Canadian reader Rob R. Glover sends us this news item from up north which tells us of what can happen to a politician who retires; in the UK they’re still in office when they get this silly. Hello, Tony?
On the small chance that none of your other Canadian fans have sent you this, I read with dismay in today's Toronto Star that Paul Hellyer, former Federal Cabinet minister, believes that "visits by aliens have been covered up" and is now championing the cause: “I believe that UFOs are real,” he said in a recent interview. "I'll talk about that a little bit and a bit about the fantastic cover-up of the United States government” which, according to the article, he went on to do at the MUFON [Mutual Unidentified Flying Object Network] conference where he was apparently a featured speaker.
The article goes on, at least, to discuss the skeptical point of view: "Skeptics are, well, skeptical," says the article. No kidding:
His [Hellyer's] participation is exasperating for David Gower, a spokesman for Skeptics Canada, a group dedicated to debunking paranormal claims. “This sort of thing is a big feather in their cap, to come across people like him,” says Gower, who is dismissive of the whole UFO mystique. “There's no convincing evidence that can be anything other than personal anecdotes or allegations that can't be proven,” he said.
He adds UFO enthusiasts have a quasi-religious fervor that often makes them impervious to doubt. “There is a deep-seated need, a desire in people, to feel that there's something in control somewhere, bigger than they are, something that can give some kinds of answers.”
Well, at least he's a former Cabinet minister, and far from the levers of power. We hope. Still, dismaying though it is, to me, what I find disturbing is a major reason why Hellyer, and others, believe this patent nonsense: "[Hellyer] says he believes American scientists have re-engineered alien wreckage from a UFO crash at Roswell, N.M. in 1947 to produce technical marvels," the article states. In the interview I alluded to earlier, Hellyer, stating his belief in UFOs and the U.S. government coverup, goes on to say that he will talk "a little bit" about "the fallout from the wreckage, by that I mean the material discoveries we have made and how they've been applied to our technology.”
Thinking about it, as I'm sure you have, what Hellyer is saying is that the human race is too stupid to have worked out, on their own, the technological marvels of the last fifty years. Microwaves? Teflon? Integrated chips? Nope, can't be us; we're too stupid. Has to be those pesky aliens.
In fact, as I recall, this was the same sort of meta-argument Von Daniken used in his “Ancient Astronaut” theories. Our ancestors couldn't have built the Egyptian pyramids, or the Easter Island statues, or any number of ancient marvels, 'cause they were too stupid; or at least, they had to have had "the Gods" show them how.
So let's see... our ancestors were too stupid to build the pyramids; we're too stupid to invent microwaves. So it had to be aliens! And that, Mr. Randi, is the most depressing thing I find about all of this. Does the woo-woo crowd really think we're all that stupid?
Apparently so.
Thank you for your time for reading this rather long e-mail. Take care, and as with everyone else who enjoys your excellent website, please keep up the good work! Voices of sanity and reason are rare enough in this world.
Reader Wayne W. Urffer has a disturbing report:
A couple of years ago I reported to you that I attended a conference of teachers – many of whom were science teachers – who were largely accepting of author Jack Canfield's claim that Uri Geller's powers are real. [See that report at www.randi.org/jr/110703.html.] I've recently found solid evidence that such an unscientific view of the world is pervasive, particularly among the young people who apparently are being taught by those superstitious teachers! I polled 56 students in two of my Sociology classes (at a post-secondary institution which I wish to remain nameless) about the "spirit world" and its interaction with the material world. Here are a few of the pertinent results:
62% of those polled believe in an anthropomorphic god who intervenes in history.
61% of those polled believe that prayer is effective in treating illness.
37% of those polled believe that when a child is born with MS or Down Syndrome, there is a spiritual explanation for it: it’s "destiny" or "meant to be," god is teaching the parents a lesson, it’s a test, a punishment, or karma.
