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Airborne is an over the counter supplement that was created in the 1990's by Victoria -McDowell, was a school teacher. In 2008 Airborne was involved in a class action lawsuit when the company claimed that Airborne could cure and prevent the common cold. Since Airborne had no scientific research to back up this claim, Airborne was taken to court by the Federal TradeCommission for false advertising. The research was done by researchers without credibility. The Airborne study that states Airborne can cure and prevent the common cold. Was done by GNG Pharmaceutical which had no scientists in the in the company and was formed just to perform the Airborne study. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, "there's no credible evidence that what's in Airborne can prevent colds or protect you from a germy enviroment." In 2008 Airborne paid $2.3 million to customers who bought Airborne. Customers with proof of purchase were reimbursed for the Airborne they bought. Customers without proof of purchases were reimbursed for six packages.
Airborne uses pseudoscience speak which is misleading to people. Many people still swear by Airborne, but this seems to be the placebo effect. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, "Airborne is basically an overpriced, run of the mill vitamin pill that's been cleverly, but deceptively marketed
I'm sure all of you have heard of the lunar effect or at least of people doing crazy things when a full moon is out. Well here's a shocker, ITS NOT TRUE. http://www.skepdic.com/fullmoon.html. In this article it talks about the different things that "happen" when a full moon is present and there have been tests done on these theories. Just about every weird phenomena I could think of and no correlation was found. If there is no truth then where did these myths originate from. Well a big part of it is from folklore and tradition in addition to movies and books. Stories have made these things appear real. Creatures such as vampires and warewolves thrive and are assoctiated with the full moon and people get captivated with the idea.
So if there is no association between strange behavior and a full moon then why do people choose to believe. Well the main reason is becuase we seek to confirm. When a full moon is out people look for strange events to happen and see things that aren't there or happen on a regular basis. Because of this people see a correlation that isn't there. You can find anything if you look hard enough. Despite the evidence against the lunar effect people still choose to believe.
Graphology is the "science" of analyzing a person's handwriting to determine their individual personality characteristics. Apparently, graphologists can pick out traits like loneliness, confidence, and a desire to be isolated from people. What came as a surprise to me, however, was the fact that legitimate businesses use graphology in screening potential employees. This cannot be a bogus practice if big companies like Bank of America, Dow Chemical, and UPS use it as a selection method in interviewing applicants, right? (Lawson 253). Timothy Lawson's book "Scientific Perspectives on Pseudoscience and the Paranormal" claims graphology is unreliable, so I figured I would check out one of the websites that does a loose analysis on your own handwriting, and see what all of the positive and negative hype was about.
The website asked me questions like which way does my handwriting slant, how similar is my signature to my printed name, and whether my letters are rounded or angular. After studying handwriting from class notes I had taken earlier that morning, I submitted my answers, and the analysis I got back was pretty detailed for a free sample study. Detail does not necessarily entail accuracy, however.
My Mini-HW report told me that I am at a place in my life where I wouldn't mind making myself a little more publicly seen, although I do not think I am ready for the "Grand Stage" yet. It also tells me I probably like to do things my way from time to time. Okay, my response is: who doesn't? Then my "graphologist" tries telling me that I am a little depressed, and find it hard to get a move on in social situations. This is not the case at all. I even asked some of my closest friends just in case I'm unable to admit the truth to myself, but they all agreed with me. What else is not the case is the claim that I am nurturing, somewhat of a sentimentalist, I do not jump to conclusions, and I am a quiet person. False, false, false! My favorite part of the analysis is when my report says, "Do you ever hear people define Jennifer as a Lone Ranger? [note: no, I do not] Or is that you're more of what some might define as a 'creative force of the next generation!'" Well, is it not your job to be telling me that? Then the report starts trying to tell me my zodiac sign! I'm either affected by a sun sign, or have Cancer prominent in my astrological chart, or a water sign at the top of my chart.
This analysis does sound more like a horoscope to me. And in all honesty, it is just as vague and untrue. Of course, the graphology website does try to cover their own behind by telling me that this report only looks at a small percentage of the FOUR HUNDRED things a professional graphologist looks at. According to the website, and I quote, it is not easy to "program the fineries of an analyst's eagle eye and brain, so this is a start." I'm sorry, graphologists of the world, if you did this terribly just starting, I believe the rest of my handwriting study would be an absolute joke.
Many people believe that their dog's mouth is so clean that they will let them lick them all over. There really is no need for a scientific comparison, just take some time to observe a dog. Are you familiar with what your dog does with it's mouth? Well, many dogs like to smell and lick things that interests them, especially with things outside the house. They go through trash, socialize with other dogs, and their private parts. From all the activities listed, dogs pick up millions of germs, and you definitely don't want all that over your face!
This theory came about because we see dogs lick their wounds. Therefore, some people assume that dog saliva is clean and possibly holds healing properties. This is very untrue. We share as much bacteria in our mouths as dogs. The only difference is that dogs have different germs. Some of these germs are only found in dogs and can't be passed to humans, other germs can spread from dog to human. Dogs lick their wounds because they have a rough tongue that cleans away dirt in the wound thus, making it heal faster.
My advice to dog owners is to keep your dog away from your face, but cuddle up and give him losts of love. Just don't do it mouth to mouth.
