t - New York Civil Liberties Union

272
Union-Endicott
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Who
have In
Reading Faces
In Pinoccbio, the story
by Carlo Collodi, a
wooden puppet undergoes
adventures in a
quest to become a real
boy. The puppet's
nose grows anytime
he tells a lie.
It now seems there's
truth to the tale. Lying
really does make a
person's nose stand up
a bit, say researchers
at the Smell and Taste
Treatment and
Research Foundation.
That knowledge is
being used to perfect
computer programs
that measure changes
in a person's face when
he or she testifies for
police.
Putting a hand to
the nose has long been
believed to be body
language that signals
the person is lying.
That observation has
been made in many
countries over time.
Scientists believe that a
liar makes that move
because his or her nose
enlarges ever so slightly
and starts to itch.
That urge to scratch
is being called "the
Pinocchio effect,"
DEAD
END
Chelsea Dunn was 13.
So was Gabriel Mordecai.
Chelsea used a shoelace
and a belt. Gabriel found
a rope. Both cut off their
own breathing for kicksand
died by accident.
Have you heard about
the pass-out game? The
way to "play" is being
passed around the Internet
and in school hallways.
Players cut off their own
breathing until they lose
track of their thoughts.
That moment is called the
"space monkey," the "flat-
Iiner," or the "blackout."
People make dares all
the time. But daring others
to black out is no game.
Lack of oxygen can injure
the brain or kill you.
Gabriel's twin, Samuel,
tried flatlining, too, but he
survived. Samuel thought
it was no big deal at the
time-not like "doing
drugs" might be. He knows
better now.
Investigators are finding
that kids who would not
do something illegal are
trying the pass-out
game-with deadly
consequences.
4 January 2006 Current Health 1