25% of those polled believe that Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast for a supernatural reason: it's the “end times,” it’s a test or warning or message or punishment from god, or – amazingly – "nobody knows" why it hit.
66% of those polled believe that when they die, they will continue to live on spiritually: experience judgment, go to heaven or hell, await the kingdom of god, enter some spirit world, or join with other spirits somewhere in the universe.
It's no wonder that so many people are susceptible to the claims of cold readers, spoon benders, e-meter readers, astrologers, channelers, faith healers, mediums, dowsers, homeopaths and proponents of "Intelligent Design.
Keep up the fine work, sir. Meantime, I need a good stiff drink.
I’ll join you, Wayne, but don’t tell anyone….
Obviously, a database of only 56 persons isn’t as large as we’d like to see, and I’d be gratified to see the same questions posed to another similar group…
With the permission of reader Chip Taylor of Cabot, Vermont:
I thought you might be interested in the letter I recently sent to the president of the college where I got my undergraduate degree. Sadly, this kind of thing is all too common. But what makes this a bit out of the usual academic nonsense is that this college was one of the pioneers in alternative education (that's education, not medicine, mind you) in the spirit of John Dewey. No grades, no tests, no required courses – and, some detractors claimed, "no education." But students were encouraged to ask questions and – I thought – exhibit healthy skepticism.
Now here's the really interesting part: In my first semester (1963) I took an astronomy course, which was well presented and a delight. And to this tiny liberal arts college in the Green Mountains of Vermont came as a guest lecturer none other than Carl Sagan! And I got to show him around the campus and escort him to dinner before he gave a talk on the solar system in our theater. (Now I have to tell you that at the time Carl was an assistant professor at Harvard and was not very widely known.) Nonetheless, I was quite impressed that our physics/astronomy professor could get a real live Harvard professor to drive all the way to Vermont to give a talk. It was the highlight of my undergraduate experience.
Now see the irony of a college that once had Carl Sagan give a presentation hosting a conference on crop circles complete with crystal healing, reflexology and astrological counseling. I can only imagine Carl's take on this had he lived. Attached are pertinent parts of a letter I wrote to the current president of Goddard College. So far I have not had the courtesy of a reply, but I will certainly share with you any response I may receive.
Extracts from Chip’s letter:
Dr. Mark Schulman, President
Goddard College, 123 Pitkin Rd.
Plainfield, VT 05667Dear Mark:
…. The reason for this letter is to call your attention to an issue that I find most disturbing and about which you may not be fully aware. In a recent mailing from the College lists “Summer and Fall Events” I note that one is the “4th Annual Crop Circle Conference.”
It’s bad enough that Goddard would be involved in any way with such nonsense: Crop circles were clearly exposed as hoaxes and most assuredly are not the works of aliens or warning voices from Gaia. But it gets worse.
Have you by chance looked at the web site for this conference? Clearly this is not a rational scientific investigation into crop circles, but a presentation by New Age “woo-woos” who have no background in science whatsoever. Mark, this is the 21st century of the Common Era. We’ve put men on the moon, cracked the genetic code, transplanted human organs, and are on the verge of huge breakthroughs in stem cell research. For Goddard to host a conference covering things like “earth energy currents,” hidden realms within crop circles, and spiritual perspectives, is distressing enough. Add to that such conference events as reflexology, crystal healing, reiki, and astrological counseling, and I am more than distressed – I’m sickened. Frankly, I was surprised not to see such things as witch burning, exorcism, and the casting of spells included.
Before you tell me that this is simply just another way for Goddard to make a little money, I would ask if the concept of integrity has been considered. Would the College host a conference of Holocaust deniers? A conference promoting the ideas of the Aryan nation or the KKK? A conference of faith healers offering to cure cancer or AIDS patients? In my opinion these groups are no more idiotic – or dangerous – as those who practice crystal healing, astrological counseling, or think crop circles are the work of aliens. None are appropriate for legitimate academic institutions.
