₦airaland Forum

^^ I see you added more text to your initial post. For the rest of your comment, if you're serious about your claim about wanting to take up the challenge, I'll be looking forward to that. Keep us posted.

ghostofsparta: Only if you knew, you would only feel sorry for Africans for what Euro-Arab did to them, aside from thousands of years of Euro-arab slavery and influence, aside from the unearthed fact that science and civilization began here, we had our cultures and traditions devastated, corrupted and redefined to fit what the thought-process of so many like you now regurgitates after years of brainwashing and conditioning.

You assume that anyone that challenges your claims is automatically a theist? Dude, you're preaching to the choir. lol. Indeed I am very much aware of what the Euro-Arab did to you guys and I fully sympathize, as the effect still ripples on till date, as evident on this thread. While some of you have been able to shake off the religions they imposed on you, people like you are still stuck on the pathetic superstitions as a means to demonstrate your rebellion, and to prove that you're still very much "African". Unfortunately for you, holding on to superstitious beliefs doesn't make you more African than the rest who don't. It simply makes you completely uninformed and unable to engage your mind critically and productively.

ghostofsparta: I'm sorry to say but you are a source of shame, so the Koreans (Samsung) and Japanese (Sony) whose phones and electronics you religionists hopeless use are not educated and so, are undergoing backwardness since they are pagans/traditionalists/polytheists?

Stupid analogy. And sorry to burst your bubble, the Koreans and Japanese are hardly religious. More than half of the citizens in both countries - which is what we call the majority - do not subscribe to any religions whatsoever. Perhaps, that's why they're able to think more clearly and produce these wonderful things that no African country can currently boast of.

ghostofsparta: First of all, never you nor anyone label me, I haven't claimed to be the “great custodian of voodoo/jazz/juju” you presumed me to be. I'm a researcher and an A'theist (Aborisha Theist). Secondly, this isn't a thread were the effect of various jujus are tested as you falsely thought. This is a thread I created to challenge 'Billyonaire' and any of those religionists who have and still maintain that there's nothing like YAS/juju where there is Jesus or Jeovah God.

You're such a clown. You call yourself a researcher? And you're writing a book? I presume that book will be for sale, right? lmao. You're just a bloody charlatan looking to prey on the already vulnerable minds of gullible Nigerians who will be buying into whatever bullshit you'll concoct in that book of yours. If you are confident in your juju abilities, take up the challenge I posted earlier and stop making noise on this forum. You have nothing to lose - you will be famous, more people will subscribe to your beliefs, and you will be a million dollar richer. Come on, do it if you dare!

coputa: You seem to be blinded by the fictional books written by europeans....i have worked with multi-national companies who uses African traditional religion to protect their investment...the whites believes in it and they practice it... science which you claimed to be better than our natural endowment is the whitemans ways of working in harmony with nature.....the reasons why Africa is still lagging behind is because we still look up and listen to the whitemans fairy tales....they came to Africa,brainwashed people like you,destroyed our cultural values.,replaced them with their old version.....i am not suprised,it wil certainly take time for us to find the right part.,

wiegraf is right, you can't make this $hit up. You just can't.

lepasharon: @ghostofsparta what about a certain jazz where they watch someone thru a mirror and stab it then the person dies..that one scares me o

lol... too much Nollywood.

More:

The magical mission began with an informal show at the Bab Azoun Theatre in Algeria, where he would give performances twice weekly. He also gave many special galas before the country's tribal chiefs. He used The Light and Heavy Chest during these performances, but instead of playing it for comedy as he had in Paris, here he played it straight. Robert-Houdin once invited the strongest tribesman on stage and asked the Arabian to pick up the wooden chest placed on stage. The Arabian picked it up with no problem. Then Robert-Houdin announced that he was going to sap his strength. He waved his wand and declared, "Contemplez! Maintenant vous êtes plus faible qu'une femme; essayez de soulever la boîte." ("Behold! Now you are weaker than a woman; try to lift the box." ) The Arabian pulled on the handle of the chest, but it would not budge. He tried and tried until he tried to rip it apart. Instead, he screamed in pain, as Robert-Houdin had rigged the box to give the Arabian an electrical shock if he tried to rip the handles off. The Arabian let go of the handle, ran off into the aisle, and ran screaming out of the theatre.

After his performances were done, he gave a special presentation for several chief men of their tribe. He was invited to the home of the head of the tribe of the desert interior, Bou-Allem. In dawn of the Arab desert, Robert-Houdin was challenged to do a special trick. He obliged by inviting one of the rebels to shoot at him with a marked bullet, which he caught between his teeth. He was given a certificate from Bou-Allem, who wore a red robe symbolizing his loyalty to France. With this scroll praising his mysterious manifestations, Robert-Houdin went back to France with the mission accomplished.

