|
|
 |
|
 |
May 18, 2007
|
|
 |
|
| |
More Police Psychics
Reader Melissa Callaghan tells us: You may not be aware of this in Florida but one story has dominated the UK Headlines for the last 2 weeks, the abduction of a 4 year-old-girl from a Holiday Apartment complex in Portugal. Her grief-stricken parents are a daily feature on all media outlets, with a complete lack of any information or credible leads from the Portuguese police. Check the story on the BBC website if you want more background details. What better time, then, for our favorite brand of publicity-hungry, grief-whoring charlatans to try to get themselves some press exposure on the back of one family′s genuine tragedy? Reproduced below is a 100% genuine press release that was sent out to various broadcasters and media outlets last week. You thought psychic bullshit merchants couldn′t stoop any lower? Read it and weep… Here′s the press release, prepared and distributed by a professional press agent. I′ve shortened it down by eliminating the tiresome every-sentence-is-a-paragraph format:
Subject: Two UK psychic detectives have arrived in Portugal in a bid to help track down missing toddler Madeleine McCann. Hi, we′ve just had this great story come about a couple of our clients and thought that it may be of interest to you. Two UK psychic detectives have arrived in Portugal in a bid to help track down missing toddler Madeleine McCann. Amanda Hart from St. Albans and Ben Murphy from Watford believe their psychic powers could provide the missing key in finding the three-year-old who has been missing since last Thursday. Madeleine is believed to have been taken from her bed while her parents were eating at a nearby restaurant close to their holiday apartment in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz in Portugal. They had been regularly checking on her and their two-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie, before she went missing. Amanda Hart, who has appeared on Tricia Goddards Psychic Challenge and regularly presented her own psychic radio show, says she has been receiving vital clues as to the child′s whereabouts. Her partner Ben Murphy, who was involved in helping track down the murderer of teenager Sally Anne Bowman last year, has also had psychic impressions of her location. The pair arrived in Portugal on Friday and are hoping to use Amanda′s ability as a psychic "tracker" to help find Madeleine. Spokesman Kizzi Nkwocha said: "Both Amanda and Ben have proven their psychic abilities beyond any doubt. They now hope to use these powers to help find Madeleine. Any information they get will be made available to the authorities in Portugal."
Briefly: note that this is referred to as a "bid to help," and the "psychics" are "hoping" to help. Whether these two were requested to show up by the police or by the media, is not stated. Thus, any lucky guess or obvious declaration – "Madeleine is frightened" – will be snapped up as evidential. The two are referred to as "psychic detectives," and the evidence for that exalted state appears to be that Amanda has appeared on a "Psychic Challenge" show, which would not tend to be critical of any such claim, and she has "regularly presented her own psychic radio show," with no reference to her possible successes on such a venue.
The two "believe their psychic powers could provide the missing key," which means that after the mystery has been resolved, any number, color, weather condition, association, or other peripheral circumstance mentioned, can be assigned significance – after the fact. This is an ideal situation for the "psychics," who are quick to seize upon the vaguest correlation, of course. Amanda reports that "she has been receiving vital clues as to the child′s whereabouts." Well, isn′t that what it′s all about? We don′t care about her own digestive problems or the condition of her investments; we want the location of the kid, Amanda!
Ah, but her partner Ben Murphy "was involved in helping track down the murderer of teenager Sally Anne Bowman last year"! "Involved"? "Helping"? Did you come up with anything useful in this matter, Ben, or was it the usual "Sally Anne was frightened" pap? And, we′re told, Ben "has also had psychic impressions of [Madeleine′s] location." Again, that′s what we′re after, Ben, but I don′t see any details here…!
Flamboyant UK publicist Kizzi Nkwocha tells us that Amanda and Ben "have proven their psychic abilities beyond any doubt." Well, Kizzi, why not get your clients interested in taking the JREF million-dollar prize? Strangely, I′ve never heard of these folks before, and a search of our files shows nothing…!