Acupuncture simply is the treatment of symptoms or illness through the strategic placement of small needles into the skin. This treatment began many centuries ago in the Far East. Today many people are unsure of the validity of the claims of acupuncture. One problem with acupuncture is the disagreement between schools of thought. The Eastern Explanation for how acupuncture works is that the life energy flowing through the body, known as Qi (pronounced chee) can be influenced and balanced by stimulating specific points on the body. These points are located along channels of energy known as meridians that connect all of our major organs. According to Chinese medical theory, illness arises when the cyclical flow of Qi in the meridians becomes unbalanced or is blocked. On the other hand the western definition of acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points located near or on the surface of the skin which have the ability to alter various biochemical and physiological conditions in order to achieve the desired effect.
Really, how does acupuncture work? Acupuncture points are areas of designated electrical sensitivity. Inserting needles at these points stimulates various sensory receptors that, in turn, stimulate nerves that transmit impulses to the hypothalamic-pituitary system at the base of the brain, which is responsible for releasing neurotransmitters and endorphins, the body's natural pain-killing hormones. Acupuncture can be used for treating a myriad of symptoms and illnesses such as nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy, postoperative dental pain, addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low-back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma. The question at hand however is how this happens, and is it for real? In a German study of acupuncture for back pain, Dr. Heinz Endres studied 1,100 randomized patients with three treatment arms. The first received standard therapy; massage, anti-inflammatories, and heating pads. The second received acupuncture. The third received sham acupuncture where the needles were inserted but not deeply, not manipulated, and were not in traditional acupuncture points. The study found 47% improvement in the acupuncture group, 44% in the sham acupuncture, and 27% in the standard therapy group after 6 months. The problem with acupuncture however is not just ambiguous results but difficulty in running scientifically sound studies at all. This being said acupuncture as in many other questionable or unproven medical treatments is continuing to be practiced around the world.
You've probably heard that if you shave hair, it will grow back coarser, darker, thicker, and/or faster. This is an urban legend, and you should ignore others who try to tell you that it's true. Shaving the hair will never result in coarser hair, but many people suggest that, as it starts to grow back, the hair feels more coarse or stubbly.
As you stand there holding your triple-bladed razor wondering whether or not to shave your happy trail, you might think the hair will grow back thicker. After all, doesn't it seem that freshly-shaven legs or face are eventually overtaken by thick strands of dark-colored hair?
Fear the hair no longer! Paul Birnbaum, doctor of dermatology at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, said shaving will not cause hair to grow back thicker. Hair thickness depends on a number of factors, including the number of hair follicles and genetics.
"The number of hair follicles clearly doesn't change by shaving," Birnbaum said. "(Thickness) is not affected by shaving. The only thing that affects (thickness) is what goes on in the follicle."
Go ahead, shave away that unibrow, upper lip or toe hair. It may be stubbly and weird, but it won't be any thicker on its way back.
Growing up and constantly dropping my favorite food on the floor, I was a strict follower of the five second rule. For those who never drop their food on the floor; the five second rule is mostly followed by children and states that if you drop food or anything that you want to eat on the ground there is a five second window that exists before it is contaminated with germs. It is hard to believe but scientific research has actually been conducted to investigate this curious question.
Jillian Clark, a high school intern for the University of Illinois conducted a survey and found that slightly more than half of the men and 70% of the women surveyed had heard of the five second rule, and many agreed that they believed it. To further this research Clark contaminated ceramic tiles with E. coli bacteria and then placed gummy bears and cookies on the tiles for five seconds. Her results proved that bacteria can contaminate food within five seconds.
In another study Professor Paul L. Dawson and colleagues conducted research as to how long bacteria survive on surfaces, like the floor. In this study Salmonella was applied to tile, wood flooring, and carpet. The research showed that after 24 hours of contamination tens of thousands still existed on the carpet, and even after 28 days hundreds of Salmonella were still alive. Dawson placed slices of bologna and bread on the surfaces eight hours after contamination and found within five seconds the food had 150-8,000 bacteria on it.
So the next time you drop your potato chip, you may want to think twice before you rush to pick it up. Bacteria can contaminate virtually anything upon contact alone. It does seem that the quicker you react to your fallen food the less bacteria will exist, however, it will not be bacteria free. You may think you have quick reflexes, but they are not quick enough. When you are having doubts about your fallen food, toss it out.
Most people think that saying, "God Bless You" when someone sneezes originated during the bubonic plague era. This is correct because it is documented that Pope Gregory the Great began saying this to people infected with the plague because sneezing is a symptom of the plague. Also, people began responding to sneezes because of an ancient belief that sneezing is the soul leaving the body and saying, "God Bless You" would stop the devil from capturing it. Despite the thousands of years that have gone by, we still continue to say this when someone sneezes. The reason for this, I believe, is out of etiquette. It seems to be polite to recant this statement when someone sneezes. The fact that it originated out of ancient religious-type beliefs does not seem to be a factor in anyone's mind. Many people know this explanation and origin of the saying, but still say it. Even many atheists will say it, despite their beliefs. It is ingrained into our society, just like many rituals.What's funny is that we don't "bless" anyone when they perform any other bodily action, like burping or passing gas. If fact, it is considered rude when you burp or fart, but when you sneeze it is like an inconvenience to you that people around you have to almost apologize for. At least that what it seems like to me. If you burp or fart, you have to say "excuse me" or apologize in some way because those actions are considered rude. But if you sneeze, people are almost apologizing to you by saying, "God Bless You." Its like they are trying to make you feel better. For what ever reason you want to believe, this is just a norm in our society.
