Strollerderby : hoax

Mini Baby Sculptures Not Edible, Selling Like Hotcakes

Brett Singer — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:00:00 GMT

When I became a parent, many things changed. For example, I started thinking quite a bit about someone else's poop. Also, I now look at babies, both real ones and artistic images, with a very different set of eyes. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that I paid a tad more attention to this headline from a recent press release:

Realistic Miniature Baby Sculptures Are Not Edible

I think that falls under the "Free Beer! Now that I have your attention…" chapter in the PR 101 Handbook.

The subheadline is much more obtuse, but when combined with the opener was intriguing enough to get me to read on:
Accidental Viral Marketing Gives Birth to Instant Success for Canadian Sculptor

So what exactly does this all mean? Basically, a Canadian artist named Camille Allen sells tiny little baby sculptures on eBay. All of a sudden the price on these unique (and, in my opinion, somewhat odd) works went up by 500%. According to the press release, "Recently a 1.5 inch (4 cm) baby named Jaimie sold for $2,650.00 US dollars." Not bad.

Why the price increase? Aren't we in a recession? Apparently it was the result of "a bogus email that turned viral." Someone took the photos of Allen's work from her web site and claimed that they were made of marzipan. As in, something edible. The always-helpful Snopes.com confirms that this was indeed a hoax.

The only thing I find a tad specious about this is the fact that it isn't exactly a new thing. Snopes' entry is dated October 2005. Still, it was new to me, so perhaps it was new to you as well. And we're always up for something weird.

Regardless of when this sales-increasing hoax actually began, I was curious what you, the reader, thought of the little babies. Obviously if they were edible that would be eligible for The Creepiest Thing EVER Award (an award that doesn’t exist but it really should.) Despite the fact that sculptures are not, in fact, food, I still thought they were weird, but the more I look at the picture I have to admit that I find them cute. Not cute enough to purchase, especially not for $3000. But I can admire the artistry that goes in to making the little…babies…

OK, the fact that they're babies still creeps me out a little bit. Like I said, becoming a parent changes you, at least it did me. So – what do you think of Ms. Allen's art?

Source/Image: mmdnewswire.com

Are You Cutting Back This Holiday Season?

Girly Gift Guide

Make Your Own Religious Doll

Cornstarch Hand Turkey A Step Up From Paper

Girl, 12, Excretes Razor-Sharp Crystals ... From Her Eyes!

Madeline Holler — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:29:00 GMT

Today in freakshows, here is a short video of a girl who claims to produce razor-sharp (and, considering the source, HUGE) crystals in her eyes. They come at the rate of about seven per day. Her father, who catches the crystals, demonstrates how easily one of the crystals can cut paper.

This Lebanese girl's crystal tears have baffled scientists (and totally give me the heebie-jeebies). I mean, I'm quite familiar with eye crusties, but the ones I see every morning are neither this big nor this crystal clear , we don't collect them in the palm of our hand and they could hardly be described as razor sharp.

After a little investigating, though, I found this link to an old Skeptical Inquirer piece regarding the crystals. Looks like it's a hoax. Which, then make me wonder, what the hell is wrong with this girl's father? That's an eyeball! Those rocks are sharp!

I admire the effort to exploit his daughter for, what, financial gain? In terms of scale and versatility, though, he could use some tips from Dina Lohan and Britney's mom.

Video: Diagonal View

MySpace Hoax Mom Indicted

Kelly Mills — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:27:00 GMT

Remember Lori Drew? How about Megan Meier? Megan, a thirteen-year-old, hung herself after her MySpace boyfriend, Josh, cruelly dumped her. This itself would be bad enough, but the real ugly part is that Josh didn't exist. He was the creation of Lori Drew, who was Megan's neighbor and the mother of a girl Megan was once friends with. Drew, with the aid of a nineteen-year-old employee of hers, created Josh, maintained a relationship with Megan, laughed abut it and let her daughter and daughter's friend in on the joke, and then had "Josh" tell Megan the world would be better off without her.