Madeleine will be found, eventually, and we can only hope for the best outcome. Ben and Amanda, regardless of how vague or inconsequential their guesses are, will claim deep insights and "impressions" of dark forces to keep their fans satisfied, and move right along…
As if this wasn′t enough, as we "go to press" I′m told that "psychic" Alison Dubois has now been asked to help locate the missing child. This isn′t a fictionalized TV show, folks. This is a real kid, with frantic parents. | |
THE UNSINKABLE POPOFF IS SINKING!
Reader Malcolm Dodd sends us this heartening news about Peter Popoff, who we scolded last week on ABC-TV′s 20/20: (Read Article) I find it so disheartening to hear people talk about science when they obviously don′t have a clue what it means. That′s just ignorance and it says a lot about modern western educational systems. Also, this concept of leaving woo-wooers alone in their beliefs doesn′t work, simply because they′re the type likely to go out and force their beliefs on others.TV Channel loses license for permitting religious "miracle soap" con. The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK has severely rebuked a shopping channel owned by the Daily Express′s proprietor, Richard Desmond, for giving airtime to TV evangelist Peter Popoff selling so-called "miracle" spring water and soap that claimed to cure serious illnesses, including cancer and Aids. After an intervention by the Authority, which upheld 11 different counts of misleading viewers and causing offence, Portland, the sister company of OK! and Express publisher, Northern & Shell, handed back its license. The watchdog described how a TV evangelist called Reverend Peter Popoff was shown "healing" a woman he claimed had a stomach tumor. He also claimed that viewers who bought the Miracle Spring Water would receive money, be offered a house and a car, be healed from health problems including allergies, chest pain and heartburn, and would lose weight. [See our exposures of Popoff.] Another TV evangelist, who called himself Dr. Paul Lewis, was shown promoting the benefits of Miracle Olive Oil Soap. The adverts were criticized for exploiting vulnerable viewers and not offering "reputable scientific evidence." Portland initially claimed it had sub-licensed the channel to a third party. It later accepted it had broken the rules, stopped the broadcast of Deal TV and surrendered its Ofcom licence.
Just why do we here in the USA have such a hard time stopping Popoff by similar means? Ah, maybe this is a "faith-based" matter. Silly me, to be insensitive to that reality!
| |
Guess Who it Was!Reader Jim Bauch reports: Kudos to the RRS [Rational Response Squad] and EFF [Electronic Frontier Foundation] for taking Geller on. He′s obviously feeling the heat from this. Yesterday I got this message from "Anonymous," apparently regarding my previous post – see tinyurl.com/2cg7pu – about Geller′s intimidation tactics. This is what was received: Mister Brian Flemming, Posting & repeating libellous remarks about EXPLOROLOGIST seen world wide was not wise from you to do. Check with your friend Randi & Sapient. Regards, Anonymous "Anonymous" included with his email a Microsoft Word attachment written on a copy of Word registered to…wait for it…Uri Geller: 
Folks, this problem with video excerpts obviously has Geller very worried. That′s not hard to understand, at all. Via these widely-copied and freely-distributed clips, his methods can be clearly seen, and as a result he′s had to do everything and anything to stop the believers from knowing that he′s simply a conjuror, not a man with supernatural powers. He′s desperate, and since he has no other profession, he must flail out in all directions to stop this flood of information. He′s turned to lawyers – as usual – to scare those who comment on the reality of the situation. Such counsels make a lot of noise, and collect their fees, but are proving less and less use to Mr. Geller.
Hey, I told him, ´way back. But would he listen…?
Nope.
As I admonished him when closing my book "The Magic of Uri Geller," and in the updated "The Truth About Uri Geller," quoting from Isaiah 47:12:
Stand now with thine enchantments, with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast labored from thy youth… But there was more to that quotation – verse 13 – that should have been included, so I′ll append it here for Mr. Geller′s edification: Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. Lots of luck… | |
Myers Stirs!