I'm sure when many of you were younger you were told by your parents to stick out your tongue when they think your lying and they assure you that they can see spots. In researching this myth, I discovered that there are things as "lie bumps". Unfortunately for parents, if kids find out the truth about lie bumps, they will be able to catch their parents in a lie. The name "lie bumps" started because when trying to keep a straight face when lying, people would bite their tongue. Sometimes when doing this, the person will bite their tongue too hard and would irritate the taste buds (sharp food can also cause this). This irritation of the taste buds will cause small red bumps to appear. These bumps are a harmless problem and may just become red and irritated for a few days. Lie bumps cause minor discomfort. Now we all can see who is truly lying when making kids believe they can see spots on their tongue.
There are many mixed emotions and thoughts when it comes to psychics. These important people can be found on the boardwalk, Televions and also the Radio. What makes many people go to these psychics? It beats me, but I guess it is to learn about the unknown.
Years ago I won tickets to a John Edward show. I remember hoping and praying that someone from my family would come through but of course no one did. I remember that he was only pulling people from one section of the audience and all the people had the same reactions. Was it rigged? Who knows.
Jared Plotkin wrote the article, Science Versus Psychic Powers and states, "Many people believe in psychics because they claim to have had some kind of psychic experience themselves." I can see that this can ring true, only becasue everyone has believed they saw something that wasn't there or even heard something no one else heard. However, would you ever give someone who can "see into the future" money to let you know what will happen? I would say no. You can pay me the money and I can guess at some future events that will happen to you.
Next time you get a reading or even see one on tv, just look at the questions and comments they say. That will truly give the answer to whether they are real or not.
Check out the prices for readings from these well known psychics and also where they will be incase you would like to spend some money.
There have been stories about poisoned Halloween candy floating around for a very long time. Parents always warn their kids of the dangers of going to strangers houses to get candy on Halloween. It almost seems obvious with the disturbed people in this world that this could happen. So it is common for children to come home and check their candy and get extremely paranoid when they see that one piece of candy has a wrapper that is a tiny bit undone, or misshapen. When they find pieces like this, they either take their chance and eat it, or they throw it away, parents tend to lean towards the throwing it away option considering theirs plenty of candy to go around anyway.
However, is their really any danger? The media seems to believe so. Every year new reports on TV and radio come out reporting poisoned treats and suggest Halloween parties instead of door to door trick or treating. Until the year 2000, there hadn't been a single proven incident where a child was injured by tainted Halloween candy. In 2000, James Joseph Smith of Minneapolis put needles into candy bars and handed them out. Only one child was pricked with a needle when they bit into the candy bar but no children were seriously injured. One child pricked by a needle in the entire existence of Halloween, maybe enough to leave some uneasy. However, strangers are not who you have to worry about. Of the two confirmed deaths linked to tainted Halloween candy, both were family members who did it. In a 1970 case, family members sprinkled a 5-year-old child's candy with heroin to hide the fact that he'd gotten into his uncle's drug stash. In 1974, a man named Ronald Clark O'Bryan of Houston, Texas, laced his son's candy with cyanide and the child died. Seems like your family is who you can't trust (TLC).
So is there really any danger in Halloween trick or treating? I don't think so. One minor needle prick and two family caused deaths. I'll take my risks. There is almost no danger in letting your child trick or treat and eat candy from strangers. This is not saying that you shouldn't watch them because there are other dangers. However, don't scare your children or family over rumors and claims of poisoned candy because it just simply doesn't happen. Don't worry, let kids be kids, eat candy and have a happy Halloween.
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine, first introduced in 1796 by German physician Samuel Hahnemann. His idea was that symptoms of diseases could be cured by extremely small amounts of substances, which will cause similar symptoms in healthy people when given in large amounts. Sounds pretty clever at first, but most believe this idea of medicine is completely fake. One popular homeopathic product is Head-On, which looks like a glue stick, and claims to cure migrains when applied directly to your forehead. In this product, the substance Blue Flag is so diluted that there is one part ingredient per one part of dilution. James Randi, magician and scientific skeptic, says product Head-On “works on suggestion only” and that it has no active ingredients in it. He even goes as far as offering them $1,000,000 if they can actually prove their product works. When told about the challenge, representatives said they would look into it. So far, Head-On has not been able to actually prove their product works.
Double-blind studies have been conducted and it has never been found that homeopathy actually works. If you think about it, these remedies are merely placebos. That is, it’s fake medicine that will work because you believe it’s going to work. Only problem with this is that these homeopathic products are a lot more expensive than other products that have been scientifically proven to work. Despite all of this, you’ll find homeopathic products all over the shelves at pharmacies and health-food stores you shop at. Fortunately for these fakes, homeopathic products are legally marketable. To learn more about “Head-On” and Homeopathy, check out these videos from James Randi:
I learned two very important key points in the lecture about physic powers (or shall I say lack of psychic powers). 1. Psychics are very vague in their predictions. For example, in our book Scientific Perspective on Pseudoscience and the Paranormal, it reviews a story about a man with Alzheimer's disease who wandered away from home. A psychic crime detective stepped in to help find the man. Apparently, her visions of a stone, wooded area, creek, fence, and a tower helped find this man. As anyone can see these "visions" are very vague. And 2. Many times people overlook inconsistent information given by the psychic and only remember the correct information. After reviewing the lecture and reading our book, I feel these are two important points to remember when it comes to thinking about psychics.
