The real point is that there is no plausible theory about how homeopathy could work, at all. For a rather long time, I also stated that we might know or not know how something works; if it works, then it exists. Now I understand that this approach fails if we routinely test totally implausible phenomena. I do not think this result was unexpected, but I am rather sad. You put a lot of energy into it, and during the last stages, I also tried my best and we are again back at the starting point. I am ready to participate in any similar projects or activities in the future. The Hungarian Skeptic Society is also moving forward. We are progressing, and it seems we could overcome the problems about our relationship to the "old skeptics." We started uniting all skeptic forces in Hungary. Our next target is Uri Geller, who arrives in our country this month. If you have any ideas how to welcome him, please let us know.
Thank you for this report. Again, it was no surprise, but just a disappointment. It illustrates – again – just how much the woo-woo community fears proper tests of their baseless claims. And yes, I have some excellent ideas on how to welcome Mr. Geller back to his homeland. We'll discuss that, Gábor...
*CORRECTION: We apologize for the ambiguous title and first sentence. The parties are still at work in tests preparations in Greece and negotiations are still going on to finalize the arrangements. By the end of the summer the homeopaths had finally signed an agreement with a Greek hospital to host the test. Transferring the test to Hungary was only an alternative option and its failure – the dismissal from the Hungarian homeopaths – had not halted the preparations.
On March 3rd, 2008, Sanal Edamaruku, the president of India's well-known Rationalist International, challenged Pandit Surinder Sharma, said to be India's most powerful tantrik – "black magician," to demonstrate his powers on him. It was an unprecedented experiment. After all his chanting of mantras – magic words – and ceremonies of tantra failed, Sharma decided to kill Edamaruku with the "ultimate destruction ceremony" on live TV. The proposed victim agreed, and voluntarily sat on the altar of the black magic ritual. We're told that as a result, India TV observed skyrocketing viewership rates. No one wants to miss a live-on-TV killing...
Go to tinyurl.com/2ehs4m to see a report on "The Great Tantra Challenge." Just in case you were worried, Edamaruku is still with us, and remarkably healthy, despite all the evil influences thrown at him, but the details of this farce are fascinating. Quackery, superstition, religious fever, all rolled up into one. Of course, the Sharma forces are scrambling to offer excuses, but we can hope that at least some believers became enlightened…
Someone named simply, "Nick" asks that we post this notice:
I'd like your help and support in informing your readers about my new video blog, Critical Critique. It's still new but it is in the making of becoming the best video blog with the largest collection of the most informative and educative video articles that encourages critical thinking and evidence-based inquiry/investigation over faith-based living and emotion-driven thinking. You can view it at www.criticalcritique.com Critical Critique is going to compile and bring the most educative, informative, thought- provoking and relevant video collections available on the internet tgether in one place for everyone's easy reference, which will be labeled according to categories. So, at any time if people wish to look at a specific video for some reason, they can come back to this video blog and quickly retrieve it by simply clicking on the categories. Subscribers will also receive these videos that will add to their knowledge on any specific subject, all presented by some really good skeptics, scientists, critical thinkers and atheists on the internet, includes your good self. Along with my critiques and descriptions for each video content, I would appreciate viewers critiques in the comment section of this blog too, based on what they think was good or bad about the content of the videos. The reason I'm doing this is because I've seen a lot of great videos in places like YouTube, Google Video and the rest, but all these are not really categorized in the way I want, especially for what Critical Critique represents. Eventually, these videos get lost and forgotten somewhere in the crowd. I like these really good videos to be seen and remembered by everyone, both by believers and skeptics in all generations. And I like to hear everyone's feedback on it as well. Critiques or comments are important and valuable to Critical Critique. I like to know whether it changed peoples lives in some way, or their understanding or perception, for the better or for the worse? Do they agree or disagree with it, and why? Do they have a testimonial that they want to share with everyone? And so on... This is another way to make a difference in the world with regards to beliefs and religious differences. It will indirectly attract believers or religion and the supernatural to visit the site and view the videos as well, and I'm sure it might change a lot of minds in the process too.
