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Penn and Teller Videos
Warning!
P&T videos have A LOT of strong language!
by Paul Quek, from Singapore
MAppSci (CompSci), BBA (Hons)
[Master of Applied Science, Computing Science]
[Bachelor of Business Administration, Honours]
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 website
The 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)
Please do not assume or conclude that, just because I present many views (in
the form of textual notes and video clips) on this website, it means that I am
in agreement with or that I believe in the views 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
.
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)
Check our
Mysteries Blog
to see the latest changes
to our webpages and 'web articles'
(click on the
Mysteries Blog
button on the left NAVBAR)
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'.
