IIG Public Update #13
September 2008
The highlight of August is always the IIG end-of-the-fiscal-year barbecue. Spencer Marks and Charles Valek manned the grill, and we enjoyed a smorgasbord that would definitely not be approved by Dr. Atkins.
Of course, prior to the frivolity was our regular August meeting which featured discussions of the various applicants for the $50,000 paranormal challenge. Here’s the latest:
NEW ZEALAND ORB MAN:
Kiwi John Z. writes, simply, "I have proof of "extraterrestial [sic] life" . . . It is not a matter of believing, it is a matter of knowing, it is a matter of facts."
His facts? The following photos. First of all, the "extra blue picture:" Look closely for the "skyball."
Also included was this photo, wherein Mr. Z. pointed out the orbs.
We explained to Mr. Z why we could not accept these photos as proof, and here is his response:
How can I convince with the truth when the only thing I have is the truth and you don't accept it as such? . . . My pictures are 100% genuine, truthfull [sic] and not a hoax. If they are a hoax imagine the amount of work, I have hundreds of pictures that are meticoulously [sic] refined and every detail fits.... [ellipses his] It's simple, because they are the truth.
We are still determining whether there’s a valid application here (that is, a phenomenon that may be objectively investigated). In the meantime, we have also suggested that Mr. Z contact the New Zealand Skeptics. More to come.
DEREK AND THE UFOs:
This is now the longest running feature on the monthly update, perhaps because UFO proponent Michael Horn will not stop, and IIG investigator Derek Bartholomaus refuses to ignore him. Anyway, we present the latest in the ongoing correspondence between the two.
COLONEL X:
If you’ll remember from last month, Colonel X has sent an application for the 50 grand, and he claims to be able to channel UFOs.
In our correspondence with him, we have been asking some basic information, like how soon after he begins channeling can we expect to see the UFO, and how will we see the object. Telescope? Naked eye? Colonel X. promised to "work on the answers to your questions."
A few weeks go by, and a reporter from a Las Vegas newspaper asks us to confirm a press release from X. claiming that "Colonel X, featured in Ufo [sic] Magazine as ufologists' Holy Grail, has been accepted into the IIG $50,000 Paranormal challenge," and furthermore, that "[t]o date no-one has been able to provide the IIG with proof that they have psychic ability." While that second sentence is definitely correct, the fact is that Colonel X. (real name – Ben Woods) has not been "accepted" as an applicant, as we still in discussion over protocols.
AULTERRA:
The corrected version of our report on the "Neutralizer" product from Aulterra is now on-line.
VISION FROM FEELING:
Anita Ikonen has sent us a pretty decent draft protocol for testing her abilities. We have scheduled a meeting of the protocol committee to review it on September 7th, 2008. If it is approved, Ms. Ikonen will be scheduled to travel to Hollywood and be tested.
NEW JERSEY SPOONBENDER:
Melissa A. from the Garden State claims that she can bend spoons "using ONLY my mind [her emphasis]." That qualifier may seem superfluous, but we have encountered "spoon-benders" who require two hands to do it in an entirely non-paranormal manner.
Unable to travel to Hollywood, Melissa has promised to send us a videotape of herself performing the feat.
THAT’S ALL:
Enjoy Labor Day, Grandparents Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, the 221st anniversary of the U.S. Constitution.
- IIG