At randi.org/joom/content/view/172/27/#i3 last week, we ran an item about the reversal of a quack product, but now we hear that it just may survive the slap-on-the-wrist we reported…
The company agreed to pay more than $23 million in a class-action settlement over false claims in an ad, but that just might be the extent of the damage. It also agreed to refund consumers, who bought Airborne under pretenses that it fights colds, and to pay for ads notifying consumers about the litigation in major publications. Airborne has denied claims of any wrongdoing. Said a rep:
We have tens of thousands of satisfied customers who buy Airborne again and again. Since its inception, Airborne offered a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee… We reached the settlement to avoid mounting expenses related to the litigation. Airborne vigorously disputes the claims and continues to stay behind its denial of liability.
However, there is another lawsuit pending in federal court in New Jersey. The plaintiffs in the case are represented by a group of consumer rights attorneys, who feel that the monetary settlement is not enough. As I pointed out last week, that's very true. The litigation should have been about stopping the company from bogus marketing of their product. This action reflects recent general attitudes about such false advertising; Pfizer Pharmaceutical, Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough pulled ads that were similarly questionable.
Here's an exercise for those of my readers who may wish to offer an explanation to a gentleman who wrote me back in August of 1991. Sorting through ancient letters in a box I came upon, I found a 3-page inquiry from this chap in the UK who just may not have received a response from me, though I'm rather careful to attend to such matters. In any case, I don't recall the inquiry, nor any answer I might have sent, but find this to be an excellent example of how someone can have genuine doubts about their skepticism after experiencing an event that they find to be inexplicable. Here's the pertinent part of the letter. Please read it, and send me your analysis…
I must admit to an experience for which I have no explanation. Please, do what you can to rescue me from this intellectually lame position I have had to maintain for 35 years. The incident occurred during my first year at Merton College… [A domestic servant employed there] suggested that [my friend and I] might find it interesting to go along to a meeting of her spiritualist church. I cannot remember why; perhaps she overheard us discussing religion, as students then, though perhaps not now, were wont to do. We went out of intellectual curiosity, two atheistic socialists eager for a first-hand experience of the people's opiate of a different kind; much more exciting than attending Mass. In all I think we went, at irregular intervals, four times or five and I cannot remember to which occasion the incident relates. Certainly, it was not the first. The "drill" will be familiar to you: The medium, usually, but not always a woman, requests each member of the congregation to place a personal item, anonymously, on a tray. The tray is then passed to the dais where the medium selects an item at random, holds it up to be seen, and asks to whom it belongs. The victim calls out "it's mine" and the familiar descriptions of dead loved-ones, complete with details of facial or other physical features and clothing begins, concluding with the comforting message. In those days I smoked, and my personal item was a cigarette lighter. When it was selected I duly owned up and then the medium, a middle-aged woman from Leytonstone in East London, I remember… asked me a most astonishing question: "Does the name 'Dearlove' mean anything to you?" It did; at the time very little, but more came to light with research. Ted Dearlove was at one time an insurance agent whose job was to call at the houses of the poor, of which mine was one, collecting the two-penny premiums on the policies designed to make a fortune for the Prudential and leave enough for the decent burial of the contributors. I would emphasize that at the time of the incident I am recounting, I knew nothing except his name, that he was dead and that he had been a "friend of my mother's." All else I discovered later. Dearlove called at the house for several years when I was a small boy, before giving up his job and becoming a publican [bar-owner] in the same town. According to my elder brother, my mother was in love with him. Because of this alleged relationship and because of his completely unscripted intervention in my life that Tuesday afternoon in Oxford, I toyed with the idea that I was Dearlove's son. I am now inclined to reject this possibility because the physical and psychological similarities between my brother and myself are so great that I must accept that we are of identical parentage. When I replied "yes," I was given the usual comforting message: "He is watching over you." That was all. I would comment as follows: 1) I don't remember being in need of the message, though I was miserably and hopelessly in love at the time and vaguely suicidal. 2) I knew only Dearlove's name and knew nothing of him as a personality. I had never met him. 3) I knew he was dead, some fifteen years or more, but this knowledge was not significant to me. 4) The medium a) could not have known I would go to her meeting, b) had never met me before, c) could not have got the name from me by thought transference (which I do accept, because it occurs too often in everyday situations to be doubted) because I did not spend my time focused on a person whom I had never met and who was of no significance to me, d) even if she had been given "Dearlove" as a name associated with my family (by the domestic? My family lived in Oxford and it is conceivable that the domestic knew of Dearlove and my family, but I know of no reason why she should have and we lived at opposite ends of the city), she did not know my name and would have looked an obvious fraud if she had guessed wrongly and asked the question of my friend. I wrote to the medium, whose card I was given, in an attempt to gain some clarification of the incident but, of course, I did not receive a reply. Please, Mr. Randi, how did she do it? There was nothing general or random about the medium's approach, it was direct and specific. Have you heard of parallel experiences?
