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Clown Sightings: Study Reveals the Science Behind Creepy Clowns

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Researchers have decided to study the psychology behind what makes people afraid and have found clowns as one of the scariest professions in the world.

In the journal of New Ideas in Psychology, Francis T. McAndrew studied the “nature of creepiness”. The study surveyed 1341 different individuals and asked the participants what they found “creepy”. Researchers asked subjects to rate the creepiness level of 44 different types of physical and behavioral traits.

The results demonstrated that people find men, abnormal physical traits, strange patterns of eye contact, odd emotional responses and unpredictable behavior as creepy. In addition, subjects chose “clown” as the creepiest listed profession.

McAndrew basically argues that people are afraid of what they do not understand. “This study is consistent with the notion that the perception of creepiness is a response to the ambiguity of threat.”

The result comes after a wave of clown sightings across America. Since last August, there have been dozens of reports of threatening clowns nearby schools, homes and colleges. Many people have dismissed these clown sightings as mere pranks, but police officers have arrested dozens of people in connection with these clown sightings.

A 14-year-old was arrested in California when he threatened high school students and faculty on an Instagram page called “Fontana’s Killer Clowns.” Police say the teenager wanted to scare people and go viral on social media.

In addition, a mother in San Francisco fought off a person dressed as a clown, who grabbed her one-year-old daughter. “I thought he was going to kiss her hand. Instead, he pulled her arm literally, so I pulled her arm back and I kicked him,” said Tiffany Martin.

The creepiness of clowns has even reached the White House. When asked if President Barack Obama was aware of the numerous clown sightings across the United States, White House Press Secretary responded by saying, “I don’t know that the president has been briefed on this particular situation.”

Some people are so threatened by the numerous clown sightings that they are organizing neighborhood watch groups. Recently, hundreds of students at Penn State University launched a manhunt after a clown was reportedly seen on campus.

In defense of the multiple clown sightings, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey released a statement  saying, “It is troubling because it’s a distraction for our clowns who just want to make people laugh and smile.”

Phone Carriers Are Now Accepting Exchanges of Replacement Galaxy Note 7 Devices

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Following a recent report of a replacement Galaxy Note 7 device explosion on a domestic Southwest airplane, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint are now accepting exchanges of replacement Galaxy Note 7 devices.

Sprint provided a statement saying, “Sprint is working collaboratively with Samsung to better understand the most recent concerns regarding replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.”

Sprint added that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is currently investigating the Note 7 replacement device. “If a Sprint customer with a replacement Note 7 has any concerns regarding their device, we will exchange it for any other device at any Sprint retail store during the investigation window.” Sprint also plans on providing additional information as soon as the investigation is complete.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are following in the footsteps of Sprint. If you currently own a Note 7, they will allow you to exchange for any other device they sell. All you have to do is visit one of their retail locations.

On October 5th, a replacement Galaxy Note 7 caused passengers and crew members on a Southwest flight departing from Louisville, Kentucky to evacuate. During the boarding process, Note 7 owner, Brian Green, was asked by flight attendants to turn off his cell phone, then his smartphone began to catch fire.

As the phone was powering down, the Note 7 began to smoke, at which point Green dropped the phone on the ground. Green said the phone was letting out a “grey-green angry smoke.” A friend of Green went back on to the flight to grab his belongings and was able to capture a photo of the device as it was burning a hole through the airplane’s carpet. The flight was canceled and Southwest rebooked all of the passengers for later flights.

Samsung issued a statement regarding the Galaxy Note 7 explosion saying that they are currently investigating the issue. “We cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note 7. We are working with the authorities and Southwest now to recover the device and confirm the cause.”

Last September, Samsung announced a global recall of the Note 7 along with stopping all future sales of the device following reports of battery explosions. Every Note 7 sold before September 15th is effected by the recall and must either be returned or replaced. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said owners of affected Note 7s should power off their cell phones and return them. In addition, the FAA has advised against using or charging the Note 7 while on flights.

Once the recall was announced, Samsung issued an official statement on the recall saying that the issue is related to the type of batteries used in some Note 7s. Low-quality battery cells have a history of overheating when overcharged or used frequently. A report by South Korean manufacturing regulators showed that “an error in production that placed pressure on plates contained within battery cells. That in turn brought negative and positive poles into contact, triggering excessive heat.”