Charlatans of all flavours...........

[R1Geezer]

Have so far failed to pick up James Randi's $1m. That's the whole lot, spoon bender's, dowsers, mediums, phsycics of alll flavours. Even Homeopathy was shown to be a load of old Pony on the well respected Horizon program. This million bucks is just lying around waiting to be picked up, yet they prefer to earn pin money deluding themselves and the gullible. Do you think they secretly know they are con artists? if not why hasn't a single one of them ever got close to making their "powers" work under test conditions? I mean these water dowsers seem to find water, you'd think they'd have a go for the million wouldn't you?

[cazzz1975]

I do think there are a lot of frauds out there, biggest con merchant going is colin fry

[jno]

that's petty cash compared with what some astrologers make.

[Huderon]

Some are con artists, actually I suspect a lot are. Some believe in what they are doing, so aren't con artists as such. And I know a few homeopaths who would argue that that the testing done in that Horizon programme was done in a way which would result in a failure.

[R1Geezer]

yes jno, a few high profile astrologers get rich out of it, most eek out a meagre existance from the gullible. if any of them where any good they'd pick up the million, wouldn't they?

Huderon, the Horizon test was a standard double blind test used for any serious test of this nature. It was actually agreed to by the Homeopaths before they started Of course the Homeopaths once they found out the results wouldn't like it, it's a true, fair test the last thing they want. It's designed to remove the placebo effect and it did, hence, homeopathic water was found to be exactly what it is, er.... water!

The double blind approach has also been used on Dowsers, surprise surprise their results are no better than chance!