I await – with great interest – the comments of SWIFT readers on where the perception of this performance failed to produce an answer…! …!
Reader Matthew Stikeman, in Canada, reports:
It's happened again. This time, though, it's an out-and-out claim of 100% success for an "animal psychic"! Just this morning, in today's National Post newspaper – in Toronto, Ontario – at the top of page A6, first section no less, is the headline:
Nova Scotia pet psychic locates dog that went missing seven months ago.
Nova Scotia pet psychic locates dog that went missing seven months ago.
Now, that's pretty specific, with no wiggle room to the claim. Either the psycho did or did not locate the dog. No equivocating about "helping," "assisting," or any of that. WOW! I couldn't believe it. Here's the story, as printed:
A dog that went missing seven months ago has been located with the help...
A dog that went missing seven months ago has been located with the help...
Ah, now we're wavering just a bit – that old weasel word "help" is rearing its sneaky head...
...of a Dartmouth,Nova Scotia, "animal communicator" who says she had a vision of where the pet would be found. Maggie Carruthers had a vision of Lady Belle three weeks ago, says the dog's owner, Josee Poulin:
...of a Dartmouth,Nova Scotia, "animal communicator" who says she had a vision of where the pet would be found. Maggie Carruthers had a vision of Lady Belle three weeks ago, says the dog's owner, Josee Poulin:
She said, "I can see Lady Belle. I see two Shelties running and panting and they're [in a meadow]."
She said, "I can see Lady Belle. I see two Shelties running and panting and they're [in a meadow]."
Ms. Carruthers said it is usually difficult to communicate with missing dogs...
Ms. Carruthers said it is usually difficult to communicate with missing dogs...
To say nothing of trying it with those present, no less!
...but noted that Lady Belle's spirit was so strong, she was able to see visions of what the dog was seeing
...but noted that Lady Belle's spirit was so strong, she was able to see visions of what the dog was seeing
WOW! looking throught the dog's eyes. Amazing! How does that visual signal get sent to the psycho?
Ms. Poulin had contacted the pet psychic several months ago. Said Ms. Poulin:
Ms. Poulin had contacted the pet psychic several months ago. Said Ms. Poulin:
She asked me to e-mail a small picture of Lady Belle, and I did that and she started to communicate with her
She asked me to e-mail a small picture of Lady Belle, and I did that and she started to communicate with her
She asked me to e-mail a small picture of Lady Belle, and I did that and she started to communicate with her
The SPCA captured Lady Belle on Wednesday night in the same meadow where Ms. Carruthers says she saw here in a vision, and returned her to Ms. Poulin.
The SPCA captured Lady Belle on Wednesday night in the same meadow where Ms. Carruthers says she saw here in a vision, and returned her to Ms. Poulin.
