Paranormal, State of Money-making Melodrama

BAAAD refereeing in FIFA matches

2010-06-18T17:02:00.001-04:00

ESPECIALLY WORLD CUP ONES!

watching the USA - Slovenia World Cup match today, i ended up reflected upon three things:

--the free kick scrums are ridiculous. (everyone is fouling everyone -- in this case, slovenians were fouling americans to beat the band, as they pretty much had been throughout the game)

--the FIFA is rejecting replay technology at the cost of the teams' and their fans' sanity.

--the referee who called back the winning USA goal is lucky we (USA soccer fans) aren't Columbian.

well, at least some folks achieved some level of payback against koman coulibaly via twitter and wiki hacks.

BP can't think ahead ??

2010-05-05T19:10:00.001-04:00

not withstanding the tragedy of loss of human life -- the environmental catastrophe is gut wrenching.

so there's this MASSIVE explosion in the gulf of mexico on a BP oil rig on april 20th....and we still don't know why (as of 7pm on 5/5/2010).

then there's the fact that it happened HOW LONG AGO (APRIL 20th) and there is STILL OIL LEAKING FROM THE WELL????

oh WAIT -- stop the presses -- as of about 45 mins ago BP has stopped ONE of the "three" leaks. yee haw.

i don't understand why an oil company with a working off-shore drill doesn't have an emergency plan in place and isn't ready to face an explosion tragedy of ANY magnitude. it seems like it would be a given in this post 9/11 era.

BP is just now, weeks later, stopping a leak...they didn't even have a capping box built for such an event??!!! WHAAAAT???

is anyone other than me gob-smacked by this idiocy?

if there really needed to be any further reason for any of us to buy a hybrid or electric or whatever alternative fueled vehicle, this is one biggie.

HAIL and restore all the glory to....

2010-05-05T18:53:00.000-04:00

JOSS!

restore alec baldwin? he's asking for handouts?? seriously?? i agree with this guy: restore joss whedon.

Haunted Hoax's Patrick Doyle says IT's OVER

2010-03-31T14:42:00.000-04:00

the gluttony of paranormal television gobbling up the airwaves, that is.

according to patrick:

"...The Discovery network just seated a new GM and he plainly stated no more paranormal shows. All the programs that have come out in the last year have had terrible rating and killed any interest in new shows. This is across the board, from Discovery to A&E. Networks that were interested two months ago saw the latest ratings numbers and dropped all inquires. They stated, “Don’t even bother sending us anything in the genre because the answer is no. If you’re filming something now, stop.”

sad news for patrick himself but great news for everyone who is sick to death of these types of shows and their monopoly of television programming. i wish patrick the best with his writing endeavors -- his "haunted hoax" channel on youtube was/is a great tool in the fight against paranormal chicanery.

psychics suckering grandparents (along with loads of other people)

2010-03-23T20:41:00.001-04:00

i ran across an interesting article offering advice on how to protect the elderly against direct mail scams -- this particular scam involved psychic scammer maria duval.

more info about this rather long-running scam (i can't understand how law enforcement isn't all over this crap -- some of these comments and entries are at least 4 years old):

http://mariaduvalscam.blogspot.com/

http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/psychic_scams_MariaDuval.php

http://maria-duval.pissedconsumer.com/

http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=12797

OOOKAAAAY --- this one is a bit different

2010-03-23T20:26:00.000-04:00

i can't say i've heard one like this before:

Florida police say a professed psychic not only allegedly bilked a female client, but also convinced her to coat her body in gel and cellophane before jogging.

i mean, as if the $50,000 shellacking wasn't enough...

definitely click on those 3 related stories links in that article for more sundry psychic scammolas.

Pat Robertson = MORON extraordinaire

2010-01-13T19:27:00.004-05:00

according to the latest news and blogs, the man, in all of his evangelical idiocy, has stated on that stupid 700 club show that the earthquake that just ravaged haiti was due to their "pact with the devil".

oh no -- i can just see this as a new "paranormal state" episode:
exorcism of earthquake-ravaged haitians.

i know that sounds horrendously trite in the face of this tragedy, but judging from most of the shows they've made this is exactly the kind of thing PRS and the production company which films them goes for: tragedy and trauma = paranormal happenings and/or demons. perhaps they'll let pat robertson in on the paranormal action. probably not, he likely wouldn't get along with chip.

cause he's a psychic, for one reason.

if you'd like to help provide aid to haiti in a fast, easy manner you can go through wycleff jean's charity by texting “Yele” to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (it will be charged to your cell phone bill)

A$E is at it again with more "Paranormal State" and "Psychic Kids" episodes

2010-01-13T19:18:00.001-05:00

i have not bothered to watch even one of the new episodes of either show but i see that the good funny folk over at "television without pity" are keeping up with the hilarity.

i hope the contributors there will forgive me for not attaching individual attributions to these, but here are some highlights of the latest PS episode's discussion:

Sex dungeon. Chip blindfolded in the sex dungeon. HEEEEEE!!!!!!!

I wish there were real demons, because I'd like to see one bitch smack the fat guy.

Chip was in a blindfold. In a sex dungeon. I can't believe someone didn't strap him to the cross.

I am convinced that at some point in his life, someone told Ryster,"Hey dude, you kind of sound like a girl". Something about his faux deep voice screams overcompensation

And sometimes, we are warriors.... who plant trees. And salt the earth.....we are warriors. We are gardeners. We are furniture movers.

Let's smudge it! Poor Elfie just wanted to jump in on that action, but i don't think she qualified as a real smudger to the Penobscot. "No weally, I can thmudge it. My pawenths are witcheth".

Came for the shared mockery of the Haunted Sex Dungeon (SERIOUSLY, A&E?) and everyone's favorite scream queen, leaving satisfied.

Boy-pushing ghosts! Sex toys! Chip screaming when he touches said toy!

Honestly? This show makes me want to kill my tv.

Ryan has become as much of a drama queen as Chip. "You all laughed, you're not taking this seriously, I'm taking my Amazon.com holy water and special limited edition exorcism book and going home!!!"

And was that Elfie with the goggles? What was she going to do, go to an Elton John concert when PRS was done investigating?

Elfie has gone steampunk!

2010 and Still with the psychics...

2010-01-08T23:58:00.007-05:00

mark edwards has "http://skepticblog.org/2010/01/02/sylvia-shakedown-pt-1/">
happy new year to the people that are fighting this bullshite.

hey -- here's a tidbit from a person who didn't appreciate their money's worth from chip coffey.

that chip coffey $200-per-30min, wow.

disgusting.

here's an update on the sylvia shakedown from mark edwards at skepticblog. (ie, sylvia shakedown part two.)

This Paranormal TV Bullshite is NeverEnding.

2009-12-04T05:20:00.003-05:00

i just saw an ad on the ANIMAL PLANET and they're gonna devote a series to HAUNTED ANIMALS for chrissakes. i suppose it was bound to happen, i mean there are already shows about "pet psychics", right?

i just googled and found where someone was shilling for the show on an internet forum back in july09 -- (contrary to what the paranormal state show tells us in their intro about how they only show the most serious cases of the "hundreds" they've "investigated" in the past, this is actually how these shows get their content - by advertising on internet forums, craig's list, email blasts. and by advertising on the networks' own websites, of course.)

"haunted" animals and houses don't scare me - i'm scared because i just saw that the science channel is owned by the same idiots who run these other networks and who put out a good bit of the televised moronic paranormal trash. i had always held out hope that the science channel was a lone bastion of rational, intelligent programming standing firm in a sea of supernatural sewage. now i'm worried what they might start airing on that channel in the name of "science".

what's even scarier is just how stupid the people are who actually believe all of the crap that's getting shoveled their way - and just how many of them there are out there.

while there is proof that animals/insects have "invisible" ways of sensing/navigating in their environments(ie pheromones, infrasonic frequencies, magnetic field detection) -- there is to date no proof that spirits, demons even exist and there is CERTAINLY no proof that people, much less animals, can see or communicate with anything "paranormal".

speaking of infrasound, this might very well be one reason why people think they see/hear/feel "paranormal" things...

have some more, why not?

2009-11-28T23:51:00.005-05:00

an online friend sent me some links to some pretty scary-odd stuff -- there are religious freaks who make irresponsible decisions daily, but something about this story was almost poignant -- almost like these uber religious people meant it to be that way.

surely not, these super perfect religious people don't ever lie or pretend to make their lives seem different, right?? they don't market their lives and try to attract attention just like the rest of the money-grubbing heathens out there???

Often, children of the movement are also called "arrows." Quiverfull takes its name from (insert bible quote that you like here): "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate." A wealth of military metaphors follows from this namesake, as Pride and her fellow advocates urge women toward militant fecundity in the service of religious rebirth: creating what they bluntly refer to as an army of devout children to wage spiritual battle against God's enemies.

someone read that back to me - no, don't. they had me at "militant fecundity in the service of religious rebirth".

the freaks are getting freaky and spreading their freakiness by uber-procreation.

"...let's not forget about...for every family like this, there are ten or fifty or one hundred Quiverfull families living in what most would consider to be poverty ... Mothers are in a constant cycle, often, of pregnancy, breastfeeding, and the care of toddlers." Women are expected to feed and care for a large family on what are frequently limited resources, and the strain leads some to suffer clinical levels of exhaustion and self-neglect."

dang, almost sounds like the rest of the real world -- only most of them are really poor and they didn't actually choose to have baby after baby to fulfill someone elses' idea of FAMILY and/or to make little gawd warrior armies -- they did it out of ignorance and lack of access to birth control.

these TV shows that romanticize / monetize the idea of having multiple children need to stop, drop and roll into a world where TV cameras capture the reality of actual life. say, maybe in one of the third world countries where the effects of overpopulation are so very apparent.

actual life, when multiple children are involved, isn't as pretty, fun and organized as what you see on the "multiples" TV programs.

these parents that have benefited monetarily from hoooo-ring their multitudinous abmounts of kids out on television should really look at other countries where birth control isn't even an option, and maybe share their ill-gotten TV fame wealth.

i find this whole thing disgusting.

Carl Sagan Day

2009-11-24T23:00:00.001-05:00

well, i missed carl sagan day a couple of weeks ago.

but i'm hoping that this will eventually become a national holiday,it certainly should, so maybe next year!

there are more and more popularizers of science out there, but carl sagan was one of the first and best.

Yet Another (idiotic, no doubt) "Season" of "Paranormal State" to start soon....

2009-11-24T22:34:00.001-05:00

i saw a promo on A$E that this show is starting up again. wow, awesome. i bet people with shingles can relate.

i love how PRSee fanatics (uber fans - likely just PRS friends, family, cast and crew) will often refer to a "season four" where this dumb show is concerned.

this show has only been on TV for two (hilariously, but increasingly stupid-yourself-on-down) years.

dolts.

i would like to say i can't wait, but i'm finding it all pretty dull. there are so many unintelligent, simplistic and moron-attracting paranormal shows on TV these days - it's hard to find the energy to even look forward to even the old parody fun factor that this show used to inspire in so many of us.

i am, however, quite happy about the fact that when my own child first watched a few minutes of this show (over a year ago), the prompt and never-since-changed conclusion was "this is sooooo stupid."

wow - to think my child, at age 3, used to think that there was a "ghost" living in my very own closet. (hey, i used to think the vampire from "dark shadows" used to live in my closet when i was a wee one)

gee, i didn't call "psychic kids" or "paranormal state."

i was instead calm and rational and supportive and gave my child lots of scientific educational opportunities over the ensuing years.

isn't is wonderful what an intelligent and inquisitive mind can end up figuring out with the help of a calm parent and some science education?

TV networks, production companies, ghost hunting groups and BACKGROUND CHECKS

2009-11-19T00:10:00.002-05:00

i've mentioned that i'm really not much of a blogger - i get most of my info from other people. just today someone pointed out a story over at scifake.com regarding a sexual predator ghost hunter, TAPS style.

i find the uproar a little bit annoying as well as a lot alarming. in no way am i supporting the criminals, rather i'm looking cockeyed at the spirits-among-us doe-eyed target market who are ready to welcome complete strangers into their homes in the name of "paranormal investigation." (this stuff has such cult markings. innocently gullible people who trust and believe "savior ghost hunter TV types")

anyhoo -- since when have the networks and/or the production companies ever done background checks on "reality" shows? i mean, a suspicious cast member might CLAIM that the networks do these (as chip coffey did when people were looking at him funny for pretending to be some kind of psychic leader of children) but if this were true,

A) would AE have publicly made a specific claim about chip's educational background (that he had a masters degree in psychology) and then later removed the statement?

