Hey Banachek,

I met you again at the recent Taom, Just wanted to say thanks for the great advice. I loved your lecture and your performance.
I also loved your interivew
I hope to brake into the collage business soon.
If your ever in waco Tx and want to see another mentalist show look me up. I always have a show coming up in waco.
Blake Adams
http://www.blakeadamsmindmagic.com

I have just posted my latest in the Jinx interview series. The contributors joining me on this episode include Mac King, Max Maven, Eugene Burger, Mike Caveney and Jonathan Levit. Each has their own unique take on Annemann and the Jinx. You can listen here.

Thank you, Dodd, for all you do. I know how difficult it is to make deadlines and continue with a quality podcast and news updates (and all the controversy). You are doing a stellar job. I download and listen to the Newswire each week on my iPod Touch and I enthusiastically recommend your podcast to all magicians. There is so much there, not only with current stuff but the richness of our past. Your in-depth interviews give texture to our craft that will leave a lasting legacy for future generations of magicians to learn from and to enjoy.

All the best for continued success. And perhaps I may be able to assist you from time to time with some of the interviews, too, as another "cub reporter".

sincerely,
Scott

Hi Banachek

I loved the interview. You have been a guiding light to me since we first met at 72 Hours.

As for those critical of your involvement in the Alpha Project, they are naive. I am a graduate of Washington University and a retired Research Scientist. Research today is all about getting funding. If you seek funding to do research that may show the man-made global warming is increasing, there is lots of money available. If you want to do research that may prove the global warming is a hoax, there is very little funding available. The sources of grant money are often seeking support for their beliefs rather than seeking "TRUTH". Unfortunately, that has become more pervasive since the time of the Alpha Project.

I agree with your statements about your Roulette with knives. I have seen you do it and I know the methodology. That leaves me free to watch the audience and their reactions. This effect is riveting to a lay audience. The "trick" is good. Your presentation is the thing that makes it work. The audience really likes you and they are genuinely concerned that you may be hurt. You have them in the palm of your hand because your persona is so likable. I did escapes for many years and I learned that bonding with the audience is more important than the props and the hoopla. If they really like you, death-defying stunts much more effective.

I reread Psychological Subtleties 1 about once a year and each time I learn a bit more. Each time I seem to have a slightly different eye. I read the same words and get a different thought.

Thanks for sharing your time, your thoughts, and your experiences.

Viano

You describe the scientists as the ones who were "earnest" and "sincerely dedicated to truth".

Couldn't this description apply equally well to the magicians?

Similarly, couldn't the scientists be described as the ones who were "arrogant", "impressionable" and "looking for a pivotal moment of self worth"?

j/w



Is that the theme to BARGAIN HUNT playing in the background at the beginning of the clip?

Research is always about getting funding...as is any job that requires supplies be bought and people paid.

I do think you are making a blanket statement about global warming research that is highly inaccurate however. Let's look at it a bit.

It isn't that research showing global warming to not be true isn't funded...there is a huge demand for such results. The United States is consistently the stumbling block in global warming regulation. Such scientific findings would be very valuable to US business.

The problem with research that would suggest global warming isn't true is it isn't consistent with current research findings.

If you have results that would indicate that global warming is not true (that would not be ridiculed in peer-reviewed journals) the world is your oyster.

Government may not fund it but private business (especially oil and coal) would throw money at you so fast you couldn't count it.

Private industry pays WAY more than government/university research. There isn't a lack of money for this research...the results so far just don't support it. Oil and coal would give you more for this kind of result than tobacco would give you for results indicating smoking is good for you.

That certainly doesn't suggest the road to funding isn't affected by politics. The Bush administration cut off funding (and edited results) to support their political/religious goals. There are many examples of this on the internet.

Now the Obama administration will change funding priorities too. Good or bad? I'm not touching that with a hundred foot pole.

Another curious, current example...I have a friend who is doing research on a disease that affects only about ten people. So why is it funded? It is because one of those people is the child of a powerful congressman. He is probably hoping for a break-through that will save his child.

Usually science doesn't work that fast.

Another factor about what is funded is human frailty. Currently obesity research is well funded.

The major cause of obesity is actually pretty well known...high fat diets. That's it. Take two genetically identical mice and put them on the same calorie-count diet. The high fat diet mouse will get fat while the other doesn't.

