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Two new Power Balance tests from skeptics

Hmmmm. While it's hard to feel sorry for anyone claiming to be "stuck" in Hawaii, I'm having trouble finding a skeptics group there. I'm certain they exist. I guess I would start here: http://secularhawaii.org/

While you will find many skeptics at that website, it appears to be more about atheism than skepticism. I'm certain if you contacted them though, that they would steer you toward skeptical groups that welcome people of all faiths.

Good luck,
Ward
 
wardenclyffe said:
I just re-watched all three videos that I posted in the OP. The third one, the most recent, has been edited since I originally posted it. In the original version, Lamar Odom and Dominique Dawes do a demonstration of some applied kinesiology nonsense with the Power Balance Bracelet. She completely calls him out on being overly dramatic and he looks like an idiot who's trying to fool everyone because he's a paid endorser of Power Balance. That section has now been cut from the story. I assume Yahoo! News made this edit. I cannot figure out why. It's a story that clearly sides with skeptics, and yet they remove the part where a major endorser of PB is made to look like he doesn't know what he's talking about. I don't know if Odom or the Lakers or the NBA or Power Balance was able to twist arms at Yahoo!, but somehow that part of the story that's embarrassing to both Odom and Power Balance was removed.

This is not good.

Ward
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Okay that is messed up.
 
Some good news

From today's Age:

Power Balance gets a wrist slap

THE distributors of the popular Power Balance wristbands have been ordered to drop ''misleading'' claims that they improve flexibility, balance and strength.

The Therapeutic Goods Complaints Resolution Panel found there was no evidence that the wristbands used by sports stars including AFL players Brendan Fevola and Jack Riewoldt helped to improve performance.

The panel said the claims were false and misleading and breached the therapeutic goods advertising code. It demanded they be withdrawn and a retraction published on the Power Balance website by tomorrow week.
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Full story here:
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/power-balance-gets-a-wrist-slap-20101120-181z2.html


As the article states, there is no provision to impose punishment under the Australian Therapeutic Goods Act but I reckon this is good news all the same. It sounds like it will be tough to market them now.
 
Actually, the TGA can bring legal action against a company, but it is very rarely cost-effective to do so, especially for small outfits like this. They'll take legal action against a giant corporation (or more commonly come to an out of court settlement), but only when they consider it worth the cost.

(I have a friend who is an insider in the Department of Health)
 
What could be worse than the Power Balance Band? Think Power Balance meets Anway and you get Cieaura:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_gyGdZclbU

A combination of the Power Balance scam and a pyramid scheme. Like most pyramid schemes by the time you hear of it it is too late to make money off of it. In a pyramid scheme the Early People make money at the loss of the Late People. And there will always be far more Late People than Early People.
 
I watched the Richard Saunders video at 4:30PM today. I put on an old copper bracelet someone gave my dad 40 years ago. Some friends and their high school age children came over for dinner at 7:00PM. I waited for someone to mention my bracelet -- it took a while for someone to say something but everyone had noticed because I am a very out skeptic and it seems everyone knows copper bracelets are for arthritis. I corrected them and told them it was for strength and balance and offered a demonstration. They laughed knowing I enjoy performing magic and I did just what Richard Saunders explained on the video using my bracelet instead of his magic wombat. Wow, it worked brilliantly. Everyone wanted me to demonstrate on them. Two fingers on their arm knocked them over easily without the bracelet and sincerely using a great a deal of strength couldn't budge them with bracelet. I did the twist more and pull on the wrist demo as well. My audience knew I wasn't serious about the bracelet but even after repeat demonstrations they couldn't catch on.

I am very surprised I never read about this stunt before in a book of magic. Pulling someones hand off their forehead, or lifting a person with five different peoples fingers, or five people in a row failing to push a person braced against a wall into the wall is well documented in many books. This effect is more impressive than those and just as easy to perform. I'm going to wear that bracelet tomorrow (err, today) at Thanksgiving for a new crowd and I suspect many times in the future because it is a fun and effective effect. Don't worry, I do it tongue it cheek because my friends all know it is done as much for educational anti-woo as much as it is for fun.

I recommend performing it.
 
Senex said:
I watched the Richard Saunders video at 4:30PM today. <snip>

My audience knew I wasn't serious about the bracelet but even after repeat demonstrations they couldn't catch on.

<snip>

I recommend performing it.
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I totally agree! I found the Richard Saunders video about a month ago and did this to my 6'2" husband while he held (or didn't hold) a bag of his beloved Pep-o-mint LifeSavers. It was very easy to do, my first time out, and he was genuinely confused.