Sylvia Browne is one of those popular psychics who has made a name for herself. I actually own one of her books The Other Side and Back (and NO I did not buy it. It was a gift). I only read a couple chapters from the book so far. Something she stressed on more than one occasion is, "no psychic is a hundred percent accurate". I found this quite funny. It kind of goes with the vagueness idea. It also struck me that she mentioned, "no genuine psychic, including me, is psychic about themselves." She continued to say that she doesn't use it for lottery tickets or the Super Bowl. She pretty much is saying that she doesn't use her "psychic powers" for money. Yet she writes books about her powers and goes on shows like Montel Williams.
On a final note, I feel I must point out what Sylvia said about the age of the "spirits" on the "other side". She said that everyone is thirty years old. So even if you are five, twenty-three, ninety, etc. when you die, you are thirty years old on the other side. I find this pretty hard to believe. But Hey! Sylvia said it in her book so it must be true.
Global Warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near surface air temperature and oceans since the mid 20th century and its projected continuation. The observed temperature increases since the mid 20th century was very likely caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases resulting from human activity. The concept of global warming is accepted by the mainstream scientific community which has agreed that the effects from global warming will be devastating to our life style and world in general. However this view is not universally accepted and is still in heated debate today. There are some who believe that the concept of global warming is completely false and has no basis or evidence supporting it. Whether they are right or not both sides have very compelling arguments as to how global warming will affect our lives and our world. The supporters of this theory clearly express that at the rate we are going now there will be catastrophic consequences unless drastic action is taken now. They go on to say that there will be not only harmful environmental effects but equally as harmful economic effects. The environmental effects as a result of global warming are a glacier retreat, Artic shrinkage, and a world wide sea level rise. The resulting effects from these events will be devastating to the world. It will lead to changes in rainfall patterns, extreme weather events, reduction in the ozone layer, changes in agricultural yields, and ocean oxygen depletion. They also are worried about a change to ecosystems and the resulting extinctions that can occur form that change. Along with these environmental effects the economic effects will be equally devastating. They say that the economic effects will be an increase in income inequalities, negative market impacts in developing countries, and would decrease GDP by a few percent. It would affect the livestock, fisheries, forestry, energy, construction, insurance, tourism, and recreation sectors the most. With all that said the neysayers say that even if the global warming theory is true the effects that the supporters claim will happen are untrue and grossly misstated. They say that even if global warming happens there will be significantly more positive effects then negative ones. They say that with the climate increase there will be a dramatic boost in plant productivity. They go on to say that the increased temperature will increase the human health around the globe because it is proven that warmer temperatures are conducive to better human health. Overall they say that there will be little to no harmful effects and if any effect at all it will be positive ones. So I leave the decision to you is global warming all its cracked up to be?
My girlfriend and her mother love Hunt the Ghost or Ghost Hunters, or whatever those shows are called. You know those ones where they use high tech equipment like cameras, microphones, thermal imaging and all kinds of stuff that’s used by cable guys and electricians to tell you if there’s a ghost around? Well they were watching one time and got the idea to use the EMF meter in their shed while they were using the Ouija Board that night. I don’t belive in the parker brother’s game personally, but that’s not why I’m here. I was watching them swear that they were communicating with spirits and the small fractions of jumps and activity on the EMF meter only proved them right. I asked them why and they said something along the lines of, “Didn’t you see those professional ghost hunters? They use EMF meters.”
Then I got to thinking about the subject and started doing some research. So naturally I asked the only man I know who can rattle off the instruction manual for just about any device found in the garage, my dad. Basically, the EMF meter, also known as an Electromagnetic Field Meter, is mainly used to detect AC current from things like wiring, lighting, appliances and other devices. In addition to needing scans from multiple directions if it is a single axis scanner, however some scanners are tri-axis and can take all directions readings at once.
What does all this technology actually have to do with the paranormal? Well, according to many sites devoted to the hunting of ghosts, ghouls, goblins and gremlins, such as the folks at Proof Paranormal, found that “Paranormal investigators have found throughout the course of their research over the years that spirits manifest themselvesby feeding off of energy.”
They do not however, elude as to how throughout their supposed years of research they discovered spirits feed of off present energy sources. They go on to say that people swear in some places that their cell phones and electronics go dead faster and they attribute that to spirits feeding off of energy. So the spirits resonate this consumed energy or something I guess, and that’s why EMF meters spikes when ghosts are around.
So when the Ghost Hunters go headlong into renovated castles, mansions and historic tourist sites filled with call boxes, lights, radios and televisions with their cell phones, radios, video cameras, image detectors, sound recorders and lights in hand, no wonder their EMF meters always show a signal! I’d say that maybe it would help if you just had an EMF meter and were somewhere outside and away from electronics, perhaps the middle of Gettysburg’s battlefields. But then again you’d have to be able to rule out any EMF readings due to the weather because the sun, moon, storms and other natural things can throw out a reading as well.
Even giving the ghosts the benefit of the doubt and saying they do feed off of energy. The further back we go in time, history, legend or whatnot the more paranormal things seem to be present. What did the old timey ghosts eat? I doubt that if ghosts do exist that they often died of starvation before Benjamin Franklin came along.
