BAAAD refereeing in FIFA matches

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 ??

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....

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

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)

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

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

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

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...

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.

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?

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

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....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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....

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?