….Hosting a crop circle conference full of New Age nonsense is NOT a way for Goddard to maintain respect and admiration in the eyes of educated people.
Chip, we will await with interest any response that President Schulman may choose to make….
And, for those who admire Carl Sagan’s work as much as I do, mark this date: next Tuesday, September 27th. The revamped, updated, enhanced, augmented, new version of the classic “Cosmos” TV series created by our all-time hero is honored on its 25th anniversary. Can it be that long since Carl gave this gift to the world?
I’ll be watching with tears in my eyes as this great teacher again reveals to his students just how magnificent, beautiful, and captivating the real world is. Go to science.discovery.com/convergence/cosmos/cosmos.html for details. Enjoy gliding out again into our vast universe and learning the facts – not the mythology – of our origins and our stunning heritage. My, how I miss that man.
The theme music, alone, is enough to ask you to join me….
Reader Dan Noland reports:
It appears that at least some Dutch psychics and faith healers have some set of scruples. The article below mentions efforts to form what we in the States would call a professional organization for psychics. While many of us would prefer it if governments regulated these folks in the manner which you have previously suggested, the utilitarian in me has to admit that this would be better than nothing. The article seems to indicate that there would be some minimal protection against excessive prices – if one believes that US$50 an hour is not excessive – and against sexual assault and bogus medical advice.
After reading this article I became curious and it seems that there is at least one other professional psychic organization with a code of conduct, the British Psychics Registration Board (see www.circlepsychics.co.uk/bprb/code_of_conduct.html). Of course membership in these organizations is voluntary and I am not sure that they have any way to police their members in order to enforce their rules so they may be completely useless. Your opinion as well as the opinions of your readers would be enlightening.
Randi's comments: Here is the article, taken from Expatica, a Dutch service which describes itself as “The expatriate’s home on the web, a must-read for the English-speaking expatriate community”:
Quality standard on the cards for mediums. 5 September 2005
AMSTERDAM — A new generation of mediums is adopting a quality standard for the profession.
This would be the first step in the process of setting up a sector organization that would police its members and make sure customers get the best service.
The code of conduct the mediums are adopting was originally drawn up for paranormal healers in the Netherlands 10 years ago, parapsychologist Richard Krebber said on Monday.
Krebber will introduce eight new mediums at the ParaVisie event in the Ahoy venue in Rotterdam between 10 and 11 September.
He said that young people coming to the event who become mediums and psychics are seeking to put the profession on a more professional footing.
Among the rules of the code are: a consultation should cost between €25 and €40 an hour; clients should not have to get undressed and they should not be advised against seeking more conventional treatment for the condition under discussion.
I note – as I’m sure that Mr. Noland did – that neither the British Psychic Registration Board nor the ParaVisie folks offer any sort of assurance that any of their people actually have psychic powers. I wonder if the British Medical Association (BMA) or the Royal Netherlands Medical Association (KNMG) require that their members undergo any sort of examination to determine whether they can do what they claim they can do, before taking their clients’ money. Gee, guys, the JREF is ready and willing to do tests.
Hello….?
Reader Josh Belser has to wonder what other useless advice the CareerBuilder.com online service might have for job-seekers, after noticing their retreat into the 14th century. What, you may ask, is CareerBuilder.com? Well, it claims a presence in over 200 US job-seeking markets, it has as equal partners the Gannett Company – who have more than 90 newspapers operating – Knight Ridder, and the Tribune Company. And CareerBuilder.com will power the career channel on USATODAY.com. Josh writes:
I am a recent graduate of Oswego State University and had the pleasure of attending your lecture and meeting you when you were at Oswego. As you know new graduates with little job experience – especially if they opted for a philosophy degree – have a difficult enough time finding employment post-graduation without being swindled. Many of us rely on online job search engines such as “monster” and “career builder.” Today Careerbuilder.com put out a notice titled, "Your horoscope predicts your career map." The text from Careerbuilder is cut and pasted as follows.
Best Career for Your Zodiac Sign?
