Reader and friend James Oberg has forwarded to us a lengthy article by Whitley Strieber, the author of enough silliness to satisfy every juvenile adult on the planet. His books include Communion, Transformation, Majestic, The Journey Onward, and The Secret School, all purporting to bring us "the truth" and all failing to do so. Though Strieber certainly proved what so many authors and critics have opined, that he's a nice man, but delusional — and may even believe some of what he writes as "fact," this newest material indicates, to me, that Strieber has gone off the very deep end. I'll let you judge for yourself. He now declares

. . . that antigravity is possible, and is nearly here. . . . that zero point energy extraction is also possible, and there are technologies in the works that will harness this endless supply of energy — indeed, one that has already been patented by Tom Bearden.

Beginning to get the flavor, are you? We all know just how legit Bearden's claims are, but apparently good enough for Strieber. Oh, but it gets much worse. Strieber says he is now awakening at night to find invisible wormy critters climbing up his leg to his chest. He says that with effort, he can pry them off and squash 'em, but there's nothing there in his hand when he looks. He turned to his friends for advice and how to launch

. . . a practical effort to get rid of the thing. There were fumigation techniques suggested, and also the idea of plunging it into a cup of salt that had been blessed. I found that this worked extremely well.

What a relief! I'll have to find out where to get my salt blessed, in case this happens to me. If anyone notices a bowl of salt at my bedside, I'll say that I like to eat celery in bed. Whitley has also solved his Joan-of-Arc problem:

When I wrote Communion and Transformation, I was scoffed at by the skeptics and the idiot brigade in the media for saying that I had heard voices in my head. Now, however, enough has been released about the use of microwave transmissions to do this that it's no longer possible to just laugh.

Why am I laughing? I'll bet that Whitley also hears TV remote controls and Radio Shack toys. To get serious for a moment, I hope you've noticed that he has completely mis-interpreted real research findings, and accepted quack claims, to prove his delusions. He also has a bit of a problem with theology and metaphysics:

I have also seen [UFO] craft that appeared to be animated by living souls, and seen bodies that were kept in drawers and came alive when they were entered by souls.

H. P. Lovecraft never asked anyone to believe his delusions, but this guy seemingly does. Ready for another blooper, this time in astronomy? Strieber mis-reports an event that the UK press wildly exaggerated, a version that he uncritically accepted, of course. It was a "football-field-sized" object that passed by Earth at a distance of 74,000 miles, in June. There are perhaps a thousand such rocks out there, and occasionally one actually does strike the Earth. The Tunguska object impact in 1908, and the famous one that occurred some 50,000 years ago and gave us the Barringer crater in Arizona, (though there have undoubtably been others between these two) would indicate just how frequently we can expect such a visitor. But Strieber's account is simply wrong, including:

A few weeks ago, an asteroid passed between the earth and the moon. It could easily have hit us.

But back to the wee beastie that crawled up Strieber's leg. In his own words:

Yet again, the little shape began moving in the bed. It touched my leg and began its stealthy, familiar journey up toward my knee. I grabbed it and held it, felt its softness and its scrabbling, and plunged it into the salt. Immediately, it disappeared.

Yep, gotta get some of that salt! Folks, am I alone in thinking that Whitley Strieber really needs professional help? From what he writes — and he means it to be taken as factual! — I believe that the man is a raving nut case! Unfortunately, his delusions are making him rich and famous, and therefore acceptable among the gullible.....

Reader Rob Mackey sends us this from a western Pennsylvania newspaper item, about a teen girl who decided that chewing jimsonweed seeds was a smart thing to do, because she read somewhere that it was "cool." This is a poisonous plant that sometimes kills cattle who graze on it, though it's prickly and nasty. The name comes from "Jamestown weed," which was first identified in Jamestown, Virginia. The girl was found wandering the streets in a daze.

"I thought it would be safe because it's natural," the girl told the Cresson Township police. "There aren't any chemicals or anything in it." Oh, I see.

"What do they teach these kids in school these days?" asks Rob. "Lets see,"a chemical-free compound. If I invent that, can I pocket the cool million? I won't quit my day job."

Sorry, Rob. Learn to like your day job....

Let's hear it for the U of T at Austin! The following note shows us that academic agencies that care enough to run classes that might annoy the community, perform a genuine and much-needed service. A supportive reader writes:

Last year I took a class called Pseudoscience at the University of Texas at Austin. It was an absolute rallying call. I used to think horoscopes were cute, and I flirted with Ecofeminism/Wicca and all that, but I am completely redeemed and now see magical thinking, etc., as not only a waste of time, but in fact dangerous in that such things erode one's critical abilities. I was in Berlin last summer and became all the more aware of how far the unscientific mind can be manipulated.