Last week I noted that Jack Myers appeared to have fallen silent about his challenge to me expressed at randi.org/jr/2007-04/041307mag.html#i5. Apparently not. He wrote: I have not backed out. I am waiting to hear from Mr. Randi when he will be in the New York City area and available.
Gee, it seems Mr. Myers was waiting for me to show up in New York City to do this daring feat, something of which I was quite unaware! I will certainly inform him of the next time I′ll be in NYC, and we′ll undertake the challenge. If some skeptical NY group is interested in having me appear for them as a speaker, this might be a good opportunity to seize upon.
Mr. Myers, however, has now withdrawn his accusation that the JREF was probably supported by some secret "traditional" medical cabal who don′t want to see "real" stuff like homeopathy helping their patients. He also wrote:
I am satisfied that Mr. Randi does not accept financial support from the traditional medical community. Jack Myers, President, Myers Publishing LLC Things are looking up! | |
After-Dark Miracle
Several readers sent me to this press release: World′s Largest Manifestation Healing Firewalk being done for you: Firewalker wants you to join his quest to shift the focus of the planet from separation to unity, one person at a time. FREE pictures and video will be provided. He will be using ancient traditions blended with Quantum Physics and your thoughts to walk 501 feet on 1200 degree coals to unite people around the world and help you or someone you know on May 8, 2007, at Leo Carrillo State Beach in LA County.
Note, please, the usual "focus," "ancient traditions," and "Quantum Physics" are immediately invoked, to secure the fact that this isn′t just one of those ordinary nutty ideas. This is Science, so there! And we have a walk of 501 feet, at 1200 degrees – though it′s not mentioned whether Fahrenheit or Celsius scales are involved… To continue:
His last transformational walk set a world record of 294 feet that created miracles of manifestation and healing… "a woman was cured of breast cancer, another found a soul mate, several people began new careers and so much more." Umm, I didn′t see this cancer cure in the news, though finding a soul mate and starting a new job might not have caused any editorial desk excitement…
The secret is that no one steps on the coals except Shaman and New Age Medicine Man, Trever McGhee, a Personal Development Coach, Motivational Speaker and Trainer, nor do you have to be in the same part of the world! All you do is give 30 seconds and tell them what you want to manifest in your life or for someone else to: UniteAsOne.com/FirewalkMessages.htm
Though it′s not quite clear, all those people are just one guy, scraggly-bearded, 38-year-old Los Angeles denizen Trever McGhee. Back to the heavy stuff:
Wait! Now it′s 171 feet long? And he′ll do it seven times? Arithmetic tells me that′s 1,197 feet, Trever. What happened to the 501-foot walk…? Am I missing something here?
As a Shaman, Trever McGhee uses this intensity in his Manifestation and Healing Firewalk. The best part is that scientific study and Quantum Physics can explain how it′s done. This is no magic trick: the last walk was aired by several news agencies including The Discovery Channel and verified by Guinness World Records. Umm, Trever, Guinness doesn′t have a fire-walk record… And the Discovery Channel never heard of you… But, moving right along, let′s get to the finale.
Trever didn′t make it, despite the Quantum Physics, spells, vibrations, attitudes, faith, and other potent forces he had working for him. Some 20 fellow fire-walkers from around the continent had attended to encourage Trever, including Carole Hodges, a 59-year-old business coach, who talked about the theory of fire walking:
You know you can achieve anything if you set your mind to it. When you believe in positive energy, you can change the world.
The newspapers reported that Trever prepared a 164-foot walkway of firewood, and that he would walk on "1,700-degree coals." Wait a minute, what happened to the 501 feet, and the 171 feet? And the 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius…? Well, in any case, Trever prepared to "vibrate across the coals," and when asked, he said he didn′t think – he knew – that he was going to be able to make seven laps across the fire.