CareerBuilder.comEveryone glances at their horoscopes once in a while. We love to be amazed when they seem to describe us to a "T" and simply ignore them when they don't pertain to us at all. After consulting the stars (along with www.findyourfate.com), here is a list of zodiac signs, along with their characteristic personality traits and suggestions for career options that best fit the signs’ astrological profiles.
Randi comments: What followed on Careerbuilder.com was a complete set of 12-sign rundowns on what astrology has to say about the readers’ potentials for getting and holding jobs in relation to their “birth signs,” obviously intended to be taken seriously. Only one of them interested Josh:
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Precise, witty, cheerful, perfectionist, detail-oriented, hard-working and neat, with a knack for languages – all describe you. Technician, statistician, medical researcher, investigator or translator, are perfect career options for Virgos.
Josh comments:
In today's job market, I believe that critical thinking skills are among the most valuable tools that one can have. I know that such profiles may seem harmless but they could possibly drive somebody away from a solid career lead because the field is "not in the stars." Just by way of reference I am a "Virgo" and I am far from “detail-oriented,” I hate statistics and barely scraped by in my foreign languages classes. They really missed the mark on this one! I suppose I just expect a little more from a professional job service. I guess I expected too much?
Keep up the great work!
Josh, somewhere among the employees of CareerBuilder.com there may be a few real thinkers who aren’t giddy with supernatural distractions. I hesitate to think that the firm deceptively put this out just to attract potential teeny-bopper customers who would fall for it. I’ll opt for believing that CareerBuilder.com is just stupid or naïve, rather than crooked. But I’d expect any employment agency to be well-informed; this firm has failed to meet that requirement. Next, look for them to offer Tarot card readings to customers.
Reader Kevin Loughlin alerts us:
To my personal delight, I just discovered that Seasons one and two of Penn and Teller BS! are available on NetFlix. For those of us without cable, this is excellent news, and maybe worth a mention in your newsletter. I have just added all six discs to my queue and eagerly await their arrival.
Reader John Agapiou, of University College London in London, UK:
I wasted a few hours of my Saturday morning complaining to the BBC about an item they ran on the morning news on using “bioresonance” to help quit smoking (letter attached). It was so credulous and uncritical that it made me wonder if it was an advert for bioresonance and if someone might be getting discounted treatment as a consequence.
The gist of it is that matter is energy – the quacks "record" the nicotine "information wave" and then invert it and then play it back so it nullifies the effect of nicotine. Obviously. But does it nullify the molecule or the receptor? I don't know that I want my nicotinic ACh receptors messed with thanks all the same – they're a bit useful. Of course you'd really need to extract the nicotine signal very carefully. You wouldn't want to have any traces of "dopamine" or "hemoglobin" in the recording and nullify those molecules. But I'm sure there's some way it selectively and perfectly filters out only "bad" signals from the compounded "information waves" of the billions(?) of molecules in our body. Why they aren't making a huge amount of money from this amazing signal processing equipment is beyond me.
So I guess a simple test would be if they can differentiate someone chewing nicotine gum from someone chewing normal gum from the recordings alone? If they can, one million dollars right? And a finder's fee for the BBC?
I'm sure you get a lot of emails, sorry if this is unwanted. Keep up the good work. Nice to hear you on SETI Science and Skepticality recently – ever thought of doing a JREF podcast?
John’s letter:
To Whom It May Concern,
I am a neurophysiologist working at University College, London. I am writing in to express my deep concern with the article concerning "bioresonance" on the BBC News this morning (Saturday 17th September). The item presented a treatment where the "wave pattern of nicotine" is allegedly recorded and then inverted, nullifying the effect of nicotine on the body.