B) would this guy have been allowed on set? oh wait, his background was "preacher". i suppose if you overlooked all of the other multitudinous "preachers" who turn out to be less than savory characters this guy might have slipped through.

C) wasn't there a talk show participant who turned out to be a murderous stalker type?

sorry - i can't remember specifics and don't feel like searching - after i see so much disgusting shite (murdered children, child abusers, terrorism) on the evening news (and on AE's family of networks) all of the whackjobs tend to blur together.

the question is: DO NETWORKS / PRODUCTION COMPANIES ACTUALLY DO BACKGROUND CHECKS on their chosen program participants (cast,crew and "clients")?

i wonder if some law firms might want to find out...

given all of the research these television production companies evidently do for the ParaWhoremal State shows (ie, let's get some good info for the psychics!) you'd think someone would be able to type in the law enforcement URL for predators and have a looksee. one can only hope. cause evidently they aren't on the hotseat like TAPS is, yet.

given all of the legal hoops networks make people jump through regarding non-disclosure and proprietary info -- the networks / production companies of these shows who go into the homes and lives of JQ Public really ought to have to make public legal statements to the effect that they've completed background checks on all cast members, and no one should be allowed to be on or participate in one of these "reality" shows without one.

OMG - the "docudrama" reality industry will crash.

now, there's a thought!

celebrities jumping on the Paranormal Cash Cow

2009-11-04T16:48:00.001-05:00

As they did with "reality" TV, it looks like some celebrities are jumping on another media gravy train - the Paranormal one.

one of A$E's sister networks, Biography, is going to host a series of 'celebrity ghost stories' called, uniquely enough: Celebrity Ghost Stories.
RMFEs.

evidently a precursor to this show came out last year sometime. somehow i missed it, as likely did most discerning viewing folk. for its continuation -- we have a much bigger lineup of "celebs."

Celebrities in season one include: Scott Baio, Carnie Wilson, Eric Roberts, Elisabeth Rohm, C. Thomas Howell, Carrie Fisher, John Waters, Rue McClanahan, Federico Castelluccio, Lisa Rinna, Jeffrey Ross, Vincent Curatola, Illeana Douglas, Tom Arnold, Nia Long, Dee Snider, Gina Gershon, Justine Bateman, Jay Thomas, Traci Lords, James Kyson Lee, Barry Williams, Debi Mazar, Greg Grunberg, Sammy Hagar, Morgan Fairchild, John Salley, Lili Taylor, Anson Williams, Kelly Carlson, Ali Landry and Ernie Hudson.

i'm just wondering when some show like haunted has-been desperate-for-attention celebrities in rehab will hit the airwaves...or maybe something like Has-been Celebrities Celebrate Psychic Powers, featuring Chip Coffey the Pretend Psychologist will someday disgrace the tube on one of A$E's partner networks.

this blogger does a bang up job discussing this incredibly stupid premise for a show.

...and on the Psychic Scam front

2009-11-04T16:31:00.001-05:00

More and more "psychics" are getting busted and (yippee!) ARRESTED! unfortunately, not enough for my liking.

this one was busted in an actual sting operation in a Long Island mall (hey, why don't they start putting THESE on reality TV - that would be fun to watch!) and these two were arrested in Tennessee. the authorities are actually looking for more victims to come forward in the latter case - I sure hope they do.

then there's gina marie marks who went in for round two of psychic scamming; moving her flim-flam from south FL to Hollywood, CA -- it looks like it didn't work out for her in tinsel town, either.

this british "psychic" actually jumped into a newer niche, actually combining two different trends, michael jackson and twitter, to create a publicity stunt for her home base - some London dress shop or other. alas, she didn't get arrested. yet.

Extreme Paranormal -- LMAO

2009-10-31T22:37:00.006-04:00

another A$E paranormal TV show!!
say it ain't so.
the revDR comes thru again:

this is the RevDr's review of this (yet another completely idiotic paranormal) show:

"There is Nathan, the woo-woo expert who talks a little lispy ala Chippernog, Jason (I think) who is a short, fat Eunuch type who is the "technical expert" (which I think means he can figure out a 9 volt battery) and I'm blanking on the name of the MC Dude who goes mano y mano with the speerits. I'm not the svelte, snake hipped boy I once was, but do you need to be a fatty to be a Paranermal ? It seems that on every Para show, at least one of the investigators is a tubby. There must be some correlation.

The 1st episode was at that prison in New Mexico that flared up into a multi-day murderthon of a riot in 1980. Our hefty, lisping team was obsessed with a child molester inmate that was burned alive (which seems fair enough to my cruel side). They were in the prison late at night all by themselves, chasing after things that went "bump" in the night. Gee, what could possibly make noise in a huge, dilapidated prison at night ? The usual EMF readers and digital recorders and FLIRS were in evidence. Our 3 Tons of Fun would be on one tier of the prison & they'd hear a bump elsewhere & they would go charging around to find the noise. Lots of silly running around & being scared shitless by their own shadows.

Well, at one point they gather at the purported location of the child molester's immolation and do their "featured" bit of invocation. First Nathan lays down on the floor & gets outlined with chalk ala crime scene (do they still do that ?) Then they put down some flammable liquid on the inside of the outline. Then, letting us all know that "Blood Rituals" are really spooky & dangerous, Nathan carves a bit on his arm with a razor blade to get the juices flowing and draws a rune of some mystical tree that is a summoning rune inside the outline (did he have "cutting issues" as a lonely, chubby, nerdling ?) Then they set the outline on fire--spooky ! and start calling for "Inmate 107856" to come out, come out, wherever he is. They speak harshly to him & threaten him (how do you threaten a burned to death child molester from 29 years ago ?)

Then it gets really funny. Since that didn't work, Jason The Eunuch gets locked down in the adjoining cell and sets up a small Van der Graff generator thing-why, were not told- and Nathan lispily tells us that he's spraying down the area with salt water, which is a good electrical conductor, to make Inmate 107856 appear all the better. To add to the already festive proceedings, MC Dude-Boy starts hacking away at the cell bars with a metal grinder-causing all sorts of scare-show sparks to start a-flying, and gets all impolite with the spirit of the crispy critter, threatening him with mayhem and rudeness and ungentlemanly treatment if he does not appear. Eunuch boy is using the FLIR and tells MC Grinder that his temperature is dropping. "Yeah, Dude (they say "Dude" a lot) I'm freezing" Other than that, I don't recall much Paranormal action. Then the Littlest Eunuch gets (did I mention how good he looks in shorts & a tight T-Shirt ?) all wigged out-He's been seriously Pushed-ala Chad Calek- by, of course, Inmate 107856. He is all in a tizzy and wants Dude-Boy to hurry up & grind the lock off the door so's he can get outta there ! Yikes, being pushed around by a roasted child molester is scary business-especially when you look like a size 4x 9 year old !

Suddenly, Nathan sees a -Oh No !- shadow and calls for his cohorts to scamper on down. Things go bump, and Mr. Dude-Boy is almost assaulted by....a pigeon ! One can only imagine all the vermin that prowls the halls of this large, moribund institution. I count at least three large, lumpy primates as part of the infestation.

The 2nd part of the show has to do with a "Haunted Lake." It seems like a ghost town got flooded out-Lake Bonito- where once a mining town existed. There was supposedly a drifter back in the mid 19th century that went on a killin' spree, murdering 7 people or something, before the posse gunned him down. Our heroes are there to do some aqua-woo. It's all very silly. A delightful "Summoning Circle" is made of 2x4's and tea candles (?), all very Martha Stewart. It's a circle with outlying pentagrams (4) and a triangle. It's some powerful Ju-Ju to summon the ghost of the bad man. Meanwhile, on the shore of the lake, our Expert of Woo is making a summoning fire to perform the summoning ritual. Eunuch boy is there with his EMF and other Ghosterific accoutrement to record ...whatever, since the action is out in the middle of the lake.

Meanwhile, MC Dude-Boy has his tea candle flotilla, which looks really pretty and festive out on the lake, and he's in a flattering wet suit and snorkel, gettin' ready to talk some trash to the Bad Man. As they say, the only thing in the lake are trout-and make no mistake, hatchery raised trout are renowned for their blood thirsty viciousness- and the drowned remains of the Ghost Town. So, they film the Summoning Ceremony, the tea lights are flickering and Eunuch Boys EMF device is going crazy ! And their aren't any emission sites for miles. Yup, we are told it's definitely the ghost of Mr. Shoot 'em Up, cain't be nothin' else !

Meanwhile, Scuba Boy is diving around lots of water weeds and freaking out about being grabbed by the bad guy like a 6 year old at a family picnic. Unfortunately-or not- this is where I dozed off, so I can't tell you anymore. I'm sure that, after dissing the Ghost with all sorts of manly trash-talk, that MC Dude-Boy was successful in summoning the target. Who could resist the festive tea candles?

Obviously a show that drops the gauntlet to PRS to get a little more confrontational with the Agents Of Woo. Sweet talking Belial with Scripture and squirt bottles of Holy Water just won't do it when we've had conflagrations and the use of manly hand tools. Or who knows, Maybe Ry-Ry's sweet talkin' approach is the ticket. I guess we could get the Extreme Paranormal Dude- Boys to visit Lara and the 6 & see if they can do a better job than Ry and his we-are-the-the-world prayer circle jerk on Lara's behalf. Only time will tell...

I definitely encourage you to watch next week, as I doubt this show will get picked up. The rushing, cussing 3 Stooges are truly a delightful addition to the annals of Parapsychology, and I'm sure they have the respect of the whole Paranormal community, as they bring a touch of Dog The Bounty Hunter to the prosecution of the Ghosties and Speerits and other Wonders of Woo in their own cholesterol rich manly way.

ye ole A$E Forum Funnies

2009-10-31T21:10:00.000-04:00

I just loved the old A$E forum funnies -- people were actually allowed to make fun of A$E's "paranormal state" show when the show first came out (12/07)

myself, i think someone involved with the cast or crew became actively involved with the moderation of the A$E forums at some point, because once the overwhelming majority of negativity for this show became apparent, posts started disappearing.

back then - once this started happening, i started saving posts that i thought might get deleted. i think they're hilarious, and i'll post some, here and there, as YE OLE A$E PARANORMAL STATE QUIPS:

----------------------------

And what's with Ryan's personal demonquest?

Screw it, They should just rename this show "Ryan Buell The Demon Hunter" and just have him use the word "Bra" every third word.

I think we got a demon here, bra.

_______________

When my wife and I were watching we both thought ryan looked like Lance Bass from the NSync:)

_______________

>>if you are a true fan of A & E's programming, why would you believe that all of a sudden they would air total crap?<<

Because they did.

_______________

Ill watch next week. Looks like its gonna get really funny, gonna have a possession and everything!

_______________

Reply to what? It's not like they did any actual scientific studies. They just walked around and talked a lot. Well, Ryan, mostly. I think his demon is called EGO.

_______________

I actually find it fun watching just how corny they can get. Like really, how stupid does Ryan think his audience is?

I don't think you're looking at it quite right... he doesn't think the audience is stupid, he's just vastly more knowledgeable than they are... he is some sort of prophet type...

_______________

A$E (and other TV networks) Flex the Big Ones

2009-10-22T22:13:00.000-04:00

it's been a well-understood understory that television networks won't provide "reality" television without lots of signed contracts from the "real" show participants which guard against the participants telling what goes on behind the scenes.

it might spoil the "reality" of it all, eh?

nowhere does this ring more sinister than in a show that claims to be a "docudrama" about the paranormal; oh -- say, like the "paranormal state" show.

contracts hushing the participants....hmmmmm.

remove those contracts (or the FEAR of them) and what better way to bring the careers of media psychics and ghost hunters alike crashing down than to present all of the pre-production, melodramatic fakery for all to see??

myself, i'm thinking that these paranormal show participants could actually make more money if they DID come forward and make their experiences known.

unfortunately the participants of these shows are often undereducated and over-eager to believe in the paranormal(and/or they are just vying for attention like the balloon boy family's dad) -- it's my opinion that these kinds of shows specifically target these people.

why? i'm no psychologist. perhaps chip coffey could help?

i'm guessing it's because these people are either:

eager for attention,
not considering the long-term consequences,
actually believe that the people involved in these paranormal TV show have the power to help them,
think that they can earn money in the long run by the attention (especially commercial clients)

etc etc etc.

i'd love to see some of these TV show participants break free of their fear chains regarding non-disclosure agreements.

i think they should know what would happen if a TV network sued them over this kind of thing. i think some lawyers for the skeptical movement might be able to help them if they just ask.