Does the EMF meter really aid in detecting ghosts? I suppose it’s possible, I can’t prove that it doesn’t. Maybe I’ll ask my girlfriends Ouija board and see if I can get the answer.
Regardless of when the world will end or how. There is one man convinced that he knows how mankind will be saved from destruction. That man, is Riley Martin. I overheard his radio show which airs on Howard Stern's Sirius network Tuesday nights. Although much of Stern and his shows are merely jest. I could quickly tell that the story this man is relaying was true, well at least to him. Riley's Website gives the rundown of his tale. Basically he was abducted, twice when he was young. But he didn't remember the reasons for his abduction till he took Polaroid photos of UFO's much later in his life...and when to a Psychic to find out what the photos meant. Through his psychic therapy he...you guessed it. Remembered everything that happened to him. He believes that the aliens visited earth to unlock a block put in his mind years ago by the aliens. A meeting with the alien Tan, a member of one of the 6 races aboard the Mother ship stationed off of Saturn. The flashing images into Riley's mind and gave him the history of both man and extraterrestrial kind and instructions for the future, were all things he suddenly remembered in vivid detail. As for the instructions, among the images are a number of images that he sells to the public in order to show the aliens that you are to be among the humans that will be selected from to leave the planet and save human kinds existence by starting new somewhere in the universe. Ohh but to get the images, which he already supposedly only he knows you have to purchase them along with submitting details like your parents ethnicity and a photo of yourself so he can draw it, because these images are custom and exclusive to you only. Buy them now tho because they are in limited numbers, only 144,000 images were downloaded into his brProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0
n. But you dont need one of them to be selected to leave the planet, supposedly it just helps. So is Riley Martin the chosen being to spread the word and save mankind's existance, maybe, maybe not. But last time I checked I'm not trusting shady unverified Polaroids of odd blurs that look in now way like spacecraft and more like a giant geese or something. Nor do I trust the magical remembrance of all of this over 20 years later due to a psychic reading. Who knows tho, if you want a sure fire chance at getting saved and hitching a ride off planet. Buy a Biavian Symbol fresh from the Mother ship of Tan the Alien directly through Riley Martins mind, or you can by one of his books, musical CD's, DVDs, posters, t-shirts, autographed photos, homade Cherokee beaded headbands, drawings of alien things, and last but not least his little friend Tan on a beer mug. Sounds like a bunch of a get rich quick schemes to me.
If you ever had the joy of talking to an animal activist they may use the argument that all animal attacks are because of "territorial disputes" or they were protecting there young, or even that they felt "threatened" and that animals don't attack people for no reason, well i think that's bullshit! I myself have nothing against animals, but i want to show that animals like people can be violent if desired and don't need to have a reason. one example is from a show i recently watched (Chimp Attack), it was quite disturbing and really changed my view of chimpanzees and the image the media gives them. Your probably thinking that there has to be some reason for an animal to attack a human right? Wrong. Trainers and animal psychologists are making the assumption that animal behavior is predictable, and that animals only do things when provoked, well what if a whale has a bad day, does that give it justification to kill its trainer (Killer Whale Report), which by the way has fed it for years and developed a relationship with the creature. Ok, so your thinking maybe animals just don't like humans, well how about this case that involves animal on animal vengeance (Elephants). I am not sure why but these random acts of violence seem to come from animals of higher intelligence, maybe there is a link between intelligence and the capacity to commit unprovoked brutality, who knows for sure, but i know i no longer feel bad when animals are put down for attacking humans, Once they taste blood they want more :-(
One question that always sparks some interest as well as debate is the existence of orbs. While there are many believers to the theory that orbs resemble a doorway into the unknown, skeptics maintain that orbs have nothing at all to do with the paranormal. Although much has been written both for and against the existence of orbs, there are still many unanswered questions as to what exactly orbs are and whether or not they actually exist. At http://ghoststudy.com/main/fakepageorbs.html, which is based in Sacramento, California, these advocates do their best at explaining the reasons behind the life of orbs. Orbs are described as being fast moving, floating balls of light; the light ranges in strength of its luminescence as well as its size. The orbs are believed to be either spirits of the deceased or a whole separate life form. Although these advocates recognize the fact that many of the so-called orbs seen in pictures, for instance, can be explained as being false-positives, they give several tell-tale signs that prove their existence. When viewing a photograph, one should look for a bright, vibrating ball of light; apparently, these are more likely to be real than faded ones. The less the amount of orbs, the better; multiple “orbs” in a photo can usually be better explained as dust motes. Also, when looking into the authenticity of orbs, another key element is usually whether or not the orb leaves a slight trail within the photograph. The other take on orbs is that not only are they not paranormal, but they are also nonexistent and can, in fact, easily be explained. Troy Taylor, a skeptic who is both the author of the “Ghost Hunter’s Guidebook” as well as the president of the American Ghost Society, has an entire webpage dedicated to disproving the life of orbs. He has done several studies on the existence of orbs and has reported both his findings and views online. At http://www.prairieghosts.com/trouble.html, Taylor begins by saying that orbs are not unexplained phenomena. Before the existence of digital cameras, orbs were virtually unheard of. He believes that a majority orbs can be seen with the naked eye, and when they do apparently show up in photographs, it can usually be blamed on either having been taken by low resolution, low pixel cameras or as a result of a refraction of light from the camera lens. He also gives examples of many semi-microscopic particles that can cause these so-called orbs to appear, including dust, moisture, and hair, just to name a few. Taylor also maintains that although there are pictures containing orbs that have been taken at haunted places, they show up literally all over the place. In close, the existence of orbs cannot be entirely discounted. After doing some research on this topic, both the advocates and skeptics of these floating balls of light make valid points on their existence and nonexistence. And although many of these so-called orbs that appear in photographs are easily explained by something else, as a believer in paranormal activity, and a possessor of some of these photographs, there is always room left for the unexplainable.
