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		       The REALL News

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The official newsletter of the Rational Examination Association
		      of Lincoln Land

Volume 3, Number 6                                     June 1995

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Electronic Version

If you like what you see, please help us continue by sending
in a subscription.  See the end of newsletter for details.
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In This Issue:

From the Editor -- Bob Ladendorf
From the Chairman -- David Bloomberg
The Sociocultural Genesis of the Flying Saucer -- Wesley R. Smith, PhD
The Cold Truth about Psychics -- Bob Smet

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Purpose:
The Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land (REALL)
is a non-profit educational and scientific organization.  It is
dedicated to the development of rational thinking and the application
of the scientific method toward claims of the paranormal and fringe-
science phenomena.

REALL shall conduct research, convene meetings, publish a newsletter,
and disseminate information to its members and the general public.
Its primary geographic region of coverage is central Illinois.

REALL subscribes to the premise that the scientific method is the
most reliable and self-correcting system for obtaining knowledge
about the world and universe.  REALL not not reject paranormal claims
on a priori grounds, but rather is committed to objective, though
critical, inquiry.

_The REALL News_ is its official newsletter.

Membership information is provided elsewhere in this newsletter.

Board of Directors:  Chairman, David Bloomberg; Assistant Chairman,
Prof. Ron Larkin; Secretary-Treasurer, Kevin Brown; Newsletter
Editor, Bob Ladendorf; At-Large Members, Prof. Steve Egger, Wally
Hartshorn, and Frank Mazo.

Editorial Board:  Bob Ladendorf (Newsletter Editor), David Bloomberg
(electronic version editor), (one vacancy).

REALL
P.O. Box 20302
Springfield, IL 62708

Unless stated otherwise, permission is granted to other skeptic
organizations to reprint articles from _The REALL News_ as long
as proper credit is given.  REALL also requests that you send
copies of your newsletters that reprint our articles to the
above address.

The views expressed in these articles are the views of the individual
authors and do not necessarily represent the views of REALL.

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                         From the Editor
                        -- Bob Ladendorf

   In this issue we welcome two new authors to the pages of
The REALL News_Wesley Smith and Bob Smet. Of course, we're
always looking for additional articles to share with REALL's
membership, so don't be shy if you have something to say.
   You may have noticed a date before your name on the
mailing label. This is your membership expiration date and
replaces the cryptic numbers we had used in the past, which
had so confused several postal employees.

   As a reminder, if you have any further comments or
suggestions, please send them to me at REALL's address
listed elsewhere on this page, or send us e-mail at the
following addresses:


Bob Ladendorf__ robertcl49@aol.com (NOTE: 1st 8 are letters)

David Bloomberg_ david.bloomberg@f2112.n2430.z1.fidonet.org

					/s/ Bob Ladendorf

        	==============================

                        From the Chairman
                       -- David Bloomberg

      Illinois Science Teachers Association Convention

   As I mentioned last month, the Illinois Science Teachers
Association (ISTA) will be holding their annual conference
here in Springfield this year. What I forgot to mention was
when. The convention will be held from Thursday, September
28 through Saturday September 30. It's not clear from the
information I have, but it looks like the booth is actually
only open on Friday and Saturday.
   I've had a couple people inquire about the booth, but
I'm still looking for more people to volunteer. The booth
will center around creationism in science classrooms--
specifically how to keep it _out_, so I am especially
looking for people with experience in the creation/evolution
debate. But if you are familiar with other areas regarding
science teaching in Illinois that need to be explained,
please let me know! In addition to the booth, we may put on
a 50-minute workshop, so I'm also looking for people to help
out with that.
   Normally, registration for this convention costs $30.
However, REALL can get three other people registered, so let
me know if you're interested!

