> -----Original Message----- > From: Larry Lyons [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 10:25 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: More Crap with John Edward > > There's a very easy test that could be done with Edward. - Have a dying > person write a specific answer to a question that only he would know, > and have it written down before the person dies. Seal the answer in an > envelope such that it could not be tampered with without being very > obvious. Put that in a save deposit box that a neutral third party > controls.
Well... that's where the special pleading begins. "It doesn't work that way." "I only get impressions, not specifics." "My gift is for good, not personal gain." (Of course that last one is said as their cashing their last check.) The really sad part is skeptics don't even want something so grand and specific! The actual tests are designed around the self-proclaimed limitations of their "powers". Most are simple either/or, true or false answers. Determining the gender of dead folk based on a diary is a great test. I've also heard of tests where a random group of people are presented and the medium simply has to determine if the person's parents are alive or dead. For those that "just get images" you can present a jewelry box or locket and ask what cherished item or image the dead person kept in it. Of course after they (of course) fail these tests as well that's when the ultra-super special pleading comes out. This is the main reason that Randi insists that all parties involved agree on the testing protocol and always gives them a chance to back out before testing begins. But you still hear "your negative energy caused problems" or "this building is interfering with my reception" or whatever. Of course even when they fall such simple tests they still accept huge fees from grief-stricken people to do private readings. Even if you grant them "powers" what good are they to the grieving if such simple tests confound them? > Then have John Edward via his communicating with the dead say what the > person's answer is. Legend has it that's what Houdini did - he and his wife had a special, secret phrase. They both promised that if there were any way possible to communicate from beyond the grave they would do it. She was to trust no medium that couldn't produce the phrase. Of course none could. I told my wife to just use her head: if a medium tells her "he's in a better place and wants you to know that he loves and misses you" then he's full of shit. On the other hand if he talks about her tits and relays lewd suggestions then maybe he's got something. ;^) > chances are he'll refuse the test. Or if not get it quite wrong. > > If such so-called psychics had a shred of honesty they would agree to > such a test. Well - they don't. Although, like I said, there are a lot of them that are honestly deluded or simply psychotic. It's for this reason that Randi's recently changed the parameters of his challenge to attract more "public" figures. Even with local skeptic organizations handling the preliminary testing he was spending huge amounts of time dealing with honest crackpots. Still I honestly think that a TV show focused just on Randi's test would be the best thing EVER. ;^) Just seeing these charlatans crash and burn would be so very entertaining and educational. Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;160198600;22374440;w Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:249128 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
