Breaking News, Easy Solution, Another Wrist-Slap, Just Another Cold Reader, A Happy Convert, Explanation, Prophet/Profit Manual, Musical Advice, Rebuttal, That Old Null Hypothesis Problem, Steorn’s Demise Again Denied, Who & Why?, That Health Anchor, Desiré?, and In Closing…
The corpse of Padre Pio, the Italian monk from the Capuchin order who was said to have regularly exhibited stigmata – wounds on his hands, feet and side like those of Jesus Christ during his crucifixion – and who was made a saint by Pope John Paul II, has been exhumed on the 40th anniversary of his death. Some seven million people visit his tomb every year. Those wounds reputedly bled frequently throughout his adult life. He was exhumed in order to be put on public display at the end of April. We’re told that the remains will be “prepared by experts before being placed in a glass coffin.” I certainly hope so.
The body was in "fair" condition, a Church statement said, and “his nails looked as if they had just undergone a manicure.” The statement also said that the body “has been conserved well,'' and “we could clearly make out the beard,” except that
The top part of the skull is partly skeletal but the chin is perfect and the rest of the body is well preserved.
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BREAKING NEWSThe corpse of Padre Pio, the Italian monk from the Capuchin order who was said to have regularly exhibited stigmata – wounds on his hands, feet and side like those of Jesus Christ during his crucifixion – and who was made a saint by Pope John Paul II, has been exhumed on the 40th anniversary of his death. Some seven million people visit his tomb every year. Those wounds reputedly bled frequently throughout his adult life. He was exhumed in order to be put on public display at the end of April. We’re told that the remains will be “prepared by experts before being placed in a glass coffin.” I certainly hope so. The body was in "fair" condition, a Church statement said, and “his nails looked as if they had just undergone a manicure.” The statement also said that the body “has been conserved well,'' and “we could clearly make out the beard,” except that The top part of the skull is partly skeletal but the chin is perfect and the rest of the body is well preserved. His followers and friends claim that Padre Pio performed hundreds of healings and other miracles during his life. At first, the Vatican opposed the growth of the popular following around the saint, but then changed its attitude, and now he’s going on display. It’s claimed that Padre Pio could predict future events, had the power of “bilocation” – being seen in two places at once – and he had the ability to know penitents’ sins before they had confessed them. He was also said to have emitted the scent of flowers. A little after-shave lotion would have accomplished that, but we’re dealing here with religious belief, and reason or common sense must not interfere. The BBC press release from Rome, perhaps simply choosing to get it wrong and thus creating yet another “straw man,” said: Critics have claimed that he was a fraud who may have used acid to create the stigmata wounds on his hands, but the Church has repeatedly denied these suggestions. As well they might. That’s a ridiculous suggestion, and would never be made by any serious critic, any more than any skeptic would claim that Uri Geller bends spoons by using corrosive acid on his fingers to soften the metal; the modus operandi is far simpler, in both cases, though the observation about Geller has been made, in all seriousness. As we pointed out in connection with another stigmata claim at tinyurl.com/39dvkr and a reference at tinyurl.com/2o2gsv, these wounds are very easy to produce, as long as the rewards are great enough and the subject is sufficiently eager for attention… Strangely, we see no mention here of whether or not the Padre was embalmed. Saints, after all, are supposed to have incorruptible corpses, and a poorly-maintained skull isn’t made less so by a perfect chin… Mother Teresa also failed this simple test, as did Saint Bernadette… See www.randi.org/jr/102502.html – do a search for “Teresa.” Bottom line: this public exhibition of a corpse is a tasteless, sensationalistic, cultish stunt worthy of P.T. Barnum, not His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. We can be sure that the desiccated remains will have been prepared with make-up, a careful coiffure, a new costume with much gold embroidery, and any necessary repairs. God will appreciate the help in maintaining the carnival business… |
EASY SOLUTIONIn Romania, the woo-woo index has just risen a few points, though it’s never been low. In the town of Lilieci – which we can’t even find in an atlas or encyclopedia, and which may refer to several different locations in that country – the citizens have been reporting broken windows, bicycles flying through the air, objects moving on tables, and candles blown out when there is no wind. Now, before we go any further, let’s benefit from our previous experience with this sort of claim. It’s well known that folks get carried away, and they will try to get in on any currently-popular fad or attraction. One cracked window-pane can soon become a dozen when householders start examining their windows, a bicycle that simply falls down during the night takes on supernatural aspects, and a failed candle becomes an icon, when the community believes that there’s an “influence” present… Everyone wants a share of the limelight, and might even invent a suitable one-up version to get attention, if we can believe that… Well, the local Romanian police conducted a vandalism investigation, a sober move. At first, they laughed at claims by the citizens that evil spirits were actually behind these events, but then they closed the case after concluding that ghosts were indeed to blame. A police spokesman said: There were bottles and things flying around. I did not know what to dodge first. We can find nothing to suggest it was anything other than what the people had claimed. In other words, the police couldn’t find the cause of this mischief – or perhaps just imagined or hyperbolized events – so they officially opted for a supernatural cause. Case closed. But all is well. A priest has been called in to perform exorcisms of houses in the town – you know, that’s chanting, tossing holy water around, the proper robes, take up a collection – so that the attacks will finally stop. Phew! That was close! And we should throw in a little garlic, in case there’s a werewolf or a vampire involved. Eye of newt and toe of frog, as well? Can’t be too safe, you know… |
