October 24, 2002
THE UGLY TRUTH
A University of Alberta professor is trying
to spread a branch of psychoanalysis called Lacanian theory,
which postulates that the ego is a creation of the
unconscious mind, and that we organize our lives and thoughts
in order to protect the ego from the reality that we are not
nearly as intelligent or attractive as we think we are. In a
presentation titled Half the People in This Room are Homelier
Than Average, Professor Doug Aoki explained that most of us
are living under the illusion that we are good looking and
reasonably smart, when, in fact (and by definition), most of
us are merely average. Aoki, who admits that he is only a
mediocre scholar, has drawn flack from his colleagues for his
insistence that even the academic world is full of
self-important egomaniacs. "Everyone [in the university] has
got a PhD," he explains, "you know damn well there are
brilliant people and there are idiots who have PhDs."
(Edmonton Journal)
WITH TIME OFF FOR GOOD POSTURE
Television producers in
Lithuania have launched the first ever Miss Captivity beauty
pageant, designed to find that country's most attractive
female inmate. 36 prisoners from the Panevezys Penal Labour
Colony's 1000 residents have already applied for the honour,
which is scheduled to begin on Nov. 15. "We'll attempt to
find beauty where you might think there is none," said
producer Arngask Valiants. "The prisoners are, after all,
women first and foremost." The winner will receive around 800
bucks (after she finishes her time) and get a week off from
working in the jail's sewing factory.
(Ananova)
SCARED STRAIGHT
An Israeli man suffered a heart attack after
hiring a call girl to his room while he was on a business
trip, only to find that the girl who arrived was his
daughter. After his recovery, the man returned home and told
his wife what has happened. She quickly filed for divorce,
and is on a mission to find her daughter and help her find a
new line of work.
(BBC)
EASY MONEY
The Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse website
(www.cala.com) is giving you the chance to vote for the
winner of the less-than-prestigious "Grand Caesar" award for
the most outrageously frivolous lawsuit of the year. The
award is named after Caesar Barber, the 272-pound New York
man who last July filed a lawsuit against four fast food
outlets for making him fat. The CALA website has narrowed
down the field to six finalists which include a couple who
are suing Air Canada for $15 million for losing their cat,
and a 240-pound woman who sued a Jazzercise company for
discrimination after they didn't give her a job as an
instructor.
BIG FAT LIES
Big surprise. A study just finished by the
Federal Trade Commissino found that diet ads and commercials
are full of lies. The report concluded that about 40 per cent
of weight-loss ads made statements which were outright lies,
and 55 per cent of the ads made at least one statement which
could not be backed up by any scientific research. The study
also found that deceptive advertising has increased
dramatically over the last decade and that testimonials and
before-and-after photos "rarely portrayed realistic weight
loss."
(unknowncountry.com)
I GOT RIPPED OFF WHEN I LOST MY VIRGINITY
City officials in
Mattapan, Massachusetts have towed away a beat-up old
abandoned school bus which high school kids had been using as
a flophouse for drug use and prostitution. Authorities claim
that the bus was used by teenage boys who were paying $3 to
lose their virginity to drug-addicted prostitutes.
(Boston
Herald)
YOU KNOW WHERE YOU CAN STICK THIS JOB
1,000 people in
Beijing just spent 18 days cleaning up over 600,000 lumps of
gum stuck to the pavement of Tiananmen Square. (UPI)
Go to:
FREE EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION TO CURIOUS TIMES
BACK TO TOP
CURIOUS LINKS
Copyright 2002 by Andreas Ohrt
Email:aohrt@hotmail.com
Website:www.curioustimes.com