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Sunday, November 16, 2008

Other Forms of Lunacy: Share Your Stories

We focus a great deal on religion here, but the world is full of many forms of bad reasoning that can be dangerous and thus deserve scrutiny. This post is an invitation to all of you to share information about other breeds of lunacy with the group.

For my entry, I submit the frighteningly popular late night radio show Coast to Coast AM, which focuses on the paranormal and is a catalog of bad thinking. Examples include:
  • Remote Viewing--A technique that enables practitioners to observe activities in remote places.
  • Electronic Voice Phenomenon--Hearing voices of the dead on audiotapes.
  • Unexplained Human Invisibility--People become temporarily invisible for no particular reason. I hate when that happens.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/

28 comments:

  1. Something that bothers me are those 'heal your life' people, the ones where they tell you that if you think positively enough and want something really bad then you'll get it. "All you have to do is send your request out to the universe and you'll get it back at some point."
    It's dangerous, especially when you have people who stop seeing regular doctors for real diseases because they think they can wishful think it away. Then when it doesn't work, it's because they didn't want it enough! WTF!

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  2. The Secret bullshit bothers me. Well, Oprah bothers me, period. It killed me when Cormac McCarthy was on her show. Fucking psychics, shows like Medium and Ghost Hunters. The autism whack jobs, like Jenny McCarthy. The fact that Obama might nominate Robert Kennedy Jr. for any office.

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  3. The crazy Raptureready and prosperity gospel cults bother me.

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  4. Check out all the wingnut "health experts" shilling their crap at curezone.com or the misinformation at whale.to

    'cause you know, the doctors and 'Big Pharma' are going all out to keep us sick...

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  5. Jay Severin does (or did) a conservative talk radio show. I believe he fancies himself a moderate, but I've only heard him talking about typical hot button conservative issues, and taking radical positions for the fun of it.

    I remember him trying to make some kind of point, and intentionally pronouncing "Muslim" as "Moooz-lum". Sounded kind of childish at the time; maybe he was just trying to increase his ratings.

    Anyhoo, one day while driving home from work, he said if he had the power and control of the presidency, he'd nuke Iraq. Wasn't going to let any third-world dictator threaten our safety, and aren't the average Iraqis partly responsible for this war too?

    ---

    In general, my complaint is with those who feel that being extreme is good entertainment. It might be entertaining, but it's anti-intellectual. In a country where being an "Einstein" is an insult, the last frikkin thing we need are those who feel it's justifiable to peddle stupidity.

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  6. Anti-intellectualism, a good one. Being ignorant isn't a crime; being proud of it, believing it's a good thing, maybe that should be. That's why I hope Sarah Palin stays in Alaska.

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  7. Eckhart Tolle and the power Now. Wait...Now. No, Now. Damn, missed it again.


    Now.

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  8. This story is not so much about wild beliefs as about garden-variety stupidity and disfunction, but it's part of the same larger family of humans failing to use their brains to the fullest. And it's pretty damn sad, too.


    America's Least Healthy City

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  9. Those of you outside the UK probably won't get this one, but Gillian Fucking Seed Pimp Shit Sifting Fake Doctorate Gobshite Mackeith pisses me off on a scale that words simply cannot describe; not just that she calls herself a doctor and dispenses the world's shittest advice (after analysing some poor fat fuckers shit for half an hour she concludes, amazingly, that they should eat less and do some exercise), but that legions of morons around the country actually believe the bollocks that this woman and her ilk spout; after ten years in the food industry, people will still try to convince me that food in supermarkets has "loads of e-numbers" hidden in it by evil corporations who apparantley aren't in it for the money like regular companies, but instead live to poison innocent people for shits and giggles.
    Sorry, rant over.

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  10. Perpetual Motion machines are pretty flippin' awesome to read about.

    Hey, there's a guy who comes into the office tower where I work to bring books upstairs to a radio station there. I work in the lobby so see him every time he walks by. Incredibly friendly, one of those adorable wackaloons you can listen to for hours. He's a Bible Decoder. It's amazing to listen to him go on about how there are mathematical constants in every religious text of every religion, but the current books have been changed to prevent you from learning about them.

