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Reader John Neil Schuman is amused:
I saw a story on one of my local new channels today about Oprah Winfrey's favorite things for 2005. The item that made the top of the list was the Philip Stein Teslar Diamond Watch. Here is the description from her website:
PHILIP STEIN TESLAR DIAMOND WATCH
Every Philip Stein timepiece has integrated active Teslar technology designed to reinforce the human body's electromagnetic field with a natural earth signal associated with calm, meditation, relaxation and enhanced performance. Experience the Teslar effect and let yourself feel more relaxed, more rested and less tense. The diamond-faced watch has 50 diamonds; the changeable band comes in six colors.
A typically inane, pseudo-scientific mess of claptrap, designed for the wealthy ignorant. That’s not all. It appears that this ludicrous item is also available at all Neiman Marcus locations, as well as at the www.philipstein.com site. Go there, and look at the illustration of this two-time-zone instrument, which is remarkable and unique in that it deals with international time zones that are 6 hours, 28 minutes, and 27 seconds apart! Surely that’s an added sales feature, though it couldn’t happen, even in Rangoon, Newfoundland, or Central Australia, where the time zones are a bit off-standard. The graphic artist who prepared this ludicrous illustration simply rotated the clock face through 180 degrees, to produce an impossible configuration.
A call to Neiman Marcus (phone number 566-6666 – is that significant?) brought the comment that the watch, to quote the sales clerk – is “supposed to do all these wonderful things.” No further data was available on those wonders. The price range is from $595 to $2,600 – depending entirely on the number of diamonds. Gee, my watch doesn’t have a single diamond….
Wrote Mr. Schuman:
I thought that you might find humor in this because I certainly did.
Be assured, we did. We handled this ludicrous thing more than two years ago at www.randi.org/jr/013103.html – do a search on “Teslar.” The scam hasn’t gotten any better, though.
Reader Ken Wolgemuth, of Thompsontown, Pennsylvania, assures us that we are correct in re-labeling The Learning Channel as “The Dumbing-Down Channel.” Says Ken:
If an article from the Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News, describing a local "psychic" to be featured on The Learning Channel this Thursday, is to be believed (a big “if,” granted), we have here an individual who located a murder suspect and has been given credit for that feat by the "skeptical" police, does not seek publicity or take money for her "psychic" assistance, and is now going public "because she wants to teach police officers how to use psychics properly and avoid scams."
The article, gushed out by reporter Monica Von Dobeneck, clearly states that “psychic witness” Jan Helen McGee helped police a murder that occurred 12 years ago. The facts are that Detective Paul Zechman was contacted by McGee shortly after the murder was announced in the media. She told him that she’d had a bad “psychic” dream about the killing; that was apparently all that Zechman needed to call her in for consultation.
The newspaper article says that McGee told Zechman that
…the killer was at a beach, probably Ocean City, Md., or Rehoboth Beach, Del. [He] called the police departments there and, sure enough, they found Robert Wise living in Arnold's stolen car at a shopping mall near Rehoboth.
Hold on. That’s just one thing that McGee, in a long interview with the detective, came up with. Did she also suggest several other places? We’re not told, but this guess – using the expected modifier “probably” – is singled out – because it was correct! And that’s a 25-mile stretch of local beach. Note that the culprit was found living in a stolen car – obviously reported as stolen – and we don’t know if the police set out to find that person as a result of being alerted by Zechman, or if Zechman merely had his man located because he was in the stolen vehicle. Bear in mind that police knew that Wise and the murder victim were acquainted, and Wise – locally known as a “beach bum” – was already strongly suspected as being the killer, but had simply not been located. This report presents matters as if Wise, right out of the blue, had been identified and located by means of McGee’s powers.
District Attorney Deirdre Eshleman now says that Zechman didn't admit to her for several years that McGee had offered him any guesses. He’d told her only that "an anonymous source" had helped him. Does it not appear that Zechman is now recalling, selectively, what McGee told him years before – those points that now checked out! – and is choosing to attribute powers to her? We know, from other accounts of how “police psychics” have been credited with “hits,” that often this is the case. Of course, if we had access to the tape recordings Zechman made of the interview, we would know. But we’ll never have access to those tapes, I’ll bet.