Among other problems with this claim and story: I wonder, does it occur to anyone that there's some really fancy fantasizing going on here? The psycho sees through the dog's eyes what hasn't even occured yet! Three weeks ago, she saw through Lady Belle's eyes – by her own claim – where that dog would be on Wednesday, in what was then the future, when it was to be found. It was not yet in the meadow, it had no clue that it would be in the meadow. Yet the psycho saw this, peering into the future, through the dog's eyes! That's a pretty amazing dog, too. Its eyes were able to see into the future and then transmit that visual image to the psycho! What claptrap. Amazing to think that people believe this nonsense, even more amazing to see it reported this way. Surely either the dog or the psycho would be a great claimant for the Million Dollar Challenge – psychic power, clairvoyance, precogntion and probably a few other tantalizing abilities thrown in just for good measure. How good it would be to show this to be the fraud which it is. More holes here than in a sieve.
Reader Jason Colavito – and others – have offered an explanation for the rather biased "anchor" attitude shown at randi.org/joom/content/view/172/27/#i13::
I'm sure other readers have already pointed this out, but there's a good reason TV anchor Tim White was adamantly opposed to skeptics in the homeopathy piece you ran in Swift. Mr. White is the former anchor of Sightings, which aired from 1992 to 1997 on Fox, then in syndication, and on the Sci-Fi Channel. For those who remember it, Sightings covered topics ranging from alien abductions to ghosts to Bigfoot. To the show's credit, it did try to debunk Fox's alien autopsy video, but that was a rare skeptical moment in an otherwise completely credulous show. It is no surprise, then, that Mr. White is still promoting the same belief system that made him famous years ago.
Reader Tim Norfolk at the University of Akron writes:
I loved the Prophet manual in this week's column. In reading it, I saw that one could substitute "economist," "pundit," "political scientist" or "educational expert," everywhere, and it would still be valid.
But let's get rid of the prophets first, Tim, next the economists…
A federal court jury in Cincinnati has found the owner of a company that sells phony "male enhancement" tablets and other herbal supplements, guilty of "conspiracy to commit mail fraud," "bank fraud" and "money laundering." We've all seen the sappy television commercials for "Enzyte" with "Smiling Bob," a goofy character whose life improves with Enzyte, a product which allegedly boosted his sexual prowess.
Steve Warshak, 40, the founder and president of Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, which distributes Enzyte and a number of other products alleged to boost energy, manage weight, reduce memory loss and aid restful sleep, could face more than 20 years in prison, and his company could have to pay tens of millions of dollars in fines. Before the hallelujahs, look back at Airborne, please…
The charges are plentiful. Prosecutors claim that customers were bilked out of $100 million through a series of deceptive ads, manipulated credit card transactions and the company's refusal to accept returns or cancel orders. The government also allege that the defendants obstructed investigations by two federal agencies. Some former employees of Enzyte testified that the company created fictitious doctors to endorse the pills, fabricated a customer-satisfaction survey and made up numbers to back claims about the product's effectiveness.
Reader Thomas Skala reports:
I awoke this morning eager to turn on my TV so that I could catch my VCR capture of last night's Charlie Rose interview with Stephen Hawking. My TV, still on the local PBS station (WVIZ-Cleveland), came on to a program from Deepak Chopra. I was seven minutes in when I tuned in, but I don't think I missed much. I am still watching it now (11 minutes in), and I still find myself waiting for the punchline. It really bothers me that PBS – my only trusted source of televised worldly information (I have no cable) is not only showing this, but it now using it to gather contributions from watchers. I have donated in the past, but not for THIS, though maybe I shouldn't be surprised, after the Wayne Dyer series. However, I thought that I would mention it to you because, if you could see the program, you would appreciate and agree with to the idea that "Doctor" Chopra has embraced his rockstar status: he is wearing boots, worn jeans, suitcoat-over-shirt, and – the point of my comment – glasses with red-sparkled frames. I don't believe that they are actually sequined, but it still makes an impression when he is there on the catwalk with listeners sitting on mats behind him. Thank you for reading, and I'm sorry that this time I was not able to hold myself back from sharing.
