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22 results for “dummy”
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Wait, wait.
Trump is a dummy. Everything Tchump touches is ruined.
Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump effing Casino.
Trump Washington.
Trump GOPedoNovember is coming.
-
Wait, wait.
Trump is a dummy. Everything Tchump touches is ruined.
Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump effing Casino.
Trump Washington.
Trump GOPedoNovember is coming.
-
Cisco Patches 21 Flaws in ISE Identity Infrastructure Including Actively Exploited Zero-Days
Cisco released a set of security updates for Identity Services Engine (ISE) addressing 21 vulnerabilities, including two critical authentication bypasses (CVE-2026-20192 and CVE-2026-76460) currently exploited by attackers to gain root access.
**Treat this as a top-priority emergency attackers are already using some of these flaws to take over identity servers. If you run Cisco ISE or ISE-PIC, first make sure the management interface is never reachable from the internet. Then patch ASAP to 3.1 P12, 3.2 P11, 3.3 P12, 3.4 P7 or 3.5 P4. Check your access logs for strange accounts like "dummyuser". Assume a breach if you find anything weird.**
#cybersecurity #infosec #advisory #vulnerability
https://beyondmachines.net/event_details/cisco-patches-21-flaws-in-ise-identity-infrastructure-including-actively-exploited-zero-days-e-2-9-l-x/gD2P6Ple2L -
DATE: September 18, 2026 at 12:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Lithium supplementation does not slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, meta-analysis finds
A recent meta-analysis evaluating the cognitive effects of lithium supplementation in older adults found that the mineral does not slow cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment. The research provides evidence that commonly prescribed forms of lithium are not effective at preserving memory and thinking skills in this population. The findings were published in the Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition of the brain where brain cells gradually degrade and die, leading to worsening memory, confusion, and an inability to perform daily tasks. The disease is characterized by the accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain, namely amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles, which disrupt cell communication and cause inflammation. Before a person develops full Alzheimer’s disease, they often experience mild cognitive impairment, an intermediate stage of memory loss that is noticeable but does not completely disrupt everyday life. Finding treatments that can halt or slow this progression from early memory loss to severe dementia is a major priority in medical science.
One substance that has attracted attention as a potential treatment is lithium. Lithium is a naturally occurring mineral that is most commonly formulated as a medication, such as lithium carbonate, to stabilize mood in people with bipolar disorder. In recent years, laboratory experiments have suggested that lithium might also protect brain cells from the damage seen in Alzheimer’s disease by blocking specific enzymes that lead to protein buildup.
A series of small clinical trials and earlier pooled reviews yielded mixed evidence on whether lithium can actually slow cognitive decline in humans. For example, a 2009 clinical trial investigated whether a short course of lithium could alter disease markers and slow mental decline in patients with Alzheimer’s, but it found no major benefit.
A few years later, a 2011 clinical trial indicated that long-term, low-dose lithium treatment helped stabilize memory and thinking in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Trying to make sense of these varying outcomes, a 2015 meta-analysis combined the results of these early clinical trials, yielding intriguing but still inconclusive evidence about the mineral’s protective effects.
This conflicting background set the stage for an updated analysis of lithium’s therapeutic value in Alzheimer’s disease. The research team, led by Taro Kishi of the Fujita Health University School of Medicine, wanted to incorporate the most recent clinical trials into a single, comprehensive statistical model to see if lithium offers any reliable cognitive benefits for people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
To explore this question, the scientists utilized a meta-analysis, which is a statistical method that pools data from multiple independent studies to identify broader trends that a single study might miss. The researchers searched major scientific databases for randomized, placebo-controlled trials that tested lithium supplementation in individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease. In these types of trials, one group of patients receives the active medication while another receives an inactive dummy pill, allowing researchers to isolate the effects of the drug.
The final analysis included six clinical trials with a total of 435 participants. Two of the trials focused exclusively on patients with mild cognitive impairment, while the others included patients with various stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The length of the studies varied, with some tracking patients for just 10 weeks and others following them for up to two years. The types of lithium used in these trials were mostly inorganic salts, predominantly lithium carbonate, though some used lithium sulfate or lithium gluconate.
To measure cognitive changes, the original studies used standardized tests such as the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale and the Mini-Mental State Examination. These tools are questionnaires and tasks designed to evaluate memory, language, attention, and basic problem-solving skills. The research team compared the cognitive test scores of the patients who took lithium with those who took a placebo to determine if the mineral slowed their rate of mental decline.
The researchers found that lithium supplementation was not better than a placebo at preserving cognitive function. When combining the data from all six studies, the difference in cognitive test scores between the lithium group and the placebo group was not statistically significant. The patients taking lithium experienced a similar rate of memory and thinking decline as those who did not receive the treatment.
The team also looked at secondary outcomes, including behavioral symptoms like agitation and aggression, which are common in advancing Alzheimer’s disease. Once again, the results were not statistically significant; lithium did not improve behavioral symptoms better than a placebo. Similarly, the rates of people dropping out of the studies or experiencing adverse side effects were roughly equal between the lithium and placebo groups.