It's Not What You Say , or maybe it is for some idiots....

2009-10-08T23:38:00.000-04:00

spare me, chip coffey.

spare me,(insert any old has been thinks-they're-a-star person's name here.)

y'all want to go educate some kids in afghanistan?
y'all want to go educate some kids in inner city atlanta?
y'all want to go walk around elmira college?

Why Can't Psychics Be Specific???

2009-10-08T22:57:00.003-04:00

i don't like the idea of wasting money on psychics.

religion and superstition are very funky bedfellows.

if you believe in god, and that this god had a son who "rose from the dead", i don't see how you would easily dismiss psychics.

because it's all just so unbelievable.

it's all six of one -- six six six of one? 666/1 = LOL

anyways, back to being SPECIFIC. why can't psychics be specific? why can't they ask their "spirit guides" specific questions?

why can't the audiences in some "chip coffey gallery" reading ask the questions and have the $200 *or more* "psychic medium" answer their exact questions?

what is a grandparents middle name?

what was a grandparent's pet's name?

what kind of food did a family member prefer or not prefer?

what did a family member like or not like about.....?

you get my drift.

any psychics' inevitable answer: "it doesn't work like that!!"

duh - oh.

Culture, Medicine, Politics

2009-10-04T22:57:00.004-04:00

i don't enjoy hearing about politics, much less reading about politics -- likely because i'm sick of the way media bends and twists politics.

lately, i've been reading some books about the idea of anthropological medicine in the US. one book was about world-wide vaccinations against infectious diseases (like tuberculosis and aids) sadly, politics played a starring role / luckily money from wealthy backers has helped out.

i'm reading all about the way western medicine/science clashes with various cultures that are steeped in superstition and shamanism. apparently, one major issue with the merging of western meds with other cultures boils down to patient, or parental, compliance.

from the couple of books that i read, the most success is had when the western doctors actually take some time to learn about the cultures they're treating and allow the patients their own use of their idea of medicine (when it doesn't hurt the patients to do so)

we all read about the odd christian cult person who won't allow medical doctors or western medicine to treat their family member. (usually a kid) and the gov't has to get involved. often, the patient(usually a child) becomes the focus of a religion(woo) vs. medicine(science) battle.

thing is -- there are lots of other cultures out there who feel the same way.
(ie, they distrust western medicine/doctors and don't allow for western medicine in their cultural healing parameters.)

i ran across a book about Hmong immigrants to the US.
i'd never heard of the Hmong until i read this book a couple of weeks ago.

i am serious. i've never heard of the Hmong.

i feel like a stupid american.

(particularly when you consider the role that these people played in the vietnam war in laos -- the "silent" part of the war)

i know i'm not stupid, but it's disturbing that i was never told about this in school -- not even in college.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3031116.stm
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/us/19general.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/us/20shaman.html?em

i wonder what else we don't know? it makes me have empathy for some political conspiracy theorists.

supposedly, medical schools are teaching cultural anthropology.

none of this had never interested me before because i am an insulated and well-taken care of US citizen.

fat and happy.

i did mention insulated, right?

Even A$E Changed Chip's Bio

2009-09-15T18:54:00.001-04:00

below i had pondered: (oddly enough, many of chip's online press kit bios seem to be changing. ie, the "advanced degree in psychology/counseling" appears to be morphing into "a background in counseling"...gee, i wonder why?)

turns out even A$E changed their chip bio. LOL!

old version:

and click here for the new version.

Mass Tragedy? Psychics = Useless

2009-09-15T13:38:00.002-04:00

i was reading stephen packard's article about psychics and 9/11 - "as predicted: a psychic failure" - over at JREF. in the comments i read that sylvia browne was on larry king live on 9/3/2001 and john edward was on that show 9/10/2001.

i wonder if those two $eer$ of the Future have ever dared mention those little factoids on their websites...

you might ask "but where, oh where, was chip coffey?!"

well, according to chip's own bio, he was in the "travel industry" right up until the ~~end of september 2001~~ end of 2001.

(oddly enough, many of chip's online press kit bios seem to be changing. ie, the "advanced degree in psychology/counseling" appears to be morphing into "a background in counseling"...gee, i wonder why?)

apparently THAT is when he became a charging psychic. right after 9/11. he was even featured in an article for some obscure UK woo tabloid doing a "reading" at ground zero for a grieving widow.

chip has bragged about this on his various internet press kits here and there online. (wow, that particular site must be pre-TV fame, he was only charging $49 for a reading.)

barf-worthy, isn't it?

here's some sick irony for you: chip recently proudly wrote "9/11 we will never forget" on his FB page. well, we'll never forget that you psychics couldn't manage to predict it. were all of the psychics' "spiritual guides" on holiday?

yes -- psychics and tragedies = very, very barf-worthy: they can't predict them, but they sure can try to profit from them afterwards.

Psychic Silliness

2009-09-12T12:07:00.001-04:00

i'd recently heard of psychic parties (like tupperware, only more stupid) and pet psychics. plus, while miss cleo and dionne have wilted away, their phone and internet per minute scams live on in abundance. there's psychic healing and psychic surgery.

i thought i'd heard it all, but i was looking through google images and ran across some things i'd never noticed before.
none of them good.
did you know.....

there's an "are you psychic?" "OFFICIAL" guide for kids. ($10 what a bargain.)
there are text-a-psychic services. (for a nice fee of course)
you can buy "psychic test" software to test your skills. (i saw free software for this as well.)
there's something called "psychic speed dating". i don't want to know.
you can buy "psychic ability" bracelets. i wonder if they make psychic jewelry for other body parts.
not only are there now psychic kiddie camps to brainwash the wee ones, there's also a psychic "boot camp" for the grownups. special.

i actually have no cute closing comment for this. i honestly don't know what to say except to wonder how many stupid people fall for this crap.

UK Show to Debunk Psychic Scams

2009-09-12T10:42:00.001-04:00

all i can say is it's about time:

Objective Productions has enlisted Derren Brown and scientist Kat Akingbade to front a C4 web series debunking psychic phenomena.

Each episode of Science of Scams will feature a hoax film that appears to show unexplained activity such as ghosts, chi energy or telekinesis.

Brown will introduce each spoof video in the manner of Rod Serling’s introductions for The Twilight Zone, while Akingbade will demonstrate the science behind the phenomena.

full article here.

Chip Coffey isn't Scary, He's Scared!

2009-09-10T16:15:00.011-04:00

recently the guys at ghosttheory.com did an "interview" with chip coffey.
well, it wasn't much of an interview, because chip didn't really answer anything in a forthright manner.

at some point, chip is asked about whether he's ever assisted in finding missing persons or assisted the police in some way. he gives some vague non-answer, but then goes on to say that He Can't Help Because He'd Be Putting His Life On the Line.

(wouldn't you know -- this latest chip claptrap contradicts what he states on his own website, and i quote: "I frequently consult with both victims' families and law enforcement agencies on unsolved murder and/or missing persons cases." just FYI, that statement is right under his "I have an advanced degree in Counseling/Psychology" claim.)

WTF????

i recently read some comments online from someone who has apparently had it with chip's never-ending "You Anonymous Bloggers Better Look Out!! Defamation!! Libel!" nonsense (interesting to note that chip doesn't appear to have a problem with the HUNDREDS of people who are critical of him who use their actual names, just the anonymous ones. AND he doesn't appear to hold the same standard of "anonymous posters are cowards" to his own little cadre of chihuahuas who follow him around online and spew ad hominem attacks at anyone who is critical of coffey and his methods.) well, this person, enigma, was quick to point out the hypocrisy of chip coffey being too afraid to put his life on the line for missing children/murder victims.

i'm going to post enigma's reply from the excellent scifake.com article here because it's such a good one. i hope enigma doesn't mind!

i'm going to start looking into this whole Psychic Detective crap in the near future anyway, so this is a great starting point.

Enigma says:
September 10, 2009 at 12:19 pm

I recently read an interview with Chip Coffey in which he stated (and I am paraphrasing here!) that he would NOT be interested in offering his assistance in any type of case that could possibly open himself up to some crazy person setting their sights on him for solving cold cases or missing persons, etc.

So, he has essentially laid the foundation for explaining why he has not and will not make any type of predictions or statements about unsolved murders, missing children, etc. I find it rather humorous that when it is convenient for him to claim that he is afraid or concerned for his own personal safety (due to all of the nut jobs out there), that he grabs a hold of that security blanket and expects everyone to simply accept his position on it.

While I understand where he is coming from, it is entirely hypocritical of him to make such a statement(in my opinion), especially when he has demanded (several different times) to know my real name so that he could send all of his psycho “fans” after me for speaking my mind about him and his fraudulent activities.

How convenient is it for you to whine about your own personal safety, Chip—yet you demanded to know my identity, wanting ME to possibly risk MY safety and my family’s safety by opening myself up to all of the whack jobs out there on the internet….You called me a “coward” and told me to “man up” and made all sorts of other antagonistic comments demanding to know my name.

Perhaps it is YOU who should “man up” and stop being such a “coward” and “IF” you really do have “psychic” abilities, maybe YOU need to drop a pair and actually do some good with your so called gift. Why wouldn’t you want to be self-less and help a missing or abducted child find his or her way home? Why wouldn’t you want to be the one to solve an old murder case and help a family find some much needed closure?

Why wouldn’t you want to do your civic duty and give back to your fellow man as well as your community by assisting law enforcement in such a manner? I’ll tell you why: Because you are a FAKE, a total FRAUD and you lack the one true weapon that has probably escaped you your entire life: COURAGE.

In the end, I think that pretending to fear for his “safety” is just an excuse for Coffey to steer clear of situations where he can be put on the spot for giving false/erroneous information via his bogus “readings”. It is self-preservation on many levels for him, period.

re: You called me a “coward” and told me to “man up” and made all sorts of other antagonistic comments demanding to know my name. i just want to mention that chip (and/or his followers) have used these same exact tactics with anyone who criticizes him anonymously.

it's exceedingly ironic that chip is always in such histrionics over his anonymous critics. i mean, he's a psychic, right? he says so right on his website: "...I am able to forecast future events with substantial accuracy by tuning into messages that I receive from my Spiritual Partners in the Higher Realms."

i guess his Spiritual Partners don't give a crystal ball about who's criticizing/laughing at him.

9 09 09 999999999

2009-09-09T09:33:00.000-04:00

well alright! we're past it and the world didn't end!

Brent Fair, Scammer Extraordinaire??

2009-09-03T12:12:00.006-04:00

if you've not been under a rock in any online paranormal dealings, you'll have heard of brent fair. i heard about him through his and/or his company's connections to chip coffey. birds of a feather and all that.

turns out brent fair used to run a ghost hunting group called paraex.org. Then it would seem he became thick as thieves (good descriptive, right!?) with the ghost hunters/TAPS people and started calling himself a TAPS family manager (whatever that is) and started a new undertaking, attempting to launch one of those ubiquitous paranormal/ghost hunting group convention tours: TAPSCON. evidently it was a success (sort of) and he advertised a TAPSCON 2.

only it seems as though brent fair had some problems. money problems. like ripping people off money problems. and he was going around advertising that "talent" were going to appear at his event when the "talent" actually didn't even know anything about the event.

so brent changed his company name to Odyssey Star Productions and incorporated it.

only now his associates within that organization who may or may not have been part of the problem are inheriting his money issues. ie, refund our money you scamming scumbags issues.

i remember when i first heard about this from my online pal DD, i shrugged it off and laughed "oh look, the scammers are getting scammed!" thinking that the 'talent' (ie the para-celebrity posers) were getting scammed in some way. i found that rather justified.

only i was mistaken - it's not the para-celebs getting scammed, but the poor paranormal peeps who forked over hundreds of dollars for tickets.

so where's the chip coffey connection? well, while the good plumbers at ghost hunters did a good job of disassociating themselves from fair early on - brent's company odyssey star (which is now being taken over by a couple of his associates) STILL represents chip coffey and has done so for many of these reedonkulous past paranormal conventions/appearances. apparently chip, in his psychic prowess, failed to see the scamming and is also still oblivious to brent fair's reputation -- chip's all-seeing eye is likely blinded by dollar signs.

in recently read online comments, chip coffey seems to be more than willing to give brent fair the benefit of the doubt - even with the FL Dept. of Justice knocking on peoples' doors. i would provide the links to this conversation but the blog where the conversation took place, scifake.com, has deleted / closed those comments for some reason. go figure.

chip coffey, such a pal - such a friend to the end to his money-grubbing cronies.

cha ching!!

oh, and here's an interesting tidbit -- according to this blog, brent fair's mother was some sort of "mothman" victim in 2001 and supposedly, back in 2005 brent fair had a book in the works about his mother's experiences. sadly, according to the article, his mom passed away. i wonder what happened to his book?

there are tons of links to actual paranormal peeps' blogs and articles on brent fair's odyssey star productions besides the scifake site -- here are a couple -- just google for more:

paranormalunderground and darkrealmlabs

(the really rather nice fellow at darkrealmlabs is the one who had to ban me from that TIPS forum -- as i recall he really seemed disappointed to have to do it. it's always a shame when skepticism has to pander to tender paranormal peeps' feelings.)

now i'm not a psychic, nor do i play one on TV like chip does, but since the proverbial poo is hitting the fan where paranormal peeps are concerned over this whole issue -- i predict chip coffey will be attempting to back pedal and bow out of his brent fair friendship in three....two....one.....

grassroots skeptics

2009-08-31T14:41:00.002-04:00

there's a new skeptical group making a name for itself: grassroots skeptics.

