REALL News - Vol 01 No 04 - 1993

Magazine Overview

The REALL News, Volume 1, Number 4, published in May 1993, is the electronic version of the official newsletter for the Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land (REALL). REALL is described as a non-profit educational and scientific organization dedicated to rational thinking and the application of the scientific method to paranormal and fringe-science phenomena. The organization conducts research, convenes meetings, publishes this newsletter, and disseminates information to the public, with a primary geographic focus on central Illinois. REALL emphasizes the scientific method as the most reliable system for obtaining knowledge and does not reject paranormal claims a priori, but rather commits to objective, critical inquiry.

This issue features an "Editor's" column by Wally Hartshorn, a "Chairman's" column by David Bloomberg, and several articles. The newsletter also includes membership information and contact details for REALL.

Articles and Content

From the Editor (Wally Hartshorn)

Wally Hartshorn notes the arrival of spring and anticipates an increase in paranormal activity, such as crop circles and UFO sightings, due to more people being outdoors. He mentions that this will be his last issue as editor due to other responsibilities but plans to continue writing articles for the newsletter. He highlights that the issue includes another article from Martin Kottmeyer about UFOs, acknowledging the high interest in UFOs among REALL members, and two brief articles by Detective Bruce Walstad, who was the speaker at the previous month's meeting.

From the Chairman (David Bloomberg)

David Bloomberg reports on the success of the previous REALL meeting, which featured Detective Bruce Walstad as the speaker. He thanks Detective Walstad for his presentation and also thanks Professor Hayler and Professor Egger for allowing REALL to use their classroom for the talk, highlighting it as an opportunity to reach students. Bloomberg describes Walstad's presentation as a mixture of stories, humor, explanations, magic, and information, focusing on cons and psychics from a legal perspective. Walstad discussed opportunistic scams like the radon gas neutralizer and the pigeon drop, noting that cons often play on greed, fear, or duty. He also addressed storefront psychics who claim clients are "cursed" and require expensive treatments. Walstad demonstrated cold reading and card tricks that could be used to fake psychic abilities. He concluded that "psychic detectives" do not work and can waste police time. Bloomberg notes that Walstad was much more entertaining than his own column.

The Saucer Error (Martin Kottmeyer)

Martin Kottmeyer challenges the notion that UFOs cannot be a myth, questioning the origin of their disc shape. He quotes J. Allen Hynek, who argued that if UFO reports were purely imagined, there should be a greater variety of shapes reported across different cultures. Kottmeyer then examines John Prytz's argument that the timing of the modern UFO phenomenon in 1947, with no apparent cultural stimuli like sci-fi films, suggests an external origin. He also references UFO historian David Jacobs, who found no precedent for saucer configurations in popular culture before 1947. Kottmeyer argues that these interpretations are incorrect, pointing out that disc-shaped spacecraft appeared in the Buck Rogers comic strip as early as 1930 and in the 1938 Flash Gordon movie serial "Rocketship." He dismisses these as coincidences, stating that artists used various geometric forms and that rockets were a common convention. Kottmeyer posits that the "flying saucer" phenomenon originated from a journalist's error in 1947. Kenneth Arnold, while reporting nine objects flying at high speed, described their motion as "erratic, like a saucer if you skip it across the water." Reporter Bill Bequette misunderstood this to describe the shape, leading to the widespread adoption of the term "flying saucers." This error, Kottmeyer argues, constrained imaginations and shaped the UFO myth, leading to the stereotype of disc-shaped craft seen in many subsequent reports and media. He concludes that extraterrestrials would not redesign their craft to conform to a human error.

A Brief Meeting With Jackie Mari, Psychic (Det. Bruce Walstad)

Detective Bruce Walstad recounts his experience meeting with psychic Jackie Mari on the "Talking with Aaron Freeman Show" in Gary, Indiana, on November 22, 1992. Mari, a Chicago-area psychic claiming to have helped police in hundreds of cases, identified Walstad as "the cop" upon his arrival. Walstad had researched Mari's claims and was able to get her to admit that her statements about solving hundreds of police investigations were inaccurate and that not all cases were actually solved. During the show, Mari employed defensive tactics, ignoring Walstad, talking over him, and bending the truth. She offered to send video evidence of her predictions, which Walstad has not received. Walstad felt he held his own during the show, but Mari expressed dislike for him.

