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by Paul Quek, from Singapore BBA (Hons), MAppSci (CompSci) [Bachelor of Business Administration, Honours]
[Master of Applied Science, Computing Science] Check this out: Cool Software! (New window opens)
| Incept Date: | | 06 October 2008 | | Rev'd Date: | | 25 December 2009 |
••••WARNING! ... "ALARM! ALERT!"This website contains YouTube video clips of the Emmy-nominated American documentary television series
entitled Penn & Teller: BULLSHIT!, hosted by the incomparably funny and skeptical fraud-and-bullshit-uncovering
magician duo, "Penn & Teller" aka "P&T". This warning pertains to the fact that there are lots of use of the word
"bullshit" (probably, because it's the name of the P&T TV series?) ... as well
as the "F" word ... and other vulgarities ... in those P&T videos.We've used the "bullshit" word ONCE near the top of our homepage, in this 'Mysteries of the World' web site — plus 4 times here, in this warning box (not counting the
above picture, or any of the text below this warning box). And we have also
used the "crap" word ONCE near the top of the homepage — and also ONCE
here, in this warning box. As a general rule, we try not to use such words on this site, except in the
context of quotation (for example, when we quote Penn & Teller). And ... certainly and definitely ... we NEVER use the "F" word, or any other
vulgarities, in any of our web pages or in any of our web articles. (And ... no! ... we are not hiding from the 'real world', nor are we hermits
living in our caves! We know what's happening in the world ... but, basically,
we don't know why we can't strive to be a family-friendly website.) But do note that Penn (the BIGGER guy), who is an excellent raconteur, uses the
"F" word, and other vulgarities, A LOT ... and I mean, A LOT ... in the P&T
videos. So ... be forewarned about the P&T video clips!  |  |
Notes from Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, says the following in their 'Penn & Teller'
entry:
Penn & Teller (Penn Fraser Jillette and Teller) are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an
amalgam of illusion and comedy. Penn Jillette is a raconteur; Teller generally
uses mime while performing, although his voice can occasionally be heard
throughout their performance. They specialize in gory tricks, exposing quacks
and frauds, performing clever pranks, and have become associated with
Las Vegas, atheism, scientific skepticism, and libertarianism. while another entry entitled 'Penn & Teller: Bullshit!' (which was "last
modified on 29 September 2008, at 01:51") has this to say about the 'BULLSHIT!' series (adapted/re-paragraphed):
Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (sometimes rendered Penn & Teller: B.S.!, Bulls***! or Bull!) is an Emmy-nominated American documentary television series that has
been on the air since 2003 on the premium cable channel Showtime on Thursday nights at 10 pm EST. In Canada, the series airs on The Movie Network. It is
hosted by professional magicians/comedians Penn & Teller. (Emphasis added)Many episodes aim to debunk what the hosts see as pseudoscientific ideas,
supernatural beliefs, popular fads and misconceptions, and often from a
libertarian point of view, the political philosophy espoused by both Penn and
Teller. The show criticizes proponents of what they perceive as nonsense and
dishonesty — bullshit — often citing ulterior political or
financial motives. The stated aim of the show is to apply critical thinking to misconceptions, and
as is indicated by the show's title, the program adheres to Penn & Teller's
characteristically blunt, aggressive presentation. Supernatural subjects of episodes include alien abduction, alternative
medicine, and ESP; other episodes cover social issues such as the War on Drugs,
animal rights, gun control, and environmentalism. Penn & Teller approach the topics in the manner of Harry Houdini and James
Randi (who has appeared more than once on the show), who are known for
debunking claims of supernatural powers. The ongoing show is currently airing its sixth season in the United States. The series has achieved worldwide success, being shown in countries such as
Argentina, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia,
Denmark, Finland, Mexico, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Notes from the Showtime Networks websiteThe following is excerpted from the Showtime Networks website (Showtime Networks Inc. is a CBS Company) ... Veteran producer Mark Wolper, Executive Producer Star Price and renowned master
showmen Penn & Teller deliver a high-octane, weird, wacky, entertaining journey
through some bizarre territory that no one else is brave enough to touch, with
this Showtime reality series. ... Penn & Teller [are confirmed] skeptics and pro-science atheists (they refer
to God as "an imaginary friend") ... these magicians are big fans of the art of
debunking. Whether demonstrating how history's most perplexing magic acts are performed in
their sell-out Las Vegas show and TV specials, or producing their own series
that pulls the wool off the public's eyes, Penn & Teller's mission is to expose
the truth to an otherwise desperate and gullible public. In Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, the crusaders utilize principles of magic and trickery, as well as good old
fashioned "hidden camera" sting operations, to smoke out these nonsense
peddlers and reveal how they operate. They also call upon the scientific community for back-up. Penn & Teller have
discovered that the evidence debunking bogus operatives exists in countless
books, scientific papers and government-sponsored exposés — research that
nobody else has presented to the public with such zeal, passion, and conviction. As our increasingly anti-intellectual, anti-science culture moves on each day
to new crackpot subject matters, Penn & Teller are there to aggressively shoot
down whack-jobs and fuzzy thinkers, no matter where they originate. [...] No matter how popular a form of bullshit is — and regardless of what deep
pockets or beloved figures support it — Penn & Teller are pit bulls for
the truth, poised to tear down these myths in the most jaw-dropping fashion
possible with their trademark wit and off-center comic sensibilities. Beware faux miracle workers, yogis, dervishes, televangelists, zealots and cult
leaders. Penn & Teller have you in their cross-hairs with a new series that
strives to spark controversy, headlines and water cooler fisticuffs!
