Topic: Episode #59

[Steven Novella]

Podcast #59 9/5/2006
News Items: Ed Warren Dies, New ESP claims, Evolution of Superstition
Your E-mails and Questions: Korean fan deaths, New UK Homeopathy law, Science beliefs, Recycling
Name That Logical Fallacy
Science or Fiction
Skeptical Puzzle

[Timothy Clemans]

I'm listening to it right now. Science beliefs looks interesting.

[Timothy Clemans]

Rebecca said that she lives on the second floor of wherever she lives and not to come to Boston and peak into her window.

Birds and monkeys came up again.

[JD]

Can rebecca please tell me the location of the nearest Home Depot to her apartment?

It uh, helps with the remote viewing.  Orange is...psychically bright.

[Timothy Clemans]

Can rebecca please tell me the location of the nearest Home Depot to her apartment?

It uh, helps with the remote viewing.  Orange is...psychically bright.

Good one then find all the multistory apt. complexs

[mindme]

My Nigerian bank scamming site:

http://www.yrad.com

And my thread on Fan Death:

http://www.skepchick.org/skepticsguide/viewtopic.php?t=304

Korean society is very hierarchical. If doctors and the news media says it's fan death, it's fan death by gum.

There are some shocking stories on my teacher message board about fires in their school's building and no one will pull the fire alarm, call the fire department, or (gasp) evacuate the children because they don't have authority from the boss.

A friend's father is an industrial psychologist and he was researching how to make cockpit environment's safer. Korean Airlines had one of the worst safety records because of pilot error. The captain makes a mistake. His first officer doesn't feel it's his place to let the captain know he made a mistake.

Another podcast was talking about how in many Asian nations like Korea that independent thinking is not encouraged and usually punished. "The head that sticks out gets cut off by the king" is usually the expression Koreans use.

I love asking my children opinion questions or get them to make up something. "Make up a crazy sounding ice cream." They're paralyzed. I have to prod them a bit with examples. "Okay what about kimchi ice cream?" (Kimchi is a hot and spicy version of sauerkraut.)

Okay now they get it.

"William, what is your crazy ice cream?"

"Kimchi ice cream."

"Okay that's my example. Make up your own."

"Ummmm."

"You know like carrot ice cream."

"Ah. Carrot ice cream."

"No, that's another example. Make up your own."

Finally one brave kid raises his hand.

"Yes, Tony?"

"Kimchi and carrot ice cream?"

*face palm*

[cosmicvagabond]

This weeks puzzle answer:

Sigmund Freud

Too easy, Evan. You're getting lazy on us.  :wink:

[slammermx]

The urban legend that strikes me as a weird one is the one were you shouldn't have plants in your bedroom at night because the suck up all the oxygen during the night. This one is from my wife who is Russian Jew with three generations in Mexico. So I'm not sure where it comes from.

[mindme]

The urban legend that strikes me as a weird one is the one were you shouldn't have plants in your bedroom at night because the suck up all the oxygen during the night. This one is from my wife who is Russian Jew with three generations in Mexico. So I'm not sure where it comes from.

Didn't hospitals in North America make it a practise to remove flowers at night from the rooms of patience?

Another one as pervasive in North America was the Christmas poinsettia plants were deadly poison. Seems odd such a deadly plant is so popular and doesn't come with any kind of a warning label.

[Gilnei]

My Nigerian bank scamming site:

http://www.yrad.com

And my thread on Fan Death:

http://www.skepchick.org/skepticsguide/viewtopic.php?t=304

Korean society is very hierarchical. If doctors and the news media says it's fan death, it's fan death by gum.

There are some shocking stories on my teacher message board about fires in their school's building and no one will pull the fire alarm, call the fire department, or (gasp) evacuate the children because they don't have authority from the boss.

A friend's father is an industrial psychologist and he was researching how to make cockpit environment's safer. Korean Airlines had one of the worst safety records because of pilot error. The captain makes a mistake. His first officer doesn't feel it's his place to let the captain know he made a mistake.

Another podcast was talking about how in many Asian nations like Korea that independent thinking is not encouraged and usually punished. "The head that sticks out gets cut off by the king" is usually the expression Koreans use.

I love asking my children opinion questions or get them to make up something. "Make up a crazy sounding ice cream." They're paralyzed.
<...>

First, shame on Dr. Novella for not mentioning that we already had a Fan Death report here on the boards.

Second, have you ever thought of compiling these experiences you've been having over there on a site, blog or similar? I, for one, am always intrigued and very often surprised by the different way these cultures view the world.

[mindme]

Second, have you ever thought of compiling these experiences you've been having over there on a site, blog or similar? I, for one, am always intrigued and very often surprised by the different way these cultures view the world.

Check out my podcast if you're not podcast to death. Also:

http://mindme.livejournal.com

[Roy P]

The urban legend that strikes me as a weird one is the one where you shouldn't have plants in your bedroom at night because they suck up all the oxygen during the night.

Actually, I've often wondered where the oxygen comes from and the carbon dioxide goes to? I live in a fairly small, well draught-proofed flat, and during the winter all the windows and doors are closed. The only exit and entrance for these two gases is through a 6-inch x 6-inch vent in the kitchen.

Why don't I suffocate?

[vegan27]

At the end of the recycling discussion on this episode, Dr. Novella mentioned something about the government "sugarcoating" the "complex" issue of vaccines in order to encourage "compliance", and that this topic was discussed before.  I did a search on the message board for "vaccines" and found a link to an article he wrote:

http://newhavenadvocate.com/gbase/News/content.html?oid=oid:122769

However, the link doesn't work!   :x  It just re-routes you to the New Haven Advocate main page.  I tried Google searching the article and the links I found did the same thing.  Was the article printed anywhere else?  I am interested to know what sort of controversey he was referring to.

Thanks  

[Joe Shmoe]

The urban legend that strikes me as a weird one is the one where you shouldn't have plants in your bedroom at night because they suck up all the oxygen during the night.

Actually, I've often wondered where the oxygen comes from and the carbon dioxide goes to? I live in a fairly small, well draught-proofed flat, and during the winter all the windows and doors are closed. The only exit and entrance for these two gases is through a 6-inch x 6-inch vent in the kitchen.

Why don't I suffocate?

No matter how sealed up you think your flat is you will never acheive a perfect seal.  Air passes through the cracks between your window and the wall, between the window panes themseves and their frames, under doors, through cracks or spaces in the drywall, etc.  

Secondly, the volume of breathable air in a 700 sq ft apartment (tiny one bedroom) would be plenty to live on for 16 hours (between workdays), particularly when you're asleep half that time.

Finally, the amount of air a human being requires can be sucked through a straw, the size of the opening is not very important so much as the fact that there is one.

[Will]

It's the seven of clubs.