I used to take art classes when I was younger and my teacher used to give me tests to see if my personality was more right-brained or left-brained. I was extremely right-brained, according to the tests, indicating that I am a very creative person with excellent spatial skills and who tends to be a visual learner. Although I am very visual, I'm also a writer, and I've always been great at math, which are indicators of a strong left-brained personality, but I believed the tests because my art teachers couldn't be wrong, could they?
The left-brain/right-brain theory arose in the 1800s when scientists realized that an injury to one side of the brain caused a loss of specific traits. in the 1960s, the thory became more popular when epilepsy patients who had the connection between the hemispheres severed were studied. Because the two hemispheres can't communicate, they each respond differently to stimuli. For example, a split-brain patient who is being shown an image in his/her left visual field will be unable to vocally name what he/she has seen. This is because images from the left visual field are sent to the right hemisphere of the brain; language, however, is localized in the left hemisphere.
While certain areas of the brain are specialized for particular functions, each hemisphere does not have exclusive traits. For example: The left-brain is not solely responsible for language. The left hemisphere processes grammer and pronounciation, while the right processes intonation. The right-brain is also not solely responsible for spatial abilities. The left hemisphere deals with objects in specific locations, while the right deals with a general sense of space.
Brain scan technology has revealed that the two hemispheres are co-dependent. Cognitive functions require the integrated actions of multiple brain regions in both hemispheres of the brain. Although we do have hemispheric dominance, that mostly determines handedness and does not mean that your personality or abilities are more right brain or left brain.
Iridology is something that would be pretty cool if it actually were true. What exactly is it? It is the idea that your iris in your eye can predict your current or previous health status. By using the different shapes, colors, and locations of each shape, your doctor is supposed to be able to tell what might be wrong with you by simply looking at your eyes.
Ignatz von Peczely is the man who is credited with developing this idea after he had an accident with an owl. There are many rumors as to why he would come up with this, but still it created many followers. As many followers as there are, there are more people trying to disprove it.
There were many studies done to disprove it. One study was done by Bernard Jensen and it showed iridologists pictures of irises and they were to diagnose the ailment. Both men that were tested were mostly wrong saying that 88% of patients who were normal had kidney disease and 74% who actually were sick, were normal. There are others but this is just an example of one.
Iridology may seem foolish after seeing all of the evidence against it but there are still people that believe in it. It can cause unnecessary stress for those who are misdiagnosed and make people spend money on stupid remedies.
When I was younger I would say maybe around 11 or 12 I first watched the movie the Exorcist from 1973. It was creepy and I was digusted by the green pea soup coming out of the possessed girls mouth. However, when the movie was over I got over it and moved on but I remember my dad looking frightened. I asked him what his problem was and he said that he is not scared of many things but from the very first time he saw that movie in 1973, it still to this day scares him. How is that my father is scared of a horror movie and I just shrug it off. This continues to spark an interest in me. I want to know what exorcism is; why does it occur, in whom does it occur. To me these possessions are similar to schizophrenia or another mental illness.
So this is the deal, an evil spirit enters your body and possesses you. You contort your body in different ways and the voice of the devil comes out of your mouth, or you are just so overcomed by the devil that your just as his will. The movie, Exorcism of Emily Rose tells the story of a smart country girl who one night gets taken over by the devil. She sees evil demons everyone and she scares animals with her own demonic presence. Now I will admit that it did scare me, could this really happen? Exorcism is a ritual done by the catholic church through prayer. I found on youtube a 20/20 special done in 2007 about exorcism and they explored the idea of possession. The topic of psychological illness was brought up but the family who experienced their own mother going through a possession claimed that their mother had no trace of psychosis. The demons transformed their kind mother into a monster.
Can a person gain super human strength and scream out in strange tones?! There are many youtube videos proving yes! Could someone just be playing a joke and this is all fake?http://science.howstuffworks.com/exorcism1.htm. Some agrue mental illness while others faithfully believe that their is a demon possessing their friends and family. Exorcism for profit is another reason why these exorcisms may be occuring. "The rise of money-making "exorcism ministries" around the world leads many people who might otherwise reserve judgment to outright reject the validity of the Catholic view of possession and exorcism, even though the exorcisms performed by these unofficial exorcists are not in any way connected to the Catholic Church. " http://science.howstuffworks.com/exorcism5.htm. This link also talks about other reasons why a person might be 'putting on a possession'.
In my opinion it all boils down to what a person believes. Personally, I have been studying psychology during my four years in college and I have heard and seen examples of people who have similar outbursts as these people claiming to be possessed. There are people who trust logic and their are people who trust instincts. There are people who are going to say that in order to cover up evil, some will use the excuse of psychological illness while others will say that some people are using exorcism as a way of getting attention and money.