From reader Mihai Amariutei in Romania, about the ghostly affairs in the town of Lilieci, seen last week at randi.org/joom/content/view/172/27/#i2, comes this revelation:
The ghost story in Lilieci wasn't widely reported around here – I'd never heard of it before reading it in SWIFT, despite my living only about 60 km. from there, just one hour of driving. Then again, it may be that I read the wrong media around here to be up to date on these things. So I searched for more info on the net. Some relatives believed the culprit was the old lady's grand nephew, who seemingly was always around whenever the strange phenomena manifested. For a lot people, however, the most likely explanation was the recent passing over of a relative without having the last rites – the Eucharist – administered. So, a full exorcism ritual was performed, with a full team of seven priests led by an archpriest. The mighty devil was the kid after all – he finally admited to the deeds as a revenge against his grandfather, who threatened to report to the police the theft of US$40 by the child. He scared the policemen just by kicking a bucket under the table with his leg. By the way, "Lilieci" in Romanian means "Bats", so the vampire asociation you made is quite apt. Lilieci is not a town on its own, just a village in the Hemeiusi commune, near the town of Bacau.
Mihai goes on to describe the atmosphere in his country:
The general situation around here will undoubtely improve, as our education establisment was specifically tasked by law to offer instruction in religious matters in all primary and secondary education. Qualified instructors will be provided by the respective churches and paid from the education budget. Of course it is not good form to teach children conflicting world views in the same institution. Some think this is the wrong aproach and seek help to overturn this. Such initiatives will fail, of course, as most of the population here (99.9%) is religious and for a public figure to support an action that can be seen as oposing religion, is to commit political suicide, not unlike in the US of A. Unlike the US of A , where the secularisation of the state and education is enshrined in the Constitution for now, in Romania the reverse is true, as criticizing religion may even result in legal troubles. The textbooks teach that children will be run over by a car if they sin, and present any nonorthodoxism as the work of the devil. GRID, an ad hoc organization, launched a tongue-in-cheek proposal to have Alchemy and Astrology included in the curriculum, too. Mocking the battlecry used by religious establisment – "No Lyceum without God" – their proposed slogans are "No Lycea without Panacea" and "No Scope without Horoscope."
How about "No Sense without Nonsense"...?
A comment about the recent "Uri Geller succesor" show in Germany from reader Marc Studtmann:
Mr. Randi, thank you very much for coming to Germany and appear at the "Welt der Wunder" TV-Program and debunk some of the tricks of Uri Geller and the self-proclaimed psychic contesters on his show. So, now there is a winner and a successor for Uri, who won't actually quit now, I fear. And the winner is...taadaa: Vincent Raven. I was baffled when I heard this. This was probably the guy who blew the most of his tricks. Or maybe that's why he won, because it's fun to watch the weird fella, who knows? Vincent Raven is a guy who performs his show accompanied by a raven, to which he is married, as it was said when he appeared for the first time on the show. And that very animal is his eye to the "Anderswelt" the "Otherworld," you know, this one with dead people in it and all that stuff. The raven was mostly sitting on a T-shaped bar and sometimes unloading his excrements on the stage, very mysterious! The guy himself is no less strange with his funny accent – he's actually from Switzerland I think, where a lot of woo-woo-guys come from – and speaking to the animal in an invented language. This is the elected successor of Uri Geller, or is it one of the winners of the show in the other 3 or 4 different countries? I don't know! I haven't watched the show regularly, because it was too embarrassing, but everything I saw was obvious fakery sold as the real thing. And so, thank you for shedding some light on this thing for those who believe this to be real. On the "Welt der Wunder" program I really liked the guy who gives seminars where you can learn telekinesis and telepathy. I liked the part where he claimed to alter the consciousness of a metal plate and tell it that he is magnetic, so that it will stick on his chest. Well, I'm not an expert on the "psycholgy of metals," but I don't think that metal plates actually have a consciousness. After having told the plate that it should kindly adhere to him, he wandered across the room so stiff and bent backwards, that even the metal plate – conscious as it is – must have thought of him as an idiot.