[size=14pt]"The blow was struck," Robert-Houdin said, "...henceforth the interpreters and all those who had dealings with the Arabs received orders to make them understand that my pretended miracles were only the result of skill, inspired and guided by an art called prestidigitation, in no way connected with sorcery."[/size] He went on to say, "The Arabs doubtless yielded to these arguments, for henceforth I was on the most friendly terms with them." He was rewarded for his services of the French government by suppressing any possible rebellion.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Eug%C3%A8ne_Robert-Houdin#The_magical_mission

jayriginal: [size=18pt]I suggest you read about Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. Please note his contribution in the Algerian war.[/size]

Never expect these jazz-believing folks to follow this kind of suggestion. If they're the types that read, they wouldn't believe in voodoo/juju/jazz in the first place. Indeed, many of the so-called "jazz" scenarios that FOLYKAZE and his ilk have inundated us with on this thread are nothing but illusions that have been performed 2 centuries ago by a certain Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. Yet, over 200 years later, in this supposed age of enlightenment, my African brethren are still beating their chests, confidently assuring dogmatic "retards" and "fools" like us that all these things are supernatural. For the sake of the African continent and indeed, humanity, I'll post his exploits here as seen in Wikipedia:


Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (December 6, 1805 – June 13, 1871) was a French magician. He is widely considered the father of the modern style of conjuring.
===
Major achievements

The Arabs of Algeria were said to be excited to rebel against French colonialists by miracles performed by their religious leaders. In 1856, Napoleon III's Second French Empire sent Robert-Houdin there, hoping that he might perform tricks that were far more impressive, thereby dissolving the excitement of the rebels. Robert-Houdin's tricks, it is said, succeeded in breaking up the influence of the mullahs. Moreover, the Arabs became afraid of Robert-Houdin. [size=14pt]In one trick, he allowed an Arab to shoot at him with a marked bullet, but instead of killing him, the bullet was found between his teeth. After that, they believed he could do anything.[/size] Robert-Houdin was not the first illusionist to perform the bullet catch, and many since him have adapted their own version of the effect.

He used another famous trick to prove that French magic was stronger than local shamanism techniques: [size=14pt]he presented an empty box with an iron bottom that anyone could lift. By turning on an electro-magnet hidden under the floor, he made it immovable, "proving" that through will power, he could make it impossible to lift for the strongest Algerian warriors.[/size] He found the trick was more impressive not when he claimed that he could make the trunk heavy, but when he claimed he could make the strong man too weak to lift a trunk that even a small child could lift.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Eug%C3%A8ne_Robert-Houdin#Major_achievements

lol. I really feel sorry for Africa and Africans in general whenever I see claims like this. So much backwardness in one continent, it's unbelievable. The sad part of it all is that virtually all of you are supposedly educated.

While you great custodians of voodoo/jazz/juju are busy challenging yourselves over how effective your various jujus are, over a mere N10,000 bet, there is much more prize money to be won if you really can demonstrate these claims in a controlled environment. Millions of dollars! And yes, it's for real. Be warned though, for decades now, not a single one of thousands all over the world has been successful. All of them are just as convinced, if not more, as you are of their "great powers". Maybe they haven't heard of you great Nigerian voodoo specialists yet. You guys should really learn to sell yourselves.

List of prizes for evidence of the paranormal:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prizes_for_evidence_of_the_paranormal

The most popular of them all (and I think it's the one with the most money) is the James Randi One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge. Here: http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html. For 40 solid years now, not a single soul in the whole world has successfully proven the supernatural to claim this money. Here's your time to shine, oga GhostOfSparta. Go international and stop forming local champion here. E fit be you oooo!

coputa: I decide to join this thread,in order to correct some childish and ignorant posts i read.....there are indeed supernatural occurrences in the lives of humans as they (man) were created by the creator and must abide by the rules governing the universe..,your disbelief does not change it....for example,whenever a fire fly perches on me on my way home it means,there is a visitor in my house,or when i wear the back of my shirt on my way out of the house,this also signifies that i must be paid money that day....... science is a mere trial and error which the white scientist put together to hoodwink the blacks. As 80% of scientific postulations were not verify by the blacks,they push their theories down our throat and give them foreign names....they undermine our progress and devlopment... this has also given rise to all forms of exploitations.,...they will come here to buy traditional African deity (gods) take them to the west and use the powers to see into the astra planes and ,bring out physical discoveries for their benefits... It is time for us to harness these natural gifts.

You really shouldn't have wasted your time joining this thread. You only succeeded in further stinking up the whole joint along with your voodoo-believing brethren.

You all claim voodoo/juju/jazz works, yet, NOT a single one of you can DEMONSTRATE its efficacy without resorting to stories about some baba in your village or some OPC that chested bullets, or demanding that doubters come to your area to see for themselves. You people are beginning to bore me.

@bolded: Yours is a mindset that is sadly prevalent in the entire African continent. When we have the majority who hold the conviction that science is a "mere" trial and error that is used to "hoodwink" blacks, is there any wonder then why Africa is the most backward continent in the whole world? I don't even know how to respond properly to this drivel. I'm vigorously shaking my head for you.