To ensure they were not missing specific scenarios where lithium might work, the scientists performed several subgroup analyses. They checked whether the results differed depending on the patient’s diagnosis, the length of the study, the dose of lithium, or the specific formulation used. In all of these categories, lithium consistently failed to show an advantage over the placebo.
These findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost in May 2026, which found that lithium chloride treatment reduced harmful protein activity and altered brain signaling. However, the new meta-analysis evaluated clinical cognitive outcomes in human patients rather than molecular and cellular changes in laboratory cell cultures.
The results also offer interesting context for another study covered by PsyPost in September 2025. That study, which used mouse models rather than human clinical trials, found that treatment with a specific organic salt called lithium orotate prevented harmful protein accumulation and improved memory. While those animal and cellular studies suggest lithium has biological effects on Alzheimer’s mechanisms, the new study indicates that the specific inorganic lithium salts commonly used in human clinical trials, such as lithium carbonate, do not translate into measurable cognitive benefits for human patients.
As with all research, there are some caveats to consider. The meta-analysis was based on a relatively small number of studies and a modest total of 435 participants, which limits the statistical power of the analysis. A larger pool of data might be needed to detect very subtle effects. There are also a few things to keep in mind regarding the participants themselves. In the older trials, patients with mild cognitive impairment were diagnosed based on clinical symptoms rather than modern biological markers like brain scans or spinal fluid tests. This means some participants might have had memory issues caused by conditions other than early Alzheimer’s disease.
Additionally, the patients in these trials were often taking standard anti-dementia medications alongside the lithium or placebo. The types and combinations of these medications varied across the studies, which might have influenced the outcomes. Finally, the analysis focused heavily on inorganic lithium salts like lithium carbonate and lithium sulfate. Some researchers suggest that organic salts like lithium orotate might enter brain cells more efficiently and with fewer side effects, but human clinical trials testing lithium orotate for Alzheimer’s disease are currently lacking.
The study, “Lithium for Alzheimer’s disease: Insights from a meta-analysis,” was authored by Taro Kishi, Shinji Matsunaga, Youichi Saito, and Nakao Iwata.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LithiumAlzheimersNo Benefit #AlzheimersDisease #CognitiveDecline #MildCognitiveImpairment #LithiumSupplementation #NeuroscienceResearch #ClinicalTrials #MetaAnalysis #AlzheimersTreatment #BrainHealth
-
DATE: September 18, 2026 at 12:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Lithium supplementation does not slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, meta-analysis finds
A recent meta-analysis evaluating the cognitive effects of lithium supplementation in older adults found that the mineral does not slow cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment. The research provides evidence that commonly prescribed forms of lithium are not effective at preserving memory and thinking skills in this population. The findings were published in the Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition of the brain where brain cells gradually degrade and die, leading to worsening memory, confusion, and an inability to perform daily tasks. The disease is characterized by the accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain, namely amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles, which disrupt cell communication and cause inflammation. Before a person develops full Alzheimer’s disease, they often experience mild cognitive impairment, an intermediate stage of memory loss that is noticeable but does not completely disrupt everyday life. Finding treatments that can halt or slow this progression from early memory loss to severe dementia is a major priority in medical science.
One substance that has attracted attention as a potential treatment is lithium. Lithium is a naturally occurring mineral that is most commonly formulated as a medication, such as lithium carbonate, to stabilize mood in people with bipolar disorder. In recent years, laboratory experiments have suggested that lithium might also protect brain cells from the damage seen in Alzheimer’s disease by blocking specific enzymes that lead to protein buildup.
A series of small clinical trials and earlier pooled reviews yielded mixed evidence on whether lithium can actually slow cognitive decline in humans. For example, a 2009 clinical trial investigated whether a short course of lithium could alter disease markers and slow mental decline in patients with Alzheimer’s, but it found no major benefit.
A few years later, a 2011 clinical trial indicated that long-term, low-dose lithium treatment helped stabilize memory and thinking in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Trying to make sense of these varying outcomes, a 2015 meta-analysis combined the results of these early clinical trials, yielding intriguing but still inconclusive evidence about the mineral’s protective effects.
This conflicting background set the stage for an updated analysis of lithium’s therapeutic value in Alzheimer’s disease. The research team, led by Taro Kishi of the Fujita Health University School of Medicine, wanted to incorporate the most recent clinical trials into a single, comprehensive statistical model to see if lithium offers any reliable cognitive benefits for people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
To explore this question, the scientists utilized a meta-analysis, which is a statistical method that pools data from multiple independent studies to identify broader trends that a single study might miss. The researchers searched major scientific databases for randomized, placebo-controlled trials that tested lithium supplementation in individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease. In these types of trials, one group of patients receives the active medication while another receives an inactive dummy pill, allowing researchers to isolate the effects of the drug.