About Penn & Teller Penn & Teller are a couple of eccentric guys who have learned how to do a few
cool things. ... [...] Penn & Teller have acted in several popular series, guest-starring as "Drell
and Skippy" in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as attorneys "Penn & Teller" on The
Drew Carey Show, and on Friends, Dharma & Greg, Babylon 5, Home Improvement and The Simpsons. Their 1985 PBS special, Penn & Teller Go Public, won two Emmys® and the International Golden Rose. Other television projects
have included the recent Emmy®-nominated variety series Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular, the
special Penn & Teller's Home Invasion, the SHOWTIME Original Picture PENN &
TELLER'S INVISIBLE THREAD, the NBC special Don't Try This at Home, the PBS
Children's series Behind the Scenes, and for Britain's Channel 4, The
Unpleasant World of Penn & Teller and Penn & Teller's Phobophilia. Penn &
Teller Get Killed, directed by Arthur Penn, saw the pair in their big screen
debut. They can currently be seen in Walt Disney's Fantasia 2000. Penn & Teller have also written two best-selling books, Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends and How to Play With Your Food. Their newest book, How to Play in Traffic, is a collection of practical jokes, miracles and anecdotes that makes
travel funnier than ever before. The duo serves as Visiting Scholars at MIT, which is the highest honor bestowed by the school, and have lectured at the Smithsonian Institute and Oxford University. Penn & Teller were recently named two of the funniest people alive
in Entertainment Weekly's "50 Greatest Comedians Today" issue. (Emphasis added)
Paul Quek
Webmeister
Woodlands, Singapore
| Incept Date: | | 06 October 2008 | | Rev'd Date: | | 25 December 2009 |
 |  |  |  | This website is predicated on the basis of the following categorization of the
Sciences ... Four Categories of Science By Stanton T. Friedman (Former Nuclear Physicist)Some people have insisted that if I can't provide a piece of a [flying] saucer
or an alien body, there is nothing to support my claims. I was quite surprised
during my last visit with Carl Sagan in December 1992, when he claimed that the
essence of the scientific method was reproducibility. In actuality, as I wrote
Sagan later on, there are at least four different kinds of science: - [Category-1 Science] Yes, there is a lot of excellent science done by people who set up
an experiment in which they can control all the variables and equipment. They
make measurements and then publish their results, after peer review, and
describe their equipment, instruments, and activity in detail so that others
can duplicate the work and, presumably, come to the same conclusions. Such
science can be very satisfying, and certainly can contribute to the advancement
of knowledge. However, it is not the only kind of science.
- [Category-2 Science] A second kind of science involves situations in which one cannot
control all the variables, but can predict some. For example, I cannot prove
that on occasion the moon comes directly between the sun and the Earth and
casts a shadow of darkness on the Earth, because I cannot control the positions
of the Earth, moon, or sun. What can be done is predicting the times when such
eclipses will happen and being ready to make observations when they occur.
Hopefully the weather where I have my instruments will allow me to make lots of
measurements.
- [Category-3 Science] A third kind of science involves events that can neither be
predicted nor controlled, but one can be ready to make measurements if
something does happen. For example, an array of seismographs can be established
to allow measurements to be made at several locations in the event of an
earthquake. When I was at the University of Chicago, a block of nuclear
emulsion was attached to a large balloon that would be released when a
radiation detector indicated that a solar storm had occurred (something we
could neither produce nor predict). Somebody would rush to Stagg Field and
release the balloon. When the balloon was
retrieved, the emulsion would be carefully examined to measure the number,
direction, velocity, and mass characteristics of particles unleashed by the sun.