And, I’m struck by this sentence from the newspaper account:
[McGee] said she knew details of the case that surprised investigators, such as that Arnold had a collection of black rotary phones in his home.
We have to wonder, did McGee specifically say, “The killer has a collection of black rotary phones in his home,” or did she mention – among dozens of other guesses – that she “saw” a black telephone somehow connected with this matter? The morphing of a generalized statement into an explicit one, often takes place in the re-telling. Certainly, if McGee did deliver her guess as stated above, I would have to take this very seriously.
McGee identifies with the celebrated prophet-without-honor of the Bible, found in Mathew 13. She says:
A lot of people are fearful or angry at psychics. But do you think angels and prophets died off after the Bible was written? Prophetic things have always been spoken of.
Reader Wolgemuth wants McGee tested by the JREF:
She says she "can no more prove her psychic abilities than someone can prove love." However, I suspect that you and your colleagues would have no problem developing a suitable testing protocol. Seems to me, she's a prime candidate for the JREF Challenge. Wouldn't you agree?
Yes, of course, Ken. But I rather think that McGee would want to reply on “The Dumbing-Down Channel” and local newspapers to support her claims, rather than actually having them looked into. As for that challenge to “prove love,” I think we could come up with a testing procedure, and we most certainly could test McGee….
Detective Zechman defends his acceptance of these mind-boggling powers. Says he:
Police are [now] more progressive-minded and willing to use things they may not completely understand.
Zechman said he has referred McGee to other police departments, and that he and District Attorney Eshleman are willing to use her again. Yes, that department did something foolish and naïve, and they want others to get on their rickety bandwagon. That vehicle will lurch into view Thursday evening, just before this page goes up on the Internet. It will be interesting to see how the story is sold. I will welcome reviews from readers who saw it.
Reader Patrick Purcell suggests that we again offer our kudos to Walgreen’s Pharmacy. We applauded them for their withdrawal of the Trudeau book at www.randi.org/jr/081905time.html#18. They have just suspended four of their registered pharmacists in the St. Louis, Illinois, area for refusing to fill emergency contraception prescriptions, which would be in violation of state law. The pharmacists said they had religious/moral objections to filling such prescriptions, and that they want to maintain their right to refuse to dispense. Replied the Walgreen’s spokesperson, “That is not an option."
So, kudos!
Danish reader Henrik Holde, in Copenhagen, has some observations:
I was just browsing Amazon.com and was recommended Richard Dawkins' most excellent book "The Ancestor's Tale." I have read it already, but thought that the customer reviews of it might reflect some of the evolution vs. creation discussions that seem to be almost anywhere. Well, they did – but I was positively surprised. I found that the creationist reviews of the book were typically rated as being unhelpful, e.g. 2 of 43, 1 of 63, 0 of 36 people finding the reviews helpful. One reviewer even claimed that it is stupid to even write a book like "The Ancestor's Tale," since the subject is already covered in the Bible!
The helpfulness of the neutral (as in non-creationist) reviewers has been rated far, far higher. Seems like Amazon shoppers are a clever bunch. I found the following review very, very funny – the person who wrote it must have a sense of humor that matches mine quite well – so put on your sardonic glasses and read:
This is a detailed and meticulous description of evolution and the history of biological life. Of its type, this is one of the most comprehensive and readable accounts available. Unfortunately Dawkins is operating entirely within the wrong paradigm!
Creation may be contradicted by facts, but facts don't necessarily add up to truth. Evolution itself is flawed on several counts, for example it cannot explain:
1) Why heavy fish, like whales, don't just sink to the bottom of the ocean2) Why most trees are so much taller than necessary
3) How non-biological animals, like crocodiles and ostriches, came into existence
4) Why sharks haven't grown legs, moved onto land and taken over the world
5) The existence of invisible species that remain undiscovered
So go ahead and read Dawkins' lucid prose in “The Ancestor's Tale” – but remember there are some occasions when facts are wrong.
Regardless, I very much recommend the book!