The final analysis included six clinical trials with a total of 435 participants. Two of the trials focused exclusively on patients with mild cognitive impairment, while the others included patients with various stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The length of the studies varied, with some tracking patients for just 10 weeks and others following them for up to two years. The types of lithium used in these trials were mostly inorganic salts, predominantly lithium carbonate, though some used lithium sulfate or lithium gluconate.
To measure cognitive changes, the original studies used standardized tests such as the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale and the Mini-Mental State Examination. These tools are questionnaires and tasks designed to evaluate memory, language, attention, and basic problem-solving skills. The research team compared the cognitive test scores of the patients who took lithium with those who took a placebo to determine if the mineral slowed their rate of mental decline.
The researchers found that lithium supplementation was not better than a placebo at preserving cognitive function. When combining the data from all six studies, the difference in cognitive test scores between the lithium group and the placebo group was not statistically significant. The patients taking lithium experienced a similar rate of memory and thinking decline as those who did not receive the treatment.
The team also looked at secondary outcomes, including behavioral symptoms like agitation and aggression, which are common in advancing Alzheimer’s disease. Once again, the results were not statistically significant; lithium did not improve behavioral symptoms better than a placebo. Similarly, the rates of people dropping out of the studies or experiencing adverse side effects were roughly equal between the lithium and placebo groups.
To ensure they were not missing specific scenarios where lithium might work, the scientists performed several subgroup analyses. They checked whether the results differed depending on the patient’s diagnosis, the length of the study, the dose of lithium, or the specific formulation used. In all of these categories, lithium consistently failed to show an advantage over the placebo.
These findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost in May 2026, which found that lithium chloride treatment reduced harmful protein activity and altered brain signaling. However, the new meta-analysis evaluated clinical cognitive outcomes in human patients rather than molecular and cellular changes in laboratory cell cultures.
The results also offer interesting context for another study covered by PsyPost in September 2025. That study, which used mouse models rather than human clinical trials, found that treatment with a specific organic salt called lithium orotate prevented harmful protein accumulation and improved memory. While those animal and cellular studies suggest lithium has biological effects on Alzheimer’s mechanisms, the new study indicates that the specific inorganic lithium salts commonly used in human clinical trials, such as lithium carbonate, do not translate into measurable cognitive benefits for human patients.
As with all research, there are some caveats to consider. The meta-analysis was based on a relatively small number of studies and a modest total of 435 participants, which limits the statistical power of the analysis. A larger pool of data might be needed to detect very subtle effects. There are also a few things to keep in mind regarding the participants themselves. In the older trials, patients with mild cognitive impairment were diagnosed based on clinical symptoms rather than modern biological markers like brain scans or spinal fluid tests. This means some participants might have had memory issues caused by conditions other than early Alzheimer’s disease.
Additionally, the patients in these trials were often taking standard anti-dementia medications alongside the lithium or placebo. The types and combinations of these medications varied across the studies, which might have influenced the outcomes. Finally, the analysis focused heavily on inorganic lithium salts like lithium carbonate and lithium sulfate. Some researchers suggest that organic salts like lithium orotate might enter brain cells more efficiently and with fewer side effects, but human clinical trials testing lithium orotate for Alzheimer’s disease are currently lacking.
The study, “Lithium for Alzheimer’s disease: Insights from a meta-analysis,” was authored by Taro Kishi, Shinji Matsunaga, Youichi Saito, and Nakao Iwata.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LithiumAlzheimersNo Benefit #AlzheimersDisease #CognitiveDecline #MildCognitiveImpairment #LithiumSupplementation #NeuroscienceResearch #ClinicalTrials #MetaAnalysis #AlzheimersTreatment #BrainHealth
-
DATE: September 18, 2026 at 12:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Lithium supplementation does not slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, meta-analysis finds
A recent meta-analysis evaluating the cognitive effects of lithium supplementation in older adults found that the mineral does not slow cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment. The research provides evidence that commonly prescribed forms of lithium are not effective at preserving memory and thinking skills in this population. The findings were published in the Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition of the brain where brain cells gradually degrade and die, leading to worsening memory, confusion, and an inability to perform daily tasks. The disease is characterized by the accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain, namely amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles, which disrupt cell communication and cause inflammation. Before a person develops full Alzheimer’s disease, they often experience mild cognitive impairment, an intermediate stage of memory loss that is noticeable but does not completely disrupt everyday life. Finding treatments that can halt or slow this progression from early memory loss to severe dementia is a major priority in medical science.
One substance that has attracted attention as a potential treatment is lithium. Lithium is a naturally occurring mineral that is most commonly formulated as a medication, such as lithium carbonate, to stabilize mood in people with bipolar disorder. In recent years, laboratory experiments have suggested that lithium might also protect brain cells from the damage seen in Alzheimer’s disease by blocking specific enzymes that lead to protein buildup.
A series of small clinical trials and earlier pooled reviews yielded mixed evidence on whether lithium can actually slow cognitive decline in humans. For example, a 2009 clinical trial investigated whether a short course of lithium could alter disease markers and slow mental decline in patients with Alzheimer’s, but it found no major benefit.