- [Category-4 Science] Finally, there is a fourth kind of science, still using the rules
to attack difficult problems. These are the events that involve intelligence,
such as airplane crashes, murders, rapes, and automobile accidents. We do not
know when or where they will occur, but we do know they will. In a typical year
more than 40,000 Americans will be killed in automobile accidents. We don't
know where or when, so rarely are TV cameras whirling when these events take
place. But we can, after the fact, collect and evaluate evidence. We can
determine if the driver had high levels of alcohol in his or her blood, whether
the brakes failed, whether the visibility was poor, where a skid started, and
so on. Observations of strange phenomena in the sky come under this last
category.
In all the category-4 events, we must obtain as much testimony from witnesses
as possible. Some testimony is worth more than other testimony, perhaps because
of the duration of observation, the nearness of the witnesses to the event, the
specialized training of the observer, the availability of corroborative
evidence such as videos and still photos, or the consistency of evidence when
there is testimony from more than one witness. Our entire legal system is based
on testimony — rarely is there conclusive proof such as DNA
matching. Judges and juries must decide, with appropriate cross-examination,
who is telling the truth. In some states, testimony from one witness can lead
to the death penalty
for the accused. We should take note of the fact that even instrument data is dependent on
testimony from the observer of the instruments, and on appropriate calibration
and validation under standardized circumstances. Also, our courts place limits
on requirements for testimony, such as that against one spouse by the other.
Furthermore, there are rules about hearsay testimony, and rules regarding legal
evidence are complex and detailed. When it comes to flying saucers, we must remember that the reason most
sightings can be determined to be relatively conventional phenomena, often seen
under unusual circumstances, is that most people are relatively good observers.
The problem comes with the interpretation of what was observed. People watching
the sky late at night may get excited about a very bright light that moved very
slowly. Checking on the position of the planets at that time may reveal that
that light was Venus, because we have good information as to the angle of
observation, the direction of the light from the observer, the relatively slow
rate of motion, the location of Venus at that time, and so on. On three
occasions, when living in Southern California, I was called by people who
described an unusual object moving rapidly. I tried to make sure that I
analyzed their observations, such as, what time was it? In what direction were
you looking? In what direction did it seem to be moving? Was there any sound?
What was its apparent size, say, as compared to the moon (just covered by an
aspirin held at arm's length)? Two of the people wanted to tell me that the object was just over the next
hill. I stressed that this was an interpretation, because even huge objects far
away can seem to be small objects nearby. In all three cases, I felt that what
was being described sounded similar to a rocket launched down the California
Coast when the sun had gone down, but while the object was high enough to still
be in sunlight. I had seen such a spectacular case once myself. I checked, in
all three cases, with Vandenberg Air Force Base, which launches many rockets
down the U.S. West Coast. Indeed, there had been a launch at the right time in
each case. One case was especially intriguing, because several witnesses were
looking out across the ocean from a beach area and described the thing they saw
as similar to a string of popcorn. It turned out to be the launch of a special
weather satellite with extra solid boosters being dropped off multiple times. The people were good observers. To say the least, it would be irrational to say
that people are good observers when their input allows us to identify the
object being observed, and yet poor observers if we can't identify the UFO as
something conventional. — Stanton T. Friedman (Nuclear Physicist)
Flying Saucers and Science
Subtitle — A Scientist Investigates the Mysteries of UFOs: Interstellar Travel, Crashes,
and Government Cover-Ups
(Chapter 1 - "The Case for the ET Origin of Flying Saucers")
(Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page Books, 2008)   |  |  |  |  |
| | | | Nine Points to Note - Recently, we added a simple blog so that you would be apprised of the latest
changes to the Mysteries of the World Website. To get the updates automatically, CLICK HERE to subscribe to our RSS (you will get a new window or 'tab'). Thanks and cheers!
Warning to the unthinking (and to the control freaks and power junkies) ... You probably won't like the following 'thinking' observation ... But it's
an important part of any exploration, investigation, study, etc. of the Mysteries of the World ... SEVEN DOORS TO SEVEN ROOMS OF THOUGHT- Accept the statement of Eminent Authority without basis, without question.
- Disagree with the statement without basis, out of general contrariness.
- Perhaps the statement is true, but what if it isn't? How then to account for
the phenomenon?
- How much of the statement rationalizes to suit man's purpose that he and his
shall be ascendant at the centre of things?