UK reader Jimmy Smith reminds us:
You will recall Uri Geller’s brief appearance on “I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” before the public voted him out. See your commentary 18 October, 2002, (www.randi.org/jr/101802.html). A presenter of the program gave this amusing little snippet to a fan site of his favorite football (soccer) team, www.nufc.com:
We also asked Ant if there had been any I'm a Celebrity Newcastle fans who had asked to be kept updated on how the team was getting on. Said he:
One of the script writers is a big Newcastle fan but we've not had a contestant yet. We're not allowed to tell them the football results anyway. When Uri Geller was on the program he asked us how Exeter had got on and we told him we couldn't say. He asked us to stare straight at him and after a few seconds he punched the air in triumph and said he could tell by reading our minds that they'd won. It was tough trying to keep a straight face, knowing they'd got beat 2-0...!
Reader David Novak, with yet more Geller antics:
Uri Geller's up to his spoon-bending antics again, this time in Geneva, Switzerland, at a conference between Israeli and Palestinian relief groups. He also said that he’d help the head of the Red Crescent – the Muslim equivalent of the Red Cross – to stop smoking... I just hope that he didn't make any promises about using his powers to forge peace in the Middle East. With his record of how successful his "helpful powers" have been, he'd make the conflict last for another century.
Yes, the ubiquitous Geller showed up at the meeting, providing some comic relief; he went about bending spoons. The usually sensible Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, perhaps charmed by Uri, lost her official poise and waxed effusive over the circus. Said she:
Uri Geller did not just help break the ice with the skills that have made him famous – a considerable number of bent spoons line the road that led to this agreement. He has also played a pivotal role in helping everyone focus on the main objective and overcoming differences over secondary details at key junctures.
Folks, I just have a hard time grasping how a conjuror doing his table-to-table routine could possibly bring better understanding to a serious matter such as the interminable Israeli-Palestinian confrontation – unless Geller was such a pest that the assembled dignitaries rushed to an agreement so that they could all go home… Comments reader and friend Jim Oberg on this farce:
I can’t help feeling like I’ve fallen through a wormhole into an alternate reality, because lord knows, the [conferees] couldn’t possibly come to this realization on their own without the intervention of a phony psychic.
Jim’s comment appeared – along with many other entertaining submissions – on /littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=18406_Phony_Psychic_Makes_Europeans_See_the_Light#comments. One other comment there, is:
Too bad Bob Keeshan [Captain Kangaroo] is dead. I'm sure Mr. Green Jeans, Bunny Rabbit and Mr. Moose would help as well.
MORE DRAMA DOWN UNDER
Last week, we told you – at www.randi.org/jr/200511/112505psychich.html#i6 – about the exchanges between Rod Bruce and Australia’s “Better Health Channel” (BHC). Here’s the follow-up. Rod heard from Ms. Douglas, BHC librarian:
Thank you for your email. Your comment or suggestion will be forwarded to the expert reviewer when the article is next due for annual review. If you have provided contact details the reviewer may choose to contact you.
Thanks again for your interest in the Better Health Channel.
And Rod answered:
Thank you for your reply. I must assume that you are now handling my correspondence on this issue, that was previously addressed to Ms. Williams (you are sharing the above email address).
You are saying that my suggestion will be not be addressed until an “annual review,” at which time it will be forwarded to an “expert reviewer,” who then may or may not choose to contact me. This issue is extremely important and I feel that action should not be delayed. After all, the health and safety of many people are at stake here. Will you please tell me the date of the proposed “annual review,” and also the contact details for the “expert reviewer,” so that I may expedite this. Otherwise, will you assist to expedite this important issue?
PS: Another relevant link for you can be found at – www.csmmh.org.
That link would take the BHC people to the Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health web site, where the information presented should alarm them rather severely. We will keep readers updated on this ongoing drama!
NOW I BELIEVEReader Ed Graham was amazed upon opening his newspaper and finding this ad staring at him. Ed, like most of us, suffers from the delusion that singing – and preaching – must be done using vocal cords, but Evangelist Gary Wood can do both without vocal cords! For 33 years, this dead man has refused to recognize his condition, and brazenly carries on as though he were still alive. As Ed comments:
Gary Wood checks out on the web. He is real, and we all know that information found on the Internet is the absolute truth or they wouldn’t allow it to be there. He is obviously a product of ID. How much more proof do you people need?