A few years later, a 2011 clinical trial indicated that long-term, low-dose lithium treatment helped stabilize memory and thinking in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Trying to make sense of these varying outcomes, a 2015 meta-analysis combined the results of these early clinical trials, yielding intriguing but still inconclusive evidence about the mineral’s protective effects.
This conflicting background set the stage for an updated analysis of lithium’s therapeutic value in Alzheimer’s disease. The research team, led by Taro Kishi of the Fujita Health University School of Medicine, wanted to incorporate the most recent clinical trials into a single, comprehensive statistical model to see if lithium offers any reliable cognitive benefits for people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
To explore this question, the scientists utilized a meta-analysis, which is a statistical method that pools data from multiple independent studies to identify broader trends that a single study might miss. The researchers searched major scientific databases for randomized, placebo-controlled trials that tested lithium supplementation in individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease. In these types of trials, one group of patients receives the active medication while another receives an inactive dummy pill, allowing researchers to isolate the effects of the drug.
The final analysis included six clinical trials with a total of 435 participants. Two of the trials focused exclusively on patients with mild cognitive impairment, while the others included patients with various stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The length of the studies varied, with some tracking patients for just 10 weeks and others following them for up to two years. The types of lithium used in these trials were mostly inorganic salts, predominantly lithium carbonate, though some used lithium sulfate or lithium gluconate.
To measure cognitive changes, the original studies used standardized tests such as the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale and the Mini-Mental State Examination. These tools are questionnaires and tasks designed to evaluate memory, language, attention, and basic problem-solving skills. The research team compared the cognitive test scores of the patients who took lithium with those who took a placebo to determine if the mineral slowed their rate of mental decline.
The researchers found that lithium supplementation was not better than a placebo at preserving cognitive function. When combining the data from all six studies, the difference in cognitive test scores between the lithium group and the placebo group was not statistically significant. The patients taking lithium experienced a similar rate of memory and thinking decline as those who did not receive the treatment.
The team also looked at secondary outcomes, including behavioral symptoms like agitation and aggression, which are common in advancing Alzheimer’s disease. Once again, the results were not statistically significant; lithium did not improve behavioral symptoms better than a placebo. Similarly, the rates of people dropping out of the studies or experiencing adverse side effects were roughly equal between the lithium and placebo groups.
To ensure they were not missing specific scenarios where lithium might work, the scientists performed several subgroup analyses. They checked whether the results differed depending on the patient’s diagnosis, the length of the study, the dose of lithium, or the specific formulation used. In all of these categories, lithium consistently failed to show an advantage over the placebo.
These findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost in May 2026, which found that lithium chloride treatment reduced harmful protein activity and altered brain signaling. However, the new meta-analysis evaluated clinical cognitive outcomes in human patients rather than molecular and cellular changes in laboratory cell cultures.
The results also offer interesting context for another study covered by PsyPost in September 2025. That study, which used mouse models rather than human clinical trials, found that treatment with a specific organic salt called lithium orotate prevented harmful protein accumulation and improved memory. While those animal and cellular studies suggest lithium has biological effects on Alzheimer’s mechanisms, the new study indicates that the specific inorganic lithium salts commonly used in human clinical trials, such as lithium carbonate, do not translate into measurable cognitive benefits for human patients.
As with all research, there are some caveats to consider. The meta-analysis was based on a relatively small number of studies and a modest total of 435 participants, which limits the statistical power of the analysis. A larger pool of data might be needed to detect very subtle effects. There are also a few things to keep in mind regarding the participants themselves. In the older trials, patients with mild cognitive impairment were diagnosed based on clinical symptoms rather than modern biological markers like brain scans or spinal fluid tests. This means some participants might have had memory issues caused by conditions other than early Alzheimer’s disease.
Additionally, the patients in these trials were often taking standard anti-dementia medications alongside the lithium or placebo. The types and combinations of these medications varied across the studies, which might have influenced the outcomes. Finally, the analysis focused heavily on inorganic lithium salts like lithium carbonate and lithium sulfate. Some researchers suggest that organic salts like lithium orotate might enter brain cells more efficiently and with fewer side effects, but human clinical trials testing lithium orotate for Alzheimer’s disease are currently lacking.
