Bay Area Skeptics Information Sheet - 1987 07

Magazine Overview

This July 1987 issue of "BASIS", the newsletter of the Bay Area Skeptics, presents a critical examination of various claims related to pseudoscience and the paranormal. The issue is primarily composed of investigative reports and analyses aimed at debunking purported supernatural phenomena.

W. V. GRANT'S WATERLOO

The lead article, "W. V. GRANT'S WATERLOO," details an investigation into the faith healer W.V. Grant, spearheaded by Don Henvick, a veteran of the Healing Crusades. Henvick, with the support of the Bay Area Skeptics (BAS), spent three years attempting to gather evidence against Grant, who, along with other healers like Peter Popoff, had been the subject of previous investigations. Grant proved difficult to pin down as he avoided electronic devices. The investigation culminated in Oakland, California, where Grant was allegedly caught in a compromising situation, described as having "his hand in the jar." This exposé is presented in the context of the Bakker scandal, highlighting the perceived exploitation of the faithful by TV ministries.

Don Henvick transcribed major portions of W.V. Grant's healing sessions and provided unedited tapes to BASIS. The article includes quotes from Grant's services on August 1, 1986, where he discusses his methods of 'calling out' individuals and ministering to them. A key segment details a staged healing on May 11, 1987, where San Francisco skeptic John Taube, posing as a patient with a fabricated malady and doctor, was 'healed' by Grant. Taube provided Grant with false information beforehand, which Grant then presented as supernatural insight. The article criticizes this as "vile deceit" involving "cold cunningness."

Further details are provided about a second encounter on May 20, 1987, in Oakland, where Taube, accompanied by BAS advisor Eugenie Scott (posing as his niece, Victoria), underwent another 'healing' session. Grant, seemingly forgetting Taube from the previous week, engaged in a dialogue where Taube presented his 'niece' Victoria as blind. Grant performed a 'laying on of hands' and prayed for Victoria, who then claimed to see. The transcript reveals Grant's manipulative questioning, such as asking if she had told anyone about her blindness, to which she replied no, reinforcing the illusion of divine knowledge. The article notes that Grant's methods involved asking the audience to believe God could heal, and then instructing Victoria to 'grab ahold of my nose' and 'grab ahold of my ear' as a test of her sight, which she claimed to pass.

Following this event, on May 22, 1987, the "Oakland Tribune" published a six-column article detailing Grant's charade, based on evidence provided by Henvick, including tapes, pictures, and eyewitness testimony. Grant responded by distributing copies of an article with the quote, "Anything of God can stand investigation. Anything not of God ought to be investigated." The issue also includes Grant's own defense, where he discusses how 'the Amazing Atheist' (James Randi) and his followers try to 'set him up,' and how he believes God gives him wisdom. He dismisses claims of using sleight of hand, attributing apparent miracles to God's hand. He also quotes scripture to justify his stance against defamation.

100 PLUS 1 FROM A DALMATIAN

This section, written by Robert Sheaffer, reports on a Bay Area Skeptics meeting held on May 28, 1987, featuring a Dalmatian named Sunny, owned by Jim Todd. Sunny had a reputation for exceptional mathematical abilities and knowledge of languages, and claimed to recall a past life. The meeting was a preliminary demonstration to potentially qualify for the BAS's $11,000 Challenge.

Sunny's owner, Jim Todd, had previously appeared on television and in other programs, showcasing Sunny's skills, which included addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square roots, cube roots, and simultaneous algebraic equations. Sunny could reportedly bark out answers to problems presented on flash cards, even in Spanish, Portuguese, or Yiddish.

The demonstration began with Jim Todd showcasing Sunny's abilities. However, problems arose when Don Henvick, representing the skeptics, took over the questioning. Henvick reported that Sunny had difficulty with basic numbers (1, 2, 9, 10) during a pre-demonstration check, leading to a request to keep questions between 3 and 8. When Henvick tested Sunny, the dog's performance deteriorated significantly. Henvick shuffled cards, ensuring he himself was unaware of the numbers, to prevent unconscious cuing. Sunny began barking incorrectly, and his arithmetic skills failed, with errors like '7 plus 3 made 9' and '4 plus 5 made 13.' Attempts to answer questions in Spanish also failed.