The lack of clinical evidence to support the therapy was quickly glossed over and instead a testimonial from a single patient was presented, along with the assertion that "70% [of their patients] will never go back." It was implied that 70% stop smoking – the possibility that 70% of their patients are unsatisfied with their treatment and so never return, was not raised. Finally an "expert" was interviewed on the "science" and instead offered meaningless statements like the body has "information fields" and that it was used by the Russian Military – a global authority on the science of medicine. There was no counterpoint at all.In short the entire piece was a credulous and uncritical advertisement for this treatment. The only concern voiced, that people might not consult practitioners using "reliable equipment" or "proper training." seemed to be designed to shore up the customer base for the practitioners advertised in the report. I wonder whether any of the staff working on this item have a financial or personal connection with these practitioners. If someone – or their family – is now getting discounted treatment, I'm sure you will agree that this would be a very worrying breach of journalistic integrity.
Bioresonance does not work. There is no experimental or theoretical validity to this nonsense. No scientific knowledge is necessary to realize this, just a little critical thought or even a little googling. In order to "invert" only the wave pattern of nicotine, they must separate it – electronically – from the billions of "good" wave patterns they do not wish to invert and nullify (e.g. dopamine, oxygen to name a few). If the entire world spoke at once, could you reliably isolate what a single individual is saying? If they can do what they claim, they would be making a lot of money in signal processing for this amazing technological achievement. They are not, because they cannot. They should be able to distinguish smokers from non-smokers based on presence/absence of the wave pattern of nicotine. Why was this not put to them? If they can, then they can win the $1 million prize offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation (www.randi.org).
It was stated in the program that bioresonance can be used to treat illness. In fact, proponents claim that it is an effective treatment for cancer! It is not. I’m sure you can see that an uncritical report such as this conspires to put vulnerable people and their money into the hands of charlatans and is culpable in any damage to their health caused by delaying or even preventing their access to effective medical care.
I would like to receive a reply to this letter specifically addressing why this story was covered and whether you feel the report to be responsible and objective. I would like to know if the BBC has, or would consider, a policy to ensure accurate and responsible reporting of health stories. For example, perhaps an employee or consultant capable of understanding the science involved, should be involved in all such reporting. Your news coverage of this matter has fallen well short of your usually excellent standards and has damaged your otherwise high integrity.
P.S. I have sent copies of this letter to both Ben Goldacre of the Guardian and James Randi.
John, this letter joins the long queue of those sent out by readers such as yourself, most of which inquiries never receive any sort of response from the addressees simply because they want such matters to go away; ignoring them is a retreat to the jam-packed Ivory Tower. Please keep us informed of any answer you might receive.
Reader Gregory Katsoulis cheers us up a bit:
Posted in the city clerk's office in Somerville Massachusetts is a list of all the licenses one can obtain with their corresponding prices. Of note is a listing for a Fortune Teller's license, which immediately got my interest. For $100 I could be licensed in as a fortune teller! I asked the woman behind the counter how I should proceed and she told me not to bother. In ten years she has never seen them grant such a license. It turns out that the city requires approval from the board of alderman and the chief of police, who insist the applicant prove they can accurately predict the future.
Perhaps I should apply and predict they won't grant my license.
Well, Gregory, I’ve contacted the Somerville clerk’s office and I’m awaiting a response. I think I could convince the aldermen – and alderwomen? – as well as the chief of police, that I have powers they don’t understand….
Following my comments last week on the differing versions of Biblical accounts of such fundamental (no pun intended!) matters as creation, I was reminded by several readers of the three different versions of the Ten Commandments that are outlined in the Bible, and particularly of number 10, which I’d always thought was a ban on coveting – and which I admit I have assiduously disobeyed. But, unlike the Exodus 20 and the Deuteronomy 5 versions, I see now that the Exodus 34 version has number ten as, “Thou shalt not boil a kid in his mother's milk.” I swear, folks, that I have never broken this commandment. Even if they mean a goat-type of kid, rather than a human-type, I have never even thought of doing this!
I won’t go into the other nine, or my adherence to them….