"The group plans to use the site to gather and organize information about skeptical advocacy. At launch,the site will feature an index of local skeptics groups, information on many skeptical blogs andpodcasts, discussion forums, and a calendar of skeptical events. The events calendar is a joint project, maintained in collaboration with the prominent skeptical website Skepchick.org.

Future plans for the site include a skeptical speakers' bureau, a searchable map of skeptics groups and skeptic-friendly attractions, and a development kit for skeptics who want to start new groups. “We're excited about this launch,” said Myers, “but we're already looking forward to making GrassrootsSkeptics.org a richer, deeper resource for the organized skeptical community.” "

check it out!

charlie crist saves FL from hurricanes

2009-08-26T09:21:00.005-04:00

yes, that's right. evidently charlie, he is keeping our state safe with his diligent (albeit expensive if you consider the cost of the flights to and from jerusalem) prayers.

i think charlie should spend less time praying (and posturing for his senate bid) and more time taking care of important things like --- oh, i dunno --- our state's future via FL kids' educations.

especially considering that kids in the US are falling behind in math and science.

chip coffey is so scary

2009-08-25T08:05:00.003-04:00

i mean he's trying to be scary. he recently tweeted: "Internet bashers, beware! This sets a legal precedent!" and linked to this article.

man, i am sooo scared of chip coffey, scamming psychic skanks are the scariest!

epic OMG! wouldn't you just love to see chip coffey sue someone! talk about setting legal precedents...think of all the "psychic kids" whose parents could then turn around and sue chip. think of all the people who could sue chip and ask for their wasted money back!

anyhoo, perhaps chip didn't read this part of the article:

If simply calling Cohen a "skank" online is ruled to be defamation, it may open the door for more litigation against the hordes on Facebook, Twitter, and the like who loudly hurl insults at celebrities and one another. In fact, if simply calling someone a name on the Internet is grounds for legal action, some of the commenters on this site are guilty of defamation. But don't worry, we won't be taking legal action against you, no matter how many times you call us stupid, ignorant, or things that we can't repeat.

plus, it looks like the unveiled blogger is fighting back.

they hired skepbitch as a psychic

2009-08-23T19:56:00.003-04:00

you have to love the money-grubbing psychic networks. they'll take anyone who's willing to scam the masses...even a skeptic.

well, she wasn't trying to scam the masses, she was making a point about the credibility of the psychic industry.

also see skepbitch's "letter to a psychic."

i love skepbitch's reply:

Owning a phone sex hotline in conjunction with a psychic hotline isn’t what makes a psychic hotline questionable. It’s that the psychic hotline company and operators think they’re “psychic” that’s questionable.

The bottom line is, I was offered a contract by Absolutely Psychic, but I am not psychic.

As you say, Absolutely Psychic contract “TESTED PSYCHICS” only, and by passing their tests and being offered a contract, I am one of those. By their own admission, I am one of those ‘true psychics’, the “1%” to whom they offer contracts. But I am not a psychic.

As easily as I passed the company’s tests, without being psychic, I could have maintained the ‘marriage’ of the contract.

It’s exactly what you do, but you call the psychology, the advice, the comfort, the guesswork, the friendliness, the speculation, the amateur counseling, the unqualified therapy, and ‘being around the block’ by another word… “psychic”.

If we consider the paranormal definition of psychic, no “psychic” has ever demonstrated that they are psychic.

In your email, you’ve judged the worth of the company by its treatment of its staff, the pay, and the perks, rather than the validity of the very trade; or in this case, the invalidity of the trade.

The Hazards of Commenting on Fringe Woo Blogs

2009-08-23T18:17:00.006-04:00

as a rule, i tend to not even bother trying to comment on blogs that are outrageously paranormal in nature. i'd get banned before i could finish typing my screen name.

luckily, thanks to a backlash from the paranormal community against the insult-to the-paranormal-community done by shows like "paranormal state", "ghost hunters" and "psychic kids", there are actually paranormal-ish blogs out there which actually espouse critical thinking and skeptical lines of questioning.

a few of these are: TiPS, WhoForted, the ghost divas, and ghosttheory (see below).

what's interesting to me is that i've now been reprimanded and/or "banned" from commenting at two of those above mentioned blogs (TiPS and ghosttheory) for my openly sarcastic and skeptical comments about the articles these blogs present.

it's pretty sad, because i'm about the most mild-mannered skeptic in a public internet discussion you're likely to find. it's also pretty ironic, because the PN believers at the two sites i was banned from are the ones who tend to wax abusive, end up looking like idiots, and then complain to the admins of the website that i was mean to them or i 'attacked' them.

the woo-wielders (and TV producers/networks) who benefit the most monetarily from keeping skepticism out of paranormal vs skepticism discussions must certainly be pleased that there are so many good little woo soldiers who are so helpful at keeping skeptics from contributing to even semi-skeptical paranormal discussions.

(woo soldiers - gnarly little chihuahuas - are the ones who incessantly flame-bait and wax abusive during online discussions and/or whine to admins that they're going to stop posting - or are afraid to post - due to the big bad mean scary skeptics)

ghosttheory.com harbors an example of the latest exchange which caused me to be reprimanded.

perhaps i should've just taken a page out of the funny skeptical retort that i quoted in another entry and spit the abuse back at the woo soldier using their own post as a template.

chip coffey's 100% accuracy rate on "paranormal state"...

2009-08-19T13:55:00.006-04:00

i know, i know - it's astounding! it's stunning! it's a symphony of psychic success!

or is it?

check out the "contact PRS if you need help" sign up sheet featured over at A$E. scroll down and read all of the questions that are asked.

why, it's everything a good television psychic needs to know, and more! and it's straight from the ~~can't wait to get on TV peeps~~ clients' keypads!

bellaboo as a screen name

2009-08-14T15:22:00.004-04:00

heh, i just googled "bellaboo" and there are tons of "bellaboos" out there.
(the one who called herself "whore face" on myspace certainly caught my attention)
i've only used this screen name to make a comment here and there on blogs and to participate at the AE forum - i think there was one other forum also (i was banned from that one for making fun of psychics, evidently one of the regulars was an overly-sensitive sensitive.) i've never used this screen name to sign up on any social networking site, so no - i'm not "whore face" or any of those lively bellaboos. i'm not the crafty bellaboo nor the childrens' books bellaboo, either.

if i could be any of them, i think i'd pick "whore face" cause she seems the most interesting!

ironically enough, i thought i had made the "bellaboo" name up in december 2007 when i off-the-cuff signed up at the A$E forums to join in the "paranormal state" fun-poking frenzy.

i was trying to come up with something that i would remember easily for that site: it was "bella" (for belgian beer, a libation that i rather enjoy) and "boo" for something "scary" (like the idea that anyone takes that show seriously).

alas, apparently i wasn't very original.

there are quite a few "bellabootoo"s out there as well.

well, i appreciate anonymity on the internet so it's really not a bad thing having lots of different people using the same SN as me. for even more anonymity, i suppose i should have picked "bob".

woo comments on blogs

2009-08-14T14:47:00.003-04:00

i was perusing skeptico and ran across one of their excellent articles debunking a UK "psychic", joe power.

i'd never even heard of him, -- there are far too many fake psychics (redundant description, i know) attempting to take advantage of media exposure to keep track.

i particularly enjoyed one woo comment(nicky)defending the psychic and the ensuing retort from a skeptic(jimmy blue):

woo comment:

i thnk you are all full of shit if you dont believe then thats up to you some of us do and we are quite happy continuing to do so, you have no evidence that he is a fake and all you ever bang on about is police investigations you never talk about all the accurate readings he dose for members of the public, who contact him by the way he dosnt go knocking on their doors so just go and boil your heads you boring nut jobs

skeptic's retort:

nicky:
I think you're full of shit. If you do believe then that is up to you, some of us don't and we are quite happy continuing to not do so. You have no evidence that he is not a fake, and all you ever bang on about is readings he did for members of the public who contacted him. You never talk about cold reading. You never talk about warm reading. You never talk about hot reading. You never talk about selective thinking, wishful thinking, cognitive bias, cognitive dissonance, coincidence, the drawbacks of anecdotal evidence, poor memory recall, confirmation bias, the Forer effect, hindsight bias, selection bias, self-deception, shoe-horning, shot-gunning, subjective validation. You never talk about the inaccurate or flat out wrong readings - do you think he never, ever makes mistakes? Then why don't you hear about them? Why might someone hide their mistakes? Go boil your head you boring nut job.

bravo!

psychics 'investigating' famous "haunted" spots

2009-08-05T13:01:00.004-04:00

don't you just love it when psychics show up to 'investigate' well-known places and/or events?

for example, "haunted" hotels like the St James Hotel / Old Depot Museum and the U.S. Hotel Rest-aurant and Tavern.

i bet google is their friend.

man, it's a win-win situation! the hotel/commercial business owners gets killer free publicity and the ghost hunters get some seriously already-gone-over material.

plus, they get to charge lots of money for these "hunts" when they invite the general public along and everyone makes money!! (except for the general public - i guess some people like to gamble, some like to give their money to charity, and some like to line the pockets of paranormal poppy-cock peddlers.)

kids defy logic and it's ok, cause they're kids

2009-07-28T21:32:00.003-04:00

these pearls of parenting wisdom are from skeptic dad.

Junior Logical Fallacies

1. Argument by Repetition – Any time a child wants something and asks for it repeatedly without regard to the fact that her father has said “NO” and stated his reason. This fallacy typically occurs when an ice-cream truck pulls into the cul de sac or when the family is at the toy store exit.

2. Argument by Ignoring – When a father clearly states a simple order, and his child refuses to acknowledge the request or respond to it appropriately. A good example of this fallacy is when a child spends fifteen minutes organizing her bag of “gems” instead of putting on her shoes like her Dad told her to do in the first place.

3. Argument by Tantrum – This effective fallacy uses public embarrassment via an enraged fit to communicate an intense desire for something that the child does not intrinsically need. Often, the Argument by Tantrum, indicates a deep underlying need for sleep and relaxation for the child… and the parent.

4. Argument by Cuteness – When a child spontaneously acts like an adorable puppy dog and starts licking her arm and quietly whimpering, while looking at you with moistened eyes. This fallacy is used by toddlers who can’t verbalize complete sentences. It often coincides with the announcement that it’s time to go to bed.

5. Vicious Circle of Persistent Questioning – Why do those ducks have green heads? Because they evolved that way. Why did they evolve that way? Because having a green head gave their ancestors a survival advantage. Why did having a green head give them an advantage? I don’t know. Why don’t you know? Because I don’t study ducks. Why don’t you study ducks? Because I chose to be a theatre major in college. Why did you choose to be a theatre major in college? That’s a long story. Why is it a long story? [...ad infinitum]

6. Argument by Parental Deferment – When a child petulantly tells you that her mother will let her do the thing that you are forbidding. This fallacy is usually followed by the child calling her mother on the phone and insisting that you were mean to her, even if all you did was refuse to let her have Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey for a snack.

7. Argument by Peer Reference – When an older child insists that she should be able to do something just because all her friends are allowed. This fallacy occurs in proximity to cell phones stores. The best response to this fallacy is to mention the dangers of Peer Reference, especially in regards to jumping off a bridge.

8. Argument by Eye Roll – When a teen lacks the verbal intelligence to defend her point, and instead, rolls her eyes toward the sky while looking at you with utter contempt.

