…Exploring the role of the prankster as artist, activist and social observer and the significance of the prank in society.
Bill Veeck knew he would go down in baseball history as the Guy Who Sent a Midget Up to Bat. But that didn”t stop him from pulling off the greatest publicity stunt in the history of the game.
According to Veeck in his autobiography, Rhymes with Wreck, sending 3″ 7″ Eddie Gaedel to the plate for his lowly St. Louis Browns was the ultimate punchline in day filled with entertainment and just plain weirdness. Continue reading “The Guy Who Sent a Midget Up to Bat”
Thanks to the fine folks at LifeGem, when a loved one is cremated, instead of keeping their ashes in a box on the mantel, you can have them made into a diamond. Not content to rest on their laurels, they’ve now teamed up with John Reznikoff and his collection of celebrity hair (valued at over $5 million) to bring you diamonds made at least partially from the ashes of someone famous. The diamond comes in a box, but it wouldn’t be hard to have it put in an appropriately garish setting.
The Beethoven LifeGem® diamond. To showcase our newest technology, we are creating three LifeGem diamonds with the carbon from Ludwig van Beethoven’s hair!
It’s unclear what Maria Estela Lima thought she would gain by claiming her husband had been swallowed by a boa constrictor, but in the wash of media attention that followed, it was discovered that the Paraguayan housewife was spinning a yarn. Her husband had simply left her, as husbands sometimes do. Perhaps she wanted to find a nice reporter or cameraman to keep her company. Read on at Reuters…
An excellent reference for anyone who professes to believe in anything.
The full article is on the skepdic.com Web site and is full of models, charts and graphs. It is well worth the read. -JS
Introduction
There have been many definitions of critical thinking. From a practical perspective, it may be defined as:
A process by which we use our knowledge and intelligence to effectively arrive at the most reasonable and justifiable positions on issues, and which endeavors to identify and overcome the numerous hindrances to rational thinking.
Not everyone values the need for critical thinking. Often, being methodically objective is viewed as cold, sterile, and worst of all, boring. To those who say “Have faith and let your feelings guide you to the truth,” or “Don”t let facts get in the way of an inspiring or interesting story,” these words will probably not resonate. But for those who truly understand and appreciate the importance of critical thinking, this paper, including the attached tables, can become a useful reference for daily life. Continue reading “A Practical Guide To Critical Thinking by Greg R. Haskins”
Did someone tell you recently that Winona Ryder had killed herself with prescription drugs, or that someone with your name had started a porn site? Don’t panic! These “news stories” come to you courtesy of FakeAWish.com, a site that takes the name of your choice and turns it into a juicy piece of tabloid gossip. It’s amazing how easy it is to make such things believable with a BREAKING NEWS graphic and a sober grey header.