Genealogists have discovered that Madonna, Angelina Jolie and Camilla Parke-Bowles are all distantly related through a Frenchman, Zacharie Coutier, who moved to Canada in 1634.
So to whom would Mssr. Coutier be most proud to be related? According to some recent public opinion research on the Vizu Answers research network, people think that Mssr. Coutier would be most proud to call Angelina Jolie a cousin.
Michael Moore is a controversial character who makes his livelihood peddling controversy. But is Michael Moore also a sicko?
Michael Moore, the film director, writer, producer and actor has never hesitated to plunge deeply into controversy. After a series of relatively little known films, Moore rose to national prominence with the release of Bowling for Columbine in which he waded into the gun control controversy with his characteristic provocative style. He followed up that effort with Fahrenheit 911 in which he alleged that the Bush Administration used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Moore just picked his latest fight with the American health care system with the release of his most recent cinematic effort, Sicko.
Every time Michael Moore releases a film he seems to make a new crop of friends and vociferous enemies. So the question is, on the whole, what do people now think of Mr. Michael Moore?
In a recent study conducted by Vizu Answers, it turns out that, on balance, people do not perceive Michael Moore to be a sicko. Of the 433 responses to the market research study, 44.6% said Moore is not a sicko, while only 37.6% say Moore is a sicko. (The remaining 17.8% had no opinion as to Mr. Moore's mental health.)
What do you think? Is Michael Moore a sicko? Add your thoughts in the comment field below.
The story of Andrew Speaker, the 31 year old lawyer from Atlanta who willfully traveled to and from Europe knowing that he had a contagious from of tuberculosis, may not end up the tragedy that people seem to be waiting for. But Mr. Speaker's story sure has prompted some interesting ethics and morality related debates.
One reader poll conducted by the website Above The Law, indicates that 73% of 1544 current respondents have an "unfavorable" view of Andrew Speaker, the patient with a form of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB XDR). Only 6% of respondents have a favorable impression of Andrew Speaker, but 21% do not have a strong feeling either way. In another Above The Law reader poll, 79% of 1625 respondents to date, disagree with the statement, "It was appropriate for Andrew Speaker, the patient with a form of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB XDR), to travel back to the United States.
While it is easy to cast judgment from afar, another interesting question remains - "If you were in Andrew Speakers' shoes, would you have done what he did?"
Cast your vote here...
Until recently most people who knew of that Australian Crocodile Hunter on TV, did not even know his name. Now, only three days after his death in a freak diving accident, Steve Irwin is practically a household name.
Public fascination and speculation about his death, which was supposedly caught on tape, has become a major source of water cooler conversation. Much of the public's curiosity swirls around how Mr. Irwin, a professional naturalist, was killed by a stingray barb to the heart and what should be done with the video.
The first question about how Steve Irwin died is harder to answer, but public sentiment seems to be that the video should not be released. In a current Vizu poll, 64% of 829 respondents feel that Steve Irwin's death video should not be made available to the public.
In another current Vizu poll 54% of 744 respondents say that they were surprised that Steve Irwin was killed by a venomous creature while 40% said it was "only a matter of time."
For more on public perception about the controversial Australian naturalist, see the results of a 2004 report released by the University of New South Wales and conducted by researcher Chontelle Perucich. The report is full of interesting tidbits such as the fact that only 8% of the public regarded Steve Irwin as a scientist, but 65% had a positive view of him. Of course you can always post your own poll on Vizu or cast your votes below.
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8/28/06 Update: In her first public statement since her husband's death by stingray, Terri Irwin, the late Steve Irwin's wife, said that her husband's death video would never be publicly viewed.
Specifically, Ms. Irwin stated, "Obviously my wish was that it would never see the light
of day, I think that would be the most respectful thing. I
can’t see any purpose for bringing that out."
The video allegedly shows Steve Irwin pulling the stingray's barb from his chest before passing into unconciousness.
What makes you smarter, and what makes you dumber? The current issue of Time Magazine showcases the answers modern science has discovered: get enough sleep, eat right, follow your bio clock, and engage in brain-nourishing activities like reading and meditating. You've heard these before, but there was also an interesting new study: scientists are for the first time publishing research about the damage multitasking causes to concentration, peace of mind, and productivity. One report showed that workers in information-centric offices can generally only concentrate for 11 minutes on each task -- astonishingly, if the test subjects were interrupted they spent an average of 25 minutes getting back to work. A few buzzwords relating to the psychology of multitasking from the article:
Screen Sucking: Wasting time online long after what you have finished what you signed on to do.
Frazzing: Frantic, ineffective multitasking, typically with the delusion that you are getting a lot done. The quality of the work, however, is poor.
Pizzled: How you feel when someone you're with pulls out a cell phone or blackberry and uses it without an explanation or apology. A cross between pissed off and puzzled.
Doomdart: The internal distraction of a forgotten task that pops into your mind when you are doing something else. A side effect of frazzling.
Expound.com has a more detailed breakdown of the Time article and compares it to other recent neuroscience publications. On a recent Vizu.com poll, 'thinking about things' was the most frequently listed brain-aid. What do you think?