FOLYKAZE: @ Purist
You can make it happen. I want that money, I will share some with you.

Good, now we're getting somewhere.

1. Read the rules and guidelines here: http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge/challenge-faq.html

2. Download the application form here: http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge/challenge-application.html

Good luck!

^^ lol, a video can still be edited, like the "evil bird" video. I want him to chop some cool dollars to boot.

FOLYKAZE: Let me tell you one secret. For every original thing, there is fake or we got mimic which are not real. Im not arguing this things cant be faked or those you witnessed aint fake. But on the other side of the fake, there is original. Only those that seek for it find it. I remember a yoruba saying 'ai rin ni ko jẹ ka ri abuke ọkẹrẹ, ti a ba rin ji nna, ao ri ẹja ti o yaarọ.

From the way you sound, I can almost tell the kind of person you are already. You're one of those people that would tell another person, "forget it, I KNOW what I'm talking about" with so much assurance, even when spewing complete bullocks. First of all, this no "secret". Stop trying to induce mystic talks to cajole me into believing your bullshit. Secondly, a trick is not a fake; a trick is simply a trick -- there is no other end of any spectrum that would render one either fake or original. Don't try to depict an "either-or" situation here because there is none. If there is a trick performed, it simply means that what is being depicted is impossible to execute in reality. Hence, the reason why you are being cleverly tricked into believing, using various natural methods.

FOLYKAZE: People like you will say Ifa priest are fake and tricksters. But the problem you guys have is that you have not done critical investigation but follows every thing that works with belief. Though we have the fake ones like babalawo and all the fake juju men. But I have met Ifa priest that tell everything about me even when we are meeting for the first time. This same man will tell you your problem without you informing him. We got lot of them in the country but the fake ones have destroyed their dignity.
I have met both fake and original Ifa priest. The fact is not that you sit in which ever country you are and tell us that this thing at home is fake.

Dude, I spent a substantial amount of my life in Nigeria so I can very much relate with all you're saying. As a matter of fact, I schooled in the very superstitious town of Ile-Ife, which means that I have heard even more fantastic stories than all you have written here. On the contrary, you are the one not doing enough critical thinking. You are simply being wowed by things that have perfectly natural explanations, but you haven't bothered to investigate because you just WANT to believe they're indeed supernatural. See, we all get wowed from time to time when we see things that do not conform to our everyday experience. However, you should learn to engage your mind critically and try to UNDERSTAND what makes that thing seem the way it is. As jayriginal submitted earlier, if you are unable to get an explanation, or you fail to understand it at that moment, you should file it under "unresolved", and NOT "supernatural". Trust me, there's always an explanation. Always! No matter how extraordinary that experience might seem.

The Ifa priest that allegedly told you everything about yourself used a common technique employed by psychics and mentalists, known as Cold Reading. Read about it. There's nothing supernatural about that at all.

FOLYKAZE: On the issue of gun and skin bullet proof, It up to you. Just take the challenge too like mazaje does. Im Atheist like you and will continue to say that these things happening which is not understood but confirmed by me can also be confirm by you. Writing trickish theory is not the issue here, the real fact is get your gun and confirm things out.

I have promised to record the scene and upload it here. You either shoot or watch the thing happening. Writing stuff here wont change the fact. Take it or leave it.

OR I WILL GIVE YOU THE OPTION OF MAGUN. I dont know what you people call it in English, I will give you tight gal (olosho), I will set the product on her myself and you go in with her. You are allowed to use condom or any s.ex style. You will know what the result will be. So as not to die, you will drink the gal urine. You can bet on this.

And if you are married, I will give the option of hit and fall. I promise to get 20 litre of water which you will drink cuz that will be the only remedy.

Or the option of stopping your car engine from working. You can drive it down. I promise it wont move an inch unless dragged away from the scene.

Pick up any challenge you got there. South-west is big but can still make it anywhere therein.

Lol, you've got jokes, mate. I sincerely would have loved to take you up on any of your challenges here, with independent observers around, on a neutral ground we both agree on. Unfortunately, I am not afforded the time or means to undergo that whole process with you just yet. Don't worry, mazaje will expose all those frauds soon. I trust him.

By the way, so you mean that you are able to do all of these things, or you know people who can, and you haven't invited the James Randi foundation to claim your $1 million yet? In case you're not aware, there has been this huge prize money since 1964 for anyone who can prove or demonstrate the existence of the supernatural. It's called the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge. Guess what? Many people like you have come forward with various claims and have tried to DEMONSTRATE these so-called powers in a controlled environment -- over 1000 people in 40 years. Needless to say, every single one of them has failed spectacularly.

Now don't tell me you don't need the money. Even if you don't need it, you still stand a lot to gain by successfully CONVINCING the whole world that the supernatural or paranormal exists. At least, people like me will then be able to shut up for good. Come on, give it a try if you're so sure of yourself.

Emusan: This thread is really interesting;
Freethinker vs atheist.
Who we win?