Reader David Rice chimes in, too:
I have tried, in vain, to explain to Fundamentalist Christians that their "Noah's Flood" myth was borrowed from much older mythologies and without exception they emphatically deny it. Frankly, after my study of the Hebrew Testament, the Flying Spaghetti Monster makes a great deal more sense. After all, Exodus claims Moses climbed a mountain with seventy of his friends, had a party with several dozen gods, and they all – men and gods – got drunk. Sounds more Greek than Babylonian to me.....
Okay, I’ve now had enough Bible to satisfy me for a considerable period of time. I got into some pasta with marinara sauce last night, as a way of offering my respects to the FSM, but that’s about as far as I’ll go. Let’s change the subject….
Reader Russell Sussan was the first of many to inform us that the 12,000-Gauss Rare Earth Magnets claim here last week at www.randi.org/jr/200509/091605church.html#12 appears to be rather an exaggeration. Says he:
Wow! 12,000 Gauss! That is far more powerful than any wearable magnet that I'm aware of! An MRI machine's magnet is typically 1.5 Tesla (15,000 Gauss) and it’s a liquid helium cooled super-conductor magnet. I don't know what it would take to get 12,000 Gauss in a rare-earth magnet, but I would imagine it would have to weigh more than a ton.
Russell! People who believe that martial artists can stop cars and knock people down by waving at them, have no problem at all accepting such malarkey! You can tell them anything, and they’ll believe it, donate to it, or buy it, without any hesitation.
I have been gifted with a handsome reprint copy of “The Art of Modern Conjuring,” by a Professor Henri Garenne, originally printed in 1886 by Ward, Lock, and Company, now published by Random House under their trademark “Clarkson S. Potter,” though no relationship with anyone named Harry is suggested. The author, Garenne, seems to be totally unknown to the historians of the conjuring art, and as one writer suggests, might simply be the Betty Crocker of the trade…
I was encouraged by the opening lines of the book:
The Author's Views and Intentions
Having devoted much time to the study and practice of the art of Conjuring and Illusions, I have determined to write this treatise upon the "dark" art. Conjuring is an art that has been known for many ages; and people were foolish enough to believe in those days that the performer, or magician, had dealings with a certain dark gentleman whom we will not name. However, people of the present day are getting more enlightened; and although they see something done beyond their ken, yet they know it is only a piece of deception or sleight of hand on the part of the performers.
Later on, in Chapter 11 of the book, I found a section on “Spiritualistic Illusions, Séances, and Manifestations,” with this comment, which further encouraged me:
Spiritualism: An Imposture
The days are past now for believers in spiritualism and spirit manifestations, as the present age is growing more enlightened, and the majority of people look upon these feats as being clever tricks, and the performer is applauded accordingly. It is the height of foolishness for any performer now to stand before the public and profess to do such-and-such a feat assisted by spirits, because the public would look upon him as an impostor. It is not unusual, however, to find some person more simpleminded than others, who really believes what the performer says; but such people are indeed simple and foolish to put their faith in such twaddle. I have included this chapter not for the sake of exposing these feats, but simply as a guide for those who wish to amuse others, and who in the first place must know how these feats are done before they themselves are able to perform them.
While I found the Professor’s presumption of public sophistication to be naïve, knowing what I do about the present state of general credulity that is so obvious in the governmental, educational, and general populace, I was not at all prepared for what then showed up in Chapter 12, under “Thought Reading”:
The Art Possible to All
It is really curious and astonishing to observe the readiness some persons display in ridiculing anything and everything they fail to understand. Thought reading is one of these, and people who fail to understand it simply put it down as trickery. Place before them the notion of some enterprise the accomplishment of which militates against the evidence of their former experiences, and they at once treat it with every form of derision conceivable, and at the same time feel highly indignant that such an endeavor should have been made to impose upon their credulity.
Take the experience of Mr. [Washington] lrving Bishop as a case in point. He introduces to the notice of the public a unique and curious natural phenomenon, and a mental faculty and power which almost every person possesses more or less, but which is lying dormant and only requires cultivation, though at first sight it may appear to partake of the supernatural, or, as some of its opponents prefer to say, of omniscience.