ANOTHER WRIST-SLAPReader Arnold Rosner – among several others – sends us to tinyurl.com/365tmm, where we find a most interesting – and frustrating – account about the popular “Airborne” farce that claims to serve as a cold-symptom reliever and immunity-builder. And, as it proudly states on the box, it was “created by a second-grade school teacher.” Wow! What better qualifications could possibly be asked for? Says Arnold: The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a FEDERAL AGENCY, finally took some action against Airborne. Do you think this is a start? Or just an aberration? Not quite, Arnold. The Center for Science in the Public Interest [CSPI] is a 501(c)3 non-profit – just as the JREF is – consumer advocacy group. See www.cspinet.org/about/index.html. It’s not a Federal Agency. It’s been nine years now since this “Airborne” nostrum first appeared on the shelves of pharmacies all over this continent. From the first time I saw this package, my quackery alarm went off. We figure that it would have taken the Federal Trade Commission, and/or the Food and Drug Administration and/or the Federal Communications Commission, about two weeks to at least have obtained temporary injunctions against the sale and advertising of this product, but by the time those agencies got in gear, the company was selling – annually – $300 million worth of this product! And now that the government – prodded by the CSPI – has scolded them for having foisted this junk on the public, what was the fine imposed on them? It was 23 million dollars! That’s less than ten percent of the annual sales figures for this $6.99 bottle of pills! Don’t you think that the company has already made their money, and can easily afford this terrible penalty? There was no credible evidence that Airborne could prevent colds or protect the user from germs in the environment, as they advertised it could. It also claimed to “boost the immune system,” but no supporting evidence was produced. It was vastly overpriced, and amounted to a simple vitamin pill that was cleverly – but deceptively – marketed and sold to the naïve who figured that a “second grade school teacher” was not only enough of an expert on pharmaceuticals, but was also incapable of deceiving them. An ABC News report disclosed that the company's claimed “clinical trials” were not conducted by medical scientists, but instead by two laypeople, at their home. Again, folks, the formula for getting rich in America is this simple: 1. Originate a useless product. If you have an organization already in place, like Walgreen’s Pharmacy has, skip step #1, above, copy the formula, package the product in exactly the same size and format, and simply change the name to something like “Wal-Born,” and display it alongside the original scam product. That’s what Walgreen’s has done, and sales are brisk! In another few years, maybe these agencies will have a moment to look at another useless product, “HeadOn,” the .2-ounce stick of “homeopathic” wax with zero active ingredients. By then, the manufacturers will have made much more profit than Airborne, and can all retire comfortably. Quackery will sail on… |
JUST ANOTHER COLD READERI’ve been referred to a series of “readings” – actually carefully-selected video excerpts – by one Lisa Williams, a “psychic” who took the fancy of a SWIFT reader in Belgium. He then wrote me to extol her virtues, not recognizing that she’s using the same old “cold reading” technique that they all use. Williams says she’s also a healer and an authority on crystals – with all the woo–woo connotations that those subjects summon up. Go to that URL – tinyurl.com/347yxo – and view the first two excerpts, labeled “Kim & Kris,” and “Robin,” respectively, then consider this short analysis that I’ve prepared. Re the first video, Williams has “contacted” a spirit at the request of the two women, Kim and Kris. She starts out her fishing expedition by saying: Whoever this woman is, she’s a real chatterbox. Now, this is an effective way of actually asking who the “woman” is, by both stating that (a) she – Williams – doesn’t know, thus encouraging that further data be provided, and (b) by tossing in an innocuous “chatterbox” qualification. The victims react as expected, nodding, “Yes,” though this observation could apply to almost anyone, so it’s of no real significance, and if it had missed – that is, if the spirit is actually one of a laconic, shy, uncommunicative person – it could still be a “hit.” I say that because on one occasion when John Edward – remember him, the “Crossing Over” show? – gave a reading, the victim was greatly impressed simply because Edward had designated the ghost of her mother as being “enthusiastic, loud, outgoing, and chatty.” And – get this – the victim took that as proof that it was her mother’s ghost, saying with breathless enthusiasm: You know, in life, my Mom was very shy, withdrawn, and quiet! I’m so happy to know that now she’s in Heaven, she’s become so changed! Notice: Edward’s guess about the spirit was 100% wrong, but