I don't want to comment before but seen your quoted post make me comment.

Somebody said a skinny boy "whenever the spirit came upon him, he will begin to do unusual things i.e carry heavy things. Yet you said "He sick and need to be taking care of"

How do you define your own sick?
I mean if someone sick.

From that guy's story, the Skinny Kid, I suspect, had/has a severe case of autism or Asperger's syndrome. People with either one of these conditions exhibit most of the behaviours he described, including carrying heavy stuffs. And yes, while these conditions have no permanent treatments yet, they can be managed properly through medications and therapies. Skinny Kid needed to see a doctor, not a bunch of Alfas reciting ineffective Quranic verses to his ears.

I'm beginning to tire out. Since this thread hit the front page, it's been really difficult keeping up with the numerous nonsense flying in left, right and centre. I really hope that some people here have learned one or two things from our posts explaining those things they think are voodoo. I leave the rest to you guys now: jayriginal, dare2think, mazaje, musKeeto et al.

I'll continue to monitor this thread and chip in when I think my input is required. Cheers.

mazaje: I am going to shoot the person on his leg, he will stay about 2 meters from me and I will use my own gun. . .An under taking MUST be taking so that I don't get arrested for shooting a person uncessarily. .The person MUST agree to it and sign the undertaking. . .I am VERY serious about this and will carry it out, if you are interested I will invite you over as well if you have the tie and if you happen to be in Nigeria. . .

Unfortunately, I won't be visiting Nigeria this summer. I'd very much love to personally record the whole thing and upload the video here on Nairaland so that these people will stop inundating us with falsehoods.

AMvanquish: Hmmmm! Read some pointers here. Some have really been some food for thought. But i'd like to share an experience with y'all i had back in my high school days. Prior to that incident some 13-15 years ago, if any one would come n tell me about anything supernatural then; i would just shove ur story in the trash can. i am a"facts" n "seeing is believing type".
Back in school, there was this skinny kid;2 years my senior. Skinny kid then @ d time used to experience bouts of spiritual attack. He would be normal on most occasions and just like that his mood would change. His eyes would go red like suffering from appolo as we used to call it. His voice would change and become coarse. And someone would be speaking through that voice. Skinny Kid had this occurence rarely and when it happens, sometimes gets very restless and our alfa's then among us would get their Qur'an and start reading scriptures blasting away. The effect of the alfa's reading to him i never really knew. I used to feel this skinny kid just needed a good slap to come back to his senses. Moving on, we used to have this luggage room where our heavy luggage was locked away in during weekdays, only opened on weekends to guard against theft from thieving students. This Lug room was bound by two Iron roads being held by a concrete wall which when locked forms an "X" shape with 2 massive padlocks @ d tail ends. We had like four lug rooms @ d tym . Hmmm! On this particular day, Coming back frm skool, entered d hostel and about to enter my room. I chose to wait for a friend on the corridor when i spotted other students running out of the last two rooms on the floor. On a quick inquiry, i was told skinny kid was having another fit and was flinging everything in sight with much ease. They said he was flinging heavy stuff that normally he wouldnt be able too. I laughed it off as a joke, only for skinny kid to appear on the same corridor and move towards the closest lug room and pull out one of the rods out of the wall with extra tooo very much ease. when i saw what happened at dat moment, i now realized this was more serious than i had ever thot. Imaginge a burglar proof on your window being pulled out one time very easily from a freaking concrete wall. Dudes that were 4 times his size back then had used every trick in d book to get that lug room opened by all means neccessary to no avail countless times. And here is some skinny kid just comes and pulls it out like he is plucking mangoes. No one had to tell me to use my legs and bail like others. I dont use glasses and my eyes are preety damn good. I know what i saw and what i saw is def not normal. Where did skinny kid get that kind of physical prowess just like that! the rods were bound to the wall well and no cracks or anything! he held it like some javelin he about to throw! Because that cannot be pulled out by 1 or 2 0r 3 peeps, i mean huge peeps sef! Im not the only witness to that. It was just unbelievably freakin crazy how that could happen. We still refer to it as that "Hercules Moment" when me and old pals go down memory lane. So the supernatural for me def exists... Think what you like but i know what my eyes saw that day and that no be film trick... lie lie

smh. Here's your point in a nutshell:

1. I witnessed something I had never seen before in my life.
2. This thing I witnessed was so strange, I couldn't explain it.
3. Therefore, it is supernatural.

It's funny how for those of you who claim, "I never believed in these things, until I witnessed so and so with my own eyes", the things you claim changed your minds are no different from the very same things you supposedly used to dismiss as nonsense. This is indeed a pointer to how fragile our minds are as humans, and how much tendency we possess to lean towards mysticism when faced with uncertainty and fear.

