Don’t Read the Article Yet: I’m Going to Telepathically Send it to You. Let Me Know if it Works.
Good article analyzing the complete lack of evidence for telepathy. And a bright spot: at no point does it refer to telepathy or any other ideas around telepathy as “theories,” referring to them more correctly as “ideas.”
Does telepathy exist in humans?

Psychics Agree to Disagree: No Consensus On Whereabouts of Missing Person
Police investigating the case of a missing 9-11 dispatcher have received numerous tips from psychics on the whereabouts of the missing woman. The officer who takes many of the calls noted that all the psychics have a different idea of what happened and where the woman is. Maybe it’s just me but… shouldn’t psychics all see the same thing?
Team Coverage: Psychic Interest in Parker Case
Psychics offering help in missing dispatcher case

Irony, Thy Name is Sylvia
Three women in Houston were busted for ripping people off by promising to get them sessions with celebrities like TV-shrink Dr. Phil and famous psychic Sylvia Browne. So what’s funny about this story? Browne’s response, in which she says: “They tell people they’ll remove curses … or stuff like, ‘I’ll bring your husband back.’ It’s awful. They prey on them.” Then below her response, the article notes, “Browne’s own Web site offers readings with her for $750 or with her son for $450.” I couldn’t have placed it better myself.
Get real, it’s not Dr. Phil: 3 accused of offering help from him, TV psychic

White Witch Can Predict Your Future in Vague, General Terms
An interesting anecdote about a reporter who sat down with a self-proclaimed “White Witch” for a tarot card reading. The witch gave him several vague predictions, but also hit on some more specific ones, such as that he will be married within 2 years. The reporter is skeptical, and judging from the end of the article, remains skeptical. Although this particular psychic claims to have predicted everything from the 9/11 attacks to rectal tumors – and one might wonder why, if she knew 9/11 was going to happen, she didn’t bother to tell anybody about it – the best she could do with this reading was telling the reporter that he will have prostate trouble (a lot of men do), and will eventually move away. Even if the reading was free, I’d still ask for my money back.
‘White witch’ says she can help tune in your future

Psychic Doesn’t Help Much
A psychic who was called in to help find a teenager who went missing in 2004 came up with a shocking conclusion: the teenager knew her kidnapper. But, of course, there is always the chance that she didn’t. So really, not much help there.
Psychic Says Gina DeJesus Knew Her Kidnapper

Find Out Your Cat Hates Smoking for the Low Low Price of $60.00 per half hour
Another pet psychic. To speak with your cat, she will charge $60.00 for a half hour session. Man, I wish I could make $120.00 an hour for making stuff up. Heck, I may even go as low as $90 per hour. If anyone wants to pay me that salary, please write me at websurdity@websurdity.com.
“When I tune into an animal, I get a strong picture”

Stating the Obvious, Again: The Moon Landing Really Did Happen
The Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Ohio, dedicated to the first man to walk on the moon, is taking on conspiracy theorists head on with its display on the moon landings proving they really happened. Next up: an exhibit proving the Earth is round. (I do actually agree with the intent of the exhibit. It’s just a shame they have to take time to debunk such kooky claims).
Moon landing no hoax, says U.S. museum

Psychics Not So Good at ‘Predicting Future’ Part of Being Psychic

This is a short blurb in an Australian paper that was written in response to several readers who wrote to the paper about an advertisement for a “Psychic Expo.” The advertisement noted that 3 psychics were unable to attend because of bad weather. As the blurb notes, strangely, the psychics didn’t have the foresight to book their own replacements. If you can’t trust a psychic to plan ahead, who can you trust?
Psychic bafflement

Pet Psychic Explores ‘Depths’ of Your Animal: Why Your Cat Chases Small Critters, Says ‘Meow’
This pet psychic in Orlando, Florida uses Tarot Cards and other techniques to communicate with you pets, all for the low-price of $55 for a 30-minute session. The psychic, one Jamie Tolaver Ruiz, conducted a reading on the reporter’s cat Ella, and came to some truly mind-blowing conclusions. For example, the reporter asked why the cat chases small lizards, and the psychic divined that the cat was “…a raven in her past life. Or a hawk or eagle. A large bird of prey.” My own cat attacks my shoelaces. I guess this means that in her previous life, she was either a shoe shiner or a village idiot. As a final warning, the psychic notes that the reporter’s cat, in her next life, will likely be a doctor or a nurse. So make sure you treat your pets well: they could come back as lawyers and sue.
Pet psychic says your animal has depths

Psychic Fails to Foresee Lack of Interest in Psychic Museum

In 2003, Jonathan Cainer, one of Britain’s “top astrologers” created a psychic museum. Unfortunately for Mr. Cainer, the only thing that wasn’t in the charts was visitors: he averaged just 100 per week, and now has to close the museum. When asked whether or not he will re-open the museum in 2008, he refuses to make a prediction, stating, “Although I’m in the prediction business, I don’t believe you can make predictions about things you are close to.” Not that I would want anyone to think I’m a cynic, but… I can’t shake the feeling that some psychics are just making up rules as they go along.
Psychic Museum axed due to lack of visitors

Ivy League School Closes Bush-League Laboratory

After 30 years, Princeton has finally closed its ESP Laboratory, which some scientists have labeled an embarrassment to science. Although I don’t know much about the lab itself, if they conducted actual, scientific tests of alleged ESP, I think that’s fine. I’d imagine that it would get a little redundant after 30 years, but that’s just me. I am a little skeptical of the results, though. According to researchers at the labs, humans could alter what numbers flashed on an electric box, “about two or three times out of 10,000.” I’m no scientist, but 2 or 3 out of 10,000 doesn’t sound particularly convincing. I wouldn’t buy a car that works 2 out of 10,000 tries, anyway.
ESP laboratory in Princeton closes

Jesus: Putting a New Meaning in “Tree Hugger”

Another week, another tree with Jesus. *Yawn*. South Texas town… believers flocking to the site… yadda yadda yadda. Move along, nothing to see here.
Tree forms image of Christ crucified, believers say

Why Do We See Faces Everywhere? Hint: It’s not God, but it does involve a guy with a long white beard

This is a good article in the New York Times discussing the scientific aspects of facial recognition – why people look at their sandwiches, burritos, and trees and see religious figures. It turns out it has very little to do with Jesus or miracles, and has a lot to do with good old Charles Darwin and his Theory of Evolution. In short, our brains adapted to picking out patterns that resemble faces. And obviously it works. Very well.
Faces, Faces Everywhere


Kansas Lays a Gorilla-Sized Bitch-Slap on Creationists
Following in the footsteps of Ohio, Kansas has put the kibosh on education that tries to slip creationism into science classes, and has adopted the mainstream scientific view – evolution – in its classrooms. Although I know that this fight isn’t over, it is heartening to know that there are still plenty of people out there who are willing to accept science over nonsense. Kudos to the Kansas State Board of Education.
Kansas yanks guidelines questioning evolution