The study, “Lithium for Alzheimer’s disease: Insights from a meta-analysis,” was authored by Taro Kishi, Shinji Matsunaga, Youichi Saito, and Nakao Iwata.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LithiumAlzheimersNo Benefit #AlzheimersDisease #CognitiveDecline #MildCognitiveImpairment #LithiumSupplementation #NeuroscienceResearch #ClinicalTrials #MetaAnalysis #AlzheimersTreatment #BrainHealth
-
The Trick That Kills – The Bullet Catch
I loved watching the TV magicians when I was growing up. There was David Nixon and Ali Bongo, then Paul Daniels and the lovely Debbie McGee, The Great Soprendo and then, sometimes we got to see an American show with David Copperfield or maybe the Canadian Doug Henning. All were masters of sleight of hand and card tricks, and making things and people disappear (and then hopefully, reappear!) A glamorous young woman assistant could always be persuaded to enter a barrel, or tunnel or chest, where swords would be thrust, or enormous wood saws would cut them in half. I’ve seen them live too, again, when I was young, at the Top of Blackpool Tower, and later in my teens we saw a magic show in the middle of Manor Park in Glossop, during the summer holidays, and the guy made a full motorbike and rider disappear! When I ran pubs, I have paid them to come and wander around the pub, sitting with people at their tables, doing card tricks, sleight of hand tricks and any other close up magic right there in front of the punters. The ladies would laugh and marvel and the blokes would sit there trying to debunk or guess or learn the trick, envious that their girlfriend or wife was mesmerised by this show-off … It was great to watch, both the magic itself, and the reaction of the viewers.
Later on, TV and society seems to have demanded that the new magicians and illusionists give bigger shows, larger tricks, ‘better’ magic. Seigfried and Roy with their Tiger (that ended badly!), David Copperfield making jet planes and buildings disappear and then David Blaine’s take on magic with impossible outcomes or extreme abilities. Do you remember the daily news reports in 2003, showing him in that plexiglass box for 44 days in London? And the reaction of the British, a nation with a long, long history of enjoying magic and stunts? Fly a McDonalds burger up to him by remote control, to taunt him… Hilarious!
After that, magicians seem to have taken their skills back to the start, with card tricks and close up magic, but doing it in the street and filmed for TV shows and the internet, often direct to YouTube. Derren Brown, Dynamo, Penn and Teller and a host of others took illusion in so many directions, and the rise of the UK’s ‘Britain’s Got talent’, and the syndicated regional shows around the world meant that once again magic and magicians were becoming a big draw for viewers everywhere.
Anyway, while doing our usual driving aimlessly around Derbyshire, looking for anything interesting, or pretty, we started to talk about Magicians, and their different tricks, and as you probably know, Kirst likes to research so she decided to look into the history of a particular trick, ‘The Bullet Catch’ which neither of us had ever seen performed. What she found was a bit mind-blowing, and I decided to have a look at it myself.
Ever since the invention of guns, it seems there have been people who were driven to prove they could catch the bullets ejected from the guns, between their teeth. Even today, in our modern world of TV shows, Deep Fake videos and constant warfare, the idea of trying the trick seems madness. Yet for 450 years, that is exactly what has happened, with Magician and Illusionist, one after another seeking to entertain us with what seems like the most dangerous or tricks.
The rollcall of proponents of this madness is much longer than we thought it would be, and of course, the way each person presented the trick had a myriad designs and outcomes. There were many who would present a rifle or pistol, fire it first to prove it worked, make a show of loading another bullet but have a variety of devices to replace it with a dummy. The real bullet would be hidden in the hilt of the gun, or fall into bowl or cushion or some other place, by design. Sometimes the person firing would aim to the side on purpose, with the bullet flying past. A real bullet would then be brought out of the magician’s mouth, or between his teeth. The trick worked on a series of assumptions made by the magician; that the pre-hype and showmanship would misdirect the audience to miss any trickery, that the audience’s suspended belief that it was impossible would allow them to believe it was possible and thirdly, that the anticipation of the trick going wrong and someone getting hurt was enough to create a situation where people would watch with all their concentration, so that they didn’t miss anything, meaning obviously that they miss almost everything!
It is amazing how many of these tricks went wrong, with guns misfiring the wrong bullet, assistants firing real bullets accidentally or purposefully, for whatever reason… Most sources quote between 13 and 20 magicians dying from the trick being carried out wrongly, and countless tales of close calls and ‘near misses’, though that seems a strange phrase for something where the idea it to hit the target… The fact that there have been mistakes and deaths in the past has only built up the myth which surrounds ‘The Bullet Catch’ and the magicians who have shown it.
Much is made of the fact that Harry Houdini, the great escapologist and illusionist, never showed the bullet catch trick, possibly because he received a letter begging him not to do it. The letter was from another illusionist Harry Kellar, but whether this is true or not seems to still be a matter of opinion.There are online a number of videos of Penn & Teller’s bullet catch trick, David Blaine’s variation, where he had a special metal cup made that he held in his mouth, and that of Ted Anneman in 1938, supposedly catching a bullet fired by a rifleman in front of a crowd of people. I watched them all. I don’t know whether they are real or not, hands up. It is a cold subject in my head, maybe because I am a man who has thankfully lived without the experience of real gunshots, and real bullet injuries. I enjoy films and TV where everyone ends up shot, but don’t really want to see it live, and I think personally, I still prefer the kind of magic where a smiling man with Brylcreemed hair rotates 52 playing cards mesmerically in front of me, and makes one appear from my ear…..
