Re:The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi
by A_COMPUTER on Saturday November 08, 2014 @04:56PM
(#8578268)
>they apparently funded "remote viewers" for intelligence operations.
This was done in part because it was believed that the Russians were doing this, and administrators didn't want a "remove viewing gap." But it was stopped because it was tried and didn't work. If anything the fact that the program was ended is a good sign.
Re:The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi
by pyronite on Saturday November 08, 2014 @01:57PM
(#8577794)
The Reagan White House was advised by an astrologer. Pseudoscience is something many people are susceptible to regardless of their position.
Re:The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi
by rmason on Saturday November 08, 2014 @02:54PM
(#8577958)
Actually it was Nancy Reagan who employed the astrologer. Supposedly he approved travel dates for Reagan. I've always believed, though I can't prove it, that his assassination attempt so rattled his wife that the President went along with the whole astrologer recommendations to humor her.
Re:The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi
by dwc on Saturday November 08, 2014 @02:05PM
(#8577823)
Dowsing for bombs. Yeah, it really happened.
Re:The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi
by rumcajz on Saturday November 08, 2014 @02:22PM
(#8577868)
Interesting. Are these people so confident that they are willing to risk they lives searching for mines or did they somehow done it from a safe distance?
Re:The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi
by jdietrich on Saturday November 08, 2014 @03:32PM
(#8578071)
The Iraqi government spent $85m on bogus bomb detectors that were just dowsing rods in a fancy box. Nobody at the interior ministry bothered to do any testing, or even to take the devices apart - they contained no electronics that could possibly have detected anything. Several other governments have purchased similar devices.
Re:The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi
by moreati on Saturday November 08, 2014 @04:05PM
(#8578144)
I believe 'dowsing for bombs' is a reference to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22380368. In which case the perpetrators sold the kits to governments/agencies i.e. third parties were being exposed to the bombs.
Also, they apparently funded "remote viewers" for intelligence operations.