So why is there research? People don't want to stop eating at McD's. So you have to look at all the ways to alter and affect appetite and related physiological systems. One of the Nobel prize winners here won his prize for obesity research.

All you have to do is not eat high fat diets. You don't need a Nobel prize winning study for that.

The controversy over the alpha project was how it was handled. That has been discussed enough already.

As far as scientists being arrogant I have noticed it to be true in two extremes...the scientists at the very, very top big name universities and the scientists on the bottom, at the smaller colleges. It is probably about 5% of the scientists and mostly male.

This applies only to research scientists. In different fields of science people think and act differently. Everywhere I have gone, small or large universities, the male medical students seem to be very arrogant.

Different people think differently. There is a story that illustrates this.

A guy on the street, a medical student, and a research scientist are walking down the street. They walk up to a lever they find and pull it. They get an electric shock.

The guy on the street thinks, "I'm not doing that again".

The medical student thinks, "I wonder what the right answer is".

The research scientist thinks, "I wonder if it will do that again".

You need all different kinds of thinking to make the world work.

Funny someone would claim that we are naive. My niece is a NASA Scientist. She has been on both polar ice
caps in the last two years for months at a time studying climate changes. She was involved in writing the grant that is currently funding the work she now does for NASA. She was the first ever female to be offered a shot at becoming an astronaut who turned it down (She has another opportunity next year if she desires)
I agree with Mota ... There is plenty of funding to show that global warming is NOT happening. I think Viano2 is wrong on that one.

However, I do see Mr. V's point that the Alpa Project didn't stop the funding issues. Looks like it's worse.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote one of the most level headed characters ever. Holmes seem to be able to find rational explanations in the strangest of circumstances. YET Mr. Doyle believed in fairies and any occult behavior presented before him.

Intelligence does not rule out magic thinking.

By the way, along the lines of what is going on here, there's a movie coming out that will tickle some of you. It's called The Men Who Stared At Goats. It's a humorous take on a time when our government went in the other direction... they were seeing things through Doyle's eyes and not Holmes'.

If you get a chance to rent or buy the documentary of the same name then do yourself a favor and get it. It has a lot of unintentional laughs as you see high ranking officials believe they can walk through a wall if they simple believe. And we definitely had tax dollars spent on this crazy experiment.

By the way, Banachek, you're the best!!!

Greg

That is indeed an interesting film Greg. It was a three part series in the UK called "Crazy Rulers of the World." The three parts were titled "The Men Who Stare at Goats", "Funny Torture" and "Psychic Footsoldiers. "Thanks for reminding me of it. I believe it is being made into a feature film with George Clooney as well.

Updated.. yep.. in fact, here's a trailer from YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVKi3z1NXF8

Yep, that's the 3 part documentary I saw. The film looks great. Can't wait. But I'm sure some will say that if you just stare at that wall long enough you will go through it... but not when you're being watched.

Greg

I'm watching this again just because it makes me chuckle to hear the General in charge of Military Intelligence talk about spoon bending and "Project Jedi"

For anyone that is interested, here are some links:

This film was based on the Jon Ronson book"The Men Who Stare At Goats." (http://www.jonronson.com/goats_04.html) And will soon be a dark comedy starring Kevin Spacey & George Clooney.

It is a three part documentary from the BBC Entitled Crazy Rulers of the World:

Watching these requires the VEOH Player, but worth it I think. There are segmented versions of the film on YouTube but it requires a bit more work to pull them together.)

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EP 1 The Men Who Stare At Goats
Charts the history of a secret US Army unit founded in 1979 - the First Earth Battalion. The programme uncovers the startling truth about this unit's involvement with paranormal activities that defy all known accepted military practice, including mind reading, out of body experiences and 'thought-death' experiments carried out on goats at Fort Bragg.

LINK : http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/catego......wtSjfqpq


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EP 2 Funny Torture
Jon Ronson reveals how the New Age movement of the 1980s has influenced interrogation at Guantanamo Bay and in post-war Iraq.

LINK : http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/catego......44D2DSz2


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EP 3 Psychic Footsoldiers
The final episode looks into the military's involvement with remote viewing and mind control experiments.

LINK : http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/catego......28zpf6Nj

I am now happy to report that we will indeed have TWO people reporting from MindVention. Thanks to Danny Archer for being so accommodating. Stay tuned for a chat with Danny very soon as well.