Anne
 
Percent said:
I totally agree! I found the Richard Saunders video about a month ago and did this to my 6'2" husband while he held (or didn't hold) a bag of his beloved Pep-o-mint LifeSavers...

Anne
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This gives me an idea. Whenever someone nags me about drinking too much of my beloved beer I can do the demo. Show them how merely holding a can of beer improves strength and balance so imagine what drinking it does!

Maybe then they will understand beer's appeal.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
 
pipelineaudio said:
A close family member is a paid endorser of these things, and also a true believer. I don't have the heart to pluck Dumbo's magic feather from him at this stage in his career, but I always speak about critical thinking when discussing things with him
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It seems that intervention doesn't always work when it comes to woo. I had spoken about my experience with a band-wearing coworker in another thread. I had debunked it for him by demonstration and by having him read/view some of the links posted here. An entire month went by without him wearing it, or speaking of it. Well, guess what he was wearing again yesterday...the skepticism didn't take, apparently.

His main response was "it was only $39.../shrug". I told him that the cost was much, much greater and left it at that.

Man, I am surrounded by woo at the workplace: I have a Bible-toting, The Secret-reading, alkaline water-drinking (sounds like woo to me) woman at one desk...A woman, at another desk, who's brother is a chiroquacker and whenever I mention a minor ailment she jumps in with "you should make an appointment with Charlie!!" (name changed to protect the guilty). And then there's the band-wearing guy, who happens to be "Charlie's" nephew. Oh, on occasion, Charlie makes a visit and, so far, has been able to convince another coworker to sign up for weekly visits, even though there is absolutely nothing wrong with him.

In the end, I realize I have to work with these people everyday, so I try not to be pushy. Although, I do ninja-open tabs with JREF threads on their computers. :D
 
Calculon said:
I am waiting for more colors.
Which placebo band color is supposed to be best for finding parking spaces?


Also, I just wanted to add a DIGG link for the Yahoo/Dominique Dawes test.
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The easiest way to find parking spaces is to drive one of those big forklifts they use in junkyards. Then if you need a parking space, you can just stack one car on top of another one.
 
Senex said:
I am very surprised I never read about this stunt before in a book of magic.
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It's never been considered a magic trick. Applied kinesiology has always been considered to be a "legitimate" test of strength and balance. Although it has to be said that I can't imagine how someone could do it and not realise it was a trick.
 
arthwollipot said:
It's never been considered a magic trick. Applied kinesiology has always been considered to be a "legitimate" test of strength and balance. Although it has to be said that I can't imagine how someone could do it and not realise it was a trick.
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I can't imagine how either. You are experiencing some major wishful thinking not to realize how you are cheating.

My Thanksgiving show was a failure. I foolishly chose a college friend who is skeptical. My performance was brilliant but then my friend who I performed it on said he frequently saw this performed on an infomercial for balance sneakers and had it already figured out.

I had to dust off my color changing knives to salvage the evening.
 
I don't know about these demonstrations specifically, but this type of thing has been done as either magic tricks or demonstrations of super strength, though obviously with the performer being the one demonstrated on.

Check out The Georgia Magnet, discussed in this issue of Swift. I have a an abridged reprint of the first expose of her (iirc, she actually admitted it was tricks later in life).

Annie Abbott was a copycat of Lulu Hurst (the Georgia Magnet) who spawned several such copycats over the years. I'm not going to dig through my materials to verify, but I'm fairly certain several magicians incorporated such ideas into their acts over the years.
 
Yahoo! has apparently taken down the video of the Power Balance test involving Dominique Dawes (the link is in my OP). I don't know if these Yahoo! News stories just expire or if it was taken down for other reasons. No one seems to have posted it on youtube or anything. If anyone with internet smarts knows how to track down a copy, I'd be interested in getting ahold of it. The other two videos in the OP still work. It's only Yahoo! who has made their video unavailable. It's unfortunate. It seems Dominique Dawes was the only celebrity athlete who would publicly criticize the Power Balance bracelet.

Ward
 
Nay_Sayer said:
In a related note, I have been dying to get a patent on my 'Anti Tiger Rocks', Let me ask you; How many times have you tried to have a lovely spring picinic only for it to be ruined by a deadly tiger? Well worry no more my scientifically proven (Read: I wore a lab coat while testing them myself) aura infused rocks repel any and all species of tigers.

I know how important family is, Don't you want your family to be safe too ? Iv'e lived on longisland for nearly 24 years wiithout a single tiger realted attack thanks to my rocks.

The best part of this, is they can be yours for the low low price of just 29.99$ but wait there's more, Order in the next 20 minutes and I'll throw in an extra 'Anti Tiger Rock' FREE!
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Do these work here?
 
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