More Harvard bashing - always a good time...
http://espn.go.com/page2/s/tmq/030819.html
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"Harvard Should Give Him His Money Back: Last night's MNF warm-up included a charming United Way commercial (watch it here) in which Vikings center Matt Birk, a Harvard graduate, amazes a little boy with knowledge. Standing at a blackboard, Birk explains that the nucleus of an atom is composed of positively charged protons and neutrally charged neutrons, and that "this dynamic is called the electromagnetic force." The voice-over then boasts of Birk, "He's from Harvard."
TMQ's reaction: "aaaiiiiiiiiyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Birk has absolutely no idea what he is talking about. Apparently, neither does anyone at the United Way. Electromagnetism is the force that mediates radiation and waves: radio, electricity, light and other energies propagate via electromagnetism. Because "electromagnetism acts between all particles possessed of electric charge" -- see basic definitions of physical forces at the University of Hertfordshire physics page -- electromagnetism has no effect on neutrons, which carry no charge. Further, electromagnetism doesn't govern the nucleus of the atom. That is done by the strong force, which holds nuclei together by overcoming the tendency of positively charged protons to repel each other.
Memo to Matt Birk: if you're going to go on national television to brag about being from Harvard, don't sound like an illiterate, OK? Mumbling fancy-sounding gibberish does not make one educated.
Memo to United Way: we know you've had all kinds of financial scandals, but set a little cash aside for a fact-checker, OK?
Memo to ABC, which ran the ad: no one at the network knew enough elementary physics to catch this science illiteracy?"
Post Edited (08-19-03 14:17)
Guess he only got an A in particle physics.
JH
Careful, Jeff, or johnnieag will come unglued again.;-)
QuoteMemo to Matt Birk: if you're going to go on national television to brag about being from Harvard, don't sound like an illiterate, OK? Mumbling fancy-sounding gibberish does not make one educated.
It doesn't?!? But that would mean that RadioShack commercial, in which Bradshaw talks about "redirecting the traffic through the serial bus" or something like that, sound stupid!
Say it ain't so!
QuoteSully '00 wrote:
Mumbling fancy-sounding gibberish does not make one educated.
No, no - mumbling fancy-sounding gibberish makes one a regular on Star Trek. ::yark::
Ah, nirvana. Ragging on Harvard athletes combined with ragging on people who misrepresent science. My geeky Faithful heart is full.