So, while working at a medical clinic I politely tried to stamp out patients' faith in bee sting therapy, etc., by doing copious research about the actual scientific evidence on the subjects (which is nonconclusive) and presenting it to them gently. Day-to-day I have defended the scientific method at length to friends. What I'm wondering is, what else can I do? I have no money, or I would contribute to your foundation. I am a freelance writer, though. Do you have any suggestions about places to write for or topics that deserve attention right this moment?

Wow. Most of us in the skeptical movement don't have the budgets to pay writers, unfortunately. I've written for everyone from the Encyclopaedia Britannica to TIME Magazine, and I've been well paid for the articles. The best idea is to prepare a few articles and take/mail them to a literary agent, to get advice on the possibilities. And don't be talked into paying for such an opinion. A legit agent will be happy to receive and look over your efforts. But be prepared for those rejection slips....

Reader Steven E. Cerier of Forest Hills, New York, offers us these rather extensive and interesting observations, which we'll run here in two parts. This is a philosophy that we're familiar with, but he's expressed it rather well. Part One:

We live in an era that has seen science, medicine and technology accomplish wondrous things. We can send satellites to outer space, transplant hearts, livers, lungs and kidneys, genetically modify food, surf the Internet, explore the depths of the ocean, keep premature babies alive, send E-mail messages, invest money with just the click of a mouse, and talk on cell phones that are the size of the palm of our hand. Yet, we also live in a time when belief in the supernatural, the metaphysical, the paranormal, and "alternative" medicine, is thriving. This is a contradiction that is very hard to explain. Why is it that many people are so eager to embrace technology in their daily life but not in their thinking? Why is it that people choose to believe in things which have no basis in science, but rather are grounded in the irrational? Why is it that many bright, intelligent, people believe in the most stupid and idiotic theories and ideas?

Maybe it's because life is a very difficult journey filled with many random events. As a result, people seek solace in simplistic explanations in order to find meaning and purpose in their lives. It is, after all, comforting to believe that there is a reason for everything that happens to us, even if that reason is based on the supernatural. Simple explanations to difficult problems appeal to us, particularly because science is too complex for many of us to understand.

I wish there were psychics who could divine the future. I wish that I could have gone to someone many years ago who could have told me to turn right instead of left at that fork in the road I confronted or when was the best time to change jobs or play the lottery or buy stocks or go on vacation or move. I wish there were a way to foretell the future because it would have made my life a lot easier. But no deck of cards or astrological chart or palm reading can predict what will happen in the future just as no weatherman can accurately predict the weather in six months, no currency analyst can predict the yen/dollar exchange rate in a year, no company can forecast sales revenue three years in advance and no sports writer can tell you who will win the World Series in five years. Studio, book and record company executives are often surprised by which movie, book or song soars to number one and consumer product companies often spend tens of millions of dollars developing products that fail in the market place. I don't recall any major economist a year ago forecasting the type of slowdown that the economy is now experiencing nor stock market prognosticator who forecasted the depths that the NASDAQ dropped. Unfortunately, the reality is that the only certain about the future is that the unexpected will happen.

All that psychics do is confuse and led us astray. They will tell us not to change jobs because this is not a good year for people born under the sign of Leo with a Cancer rising or they will advise us to break off a relationship because you are an Aries and she's a Cancer. They will urge you to invest in the stock market because this is a lucky period for a Taurus or not to spend a lot of money because there's a transit of Pluto. They will reassure you that everything will work out because you have selected the Wheel of Fortune or tell you to locate your bed in the Eastern part of the bedroom because that will bring you good fortune. I wish it were that easy. I wish the stars and the cards and the numbers could foretell the future. I wish that all I had to do were consult my astrological chart to determine whether it would be a good or a bad day for me. But it's a delusion to believe as such. The stars and the cards and the numbers do not tell you anything except how gullible you are.

I've watched many of the major psychics on television programs and am always shocked that anyone believes in their mystical powers. It's as if people have thrown away their reason and are eager to embrace the irrational. Instead of being skeptical, they are greatly impressed. Uri Geller bends spoons and everyone is amazed. Sylvia Browne tells people that a ghost haunts their house and instead of being doubtful, they ask her how to get rid of it. James Van Praagh plays twenty questions and Larry King swoons all over him. I'm surprised that there isn't a psychic cable network, but then again there doesn't have to be given the proliferation of psychics and mediums on the major networks and many of the cable stations.

I've heard many people praise the abilities of psychics. But in actuality, it is not that difficult for a psychic to be right. Most people who go for a psychic reading for example ask questions that basically have a yes or no answer. As a result, a psychic has a fifty-percent chance of being right. In addition, during a reading, many people divulge enough information about the issues troubling them for the psychic to make a series of intelligent guesses or assumptions. Psychics will also play a game of twenty questions to draw out information or they will make a series of vague statements that could apply to just about any situation or circumstance. But if you believe in the power of psychics, you will conveniently overlook the missies and remember only the hits. After all, if you've paid one hundred or one hundred and fifty dollars for a reading, you have a vested interest in not admitting that you wasted your money.

