SGU Episode 387
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| SGU Episode 387 |
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| 15th Dec 2012 |
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| (brief caption for the episode icon) |
| Skeptical Rogues |
| S: Steven Novella |
B: Bob Novella |
R: Rebecca Watson |
J: Jay Novella |
E: Evan Bernstein |
| Guest |
JB: Joshie Berger |
| Quote of the Week |
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. |
| Links |
| Download Podcast |
| SGU Podcast archive |
| Forum Discussion |
Introduction
You're listening to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, your escape to reality.
S: Hello and welcome to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. Today is Thursday, December 13, 2012, and this is your host Steven Novella. Joining me this week are Bob Novella,
B: Hey, everybody.
S: Rebecca Watson,
R: Hello, everyone.
S: Jay Novella,
J: Hey, guys.
S: And Evan Bernstein.
E: Hey, Happy Hanukkah, guys.
S: Happy Hanukkah.
J: Is it Chonukkah?
E: It is.
J: Evan, I never asked you this before, but, what do you celebrate?
E: It's known as the Festival of Lights, and Jewish people commemorate the miracle of the olive oil that took place back in Jerusalem, in which there was a, basically a large conflict going on with the Jews, what else is new? And they needed eight nights' worth of oil to get through their turmoil and tumult at the time. But there was only enough oil for one night, so they lit the oil, and miraculously it lasted for a whole eight nights, until they could press more oil, which was the whole point of getting to the eighth day. And they were able to save the temple that they were defending and rid the bad guys, if you, you know, if you're on the side of the Jewish people. So, that's the miracle. You know, it's considered a celebration, a festival, it's not really a holiday. It's not Christmas, it's not what Christmas is to Christians and Catholics. This is more just a commemoration.
S: Catholics are Christians, by the way, just so we don't get any emails about that.
R: Well, not if you're Jack Chick. ____________ Christmas is celebrated by more than just Christians.
E: Are you saying what do we do here at the household?
J: Yeah, do you do both? What do you do?
E: Yeah, we celebrate both. We do the . . .
S: Secular thing.
E: secular version of all of this stuff, right? And
R: Oh, so it's like a war on Hanukkah, is what you're saying.
E: War on Hanukkah, exactly. Another war.
B: I'm more of a Festivus man myself.
E: Bob, you brought up Festivus, and it all happens around the time of the winter solstice, roughly. So, whereas a lot of people were celebrating that fact, of the seasons, you know, it all kind of, I guess, made sense to a certain degree to have these celebrations based on that.
S: It's all based on pagan celebrations, surviving the darkest day of the year.
E: Right.
B: Happy Saturnalia, everybody.
S: Well, Rebecca, welcome back from Australia. I hear you had a good time.
B: Yeah.
R: Thank you. Yeah, I had a blast. You guys were definitely missed. Several times I
E: And we missed you too.
R: I was asked where you were. You and George. Everybody wanted to know where you and George were.
S: Yeah.
R: So. I told them that you didn't love them. (laughter) And that you were at home, celebrating not being in Australia because you hate them, so…(laughter)
E: That's really nice.
S: You know, we have jobs and kids and stuff.
R: Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, hopefully, you can go next time because they'd like to see you.
S: Love to go. Just need a little, little more
E: A little lead time. We have to plan a long time ahead for these things.
R: Especially the New Zealanders, because they didn't get to see the live show or anything last time.
S: We really want to go to New Zealand, but honestly, it's really the time off. Carving out that much time off in our schedule is really challenging.
R: So, yeah, it was, I had a blast. Possibly, my highlight, we went back to Waitomo Caves, where the glowworms are, and it was amazing.
B: Cool.
R: We went spelunking with inner tubes,
E: Wow.
R: And it was awesome.
J: All right, when you say "spelunking," like, how tight was it?
R: It wasn't that bad. There were some parts where, if you were claustrophobic you would have really had a bad time, but for the most part it was pretty easy. The reason why you carry the tubes for the most part though is because at one point it opens up and you can float down this underground river, and just like look up and see what looks like a galaxy of glowworms above you.
B: Oooh, wow.
R: It was really amazing.
J: Now is it true that they drop down, and they try to eat your face?
