I would pass this off if it weren't for the fact that we discussed in 1992 our belief that terrorists would attack New York and D.C. within the next decade. And my husband pinpointed The World Trade Center as the site they would want to bomb first.
1. People remember your "hits" and overlook your "misses". Note that the article admits several things this woman "predicted" which simply have not panned out (e.g. "five people" involved).
2. People who "want to believe" will give them the benefit of the doubt on things which fail to match, and/or "stretch to fit" ("aha, there *might* be five people involved, we just didn't catch them all!")
3. With dozens of "psychics" making "predictions" on any big public story, one or two are bound to have a few unusually lucky guesses. We never hear about the "psychics" which predicted yellow cars, red cars, orange cars... But the one that spun a tale about a "blue" car gets to make all the papers, and use it as "proof" that she's the real McCoy...
4. The really slick "psychics" will do a hell of a lot of research, so that their "predictions" will be better than wild guesses. They'll have spent years developing far-flung sources they can turn to for "inside" information. (One famous example hired private detectives to investigate her wealthy clients, so that she could "know" things about them that she "couldn't possibly have known unless she were truly psychic"). In this case, note that the blue car "prediction" was publicly announced TWO DAYS short of the snipers' capture. Rather than being "evidence" of her amazing abilities, it's more likely evidence that she had found an inside source in the investigation and pumped them for information -- the police had known about the involvement of Muhammad's blue Caprice for at least a week before the capture. Then the "psychic" arranges a big radio interview where she can "reveal" her "psychic insight" so that she can reap loads of free publicity when her "prediction" turns out to be "uncannily accurate". One more "miracle" for the ol' resume...
A good "psychic" knows every trick in the book to rope in new suckers.
Big whoop! I was saying the same thing. Does that make me psychic? This fall under the category of educated guess.
Reading my morning coffee grounds now, and I'll let you know later if Coleman will win.
Leni
Days before the shooting of the man at the Ponderosa steak house in Ashland, Va., Baron said she had received the message "They will surrender in Richmond."
This is the actual prediction. Notice the verb and the location. "Surrender", not "shoot someone", not "screw up", not "leave the important final clues"; "surrender". And "in Richmond", not "near Richmond", not "in a suburb of Richmond"; "in Richmond".
Ashland is a suburb of Richmond. According to press reports police have said that they almost captured Muhammad and Malvo at a pay phone in Richmond soon after the Ashland shooting.
Now here comes the fudge (wasn't that a sketch on Laugh-In?). The true believers are turning a direct and clearly constructed statement into vagueries right before your very eyes. "Surrender" has become "shoot somebody and almost get caught" and "in Richmond" has become "in and around Richmond including but not limited to the suburb of Ashland" (wonder if the citizens of Ashland consider themselves a suburb?).
Baron believes that the shooting in the Richmond area gave the police the evidence and clues they needed to help solve the case.
And the coupe de grace as the "predictor" finishes the fudge and explains why this unmistakable "miss" (as they say in the parlance) is actually a "hit"... if only you're willing to believe.
The article is filled with this dreck, vaguaries that could maybe sort of describe the situation if you're feeling generous being touted as brilliantly accurate predictions. Hooey. that's called playing the odds. I'm willing to give her credit for going the terrorist angle when most of the experts (including this layman) were still thinking normal serial killer. But there were plenty of people on FR going the same route, and they're not psychics (heck some of the people on that list think every stinky fart is a terrorist plot, good thing they don't hang out with me).
Remember kids, if they were a real psychic they wouldn't need your money, they'd make their living at the nearest Indian casino or OTB parlor. Heck, do you have any idea what a $2 bet in Vegas in March that the Angels would win the Series would have paid off? That's predicting the future.
PROPHECIES FOR 2002
The important thing to remember about predictions is that the timing can sometimes go into other years. No medium or psychic can always be correct on timing. Keep this in mind as you read these predictions.