- What if the minor should become major, the recessive dominant, the obscure
prevalent?
- What if the statement were reversible, that which is considered effect is
really cause?
- What if the natural law perceived in one field also operates unperceived in all
other phases of science? What if there be only one natural law manifesting
itself, as yet, to us in many facets because we cannot apperceive the whole, of
which we have gained only the most elementary glimpses, with which we can cope
only at the crudest level?
And are those still other doors, yet undefined, on down the corridor? |
- Please do not assume or conclude that, just because I present many views (in
the form of textual notes, pictures/stills, and audio and video
clips) — as well as many advertisements, some by me and some
automatically by Google Adsense and Amazon — on this website,
it does not
mean that I am in agreement with or that I believe in the views and/or ads
offered-proferred ... That would be displaying such a parochial and provincial
attitude, towards this website and towards me as well!
As an ex-military officer, I assure you that I am in the habit of reading,
viewing and digesting lots of stuff that I don't necessarily believe in ... We
call all the stuff we read, view and digest, 'military intelligence' ... The
same applies with 'business intelligence' in the business world, of course. Our aim, as usual, is to find out what others (including our friends, enemies,
competitors, suppliers, strategic partners, business partners, etc.) believe
in. In order to do that effectively, we have to 'get out of the way', so to
speak — we have to remove our humongous
ego! — else we will never ever really have gotten started in
our journey of exploration and discovery of the Mysteries of the World. Furthermore, similarly and additionally, as a "Charismatic Christian", there
are lots of stuff presented in this website that I do not believe in ... which
had even led some to label me as "Fundamentalist"! ... Whatever! Matthew 7 1Judge not, that ye be not judged.2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest
not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt
thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. — Jesus the Christ
(Yahoshua ha Mashiach;
Yeshua/Yesua; Ieosus; Joshua),
"Sermon on the Mount"
If you want to hear the NIV — specifically, from The Visual Bible: Matthew (1993) — please click the audio player below:
In short, in this website, I present many things that, I am hopeful, would be
of interest to a student, explorer and investigator of the Mysteries of the World ... but this doesn't mean that I believe in any of the stuff presented. ... Got it? ... Right! - Here is a purpose that I am wholeheartedly in agreement with ...
[Mysteries, Monsters, Mutants, Myths, Miracles & Much More ...]Our purpose ... is to describe the rich variety of anomalous, unexplained,
sometimes totally bizarre phenomena that people have experienced in all times
and places and that are still occurring today. ... the nature of the world and
of our existence are quite different from that which we were taught at school.
The reality is far more interesting, humorous and expansive than any religious
or rational, scientific world-view can possibly accommodate. It is not our intention here to dispute anyone's beliefs or
theories — but we should like to point out their limitations.
There are things that happen in this world - and have occurred throughout the
whole of human experience - for which there has never been a lasting
explanation. Explanations are temporary products, coming and going in response
to fashions. Meanwhile, the happenings they are supposed to explain carry on as
mysteriously as ever. — John Michell and Bob Rickard
The Rough Guide to Unexplained Phenomena (Rough Guide Reference)
(New York, NY: Rough Guides Ltd, 2007) - Here is a sentiment that I am wholeheartedly in agreement with ...
As I sit down to redo this book for an American audience, what rises before me
is last night's dream: I'm in a broad and beautiful land among many trees. It's
night. I look up at a huge old tree that's dark against the starry sky in its
detail of twig and branch. There is room enough here for all of us, I realize,
here in this big, intricately textured park. But I see that some want to cut
down the trees and level it out, so huge throngs of people can gather to gaze
up at the sun's glare. I watch dark twigs fingering the remote, untouchable
stars. A voice speaks: "Don't turn this into a Copernican Garden." Waking up, I remember that I went to sleep wondering how to put this book
together. And I take "Copernican Garden" to mean a parking lot vista where
masses gather to honor the bright sun of traditional science with its old rules
as the center of the universe. So I will not cut down the trees and level this book out. It is between you and
me [or you and I], a conversation as we stroll along in a moonlit fractal
garden past webby connections of thought that merge to patterned insight. Here
hidden delights nestle in scaling patterns of self-similar but never quite
repeating beauty. Here the tree of life hold stars in its branches. No matter
how huge, this garden stays human-sized because we have a place in it, you and
I. No need to cut down the connective forest and level things out for that
bright Sol [sun] of left-brain logic whose daytime dazzle — so
close and glaring — can blind us to the myriad constellations
beyond. [...] — Katya Walter, Tao of Chaos
Sub-title: Merging East and West
(1994, 1996) - Here is an observation (adapted) made in the Acknowledgement page of a book ...