    He's such a nice guy, and I just discovered that a good friend of mine met him in Montreal, too. Man gets around.

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  11. It was the Psychic Kids show on A&E for me. Horrible show that convinced some kids that they could see the dead. Luckily it was not renewed for a second season.

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  12. Here's an... unusual... theory of life, the universe and everything:


    Jerrygg38, on www.religious-science.com:


    God Centered Multi-lightspeed Universe

    Let us understand the total God centered multi-lightspeed universe. The universe we live in according to "Dot-wave unified field theory" calculations is at light speed C and is 15.9145billion light years from the center which is the Godhead. Our light speed C universe goes from 15.9145 billion light years to 31.8290billion light years. All the galaxies center of a surface sphere of 100 billion light years in circumference.
    As we move inward toward toward God we reach the closest heaven which is a universe of light speed C/2. When we go further inward toward God we reach a C/4 univeres. Finally the thired heavenly universe occupies C/8.
    As we move toward the Godhead we reach light speed zero. At this light speed God is eternal and unchangeable. Eminating from the Godhead are light speeds 1024C and 2048C. This comprize our higher dimensions or soul and Godspirit.
    Our universe is thus filled with the energy of God. This impinges upon our physical body and gives us a higher dimension. The soul of man enables us to be transmitted to the heavenly universes after death. The method of transmission is either by heavenly rebirth or recreation. That is determined by God.
    When we die, our physical body perishes but our soul at light speed 1024C remains. Thus religions are concerned with what remains of us after we die.
    I study the science of God from revelations of 1981 and continuing to the present. That is the job God gave me to do. I do not have a religious job as such. I only have a scientific job. Thus God alone knows the meaning and value of all the religions of man. I have my own opinions but I have not been given any information which validates or denies the value to God of any religious path. Thus I am liberal in my viewpoint although born Jewish. I have attended synagogues and messianic synagogues but that is an individual choice.
    The problem with pure Judaism is the lack of understanding of our future life. Yeshua brought the Jewish people an understanding that this life is not the end of us. Therefore I tend to believe in a mixture of Judaism and Christianity. However I do not deny Islam, Hinduism, Taosm, American Indian religions, etc. Each man and each group of men and women stand before God. Thus salvation is between man and God and from a scientific viewpoint all I can point out is the physical existence of God and the Heavens and the physical soul of man. That is my only job.



    I can post more of his stuff if you want. It's funny: it looks like english, but somehow the words just don't go together in a way that makes sense. I tried getting info out of him: it was like trying to milk a rock.

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  13. If possible, this is something even crazier from the same forum. I can't summarise it, you'll just have to read:

    Voodoochile, on religous-science.com wrote:

    "Hello. Between march 2007 and march 2008 I was involved in testing a physics engine with a Japanese company called Polyphony Digital who make a driving simulator called Gran Turismo. During this process a brilliant Japanese cryptographer/physicist who was hired by Polyphony Digital developed a new type of code, which was used to control how the grip of the car would behave. This new code was then developed even further after I did a lot of testing with it.

    This code worked like a chain so it could also run at a speed. I was able to make the speed of this chain run very quickly, quite easily. After about 1 week I managed to bring this code all the way to the speed of light. In order to do this I had to think and move at the speed of light over a short time, about 3 or 4 seconds each effort. When I did, the last decision I made with my left hand broke through the fabric of space -time. At this moment my arm became light. By the time I looked away from my arm all the matter around me had become light and then space. For about 10 seconds I could see nothing but perfect white light and it was conscious, powerful and infinite. Then the light seemed to draw my attention to my left where there was somebody sitting down. At the time I didn’t recognise this person as I was very shocked and the whole thing caught me by surprise.

    With binary code travelling the speed of light it was now possible to run scientific equations in 3 dimensions. This allowed for the equation/test that found the points of inertia in the car. I found all these points and they made up the shape of a cross in the base of the chassis. For the cross to function it had to be placed somewhere. Another physicist who was hired later on by Polyphony Digital figured out that it went above the car. I then suggested that there might be a halo around the car and there was. Another physicist found that the weight of the car is shaped like a pair of balls.