Dude, indeed the things you saw were no film trick, but guess what? NONE of what you described suggests anything supernatural. What you just described above seems like the typical case of an individual with either Autism or Asperger's syndrome. People with these conditions are known to exhibit impulsive behaviours and abrupt mood swings. Those with Asperger's especially, are often known to have bipolar disorders. In more severe cases, these syndromes are accompanied by bouts of epilepsy and sleeplessness. This could explain the red eyes. As for the change in voice, many people suffering from Autism and Asperger's are known to mimic different voices, often times uncontrollably. There's no "someone" speaking through their voice, it's just a sorry condition they have to live with. Regarding his "Hercules moment", some of these people have also been observed to have unusual physical strengths, despite looking frail.

That Skinny Kid had no "spiritual attacks", he was just a poor sick boy who needed lots of CARE.

Bearshare:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ft0RjJmTSo

Not again please! I posted the explanation of this trick on this forum 3 years ago, but for your sake and others', I'll post it again. Here you go:


There are two basic methods ,
1) Clothes are designed for fast removal
2) They are not removed but drop (flap down) to reveal the garment underneath and the inside of the lowered part.

It's a combination of these that makes it complicated, together with the fact that they are specially designed, very very light stage costumes in silk so that when you start with say 10 layers on it appears normal.

An example of each method:

1) The clothes are not buttoned or zipped , would take way too long. They have loop and eye fixings and these are held together with a thread that runs through the paired up loops. The thread simply need fast removal and the clothes fall of, drop down... whatever. The fastest 'hands free' removal is to have a 'ring' on the top of the thread and this is hooked over something on the 'cover' i.e. the umbrella, screen, sheet etc and when you walk away or this is removed it pulls the thread and gravity does the rest. (Note; lead shot in hems would make it drop faster!)

2) Imagine a dress with the top half is a different colour on the inside and you wear a matching top underneath. If the top is separated at the shoulders, it can now flap downwards and become the skirt , showing the inside colour and the new top. Instant change.

Combine several of these to change designs, sleeves no sleeves, high neck, low neck , and that's it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For the glitter trick, they most likely used a technology where the clothes are made with either LCD sensors or small triggers that work like human muscles. For the LCD, a person offstage could simply signal the outfit to change color and design. With the muscle-like triggers, clothes can either be released or--more commonly--draw up or down to give the illusion of a different piece of clothing.

Link: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Magic-Illusion-2221/Quick-change-magic-trick.htm


Original post: https://www.nairaland.com/505643/sagamite-lets-discuss-agnostic-deism/1#6730384

FOLYKAZE: I have watched people eating Iron in on Gunniess record. But this im saying about gun is very sure. I witnessed it seeing guys shouting themselves so as to test this voodoo. Mazaje might say that the gun used is empty bullet gun which just make loud sound. But this same gun was used to kill a goat. The goat was torn into pieces. Im not arguing that it supernatural. Only that I cant explain how this thing work. Like we have the bullet proof vest, this can be seem to be supernatural if not fully understand when compared to those hell weight bullet proof jacket used by our policemen. I dont care about your or anybody's money. If you want prove about this, come straight down to Ondo. Or make any arrangement where we can meet in south west, and you shoot which ever gun you come with. The option you going to have is either the gun wont penetrate the skin, or the gun will stop working when you point it to your target (whenever you turn it to something else, it will work fine again), or the gun burst and hit you from the back. I dare you this

@bolded: Therein lies the trick, and indeed, it's one of the oldest tricks in the book. The first "jazz" test is done with a real bullet on a poor animal to convince observers that what they are about to see is for real. The gun usually only contains just that ONE bullet. When the time comes to test the "jazz" on a real person, they shoot with blanks. Now note this: If someone is randomly selected from the crowd of observers to wear the jazz or shoot the gun, that random person was really not chosen "randomly" -- he/she is a part of the show. If there are other observers with their own guns to test and the "jazz" still seems to work, believe me, they are ALL a part of the charade.

If mazaje is really serious about your challenge, you are only going to get a foolish man killed. I very much would love for this to be tested and the video recorded as evidence, but I just cannot bear the thought that someone will die in this whole exercise. Unless mazaje chooses to shoot him where he's likely to survive, that's somewhat cool by me.

Really, I wholly recommend that you guys watch the movie "The Prestige" and learn how great magicians and illusionists are able to completely deceive people right in front of them, that they would leave those people SWEARING that what they just saw is beyond natural.

Miss Ope: I saw it with my eyes too ooo.... That faithful day ,, the guy was axed but there was no penetration however there were scars around his body.. Chai

The axe did not penetrate, yet he had scars on his body. Are you even listening to yourself?

jayriginal:

If he had read the thread, he would have seen that I mentioned Michel Lotito earlier on. There used to be this DVd I had, "The Magic of Las Vegas". One of the series featured a woman eating glass and walking on glass as well. Then there are coal walkers (the science behind that is well known).

Well, if not for you, I'd have borrowed a leaf from Mazaje and I'd have told him to bring his friend for a comprehensive stabbing

Crocs and gators can be stabbed so . . .