Now, contrary to all other demos of fire-walking that I′ve seen, Trever opted not to walk the embers in calm, deliberate steps. He literally sprinted down the lane, but about 50 feet into it, he jumped off. He tried again, and a third time… He wasn′t focused enough, he said. He examined the blisters on his feet that he called "fire kisses." Trever, I′ve never seen a fire-walkers feet exhibiting blisters. That′s just not the way it′s done. See randi.org/encyclopedia/fire%20walking.html.
| |
Better VersionReader "Rob" writes: Hello, Mr. Randi. I′m a fan of your work and website. I thought you might enjoy this tidbit from The Week magazine:
This sounds like a Bible I might enjoy a bit more than the one I′ve got. | |
Public Opinion
Reader Brian Miller tells us that Vincent Bugliosi, whose prosecution of Charles Manson in 1970 led him to write one of the best-selling true-crime books of all time, "Helter Skelter," has now turned his attention to the conspiracy theories about the assassination of President Kennedy. You can see the article at: tinyurl.com/2r9dub. An excerpt:
…Mr. Bugliosi likes to tell a story illustrating why he believes this book is necessary. In 1992, less than a year after the debut of Oliver Stone′s conspiracy-minded film "J.F.K.," Mr. Bugliosi was addressing a group of trial lawyers when a member of the audience asked him about the assassination. Mr. Bugliosi asked for a show of hands of how many people did not accept the findings of the Warren Commission, which had investigated the assassination and concluded that Oswald was the killer. Close to 90 percent of the 600 lawyers raised their hands, he recalled. Then he asked how many had seen "J.F.K." or read an account that argued in favor of a conspiracy; a similar number raised their hands. Finally, he asked how many had read the Warren Commission report. Only a smattering of hands went up. The first national poll that came out shortly after the assassination showed the majority of Americans accepted the Warren Commission," he said. "But all people have seen throughout the years is one book after another propounding the conspiracy theory. It has penetrated the consciousness of the American people and convinced them that the Warren Commission′s a big joke, and that Oswald was either innocent or just some patsy who was framed by some exotic group of conspirators, ranging from anti-Catholic Cuban exiles to organized crime working in league with U.S. intelligence. And the majority of Americans now, 75 percent, believe there was a conspiracy.
Personally, I find this obsession with conspiracies hard to believe. Yes, we′ve lots of reasons to believe that sometimes we′re being deceived. Look at WMDs, Peter Popoff, and Sylvia Browne, for examples. But these matters soon emerge as fakes and/or errors; not every disaster or problem is planned by a secret cabal that is out to end the world…
| |
Sniffex Again – In Full Force
If you ever had any doubt that the matter of the Sniffex fake was just that, I refer you to this, from a chap who definitively tested the device: I now have all the Sniffex Anaheim test/demo videos up on my blog at sniffextest.blogspot.com. It takes 27.5 minutes to run them all and they fairly well describe what was done and the results I got – total and complete failure of Sniffex. There is also a rewarding amount of equivocation, frustration, admission of failure, admission of the ideomotor effect (!) and general handwringing on the part of Johnson. Far as I know, they also totally failed to follow up with their promised tests at Sandia or anywhere else and they did not respond to my last warning letter and emails. If a picture is really worth a thousand words, this is several hundred thousand words against purchasing Sniffex. Another way to access the videos is to search for "Sniffex" (no quote marks) in Youtube at youtube.com. So far, six of the eight clips have been indexed by Youtube and the last two (posted today) should appear in the index and search by tomorrow. The blog text is still a rough draft. I will refine it as time permits. | |
In Closing…
Jonathan Pritchard is our excellent friend, who served as a volunteer here at the JREF, and just last week visited us in the company of his lovely new wife, Nicole. He works as a magic trick demo person in Orlando, Florida, and has his own career as a mentalist well under way. Go to youtube.com/watch?v=Y17Cok9D6h0 and see him in a hilarious street encounter…
Once you′re over that, click on slate.com/id/2166143?nav=tap3 and get a load of a confrontation between Christopher Hitchens and Reverend Al Sharpton. Be seated, first…
|
©James Randi Educational Foundation Typos? Format Problems? Please contact the Webmaster |