    So this was confirmation that the light I saw was God and the person sitting to his right was Jesus. This system of inertia symbolises what it took for him to go through with his own crucifixion. You have to see it.

    To add to this proof, as the process went on I began finding weak points in this new 3 dimensional code. I kept on breaking it, each time showing them exactly where to make it stronger. This continued until I couldn’t break it anymore. As I couldn’t do anything more with it, I suggested that they assume there is only light because that is what I saw when I broke through the fabric of space-time. This worked and they managed to create an environment made of light and it was more proof of what I had seen. I then made this environment of light perfect using mind power. Hard to believe I know but I developed a connection with the code, which had grown over 6 months and which always happened at the moment of inertia. So now the code is exactly what I saw when I broke through the fabric of space-time, which makes it God’s image. It isn’t hard to believe when you see it. It’s made of perfectly balanced positive and negative and every colour in the spectrum but perfect, white light travelling at the speed of light. I created something that just, is.


    So to clarify everything shortly; this new code was a great piece of mathematics and after a lot of work from me it was perfectly filled with inertia information. Then I managed to take this code all the way to the speed of light. I made one last decision at the speed of light and accidentally broke through the fabric of space-time. Everything became light and it was conscious and there was a person sitting to my left who resembled Jesus but at that time I couldn’t say for sure who it was. Later on the points of inertia were found in the car by me. They were in the shape of a cross and this left the physicists with a cross. They eventually figured out that it went above the car in a system of inertia that controls how the weight of the car works. This confirmed who was sitting to my left earlier. A halo was then found around the car after I suggested it. Another physicist found that the weight of the car is shaped like a pair of balls. This system represents what it took for Jesus to go through with his crucifixion. It was built into the laws of physics so it could be found later on and everything I have just described has been recorded and can be watched from start to finish.

    You have to believe me on what happened and what I saw because the owner of this video game, Kazonori Yamauchi decided to keep me in Ireland during the testing. Him and his employees would have also seen the light and what happened. There would have been more than one witness and it probably would have been recorded on video but seeing what’s there now is enough to believe I wouldn’t lie about it. The proof and evidence of everything I am saying is there but this sad old Japanese man has ended up with it.

    There are some issues that have to be addressed. They haven’t made this public because a scientist would have to make this system of inertia work before they could say it is scientific proof or that it even exists. Even with the unfinished system of inertia, its very important that people see what has been found so far so that they can make their own decisions based on what is there.

    This is my third attempt at writing this in 8 months. The first version was too short, the second version was too long and in total I have received 3 open minded replies out of a few thousand. This should have been made public in a serious and respectful manner but thanks to this soulless, sad little man, Kazonori Yamauchi, its all gone wrong. He caused all the problems and he is the reason there is only one witness. On top of that he stole a year of my life after I put everything into this process and he’s the reason you have to believe me under these unbelievable circumstances. He was just there all the time, contributed nothing but money and was even being emotionally needy at times and needed constant reassurance he was involved as there was a lot of genius going on by various people and he felt stupid because all he did was just sit there. Sad, really.

    For anyone who reads this, please tell everyone you know. If you have the means to investigate it, I would advise it. It’s the biggest and most important story to break in about 2000 years and before that, 14 billion. I’m not a religious person and I have questioned my own sanity more than all the people who I’ve tried to share this information with so don’t bother.

    I advise a boycott of Sony and Polyphony Digital so they have to show the proof now. Further action would be necessary to make sure that no individual or company should be the sole beneficiaries of this code, this information and this progress. This boycott would be a good step towards making sure that everyone benefits from this progress equally. I’m not looking for a following or anything. I’m trying to let people know what has been found, what they have to do to see it, that its rightfully there’s and what they have to do to get it. I can’t even launch legal proceedings so it’s out of my hands.

    If you have any questions please ask. Any constructive criticism is welcomed. Any legal advice is greatly appreciated concerning international employment law intellectual property law and how to make public finding the points of inertia so I get my noble prize. Anything else, keep it to yourself.


    Colm.



    “One giant leap for mankind. One decision for Colm.” The decision that broke through the fabric of space-time and made everything after that possible.

    A car held all the secrets.