Jim Todd became visibly upset, attributing Sunny's performance to tiredness and bedtime. He then shifted to Sunny's alleged past-life recall, stating that Sunny had been Harry Houdini. To test this, Bob Steiner provided Jim with five common Jewish names, asking Sunny to indicate 'yes' by barking three times and 'no' by barking twice. Sunny answered 'yes' to three names and 'no' to one, which turned out to be the correct maiden name of Houdini's mother. However, the article suggests that Sunny's performance was likely due to subtle cues from Jim, such as posture and breathing, and that Sunny could not answer questions unless his owner knew the answer.

EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION CLAIMS

This section, written by Robert L. Showen, discusses a talk given by Keith Morin titled "Earthquake Predictions: Forecasts and Imminent Warnings." Morin presented a low-frequency acoustic and magnetic system he developed to predict earthquakes.

Morin claimed his system was based on understanding how birds detect earthquakes and involved four years of development using low-frequency acoustic sensors and special non-cryogenic magnetic detectors, which he stated were significantly more sensitive than conventional SQUID detectors. He mentioned a near-success in predicting an earthquake two weeks prior in the East Bay, giving a prediction to a TV station, though he was off by about a day. He also stated that a change in measurements occurred days before the quake that would have allowed him to revise the prediction, but he did not communicate this revision before the event.

Morin asserted that Jim Birkland's syzygy theory for earthquake prediction was 80% accurate, linking earthquake likelihood to the alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. He explained his own method involves elaborate syzygy calculations, considering lunar distance, combined with acoustic and magnetic sensors, to determine the epicenter location with a claimed accuracy of 3 square kilometers.

He claimed his complete method could detect future events months in advance and distinguish between ongoing events. He stated that within a week of an event, he could determine the remaining time to within one day, with a system range covering the entire West Coast and potentially extending to Asia. Morin also made specific forecasts of increased earthquake activity for a given month and predicted an impending eruption in California, though he withheld the location and time.

A single acoustic detector, part of the system, is claimed to provide a three-hour warning for a magnitude 3.5 or larger local quake, with a detection range of up to 40 miles in urban areas and 60 miles in rural areas. The acoustic sensor needs to be within 60 feet of the ground and works better in or under water.

Morin's system is ready for implementation, with 50 sensors installed, including one in Mountain View. He is seeking funding for production, envisioning a cost of $120 for private individuals. His precise methods are proprietary due to patent applications in 12 countries. He has a patent on the acoustic sensor. The method involves detecting discrete frequencies (5 Hz to 1 MHz) from future earthquakes, with a set of five frequencies detected in sequence as the quake nears. The absence of a frequency or a 'beating' or 'string-of-pearls' amplitude behavior indicates an imminent earthquake, with magnitude related to frequency strength. Morin admitted he does not understand the cause of these effects and is working with a physicist.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme throughout this issue is the critical examination and debunking of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. The Bay Area Skeptics, through their investigative journalism and reporting on skeptical meetings, aim to expose fraudulent practices and unsubstantiated beliefs. The editorial stance is clearly one of skepticism towards claims of supernatural healing, animal intelligence beyond normal capabilities, and predictive abilities for natural disasters, emphasizing the need for rigorous evidence and investigation.

This issue of the Bay Area Skeptic Informatoin Sheet, published in July 1987 by the Bay Area Skeptics, features two articles that critically examine claims of extraordinary phenomena. The publication, titled "BASIS", presents a skeptical viewpoint on topics often found in the realm of pseudoscience.