Bros I tire o. As someone rightly suggested earlier, Nigerians should start spending less time on Linda Ikeji's blog and start doing more productive things on the Internet instead. YouTube is free to use FFS! Tons of educative videos there. But no, they'd rather watch two Kenyan love birds get stuck into each other to further validate their belief in "magun". Imagine someone pointing to TB Joshua as "proof" of the supernatural. smh.

[quote author=Missy_B]Stop frowning! [/quote]That kiss alone has brightened my night and tomorrow night join.

Toluwarni: Lest I forget... A friend of mine, when I was In Junior school, ate coca-cola 33cl Bottle, right in front of all of us.. I was so shocked, he used to be a tout then, his body was like a rock, He could not be stabbed.. If you try to stab him, the knife will just bounce.. And now, he's a born again Christian... How do you explain that??

Dude, I'll reply you only this one time just for the sake of others reading this thread, seeing as I'm failing to heed my own advice now. First of all, google "Michel Lotito". Secondly, read up on the disorders called "Pica" and "Hyalophagia". I sincerely hope this satisfies your curiousity and most importantly, that you LEARN something. You can thank me later.

Oh and about the stabbing thingy, stop telling lies please.

@jayriginal:

Bro, I'd suggest you stop wasting your time with some people here, especially seeing as this thread has hit the front page now. Therefore, you should expect all manners of absurdities henceforth.

Re: musKeeto

bolaino: well I have watched the youtube videos where he explains how he does his levitation.......

and If I might ask if you're criss angel, and u can really levitate and you're using it to make money, would u expose your secret to the world? What I think is the explanation being given by criss angel is to try to make what he does look logical so that people like us freethinkers won't start asking questions that he would'nt want to answer, that's my two cents,

Criss Angel makes money from stage shows, TV shows, DVDs, etc. Magicians/illusionists generally make money by entertaining the public. Revealing his tricks would not necessarily undermine the source of his wealth. On the contrary, revealing his tricks most probably endears him even further to the public. It is a strategy that the likes of Houdini and Randi employed successfully, as the public tend to appreciate even more the ingenuity of magic performed when the methods are revealed. Of course, the illusion/magic has to be very original and breathtaking for such cleverness to be fully appreciated. That's what makes the likes of Criss Angel stand out, as he doesn't merely recycle old tricks, but invents new ones as well. That way, even when the public "know" that his new illusion is a trick, they're still curious about HOW he did it. Basically, he makes money by wowing people. And that's why these guys put in enormous efforts perfecting their craft, and the methods are only usually revealed after they must have made a substantial amount of money from that trick. You should see the movie, The Prestige.

Also, you should note that there are some underlying ethical issues governing the practice of magic/illusions. Honest magicians/illusionists are generally careful not to pass off their illusions as something that it is not. See the last line in that Criss Angel quote. The actual magic is being able to skillfully deceive people using absolutely natural methods. It is meant to be a testament to the performer's uncanny ability to do the "impossible". This consideration of ethics is why Criss Angel had a show called Phenomenon, Penn and Teller have a show called Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, and James Randi has a One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge - all of these to bust charlatans that claim to have supernatural powers. Interestingly, these fellows, with the exception of Criss Angel, also happen to be atheists.

jayriginal: Ok check. We are waiting.

Purist!!!

I see you bro

Bros, I hail o!

Here, we have a "freethinker" who strongly believes that Criss Angel has supernatural powers. Even when shown videos explaining the tricks, he insists - in the face of contrary evidence - that some of the more incredible stuff are actually supernatural. Is there any wonder then why this same "freethinker" is convinced that bullet-proof jazz is real, and that whoever dismisses it as the nonsense that it is, is "dogmatic"?

By the way, here's a direct quote from Criss Angel himself:

"No one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with Phenomenon. If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust them live and on television. That's what Houdini did for more than half of his life, because those people prey on the vulnerable."

Source: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0710/30/lkl.01.html

Again, we have another clown who believes that "african bullet-proof" is real, but is unwilling to volunteer himself to demonstrate its efficacy because it supposedly contradicts his faith. Yet, the same clown has no problem being a third party in the demonstration exercise anyway.

You've got to wonder why no human being on earth has been able to claim the James Randi prize money in its 40 years of existence (along with others like it), considering the plethora of claims about this so-called supernatural, particularly on the African continent (which, surprise surprise, also happens to be the most backward continent in the universe). I guess the reason for this is self-evident.

Not sure if this should be in Fashion or Health section. I'll post it here anyways.
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A French doctor recruited 330 women in order to debunk the theory that bras can keep breasts from sagging.

Women have been wearing undergarments to support their breasts for years — as far back as ancient Greece. From corsets and backless brassieres to the modern elastic bra, these items have been indispensable parts of most women's wardrobe. But new research claims that bras are anything but uplifting.

The study incited an international debate when a French professor performed a 15-year research on the evolution of the bra-less breast.

Jean-Denis Rouillon, a professor at University of Besançon in France, authored a study stating that women are better off not wearing bras. They are scientifically unnecessary, and, in fact, could be hazardous to breast health, leading to sagging breasts and increased back pain.