Well, ever curious, I checked out the Internet too, and learned, among other things, that Jesus Christ had given Mr. Wood twenty minutes of his personal consulting time in heaven, and that’s what convinced me. Would a man lie about such an event?
To add to this miracle, I ask you to examine this photo of Preacher Gary Wood, and experience the wonder I did when I was unable to find a scrap of evidence bearing witness to the fact that when he died in the auto accident, his lower face was “completely destroyed.” Ed, I don’t need any more proof….!
Hallelujah!
Reader Patrick Carr, of Chicago, shows us – once more – that a polite complaint made to receptive and responsible persons can have important results. He reports:
Over the holiday weekend I saw two commercials on Chicago area cable-tv CLTV, for the "Q-Ray" bracelet previously featured in several of the commentaries, such as www.randi.org/jr/070403.html.
I can't say I'm surprised to see it being advertised again, but I did recall that the company manufacturing the things had been ordered not to make the type of claims that were all through these ads. In response I sent the following message to both CLTV and the Illinois Attorney General's office. I haven't yet received a response, but I only just sent the messages.
I'm a long time fan of your work and the website. When I was a child I, like many children, was convinced of the reality of Bigfoot, Nessie, Extraterrestrial visitors, etc. It all just seemed so dramatic and unusual. I remember reading Von Däniken in middle school and being AMAZED at all the "evidence" he was citing. Of course, over the years I became more aware of how tenuous that evidence was. The more I heard people say things like "could the Nazca lines have been..." the more I came to realize these people weren't – and still aren't – actually telling us anything we didn't know, they were simply asking leading and highly speculative questions that tugged at peoples emotions. Sure, that COULD have been a drawing of an "ancient astronaut," but much more probably it wasn't.
Once I started responding to those manipulative questions that way I found myself becoming more and more of a skeptic. At the same time I've realized that there's plenty to be awed by in nature, and to me, evolution, both of life and of the universe in general, is frankly stunning; all the more so for not having some sort of divine manipulation.
I still hope that one day we will have unequivocal proof of life on other planets and I'd love it if we could develop a way of visiting other stars that takes less than a human lifespan, but even if we don't I remain amazed at our world for what it is, not what I might sometimes wish it could be.
I apologize for rambling but I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your commentary. I always read it and the Straight Dope.
The next day, Patrick reported to me:
I've received two replies from the TV station in question. The first is quoted below:
This will acknowledge receipt of your email concerning the Q-ray bracelet ads that have been airing on CLTV. I want to personally thank you for taking the time to write it, and for bringing your questions to our attention. With respect to ads that might be construed as being deceptive, we take our obligations seriously.
I'm familiar with some of the allegations outlined in your email. From the cable station's point of view, what is relevant is whether or not this ad makes claims that cannot be supported or are deceptive. I have reviewed the videotape of this ad, and at the moment I don't feel it makes such claims. I'd also note that the manufacturer offers a 30-day refund (less shipping and handling) if the consumer is unhappy with the product.
I would be happy to discuss this further if you wish to give me a call. My direct line is [number].
I then sent him a message thanking him for his time and again stressing my concerns, and just now I've received the following message:
On further review, we have pulled this commercial.
So, as has occasionally been proven, tactfully and politely offering a complaint can get results.
Yes, Patrick, and we’re all grateful to you for having taken this action. Our thanks are also extended to David Underhill of CLTV, a cable news station owned by the Tribune company. They reacted to this alert by looking further into the matter, and they did the right thing. Kudos!
We received notice of a TV show titled “ Britain's Psychic Challenge” which will be a one-hour program on Sunday, Dec. 4th. We’re told that:
A panel of skeptical experts will attempt to discover the truth behind people's claims of psychic powers. Presented by Five's Trisha Goddard who will challenge psychics and skeptics and, with the help of a studio jury, will attempt to sort the wheat from the chaff.
Well, I need hardly remind my readers that science is never decided by a jury, and certainly not by a vote, only by the evidence; it’s not a popularity contest. And just who are these “experts”? Well, according to Tony Youens, our man in the UK, one is parapsychologist Dr. Chris French, a careful researcher indeed, and another is a very competent magician named Philip Escoffy who has a website at www.thegreyman.com/philipescoffey_intro.htm. The third is an ex-police officer named Jackie Moulton; the UK TV series “Prime Suspect” was based on her work, evidently. See www.imdb.com/title/tt0098898/ for details.