Article 1: Mr. Morin's Earthquake Prediction Claims

The first article discusses a presentation by a Mr. Morin, who claims to be working with two physicists and an astrophysicist on five major scientific breakthroughs, with results expected to be published by the end of 1989. Mr. Morin made several side comments, including that a lady in Southern California can predict earthquakes with 100% certainty, that birds do not sing before a quake and cluster in trees because their skull's magnetite is overwhelmed by earthquake-induced magnetic disturbances, and that if a cat runs away during an earthquake, it will run in a line directly away from the epicenter.

When challenged that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, Mr. Morin agreed but refused to provide predictions to the USGS or other organizations, citing advice from his lawyers that doing so would jeopardize his patent rights. Some audience members disagreed, feeling that statistical demonstration of success was necessary and unlikely to harm his rights.

The author's impressions of Mr. Morin and his method were contradictory. Initially, Mr. Morin seemed to present new work in a field with little success, showing knowledge of other researchers' work, including claims of Russian and Japanese detections of electromagnetic precursors of earthquakes. However, during his talk, he made seemingly too spectacular claims, stating he could determine precise locations and magnitudes of hundreds of incipient earthquake and volcano events months in advance. He expected the audience to believe these claims without evidence, as only words and flashing lights from his detectors were presented, offering no scientific basis for judgment.

Mr. Morin was given an opportunity to comment on this report, which was sent to him on May 3. In a telephone conversation on May 15, he stated he was busy arranging for the production of his detectors and promised to respond by May 25, but this did not occur. The editor's note advises caution when he advertises his detectors for sale.

Article 2: Cheap Firewalking by Don Henvick

The second article, by Don Henvick, recounts his experience attending a Tony Robbins firewalking seminar at the Whole-Life Expo in San Francisco. Henvick initially sought information from the Southern California Skeptics and Phoenix Skeptics, who had sent their firewalk materials to Phoenix. After some logistical challenges, including forgetting his fliers at home and rushing back, Henvick managed to attend the latter part of the five-hour seminar.

He describes the atmosphere, with attendees yelling and shaking their fists, and Robbins' pep talk on how to survive the 1,200-degree burning coals, which involved making a fist, yelling "Yes!", chanting "Cool moss!", and punching the air. Attendees were instructed to leave their shoes and wear their name tags.

Outside, the coals were arranged on strips of astroturf. Robbins and his wife led separate firewalks. Henvick approached the coals to feel the heat, noting that if it were truly 1,200 degrees, it would be significantly hotter than what he felt, comparing it to a barbecue grill. He observed others walking across the coals, with their feet being hosed off afterward, and noted no apparent burns.

Henvick then recounts his own firewalk, recalling physicist Bernard Leikind's writings on firewalking. Leikind noted that wood coals have poor thermal conductivity compared to heated metal or stones, and that a walk on a hot beach could be more damaging. Henvick performed the walk, yelling "Yes!" and chanting "Cool moss!" and "Hot rocks!", completing it in four steps. He described it as feeling a little warm with a few scattered hot spots, and his feet were hosed off with no burns, blisters, or issues.

He humorously describes leaving the seminar, unable to pass out his fliers due to the crowd's energy and his concern about being charged $125 to retrieve his shoes. He ended up passing out fliers on empty chairs. Henvick concludes that if given the choice between paying Robbins $125 for a five-hour seminar or taking the free 15-minute cram course he experienced, the latter is cheaper, quicker, and just as effective.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue reflects the core mission of the Bay Area Skeptics: to critically examine claims that lack scientific evidence and to debunk pseudoscience. The articles on Mr. Morin's earthquake predictions and Tony Robbins' firewalking seminar both highlight a pattern of extraordinary claims made with insufficient or absent evidence, often relying on anecdotal accounts or psychological manipulation rather than verifiable data. The editorial stance is clearly one of skepticism towards such phenomena, encouraging critical thinking and demanding empirical proof. The publication also provides contact information for obtaining more information and sample copies, promoting further engagement with skeptical inquiry.