Who knows what really is going on. Logically I feel there must be another reason why this is occuring but I will admit it does scare me!
Have arthritis? Live near the East coast and deal with crappy weather? Do your joints bother you when the weather's cold and rainy? I like you have heard people claim to be able to tell when a hurricane is coming and swear they can tell the weather better than a meteorologist, maybe some people can but most of them are paying attention to the pain more because they are expecting it to get worse. The research says that in most of their studies Tversky and Redelmeier people tended to see a cause effect relationship where there was none. They did say however that it may be plausible that certain people may be able to tell when bad weather is coming. The cause of this belief in most people is very similar to the popular anecdote about ice cream sales rising and the increase in pregnancies. People tend to imply a causal relationship between the two when there is none. Ice cream sales increased because it was summer which also led to people staying inside due to the heat. Staying in the AC and copulating was the cause of the increased pregnancy rate not people eating ice cream.
The theatrical world is full of different superstitions such as ghosts, whistling being bad luck, "Break a Leg" and sleeping with your script under your pillow to learn your lines. The most famous, however, is The Scottish Play.
Before I continue, I wish to explain to you a couple ghostly superstitions. A general superstition about ghosts is that a theater should be closed one night of every week. Interesting superstition, but why is it brought about? Well, generally if a ghost is attracted to a theater they would naturally be the theater type. Maybe they want to perform their own show? This is the exact reason a theater should be closed one night a week, to allow the ghosts to perform their own show. This is not, however, the only ghostly superstition of the theater. There is also Thespis and the idea of a ghost light.
A ghost light is a light that is always left on in the theater. Some say it is to ward off ghosts, others saying to give the theater's ghosts some light to see so they are not angry. Many say, however, that it is to keep non-spectral personnel from walking into the pit, which they could not see in the dark. MACBETH! CLICK TO SEE A HISTORICAL VIDEO ON THE CURSE If you read that out loud I urge you to please walk outside, spin around three times, spit, curse, and then knock and request permission to re-enter the building. That is, if you are in a theater of course. Why? You just cursed the theater. No, seriously, anytime that name is spoken in a theater, there is surely something to go wrong that night. I've almost died a few times after someone spoke it. Well, I'll admit I was looking for something to go wrong so I'm sure it would have happened either way.
This curse was first originated by the fact that anyone who played Macbeth would somehow get killed in the process of the show. Somehow, the fake swords that were supposed to be used in the show suddenly became real and many people have died. One explanation for why it is cursed is the idea that the incantations which the weird sisters have in the show, are actual curses.
Like I stated before, though, when someone speaks the name I tend to look for something to go wrong. This puts my guard down and there is more likely something to go wrong. It could very well all be in the mind and work kind of how a horoscope works. Someone gives you something vague and interpretive to look at, and you try to mold your life/day around it instead of allowing it to mold itself around your life/day.
Many parents believe sugar is the cause for their child's cranky behavior. Is this really true or are they trying to make two things that don't go together connect because "it's the only logical explanation."
Why would it be the only logical explanation? Well, the child seems to only get moody right after they have a lolli-pop, or after birthday parties. Logically, that means the child had some sugar and there seems to be a correlation between having sugar and getting moody. Are we just grasping for a quick answer?
First lets point out that babies, in fact, come into this world with a natural sweet tooth, which is what attracts them to breast milk. So, if we are brought into this world craving sugar, how can it be detrimental to our moods/health.
Pediatricians and nutritionists say sugar can have a healthful place in a child's diet as long as it is consumed in modest amounts. In fact, a few drops of sugar water can help soothe a fussing baby. Well then, what is the problem? The problem seems to be that children are getting too much too soon.
It seems that an excess of sugar causes high blood pressure which in turn cuases high amounts of insulin in the blood to wipe out the sugar. The sugar is cleared quickly and this makes the mood change quickly as well. It also makes one crave sugar and puts one into a vicious cycle of highs and lows.
We discussed in class about how the Mozart Effect is false. I found a few web pages that discussed the effect and found that a majority of the opinions about it were correct. Most people do not think it will work but, these people do not represent the public as a whole. I find it funny that people want to believe in a result without even researching the theory. It is a true testament to the American public in general, because Americans are always looking for a fast and easy result. It can be anything from diet pills to increasing intelligence. This feverish trend of laziness seems to be getting worse as our country grows. Instead of putting in time and hard work, we are always trying to find a "quick fix" for almost everything. Trying increase intelligence is futile mainly because most of our intelligence is genetically based, but everyone can increase their knowledge. Reading a book increases your knowledge. In fact, reading is a proven tool that not only increases factual knowledge, but improves vocabulary and comprehension skills. But this would require some form of effort; it is much simpler to play some music and hope for the best. Some people believe that the music can have an impact on a child while they are in the womb. This has also been dis proven. Besides the scientific reasoning of why this will not work, lets look at it logically. How would this specific type of music increase a developing child's intelligence? Why not other types of music, or a stand up comedy routine. Would playing George Carlin to a baby in the womb make it become a great comedian? I think not. But this also leads back to our laziness as a society. Most Americans won't research things thoroughly and will base their decisions on fancy advertising and false promises. We all need to take a look around and stop being so lazy.