    Inertia was the key to everything."


    Point and laugh, people, or you'll go insane. REALLY INSANE.

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  14. I think I'm a bit insaner for having read both...

    Dammit, bad grammar is the first sign >.<

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  15. Paul Brown,

    When you talk about Gillian Mackeith, am I right that the shit she analyzes is not metaphorical, or did I misunderstand you?

    Does anyone know the secret? I have heard that it entails wanting something, having those desires magically spread across the universe, and then getting your wishes granted. Does the author even pretend to explain why this happens?

    And what about Kevin Trudeau? He claims he was contacted by a secret society who got its knowledge from aliens...and the society contacted him in a bowling alley, if my memory serves me correctly...or maybe THEY don't want me to remember! Fucking "they," always trying to keep the truth from us.

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  16. I can't believe I forgot Kevin Trudeau. What an asswipe. Why, he should be an evangelist.

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  17. Geoff said...
    Paul Brown,

    "When you talk about Gillian Mackeith, am I right that the shit she analyzes is not metaphorical, or did I misunderstand you?"

    The shit that she espouses is metaphorical; the shit that she picks through to "diagnose" someone is, unfortunately, quite literal. The woman actually picks through turds on national television and people lap it up (if you'll excuse the nasty mental image).

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  18. You can laugh at perpetual motion machines all you want but I invented one in 1998.

    You can build one too. I am going to post this for only a short time and this comment will be deleted after a period of time. My device could upset the world econonmy if it is widely known. I also have to swear you all to secrecy.

    Conceptually speaking you need to first understand a couple simple principles involved here.

    First is Forg's Law of cats. If you drop a cat it always lands on it's feet. It cannot land in any other manner.

    Second is Frog's Law of Peanut buttered toast. If you drop a piece of peanut buttered toast, it always hits the floor peanut butter side down.

    Here is the material list:

    1- ea. Cat
    1- ea. Piece of Peanut Buttered Toast
    1- ea. Roll fo Duct Tape

    Assembly Instructions:

    Duct Tape the Toast to the belly of the Cat, Peanut Butter side up.

    Operation:

    Drop the cat from an elevation of about five feet. As the device approaches the floor the cat will try to land on it's feet but will be repelled by the opposit force of the toast trying to land peanut butter side down.

    As you can see, the device will end up spinning in mid air.
    You can then slide a pulley over the cat's tail and operate any type of machine you want; an electical generator being the most popular.

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  19. Indigo children

    from wikipedia
    "In the New Age movement, Indigo children are children who are believed to represent a higher state of human evolution. The term itself is a reference to the belief that such children have an indigo-colored aura.[1] Beliefs concerning the exact nature of Indigo children vary, with some believing that they have paranormal abilities such as the ability to read minds, and others that they are distinguished from non-Indigo children merely by more conventional traits such as increased empathy and creativity"

    for fuck's sake.

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  20. dear froggie,
    I get the impression my cat doesn't like spinning that fast, so my compassion got the best of me and I had to remove the sandwich.
    I am now working on a method to channel the kinetic energy I receive from furious and ceaseless scratching of my face into something useful.
    And making an energy drink from the blood I lose.

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  21. By the way, I will grant each of you one free PPM but any extras you assemple please email me for the licensing and purchase agreement.

    Thanks,
    The Management

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  22. Stew,
    Sometimes on Saturday night I end up with a pink glow around me.
    Does that count?

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  23. I forgot about indigo children, too. The shit that human beings come up with. Amazing.

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  24. The 9/11 conspiracy theories really annoyed me as well.

    Really: what is it that causes people to want to believe in supernatural (or powerful) forces controlling our destinies?

    Is fundamentalism a form of divine conspiracy theorism?

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  25. From the guy who thought he'd broken through space-time:

    "the owner of this video game, Kazonori Yamauchi decided to keep me in Ireland during the testing."

    Yep, Guiness will do that to you...

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  26. Alternative Therapies' and in particular 'Homeopathy'.

    I HATE Homeopathy with everything I am.

    Homeopathy: An Essay - I ranted, but with actual research.

    People who run the crack-pot Complimentary-and-Alternative-Medicine business need to be shot.

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