Marc just mentioned another "magnetic man" stunt artist, which leads me to explain a puzzle I offered you last week. We asked you to guess who the man was with a pot stuck to his forehead. This guy – Miroslaw Magola – has been around for years, festooned with pots and pans, spray cans and various household utensils. It's even possible that he's deluded, and really believes he's "magnetic." I first heard of him in October of 1996, when we were only offering as a prize the pledges of those who volunteered them, and at that moment it stood at US$776,000. At that time, Magola had some London lawyers write to us, but did not tell us what his claimed "power" was. Then his legal representative, Victor Romiszewski, informed us that:
Our client confirms he can lift items from place to place without holding the items. He can wave his hand (and arm) with the attached item vigorously to show how strong the item is attracted to his hand. He can also lift items from the floor with the use of his forehead. (ie by the item being attracted or attached to the forehead). All the above is done without trickery (ie like adhesive, glue etc) and he can attract items up to the weight of 1kg. The main point of his ability is that by lifting the objects he is defying the present laws of gravity which probably is a very interesting fact at least for the world of science. He can also attract the objects using his chest, stomach and shoulders. At this point we would like confirmation from you whether he is suitable within your specific needs as a challenger for the Psychic Challenge. Obviously there is not [any] point in pursuing this matter if you are not interested in our client. We await hearing from you.
I responded:
The reward as it presently stands is US$971,000. It increases almost daily. And, yes, we are definitely interested in the claim made by your client. However, based upon your description, this sounds like the common "bio-magnetic power" claim that I have examined many times before in various parts of the world, particularly in Russia. If so, it does not fall within the designation "paranormal" or "supernatural." Let me explain. All demonstrations I have seen of this claim, involve placing various objects (coins, flatirons, books, bottles, etc.) onto a body surface such as the hand, chest, forehead, arms, or back. The surface used is inclined away from the vertical, and the objects remain in position simply by friction and the adhesion offered by natural perspiration. In all cases, I have dusted the surface with talcum powder, and the objects have then slipped off. There is nothing supernatural, paranormal, or in any way unusual about such a claim. It is well within the established parameters of physics. As for lifting objects "from the floor with the use of his forehead," this can easily be done by anyone, using flat objects like coins or small plates, and the natural skin oils present. Your letter uses the phrase "he can attract items up to the weight of 1 kg." I remind you that "attract" means (Webster's Dictionary) "to draw by a physical force, causing to approach." This would be similar to the manner in which a magnet draws small iron objects to itself, without touching the objects. Can Mr. Magola do this? Without touching it first, can he draw towards himself' a 1 kg weight?
That was the last I heard from Mr. Magola or his lawyers, until he wrote again in 2003 – with the prize now at US$1,000,000 – from Munich, Germany. He provided another rambling discussion of his claimed powers, and a video that clearly showed he was using the same methods I'd seen so many, many, times before. See randi.org/jr/082704gluton.html#7 for another mention of talcum powder, which appears to bring on severe allergic reactions in "magnetic" people…
Here's just part of what Magola's flacks say about him on his own web page:
"Magnetic Man" Miroslaw Magola defies laws of gravity with an extraordinary ability – applying the power of psycho kinesis [sic] he can raise anything from metal pans to marble statues, transport them through the air to affix to his body, then creates a force to keep them there – simply using mind control. An avid enthusiast of the phenomenon of psychic energy, Miroslaw has developed his skill to manipulate lifeless objects in mid-air to obey his will, even forcing them spin around or shake. His mental powers are so keen that he can jump around while an object is stuck to his head without losing his mental grasp of the item. Miroslaw explains how he employs psycho kinetics [sic] to perform these uncanny feats, "It works because I load myself with energy (I connect myself to it) and at the same time I wish for the object to raise [sic]." Miroslaw has undergone numerous tests for his perplexing skill which remains unexplained by conventional science to date. Mr. James Randi, of American James Randi Education Foundation (J.R.E.F), who has spent much of his life to debunk paranormal phenomenon and occurrences world-wide, does not dispute the authenticity of Magola's talents. In January 1997, Dr. M. Karger of the German Max Plank Institute examined Magola´s abilities. During a test using items for which some were supplied, he was able to touch the objects at all times and even attach them to Miroslaw himself. Without physical contact, Magola raised a cup, tilting it along horizontal and vertical axes. He kept it hovering in the air, moved it around and set it down. Although Miroslaw Magola has received world-wide notice, he remains unaffected by the attention. His passion is for the scientific investigation into psycho kinetics [sic] and paranormal abilities and to gain their widespread acceptance. "The key to humanity's advancement is the study of our own bodies" says Magola.
