DAR WINS AGAIN 17.Feb.05

The 12th of February was Darwin Day but here in Sydney we waited until the 14th before the Humanists of NSW and Australian Skeptics held a day of talks, videos and discussion. Thanks are due to the Humanists and Prof. Colin Groves for making the day a success.

Darwin Day is first and foremost a celebration of science. I find it a pity that the great man’s name is so often linked with the Creationist movement. I would not expect the Astrologers to be up in arms if there were to be a ‘Galileo Day’.

So, what is this picture all about? Have I finally lost the plot? I was in fact playing a game of ‘Heads and Tails’ with the audience in order to demonstrate a bogus test for psychic ability. Confused? Well, you’ll just have to see the Mystery Investigators show to see how it works.

Last night, the Network TEN TV aired yet another in the series, ‘Sensing Murder’ where Australian Psychics revisit unsolved murders. This franchise, bought from has been sold around the world, with Australia taking it up originally on the 7 Network.

Watching the show, we can only wonder how much was genuine. We know that most of the ‘psychics’ said ended up on the cutting room floor. What went to air was only a tiny percentage of what was recorded. It was edited into the show to make it appear that the ‘psychics’ were also hitting the mark with their amazing insights. In fact, much of what they said would not have made any connection to the crime at all.
Why wasn’t this shown?

In the end, Sensing Murder is show produced for entertainment. Yes, Network TEN are using people’s grief as entertainment. The show is promoting the idea that ‘psychics’ help police to solve crimes so that’s exactly what you see happening. It’s a fiction.

to see the letter I wrote to the network and their reply. (PDF)

PSYCHICS IN THE DARK 7.Feb.05

Sunday the 6th of February saw yet another “Psychic and Alternative Fair”, this time in the northern Sydney suburb of Hornsby. The usual Tarot Card Readers, Clairvoyants, Aura Readers and Alternative Healers showed up to provide their services. Did you know that you can extract the toxins from your body by strapping tea bags to your feet?

I attended a free (well, after paying $6 general admission) session of a ‘Spirit Healer’ who did a very slow type of cold reading, involving talking to spirit guides in order to ‘heal’ volunteers from the audience. Strangely, she also ‘cleansed the aura’ by actually touching and stroking the back and arms of the subject, never seen that before.

But the ‘highlight’ of the day was the performance of “”, the ‘psychic’ star of weekend radio. Her act relies heavily on tarot cards and numbered chopsticks. I’m afraid her brand of numerology left the audience totally confused and she should think about simplifying it.

As I sat there, mentally ticking off various , (oh, but I’m sure Sharina was getting her information from a heavenly source) to everyone’s surprise, the power in the auditorium suddenly went off. The blackout effectively ended the show and after 15 minutes of waiting in the dark it was time to go. Apart from Sharina, I counted at least 15 to 20 other ‘psychics’ and other fortune tellers who also totally failed to foresee this event which directly and adversely affected them.

Click Here

Here is a flash photo of Sharina in the dark with a member of the audience. She must be psychic, look at all those orbs!

NOT A CRUMMY COOKIE 5.Feb.05

I love getting fortune cookies. Actually they don’t taste too bad. The last one I had was at the Christmas party for the Australian Skeptics.

You know, I think there might be something to this after all!

2005 AUSTRALIAN BABES
OF SKEPTICISM CALENDAR 2.Feb.05

“Those Skeptics! They are all old men with beards.
They don’t believe in anything and wouldn’t want to anyway.”

If there is one thing skeptics like doing, it’s dispelling myths. Skepticism, common sense and
rational thought are not just the domain of men (even men with beards). More and more women
are shunning superstition and embracing the wonders and mystery of the real world as shown to us through science. Australia, once again, is leading the way.

https://mysteryinvestigators.com/files/2005_calendar.pdf