September/October 2020 - These Curious Times

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Andrew Perry While researching information about psychics and mediums, I had the pleasure of being in contact with the Chair for the Center for Inquiry Investigations Group, Mr. James Underdown. This group offers $250,000 for proof of the paranormal or supernatural. This is the largest prize for paranormal claims. The previous largest prize was through the ‘Amazing’ James Randi fund, which offered $1 million for the same. So far, nobody has collected. Underdown and I spoke about people who claimed to be able to communicate with the dead. <strong>These</strong> people are referred to as ‘mediums.’ “First, who wouldn’t want to be in contact with a dead loved one?” asked Underdown, rhetorically. This desire to be in touch with a loved one who has passed away leaves people vulnerable to potential scams. The Mechanics of A Cold Reader Every medium that Underdown has encountered was found to be a fraud. Usually, they are practicing something called ‘cold reading’. Cold reading is basically a set of techniques used by a wide variety of seers: including psychics, mediums, fortune tellers, and mentalists. By applying these techniques, these people can obtain a great deal of information by analyzing body language, and deploying guesses based on high probability, which when answered allows the medium to gain more information. “<strong>These</strong> people are very good at churning out guesses at a high quantity. They’ll give disclaimers, like: ‘It may be fuzzy, it might not be inaccurate, I’m not hearing well’ to lower expectations. They’ll use a whole set of language that is also fuzzy and allows for multiple interpretations,” said Underdown. For instance, the phrase ‘older male’ is a fuzzy word, especially because everyone in the world knows an older male who has deceased - whether it is their father, an uncle, or a grandfather. “In a group of people, it’s easy to get bites,” said Underdown. The reason is that if the medium says something like, “I’m getting an ‘A’ name, he’s an older male, and he passed away because of some heart condition,” that combination is likely to get a hit, and someone in the audience will chime in, usually with something like, “My Uncle Alex passed away because of a heart attack.” With that piece of information, the medium has a piece of information that can be exploited. “If it’s one person, it’s a little bit harder,” said Underdown. The best ones that are reading body language.” “They’re looking for someone who is hoping to get a right guess.,” said Underdown. And in an audience who are there specifically to see a medium, that’s probably entire audience. The Believer “When people pay to go to a psychic or medium, that filters out the skeptics,” said Underdown. Because of this desire, audience members who believe that the medium is speaking to their deceased loved one “will often misremember or shoehorn information that the medium is giving,” explained Underdown. Shoe horning is basically making a medium’s guess fit even if it isn’t quite accurate. However, the guess might be ‘‘close enough.’ For example, if the medium says he had a big beard, the believer will agree, even though the deceased may actually have had only a goatee. Protecting Against Charlatans Generally, it’s always possible that there is a genuine medium who can speak to the spirits, but it’s also extremely unlikely. What’s a good way to determine if a medium is genuine? If there’s a genuine medium, that person should have access to very candid and private information. Underdown said, “Ask for specifics. Give limited feedback. Pretend like you’re in the middle of a poker game and you don’t want to flinch when the next card comes. Don’t give any information to a medium. “ Another interesting strategy if you want to go out of your way to find a legit medium is to try to fool them. “Dress, act, and speak in any other way than you currently are,” said Underdown. Underdown recounted an incident he had with a tarot card reader. He went twice, but each time he wore something different. In the first reading he dressed relaxed, and the reader said he was laid Feature Cold Reading: An Interview with Center for Inquiry’s James Underdown James Underdown is the Chair for the Center for Inquiry Investigations Group, and has investigated many claims from psychics and mediums. back and in need of a job,. In the second reading he wore a high quality suit, and the reader said that he needed a vacation. If you are a medium, psychic, mentalist, or fortune teller who thinks they are the real deal, you are invited to apply for the Center for Inquiry’s $250,000 prize at CenterForInquiry.org. Underdown was even willing to explain how they will test the medium/ psychic, etc. “We’re going to ask to talk to a very specific person, and ask the medium to give us very detailed information that can not be guessed,” said Underdown. In this video, Illusionist Derren Brown demonstrates how cold reading can fool unsuspecting members of the public. Check out Season One of Then Again with Herbie J. Pilato, starring classic TV stars like Ed Asner and Burt Ward. Find it on Amazon Prime. For more information, visit ThenAgainTV.com. 6
Book Review Living With the Paranormal: A Memoir Tammye McDuff “Living with the Paranormal” from Jim Kelly is a potent account by the author who, as a young man realized he had a sympathetic paranormal gift. He first became drawn to one particular haunted house in the 1970s, and from then on continued to capture strange entities on camera at vortexes or life and death sites … all of which prove more than ever that there is a parallel world to this one. Kelly, a spirit photographer from Allegany, New York, currently works with a suicide prevention organization to give troubled souls a reason to live and has completed his new book “Living with the Paranormal”, as a chilling memoir. The story begins with Kelly’s introduction to paranormal activity and spirits when he investigates the odd happenings at a local spirit inhabited site called the Hinsdale House. Shortly after this, as he developed the photos, he was flabbergasted by what appeared to be showing up in the pictures. He embarks on a quest, searching for the answers to why this is all happening. Why has he been blessed with such a gift? Spirits are appearing in photograph after photograph as the shutter snaps at all sorts of occasions. Finally, Kelly receives his answer, his eyes are opened. He has seen the light. The story continues as Kelly begins to share his personal thoughts and experiences on his path to enlightenment. Published by Covenant Books of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Kelly’s book is an earnest effort to spread awareness of the spiritual side by sharing his truly unique gift and the spine-tingling events that have helped him understand the divide between here and the hereafter. Kelly humbly and confidently manages to convince and shed light on the relevance of these occurrences in the lives of readers who refuse to turn a blind eye to what they cannot see. Readers can find “Living with the Paranormal” at bookstores everywhere, online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Covenant Books is an internationally owned and operated publishing house, which specializes in all genres of work. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Covenant Books at 855.877.9820 Author Jim Kelly proudly reviews Living With the Paranormal. The Hinsdale House, where author Jim Kelly says he was first introduced to paranormal activity. 7
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September/October 2020 - These Curious Times

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