That comment about my involvement with Magola is – to put it kindly – a damn lie. Just to set things straight, Miroslaw Magola is an unwashed man with sticky skin who does a simple, juvenile stunt that can be totally defeated with a few grams of talcum powder. He's a fake, a trickster, a liar. When will I see this quoted on his website, I wonder? And when will Magola treat us to a hovering cup, or transport a marble statue through the air? I can't wait…!
And don't neglect going to the hilarious "levitation" site: tinyurl.com/2sa8kj. Reading the comments, it seems evident that no one caught on! The very first photo should do it…
Reader Matt Maddock gives us his thoughts...
Randi, you are a hero and your beard puts mine to shame! Keep up the good work, championing reason and reality in the face of the increasing pile of lunacy that we find ourselves presented with! I have lost count of the number of occasions upon which I have seen some woo credophile fire out the challenge that someone must prove the non-existence of their chosen fairy substitute. As a life-long scientist the notion that one cannot prove a negative is deeply ingrained into me, but it seems that, to many, this basic principle is anathema. I thought, therefore, that I might try my hand at providing a plain-speak explanation of that principal and why the burden of proof must lie with the woos. Having written it, I found myself at a loss as to what to do with it, so I thought, perhaps, it might find a home with the JREF. Still waiting for the tartan penguin, Matt.
What follows is something we might all want to remember, if and when this argument arises. Mind you, some negatives can be proven, such as, "I am not made of lithium." The definition of lithium, what constitutes one's mass, and a few definitions are required, but I think I can prove that negative, rather definitively. I can also quibble about "first-hand sensory experiences." We magicians provide those regularly, and they just may not represent reality. However, Matt deals here with the more important and basic matters with which we are faced in everyday life; not many of us encounter magicians... He writes:
I do not believe in tartan penguins. I have no direct experience with penguins and I am no zoologist, but I know a few (zoologists, not penguins) and I understand a fair range of the basic principles that might affect such matters (penguins, not zoologists). I love the idea of a tartan penguin, don't get me wrong; nothing would make me happier than to see a waddling little butler sprucing the Antarctic up a little with a nice Burnet plaid. However, I do not believe in tartan penguins and, yes, that makes me a little sad. The reasons for my incredulity are myriad. First and foremost, I have never seen a tartan penguin. I realise that I have never seen a whole host of things in which I do believe, but first hand sensory experience is my first line of reasoning. It is not, however, the only line of reasoning. Were I to see a tartan penguin, my first act would be to fetch someone else, preferably someone I trust, and to ask them if they could also see said dapper bird. I would wish to inspect it closely, to check it for the smell of drying paint, to look for zippers and, in extremis, to have my own blood-work done to ensure that I was not under the influence of any hallucinogenic substance. If after all that I still had a tartan penguin, then I would begin seriously to believe in it. I cannot prove that they do not exist, however. I might spend a lifetime in the Antarctic collecting penguins and even if (as I confidently predict) none of them were tartan in colouration, I could not say for certain that there would not be one just behind the next rock. If someone were to come to me and claim that they had such a bird, well, what a wonder! Of course I would like to see it! All that would be required to prove that the thing exists would be for that person to bring that bird forward. They might provide photographs, but those could be faked. They might provide a host of witnesses, but they could all be mistaken, paid, mad or just up for a giggle. However, were they to bring me one – just one – example of a genuinely tartan penguin – one which remained a tartan penguin