1. Question: Will we catch Osama Bin Laden or is he already dead?
Answer: Osama will be killed and he is on his way to his death now because of very bad health for the last three years. There are certain medications he has to have in order to survive. Right now, he has access to those medications; however, he won’t always have that access. He has been shot on the left side and there have been three shots he has taken. There is man who is not a medical doctor around him and has been taking care of him, but as far as your question is concerned, he will be killed.
2. Question: Will there be any proof of that, so that we, the American people, will know he is dead?
Answer: There will be proof to the American government, however, that proof will be revealed at the government’s discretion (if you know what I mean).
3. Question: Is Saddam Hussein harboring him (Osama Bin Laden) right now?
Answer: No
4. Question: Do you see any assassination of World Leaders in the near future?
Answer: I see an assassination of Arafat, of Saddam Hussein, killed by his own people, and an attempted assassination on the President of the United States. But I do not see that as coming about at this time.
5. Question: Is there any way we can warn our President ?
Answer: He will have many warnings. Regardless of what anyone says about this man, he is very close to God but he does need to be protected at all times. However, he knows that already. There is a great deal of protection around him. The terrorists have not finished terrorizing the President or the Presidential facilities.
They are still trying to take a chance to do away with some of our leaders.
6. Question: What do you see for the economy of America for the year 2002?
Answer: The economy will get worse before it gets better but I would say by April, it could get better. But what people have to realize is what the terrorists want from America. They are trying to take our economy down because they do not wish to destroy America but they wish to take over America. So they will do things to make
our economy go down such as hurting our airlines and our modes of transportation and communication. However, they do not want every city to be blasted apart because they want to live here.
7. Question: Could that ever be possible?
Answer: It is possible; however, there are many of these terrorists who have underestimated the Americans as a whole. They really believed that all Americans were only interested in money, new cars and new homes. They never realized how close Americans could be. How they could strengthen their standards and principles. Bin Laden is running scared, with Saddam Hussein is still directing much of the terrorism. He too is very wrong and has miscalculated the American nation as a whole.
8. Question: Do you see any upheavals in the stock market or a recession?
Answer: The way it looks right now, a depression has been held off; however, there are two major forms of terrorism that could cause the market to hit bottom. However, at this time, it is not possible that these can be done, because both places are being watched carefully.
9. Question: Do you see any major natural disasters in the year 2002?
Answer:
(A) There will be big huge mudslides in California that will destroy many homes because of torrential rains. I’m speaking of hundreds and hundreds of homes.
(B) There will be a natural disaster around the area of Costa Rica.
(C) Six hurricanes on the east coast but I do not see major, major damage.
10. Question: Will the Islamic religion become the number one religion?
Answer: I would say that the Christian church as a whole would have to become far more solid for that not to happen in the future. However, not in the year 2002. As a matter of fact, many people will turn away from the Islamic religion because of the terrorism.
11. Question: Will America be attacked again by any terrorist activity?
Answer: I see two forms of terrorism. I see a building in California, (Los Angeles) such a stadium. It looks like a lot of people could be killed. This definitely can be prevented. If it happened, it wouldn’t be like the World Trade Center but far more people could be killed. The other one, I am very concerned about. There is a man in Minneapolis, Minn. who has a bomb in a suitcase. The suitcase looks like one of those black plastic cases, a hand held drill would ordinarily be carried in. There is some sort of nuclear weapons station or area that belongs to the American government that he wants to set this bomb off in. I believe both of these things could be prevented. At this time, our federal government is doing a marvelous job at preventing these things.
12. Question: Do you feel that our borders are protected adequately.
Answer: No. Our borders are wide open to anyone who wants to come into our country. One of the things these terrorists want to do is to kill many people at one time, such as in a department store. They will find places where people are crowded together.
13. Question: Will there be more hijackings?
Answer: I do see a plane coming from South America to New York City. However that too can be prevented.
The only thing I can see that would be comparable and maybe worse than the World Trade Building would be the Los Angeles stadium and that too can be prevented.