The kids-are-scared-of-shopping-mall-Santas studies written by 2003 Ig Nobel Literature Prize winner (for publishing nearly 100 academic studies about things that annoy him) John Trinkaus have inspired, directly or indirectly, a new book of photographs called “Scared of Santa: Scenes of Terror in Toyland” by Denise Joyce and Nancy Watkins. Professor Trinkaus’s Santa research includes four […]
Year: 2008
Political Science Lesson: Economy of description
Political scientist BM writes: This headline from a [December 15, 2008] Reuters report tidily sums up the relationship between two of North America’s major nations: “U.S. anti-kidnap expert kidnapped in Mexico“
Research Challenge: Shoe-throwing
Today’s Research Challenge: Can you verify or disprove the following two claims made in a December 15, 2008 Reuters report? The claims: 1. “Throwing shoes at someone is the worst possible insult in the Arab world.” 2. “Al-Zaidi’s shoe is the most famous shoe in the whole world” [said Fawzi Akram, a Turkman lawmaker loyal […]
The gift that’s all wet, emphatically
Still stuck for a good holiday gift for that special someone who has water on the brain? Consider this hoodie, which Skymall describes as follows: Now you too can wear the shirts that Intuitives, Healers, yoga practitioners, Naturopathic Doctors, Reiki Masters, and others in touch with their energy have described as positively bursting with energy! […]