this woman so greatly wanted – needed – this to be the shade of her mother, that she turned it into a “hit”! Another requirement in cold reading, is that it’s important to elicit as many “yes” answers as possible, so that an overall impression of success is produced. Williams continues: She’s abs… Okay, she’s giving me, “mom,” so I would have to say she feels like a “mom” figure. Is this “mom”? Note: Williams says that she has been “given” the “mom” impression, and now she needs to extract either acceptance or rejection of this guess from the victims. She also says that she “would have to say” that this “feels like” – rather than it is, to provisionally label this as only an interpretation – a guess – rather than as a statement, so that she can excuse it if it’s wrong. Williams finally just asks directly if her guess is correct, and gets immediate affirmation from the victims. This sort of detail is often incorrectly recounted by the victim as, “She told me that was my mom!” when she asked if it was… The second video, of “Robin,” evidently used another tried-and-true ploy of cold reading guessing technique: “I have two persons here, one older than the other.” This immediately provides twice as many possibilities, and if the ghost that is not accepted is also dropped by the reader, no one notices. Williams says: The younger guy’s very comical, real funny, you know, he enjoys life. Again, if the subject actually had zero sense of humor when he was alive, this can be turned into “he’s comical now in Heaven”; in any case, it’s a generality. Williams goes on, fishing for a cause of death or injury: Someone hit my jaw! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Did your brother have a problem with his jaw? Again, this is a direct question, typical of cold reading. Note that we’re not told whether Williams was guessing at an altercation, a dentist appointment, a fall, an accident, a hereditary condition, or anything specific; the victim is expected to fill in the details, and of course she does. The immediate answer from Robin is: He had a really bad accident. But pay close attention to this next question from Williams: Were there questions about his passing? When someone dies in an accident, there are invariably such questions, and this is a very good guess to make in a cold reading. But it’s the very quick response that Williams offers – even interrupting the brief “yes” affirmation – that is significant here. She jumps in, adding: …because he’s telling me there were questions about his death. This is a gimmick also often used in cold reading by James Van Praagh, making a guess and then when receiving an affirmative answer quickly following it up with “…because he’s telling me…” and giving back the same information that was just elicited from the victim, as if it came from the ghost. Also, notice that Williams – as with any cold reader – is asking questions, not telling the victim anything! Readers may wish to view some of the other videos on this site, to further look into the “cold reading” methods, and report on them. Meanwhile, to my correspondent in Belgium: Lisa Williams is just another cold reader, nothing more. |
A HAPPY CONVERTMr. Sam Opuku, an applicant for the JREF prize, had the chance to ponder further on the matter, on the JREF and its employees, and on his real reasons for believing he had supernatural powers that could capture the prize. After his epiphany, he agreed to prepare the following document for use here on SWIFT: In Pursuit of the James Randi Educational Foundation Million Dollar Challenge Sam, you’re one of the many reasons that we’re in business. We read this with great satisfaction, indeed. |
EXPLANATIONThe irrepressible Avital Pilpel again clarifies a point for us, one that I’d assumed everyone understood: I have an explanation as to why it is the "Zionists" who are now in control of everything according to the paranoids anti-Semites, instead of the “Jews." And Avital leaves us with this: Have you heard the Catholic Church just came out with a new diet communion wafer? It's called, "I Can't Believe It's Not Jesus." I think he’s just joshing… |
PROPHET/PROFIT MANUALReader Darren McBride provides this interesting set of instructions: I blew it last night! My 19-year-old college age daughter casually mentioned that both Nostradamus and the ancient Mayans predicted that the world would end in 2012. She obviously either saw or heard about the silly show on the history channel that advanced & supported this theory. Unfortunately, rather than counter my daughter’s comment with well reasoned arguments, I got angry and started yelling and cussing. I’m ashamed that I said some hurtful things. I told her that a college student should be learning to think critically and not repeat such drivel without knowing the facts. So although I’ve apologized to her, I’ve also been ruminating on “what I should have said” and how I can convince her that my outburst was based on a somewhat informed opinion. As a starting point today I sat down and wrote out a few thoughts and create something I call “A survival guide for prophets”. The intent was it was to write something to start a dialogue with my daughter about whether anyone can predict the future & critical thinking. |
MUSICAL ADVICENo comment needed: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFO6ZhUW38w |
REBUTTALHere’s a response I sent to four presumptions written by a Mr. Martin Albl (?) and published in a recent issue of the Aberdeen News. Such folks have a remarkable facility for misunderstanding and misquoting quite simple statements and then building their fairy castles on them. Mr. Albl’s assertions are numbered, followed by my comments: (1) Since life is nothing but the result of chance genetic mutations, there can be no ultimate purpose to life – it is simply accidental.