R: Yeah, no, they are carnivorous and they do eat people. They're at the top of their food chain. No. They actually don't have mouths wide enough to eat, the adults. So there's really no worry about that. Glowworms are, as our guide aptly pointed out, they're not worms, but glowmaggots doesn't get any tourists to the area. (laughter)
J: Glowmaggots. Oh, my god, that's so nasty.
R: Yeah, they're, technically, they're maggots, and they glow, and
S: They're the larval stage of the species.
R: Yeah.
J: Rebecca, like, when you're floating by, do they look down and go "You look delicious"?
(laughter)
E: Rebecca in Wonderland.
R: No, I don't think so. No, they have, each of them has a tiny thread coming down from it, and it uses that, it uses its light to attract bugs
J: Humans, yeah, and they float by on rafts.
R: Right. Yeah, but you should never get up and touch them or they'll eat you. They're one of the few species, I think, that eats its parents.
S: Um hmm.
E: Wow.
R: 'Cause the female lays the eggs, and then gets caught in the stickiness, I think, and eventually gets devoured by larva.
B: Mom and dad . . .
J: I think those monsters from Half Life that drop like a tentacle and pull you up and they eat you at the ceiling
R: Yeah, those are glowworms.
J: Those are pretty much rampant glowworms.
This Day in Skepticism (5:25)
- December 15, 1973 The American Psychiatric Association votes 13–0 to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders, the DSM-II.
News Items
Creationist Tactics (10:25)
Truth in Education (15:31)
Dawn of Life (22:10)
History of Cheese (28:28)
Quickie with Bob - Ocean Robots (37:29)
News Items Continued
Vampire Warning (29:31)
Who's That Noisy and Skeptical Puzzle (43:53)
- Answer to last week: Dr. Charles Crouthammer
- Puzzle: There are three boxes. One is labeled "CARROTS" another is labeled "CELERY". The last one is labeled "CARROTS AND CELERY". You know that each is labeled incorrectly. You may ask me to pick one vegetable from one box which you choose. How can you label the boxes correctly?
Interview with Joshie Berger (47:07)
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This section is in the middle of being transcribed by av8rmike (talk) as of {{{date}}}. To help avoid duplication, please do not transcribe this section while this message is displayed. |
Jewie or Fiction Item #1: The bible prohibits work/labor on the Sabbath, the day of rest. Religious Jewish define this prohibition very broadly and consider a multitude of tasks n simple actions to be considered 'work.' Among them the prohibition of 'separating,' defined as removing anything undesired from desired things. Examples of this would be filtering water or even picking out bones from fish before eating. This prohibition ultimately led to religious Jews creating the boneless popular dish called 'gefilte fish.' Item #2: Many things are prohibited for Jews to do during the Sabbath. Among them is carrying any item outdoors. This includes carrying home keys in your pockets or even pushing an infant in a stroller. To allow for such activities, Jews put up a string around their neighborhoods thus encircling it all and making it as if it was one large common area and things may be carried within its perimeter. Item #3: The bible, in efforts to restrict cruelty to animals, does not allow a farmer to muzzle his ox while threshing his field. The Talmud revered book of religious Jews, entertains a loophole for Jews to employ where farmers would have contracts drawn up with neighbors that would temporarily switch ownership of oxen during threshing. This would result in the farmer not muzzling his own animal but rather his neighbors animal thus not violating the biblical prohibition which says 'thou shalt not muzzle YOUR ox.' Item #4: The bible prohibits shaving ones face. While all religious Jewish abide by this biblical prohibition, non ultra orthodox Jews allow cutting/trimming ones beard. In recent times though, with the advent of electric shavers, the option of shaving is now available to religious Jews who do not wish to violate the biblical prohibition. The logic is that electric shavers employ a 2 blade cutting method which act like tiny scissors and are merely cutting the hair very short and not actually shaving it.
Science or Fiction (1:04:07)
Item number one. A new study finds that reducing dietary fat from a high fat diet can cause withdrawal symptoms of anxiety and food craving. Item number two. Researchers examining generic pharmaceuticals find that they frequently have significant chemical differences from the their brand-name version. And item number three. A new fossil analysis suggests that large multicellular creatures may have appeared on land prior to evolving in the sea.
Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:16:59)
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
George Bernard Shaw
References
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