As I sit here on this rainy day with my wife of twenty years, our joints and old scars are aching. I again remind my wife of the fact that according to my young college professor, there is no evidence of any real correlation of the weather to increased aches and pains. We both laugh, and vow to visit Mr. Berg when he is about 60 to see if he has changed his mind. Say what you will, evidence or not, on humid rainy days my scars and joints ache like crazy.
You can't expect too much out of me, I believe in God as well!
As a science, human biometeorology studies the relationship between atmospheric conditions and people. There are of course all sorts of indisputable and obvious connections between weather and health, such as the incidence of sunstroke on hot days or frostbite on cold ones, according to Dennis Driscoll, emeritus professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M and a meteorologist who specializes in human biometeorology. There are also significant but less direct connections between weather and health, such as the onset of allergies during pollen season. In such cases, the atmospheric conditions are clearly affecting health, but they are playing more of a supportive role than a primary one.
But some researchers are interested in looking at less direct potential connections between atmospheric conditions -- like temperature, barometric pressure, and humidity -- and painful conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, and sinus or migraine headaches. The difference here is that the connections are not as obvious and the mechanism that would cause the symptom isn't known.
The suspect most often singled out by arthritis sufferers and researchers is a drop in barometric pressure, which is the pressure exerted by the air around us. A drop in barometric pressure often precedes a storm, and the theory goes that a decrease in the air pressure can cause the tissues around the joints to swell, causing arthritic pain. Proponents of the idea use a balloon in a barometric chamber as a simulator. If the pressure outside drops, the air in the balloon expands. If the same happened in the area around an arthritic joint, the expansion or swelling could irritate the nerves, causing pain. There has been some work that showed a possible connection. Believers typically cite a famous study conducted in Philadelphia in the '60s by researcher John Hollander. In the study, Hollander isolated several patients with rheumatoid arthritis in a sealed chamber and gradually adjusted the atmospheric conditions. He found some evidence that swelling and stiffness increased with a rise in humidity and a drop in barometric pressure.
Several studies at Johns Hopkins Research Center looked for a relationship between weather and arthritis pain in 151 people with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or fibromyalgia (a rheumatic disorder that causes joint pain) as well as 32 people without arthritis. All participants lived in Cordoba City, Argentina, which has a warm climate. Participants kept a journal for one year recording the presence and features of any pain, and these daily reports were matched with weather conditions such as temperature, barometric pressure, and relative humidity.
Patients in all three groups experienced more pain on days when the temperature was low, while people in the control group were unaffected by any of the weather conditions. In addition, patients with rheumatoid arthritis were affected by high humidity and high pressure; osteoarthritis patients by high humidity; and those with fibromyalgia by high pressure. However, the associations were not strong enough to allow pain to predict weather, or vice versa.
The other study looked at 154 people (average age 72) who lived in Florida and had osteoarthritis of the neck, hand, shoulder, knee, or foot. Participants reported their arthritis pain scores for up to two years, then researchers matched the scores with the daily temperature, barometric pressure, and precipitation status. No significant associations were found between any of the weather conditions and osteoarthritis pain at any site, except for a slight association between rising barometric pressure and hand pain in women.
Despite the disagreements, almost everyone concurs that the effects of weather on chronic pain conditions is mild at worst and nonexistent at best. Either way, it doesn't matter that much.
Even if you have severe pain associated with the weather, experts recommend that you should be very careful before deciding to follow the folk wisdom and move to a climate that is drier and warmer.
I know that we have all heard the tale at some point that the moon was made out of cheese. Well unfortuneately for those of us who love to eat cheese that is just a fallacy. Science has proven that the moon is i fact made out of ROCKS! Now the myth about the moon being made out of cheese orginated a very long time ago when people had no clue what the moon was made out of. So they decided that since it had a similar shape and color to cheese that, that was in fact what it was made out of. In the past fifty years scientists have done alot of research and we have even been to the moon a couple of times and have taken samples of the moon back down to earth for research. The tests show that the moon is in fact made out of rock and not cheese.
Another popular theory about the moon is that there is a man who lives on it... Well sorry to say that the man who lives on the moon is about as real as it being made out of cheese. The reason why for centuries humans have thought there was a man on the moon is because we only see one side of it, and that side has several very large craters and with those craters and the light relfecting off of the moon it makes it look like there is a face on it.... O well I guess we are just going to have to find another way to explain the moon to little kids.
The popular media and self-help industry is rife with extraordinary claims. Alien experimentation, psychic detectives, mediums, ESP, extreme therapies and miracle products are all examples of how pseudoscience and the paranormal have become prevalent, popular and even an extremely lucrative enterprise. The majority of these examples defy the basic laws of science, logic and common sense yet they appeal to a large number of people. Here we will use science, specifically a psychological perspective to explore these popular theories and claims, and learn to think critically in order to be able to constructively evaluate them.
I learned two very important key points in the lecture about physic powers (or shall I say lack of psychic powers). 1. Psychics are very vague in their predictions. For example, in our book Scientific Perspective on Pseudoscience and the Paranormal, it reviews a story about a man with Alzheimer's disease who wandered away from home. A psychic crime detective stepped in to help find the man. Apparently, her visions of a stone, wooded area, creek, fence, and a tower helped find this man. As anyone can see these "visions" are very vague. And 2. Many times people overlook inconsistent information given by the psychic and only remember the correct information. After reviewing the lecture and reading our book, I feel these are two important points to remember when it comes to thinking about psychics.
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