(2) Since humans did evolve from other life forms, there is no essential difference between humans and other animals.
(3) Our sense of right and wrong (ethics) is nothing but the chance evolution of certain ideas that helped us to survive as a species.
(4) Although we might have the illusion of free will, our life choices are really nothing but the predetermined results of our genetic makeup.
Next set of false presumptions, please…? |
THAT OLD NULL HYPOTHESIS PROBLEMFrom reader Rob Davison: I saw today these two articles on the Science Daily website, one was heartening, the other was rather dismaying. Firstly, there is news that neuro-imaging has demonstrated that ESP (probably) does not exist. See tinyurl.com/2w8xgt
I understand from the article that the basis of this study is that the brain reacts differently when shown a picture, say, for the first time compared to one it has seen before. Subjects were sent “pictures” by ESP, and were then shown the pictures to their eyes, and their brains reacted as if they had never seen the pictures before. That may not be exactly right, but I think I have the gist of it. The conclusion was that since all subjects tested reacted the same way, without exception, then there is no evidence that ESP exists. However, they are ultimately foiled from being able to state that ESP does not exist because you cannot prove such a “null hypothesis.” Rob, the “null hypothesis” does indeed prohibit the researchers from stating that – judging from these tests – ESP does not exist. However, since we’ve not seen any evidence that it does exist, we cannot know its true nature, assuming that it could exist, because we can’t study it. Radioactivity – before it was discovered, isolated and studied – was only a chimera. Now we know that it has quite unusual and previously unexpected qualities. If ESP exists, we cannot impose on it the requirements we demand of other similar – and well-established – phenomena, because we don’t have it to examine. It may have the same degree of unusual and previously unexpected qualities as radioactivity… In any case, testing for ESP is not at all difficult, and I would be very edified to see a massive set of experiments done to test whether telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition are real. This is one way to settle the matter and allow science to get on with its work untroubled by peripheral considerations. One reason I think that this massive project will never happen, is because a huge test of homeopathy – a notion without which medicine could move ahead much more easily – was recently planned to be done in to be done in Hungary, the funding was in place, the JREF prize was up for grabs, the homeopathic community said it was eager to get on with it, and yet – after all this time – we still have no definite agreement nor venue arranged. This, as I’ve said before, is very typical of those who apply for the million-dollar prize. The JREF will stay with this until a final cancellation is announced by the homeopaths. It will never come from us. We’re like that, adhering to our agreements, no matter what… |
STEORN’S DEMISE AGAIN DENIEDReader Niall Morrissey follows up on Bob Park’s apparently premature announcement re the Steorn group, in item at randi.org/joom/content/view/166/1/#i5. He writes: I'm not sure where Bob Park gets his information from, but I can't find any reference in the Irish news to Steorn's folding up. |
WHO & WHY?So just who is this man, and what is he doing? And why? Next week, I’ll give you the statement made about him, but clear the room first; this is a whopper…! |
THAT HEALTH ANCHORReader Greg Stokley objected to a naïve – if not simply fraudulent – report featured on TV station WKYC Channel 3, NBC-TV in Cleveland. He mentioned he would send them a letter of protest, he did, and we see here his letter and the response he received. Says Greg: I got a reply back already; not from the reporter, Monica Robins, but from one of the main anchormen, Tim White, who is the one who actually introduced the report on the newscast. Here’s my e-mail to them:
and here is anchorman Tim White's reply:
I told you it would be good for some laughs. Did you realize your website is a "cultural" site? And to think that the horrible field of mainstream medicine could be trusted to pass judgment on anything; after all, they scoffed at acupuncture, exercise and nutrition in the past. |
DESIRÉ?While I’m hardly going to laugh at anyone’s voluntary choice of gender, I have to tell you that Dr. William Nelson, creator of the fabulous EPFX – see randi.org/joom/content/view/131/1/#i8 – is now known as Desiré Dubounet. Go to desifm.net. |
IN CLOSING…AN APPEAL Since the Pear Cable people welched on their agreement to supply a pair of their Pear Anjou (?) cables for a test of Michael Fremer's golden ears, I'm asking all readers to look for someone who has a pair of these cables to loan us for a definitive test. Anyone out there..? Registration for TAM6 continues apace. We’re going to be auctioning off – again – a tour of the fabulous Slammer, Penn Jillette’s Las Vegas home, on E-bay. Watch here for the announcement. It will be limited to a dozen lucky bidders, as before, and will include lunch and even a highly probable drop-in by Teller, chatty as ever… I’m negotiating with a major UK TV outlet for a series on the Million Dollar Challenge, that also to be announced here. To quote the late Billy DeWolf, “Busy, busy, busy…” |