under the conditions given above – then I would believe in it. All my previous statements would be negated, I would humbly climb down and admit to the world that, in fact, there's a Black-Watch clan aquatic bird in our midst. I can never, ever, prove beyond doubt that there is no such thing, but everything I do know about evolution, energy conservation, the food chain, camouflage and entropy (and other things besides), backed up by the rigorously documented work and experimentation of a great number of people who are all cleverer than I, tells me that a naturally tartan penguin is simply not in the cards. The weight of evidence against it is overwhelming. But imagine when someone claims that they have found a whole community of such things! Naturally, I would find myself sceptical of the claim, given the weight of evidence on my side. However, all that this person would have to do to utterly destroy my point of view and prove their own would be to produce one single, solitary example of the genus. That's all. But then the excuses would start; the penguins do not like to travel (fair enough, I'll go to them) – the penguins are only tartan every first Tuesday of the month and it's Wednesday 4th (right! I am prepared to wait 30 days to see this bird) – the penguin is only tartan when it's not observed... ...it doesn't take long before the excuses become unbelievable. Even when offered $1 million to provide any concrete evidence of the tartan penguin, no one can produce it. Therefore, I am afraid, I still do not believe in tartan penguins. All I ask to prove me wrong is one simple example, just one, to counter the overwhelming weight of evidence that backs up my position; yet no one will produce it. Perhaps you can see what I'm driving at?
Matt, I also didn't see any statement of just what standards you'd accept for this bird to meet the definition, but perhaps I'm being ungracious...
The staff of the neighborhood library in Adelaide reported to superiors that they felt "uncomfortable" at night when alone in the building. This, of course, could only mean that something supernatural had to be behind the feeling, since quiet old buildings at night are always comfortable, cozy, places in which to work. Duh. So the powers-that-be, the local council, naturally acted rationally and called on a ghostbuster to save the employees from terminal goosebumps… The Tea Tree Gully Council, in Adelaide's outer suburbs, summoned a "spiritual adviser" to rid the building of spirits – but the council has assured everyone that it was not an exorcism, though that's specifically what an exorcism is designed to do! Did the advisor just advise the spooks to go away?
No, the carefully non-denominational adviser is believed to have performed a séance in one of the library's toilets. Why the council didn't hire a plumber in the first place, was not discussed, nor do we have any report of the success or failure of the non-exorcism… However, the council's marketing manager, Mark Horton, said:
Library managers, keen to ensure their staff remained happy and comfortable in their workplace, secured this service at their own expense, in their own time and with full support of library staff.
Everyone was woo-woo on this one…
Reader – and Skepchick – Tracy King writes:
I get regular alerts about new market research, and today received news about a new study by Global TGI [Target Group Index] into the alt.med market worldwide, with a focus on homeopathy. A whopping 94% of people in India trust homeopathy, with the USA coming in at 18% and the UK the lowest at 15%. My blog entry about it is here: skepchick.org/blog/?p=1082
Judging from the number of homeopathic outlets I've seen in the UK, and the fact that the Royal Family – especially Charles, of course – endorse it, that 15% surprises me...
Due to a variety of circumstances, we still have very limited space available on our Galapagos cruise this August 8-18. We were previously sold out! This is a second chance for those of you who wanted to go but didn't register. We have until May 1st to fill this space, so don't delay. More information is available at http://www.amazingmeeting.com.
Again, very busy. Preparing for a trip to the UK, Penn State, and the MIT Media Lab...