There are a number of online sources for further research into this fascinating subject, and the trick is discussed in many books and articles about Magicians, Illusionists and Conjurors.
www.bulletcatch.com www.wikipedia.org/wiki/bullet_catch
#BulletTrick #Conjurors #History #HistoryOfMagic #Magic #Magicians -
The Trick That Kills – The Bullet Catch
I loved watching the TV magicians when I was growing up. There was David Nixon and Ali Bongo, then Paul Daniels and the lovely Debbie McGee, The Great Soprendo and then, sometimes we got to see an American show with David Copperfield or maybe the Canadian Doug Henning. All were masters of sleight of hand and card tricks, and making things and people disappear (and then hopefully, reappear!) A glamorous young woman assistant could always be persuaded to enter a barrel, or tunnel or chest, where swords would be thrust, or enormous wood saws would cut them in half. I’ve seen them live too, again, when I was young, at the Top of Blackpool Tower, and later in my teens we saw a magic show in the middle of Manor Park in Glossop, during the summer holidays, and the guy made a full motorbike and rider disappear! When I ran pubs, I have paid them to come and wander around the pub, sitting with people at their tables, doing card tricks, sleight of hand tricks and any other close up magic right there in front of the punters. The ladies would laugh and marvel and the blokes would sit there trying to debunk or guess or learn the trick, envious that their girlfriend or wife was mesmerised by this show-off … It was great to watch, both the magic itself, and the reaction of the viewers.
Later on, TV and society seems to have demanded that the new magicians and illusionists give bigger shows, larger tricks, ‘better’ magic. Seigfried and Roy with their Tiger (that ended badly!), David Copperfield making jet planes and buildings disappear and then David Blaine’s take on magic with impossible outcomes or extreme abilities. Do you remember the daily news reports in 2003, showing him in that plexiglass box for 44 days in London? And the reaction of the British, a nation with a long, long history of enjoying magic and stunts? Fly a McDonalds burger up to him by remote control, to taunt him… Hilarious!
After that, magicians seem to have taken their skills back to the start, with card tricks and close up magic, but doing it in the street and filmed for TV shows and the internet, often direct to YouTube. Derren Brown, Dynamo, Penn and Teller and a host of others took illusion in so many directions, and the rise of the UK’s ‘Britain’s Got talent’, and the syndicated regional shows around the world meant that once again magic and magicians were becoming a big draw for viewers everywhere.
Anyway, while doing our usual driving aimlessly around Derbyshire, looking for anything interesting, or pretty, we started to talk about Magicians, and their different tricks, and as you probably know, Kirst likes to research so she decided to look into the history of a particular trick, ‘The Bullet Catch’ which neither of us had ever seen performed. What she found was a bit mind-blowing, and I decided to have a look at it myself.
Ever since the invention of guns, it seems there have been people who were driven to prove they could catch the bullets ejected from the guns, between their teeth. Even today, in our modern world of TV shows, Deep Fake videos and constant warfare, the idea of trying the trick seems madness. Yet for 450 years, that is exactly what has happened, with Magician and Illusionist, one after another seeking to entertain us with what seems like the most dangerous or tricks.
The rollcall of proponents of this madness is much longer than we thought it would be, and of course, the way each person presented the trick had a myriad designs and outcomes. There were many who would present a rifle or pistol, fire it first to prove it worked, make a show of loading another bullet but have a variety of devices to replace it with a dummy. The real bullet would be hidden in the hilt of the gun, or fall into bowl or cushion or some other place, by design. Sometimes the person firing would aim to the side on purpose, with the bullet flying past. A real bullet would then be brought out of the magician’s mouth, or between his teeth. The trick worked on a series of assumptions made by the magician; that the pre-hype and showmanship would misdirect the audience to miss any trickery, that the audience’s suspended belief that it was impossible would allow them to believe it was possible and thirdly, that the anticipation of the trick going wrong and someone getting hurt was enough to create a situation where people would watch with all their concentration, so that they didn’t miss anything, meaning obviously that they miss almost everything!
It is amazing how many of these tricks went wrong, with guns misfiring the wrong bullet, assistants firing real bullets accidentally or purposefully, for whatever reason… Most sources quote between 13 and 20 magicians dying from the trick being carried out wrongly, and countless tales of close calls and ‘near misses’, though that seems a strange phrase for something where the idea it to hit the target… The fact that there have been mistakes and deaths in the past has only built up the myth which surrounds ‘The Bullet Catch’ and the magicians who have shown it.
Much is made of the fact that Harry Houdini, the great escapologist and illusionist, never showed the bullet catch trick, possibly because he received a letter begging him not to do it. The letter was from another illusionist Harry Kellar, but whether this is true or not seems to still be a matter of opinion.There are online a number of videos of Penn & Teller’s bullet catch trick, David Blaine’s variation, where he had a special metal cup made that he held in his mouth, and that of Ted Anneman in 1938, supposedly catching a bullet fired by a rifleman in front of a crowd of people. I watched them all. I don’t know whether they are real or not, hands up. It is a cold subject in my head, maybe because I am a man who has thankfully lived without the experience of real gunshots, and real bullet injuries. I enjoy films and TV where everyone ends up shot, but don’t really want to see it live, and I think personally, I still prefer the kind of magic where a smiling man with Brylcreemed hair rotates 52 playing cards mesmerically in front of me, and makes one appear from my ear…..