9. Argument by Whining – This is a fallacy that, left unchecked, will slowly melt your brain away. Although similar to the Vicious Circle of Persistent Questioning, this fallacy is differentiated by the elongation of diphthong vowels at the end of sentences. There’s typically a rise in annoying inflection, implying demand, but then a dip in tone, implying a need for sympathy. A parent can tune this fallacy out so that it sounds like the distant melodic gasps of a lone accordion

10. Argument by Blame – A fallacy for siblings that usually involves one sister excusing her bad behavior because of something the other sister did. This fallacy is associated with a perceived violation of possessions and is used to justify physical harm done to the other sibling. For example, “I bit her ear because she took my Dora coloring book.”

"I don't put a gun to nobody's head"

2009-07-28T19:49:00.007-04:00

ooooh brother.

i google-news "psychic" and i get all kinds of pro-psychic articles.
like this one.

the author gives such gems as "Genuine psychics are very good at tuning in to information they don't really need to know but that is available all the time, and almost anyone can learn to develop this ability to some extent. While some people are truly 'gifted' with psychic ability in the same way that some people are born good at music or math, almost anyone can develop the ability to pick up on subtle environmental cues."
then, she somewhat redeems herself with: "Just don't charge for it."

i google-news "psychic fraud" and i get, well, all kinds of psychic fraud articles.
like this one.
where the subject of the article, who charged her target approximately $20,000, says:
"The woman was in an abusive marriage and had gone to psychiatrists...I worked closely with her until she mustered up enough strength to leave," Miller said. "I talked to this woman every day on the phone, I saw her at least four times a week for nine months straight. I was being compensated for my time, for my expertise and for my practices."
Considering all that, the amount she charged was reasonable, Miller said. "Why should I give my services away for free when people out there like doctors and psychologists get compensated?"
While Miller said she invests a lot of time in her clients, she does not offer guarantees.
"Before they pay a single dime, that is told to them upfront," Miller said. "I don't go out and hunt people down; they come to me for my services. I don't put a gun to nobody's head. This is all done by their own free will."
she (april miller) tops it off with:
"I have had complaints against me, but my paperwork is all in order. If I had stolen someone's money, don't you think I'd be in jail?"

anyhoo - with both of these google-news searches, i get ridiculously idiotic psychic "sponsored ads" in the right hand column of google - i s'pose it's no different from pr0n.

says me: psychics and pr0n have quite a lot in common

both fields are shoddy, shady, full of douche bags, someone is making LOTS of money and someone else is getting hurt and exploited, often willingly.

that said, i think pr0n is the lesser of the two evils.

and speaking of psychics, these are quite entertaining!

2009-07-17T14:47:00.006-04:00

flim flam the flim flammers!

this is from a TV show:

goofing on "psychic kids"

regarding the "psychic kids" spoof, - ya also gotta love the YouTube comments from the folks who obviously supported the child abuse that was "psychic kids". such words of wisdom:

this is really sad. i wish he wouldnt make fun of the kids. it's people like this that hurt the kids socially. people should be open minded and such about things like this. for all we know it could be real.

...douche

This guy's a jerk! I'm can sense ghosts and it's REAL! Jackass.

Well you know what? For every single one of those clips they showed, I saw the entire episode and they didn't even give the full story!!! For the kid with the tapping on the window his sibling slept in the same room, and as for the healing girl, she was able to guess another girl's blood disorder when they had only known each other for a couple hours and she hadn't said anything about her blood disease!

What the world needs now...is not this kind of sarcasm and a channel called 'HATE by Numbers." Please, everyone, what is the use of "HATE?" Stop passing it around. Please.

i dont have time for all you normies who dont understand a bit wat we are going through try to tell ur mom ur phychic (happy i spelt it right?) and have her look at you funny

NORMIE! NORMIE! I SPY A NORMIE! It is not our fault that you are so closed minded, it's people like you whom gives your race a bad name. A very bad name, but hey, it's not my fault. I hope your child does not come to you stating that she has psychic abilites. Besides, leave everyone alone. Oh, have fun being out at midnight and 3-4 in the morning!

hey just beacuse i dont know how to spell correctly dosnt give you any right to say im not and i bet you don't know what spirit guides are without looking it up and now that you probably looked it up, i can talk to all of them and you have 6 of them ya i can read people but i really want to make you belive i am cuz i don't want any1 thinking i'm faking this crap.. i thought i was weird when i learned what i can do. peace

i could go on, but why bother?

speaking of physics, interesting theory

2009-07-17T14:11:00.003-04:00

i know this is not news to most people, but i reckon the more people who blog / post about it the better...

infrasound could well be the cause of many peoples' daytime "paranormal" experiences.

Tandy was working late in the "haunted" Warwick laboratory when he saw a gray thing coming for him. "I felt the hairs rise on the back of my neck," he said. "It seemed to be between me and the door, so the only thing I could do was turn and face it."* But the thing disappeared. However, it reappeared in a different form the next day when Tandy was doing some work on his fencing foil. "The handle was clamped in a vice on a workbench, yet the blade started vibrating like mad," he said. He wondered why the blade vibrated in one part of room but not in another. The explanation, he discovered, was that infrasound was coming from an extractor fan. "When we finally switched it off, it was as if a huge weight was lifted," he said. "It makes me think that one of the applications of this ongoing research could be a link between infrasound and sick-building syndrome." When he measured the infrasound in the laboratory, the showing was 18.98 hertz--the exact frequency at which a human eyeball starts resonating. The sound waves made his eyeballs resonate and produced an optical illusion: He saw a figure that didn't exist.

and now for some physics instead of psychics

2009-07-17T13:58:00.003-04:00

i was reading about the TAM7 connie sonne shenanigans online and ran across an interesting sounding person who was a keynote speaker: jennifer ouellette.

being an armchair fan of both physics and BTVS, i must look for her books pronto.

wanna get your kid to brush the teefs?

2009-06-23T22:50:00.006-04:00

please don't show your children shadows and tell them ghosts and demons are attacking.
show them ultra-magnification videos of everyday things instead.
show 'em this.

the guy's voice makes me sleepy, but what an educational and enlightening series of videos for children (as opposed to watching "psychic kids" featuring chip coffey.)

psychics -- just when you thought you'd heard it all

2009-06-22T19:55:00.010-04:00

little psychic shops, psychic 900 numbers, psychic readings via the internet, psychic gallery readings, psychics on TV shows --- we now have Psychic Party Businesses. those psychics, they certainly are one marketing savvy bunch.

RMFEs.

the things those celebrities waste their bazillions of dollars on -- go figure. George Clooney has hired a psychic to help him contact his dead pig. i'm not kidding.

The Leatherheads star is still mourning the loss of his beloved potbellied pet Max, who died in 2006, and asked a medium to get in touch with the swine.

George reportedly told a friend: "The psychic told me Max had a great life with me. He is very happy in spirit and still hangs out with me sometimes.

i love this one -- it's an interesting and somewhat entertaining reversal of roles in that the psychic is the one who gets scammed (and didn't see it coming):

The former bookkeeper of an internationally known psychic from Dorset has agreed to plead guilty in court to federal felony charges levied against her by prosecutors who say she executed a scheme to swindle roughly $200,000.

Denise Hall of East Arlington faces one count of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return after investigators with the U.S. Attorney's office say she stole money from self-proclaimed spiritual medium Rosemary Altea — using four credit cards to obtain cash advances, forging checks and giving herself unauthorized electronic paychecks all under Altea's name for the past seven years, according to court records.

She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 for wire fraud and a maximum three years in prison and an additional $250,000 fine for filing the false tax information.

Along with the charge filed Wednesday is a plea agreement, signed by Hall, stating "the defendant represents that she intends to plead guilty because she is, in fact, guilty of the crimes with which she is charged."

No court date was available.

Prosecutors claim Hall is responsible for embezzling and diverting between $120,000 and $200,000 from Altea between early 2001 and the middle of 2008, according to federal prosecutors.

i have to wonder how much money this psychic has scammed from people over the years and am marveling at the irony of this situation. at least SOME psychic frauds DO end up doing jail time...search "psychic fraud" on your favorite news aggregator or news search engine from time to time.

well, this is interesting --- on the JREF site jeff wagg states:

...it is hard to feel too much animosity for Denise Hall. After all, consider how Rosemary got the money in the first place.

A little poking around shows that Rosemary influenced one Llewella Day, a dying cancer patient in Vermont, and after one meeting, Ms. Day donated her $750,000 farm to Rosemary under the condition that it remain a farm with structures intact. This last-minute change of will surprised and angered Ms. Day's family, who took Rosemary to court, and sadly lost.

In celebration of her legal victory, Rosemary demolished the farm buildings and house to create a "healing center." Which brings to mind the obvious admonition: Rosemary, heal thyself.

reading that just made me wish the employee had gotten away with it -- and taken more money.

WARRIORS who HELP people

2009-06-09T14:35:00.004-04:00

anyone who's been following the paranormal media saturation for a couple of years (a plethora of paranormal programming) will notice the accompanying rash of "events" and conventions that go hand-in-hand with paranormal "stardom".

people who do these TV shows create and/or participate in money-making gatherings of all sorts across the country.

the ever-enterprising ryan buell has recently teamed up with chad calek (or chad has fortuitously latched onto ryan buell) for a MOVIE. they're calling it "american ghost hunters". stop your eye-rolling. stop it! you must read on!

now, chad has been hosting these paranormal posse shindigs for some time now -- as the organizer, i'm sure he makes a hefty little kickback.

but just check out what those money-sniffing little hounds at PRS (and now AGH) have lined up in the coming months:

CHA - CHING!

in june, some riverboat gambling/birthday bash thing in Iowa

in july, some bullshit in selma alabama "hunt for jesse james"
RMFEs
with shpeshul guest chip coffey doing 'gallery readings' - ooo la la!

in august, "dead and breakfast" at the thomas house inn in tennessee
(michelle, chip AND loray are gonna be at that one)

in september, something about "deadwood" and the bullock hotel -- i see chip's pic on that flyer, too.

in october, in colorado -- the stanley hotel

i don't have the ticket prices handy - but what do you want to make a bet they're hefty? most past events are usually WELL over $200. interestingly enough, they never seem to put the ticket prices where they're easily found.

i guess seeing those kinds of prices right off the bat might scare the poor paranormal sheeple worse than chip cursing his demon speak at little old lorraine warren (LoRay).

wow, those warriors. they sure do love "helping" people. (right out of their hard-earned cash)

it's interesting how they especially enjoy helping people who run hotels and entertainment venues.

'Devil's Nest'

2009-06-06T18:32:00.009-04:00

i can't do it, once again i can't manage to watch another episode of this show, i know, i know -- i'm missing some of the Best Parody Evuh -- but once again, thankfully the RevDr comes thru -- this show is hideous in it's wanton parody factor and i keep finding myself frozen with ennui.

all i can type is "shrug" and "did chip wear a new scarf?"

people are laughing about this show all over the globe and i am starting to find it too stupid to watch.

so, i haven't been watching lately. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz---waaah?

i promised Rev i'd watch and co-review, but after i read his review i once again didn't feel the need to subject myself to the idiocy of this television show....

sorry Rev!

once again, the review is all on the RevDr - and what a review it is, as usual.

((i keep telling revDr a book is in order!))

THANK you rev, you present it like no one else!

i can't wait til someone comes up with some really good YouTube parodies...this show and all of its idiotic "ghost hunting" devices, chip coffey, michelle belanger....the parody factor is sky-high.

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"The Devils Nest."

What ? Little Devil. Big PaPaBob in cheap waders. Pinky rings. Hamster scratches. Cross Dressing Hillbillies. (Jesus: The Original Cross Dresser). Ryan in mortal fear. Elfie in Humphrey Bogart Drag. Chip:wrong but so Right. Take me to the river (but only part way).

It all begins when Dad of a family of 4 (I believe) starts off describing the worlds most stealthy, slow motion patty-cake attack by a werewolf . He's wide awake but cain't move-classic hypnagogic sleep- while this were-creature scratches him up like a psychotically wielded loofah. Right next to him, his wife sleeps on, ignorant of his fearsome exfoliation. His teenage stepson suffers from similar dermabrasion. It's some kind of Demonic health-spa. They have the photos to prove it. Their scratches make Lara6's look like serious contusions.

They bring in the sketch artist to get a rendering of this fiend. It ends up looking like Bill O'Reilly in a mangy squirrel suit. (Is that redundant ?) Pinata !!