It takes many minds to produce a book [including an e-book, of course].
Although most authors [especially of non-fiction books and articles] would
prefer not to admit this fact, fundamentally they are merely 'synthesisers' of
accumulated knowledge. The process of synthesising may unveil a new reality map, or paradigm, which,
in due course, will be used by future pioneers to unveil further paradigms. This principle was summed up by Sir Isaac Newton when he remarked: "If I have
seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". [...] — Christian von Nidda, Our Secret Planet
(2005) - Here is an observation about UFO-Aliens cover-up or conspiracy that may be of
general interest, although some readers would not agree with the observation
(e.g., they may say that some whistleblowers, such as Bob Lazar on the
Roswell-type flying saucers in secret Area-51 labs, have already come forward)
...
If any long-term coherent cover up of UFO information does exist, however, then
it must operate at all levels of government and the media. It must encompass
all the relevant written materials, from the briefest handwritten note in
government files to entries in squadron log books to letters in the personal
papers of members of the Establishment. Hundreds of politicians, service
personnel, police officers, clerks and officials, over half a century, would be
required to excise any reference to the reality of UFOs from official documents
and the media. The number of people who would have taken part in this cover up
would be vast, yet not one person has broken ranks to 'blow the whistle' on the
greatest story ever told. Meantime, millions of dollars are being spent every
day on space probes and radio telescopes that are searching for evidence of
alien life. Would there be any reason for a conspiracy of silence if that
evidence already existed? — Dr David Clarke and Andy Roberts, Out of the Shadows
(2002) - Even though I am a "Charismatic Christian", the views presented herewith, in
this Mysteries of the World Website, will NOT be colored by this fact of being a Charismatic Christian. Rather, where and
when I find it necessary (and usually, I would NOT find it necessary, since I find it tiresome to repeat myself, again and again
and again ..., ad infinitum ..., but if I should find it necessary to repeat myself), I will then state
what my Charismatic Christian beliefs lead me to believe
in — even though I am aware that my own Charismatic Christian
beliefs may or may not be the same as, or in accord with, those beliefs of
others who also may want to regard themselves as Charismatic Christians
(nb/note well: there appears to be so many varieties of Charismatic Christian
beliefs, including from those who are simultaneously of the
traditional-historical denominations — such as the Roman
Catholics, with their purgatories, mortal and venial sins, and their Mother
this and Mother that. Shudder! Shudder! Shudder!).
Thus, for example, I do not necessarily "believe" in "ghosts", even as I (will
later) examine the entire gamut of so-called "paranormal events or phenomena",
especially of those with a psychic bent (truly, these are bent!, as in
less-than-straight, aka "crooked", thinking variety). Many so-called "ghosts"
are probably some form of "fallen angels" or "demons" of the Biblical kind,
masquerading as either gods, demons, spirits, ghosts, or even "angels of light"
(when they are obviously "fallen" and are "angels of darkness", or "sons of
darkness" as used in one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, i.e. The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness). Anyway, the author of 1 John, gave us a simple test against any "spirit" to see
whether that spirit is of light (God; Christ/Son of God; Holy Spirit of
God/Comforter/Advocate/Paraclete/The One; Jehovah/Yahveh/Yahweh/God the Father)
or of darkness (Satan, Lucifer, the Devil; the Anti-Christ; the False Prophet;
the Beast): 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges
that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the
spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is
already in the world. — First Epistle of John
(1 John 4:2-3; New
International Version/NIV)
(Note: many Catholics like NIV
and dislike KJV! Tough!) Whatever the case may be about "ghosts" and other "apparitions", in this
website, I have stated that we will be truth-based and science-based. Despite
this, definitely, I will not be ashamed of being a Charismatic Christian or of
God's Word:If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him
when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy
angels. (Spoken by Jesus and recorded in Luke 9:26; NIV)If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's
glory with the holy angels. (Spoken by Jesus and recorded in Mark 8:38; NIV) I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. (Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans; Romans 1:16; NIV)
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As stated in our Mysteries Blog, the ' Mysteries of the World' Website does NOT aim to sensationalize any particular 'Mystery', although we
will examine and explore all possible viewpoints pertaining to each
'Mystery' — including the fringe AND the mainstream. We will, of course, come to a conclusion ( eventually!) about each 'Mystery' ... even if that conclusion may eventually turn out to
be 'as yet unresolved' or 'unexplained to our satisfaction'.
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