There are a number of online sources for further research into this fascinating subject, and the trick is discussed in many books and articles about Magicians, Illusionists and Conjurors.
www.bulletcatch.com www.wikipedia.org/wiki/bullet_catch
#BulletTrick #Conjurors #History #HistoryOfMagic #Magic #Magicians -
The Trick That Kills – The Bullet Catch
I loved watching the TV magicians when I was growing up. There was David Nixon and Ali Bongo, then Paul Daniels and the lovely Debbie McGee, The Great Soprendo and then, sometimes we got to see an American show with David Copperfield or maybe the Canadian Doug Henning. All were masters of sleight of hand and card tricks, and making things and people disappear (and then hopefully, reappear!) A glamorous young woman assistant could always be persuaded to enter a barrel, or tunnel or chest, where swords would be thrust, or enormous wood saws would cut them in half. I’ve seen them live too, again, when I was young, at the Top of Blackpool Tower, and later in my teens we saw a magic show in the middle of Manor Park in Glossop, during the summer holidays, and the guy made a full motorbike and rider disappear! When I ran pubs, I have paid them to come and wander around the pub, sitting with people at their tables, doing card tricks, sleight of hand tricks and any other close up magic right there in front of the punters. The ladies would laugh and marvel and the blokes would sit there trying to debunk or guess or learn the trick, envious that their girlfriend or wife was mesmerised by this show-off … It was great to watch, both the magic itself, and the reaction of the viewers.
Later on, TV and society seems to have demanded that the new magicians and illusionists give bigger shows, larger tricks, ‘better’ magic. Seigfried and Roy with their Tiger (that ended badly!), David Copperfield making jet planes and buildings disappear and then David Blaine’s take on magic with impossible outcomes or extreme abilities. Do you remember the daily news reports in 2003, showing him in that plexiglass box for 44 days in London? And the reaction of the British, a nation with a long, long history of enjoying magic and stunts? Fly a McDonalds burger up to him by remote control, to taunt him… Hilarious!
After that, magicians seem to have taken their skills back to the start, with card tricks and close up magic, but doing it in the street and filmed for TV shows and the internet, often direct to YouTube. Derren Brown, Dynamo, Penn and Teller and a host of others took illusion in so many directions, and the rise of the UK’s ‘Britain’s Got talent’, and the syndicated regional shows around the world meant that once again magic and magicians were becoming a big draw for viewers everywhere.
Anyway, while doing our usual driving aimlessly around Derbyshire, looking for anything interesting, or pretty, we started to talk about Magicians, and their different tricks, and as you probably know, Kirst likes to research so she decided to look into the history of a particular trick, ‘The Bullet Catch’ which neither of us had ever seen performed. What she found was a bit mind-blowing, and I decided to have a look at it myself.
Ever since the invention of guns, it seems there have been people who were driven to prove they could catch the bullets ejected from the guns, between their teeth. Even today, in our modern world of TV shows, Deep Fake videos and constant warfare, the idea of trying the trick seems madness. Yet for 450 years, that is exactly what has happened, with Magician and Illusionist, one after another seeking to entertain us with what seems like the most dangerous or tricks.
The rollcall of proponents of this madness is much longer than we thought it would be, and of course, the way each person presented the trick had a myriad designs and outcomes. There were many who would present a rifle or pistol, fire it first to prove it worked, make a show of loading another bullet but have a variety of devices to replace it with a dummy. The real bullet would be hidden in the hilt of the gun, or fall into bowl or cushion or some other place, by design. Sometimes the person firing would aim to the side on purpose, with the bullet flying past. A real bullet would then be brought out of the magician’s mouth, or between his teeth. The trick worked on a series of assumptions made by the magician; that the pre-hype and showmanship would misdirect the audience to miss any trickery, that the audience’s suspended belief that it was impossible would allow them to believe it was possible and thirdly, that the anticipation of the trick going wrong and someone getting hurt was enough to create a situation where people would watch with all their concentration, so that they didn’t miss anything, meaning obviously that they miss almost everything!
It is amazing how many of these tricks went wrong, with guns misfiring the wrong bullet, assistants firing real bullets accidentally or purposefully, for whatever reason… Most sources quote between 13 and 20 magicians dying from the trick being carried out wrongly, and countless tales of close calls and ‘near misses’, though that seems a strange phrase for something where the idea it to hit the target… The fact that there have been mistakes and deaths in the past has only built up the myth which surrounds ‘The Bullet Catch’ and the magicians who have shown it.