What was the result of Mr. Bishop's experiments? He was received by a large section of the people with jeers, insults, and various expressions of disgust, terms being leveled at him of an unjust and un-English description. Mr. Bishop happened to be a conjurer, and therefore the popular notion chose to attribute to him an inherent inability to accomplish any really genuine feat without the aid of deception creeping in somewhere.
If he had come forward at first incognito, without his reputation as a conjurer being known, the probability is that his reception would have been different, and the spirit of opposition and suspicion he aroused would have taken a less demonstrative form.
Of course, since his first experiments in this country, we have others who have put the knowledge of this mental power more strongly before us, and have explained away a great amount of the opposition which was first shown to it, and amongst the names of those who have favorably done so is that of Mr. Stuart Cumberland, whose experiments with many of the leading men of the day are still fresh in the minds of most persons.
The first of these five paragraphs states clearly the usual attitude of the True Believer, that the skeptics, in their ignorance, must simply be unable to see the miracles that have been put forward, that the evidence against any notion he’s chosen to believe is unacceptable to him, and that the phenomena are unquestionably genuine. The second, third, and fourth paragraphs are essentially an advertisement for the mentalist Washington Irving Bishop, who I’ve described at www.randi.org/encyclopedia/Bishop,%20Washington%20(Wellington)%20Irving.html, and in paragraph five the laughable description of both Bishop’s and Stuart Cumberland’s tricks (see www.randi.org/encyclopedia/muscle%20reading.html) as “experiments” leads me to believe that Professor Henri Garenne just might be one of these two mountebanks, rather than who he is said to be. The gimmick of writing an instruction book on conjuring tricks, then veering off to endorse one’s own performance as not being trickery, is cunning indeed, and not beyond either of the two mentalists. Both Bishop and Cumberland were at the very peak of their fame and fortune when this book came out in 1886, though Bishop died shortly thereafter.
Of course, Professor Garenne might well be just another of those many conjurors whose basic knowledge of trickery was confined to the hardware and the general deportment of a performer, missing the delicate subtleties that are involved in mentalism. Surely, had his book been published a few years later, he’d have seen the fakery of Anna Eva Faye, Bishop, and Cumberland, thoroughly exposed – and that might have changed the contents of chapter 11….
Later in that same chapter, after explaining to regular conjurors – his intended readers – how they can almost do, by standard trickery, what he believed Bishop and Cumberland could, Garenne put forth his point again, and again using the term “experiments”:
Let my readers follow carefully the experiments of Mr. Irving Bishop, Mr. Stuart Cumberland, and others, and they will probably in a short time receive a practical proof that thought-reading is a genuine scientific proceeding, based upon certain natural phenomena and mental powers and faculties, as the power is latent to a greater or lesser extent in everyone, and can be fully developed by practice and culture.
I guess, were he alive today, Garenne would be rapping on my door just as vigorously as John Edward and Sylvia Browne are, right now…..
Finally, Rebecca Watson is the founder of “Skepchicks International,” organized to promote critical thinking among women and increase their ranks among the skeptical community. I’ve mentioned this need on several occasions. Rebecca tells me that she’s had an amazing response from the community, and because of that, she wants to build up the organization to include more projects throughout the year to reach out to rational women worldwide. A fundraising project, the Skepchick 2006 Calendar, is the result. They’re selling calendars featuring artistic black-and-white photos of twelve different skeptical women as well as quotes from various famous past and present skeptics; the profits from the sales will go toward helping women in need get to TAM4. Most of those involved met on the JREF online forum and/or at past Amaz!ng Meetings. You can find out more at www.skepchick.org . They’ve also set up a forum at www.skepchick.mu.nu/forum.
Next week, George Sime of the Australian Skeptics tells us of progress in his part of the world, and Joe Gransky will relate to us his ghostly epiphany…..
