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Clowns Reduce Pre-Surgery Anxiety in Children Who Are Clearly Not Paying Attention

Josh Clark — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:43:50 +0000

There are a few things I definitely wouldn't want to be the last thing I saw before I went under general anesthesia for an operation. I would say seeing Satan muttering behind his hand to his minions who then look at me and laugh scoffingly would really suck, especially if Satan says "See you soon," real casually as I am wheeled past on a gurney and I say, "What did you say?" and he says, "Nothing. Nothing." I wouldn't like that at all.

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A Fine Example of Why Local News is Dying

Josh Clark — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:20:13 +0000

There were some big, deep cuts in print newsrooms recently. USA Today, the Washington Times, Miami Herald and the New York Times have cut staff dramatically this year. While those outlets have managed to stay afloat for now, local newspapers have been going under altogether. While it's mainly been print media that's suffered the most, local TV affiliates have also been axing staff lately.

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Double Podcast Goodness: MAD Hostages Craving Pizza As They Die

Charles W. Bryant — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:15:21 +0000

Goodness gracious, folks - what a couple of weeks we've had here at Studio 1-A. I was out last week, so this week brings a double dose of SYSK goodness. Since it's super-sized, let's get right to it, shall we?

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Live Webcast – Watch it Right Here, Right Now

Charles W. Bryant — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:42:30 +0000

Hey there, folks. Thanks for tuning in this week. Joshers and I have some pure webcast goodness planned out and we hope you can all tune it to give it a look see. Enjoy, and let's hear from you - we'll respond to as many comments as we can, live on the air. It all goes down at 1 p.m. EST. Thanks for all the support, everybody! Check it out here:

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Great Scott! Science Uncovers Link between Depression and People who Fear Fear

Josh Clark — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:06:42 +0000

I hadn't heard of this before: anxiety sensitivity. I also can't think of too many worse conditions that don't involve substantial wounds. Anxiety sensitivity is a clinical condition where an individual suffers anxiety about anxiety. More succinctly, it's the fear of fear. Well you've pretty much lost at the start, haven't you?

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The Death of a Census Taker

Josh Clark — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:51:39 +0000

A guy named Bill Sparkman was looking for extra money when he took a job as a part-time census taker (called an enumerator, Chuck and I recently learned). It turns out that he was looking for a bit more than the $350 a week the Census Bureau paid him as a part-time temporary worker. He was looking for something more like a $600,000 pay off, not for himself, but for his son. Whom he'd named as the sole beneficiary to two life insurance policies he'd taken out before heading door to door in Clay County, Kentucky, where he'd been assigned.

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Podcast Goodness: Totem Poles and Odd Town Festivals

Charles W. Bryant — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:42:04 +0000

Good morning, SYSK Army. And isn't it a lovely morning? It sure is here in the ATL. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means some nice relaxation for yours truly, along with a few little house projects during my time off. You gotta have life balance, right? Enough about me, how about a little podcast goodness?

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Punkin Chunkin? What the Blarg?!?!

Charles W. Bryant — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:14:46 +0000

Hello folks - if you listen to the podcast then you've heard Dr. Clark and I mention this Science Channel show lately, something about pumpkins being flung through the air. The whole thing got me thinking about why humans like to fling things, or this case, chunk things. What is it about us that we'll put time and money into such a seemingly frivolous undertaking?

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Link between Creativity and Mental Illness Discovered (Again)

Josh Clark — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:49:07 +0000

Around 7:30 on the morning of Sunday, July 2, 1961, Earnest Hemingway went downstairs to the foyer of his home in Ketchum, Idaho, still clad in pajamas and robe, removed a 12-gauge shotgun from a rack near the front door, and shot himself in the head with it. Hemingway was 61 when he shot himself and he'd just been released after a two-month stint at the Mayo Clinic, where he'd been treated for severe depression. He followed in the footsteps of his father, who had shot himself at age 57.

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Reason No. 4,599,032,433 to Hate the Nazis: A Very Swastika Christmas

Josh Clark — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:45:54 +0000

Everybody hates the Nazis. Except, of course, neo-Nazis, and everybody else hates them too. The reasons are pretty much endless: the Holocaust, the horrific medical experiments, the ones who got away to Brazil and Alabama. Nazis are fun to hate, really. When else has there been a body of people so dedicated to such utterly despicable ideals? It's like it was totally lost on them, their future place as history's whipping post.

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