Much is made of the fact that Harry Houdini, the great escapologist and illusionist, never showed the bullet catch trick, possibly because he received a letter begging him not to do it. The letter was from another illusionist Harry Kellar, but whether this is true or not seems to still be a matter of opinion.There are online a number of videos of Penn & Teller’s bullet catch trick, David Blaine’s variation, where he had a special metal cup made that he held in his mouth, and that of Ted Anneman in 1938, supposedly catching a bullet fired by a rifleman in front of a crowd of people. I watched them all. I don’t know whether they are real or not, hands up. It is a cold subject in my head, maybe because I am a man who has thankfully lived without the experience of real gunshots, and real bullet injuries. I enjoy films and TV where everyone ends up shot, but don’t really want to see it live, and I think personally, I still prefer the kind of magic where a smiling man with Brylcreemed hair rotates 52 playing cards mesmerically in front of me, and makes one appear from my ear…..
There are a number of online sources for further research into this fascinating subject, and the trick is discussed in many books and articles about Magicians, Illusionists and Conjurors.
www.bulletcatch.com www.wikipedia.org/wiki/bullet_catch
#BulletTrick #Conjurors #History #HistoryOfMagic #Magic #Magicians -
Und Thema #olympia #nolympia Schobert und Black. Was für dumme Idee. Und wie albern. Aber im wesentlichen.... Weiß nicht. Old School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diWIKXCqyzM&list=RDYVHa9flQS5g&index=2
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Und Thema #olympia #nolympia Schobert und Black. Was für dumme Idee. Und wie albern. Aber im wesentlichen.... Weiß nicht. Old School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diWIKXCqyzM&list=RDYVHa9flQS5g&index=2
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Und Thema #olympia #nolympia Schobert und Black. Was für dumme Idee. Und wie albern. Aber im wesentlichen.... Weiß nicht. Old School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diWIKXCqyzM&list=RDYVHa9flQS5g&index=2
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Und Thema #olympia #nolympia Schobert und Black. Was für dumme Idee. Und wie albern. Aber im wesentlichen.... Weiß nicht. Old School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diWIKXCqyzM&list=RDYVHa9flQS5g&index=2
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das einreichen von #wordpress #plugin ins offizielle repo ist immer spassig...
ich werde immer wieder gefragt ob ich ich bin....dumm nur wenn ich selbst nicht sicher bin ob ich ich bin oder ob ich eben nicht ich bin weil ich eben ein anderes ich bin....
komplizierte frage
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das einreichen von #wordpress #plugin ins offizielle repo ist immer spassig...
ich werde immer wieder gefragt ob ich ich bin....dumm nur wenn ich selbst nicht sicher bin ob ich ich bin oder ob ich eben nicht ich bin weil ich eben ein anderes ich bin....
komplizierte frage
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das einreichen von #wordpress #plugin ins offizielle repo ist immer spassig...
ich werde immer wieder gefragt ob ich ich bin....dumm nur wenn ich selbst nicht sicher bin ob ich ich bin oder ob ich eben nicht ich bin weil ich eben ein anderes ich bin....
komplizierte frage
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@nofollownoindex @ffmsg Wir sind ein Segment von #ff3l. Für die Innenstadt haben wir allerdings ein wildes eigenes Konzept gebaut/bauen müssen.
Dummerweise hat man nämlich in die Tiefgarage, in der all die Fasern rauskommen, die zu den Laternen führen, das Internet vergessen 🤷
1/2
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@nofollownoindex @ffmsg Wir sind ein Segment von #ff3l. Für die Innenstadt haben wir allerdings ein wildes eigenes Konzept gebaut/bauen müssen.
Dummerweise hat man nämlich in die Tiefgarage, in der all die Fasern rauskommen, die zu den Laternen führen, das Internet vergessen 🤷
1/2
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@nofollownoindex @ffmsg Wir sind ein Segment von #ff3l. Für die Innenstadt haben wir allerdings ein wildes eigenes Konzept gebaut/bauen müssen.
Dummerweise hat man nämlich in die Tiefgarage, in der all die Fasern rauskommen, die zu den Laternen führen, das Internet vergessen 🤷
1/2
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@nofollownoindex @ffmsg Wir sind ein Segment von #ff3l. Für die Innenstadt haben wir allerdings ein wildes eigenes Konzept gebaut/bauen müssen.
Dummerweise hat man nämlich in die Tiefgarage, in der all die Fasern rauskommen, die zu den Laternen führen, das Internet vergessen 🤷
1/2
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@nofollownoindex @ffmsg Wir sind ein Segment von #ff3l. Für die Innenstadt haben wir allerdings ein wildes eigenes Konzept gebaut/bauen müssen.
Dummerweise hat man nämlich in die Tiefgarage, in der all die Fasern rauskommen, die zu den Laternen führen, das Internet vergessen 🤷
1/2
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Das #Deutschland-Ticket …
… kann, besonders ärmere und arme #Familien entlasten, wenn es denn 0,00€ kostet.
Diese #Subvention kostet unter dem #Strich weniger, als jede #Benzinpreisbremse, was aber nicht heißt, dass man nicht doch noch einmal das #Kartellamt auf die #Mineralölkonzerne loslässt.
Aber was weiß ich schon, ich dummer, dicker, alter #Realschüler?