Hi all!

It is time to test whether this forum is still alive.

Thank you, Peter Mulacz for the free summary of your paper about physical
mediumism: http://www.parapsych.org/papers/29.pdf . You gave there your
email address, but I thought it is important to write also to a wider
audience.

You write: "Taking into account the potential relevance of (ostensible)
phenomena of physical mediumism the present state of affairs is a deplorable
one. However, research in Paranormal Metal Bending was a first little step
in the right direction of reversing that process."

I agree with you otherwise, but the Paranormal Metal Bending is a disaster
in my opinion. I have always wondered why parapsychologists do not take
enough advantage of what mainstream scientists already know. One of the best
examples is Michael Persinger, who has "invented" new physics and geology
with rather poor credentials. It is team work with different fields of
science that is needed.

There have been mainly physicists and scholars who have tried to investigate
the metal bending, with exceedingly poor results. As far as I know, the only
highly knowledgeable metallurgists were from France, with very convincing
results. Scholars are not able to analyze the physical world and physicists
cannot say so much about practical metallurgy, and both are not able to
appreciate the results which the Frenchmen have got. I am an engineer (MA)
in machine construction and metallurgy and know what I am talking about,
having read many discussions.

There were many "mini-Gellers" in Finland in the year 1974. As a young
metallurgist I did experiments with two of them, boys aged 8 and 9 years.
Beyond all reasonable doubt they could bend my specimens paranormally. I was
very astonished to notice that I was the _only_ person in Finland trying to
make some research of the phenomenon.

When the metal bending is discussed now much later, everybody remembers Uri
Geller but mini-Gellers are most often ignored. Although their abilities are
the most convincing phenomenon to show that psi-phenomena can be real.
Unfortunately the ignoring concerns also the parapsychological community.

The next question is natural: why do parapsychologists not appreciate metal
bending, physical mediumism and poltergeist cases? Why did Gauld and Cornell
show such a sort of hostility in their unfair criticism of The Scole Report,
giving all weapons in the hands of the skeptics? In spite of their excellent
book about poltergeists. I guess it is either disbelief in the phenomena or
fear, that such mind-boggling things are dangerous for the funding of
parapsychology. It is most safe to disregard those impossible phenomena.

But remember, in science and in the long run it is the research and
_evidence_ that will resolve arguments. It ought not to be only question of
belief or funding.

Have a nice day,
Olavi