The study involved 330 females between the ages 18 and 35, out of which 50 were asked to not wear bras. They all volunteered to have their anatomies measured and examined for any changes to orientation using a slide rule and caliper.

"Medically, physiologically, anatomically — breasts gain no benefit from being denied gravity, Rouillon told France Info radio. "On the contrary, they get saggier with a bra."

Specifically, he showed that without a bra, the nip.ple climbs back up by 7 mm in a year, while the breast overall get firmer and stretch marks begin to fade. He said that by the time a woman hits 25 while wearing the bra, the breasts begins to sag.

One 28-year-old woman identified as "Capucine" participated in Rouillon's study and said she hasn't worn a bra for two years and could attest to the results.

"There are multiple benefits: I breathe more easily, I carry myself better, and I have less back pain," Capucine told France Info.

Back pain has been long associated with heavier breasts and the incorrect bra support. Proper posture is also essential to back health, whether going bra-less or wearing on the undergarment.

Rouillon expressed his belief that culture is at fault for making women believe a bra is required. Nonetheless, he recommends some women to not throw away their bras over this finding.

"It would be of no benefit to a 45-year-old mother to stop wearing a bra," he said.

The modern bra was patented to Mary Phelps Jacob, a socialite who created an undergarment for one of her evening gowns. Its popularity arose during World War I when women decided they needed a device that would be practical to wear in the workforce.

Source: http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/14629/20130411/bras-make-breasts-saggier-french-doctor-women.htm

More: http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/11/france-debates-the-merits-of-the-bra/

donlyone: @ Purist. Since you know alot about scientific explanations, can you tell us why many researches caried out in the past approved certain things, eg foods and drugs, as good for consumption, but some years down the line are discovered to very harmful to health.

Tell us also, in the case of Cocacola where the company researchers say their product is good for health, whereas, other researshers say it is not, who is wrong since both researches were documented.

I don't believe in superstitions but I know what happened to me.

If you consider it very well you will notice that SCIENCE itself is becoming a religion, afterall, many of its assumptions and ideology are taken on faith and recorded as facts in the face of evidense to the contrary, from EVOLUTION to theories on the age of the earth.

AND LIKE MOST RELIGIONS SCIENCE IS POSITIONING ITSELF TO ERADICATE THE REST. Its theories are always aimed at proving their is no God, and that it has answers to/for evrything. And at some point people will look to scientists the way you look to God. If that happens, then MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

wiegraf already delivered an excellent response above, but I'll only add that contrary to your claim, science does NOT concern itself with proving or disproving the existence of any deities. Science also does NOT claim to have answers to everything. I wonder where you got that from. Claiming to to have all answers or to know everything would be bordering on the same dogmatic approach that has been the bane of religion for centuries.

Science is simply a tool that is used to help understand our world better. Science observes, tests and goes a step further to replicate results just to be certain. If then, the reality that science presents contradicts your cherished beliefs, that is no fault of science, and is no indicator that science is out to destroy the things you hold dear. After all, a good number of scientists are religious themselves. If the evidence that science presents appears to negate the things you have always believed, it simply means that something is wrong with your beliefs and you should duly re-examine them.

I understand that this part is usually the most difficult for most people to accept because it appears to "insult" our intelligence when we're proven wrong. We have this "what do you mean I've always been wrong?" feeling. That thought of knowing we have always believed nonsense tends to bruise our ego. But it should not be so, it should be seen as something positive and we should be thankful that we now know better. Most of us have believed absurdities at one point or the other in our lives, so it's nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately, most people are unable to face this reality, especially if those beliefs are what have formed their worldview over the years. They then automatically become defensive by dismissing the scientific evidence, just because they cannot afford to bear the thought that they have always been on the wrong side. There is no problem with not knowing, but choosing to remain ignorant can only be your fault.

"The sin which is unpardonable is knowingly and wilfully to reject truth, to fear knowledge lest that knowledge pander not to thy prejudices." ― Aleister Crowley

The players with the best win percentages (20+ games) at all 45 teams to play in the PL.

https://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/753969614.png

http://twitpic.com/cgw6oe

Although he hasn't played so many games yet, it's still interesting to observe that Cleverley has the highest win percentage (87%) on that list. I believe this is no mere coincidence, but instead lends more credence to coogar's argument that United tend to win more games with him on the pitch (in his preferred midfield role of course). Those that claim that Cleverley brings nothing to our midfield may want to have a rethink.

This thread oozes so much ignorance, it's unbelievable. With the myriad of threads on Nairaland discussing sleep paralysis already, one would expect that most people would be more informed by now. It's funny to see how many people are so quick to label it a "white man's explanation", especially those that are so "sure" that the scientific explanation is "rubbish" just so they can continue to hang on desperately to their ridiculous superstitions.

