The Geller Effect Lives On, Oregon “Scientific”?, Updates, Mission Impossible, An Excellent Opportunity, UFO Observations, Because You Need Quackery, Bear With Us, A Simple Solution, Pat’s Back – With More Prophecies, PBS Persists in Woo-Woo, That Highway, You Mean the Prophecy Was Wrong?, Ho Ho Ho, In Conclusion…
Here is – essentially – a diatribe against the perceived fuddy-duddy convictions of shortsighted modern scientists. It was written by author Colin Bennett, who says that
…the problem here is that in the 20th century we have lost the relationship between imagination and fact.
THE GELLER EFFECT LIVES ONHere is – essentially – a diatribe against the perceived fuddy-duddy convictions of shortsighted modern scientists. It was written by author Colin Bennett, who says that …the problem here is that in the 20th century we have lost the relationship between imagination and fact. That rather sets the stage for what follows, since Bennett has freely interchanged imagination and fact, as you’ll see. He has also been beguiled by such wonders as the JFK Assassination Conspiracy, the Candy Jones/Long John Nebel/CIA* plot, Charles Fort, the Mothman Prophecies, “chemtrails,” and George Adamski. What follows is an exercise in naivety: * ask me about this sometime. I was there…
The Politics of Miracles No, I didn’t make this up, folks. Really!
Science as a culture takes precautions nevertheless against alternative systems which prowl around it like the approaching hordes in the film Night of the Living Dead. By foul means or fair, science must therefore very quickly out-propagandize any supposedly confused and “failed” competitors whose systems are not based on facts. This has resulted in a kind of systems-war between science, mysticism, religion, and the Arts well described by C.P. Snow in his seminal 1950 essay The Two Cultures. This is the ever-popular conspiracy claim that orthodox scientists, those of “the old 19th century determinism of Victorian Station Master trolls,” as the author puts it, suppress new ideas and findings in their field, so that they can comfortably continue their parochial existence, free of the threat of exciting new developments like mental spoon-bending. Hardly. For an example, in 1905, when Albert Einstein popped up with his radical idea of Special Relativity – to be followed by the much more comprehensive General Relativity – the accepted idea of “luminiferous aether” was firmly in place, had been there since the 1880s, and had been carefully defined and accepted by such an authority as Lord Kelvin. Then, overnight, aether was denied by science because Einstein had provided a much better – and testable – theory. Relativity itself was subsequently relegated when quantum theory emerged… Does science sound as if it cannot be convinced of new ideas, Mr. Bennett? Note that Mr. Bennett also cites two sources for his acceptance of mental spoon-bending. First, the previous accounts of miracles that he’s read about, he easily accepts. Daniel Dunglas Home (see http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/Home,%20Daniel%20Dunglas.html) is hardly a dependable reed upon which to lean, and the feats of Padre Pio are strictly religious anecdotes. Second – and this is what seems to have firmed up his belief – he cites observations that he personally made “with [his] own eyes from eighteen inches away” of a Geller show. Readers of mine will know that anyone seeing anything from that close a point of view has seriously limited his ability to observe adequately, and I think that Mr. Bennett might also readily admit that he has no expertise in the art of conjuring. I’m puzzled by Bennett’s reference to the magical ability he says Geller has to “[bend] metal with his fingers,” since that’s exactly what he does, and what anyone can do! I think that he meant to write, “with his mind,” here. And, the book he refers to was written by John Hasted, not “Hastead.” I can’t tell just when this piece was written by Bennett, but it surely was before the present reversal that Geller has made about having psychic powers. I have to wonder if that might change Bennett’s opinion, though I doubt it will; this delusion he has, is too valuable to him. Also, I’ll bet that he wishes he’d been able to use a very recent quotation from “Physics Today” as further evidence of this Conspiracy-of-Scientists theme. Physicist Frank Wilczek, the Feshbach Professor of Physics at MIT, shared the 2004 Nobel prize in Physics. He was dedicated to Don Herbert – TV’s famous “Mr. Wizard” and in his current “Physics Today” column titled “Reference Frame,” he chose to contrast Herbert with Uri Geller: The Wizard of Oz practiced deliberate mystification. He is the fictional prototype of a long line of tricksters, going back to the temple priests of ancient Egypt and earlier, and through to Uri Geller and a host of lesser charlatans today. Their elaborate houses of cards collapse under the pressure of curiosity, so they ward off curiosity.. Yes, Mr. Bennett, even prominent, real, scientists such as Frank Wilczek, in prestigious international journals, believe that Uri Geller’s admission is genuine. And as the Toronto Star newspaper of October 24th, 2007, commented just before the NBC “Phenomenon” series got started:
Why is Uri Geller about to appear on our television sets this evening? Shouldn’t this widely discredited "master of the paranormal" have vanished like a magician’s rabbit 30 years ago?... Even if it disappoints, the dynamic between Geller and [Criss] Angel should be fascinating. Because Angel is the one thing Geller never seemed to be back in those pre-debunked days: honest… But despite such highly expert and informed media and academic statements, you will cling to your delusions, Mr. Bennett, because you desperately need them to be true. Have you concluded that Uri Geller is now lying when he says he isn’t psychic, but that he wasn’t lying when he told the world that it was real? Perhaps you should contact Geller and ask him, “Why did you lie to us? Was this all just a joke, to you? Are we simply tools to be used, and then thrown away? Or are you really psychic?” To paraphrase you, sir, “So there!” (For more on the Geller brouhaha, see item #1 under UPDATES, ahead.) |
OREGON “SCIENTIFIC”?From reader Dave Crouch:
On 01/09/08 I received a promotional email from Oregon Scientific. It included the “i.Balance necklace.” Please see the following link for details: tinyurl.com/2lxbhx. I have attempted to contact the company via two different email addresses, and have yet to receive a response.
As of today the ridiculous claims and the $49.99 sales price remain on their web site. I guess at this point I am powerless to do anything, other than no longer purchase products from the company. Understood, Dave. Readers who look at this item will find these preposterous claims being made:
The i.Balance enhances metabolism and improves your quality of sleep. Wear the i.Balance around your neck all day to soothe fatigue from sore muscles caused by work or exercise. Great product for any age. Quackery and pseodoscience, pure and simple. And this is being sold by a company that boasts about awards in design they've received - though not in science – so where does the term “scientific” come in, I must ask? Perhaps “Oregon Pretty Toys” would be a more suitable moniker. |
UPDATESFrom correspondent Avital Pilpel comes this additional information:
1. About Geller: I supposed you’re not surprised he lied. With my own ears, I heard Geller tell people at a Barnes & Noble book signing that he was a secret agent for both the CIA and the Mossad [The Institute, Israel’s intelligence agency] on top-secret missions, that he had made 200 parachute jumps in his career in the Israeli paratroopers, and many other boners. After all, he was believed when he claimed to have teleported from New York City to the house of one of his credulous supporters in Chappaqua. Once you find out you can get away with that, every other lie is small change...
So it would probably be a "causeway," too! |
MISSION IMPOSSIBLESome people tend to bit off more than they can chew – to spontaneously coin an oft-used phrase. Journalist A.J. Jacobs, a senior editor at Esquire magazine, recently spent a year trying to adhere to all the moral codes in the Bible, a task that can sure keep a fellow jumping, as he quickly discovered. He grew an appropriately Biblical beard and donned suitable robes… Since there are 700+ Biblical rules to follow – some very general, but some quite specific – Mr. Jacobs decided he’d better consult with a selected group of spiritual advisors – rabbis, ministers and priests – who could provide him with guidance and advice throughout his difficult odyssey. Naturally, as a basic first step, he obeyed the Ten Commandments. And he carefully observed the Biblical “be fruitful and multiply” rule, and as a result his wife had twins during his year of experiment. He remembered the Sabbath and kept it holy, of course, but also paid close attention to rules that are usually ignored, rules such as not wearing clothes made of two different fibers such as nylon and linen, an obviously sinful act. Mr. Jacobs observed: You can definitely pluck passages out of the Bible to support almost any position. I found one website that claimed that the Bible approved of pot-smoking because of a line in Genesis about God providing plants for us… But some of the rules quite baffled his 21st-century brain. Could he justify Biblical laws about stoning homosexuals, and dutifully toss rocks at denizens of New York’s Greenwich Village? What about stoning disobedient children? And did he have to go to a livestock market and buy oxen for sacrificing obligations? Where do you dispose of those poor dead oxen…? The mind boggles! Mr. Jacobs is also the author of "The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World," which relates his dedicated effort to read all 32 volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Umm, that might not do it, and might occupy too much of one’s life span, but hey, whatever turns you on, sir. |
AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITYI’ll begin this rather lengthy item by defining what I’ve always referred to as the Grubbies. These are people who in a previous generation would send anonymous letters by post to their target, or to someone who might react against that person, with the sole intent of harassing the recipient. Those communications – which were referred to as “poison pen letters,” would hint at secrets that might be revealed, or unspecified lurking dangers just over the horizon – providing the Grubby with satisfaction and presumably bringing the recipient fear, or at least annoyance and concern. Now the Grubby art has metamorphosed to embrace The Computer Age. Via the Internet, using multiple addresses, reaching very large audiences by almost-instant access and protected by anonymity, these strange folks have a multi-layered existence. They can invade from many different angles, if they so choose, striking anyone who has computer access – especially those who have some recognition. Media figures, politicians, business persons, anyone who can be easily accessed electronically, become potential targets of a Grubby. Vulnerable persons who will respond – often because they must, in defense – can become entangled with Grubbies who enjoy knowingly misrepresenting their case, ignoring the facts and presenting what they know to be wrong, just to get their victims angry or worried. The JREF and I have been easy targets. I’m referring now only to the Grubbies, and not to those who are innocently ignorant of the complexities of the real world and who provide us with problems to which we respond readily – though often with great sighs and frazzled patience. But when we receive obviously Grubby-flavored inquiries and/or attacks, we answer briefly and try to turn to more important matters, but that’s not always possible – nor advisable. We’ve just had a rather lucky attack, and I say lucky because this one covers the spectrum of Grubby tactics rather fully, and gives us the opportunity to illustrate just how such an attack takes place. The sender wrote that he/she was sure that I would not respond, therefore I’m doing so in detail. This week, and next – if we have room – I will present you with both the original text of the attack, and my answers. The author of this exercise in snapping-at-heels is quite plainly educated enough to understand what the JREF is all about, what we do, and how we do it – but he/she chooses to pretend not to know, and drags in every canard we’ve handled for the past decade about the million-dollar challenge. It apparently brings him/her great delight to imagine my frustration and annoyance, and he/she jumps to the keyboard to feverishly respond so that not one drop of dismay is missed. In this exchange you’ll see the blatant misstating of what we stand for, of what we’ve said or written, and direct attributions of attitudes and philosophies we’ve never held – in spite of the many years of SWIFT and the contents of my books, articles and media appearances. Here’s the first of these dreary exchanges. The name of the Grubby has been changed to “Simplicio,” one of Galileo’s characters in his 1632 work, “A Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems.” Read these 653 words, and you can see how our Simplicio errs almost from the first few words, beginning the attack – titled, “Termination of James Randi’s fraudulent MILLION DOLLAR PARANORMAL CHALLENGE” - with the usual facetious approach:
Well thank you for gracing me with your presence oh amazing one. I’ve got to admit, I’m surprised you took the time to reply to this ragtag group the first poster put together. Someone must have struck a nerve.
Who decides this? The man who stands to lose a million dollars? So, in other words, if any challenge actually scared you, you just denied them entry and claimed it bogus.
As a scientist, this one really kind of bugs me. "Science" is an ever changing field. What’s impossible today will be possible tomorrow, and sometimes things are discovered that change the way we look at the world. Now, I wouldn’t advocate buying into the delusions of some people myself, but, you can’t just deny whomever you wish entry based on your own ambiguous rules and call it a fair challenge and huff and puff about how you champion the real world of science.
Not my favorite subject, but, worth exploring a bit. Even the US government claims that at least a few percent of all sightings are worth exploring because they’re unable to be explained. Surely you have solid backing for your claim that each and every sighting is false, or proven to be something else, right? How about the O’Hare incident of last year? Did you investigate? Serious reporters and investigators haven’t been able to explain that one yet, so I’m waiting on your explanation.
