# Sale on Magic Wands! (AP story) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 31, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896 "2003-01-31T16:58:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/141 "2019-08-01T15:49:55Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > This is what bothers me about woo-believers: “I bought this wand/crystal/Ganesha figure because it’s pretty and I like it” is a perfectly good, valid reason for making a purchase. No further explanation needed. > > But that’s not enough for the woo-fans. They have to tell us that the wand “redirects chakra energy”, or that the quartz crystal heals their headache/aligns their vibrations with the universe/allows them to telepathically communicate with the cat. As Douglas Adams put it, “Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?” What is your point exactly, that lucky shoes are ONLY pretty and comfortable, maybe durable and performance enabling, but NOT ‘more’ than the sum of the parts, based o the wearer’s perception or “Placebo Effect”…just isn’t ‘fair’…it’s wrong…it’s witchcraft? Where’s the harm? If a talisman gives you courage, carry it. Why do you have to shite in someone else’s Cheerios? You speak about something you have NEVER exposed yourself to quote someone you’ve never met, and let me let you in on a little secret. I don’t know you, but I know cats, and they know assholes. If you own a cat, he has absolutely looked at you and said, “You are an asshole.” You just don’t read body language. ---
**Author:** ![King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/142 "2019-08-01T15:51:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > … > > BTW, who made that wand of yours? Forge Wizards ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/143 "2019-08-01T15:53:15Z")
> [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](#): > > Forge Wizards A simple “I don’t know who made it, therefore I have no way of knowing why they made it” would suffice. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/144 "2019-08-01T16:04:30Z")
> [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](#): > > I KNOW…that’s magic. Not unless absolutely everything is magic. > [@](#): > > Not everyone can do it. No, only the living ones. ---
**Author:** ![King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/145 "2019-08-01T16:17:40Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > A simple “I don’t know who made it, therefore I have no way of knowing why they made it” would suffice. Would it though? [Not Cast Iron - Imgur](https://imgur.com/gallery/axJZvH2) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/146 "2019-08-01T16:20:20Z")
> [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](#): > > Would it though? [Not Cast Iron - Imgur](https://imgur.com/gallery/axJZvH2) How does that picture tell us who made it, or why it was made? Again, if you don’t know, just say so. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/147 "2019-08-01T16:28:21Z")
By the way, [here is what an _actual_ Khatvanga Ritual _Staff_ looks like.](https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/79170/). Not noticing any similarity at all to that iron stick you keep talking about. ---
**Author:** ![King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/148 "2019-08-01T16:34:29Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > By the way, [here is what an _actual_ Khatvanga Ritual _Staff_ looks like.](https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/79170/). Not noticing any similarity at all to that iron stick you keep talking about. Yeah, mine is a “wand”… ---
**Author:** ![King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/149 "2019-08-01T16:37:39Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > How does that picture tell us who made it, or why it was made? Again, if you don’t know, just say so. Well, to an untrained eye, it’s just a picture, but to someone who knows how to machine metal, much can be gleaned from this image as to who and how it was made. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/150 "2019-08-01T16:41:02Z")
> [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](#): > > Yeah, mine is a “wand”… …which doesn’t seem to be even remotely related artistically to the real deal. > [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](#): > > I fully understand it is a metal rod or conductor, focusing or directing my energy, **and its makers did too**. Once again, if you don’t know who made it, you _cannot_ know _why_ it was made. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/151 "2019-08-01T16:42:04Z")
> [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](#): > > Well, to an untrained eye, it’s just a picture, but to someone who knows how to machine metal, much can be gleaned from this image as to who and how it was made. Pray tell, what have you “gleaned” about who made it and how it was made? ---
**Author:** ![King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/152 "2019-08-01T16:55:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Pray tell, what have you “gleaned” about who made it and how it was made? Would you believe me if I told you??? First, I’ve seen both successful and unsuccessful attempt to forge or draw this stuff out using an anvil and forge. It’s not easy, as the material tends to crack apart due to impurities I think this piece was smelted, poured into an ingot, then machined on a lathe before being hand carved with metal files. It is a hard metal, not easily scratched, and it’s heavy, more so than 440 carbon steel. (\*My father and I used to make knives and daggers.) I think the cuts in the snake bands were chiseled out, while the eyes are clearly drilled. That’s what ‘I’ can tell you, but I am sure someone here knows even more. ---
**Author:** ![King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/153 "2019-08-01T16:58:30Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > …which doesn’t seem to be even remotely related artistically to the real deal. > Once again, if you don’t know who made it, you _cannot_ know _why_ it was made. You are comparing a scepter to a wand…YEAH, they are different. Size, shape, and utility NOT a maker’s mark indicate function or purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/154 "2019-08-01T17:06:02Z")
> [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](#): > > Would you believe me if I told you??? I don’t know, but the longer you keep dancing around, the less likely it is _anyone_ will believe you. BTW, making a claim then saying “I would tell you but you wouldn’t believe me, so I’m not gonna do it!” is so hackneyed. ---
**Author:** ![King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/155 "2019-08-01T17:07:47Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I don’t know, but the longer you keep dancing around, the less likely it is _anyone_ will believe you. BTW, making a claim then saying “I would tell you but you wouldn’t believe me, so I’m not gonna do it!” is so hackneyed. I gave you the answers as best as I could mange, and you’re griping about the lead? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/156 "2019-08-01T17:17:19Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > I believe in Bob Ley, and he used to be on a show called ‘Outside the Lines’… > > Wake up sheeple! I believe in Willy Ley before he went nuts. He designed more practical space ships than von Braun, who just scaled up the V2. 😉 > [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](#): > > So, you don’t believe in the Placebo Effect? You know that’s been repeatedly tested, right? > > So, we should toss out knowledge because it’s old? > > Yes, and believe it or not, ancients knew MORE than you do…“SHOCKING!” huh? > > Because I can’t tell you…you have to see the Earth’s ancient connections for yourself. Dogs flew space ships! The Aztecs invented the vacation! Men and Women are the same sex! Our forefathers took drugs! Your brain is not the boss! That’s right, everything you know is WRONG! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/157 "2019-08-01T17:19:53Z")
> [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](#): > > You are comparing a scepter to a wand…YEAH, they are different. > > Size, shape, and utility NOT a maker’s mark indicate function or purpose. Noooo…I was asking if you knew who made your wand. It is right there in the quote you posted. ---
**Author:** ![King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/158 "2019-08-01T17:20:52Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > … > > Dogs flew space ships! The Aztecs invented the vacation! Men and Women are the same sex! Our forefathers took drugs! Your brain is not the boss! That’s right, everything you know is WRONG! “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.” TM Wonka ---
**Author:** ![King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/159 "2019-08-01T17:22:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Noooo…I was asking if you knew who made your wand. It is right there in the quote you posted. Who made the shirt on your back? WHAT was their name? TELL ME NOW, or the shirt isn’t real, isn’t made of actual fabric, and is in fact a figment of your imagination!!! ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896/160 "2019-08-01T17:28:59Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Dogs flew space ships! The Aztecs invented the vacation! Men and Women are the same sex! Our forefathers took drugs! Your brain is not the boss! That’s right, everything you know is WRONG! Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sale-on-magic-wands-ap-story/151896.md?page=9)