The tests in the one already-taped episode were: "Body in the Boot," in which a live person was concealed in a car boot (i.e. trunk) and the experts had to decide in which one. Chris French reports that 3 out of 7 got this correct but he also said it was a sloppy test; we’ll have more details anon. Next they went to what Tony thinks was Knebworth House: www.knebworthhouse.com/locations/locations.html. Here, they did a “psychometry” demo – reading “vibrations” from personal belongings – and by all accounts did pretty badly. The third "test," reports Tony, had no skeptical input and Chris French was very wary of their motives. He was told this was just a “bit of fun” – which should never be part of any such program, since if the “fun” produces positive results, it gets counted and reported, and if it bombs, it’s never even mentioned – because it wasn’t really a proper test, anyway.
We’ll have formal reports on this event, from Tony, next week.
Reader James Webster has written to chide me on last week’s item at www.randi.org/jr/200511/112505psychich.html#i3:
I happened to see a BBC news report regarding the Fairy Rock mentioned in your article below is based on. It has to be said that Councillor Jeannie Fox had more than a twinkle in her eye when she claimed to believe in fairies, and followed up with “Doesn’t everyone?” She may have even winked. However, she then quite clearly said to the reporter that the fairy story was simply an excuse, a useful rallying point for the village people who were very concerned about what they saw as unnecessary development.
It was a way of drawing attention to an environmental issue rather than a profession of belief, and it had the desired effect, as was demonstrated by the news coverage and the second thoughts expressed by the housing developers in reaction to the opposition from the locals.
It seems this is more an indication of a canny Scottish PR awareness than anything else!
And reader Caroline Macafee echoes Mr. Webster:
I receive links to your online newsletter, Swift, from the Humanist Society of Scotland. I think you do a very important job, though it's perhaps difficult for us in the UK to appreciate how threatened the Enlightenment seems to be in the USA. So perhaps you'll forgive me if I put in a word of defense for the people of St. Fillans. This is what I've written in my blog, the Lea Rig (http://fogbraider.blogspot.com):
I'm a bit torn today between support for James Randi, who does a terrific job debunking quackery and unreason, and my affection for folk tradition. He has an item on his online newsletter, Swift, about the people of St. Fillans, Perthshire, managing to save a local landmark from property developers by appealing, straight-faced, to the local tradition that it was the habitation of fairies. Which seems to me a very proper use of local history and tradition, really. Funnily enough, there's an article in this week's New ScientistTibet's mountain gods have a way of preserving nature, which shows that places preserved as sacred in Tibet are full of rare plants. I think these are rather benign cases of people's susceptibility to superstition being exploited.
Well, James and Caroline, I may have failed to see the tongues in those Scottish cheeks, and if so, I apologize to you and to the citizens of St. Fillans. Perhaps you’ll forgive me when you consider that I regularly deal with medical boards who support the use of magnetic belts and homeopathy, school boards that want to teach that the Universe is only 6,000 years old, and educated inventors with impressive academic degrees who run on about “free energy” and “morphic resonance.” Compared to those notions, I suppose, a belief in the wee folk pales somewhat….
While we’re still in fairyland, reader Jon Davies, of the Glasgow Science Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, tells us:
Hi James, after reading this in last weeks commentary – www.randi.org/jr/200511/112505psychich.html#i3I – I was intrigued to see what the “fairy stone” looked like. St. Fillans is not far from Glasgow and I might like to take a drive one day to see the little people....
Using Google images I came across this astonishing website: www.leyman.demon.co.uk
I thought perhaps David R. Cowan had not heard of the JREF so I very helpfully let him know of the million dollar challenge. Our email exchange was very short, as Mr. Cowan is obviously not in need of the cash and presumably wants to keep his latest discoveries a big secret.