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UFO OBSERVATIONSOur friend James Oberg comments on the recent Larry King “UFO Hour” show in which he participated:
Notice James Fox’s idiotic opening line: "Uh, I don’t mean to insult your intelligence, but could it have been a comet?" Two things: of course he meant “meteor,” he just misspoke. Friedman gently corrected him. Worse: he implied that “intelligence” was a factor in avoiding misinterpretation of visual stimuli. This is a widespread delusion – people who DO misinterpret things, as the vast majority of UFO witnesses are doing, get really torqued when somebody offers a prosaic explanation – “Are you saying I’m SToooPID?” is the standard response. Lucius Farish, despite his profound familiarity with the UFO literature, made exactly this gambit when I – correctly – identified a favorite personal UFO sighting of his with the Echo balloon. With their ego defense mechanisms engaged, and with the high-status thrill of now having personally become a witness to alien visitors, it becomes impossible to rationally investigate such witness reports further. As a magician I’m very familiar with this seeming conundrum. We know that children – as James Oberg points out – are often not deceived by simple sleight-of-hand simply because they’re not experienced enough with the real/adult world, to be fooled. They’re unsophisticated. They need to see the egg actually go into the other hand, and are not smart enough to assume that it did, though it would certainly appear to have done so, to an adult – a “smarter” – person… |
BECAUSE YOU NEED QUACKERYReader Dr. Keith Grimes writes:
Firstly, thank you for your work and ever-entertaining and informative weekly newsletter. Living in the UK, I work as an Out-of-Hours General Practitioner (Doctor) on Thursday nights, so in the wee hours of Friday morning when things have quietened down, I get a chance to catch my first glimpse of SWIFT.
sends shivers down my spine. And Dr. Singh only charges £150 (approx $290 USD) for such a service! As for Prince Charles, his only real expertise seems to be in The Wearing of a Crown for Fun & Profit. |
BEAR WITH USFrom reader Doug McDonald in the UK comes this exciting news of “Timmy the Energy Bear,” about which Doug writes:
I am not tolerant in general of woo being advertised as medicinal, but Timmy the Energy Bear has me more ticked off than is typical. To be teaching or encouraging poor or magical thinking in children is inexcusable. Please warn your readers about this product. The web address is tinyurl.com/2htam3. This product sells for £29.99 – about US$60, and is recommended – by the vendors – for children who:
HAVE ASTHMA AND BREATHING PROBLEMS Doesn’t that sound like most kids you know? No evidence of any sort for these claims is offered, of course. The naïve are expected to simply accept… But what’s inside Timmy, we must ask. They say:
Gentle Magnetic Fields, and Natural Daylight Energy in a new and exciting form of soothing Photon Platinum™ non-woven Fabric. Believe me, I make it a strict rule to keep out of the reach of children, especially those toting unattractive magnetic bears…! |
A SIMPLE SOLUTIONFrom reader Tom Moore we hear of the solution to a long-standing “haunting” problem in China. In Guangxi City, China, just west of Hong Kong, there has been a ten-year battle between haunting spirits and the inhabitants of a five-story building. A series of owners had been driven out of the structure by disturbing midnight banging noises which neighbors naturally attributed to restless ghosts. What else? The mystery has now been resolved – very profitably – by a pair of brothers named Chan, who set out to investigate whether natural causes might be responsible for these late-night disturbances. The formerly valuable property – now valued at only $6,500 because of the spooks – attracted the Chans, who only need a crowbar to solve the puzzle. After picking up the keys, they began work. Visits during the day showed no phenomena, but at night, the muffled banging became clearly evident, particularly on the lower floors. It was loudest in the first story bathroom, but went away when they pounded on the floor. The brothers reached into their ghostbuster’s kit, came up with a crowbar, pried up the floor, and discovered a septic tank. Bracing themselves, they lifted off its cover, and down in the muck, they saw something move. Lo! It turned out to be a pair of ten-pound catfish and eight smaller fry, their offspring. The “haunting” was over. They learned that a previous owner had once brought a bucketful of live catfish into the bathroom for cleaning, and somehow, two of the fish had managed to flop loose and make their escape down the toilet. Unknown to everyone, they stayed on, flourishing in the septic tank and raising a small family. They were of course most active at night, with the sounds of their splashing about and banging amplified through the building’s plumbing. (We’re not told the fate of the catfish, but it may be assumed to be an unfortunate one…) The ghost problem settled, the building has appreciated dramatically, to over $135,000 – not a bad return for the investment of some simple common sense and rational thinking…! |
PAT’S BACK – WITH MORE PROPHECIESReader Felipe Oliveira points out that Pat Robertson is back at it again with more of his hilarious end-of-year predictions. See tinyurl.com/2f727s. Says Felipe:
