paranormal phenomena

All posts tagged paranormal phenomena

The Mystery of Ball Lightning

Posted by Mason I. Bilderberg (MIB) on July 9, 2012
Posted in: Bizarre, Educational, Fun Stuff, Science. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Much of what we call “paranormal” are facets or properties of the natural world that we do not yet understand. And although ball lighting is not usually considered a paranormal phenomenon – and is almost certainly a natural phenomenon – its mysterious nature has puzzled scientists and paranormal researchers alike for centuries.

There currently is no fully satisfactory or generally accepted scientific theory for ball lightning, mainly because it is so rare, and when it does occur it doesn’t stay around long enough to be studied; it generally has a lifetime of less than five seconds. According to one researcher, “ball lightning is the name given to the mobile luminous spheres which have been observed during thunderstorms. Visual sightings are often accompanied by sound, odor, and permanent material damage.” Many scientists still deny its existence, but there are so many eyewitness accounts of the phenomenon that it’s difficult to deny its reality.

Continue Reading: The Mystery of Ball Lightning.
Related: Encounters with Ball Lightning

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Long Island Medium: A Tall Story

Posted by Mason I. Bilderberg (MIB) on June 28, 2012
Posted in: Psychics, Skepticism. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 comments

Theresa Caputo is the winner of the 2012 Pigasus Award for Performance. But she is better known as the Long Island Medium, which is also the title of her reality TV show aired on the ‘Learning’ Channel (TLC). Like Sylvia Browne, John Edward, James van Praagh and many others before her, Caputo is yet another psychic medium who claims to be able to talk to the dead, and while she has artificial talons like Sylvia Browne, her blond helmet hair, jewelry and tan are all fake too. When it’s eventually axed, there will probably be room for the cast on Jersey Shore.

Caputo can’t grab a morning coffee or shop for groceries without providing spontaneous readings to strangers along the way.

Of course, these are just cold readings of stereotypical subjects; usually older ladies who are asked, “Did your mother/father pass?” Obviously, she/he had, so Caputo proceeds to share a stock message, such as she “loves you”, he has “found peace” or he is telling you it’s time to “move on”. Alternatively, Caputo performs the same tricks for groups, like a kind of psychic Tupperware party. As believers, these people are pushovers, and with a larger pool of subjects she never fails to strike with questions like, “Did someone here lose a brother?” Making her task even easier still, she never guesses the name or the initials of the deceased. To “validate” contact, Caputo makes vague references that have the appearance of being specific; special songs, handwritten letters, and items of clothing and jewelry. Those read are interviewed afterwards, gushing that they are indebted to Caputo for helping them come to terms with the death of their loves ones.

Continue Reading: Long Island Medium: A Tall Story.

Rhine Whine

Posted by Mason I. Bilderberg (MIB) on June 2, 2012
Posted in: Fun Stuff, Paranormal, Pseudoscientific, Psychics. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 6 comments

Have you ever heard of the Rhine Research Center Institute for Parapsychology“?

I had heard about them for years and i’ve always heard they were THE place to go for information on psychic or paranormal phenomena.

According to the Rhine meetup group, their goal is “to improve the human condition by creating a scientific understanding of those abilities and sensitivities that appear to transcend the ordinary limits of space and time.[ref]“

As the so-called authority on parapsychology research, i thought i’d visit their site (http://www.rhine.org/) in search of some proof of the paranormal. I am particularly interested in finding some evidence of psychic ability, so i figured The Rhine Center should have some studies i could read.

I looked all over their site but couldn’t find any studies. But i did come across a document titled “Requests for Demonstrations or Evaluations of Psi Ability”[1], so i downloaded it and this is what i found:

Am i reading this correctly? They decline requests to demonstrate or evaluate PSI (psychic or paranormal phenomena) because “Modern research has moved beyond the need for mere demonstration of psi ability to a focus on the process of how psi occurs“?

What? The Rhine Center can’t be bothered actually proving or demonstrating the existence of PSI, they just pretend it’s real and spend their time fantasizing how it might work? Wow. Is this really something they should admit?

I wish i had a job where my bosses didn’t worry whether i actually did something, but instead were just happy thinking about how i might work if i did work.

So how does one test their psychic abilities? The Rhine Center has the answer in the same document:

Got it. Let’s all sit around the kitchen table and make up our own uncontrolled tests.

How COULD they endorse somebody? They can’t demonstrate PSI and they don’t test for PSI!!! Are they serious?

That’s my Rhine Whine for the day.

Mason I. Bilderberg

1. Since i downloaded the document used in this piece (evaluation_for_psi_ability.pdf), The Rhine Center removed it from their web page – that’s weird – or maybe they realized their silly admission of not testing or being able to demonstrate PSI abilities. Fortunately, a copy can still be found at archive.org’s WayBack Machine. Scroll about halfway down, you want to click the link that says “rhine.org/research_docs/popular/evaluation_for_psi_ability.pdf” OR you can download it directly from me right here.