Their email exchange reads as follows. First, Jon wrote to Mr. Cowan:
I came across your website about standing stones, ley lines, dowsing etc...while looking for an image of the “fairy” rock at St. Fillans, Perthshire. I had read about the rock and the “discussion” between the building company and the locals on this website: www.randi.org/jr/200511/112505psychich.html#i3
My question to you is this: You are obviously confident about the actual existence of ley lines and dowsing as real phenomena which exist to be measured and demonstrated, therefore why do you not claim the million dollars prize money from the James Randi Educational Foundation and use it to considerably promote your interests? To claim the cash look here: www.randi.org/research/index.html
How fabulous would it be to take the million dollars? What an Earth-shattering and World-changing event that would be. I look forward to hearing about this on the 6 o’clock news......
He signed it, “Jon, rational human, enjoying living in the real World.” A reply came from Mr. Cowan:
John [sic] if only the world was as simple as this! I don't believe for one moment that Randi would ever give a million dollars to anyone, no matter how conclusive the evidence. During my three-score years and ten on this planet I have met many people who steadfastly disbelieve even the most obvious of facts, no matter how simple.
As for the cost – I have spent some ten years without any income in writing and researching "Ley Lines and Earth Energies" – about 50-60 thousand pounds in lost wages. It is enough for me to bring this knowledge to the general public. I have been doing more research since this last book, and this is truly awesome. I don't think the general public is ready for the kind of revelations which I have recently uncovered – that will have to wait.
Jon Davies wrote Mr. Cowan:
Thanks for getting back to me.
I look forward tremendously to what you call "the kind of revelations which I have recently uncovered." Few people would be more thrilled than I if dowsing were proved to work. A whole new field of physical research would open up, the present-day laws of physics would have to be rewritten or at least expanded, the World could be a better place...
When these recently uncovered revelations come to light I presume you will then apply for the million dollars. If Mr. Randi, as you suggest, would still not hand over the money even with this new conclusive evidence – which I assume the new revelations would be – there would be a storm of protest worldwide. What better publicity for your ideas?
I look forward to hearing about your new revelations in the media and consequently the payment from the JREF of one million dollars.
Succinctly, Mr. Cowan replied:
Received e-mail with thanks.
And that was it. Closed, done, finished. This reaction is typical of dowsers, who are generally thoroughly self-deluded but yet doubt their own claims. It is they, not the skeptical community, who “steadfastly disbelieve even the most obvious of facts, no matter how simple.” Unless he’s lying to us, one million dollars could be in the hands of David R. Cowan, within one day’s testing time, if he would only apply. We have representatives right where he’s located, and he knows full well that the JREF is legally committed to paying out the prize money, but he prefers to pretend to believe that it would not be paid, and he uses that as his excuse for avoiding the facts. They all do.
Am I wrong, David Cowan? Prove it, and be much richer – I presume – than you are now. That £50,000-£60,000 would be pocket-change for you, David. Hello? Can you hear me….?
Mr. Cowan…?
Reader “Angel” confesses:
In last weeks commentary there was an e-mail titled "PSYCHIC SANTA?" I have a very similar story but I guess you could call it "Psychic Minnie?" I used to work at the Disneyland Resort doing character work. I would dress up in a Minnie Mouse costume and deliver "magical" experiences to everyone who saw me. The one thing that amazed people was when they handed me their autograph books. I would always write a personalized message to them including their name, and then sign “Minnie Mouse” at the end. They would read it and show their parents what I had done and they would tell me "This place really is magical." Little did they know that a few moments earlier they were calling their kids name to look up at the camera to take a photo.
Also, I am a student in Dr. Mark Duva's class at Cerritos College and we all really do enjoy reading the commentaries every week. It is the funnest homework I've ever had! Thank you for posting Dr. Duva's commentary, it was very exciting to see it!
P.S. I think Dr. Duva would be amazed if he got to see this e-mail with your comments!
That will never happen, Angel! Think you can manipulate me, do you? Hah!
In Australia, the Queensland Roar football team's mediocre performance – they’re in sixth place, with only 11 goals from 12 games this season – prompted those in charge to invoke specialized help and some “positive energy” from a Feng Shui expert. A natural thing to do. Well, “master” Tom Lo festooned the place with cane palms, flowers, photos and balloons, then brought a Chinese dancing lion into the locker room to work magic.
We have to tell you that the following weekend, the team were defeated again without scoring. This mystery is being investigated, even as we speak….