                       Upcoming Events

   We didn't manage to have a meeting in June, but we
already have July and August ready to go, and neither will
be on our "regular" first Tuesday of the month.
   July's meeting will be a lunch meeting at Shakey's Pizza
& Buffet on Sunday, July 16 at noon. Secretary/Treasurer
Kevin Brown suggested that we each bring a good skeptical
book we'd like to talk about for a few minutes, and I'm sure
the conversation will take off from there, as it usually
does when a few of us get together.
   In August, our meeting will be on Tuesday the 8th at 7
p.m at the Lincoln Library. This meeting will feature a
dramatic reading of an allegory that takes a satirical look
at bureaucracy, true believers, and other running dogs of
loyalty. Six people will present an oral interpretation of
Rich Walker's soon-to-be-published book, _The Running Dogs
of Loyalty_. Check out the July issue for more info!

					/s/ David Bloomberg

		==============================

       The Sociocultural Genesis of the Flying Saucer
           (SWEDENBORG HYBRID ORNITHOPTER OF 1714)
                  by Wesley R. Smith, Ph.D.

   Among the most badly handled, most interesting, most
distorted, and most eclectic of aerospace history subjects
is the origin of the use of the circular, elliptical and
annular wing planforms (shapes) in aircraft design.
   A quick review of the writer's memory and library reveal
that more than 50 aircraft have been designed, and/or built,
using an ellipse or circle as a wing configuration. However,
this listing is by no means a complete survey, only a brief
overview of what can be located at hand. In fact, there is
an entire U.S. Patent subclass (Class 244, Aeronautics;
Subclass 21.2 Airplane, circular) dealing with aircraft
using a circular wing planform. Likewise, a number of
lighter-than-air or hybrid designs have appeared in the
course of aeronautical history which also use the disc shape
as a basis for the gas envelope.
   What is undoubtedly the first recorded circular aircraft
was the product of the fertile imagination of an 18th
Century Swedish scientist, philosopher and noted theologian
named Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772).
   Born in Stockholm on Jan. 29, 1688, he was the second
son of Jesper Swedenberg. The family surname was transformed
to "Swedenborg" after being enobled by the King of Sweden in
1719 and following Jesper's appointment as the Bishop of
Skara. From 1710 to 1714 Emanuel Swedenborg traveled
extensively throughout Europe following his education at
Uppsala University; visiting England, Holland, France and
Germany. An avid student of astronomy and mathematics, he is
known to have met with John Flamsteed and Edmund Halley.
While he is known to have studied the works of Isaac Newton,
there is no evidence to support the contention that
Swedenborg ever knew him. Nevertheless, it was during this
period in his life that Swedenborg developed many ideas
which were as far ranging as a method to calculate longitude
based on the position of the moon, to plans for a submarine
and a practical design for an aeroplane.
   On Sept. 8, 1714, Swedenborg first wrote of his idea for
an aircraft to his brother-in-law, Erik Benzelius. This was
later followed by a complete written description which
appeared in the fourth edition of Sweden's first scientific
journal, _Daedulus Hyperboreus_, founded by Swedenborg in
the same year (1716). During this time, Charles XII of
Sweden also appointed Swedenborg as Assessor Extraordinary
at the Royal College of Mines, which enabled him to have
significant impact on Sweden's metal-mining for the next 30
years, during which he was elevated to the position of
Assessor. Moreover, his work is of great historical
significance, for _Daedulus Hyperboreus_ contains the first
detailed technical description of a flying machine of any
type.
   Fortunately, the Stifts-och Landesbibliotek at Linkoping
(codex 14a, 1714) has Swedenborg's original manuscripts
which include a sketch of Swedenborg's "Flying Saucer." The
design is oval in shape; however, circular, square and
rectangular planforms are also suggested in the 1716 text.
The dimensions [*] of Swedenborg's aircraft are given as:
32' x 24' (603.2 sq') for an oval, 28' diameter (615.75 sq')
for a circle, 25' x 25' (625 sq') for a square, and 20' x
30' (600 sq') for a rectangular surface. In all cases the
