From: twcaps@tennyson.lbl.gov (Terry Chan)
Newsgroups: sci.skeptic,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Of Egg Yolks and Astrology
Date: 27 Sep 92 07:36:50 GMT
Reply-To: TWChan@lbl.gov (Terry Chan)
Organization: Department of Redundancy Department
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.12.117


  +In article <1a0jrsINNqp7@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> ak104@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Robert Clark) writes:
  +>
  +>
  +> Proponents of astrology have used the argument that the different
  +>gravitation pulls of the Sun and the Moon on the Earth at different
  +>times of the year could be used to explain the alleged differences
  +>in personality by birthdate. They cite the enormous gravitational
  +>influence of the tides to show how fluids on the earth, and by
  +>extrapoloation fluids in our bodies, are affected by astronomical
  +>objects. 

Yeah right, they don't even cause earthquakes (I don't care,
Browning is dead).

  +>  Critics have attacked this by saying you need tremendous amounts
  +>of mass to detect these _differential_ effects and by using statements
  +>like "the weight of the doctor has a greater gravit. effect on you
  +>at birth than the moon does." I've always bought these arguments.
  +>HOWEVER, the recent autumnal equinox has given me pause. I was looking
  +>at a picture of an egg balanced on its end and reading the caption to
  +>the picture which stated that only during the vernal or autumnal equinox
  +                               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  +>may a fresh egg be balanced on its end, when I started wondering
  + ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  +>how such a small amount of mass can detect this effect.

sheaffer@netcom.com (Robert Sheaffer) writes:

  +I think that the right place to bring this up is on 
  +"alt.folklore.urban". Heck, it might even be in their FAQ file.

Nope, it ain't in the FAQ, though it's been considered (and forgotten
like so many other things).

But, if we check out something like _More of the Straight Dope_, we
see that Cecil Adams had a call from a Professor Jeff Hartness of Carol
Stream, IL who drove down to the radio station that Cecil was at
and proceeded to stand several eggs on end in the middle of May.  Cecil
then claimed to have duplicated it himself:  the trip being having very
steady hands (though you can supposedly help yourself by shaking the
egg first).  The rest of the folks in the studio actually did it also.

Earlier, Cecil points out that a Professor Ken Gray of the Art Department
of the University of Alaska at Anchorage and his friends balanced 17 dozen
eggs on end on the 1985 vernal equinox.  This guy was supposedly noted
for sponsoring art events at various equinoxes, solstices, etc. and the 
1985 event was called "Egg Zen Trick".  My guess is that this is exactly
the sort of cute story that makes the rounds of the newswire feeds during
these periods and it probably got around and scrambled in the empty shells
of those believers.

Terry "Have you heard the one about which came first?" Chan

--
Energy and Environment Division   | Internet:  TWChan@lbl.gov
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory      | 
Berkeley, California  USA  94720  | It's not weird enough for me yet.
Newsgroups: sci.skeptic