dimland radio 2-18-12 show notes

"Woolly Mammoth" Video Update

Turns out the typically blurry video of a "woolly mammoth" crossing a river somewhere in Siberia is a hoax. Oh, really? It is? Aw, shucks.

See the river part of the video here. It's in focus and there's a decided lack of mammoth or bear or any animal of any kind.

Whitney Houston, Tony Bennett, And Legalizing Drugs?

So, Whitney Houston died. Perhaps you've heard. I talked a bit about what I think of her talent. Although I appreciate it, Whitney's style of singing just isn't what I like.

Another singer whose talent I appreciate, but don't particularly care of is Tony Bennett. Hours after Whitney's death had been made public, Mr. Bennett called on his audience to push government for the legalization of drugs. He used the examples of Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and Whitney all dying drug and/or alcohol related deaths to help make his point. Only thing is none of his examples died of illegal drugs use. Nice try, Tony.

You can find Tony Bennett's statement here.

Ten Minute Topic With Chris Brown: Placebo Bands

The awesome Chris Brown

Believe it or don't, but this installment of TMT actually comes in at ten minutes! This time we talk about the satirical product, Placebo Band. It's the response of a couple of Australian skeptics to the popularity of the sham product Power Bands. There are several of these rubber bands with stickers that are supposed to help your balance and energy on the market. Placebo Band is actually honest about itself. It does nothing.

Chris brown is one of the North American distributors of Placebo Band and you can get you own here.

Indonesia: Not The Best Place For Atheists

Alexander Aan is an atheist living in Indonesia. He made atheistic comments on his Facebook page and people found out and attacked him, literally. He was arrested and faces five years in prison for not practicing one of five recognized religions in Indonesia: Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, or Confucianism.

Read more here about the "tolerant as long as you believe one of these five faiths" Indonesia.

Guest Correspondent For Stuck In The 80s

Can you guess who it was? Yep, it was me. Steve Spears is the brains behind the Stuck In The 80s podcast and blog and recently he asked if I could assist him on a blog project. A week or so prior to Valentine's Day he asked readers of the blog to submit their nominations for the best unromantic songs from the 80s. There was a good response with plenty of suggestions, but because Spears was so busy he asked me to rank the top 20 of the submitted songs.

It was my honor to help and you can find the list here. You can also subscribe to Stuck In The 80s on iTunes. It's free and fun, so why not check it out?

Movie Recommendation: Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

(Paramount Pictures)

Sergio Leone's great "spaghetti" western feature Henry Fonda playing against type as a particularly nasty villain. It's very epic entertainment.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Freak' by Bruce Foxton & 'Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)' by Talking Heads
Second ad break bumpers: 'How Soon Is Now' by The Smiths & 'I Would Die 4 U' by Prince
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 4-2-11 show notes

Living In Interesting Times

A little talk on the work situation and how it's been really stressful. It just seems as though the stuff is piling up sky high. But I still have a job (for now).

$280.00!

That new (new to us, it's a 2001) car just cost us about $280 dollars. Headlights needed adjusting, some light bulbs needed replacing, the rear window wiper needed attention. And an extra key that cost us $60 but it shouldn't have. Oh, well, you can't take it with you. Especially if you don't have it to begin with.

JREF's 2011 Pigasus Awards

When pigs fly!

Each year the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) awards people and organizations that promote pseudoscience, superstition, you know, woo. Click here to see this year's "winners".

It's Not True: Celebrities Die In 3s

Elizabeth Taylor, she was a hottie back in the day.

What constitutes a celebrity? How much time has to pass between deaths before you stop counting to three? So in March, we lost Elizabeth Taylor and Geraldine Ferraro. That's two, who's number three? I give a few suggestions.

Check out this site dealing with celebrity deaths.

iRenew Bracelets, Power Balance Bands, Placebo Bands: One Isn't BS

An honest product at a modest price.

The one that isn't BS is the Placebo Band. The other two claim to improve your balance, health, energy, etc. At best, what they provide is the placebo effect. The hucksters of these bands (excluding the honestly named and marketed Placebo Band) use tricks to convince you that the items work.

To see the tricks click here and here. To get your Placebo Band, which is much more affordable then the Power Balance bands ($60.00 Australian) or the iRenew bracelets (2 for $19.99 US) it will run you $2.00 (Australian).

Craig Ferguson Passes Off An Urban Legend As A True Story

Craig, how could you?

I wrote about this here and finally talked about it on the show.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ahead' by Wire
First ad break bumpers: 'Surfers Are Back' by The Barracudas & 'Love Is For Lovers' by The dB's
Second ad break bumpers: 'Lay All Your Love On Me' by Abba & 'Say Goodbye' by Hunters & Collectors
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! see you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com