Since being a phenomenally evil creep isn't a crime, investigators didn't charge Drew in the case. But now a federal grand jury has indicted her on one count of conspiracy and three counts of using protected computers without authorization to get information used to harass and torment a teenage girl. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The indictment includes the fact that MySpace users agree to terms forbidding users from promoting information they know to be false, soliciting personal information from anyone under eighteen, and using the site to harass others. Drew of course did all of the above. Too bad there isn't really a punishment that can make up for what she did.

Photo: Tom Gannam / AP

Strollerderby Playdate: Male Pregnancy? It's About Time!

Amy S.F. Lutz — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:28:00 GMT

Our playdate this morning is with Lee Mingwei, the very first pregnant man in history.

How do I know he's really pregnant? Well, he's documenting the pregnancy on his website, so there's pictures, and footage, and explanations in very clinical language about how this miracle was achieved by inducing an implanted embryo and placenta to grow ectopically in Mr. Lee's abdominal cavity.

At great risk to him, I might add. Ectopic pregnancies are the most common cause of women dying in pregnancy; should the placenta rupture, he would bleed to death internally. Some people will do anything to experience the miracle of life!

Is this a hoax? Well, I should tell you that Mr. Lee is an artist, according to the website, who "explores the evanescent and diurnal cycles of living. His work is based on such basic human activities as cooking, letterwriting, and now child-bearing."

But I'm convinced that if - when - science catches up to the vision of Mr. Lee, male pregnancy will in fact look a lot like it does on his website.

Single Mom Duped By Evil Lottery Fake

Kelly Mills — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:30:00 GMT

Mary Ann Shaffer was given a lottery ticket from a customer at her concession stand, and she thought her ship had come in. The single mom of two scratched her ticket to find she won $25,000. But when she looked for a phone number on the ticket to see how to collect her winnings, she realized she'd been had. The ticket read, "Claim forms supplied by Santa Claus. All winning tickets must be validated by the tooth fairy and conform to her game rules ... All winners are losers and must have an excellent sense of humor." And this is why I detest crappy practical jokes like this--"sense of humor"? What is that bullshit? I'm with the patrol officer who examined the ticket, Bear Terstegge (isn't that a great name?) who said, "How can anyone be so mean around Christmas time?"

But since it's Christmas Eve, I wouldn't post a shitty story like that if it didn't have a somewhat happy ending. See, word of the mean trick spread around the pier where Shaffer sells hotdogs, and people started giving her cards, gift certificates, and big fat tips. One of her regular customers bought Christmas gifts for Shaffer's kids. I guess depending on the generosity and kindness of other people is a safer bet than any lottery ticket. Awww.

Update on Megan Meier Story: The Drews, and Making Online Harassment a Crime

Kelly Mills — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 14:09:00 GMT

Since the story of 13-year-old Megan Meier's suicide broke, the lives of Lori and Curt Drew have gotten real different. Lori Drew was the neighbor who created, along with an 18-year-old employee, a fictitious profile of a boy named "Josh" on MySpace. Megan considered Josh her boyfriend, and Lori Drew, her daughter, and the employee sent messages to Megan as Josh. When "Josh" abruptly broke off the relationship, saying he heard she wasn't nice to her friends, and others joined the online fray, sending insulting messages to Megan, she went upstairs to her bedroom and hung herself.

Lori and Curt Drew's personal information was widely circulated on the internet, where mass outrage was expressed (by me too) that an adult would do this to a teen. Megan's parents had no legal recourse against the Drews. Now the town where they lived has passed a resolution making cyberstalking a misdemeanor. The Drews have been widely condemned, and the day after the story broke someone called police and falsely reported a murder at the Drew residence. They've received death threats and a brick though their window. Now it seems the Drews have disappeared, leaving their home and their jobs. Their current whereabouts are largely unknown.