I have stopped trying to argue with people who believe in the metaphysical, the supernatural, the paranormal and junk science. What after all can you say to someone who believes that AIDS is the result of homosexuals being ashamed of their sexual identity, that hurricanes are caused by pollution, that astrology is a science, that a macrobiotic diet can cure cancer, tarot cards can forecast the future, and vaccinating children is dangerous, organic food has a greater nutritional value than conventional food, and there are psychics that can communicate with animals? I'm at a complete loss when I hear these things. The power of belief is indeed strange and people will do anything to hold on to their bizarre beliefs. I've seen people tie themselves up in knots defending their illogical views. But then again, people have a powerful vested interest in their own prejudices.

It seems that the most respected medical practitioner in America is Andrew Weil. His admirers probably don't know that he has said that many of his basic insights about the causes of diseases and the nature of healing come from "stoned thinking," that is, thoughts experienced while under the influence of psychedelic agents or during other states of "altered consciousness" induced by trances, ritual magic, hypnosis and mediation. He has said that "stoned thinking" has advantages over "straight thinking." Among them are a greater reliance on intuition and an acceptance of the ambivalent nature of things, which to him means "the coexistence of opposites that appear to be mutually antagonistic." I have seen Andrew Weil on television saying that energy healers cured him of a cold and that LSD might be a viable treatment for curing allergies. I wish that I were making these things up, but I'm not.

Andrew Weil's books sell in the hundreds of thousands and he has become an industry unto himself. He is viewed as the leading expert in "alternative" medicine, which is growing at a rapid rate. Personally, I don't believe there is such a thing as "alternative" medicine. The word "alternative" implies a choice between two valid approaches that hopefully will have the same outcome. But there is no such thing as alternative medicine, just as there is no such thing as Chinese or Indian medicine. There is only medicine that has been proven to be effective. If it could be proven that eating five pounds of strawberries a day will cure cancer, then as far as I'm concerned, that's medicine. Andrew Weil is indeed an expert, but not of medicine. Instead, he is an expert of fooling the public or perhaps fooling himself. He has proven nothing, done no clinical trials and published no research reports in any reputable medical journal. Nonetheless, he has made a name for himself and a great deal of money.

Randi comments: the definitions offered above by Steven may be argued, in my opinion. As for Dr. Weil, I believe, from my personal interaction with him, that he is largely self-deluded, not a conscious fake. I cannot say the same for the next three "gurus" Steven discusses.

The second most trusted medical practitioner in America is probably Deepak Chopra. This is a person who claims that he has levitated. He has also said that if you think happy, you would have "happy molecules." This brilliance earns him millions of dollars a year. Then there is Gary Null who does not believe that HIV causes AIDS, fervently believes in homeopathic medicine and has never met a pharmaceutical that he likes and Carolyn Myss, a "medical intuitive" who will read your chakras for you. Are we living in the 21st century or the 15th?

People are lulled into holistic and alternative medical approaches because these notions are so simple and easy to understand. It's easier to believe that the cause of a medical problem is a "weak" liver or kidney energy, or an imbalance between yin and yang foods then the reality that a microscopic bacteria infection is the reason you're not feeling well. It's much easier to believe that cancer can be cured by a macrobiotic diet than by drugs, chemotherapy and radiation or that reflexology can cure ulcers, or that acupuncture can cure serious maladies. But there are few painless ways to cure serious and chronic diseases, and there are no simple answers to the complexity of the human body.

Believers in "alternative" medicine abhor drugs because of their side effects. Instead, they rely on herbs, even though many herbs also have side effects. Some, in fact, are quite dangerous. But there is a misconception that because something is "natural" it can't possibly be dangerous. Try taking hemlock and see how benign that is. I'm truly frightened by how many people self-medicate themselves with herbs that they literally know nothing about, or how they ask the sales clerks at the local GNC or Whole Foods Market which herbs they should take. Don't they realize that they are playing Russian Roulette with their health?

I've heard many people praise "alternative" medicine, but in most cases there is a simple explanation for the curative powers of these modalities since in the absence of a serious disease or chronic condition, the body has a natural tendency to heal itself. If you have a cold or the flu and don't take any medication, you will very probably get better. Similar is the case for cuts, sprains, bruises and even broken bones, which will mend. That's not magic, it's just the miracle of the healing power of the body. Many people though want to believe that alternative medicine works and therefore, are quick to take an herbal or homeopathic remedy whenever they sneeze or scrape their knee or have an ache or pain, and then they claim that it healed them.