Dad's afeared that the weresquirrel is going to get tired of him & go after the kids. Mom, who looks about as world weary as possible, is in tears a lot. There are unspecified goings on & the usual. By the way, this is in a cool looking little rustic cabin of unknown age. Rattling doorknobs, opening doors, spooky noises & shadows. What is it with PRS and shadows ? What is so damn creepy about a shadow ? Especially when their are several light sources. Speaking on not-so-light-sources, poor Katrina is nearly dispatched by---a falling camera ! Yikes ! There is also an upright piano that does its thing know & then. Ryan asks if it's like someone pressing notes on it or what ? Ryan-you press a KEY that produces a TONE. A note is the written expression of a particular tone, Schmucko.

Chip comes over and does a house reading. Mmmn. He gets a female entity. Strange, I think, since it's just been the weresquirrel thus far & he seems male. 2 men are suffering. Chip pantomimes claws and says "Wolf." Yes, 2 men being pestered by a werewolf. Fortunately Sergei talks to a werewolf "expert." She explains that one doesn't do the big Hollywood morphing thing. People who are allegedly able to create an "energy envelope" of wolf like energy and appear wolf like to lookers on. Oh, so that's how that works. I always wondered.

Next, we get a little back story from the woman that owns & rents out the cabin. Is she a piece of work. Smarmy, smirky, condescending and quite pleased with herself. Of course her name is Laverne. She plays Rybort (say-he & Elfie should sign up for a facial with the wereloofah) beautifully, feeding him just enough information. I don't know if it's the editing, but it seems like he needs to go back to her to elicit information several times. Mom built the cabin (literally ?). Her beloved brother Rocko lived there. Rocko committed suicide. Astutely, Ry asks if he was depressed. Yes, we must distinguish between those people who are screamingly happy and those that are abysmally depressed who commit suicide.It was an overdose. After Momma died. Getting information from Laverne is like pulling teeth.

After all is said & done, it turns out Rocko was a Drugged up Drag Queen.MY GOD ! Chip was so right after all-it is a feminine entity after all. (This would have been a better case for Michelle) All tore up about Momma, Rocko gets all Ed Gein and starts a Devil worshipping-seance-having-pentagram-drawing-x-dressing-drug 'n sex-partying free for all. Ryan looks like he's about to soil his underoos.

Big door opening ! Big ratings !

Unfortunately, we don't get a reaction from Chip. It probably takes him back to his youth. Jumping Jesus, is Ryan ever wigged ! No wonder there's been so much demonic behavior, what with all this iniquity and naughtiness going on. (As an aside, I would have been proud to live in a Hillbilly Hellhole such as this. Now that's some story !) Laverne just smirks knowingly all along. She lends Rybert a pinky ring that she saved from Rocko-did I mention we get to see several pictures of Rocko in drag ?

But then Ryan must confront the Father of the family. He ain't coming clean. What hideous secret is he keeping away from Rymond ? It turns out that when he was in 5th grade (what would that make him-13 ?) a no good friend of his got him all into werewolves. They made a very special 5th grade Faustian deal with SATAN that they would give up there souls if Satan would turn them into werewolves when they died!!!

So, in comes PaPaBob to do a house cleaning.

Hey, he's a religious Verminator here to shoo away the Bill O'reilly loofah wielding weresquirrel. Latinating, cussing in Jesus's name, challenging demons, casting out, holy water dispensing, crying, weeping, Ryan yelling-you know, the regular megillah. Ryan waves around Rocko's pinky ring like it's some kind of beacon to Rocko's slightly conflicted spirit. But wait. The silliness has not reached its blood curdling climax yet.

Turns out Dad's long figured that he owes god a little something special, something a little extra. He's talked to his personal preacher man & he figures that to show God he really means it, it's time for a full riparian endrenchment John the Baptist let us gather by the river full immersion baptism. Something God could relate to. Ryan thinks that would be nice-the least you could do, you little pact with the devil making brat.

Cut to the final scene-Dad and PaPaBob wearing cheap plastic waders in the thigh high water of the river.Bobs rather blimp-like torso cuts a dashing ecumenical figure in his green plastic waders. Bob says whatever it is you say and dribbles water on Dad's head. Let's hope it's not runoff from a tailing pond from a local coal mine.

& That's it for Season 3. I'm sure I missed something, so when they re-run this episode you really owe it to yourself to watch it. It's worth the hour of your time & unlike last weeks episode you won't feel like taking a shower after watching it.

I'm thinking of writing a movie treatment about the whole Mom Laverne & Rocko story. It's got bofo box office written all over it, don't you think ? Humor. Music. Pathos. Dancing. Dead Moms. X Dressing Ghosts. Or maybe a TV pitch.

Call it Laverne & Squirelly.

several more "paranormal state" reviews

2009-06-06T18:30:00.018-04:00

i just haven't been able to bring myself to watch this show anymore -- thank you Rev for taking the HIT for me and everyone else who is sick of this show.

speaking of taking a hit -- did anyone read ryan buell's blog about 420 day and the issue of legalizing MJ ? it was interesting that ryan had a recent trip to amsterdam.

many are wondering if he has rastafarian roots......

once again, the summaries in this entry are all from the inimitableRevDrDk.

his new slogan should be: Rev watches PS so we don't have to.

thank you Rev for your hilarity and diligence in documenting the complete crap that is "paranormal state" for us, and doing it in a way that makes it funny instead of completely idiotic as it often is when watching the actual show!

most people who can still stand to watch it likely vacillate between laughing, throwing things at the TV in sheer disgust, or turning it off and going to watch the grass grow instead.

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The Anniversary

In this episode we seem to have another peripatetic spirit. The little girl haunting the newly built house was murdered several miles away, in what I remember to be Southwest - damn, I can't remember the state. Virginia ? Anyway, she was raped and murdered by someone not of her family, as I believe is the custom round them parts.

The Grandma of the haunted house says the girl has a round face. in a subsequent photo we are shown, I would say the girl has an angular face. Bur, Grannie did pick her out of a photo lineup. The sketch artist came up with what looked like Howdy Doodee in drag. (A Filipino friend of mine told me that when he first moved to the US he had a hard time keeping white people straight, "Because you all look like Howdy Doodee.")

The young miss of the haunted house, Sierra, is quite the fashion plate, wearing just the right TJ Max specials to fit the mood of Dead Time. She even got her own 'cam.

Personally, I found the scariest thing in this episode to be Michelle B's hairdo. Kind of a Jo Anne mushroom top. Not flattering on anybody, but especially not her with her big ol' haid.

Once again, the psychic's reading was suspiciously close to the information the kids got at the local museum. Spookily close, one might say.

All in all though, one of the more witchy episodes.

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Room 36 (or whatever it was)

Man, was this one a boring splotch. I hope the free advertising helped the cheesy bread & breakfast. One of my pet-peeves-I know many people use the term stomach flu-BUT THERE"S NO SUCH THING ! We all know what the flu is-a viral infection of the respiratory system. It can kill-usually via complications like pneumonia. The little girl allegedly named Sarah, we are told by the town historian, died during a flu epidemic. Somewhere else in the episode, someone tells Rybert that they have seen her holding her stomach, so later on, he makes the diagnosis, death by stomach flu (he should know that feeling squidgy & puking do not usually lead to death). Then there is some obnoxious old ghost-man who likes to whistle. Of course, Vamperilla Michelle (she puts the hell in Michelle) picks up pretty much perfectly on all this.

The scariest thing in this episode are the earrings. Katrina is wearing some multi-strand chain numbers (does someone watch QVC ?), the son of the propriaters has a couple blingy gold hoops and Cherry (Share-ree, I think) is wearing a pair the size of Kia hub caps. She also has such a Beehive (B-52) that it doesn't fit in the standard shots. You can only see its real grandeur when it's in a slightly longer shot. It's pretty spectacular & I'm glad to see it in 2009.

Katrina plays 2 games of hide & seek with Sarah (her favorite). The second one is cut up with other"spooky" shots as she counts to ten. Oh, the suspense is unbearable. Another scary movie cliche. Guess what ? Nothing happens (I guess Sarah's camera shy).

Michelle declares the spirits to be happy and suggests that they just get used to them and make up and be friends. A tacky ornament is hung up over room 36 that says "Sarah's Room." Every body is happy, the B&B gets free advertising. Every body can enjoy their earrings in comfort and safety.

Yawwwn.

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The Raven

OH COME ON ! They're not even trying any more. If you have not watched this episode, you might want to skip this post. Nothing I could write would match the amazing train wreck of this one. It really is worth watching. It is by far the most inane PS yet.

Where to start ? Maybe some cruel ad hom attacks on the "victims." They're stuck in the '70s-most decidedly the hair. It's big. It's feathered. It's kind of a cross between '70s fern bar & Washington, DC helmet hair. I think Gov. Blagovovovitch of Illinois is their style consultant. Moms got an unmoving mass of a mane. And the home decorating is beamed in from somewhere in the 70's as well. How they do it, I don't know. Some kind of apportation.

The priest Bob Bailey is along-is he a part of Ry-ry's tool kit now ? Has he replaced Chipper as Ry's BFF ? Lowrain is there, like a shriveled up little Victorian applehead doll. Michelle is on the phone. Dr. Parapsychologist even makes an appearance.

My girl Heather gets to wear The Device of the Week this time. It's a nice sleep mask with red lights over the eyes that flash every 5 seconds. It's supposed to wake you up enough that you can have "lucid" dreams. I don't know about you, but an eyesocket disco is not going to let me get any sleep. I don't think Heathy obtains the desired results.

Mom is quite histrionic. She has seen a Raven (one of my favorite animals). She has been choked and heard demonic voices. Now this is where it gets really good-the entire family is terrified-TERRIFIED !- by potpourri "balls". Now I know you will say, "In that case, where is Chip ?" This poor family is being fragrantly tea-bagged by a poltergeist. The little potpourri balls go flying all over the house. The horror, the horror.

Quoth the Raven , "Lest you see your entire family slayed
Get yourself some plug in Glade."

Mom, in tears (as she is most of the time) tells Ryborg that "God doesn't give us more than we can stand." But she's had all she can stand & she cans't stand no more. (I've often wondered about this saying about "More than we can bear." Surely victims of witch trials, guests of the Inquisition, Nazi death camps, Pol Pot [Pol Potpourri ?], etc., would beg to differ.) All this because of air born room fresheners.

Lowraine intuits that there is a health problem going on that has something to do with things-a classic cold reading technique.She also informs us that puberty is often the cause of poltergeist activity. Well, almost, Lowrain. The Lady of the house admits, somewhat petulantly, that she is having, "Womanly problems." In a flash, RyRy's on to it-"Menopause !" he cries almost joyfully.

According to Michelle (who should know, what with the hormone treatments, etc.) this could make Mom a "Nexus" of PK energy. Rybert explains this to the troops, including Elfie, who is dressed like a dwarf Stevie Ray Vaughn in drag.

During deadtime, as Heather lays in the master bed with her flashing sleep mask, we hear a "plink" just as Mom is having a meltdown in the living room.ryan's yelling, Father Bob is bobbing and Mom is yelling-it's all quite a tsimmis and a fury. It turns out that a potpouri ball had "apported" right through the wall, thanks to the PK generated by Moms yelping (and hot flashes ?) and attacked my dear Heather.

Earlier in the show, Mom describes that as she was being choked, she heard a demonic voice in her ear growling "Malthus." Surge, Ryan and Lowraine all looked spooked and hastily excuse themselves. They check a lapttop. It appears that Wikipedia has a listing for a demon named Malthus. He comes as a crow. He speaks in a growly voice. Oh, the shock ! But, no matter, Rybert decides that this is not a demonic case for some reason.

Of course, I thought of my fellow Rev, Thomas Robert Malthus. We should all remember him (1766-1834) from High School biology class as the Englishman who first postulated population dynamics. Here's the Wikipedia entry for him (is everybody getting sick of my Wikipedia postings ?) :

For the demon, see Malthus (demon).
Thomas Robert Malthus Classical economics

Thomas Robert Malthus
Birth February 13, 1766(1766-02-13)
(Surrey, England)
Death December 23, 1834 (aged 68)
(Bath, England)
Nationality British
Field demography, macroeconomics, evolutionary economics
Influences Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi
Opposed William Godwin, Marquis de Condorcet, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, David Ricardo
Influenced Charles Darwin, Francis Place, Garrett Hardin, John Maynard Keynes, Pierre Francois Verhulst, Alfred Russel Wallace, Karl Marx, Mao Zedong
Contributions Malthusian growth model

The Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus FRS (13 February 1766 – 23 December 1834) was a British scholar who did influential work in political economy and demography. Malthus used his middle name Robert, though work after his lifetime often refers to him as Thomas Malthus.