Lights, Camera, Action - A Tale of Two TV Shows (Det. Bruce Walstad)

Detective Walstad describes his experience on the Maury Povich Show in New York, where he was invited to provide a skeptical viewpoint on psychics. He was initially placed in the audience to receive readings from three psychics before moving to the stage. One guest had accrued a $17,000 phone bill on psychic hotlines, and another was told her boyfriend was cheating. Walstad, posing as someone seeking a promotion, received readings suggesting he was ill and needed glasses. He then presented himself as a skeptic. During the show, Walstad found the psychics' answers contradictory and their advice questionable. He eventually gave a reading to a woman, which amused the audience and even earned agreement from one psychic. He notes that while the audience seemed mostly skeptical, there were many questions. He also recounts assisting producers of "48 Hours" in investigating Gypsy Fortune Telling scams. The segment aired on February 3, and shortly after, a male Gypsy contacted Walstad, anticipating complaints. Dave Bieniasz confirmed that his department had received calls from people scammed by the fortune teller featured on the show, who operated in Lombard, Illinois.

REALLity Check (David Bloomberg)

David Bloomberg's column provides a roundup of recent news related to paranormal topics. He notes that good news seems to outweigh the bad, despite a weekly dose of "pro-paranormal bias" from shows like "Unsolved Mysteries" and "Sightings." He discusses Carl Sagan's March 7th Parade article on alien abductions, which suggested psychological and social causes and noted the lack of physical evidence. Bloomberg mentions the "Fire in the Sky" movie based on Travis Walton's abduction story, noting its short theatrical run and negative reception from many UFO proponents. He also covers a U.S. News & World Report cover story on bleeding crosses and crying statues, which presented both religious and skeptical viewpoints, including James Randi's exposure of "faith healers." Additionally, he discusses an ABC "Primetime Live" expose on psychic hotlines, revealing that people without psychic abilities were hired to give readings, and estimating the industry's annual business at $100 million. He touches on the NBC show "Reasonable Doubts" addressing Creationism in schools and an AARP Bulletin article discussing "alternative medicine" from a skeptical perspective, advising consumers to seek evidence. Finally, he notes local media attention for REALL members, including an interview with Detective Walstad in the State Journal-Register and an interview with David Bloomberg himself on WYMG radio.

Book Capsule: The Faith Healers (Bob Ladendorf)

Bob Ladendorf reviews James "The Amazing" Randi's book, "The Faith Healers." The book reportedly uncovers the tricks used by "faith healers" to defraud people. It details how researchers, led by Randi, went undercover to expose methods such as using audience plants to feed information to healers via radio. The review quotes H. L. Mencken's dictum about not underestimating the intelligence of the American people.

Predictions for Future Issues

The newsletter lists potential future topics, including "Paranormal Beliefs in Medieval Times," "The End of the World," "Psychic Detectives," "Survey Results," and "Vampires."

Skeptics Online

This section promotes participation in skeptic message areas on computer BBS networks. It provides the phone number for "The Temples of Syrinx" in Springfield, operated by David Bloomberg, which hosts FidoNet SKEPTIC and UFO conferences, among other paranormal and UFO-related discussions.

BOARD ELECTIONS!

An announcement is made for Board elections to be held on May 17th at 7:00 PM at Sangamon State University. Members are encouraged to attend.

MEMBERSHIP FORM

A membership form is included, detailing regular, student, and patron membership benefits, as well as a subscription-only option. Regular membership includes The REALL News. The form requests name, address, city, state, ZIP, phone, and interests, with various membership tiers and prices listed.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of The REALL News are skepticism towards paranormal claims, media analysis of how such claims are presented, and the exposure of scams and pseudoscience. The editorial stance is clearly that of promoting rational thinking and the scientific method. The organization REALL, as described in its purpose statement and reflected in the content, is committed to objective inquiry and does not shy away from critically examining phenomena that are often accepted uncritically by the public or sensationalized by the media. The newsletter actively debunks popular myths, such as the origin of the "flying saucer" concept, and exposes fraudulent practices in areas like psychic readings and faith healing. The overall tone is informative, critical, and educational, aiming to equip readers with the tools to evaluate paranormal claims rationally.