Hmmm. I differ with the use of the word "miracle" here, Steven. A miracle would have no explanation in science, nor in our present view of reality. How the body heals itself, is rather well — though not perfectly — understood. A small point....

We'll continue next week with Part Two....

I'm informed that the simple phenomenon of condensation on the walls of a greenhouse in the province of Saskatchewan are drawing in crowds because the deposited droplets have formed a pattern that resembles the Virgin Mary, though one is hard-pressed to know how this is not a portrait of some other woman who lived in London in the 1700's.... Look at:

http://sask.cbc.ca/template/servlet/View?filename=virgin020912 and hear the audio file: http://sask.cbc.ca/clips/Sask/ram-audio/Quesnel020912_08.ram

The reader who sent me this item commented:

What made me laugh was the comment that the people have further "proof" of this being something divine owing to the scent of roses being in the air. Gee, could the fact that it is located in a greenhouse have anything to do with that? You don't suppose that the greenhouse grows flowers, do you?

Good point!

You'll recall the name Dane Spotts in connection with Psi Tech, who have received some attention here for their furious and frantic avoidance of the JREF challenge. Well, it turns out that Spotts is also the owner and president of Zygon International, Inc., a Redmond, California, company whose "Learning Machine" is said to enable users to learn foreign languages overnight. That sounds as remarkable as the "remote viewing" claims being made by Psi Tech, don't you think?

Now the attorneys general of Washington, Pennsylvania, Texas and Illinois, and the district attorney of Napa County, California, as well as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), have brought Zygon International to court, and have settled for $320,000 in consumer refunds and legal costs to local, state and federal enforcement agencies. The Washington lawsuit against Zygon was filed in December of last year after 240 consumers from 36 states and Mexico complained that the company failed to deliver on promised refunds. Refunds? Could that indicate that at least 240 customers discovered that the gimmick didn't work? Say not so!

The machine, it was claimed by the agencies, does not work and is being sold as a medical device without approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Learning Machine was advertised as "inducing altered mind-states" through the emission of a "unique combination of light and sound that stimulates the mind to match the wave frequency of the program." Now, friends, that's really prime gobbledygook, seldom found in such a pure state; make a note. The firm's advertisements appeared frequently in national publications and on local and national TV and radio, selling the toy for about $300 by post. The FTC is administering the ordered national refund program.

Hey, congratulations and a kudos where they're due, this time to the FDA and FTC for closing down this scam! Now, on to the many other farces, right, guys?

I was recently asked by the Rosas (Emily is the young lady who won a JREF award a few years ago for her research on "therapeutic touch") about a matter that I thought might also interest other readers here. The Rosas got professionally curious about claims that some people can swallow and regurgitate objects and substances at will. I responded:

Do sword-swallowers dilate that low esophageal sphincter voluntarily?

Yep. The learning process involves tying a tiny baby potato to a string, and getting accustomed to be able to swallow it and pull it up again. Lots of retching and such, of course, but eventually the "gag" reflex is conquered. Sword swallowers use very clean and very polished swords. But BLUNT!

Have magicians been able to train themselves to regurgitate items from the stomach at will?

Yes, these are not known as "magicians," but as "swallowers." But, there are lots of tricks to this art. A guy who downs (unleaded!) gasoline, then follows it with water, can then spout out the gasoline, setting it on fire as it exits, as a "flame-thrower," then he puts it out with the water — because the gasoline floats up on top of the water, you see....?

Some swallowers can actually down a live mouse (or a small snake) and then drink water. That keeps the mouse busy treading water (?) and then they cough him up, alive. No opinion has ever been elicited from a mouse on this subject....

They swallow mice, snakes, goldfish, cockroaches, all sorts of things — and bring 'em up alive. In India, they down lots of colored flags, then appear to bring them up strung together. Teller — of Penn & Teller — does the very best "swallowing razor blades" trick I've ever seen. A master at it. A current "swallower" is Steve Starr, who gobbles down billiard balls and other good stuff. Oh, and brings them back....!

One trick involves swallowing a handful of different-denomination coins. The artist (?) then appears to bring up any coin called for. Actually, he brings up a few, hides them in his mouth, and with the tongue sorts out the called-for coin. Damn, an evil trick!

If [they can regurgitate objects at will], do you think a baby could do it?

I've no idea. I would think it could be a survival-oriented hard-wired thing, like how babies instinctively swim when thrown into a pool.....

Last week I was in Dallas, speaking at the Southern Methodist University, and then at nearby Wylie High School. There's hope, folks. A packed, receptive, audience at SMU, and lots of provocative, probing, questions from the kids at Wylie. That was a really good experience for me, I assure you. Thanks, Texas! And thank you Allen Morris, for your cooperation and hard work to arrange this engagement!