Malthus came to prominence for drawing attention to the potential dangers of population growth: "The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man". As an Anglican clergyman, Malthus saw this situation as divinely imposed to teach virtuous behaviour: he regarded optimistic ideas of social reform as doomed to failure. He thus presented to the reader a dystopian, negative, view of the world, in contrast to the eutopias of writers such as Rousseau and William Godwin. A disaster occurring as a consequence of population growth outstripping resources is known as a Malthusian catastrophe.

Malthus placed the longer-term stability of the economy above short-term expediency. He criticised the Poor Laws and (alone among important contemporary economists) supported the Corn Laws, which introduced a system of taxes on British imports of wheat. He thought these measures would encourage domestic production, and so promote long-term benefit.

Malthus became hugely influential, and controversial, in economic, political, social and scientific thought. Many of the later evolutionary biologists read him,[6] particularly Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, for whom Malthusianism became an intellectual stepping-stone to the idea of the survival of the fittest.[7][8] Malthus remains a writer of great significance.

So, after all this Paranormal help, we are informed that the potpourri balls are still flying, but no Ravens have been seen. I guess the family enjoys the poltergeist (Raven based: Poultrygeist) activity. My big question is : Why don't they just get rid of the horrid little things ? Lemony freshness or not. Sheesh

-------

so there you have it.

just for kicks -- you can check out this recent review of PS from slant - i thought 2 1/2 stars out of four was very, very generous:

"the Soul Collector" acc. to the Hon RevDrDK

2009-06-06T18:29:00.004-04:00

this is yet another episode of "paranormal status-HO" that i did not watch, but the Hon RevDrDK has agreed to let me provide his synopsis.

Rev, you are witty and intelligent. chip just would hate you.

dolls...did you say dolls?? i'm still waiting for the God Warrior to make a guest appearance on this show. she'd be a smashing addition.

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The Soul Collector-sounds like a Reggae or Death Metal band, not a creepy, down-at-the-hells Doll Museum. Where to begin ?

Yes, most dolls are inherently creepy. They've gained the horror movie status of clowns (My John Wayne Gacy original Clown painting smiles reassuringly down at me), especially when they look like Lowraine. Use the fish eye lens and cue the spooky dollhouse music.

When Rybot sets up The Demon Disco (or is it a Ghost Rave) with his $5 Radio Shack strobe light so's to get Chip all psychicked up, it makes me glad that they are having a "tech special" on each new episode. So Chip starts channeling an evil male entity. Lights flashing, and Chip ever so s-l-o-w-l-y slips off his scarf, and I can only think "Pole Dance ! Pole Dance!" We just need some Motley Crew blasting out. But no, it gets better. The Channeling Chip slowly winds the ends of his scarf strangulation style and tells RyRy that the spirit 'Wants me to strangle you." Oooh ! Rough play between our hero's ! I wonder what their "safe word" is. Belial ? Barbie ? And you know, many of us also wish we could strangle Rymuffin.

Once again, Chip cracks the case during DeadTime, intuiting that the souls collected are those of the daughter and the wife. I don't want to be a spoiler, so I wont mention several issues concerning The Man Of The House.

As an aside, several months ago on the BBC I saw a show about people (mostly women-sorry dames) that spend thousands of dollars (get it-doll ars ?) on these hyper creepy dolls called "ball joint dolls." They're very realistic in a fairy book kind of way and remind me of overly made up child corpses (that's probably something about me). There are international competitions and people that make a living "hot rodding" your BJ doll. All in all very creepy on a number of levels. Here is a website to check some out. It's worth googling just to see the variety of creepiness that's out there :

http://www.angelicdreamz.com/store/goodreau/?gclid=CIWj2-XnzZkCFctL5QodxzRfwg

"Lady in White" acc. to the Hon. RevDrDk

2009-06-06T18:28:00.002-04:00

sorry Rev, but i keep wanting to type the DisHon Rev.....

here is the RevDrDk's take on "The Lady in White". again, the Rev saves me from watching yet another useless episode of "paranormal state"....

my thanks to you RevDr for your humor and your letting me post your episode summary ;)

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Man, this was by far the most boring PS yet. I guess The Ryling was illin' so Chad stepped up to the MC mic. What was Ry-Ry's mystery illness ? A little too much Chakra Helmet the night before ? I think the Elfster had more screen time than ever before.

I have to say, apart from the decorating, those were some cool-ass cabins our "Clients" lived in. They were probably the spookiest non-trailer dwellings yet. About the only "paranormal" stuff was some scraping that had "Pest Control" written all over it. As exterminator expert Elfie pointed out, rodents don't make noises at night. Well, except for mice, rats, squirrels, and all the other nocturnal animals like opossums, raccoons, bats, etc. The Warriors of Woo went on a perfunctory poop-patrol, & since they didn't find any do-do, well, it must be paranormal, right ?

Under "He Said It": Chad was pointing out some scary shadows on the computer screen that terrified him in his room during dead time. As he followed the shadow movement with his finger he said quite clearly, "Douche, douche, douche, douche." Say no more, wink wink, nudge nudge.

SPOILER ALERT--------------------Elfie, expert mineralogist (is there anything the Elfin One does not know ?) points out that there is-Gasp ! Horrors! Quartz scattered all around ! And after the Surge Protector contacts Dr. Paranormal, we find out that quartz is oh-so magical and can act as a paranormal, psychic recording medium, as Ryan describes it to the Clients, sort of like a Ghostie tape-loop. Of course, as seen in various time keeping devices, quartz has some kooky properties such as the piezo electric effect, and we know how much Dr. Paranormals love to take real science-such as quantum physics, electro-magnetism, etc., and half-bake it for their own pseudo scientific explanations. A quick google search provided this information:

"QUARTZ is undoubtedly the single most common mineral in the Earth's crust [see note], ranging from perhaps 12% of continental crust to as much as 50% of oceanic crust as indicated by the composition of spreading-ridge volcanic lavas. Some estimates place quartz at 21% of the Earth's total lithosphere."
Source and further information:
http://mineral.galleries.com/Minerals/By_Name.htm
(Note: It seems that the *continental* crust was meant here)

So watch out what you say-the lithosphere is listening !

Possession -- the Sequel to "I am Six" (I am SEVEN!)

2009-06-06T18:27:00.005-04:00

OoooooH BROTHER.

i know that's completely unoriginal, but it's quite fitting. this was one of the most melodramatic, badly acted, incredibly pretentious episodes to date -- and that's saying a lot given what we've seen from PRS and A$E in the last 15 months.

they start out someplace in kentucky, near the mississippi river (about 5 hours from where the "i am six" family lives in Quincy, Illinois.) there's supposedly a demon with ram horns living in a house down there. evidently it taunted some woman into committing suicide by drowning herself in the river. we know this because chip told us so.

chip coffey taped balls on his face -- yes he did! and headphones over his ears and was in contact with that nasty ole ram-horned demon.

(i'm still confused as to why chip needed the ping-pong balls and headphones, isn't he supposed to be psychic? i mean, he was ALREADY channeling the mean bad-arse demon before putting the balls on his face.)

well -- chip intones that his back is burning and he is six. (six of one, half dozen of another)

probably all too soon for chip's liking, chip's melodramatic camera time gets interrupted by chad kalek's melodramatic camera time. something about chad hearing "3 loud cracks".

i really didn't hear anything, but chad sure seemed scared, so it must have been quite gut wrenching.

and chad has a gut to wrench.

anyhoo -- quite out of the blue -- QUITE COINCIDENTALLY and by complete accident -- ry-ry gets a call from the "i am six" chick's mom that they are just having a really tough time of it up in illinois. the demon is back in their daughter.

well, I'LL BE!

ry-ry informs us via the normal captain kirk monologue that the demon must be using the river to travel and is hooting it up with both of these families.

who knew? a tom sawyer demon! with ram horns!

ryan fluffs off this kentucky family -- he gives them the media priest (hey, if you don't have myspace you're nobody!) and probably some blessed medals and high-tails it for illinois with chip and chad and the intrepid PRS gang in tow. he even calls in LoRay for backup....though i never really saw her do much of anything.

maybe LoRay brought some glass cases to capture the tom sawyer demon in so she could show it in her amytiville museum. she has one. i'm not kidding.

in illinois we find that same family from "i am six". the 26-27 year old woman lara looks a bit woozy, and someone has placed a band-aid over her eyebrow. i think that demon over-tweezed poor lara.

ryan goes into histrionics about saving the family. really bad-acting histrionics. it was almost as painful to watch as chip's bad acting. melodrama ensues. lots of loud screaming prayers. lots of choking from lara. ** i swear when ry-ry first started praying really loudly he looked like he was about to crack up laughing**

ryan DEMANDS that sergay break out the shakti helmet AND the ping pong balls with headset -- he is GOING IN, dammit! sergay balks, he's afraid for his dear leader. but ry-ry insists! he's a warrior!

it was TFF!

ryan-the-brave hears things (we don't), things touch him (of course they do) --- yadda yadda same ole same ole.

lots more loud screaming prayers from the whole gang.

there's a webcast prayer request from the basement (remember that?? we all knew it was a publicity stunt)

(i like this version)

the priest makes it up from kentucky - i'm assuming he didn't take a raft like the tom sawyer demon probably does.

more choking and gasping from lara -- ry-ry jumps in bed with her (dang, he looked a bit HANDSY - i'm wondering why momma-six didn't have some qualms over that.)

eventually, lara heaves a big sigh and all is well - and everyone lights up a smoke. oops, no just kidding about the smoke.

so all is well.....or IS it?

there's surely going to be an "i am eight".

so many of us predicted THIS sequel when we heard about the webcast prayer request from the basement.

there's probably going to be a book and a movie if ry-ry has his way.

what a bunch of media hooo-ers.

i could swear the dad in the family was just completely OVER the whole thing (being on TV, the melodramatics, the fact that his daughter is obviously ill -- most likely mentally and physically.)

poor family.

another one bites the PRS / A$E dust.

the "Drowning"

2009-06-06T18:26:00.001-04:00

i caught the "Drowning" ep on youtube -- guess what, they have a new "guest investigator"! He's a former 'client' Jimmie from "Family Ties". A guy who is writing a book, or he already written it and is now trying to sell it.

Isn't that just speshul!

Wow, opening scene -- The whole family is standing outside in the rain when PRS arrives at 2 in the afternoon "because the activity has been so high".

I don't suppose the producers asked them to stand out there for dramatic effect or anything.

Two more very young children getting exploited - sickening.

Way to go PRS and A$E. Way to validate young childrens' fear and probably scare them even more in the process.

The sister 18 year old Gabrielle is the one who saw a boy with purple lips in her window. Guess what -- she was over posting at the AE forum, along with at least 3 brand spanking new posters who "saw something" in a window during playback of one of the scenes. She is stating in no uncertain terms that "It's a spirit" and she's getting in touch with Ry-Ry. More about that below.

Michelle Belanger immediately somehow knows that water is involved and a male presence is around. Sigh.

--------

**begin bellaboo's version of an absurd paranormal play that actually aired on TV.**

Ry-Ry: "i command you to come forward now!"

Katrina: "All we need is one really loud sound."

Jimmie: "And we will leave you alone."

Yeah, right Jimmie -- it's Dead Time, remember?

Of course next we next hear some sort of rustling. remember, the whole A$E camera crew is in there with the PRS peeps, who are all miKed. What a shock that they capture sounds on cue.

Ry-Ry: "There's something up with the thermal cam."
We see a completely zoomed in area with no frame of surroundings reference whatsoever.

Ry- RY: "It's pulsing! Why is it pulsing? I think there is something behind the bathtub (curtain)!"

Tense PULSING heartbeat music...slow, dramatic hand reaches out for the revealing pull back.....hold it, hold it.....wait for it.....

Ry-Ry: "Nothing." "Alright, end of dead time."

Whew -- I was shaking in terror I tell you.

Surge explains the pulsing thermal cam effect.

Ry-Ry: "So it's not paranormal."

HOLY HOTBEDS of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY! They're getting the hang of the debunking thing!

**end bellaboo's version of an absurd paranormal play that actually aired on TV.**

----

anyhoo --

Pam the prior owner knows about a 2yr old drowning.
Kristina does "historical research" and the person helping her gets ONLINE and pulls up an article about a 13 year old drowning trying to save his brother. ]
The show chooses to blur out the article content/author and just show the headline. "13 year-old feared drowned in river"

FANTABULOUSLY SERIOUS PRS REGROUP discussion ensues where surge looks up the info ONLINE about a 3yr old drowning in 1989 "3 year-old drowns in South Creek".