Even if we were to accept the "demon/witchcraft pressing" explanation for a moment, the logical thing to do would be to question the intent of this demon or witch. Why would a demon press you at all? And why only while you are asleep? Why not, for instance, when you're driving as someone asked previously? After all, it will be far easier to kill you that way. Or why doesn't it simply slit your throat as you sleep? Or suffocate you? Why just temporarily prevent you from physically getting up? These demons must be really bored, in which case, there's no cause for alarm.

Now about mystery marks - that's a first for me (amazing the kind of things people imagine in their heads). Thankfully, musKeeto et al have given very sound explanations for that. This reminds me of what happened to me just 2 days ago. I was in the kitchen trying to prepare some food. I had not even started when I noticed some blood on my little finger. Apparently, I had been bleeding for quite some time without realizing it. I felt no pain at all, although I noticed there was a small cut. Had I been asleep, would that count as a "mystery mark" too? smh. As jayriginal said above, it is quite common for people to obtain scratches and small injuries without knowing when such were incurred, only to later discover them. You people really need to do away with this fearful and superstitious attitude and approach to everything you do not understand. Learn to THINK ffs!

Deep Sight: Saw some breaking news on this higgs boson business on tv today. . . they say they have cracked the code of the universe. Make we siddon look the tory finish sha.

Today: "LHC cements Higgs boson identification"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21785205

May 3, 2012. . . the following conversation ensued:

davidylan: and why exactly do you think america abandoned space research if it is as promising as you say it is? [size=14pt]What groundbreaking research has CERN come up with to improve our knowledge of how the earth came about by random chaos?[/size]

How exactly do you think voyagers will find something in space worth researching if they cant even get there?

Absurd.

Avicenna: Abeg,read my post properly before replying.
$$$ is the hindrance. America has not abandoned its space research. What it abandoned was a CERN-like project because of $$$ again. [size=14pt]Don't look down on CERN[/size],I am ashamed my country can not even mount a research like that if they wanted to. Check out the Nobel prize winners(when working with CERN) and the nobel laureates working on it. It will do you well to research on their groundbreaking discoveries. Most are even kept away from the public. Afterall,it is a nuclear facility.
One rover was equipped with instrument to test for life on mars. Some will remain travelling till after 2020 and beyond. Please just do the research.
As for your insults,everyone know the kind of person you are. I refuse to get in a mudfight with you.

davidylan: your post is a lot of words but very little said. America has practically given up on government-sponsored space research because after 60 yrs of trying, we still arent any closer to whether we have aliens in space, water on mars or how we virtually appeared out of thin air to land on just one out of hundreds of planets out there. Epic fail!
[size=14pt]and what exactly has CERN achieved that has brought us any closer to figuring out how we came to be?[/size] Why cant you provide evidence when asked rather than the cowardly approach of asking others to "research" (the refuge of the clueless).

Huh the rover testing for life on mars has found exactly what? Epic fail.

Avicenna: ? [size=14pt]'Out of thin air' 'what has CERN achieved?' are you kidding me?[/size]
Dude,you seriously have comprehension problems.
I rarely click on links here so I won't provide links. Anybody that wants to acquire knowledge should be ready to search for it. If you can log on to Nairaland, it will take you less than a minute to google up results.

davidylan: thanks for the tepid excuse but you really wont provide links because you really dont know. Under all the stup[i]i[/i]d blustering is a whole lot of stupefying ignorance. Why cant you at least give us 2 well known CERN conclusions on the origins of man or the earth? surely you dont need links to make a factual statement that we can go research later no?

[size=14pt]Again i ask, what has CERN contributed to our knowledge of man's origin?[/size]

Please stup that cowardly, nauseating claptrap about saying we shld go research... if you dont know, its ok to say so.

Purist: Well, nothing concrete at the moment. [size=14pt]But they are getting quite close to finding that elusive "God particle"[/size], which may very well turn out to be one of the biggest discoveries of the century. One of the engineers at CERN recently said that [size=14pt]the particle may be discovered in a matter of months[/size]. Keep your fingers crossed.

davidylan: or which may well turn out to the world's largest hoax. What does the "God particle" tell you? [size=14pt]they've been "mighty close" since i was 10 yrs old. Next?[/size]

July 4, 2012: Exactly two months later. . .

Purist: [size=14pt]Higgs boson-like particle discovery claimed at LHC[/size]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-18702455

March 14, 2013: 8 months later. . .

[size=14pt]Higgs Boson Discovery Confirmed After Physicists Review Large Hadron Collider Data At CERN[/size]

- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/14/higgs-boson-discovery-confirmed-cern-large-hadron-collider_n_2874975.html
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21785205

mac73: [size=14pt] A great irony in life is that the sanctimonious self-righteous puritans who are quick to see the end times in views and beliefs different from theirs respond with a judgmental vileness that is antithetical to the tenets of the faith they espouse such that they end up epitomizing the very evil that plagues humanity. Nowhere is this irony more evident than in Nigeria, the supposed bastion of all that is moral and righteous.[/size]

Apt! Just apt!!