The psychic business is not without a certain amount of pain, it seems. A correspondent noted this rather prodigious goof by "medium" George Anderson in his new book, "Lessons from the Light," where he writes (page 6):

"The visitations continued to come, sometimes randomly, like the vision of the smuggling of the Dauphin, Louis XVII of France, to safety in England after the French Revolution had broken out. . . . I smugly told the teacher that although she taught that the children of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were murdered with the rest of the family, my vision of them told me that they had actually been secreted away and their lives spared."

Ooops! George, The Powers have once more mis-informed you. It's just been reported that a DNA analysis of the preserved heart of a boy - long suspected to be the Dauphin - who was imprisoned in the home of a Parisian cobbler after the French Revolutionists parted the monarchs from their heads - is a positive DNA match to the King and Queen. The boy died of TB at the age of 10, which also agrees with the accepted history of the family, a history with which Anderson disagrees due to bad data from The Powers. Who knew?

Anderson, in both my opinion and that of my correspondent, Mike Dwyer, picked an incident in history that he probably thought was quite "safe" and that would never be solved to anyone's satisfaction, at least not within his life-span. There exist a good dozen stories about persons who claimed to be the Dauphin, who was technically Louis XVII of France, except that the Revolutionists had closed down royalty. Ah, but science marches on, and George Anderson's face is quite full of egg! Could the title of his book be better expressed as, "Lessons From the Darkness"?

I DON'T BELIEVE IT..... This last week, my e-mail has been packed with forwarded messages dealing with a possible threat to suggestible minds posed by the "Battlefield Earth" movie starring John Travolta. It's rather well known that Travolta and Tom Cruise - among many movie stars and celebrities - are devoted Church of Scientology members. To anyone who knows the history of this group, that means total, unwavering, fanatical, dedication to the science-fiction notions upon which this cult is based.

I only met the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, twice - and then only briefly. On both occasions, it was at social gatherings of sci-fi authors in Sea Bright, New Jersey, where the likes of Isaac Asimov, Lester Del Rey, Fred Pohl, and George O. Smith would convene as The Trap Door Spiders. Hubbard smelled bad, had bad breath, was very drunk and loud, and obnoxious. Not my idea of a religious leader - which he subsequently became.

F.A.C.T.Net is "a nonprofit Internet archive dedicated to protecting freedom of mind by reducing harms [sic] caused by cults and mind control by promoting public dialogue on the issues." Their web page is located at http://www.factnet.org. Look in on it. They are currently all a-flutter with the notion that "fourth order" subliminal messages are imbedded in "Battlefield Earth" to brainwash the unwary into becoming Scientologists.

Well, I wouldn't get too excited over the dire possibilities. Not all who see the film - which those of my circle who have seen it, deem "sophomoric" - will be walking in pairs, with measured steps and vacant stares, mumbling vapid messages for Mankind. This "subliminal persuasion" baloney, which was so very much the subject of conversation a decade or so ago, has been blown away by reality. I refer you to "The Skeptical Inquirer," Spring 1992 issue, and/or the CSICOP web page at www.csicop.org.

So, go and see a third-rate sci-fi movie and have a good laugh. I will. And no vacant stares will cross my face.

WE ARE NEVER SHORT OF SURPRISES.....! Among the usual "cloud-busting," "remote healing," and "dowsing" claims that came in to the JREF this month, was a real capper. Andrew Harter and I had a few moments of hilarity over it, so we'll share it with you. Some guy from Orange County, California, wants us to pay him a million dollars because when he stands four persons around a seated subject, they are able to lift him using only their index fingers! This is the old party stunt that dates back to 1700, when diarist Samuel Pepys described it, and it was pretty old by then. See my Encyclopedia of the Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural" under "levitation" for a complete discussion of this trick.

But these farcical claims make us wonder: where are the big-time pros who write the best-selling books and do this stuff professionally? Why aren't they making claims on the prize? I think I know why.... It's not our position to laugh at the unsophisticated who can't tell facts from notions, and who are more to be helped than encouraged. We sincerely want to bring them understanding of their self-deceptions. Bring on the "stars" of the psychic world. We're waiting.

Hello.....?

HE HASN'T LEARNED ANYTHING NEW IN 25 YEARS!

A Fox-TV Special titled "Powers of the Paranormal -- Live on Stage" on Thursday night last, featured a few magician/mentalists doing their thing. Though the impression was given that it was a live show, a tiny, momentary, insert at the bottom of the screen said, "pre-recorded." This is what's known as "live tape," a show done in "real time" but delayed for broadcast. The NBC "Tonight Show" is done the same way. And added to the magician luminaries were "spiritualist" James Van Praagh (with the same schtick as always) and "paranormalist" Uri Geller. Remember him? Well, I watched with great interest, hoping that perhaps Geller had something new to offer. Nope. It was the same tired old moving-the-compass demo* and spoons a-plenty. Oh, and watches and clocks - none of which were shown to be not working, but a few of which were working after Mr. Geller shook them. Why was no one surprised?

Perhaps it was all well summed up by a statement - I'm sure carefully crafted by FOX legal eagles - that filled the TV screen:

The following program deals with a controversial subject. The theories expressed are not the only possible interpretations. The viewer is invited to make a judgement based on all available information.

The fact that the "available information" was not all that was needed to make a proper assessment of the claims being offered, seems to have been missed...

At JREF we're contracting for a TV Special that will air in November, dealing with the million-dollar challenge. Know anyone who wants to try claiming the prize? If so, put us in touch!

* I use the term "demo" advisedly. Geller says he does these wonders using divine power. As I've often said, if he's using divine power, he's doing it the hard way....