Apparently, God tells Mr. Robertson that in 2008 "God is gonna give us China," meaning that they will accept Jesus and "become the largest Christian nation in the world"! How lucky! God is going to suddenly erase hundreds of years of Buddhist and Confucius-ist dominance! IN ONE YEAR! At least this seems to indicate that Pat reads the news and is aware that a closer relationship with China might benefit the USA financially. |
PBS PERSISTS IN WOO-WOOReader Chris Long alerts us that PBS has again pandered to irrationality:
“Atlantis Found?” During the week of Christmas, PBS contributed yet another piece to the woo-woo crowd with the airing of a “documentary” titled “Atlantis Found?” Plato was wrong, the “experts” intoned, conceding there was no lost continent in the Atlantic Ocean to the west of Gibraltar. But wait, there’s more! Atlantis could have been the ancient city of Troy! So, a self-appointed expert on the subject trudged around the ancient ruins uncovered by Heinrich Schliemann over a hundred years ago pointing out features that fit Plato’s description. He even walked along a man-made depression in the landscape stating that the “canal” fit Plato’s description. But there was a problem: the canal was inclined about fifteen degrees, making an ancient connection with the Mediterranean doubtful. The archaeologist accompanying the guy said no, this was an ancient drainage ditch. Oops ! As if that weren’t enough disappointment, reader Rodrigo Otero provides an example of the History Channel embracing woo-woo even more ardently than PBS. He writes: Yesterday I saw something that I never thought would be possible on the History Channel! In essence, they said that the Bermuda Triangle “Mystery” is caused by a black hole! See tinyurl.com/36ygts. And who backs up this claim? The most reliable of scientists: John Hutchison! Double Wow! Or double Woo? Randi: see randi.org/jr/121302.html and do a search for “Hutchison.” Rodrigo continues:
Here’s the theory: there is a black hole in that region, perhaps in the air or undersea. And it is known that black holes cause extreme magnetic distortion, and that area is (allegedly) famous for this kind of phenomenon, so there must be a black hole there!
And then the scene cuts to one of these scientists who says that, considering global warming, melting of the poles, etc., that region’s weather will become much more dangerous to human life. But to someone not paying close attention, it can appear that this is caused by a black hole! And the narrator did not say “the supposed black hole would cause more destruction.” He said, “the black hole will…! The once-hypothetical black hole is now a fact, proven by science! |
THAT HIGHWAYReader Jeff Nesmith, a professional truck driver, comments on last week’s item on Highway I-35 – see randi.org/joom/content/view/149/27/#i5:
You know, not all that long ago, I ran a load of sheet steel out that way, then wound up on I-35 for my next load. I’ve got any number of friends out there on that highway at any given time, all of whom are hauling freight, and all of whom are experiencing what we do on any other highway in the nation. |
YOU MEAN THE PROPHECY WAS WRONG?Reader “Brandon” sends us to a pompous, self-assured, “prophet” who has everything worked out and decided – as do most such preachers. He writes:
When I started finding videos posted by members of my town’s "cute" little cult on YouTube, I thought you might get a kick out of them, just for the sheer silliness on display. I must admit, Brandon, that I can’t laugh at this man, or at what he stands for. He’s thoroughly, irrevocably, deluded. Nothing will slow him down or change his mind, and he’ll continue on this way making excuses for his blunders, still bringing in funds from his “flock,” and confident that he’s not only right, but infallible. Go back to that designation “flock.” Webster’s says it’s – primarily – a group of sheep, goats, or birds. Hmmm. Sheep end up being fleeced and/or eaten, goats haven’t a much rosier future, especially in the Middle East, and chickens can only aspire to meeting The Colonel’s minions… The designation is apt. |
HO HO HOReader Mason Deaver sends us two excerpts from CDs by comedian Steven Wright: From "I Have A Pony":
From "I Still Have A Pony:
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IN CONCLUSION…We’re in the middle of, or just out of, TAM 5.5 as you read this. So it’s So next it'll be on to TAM6 – June 19th to 22nd in Las Vegas – still shaping up, but I can tell you that we’ll have Professor Arthur Benjamin, the famous mathemagic performer, up front with his exciting show in which he instantly multiplies huge figures by other huge figures – in his head, extracts square roots mentally, and generally puts the calculator manufacturers in fear of extinction… Art will not only do these feats, he’ll tell you how you can do them, too…! I’m off to Germany in two weeks to tape a full Geller-tricks exposure, after I return from Alice Cooper’s 60th birthday party in Phoenix. I’m at a magician’s convention in Tampa in February, as well as the Smarter Data Conference in Atlanta. Lots of lecture dates coming up, and it appears that I’ve returned to full fettle…! Evil doers, cringe! Scallywags, retreat! I’m baaaack! |