See www.randi.org/jr/200509/092305northern.html#1 to refresh your memory about former Canadian Deputy Minister of Defense and later, Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister, Paul Hellyer, who is now asking the Parliament of Canada to hold public hearings on Exopolitics – by which he means, relations with “ETs,” which he defines as, “ethical, advanced extraterrestrial civilizations that may now be visiting Earth.” Despite the fact that there is zero evidence to indicate that an extraterrestrial life exists – though that’s not at all impossible! – and any life form would have to travel incredible distances under incredible conditions, to get here, Mr. Hellyer believes that we should treat this possibility with priority – even while we’re trying to find out how to leave Iraq with dignity and style. In a speech at the University of Toronto, Hellyer has publicly stated:
UFOs are as real as the airplanes that fly over your head… I'm so concerned about what the consequences might be of starting an intergalactic war, that I just think I had to say something… The secrecy involved in all matters pertaining to the Roswell incident was unparalleled. The classification was, from the outset, above top secret, so the vast majority of U.S. officials and politicians, let alone a mere allied Minister of Defense, were never in-the-loop… The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war without us ever having any warning. The Bush administration has finally agreed to let the military build a forward base on the Moon, which will put them in a better position to keep track of the goings and comings of the visitors from space, and to shoot at them, if they so decide.
Doesn’t Hellyer do anything to inform himself of the facts about Roswell, UFOs, and the proposed Moon base? But, aside from the incredible content of his speech, what has to get our attention is that Hellyer’s speech was greeted with a standing ovation! Now, in my view, this misplaced enthusiasm may be based on the very wise 1967 United Nations decision that weapons of mass destruction – remember them? – must not be based in space.
We’ll just have to stay tuned. So far, the Canadian Parliament is not rushing to clamber onto the UFO platform.
We heard from Carl Moreland – see www.randi.org/jr/101703.html and do a search on “Moreland” – who tells us, in reference to our recent coverage of Dell Winders and the Omnitron device:
I see that you have pulled out the "Dell Systems VR800" I sent you a while back. The video you have of the test you did with Dell Winders probably came from me, as well. When I last asked, you did not recall the context of the video taping, but now you've possibly discovered that it was part of a documentary. If you can find out for certain, please let me know. In particular, I would like to view the remainder of the test, if it was taped, and would like to know the real results of the test. Dell has told me that he aborted the test after a few attempts because conditions had deteriorated, but insisted that he scored 6-of-8 times (not the 8-of-12 you reported) in a note from January 6, 1999:
As I mentioned, the survey process can take longer than it used to, and the interference can at times be a frustrating nuisance if you have a deadline and limited time to conduct tests or surveys. It doesn't cripple the MFD's ability to provide useful information, it just takes longer to maximize the accuracy of interpreting weakened signals. This is a problem I encountered in doing the Randi tests. The producer informed me (with Mr. Randi present), that I only got 6 tests correct of the 8 tests it took me 5½ hours to complete. The increasing interference made it difficult for me to evaluate the signals although Mr. Randi in his infinite scientific wisdom, made it authoritatively clear, that we were NOT having any solar interference. At least in my case, that shoots down theories of Randi's power of suggestion. I experienced lots of Solar interference that day.
Randi comments: we’ll see, soon enough, when the video of that event is located, viewed, and summed up. The reference to “solar interference” was about the fact that there were no sun spots or flares reported at that period, though Winders manages to detect subtle forces that mere mortals cannot even imagine. Carl continues:
I've been in contact with Dell off-and-on for the last few years, and several times I've offered him my own $25,000 prize (limited strictly to treasure dowsing devices). Of course, he's refused every time, often citing the evil of James Randi as the reason he will never submit to testing again! Since I sent you the VR800, I have obtained a later model sold by Dell, called the "GS-Pro" (GS is for gold/silver). Guess what? Yup, it has dowsing rods. And his latest “microprocessor-controlled” treasure locator? Still has dowsing rods.
But even in the whacky world of treasure hunting, Dell is small potatoes. Check out www.treasurenow.com... look at the "Products" page... there are two legitimate metal detectors (the "Maxi-Pulses"), and a legitimate Earth Resistivity Meter (the "Mother Load Locator")... everything else is a DOWSING DEVICE. Click on the "Treasure Navigator" product... yes, really... that's a $20,000 dowsing device! Dowsing rods NOT shown... But, hey, at least it includes a GPS receiver so you won't get lost while dowsing.
