Quickies
Skepchick Quickies 2.6
- The best woo is breast woo – Hypnotism to enlarge your bazoombas.
- A “Penn Says” on What’s the Harm – Woohoo! And if you’d like to meet the incredibly awesome Tim Farley, he’ll be at the Boston Skeptics in the Pub event on Feb. 23.
- Employer discriminates by astrological sign – “‘A statistical study indicated that almost all of our best employees across Austria have one of the five star signs. We only decided to continue with that system and hire the best workers.” Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
- Man to do “Ten Commandments Awareness Walk” – “Scott Teague, founder of The Ten Commandment Warriors, says he is answering a call from God to make a “Ten Commandments Awareness Walk†to Washington, D.C.” He also believes that the local fight to keep the ten commandments in the courthouse has caused God to bless them with rain and snow to end their drought. From Ralph, a more rational Tennessee resident.
- Doug sent in this incredibly cute article about baby hedgehogs a while ago but I had neglected it until now. And Tracy, in an attempt to prove she is not a heartless automaton, shares a video of baby tigers playing in the snow.
I’d love to see the raw data from that insurance company. What they seem to be saying is that employees born in 5 out of 12 slices of the year constitute “most of our best employees”. I’d like to see how they define “most” and “best”. For all I know, they’re saying that slightly more than half of their employees who receive good reviews fall into 5 of 12 arbitrary categories (roughly 42%). Statistically, if you divided the employees into 12 roughly evenly-distributed groups, there’s a good chance you could cherry-pick 5 that contained the majority of the best performers.
Likewise, you could probably divide the group into the day of the week on which they were born and find 3 days that fit.
If this is the sort of statistical analysis they do, I’m glad they’re not my insurance company.
I’d like to do a “Rape of the Midianites Awareness Walk.” I live close to Mountain City TN maybe I walk right behind that guy.
Anyone want to sponsor me?
Having grown up a gun toting scripture quoting fundie, I sort of know where the 10 commandments guy is coming from, and yet I read his quotes and think “Do these people have any idea how completely unhinged they sound?”
There’s a great story about a man who intended to go to Mount Sinai and recite the ten commandments; the reaction?
“Why not just stay here and keep them?”
The economic crisis is the result of America turning it’s back on God? Give me a time traveling DeLorean so I can go tell that to the Americans who lived through the 1780’s Recession, the Panic of 1819, the Panic of 1857, the Long Depression of the 1870’s… etc etc…
Funny how God put those commandments on stone tablets for the benefit of “all nations”. Considering how knowledge of those 10 commandments ended up spreading since the days of Moses, I guess that the people of China, India, Japan and Mesoamerica were low on God’s priority list.
@Steve: You think they have data. That’s so sweet.
@Imrryr: Funny, God actually seemed to intend the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Torah for one specific nation. It’s in that book that is supposed to be perfect.
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P&T did breast enlargement hypnosis on Bullshit. They tracked three women who tried it. One turned out to be a shill and a second one declined to talk to them afterwards.
The remaining woman made me sad. Even just from the talk about the hypnosis, she clearly had a great sense of humor and interesting personality. How unfortunate that she felt like less over something like tit size. I hope she came away having taken to heart the absurdity of it all.
Penn makes me feel cranky. Although I agree with his athiest/ pro-science ideas, I just can’t get behind most of his political veiws. Still, good to see him giving a shout to a good site.
Breast enlargement through hypnosis. I love it.
“Relax. Stare deeply into my eyes. You may feel a slight pinch.”
@Epicurious: I have to admit that his voice makes me feel like I’m about to be talked into buying an electric turnip peeler. I keep expecting him to say “But wait, there’s more!”
“He also believes that the local fight to keep the ten commandments in the courthouse has caused God to bless them with rain and snow to end their drought.”
No no no, that was the rain dances.
There is a link to a story on the same page as the cute baby hedgehogs:
“The boy with 11 tumours who was sent home to die… and survives after grandparents’ alternative therapy treatments”
do NOT under any circumstance read the comments on the article. I wouldn’t want to spoil your weekend.
@Al: I went to Mt Sinai and got a great photo of the sun rising out of my arse at dawn. True story.
Y’know, it might be more effective to hypnotize everyone else into thinking they’re bigger.
Hedgehogs. Awesome.
I still think the baby monkey at ZSL London Zoo is cuter. WARNING: Diabetics should not view these videos without an insulin shot at the ready.
A bit off topic, when I watched the video of the tigers there was an ad for an upcoming National Geographic show called Morphed, detailing the evolutionary leaps made by whales, birds, etc. Should be interesting.
While all hypnotists are cons, some are real shit heads get what they deserve.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/398975_fraud06.html
The hypnosis isn’t going to work, but I believe that subliminal suggestion will. Based on the ability of automobile airbags to _instantaneously_ both inflate and deflate, I’ve invented the Subliminal Airbag Brassiere. If a woman wearing the Subliminal Airbag Brassiere encounters a man that she might want to attract, she turns toward him, triggers the device, and WOOMPH! – but _just for a subliminal instant_ to signal subconsciously.
Unfortunately, I’m still having technical issues with the Subliminal Airbag Speedos for men. Recall the “cello scrotum” discussion – This is worse.
@Steve
What they seem to be saying is that employees born in 5 out of 12 slices of the year constitute “most of our best employeesâ€
Actually, 4 out of the 5 signs encompassed the 31 day months, so it’s a bit higher than 5/12.
“These commandments were not written by any religion but by the finger of Almighty God”
That’s it, asshole, I am SO coveting your wife now. Don’t make me covet your goods, too.
I hope at least he’s dedicated enough to know all 10, unlike most christians. It would be SO embarassing to have to reference his notes every time. And didn’t Jeebus tell his followers that he is the new testement, and the old stuff is no longer valid? 10 commandments, laying with men, most of the truly creepy christian morality comes out of the OT anyway, so if this guy is a true christian he’s fighting for a morality his own faith disowned 2000 years ago. I just would like some internal logic here. But then i’d also like it to rain beer…
@Epicurious:
If you notice it starts to rain beer, let me know; I’ll let you know when the stripper factory down the road starts producing. Surely, those will be days to be alive.