Next they discuss the 1991 death of the 13 year old who jumped in to save his 15 year old brother.

Did I mention that all of this info is obviously from ONLINE?

Ry-Ry director's logs his way into stating that he's gonna need to discuss the PRS "findings" with the family, but we're interrupted by the little boy sensing a "presence" and being very afraid, even in a house full of people. They make him go to show them where he felt something. He's afraid and wants to leave.

The mom starts having an "episode" of some sort. The mom feels light headed, headachey and starts crying (in front of everyone including her kids)

Dramatic Director's Log break-in -- Ry-Ry informs us in his best capt. kirk tin-can voice that he needs to call in child psychologist Athena Drewes (remember her?!) due to the boy's "intense reaction" and the mom's "emotional response".

POOF! IMMEDIATELY = there's Athena! Asking the boy if he ever just tells them (the ghosts or the parents? :) ) to go away.

Athena sagely advises Ry-Ry: "He is very sensitive to his parent's feelings and reactions as kids are."

DUH!!!! YA THINK!?!?!?!

Now, this section of the show is where we are supposed to see the spirit in a door window that was brought up by no less than 3 brand new posters at A$E.

He is interviewing the child psychologist about her thoughts on the kid who keeps seeing the ghosts. There is a side door to the house in the background behind her and something appears in the bottom left corner of the window in the door. It appears very briefly as if to make a face at the camera and the run off.

I saw absolutely nothing other than Ry-Ry's shadow (He was pacing back and forth while she was talking) I played it back 3 times. Nothing.

Stupid ghosts. Evidently I can't see them in person OR on camera.

HOLY DEAD TIME! Ry-Ry, based on Ms Drewes advice, actually tells the parents something I've been pointing out all along, along with every other sane, rational person who has ever bothered to watch this show -- that the kids in these "cases" are getting cues from at least one parent around them.

HOLY PINK PONIES! We have PRS debunking AND offering plausible psychological factors for a "haunting" in a couple of the latest PS episodes.

I think i'm going to faint.

Ry-Ry wraps it all up and gives the kids walkie talkies and says empowering the boys by having them investigate may get rid of their fear or something like that (yay future PRS members! recruit those youngsters for the cult, RY-RY!)

"church of the damned" and "the firehouse"

2009-06-06T18:24:00.006-04:00

here's my take on "church of the damned":,

did y'all notice they aren't putting time stamps on the regular video anymore (just the FLIR).

this episode was replete with personal experiences (growls, shadows, bangs) (chad loves him some shadows!) but, per the usual, no evidence of anything paranormal is captured. the temperature drop was fairly impressive but not inexplicable in a broken down ramshackle building in topeka in winter.

i like how ry-ry addressed the way the FLIR froze right at the most dramatic moment and sergey pooh-poohs it away as FLIR cameras often reset when exposed to temperature fluctuations.

WTF? i thought the whole purpose of using FLIR was to be able to document temp differences? what good are they if they freeze up during a change? are there any FLIR experts out there who can corroborate this technical peculiarity? cuz the first thing i thought of when i noticed the freeze was EDITED!

now, here's something interesting: ry-ry has a camera on him like 99.2% of the time in the show, but there wasn't one on him when he was "pulled" down (supposedly by a demon).

what a bummer!

next thing you know, ryan goes comatose and it's chip to the rescue! chipster urges ry-ry to take a break, but ryan refuses. "i never walk out on a case!"

god, ryan buell is such a brave warrior! ::more groupies fainting::

once again, chip coffey is
100% accurate with his psychic divination that satanic rituals took place in that building. (or so we're told by a couple of townies that the crew dug up to corroborate chip's reading. or fuel them as the case may be.)

btw - i think they found ronnie the dad crying in the church because he'd had one too many ear piercings. or maybe just cause he was out of space for more holes?

---------------------------------------------------------
the firehouse

what can i say?

woo hoo! go topher! go on with your bad self!
with...whatever it is you are doing on the show!

well folks, ONCE AGAIN PRS targets peeps who've experienced recent familial trauma, psychological issues, grief etc etc etc.

of course, no one KNEW about any of this ahead of time. certainly not chip!

chip is once again 100% accurate! i just DON'T understand why chip coffey doesn't take up the randi challenge....or at least offer to wow the skeptics with free readings. i mean, dang -- with THAT kind of accuracy chip could surely be making some believers out of skeptics AND stop exploiting children.

you know, when the girl client gets closed-mouthed about the death of joe, i immediately thought suicide. I MUST BE PSYCHIC!!!!

chip senses "lots of movement" in a ballroom. awesome! simply stunning!

chip gets downright vicious with poor jason. (who chip? vicious?? say it isn't so!) but then he gets all kindly again and we realize he's back to the cuddly chipples who helps people.

hmmm, let's see -- a small town in new jersey. a "haunted" firehouse that was the site of the suicide of one of the firemen.

i don't suppose that was common knowledge around town or anything. there's no way the AE producers dug up all of that info ahead of time and provided it to PRS (and chip).

absolutely NO WAY.

i'm sure that's what topher would tell us if he were to get more speaking parts on the show...

addendum -- apparently topher is no longer with PRS and has declared himself a skeptic.

welcome to the sane side, topher.

"room and board"

2009-06-06T18:24:00.001-04:00

i must say, there are two SHOCKERS in this episode:
1) ry-ry actually says their findings are INCONCLUSIVE!
2) they are apparently NOT using a client who is dealing with psychological or other traumatic issues.

wow! so -- inconclusive -- even with all of those people pushing....i mean, lightly touching that ouija pointer around, and even with psychic michelle B's proclamation of "weird heavy energy" filling the place. i guess she's no chip, so ry-ry must not take her word for stuff as easily as he does chip's.

i loved how they waited to "shut the door" when they were outside, in the daylight. WTF??

dreamy deep moment of profound purpose: the shirtless warrior on his ry-ry cam stating "fear is here." can't you just see the fainting groupies!

"lady vampire"

More of my deleted AE paranormal state forum stuff

2009-06-06T18:12:00.000-04:00

these are from the same topic as the eric leven post below:

bellaboo

Posts: 3,436

From: FL

Registered: 12/11/07

(22 of 25)

Re: Get Ready For More Truth!

Nov 13, 2008 3:41 PM

chipples also states on his blog that michelle B never called him a fraud and that she has stated as much in public.

supposedly her public statement stopped the chip-dissers "dead in their tracks". (he never denies an argument at kelli's, just reiterates that michelle never called him a fraud)

where and when was this public statement???

and i hear that chippy tried to get the ghost divas to never speak about him again -- offering to talk with them if they would drop it once and for all and evidently they refused.

his words and actions sure don't sound like those of a wrongly accused innocent victim to me!!!!

TFF!!!!!!

--
anonymous:
Chip is so psychic, he never ceases to amaze me. He's right next to the stairs, and he asks if there's an upstairs.
----------------------------------
PRS' disclaimer: "The data & evidence collected does not prove that any of the paranormal exists or in any way is evidence of the paranormal."

bellaboo

Posts: 3,436

From: FL

Registered: 12/11/07

(21 of 25)

Re: Get Ready For More Truth!

Nov 13, 2008 2:34 PM

Chip is in complete denial at his blog. He wants everyone to believe the show is 100% real.

yes indeed.

and he obviously doesn't like the points that i made about his blog statements below, cause it keeps getting deleted.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

on chipples blog, he PMSfan's his way all over the kelli bidness!!!

these two whoppers stand out to me:

Quote:
...Kelli Ryan enjoyed a bit of "celebrity" due to her appearance on a popular television show...she's a
never-wrong psychic, a member of Who's Who, an upstanding member of her community, a would-be author who intends to write a book about her experiences, etc. Kelli is blatantly seeking attention and publicity, plain and simple!

POT, KETTLE MUCH CHIPPLES?????!!!!!!!

Quote:
I NEVER know the names of the clients or any other information about them.

that is a complete lie.

he has to -- at the very LEAST -- have an address to drive to the set!!!!!!

he seriously wants us to believe that he's "sequestered" and kept away from the cast and crew prior to his arrival on set, yet he has himself admitted, in online responses to others who've mentioned how scripted PSBS obviously is, that he has meetings with producers and/or PRS prior to filming!!!!!

as proven by what he wrote on a skiffy forum.....

at one point, chipperdoo is defending himself and the show against its having been scripted.

he states: I am kept sequestered from the cast and crew until I conduct my initial walk-through assessment with Ryan Buell, the Director of PRS.

Nothing on the show is "scripted" ... although we DO sometimes decide (strategize) beforehand how best to handle certain elements of the case we are working on.

ok.

so chip's supposedly in the dark, but they "sometimes" strategize beforehand about certain elements of the case they're working on.

good to know.

--
anonymous:
Chip is so psychic, he never ceases to amaze me. He's right next to the stairs, and he asks if there's an upstairs.
----------------------------------
PRS' disclaimer: "The data & evidence collected does not prove that any of the paranormal exists or in any way is evidence of the paranormal."

Chip Coffey and Eric Leven

2009-06-06T18:10:00.000-04:00

you know, it's so amusing that when kelli ryan brought all of that shenanigans-on-the-set info up a couple of months ago, chip claimed not to even know who eric leven is .

chip continued to proclaim his ignorance about who eric leven could possibly be on a recent podcast interview where chip was regaling the audience with lots of bawdy-but-unoriginal commentary about a name the interviewers had called him:

"prick"

well, if the name fits...

anyhoo -

i recalled posting something at AE right after i read that months ago and here it is (i had to pull the google cache cause AE deleted the original, of course.)

bellaboo

Posts: 3,436

From: FL

Registered: 12/11/07

(24 of 25)

Re: Get Ready For More Truth!

Nov 13, 2008 5:52 PM

heh!

here's another interesting tidbit -- on his blog, chipperdoo states that he "doesn't even know anyone named eric leven".

i must say, i'm quite surprised that chippy doesn't know him.

i googled eric leven and in about 5 minutes found that -- eric is a filmographer, a gay activist, has been on outQ, graduated from penn state, worked at MTV on several of their projects, worked on several movies and was a 2008 casting producer on PSBS:

http://www.film.com/celebrities/eric-leven/14642599

http://tv.yahoo.com/eric-leven/contributor/2227034

http://movies.nytimes.com/person/1461520/Eric-Leven

http://www.media-match.com/profile.php?uid=743828

http://www.bilerico.com/contributors/eric_leven/

http://knucklecrack.blogspot.com/

--
anonymous:
Chip is so psychic, he never ceases to amaze me. He's right next to the stairs, and he asks if there's an upstairs.
----------------------------------
PRS' disclaimer: "The data & evidence collected does not prove that any of the paranormal exists or in any way is evidence of the paranormal."

Now THIS is ironic....

2009-06-06T18:08:00.000-04:00

I started to put stuff on this blog as a reaction to the rampant censorship that follows anyone around who isn't on the PRS Party Bus. I wanted to show support for the people who have been speaking out against the ubiquitous flim-flam going on in paranormal television shows like Paranormal State, Psychic Kids and Ghost Hunters.

I have talked about the censorship that is fairly common at the actual A$E forums. They have always been pretty strict with anything which involves expressing opinions on the motives and measures used by a few of their paranormal TV "stars" -- the entire PRS Paranormal Posse.

Now it would appear that someone, could have been any one or number of the posse OR the rabid fan base, has pushed A$E into an actual LOCKDOWN of all three of the PRS forums. No one can post without prior moderation.

It's interesting to note that they left the Psychic Kids forum unlocked -- probably because it's suffered such a lack traffic since the show ended (and who can NOT appreciate the end of that show and its child exploitation for Chip Coffey's career). They must have wanted to push people onto that forum to give Chip a boost. I guess he's been having a tough time of it lately what with all of the blogs and groups really getting into the spirit of speaking out against his media whoooring diva self.

So, this black cloud of censorship that follows folks who dare speak out against PRS, Chip Coffey, Lorraine Warren, Chris Moon and any number of the other PRS Paranormal Posse around is now hovering over the A$E forums in force.

What's really ironic is there are several A$E shows which generate serious controversy, but it's Paranormal State and Psychic Kids "stars" who can't handle the jabs and jeers that their melodramatic and sophomoric efforts have inspired in a majority of the viewing public.

It's gonna be interesting to see what kinds of lame things they come up with in their next set of shows -- what's gonna top the most recent Chip channelings, possessions, UFOS and possessed musical intsruments???

How much lower CAN they go?