Folks, that site actually does use the term, “Mother Load,” several times…. Will someone tell them it’s “Lode,” please? Carl, again:
I own three of the devices shown on that page: The SiGo, the Mini Eliminator II, and the PPL. All dowsing crap. And, at the bottom of the Products page are two devices called the Raven and Thunder Stick. These are made by Jim Thomas in Texas, the fellow who sued me over my report of another of his dowsing devices, the "Quad." By the way, when I refused to settle out-of-court, he dropped the suit entirely, the day before the hearing was scheduled. What a spineless coward.
Anyway, the fellow who sells the devices on treasurenow.com is Bob Fitzgerald. Of all the dowsing devices on that page, the only one Bob actually makes himself is the PPL. Interestingly, it's also one of the only ones that is accompanied by actual performance claims. The first 6 devices on that page make no mention whatsoever that they can locate gold or silver, or otherwise do anything useful for the buyer. Is that Truth in Advertising, or what?
If you want to have a little fun, shoot Bob an email offering your prize if he can demonstrate that the PPL will locate gold, as he claims. I'll go ahead and spill the beans... Bob has a standard alibi: it only detects "long-time buried" gold. The gold must have been buried for at least several years. Yes, I know, science says that gold is entirely inert in normal conditions. But we're talking Long-Range Locators here, which, by necessity, redefine science.
Readers can see Carl’s report on the VR800 at http://www.thunting.com/geotech/lrl_reports.html, with a complete schematic included. The actual electronics of the Omnitron that Carl sent to me are currently with Dr. Ian A. D'Souza, of Space Instruments & Electronics in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Ian is preparing an official circuit check, which I’m sure will agree with Carl’s findings, showing that the circuitry is a sham.
Carl Morehouse, incidentally – as you’ll see from the report above – is probably the world’s leading authority on dowsing scams, particularly the electronic horrors such as the Omnitron. I’m happy to have his input on all such matters. Our formal challenge to Bob Fitzgerald – who we’re told has a terrible temper! – will appear here next week.
Reader John Bush, who signs himself as a “ex-River Plaza kid who hung out in front of Chris's Delicatessen and the Fireman's Fair” – which stirs my memories of my years of residence in New Jersey – has a suggestion:
I have a marketing idea for Dell Winders. Why doesn't he just lower the price from $3500.00 down to $3.95, and market the Omnitron as an "Interference Detector," since he seems to pick up more interference than anything else? Also, based on my inspection of the photos you provided, it looks to me like it could be easily re-engineered to become the world's best meat thermometer. Something like that could sell for over $10.00 at Target, or over $100.00 at Brookstone.
Dell could become a rich man overnight, providing that he could squeeze his glue gun fast enough to manufacture millions of Omnitrons. I'm sure that if Superstore warehouses are selling Kevin Trudeau's book by the millions, there would be room for bubble-packed Omnitrons hanging from clip-poles throughout their stores.
John adds:
Have fun at the Stardust. Isn't that where they filmed, "Mars Attacks"? Since Mars is so close now, I hope that they don't land again during your conference! The Luxor Pyramid has turned Las Vegas into a Space Magnet.
No, John, that was the Luxor Casino where the flop named “Mars Attacks” was filmed. The Stardust is now famous for being the venue for The Amaz!ng Meeting every January. And are you registered yet….? I spoke with U.S. astronaut Ed Lu today, and he’s looking forward to answering audience questions about his adventures in orbit, aside from the minor suspension-in-space – levitation – that I’ll put him through, live, right on stage, during the Meeting!
Next week, you’ll read about yet another silly weeping statue has the faithful all a-flutter, the challenge to Fitzgerald will be published, and we’ll regale you with more “energized water.” I’ll bet you can hardly wait!
And if you haven't heard, the TAM 4 scholarship has provided funding for at least twenty people to the January meeting in Las Vegas! The "amazing" outpouring of generosity warms my heart, but there's still room for more. If you'd like to consider helping someone else get to TAM, please visit www.tam4.com/scholarship.html. Thank You.