central thesis of the Swedenborg ornithopter comprises of a
central pilot's station measuring 6' wide, 4' long and 2'
deep. Suggested materials for the pilot's basket include
cork, leather and birch bark; nevertheless, both the main
wing and secondary flapping wings were to be covered with
sailcloth.
   On both sides of the basket area are a pair of flapping
wings operated by the would-be pilot. These are described as
having a length of 5' and a chord of 1.5' (7.5 sq' each). A
coiled spring was also to be attached to the spars of the
flapping wings to enable the pilot to operate the wings with
greater ease.
   Furthermore, like a design suggested by Da Vinci, the
flapping wings were intended to function as valves with
hinges at the center of the chord, folding on the up-stroke
and opening on the down-stroke. With aid of what he refers
to as "the power of the wind," Swedenborg believed that the
muscular weakness of the pilot would be more than
compensated for by this system, and that by being able to
alter the incidence angle of the flapping wings, they would
also provide sufficient thrust for horizontal flight. While
not entirely complete, there is at least a partial divorce
of the lift and thrust components of flight, as the flapping
wings are clearly not intended as the primary means of
aerodynamic lift. A complete separation of these two systems
would not come for another 85 years when Sir George Cayley
designed his first fixed-Ying aircraft in 1799.
   The oval wing of Swedenborg's machine is comprised of a
wooden framework with eight lateral ribs. Both lateral and
longitudinal camber are employed, the curvature being
maintained by four beams spaced in pairs at right angles to
each other. After carefully balancing the craft to ascertain
its center of gravity, Svedenborg suggested that a vertical
beam measuring about 8' in length be attached to the bottom
of the pilot's basket. At the bottom end, a weight of 1
lispund (18.75 lbs) was to be attached to ensure pendulum
stability.To support the entire machine, and presumably
prevent the central beam from piercing the bottom of the
basket, four diagonal beams were apparently attached to the
sides of the pilot's basket. Swedenborg states that it
"would do no harm" to attach wheels to the ends of the
quadruped struts, but he does not specifically indicate they
were necessary.
   Alas, Swedenborg's flying saucer was never to be built.
He did, however, wisely suggest that the aircraft first be
tested as a ballasted glider, and that it be launched from a
high place. Looking across the chasm of 280 years we can see
the practical, as well as the impractical, aspects of his
design. His work apparently influenced no one and is all but
forgotten by most aerospace historians; but since his day, a
number of successful circular planform aircraft have been
built and flown. Although the idea was not to be taken up
again for many years, it is worth noting that there were at
least a dozen circular, elliptical or annular shaped
aircraft designed and/or built in the United States and
Canada prior to the First World War. Among them, Dr. Bell's
Ring Rite of 1908, Ringert Jongewaard's flying disc of the
1880s, Robert B. Taylor's 1842 design for a convertiplane,
George Francis Myers' 1904 annular quadruplane, and the
interesting McCormick-Romme "Umbrella Plane" tested at
Cicero Field near Chicago from 1912 to 1914.
   Last year a disc-shaped airship was displayed at
Washington, D.C., by a team of Russians for the first time,
so it would seem that the idea is far from permanently
disappearing from the polymorphic annals of aerospace
despite the high aerodynamic drag penalty of circular
planforms, particularly at transonic speeds.
   The flying saucer, like the "flying house" stories of
the late 19th Century and the "Great Airship Flap" of
1896-1897, is based on historical fact which has evolved
into distorted cultural mythology. Yes, there are flying
saucers, and I for one, am open minded enough to admit that
it is entirely possible for life to have arisen on a planet
orbiting a distant star. But of all the flying saucers that
can be positively identified, they are definitely the
products of imaginative human beings, and among those humans
is one by the name of Emanuel Swedenborg, an 18th Century
man who designed the progenitor of what has become a 20th
Century icon.

                            NOTES

* According to _The Prehistory of Flight_, p. 233, footnote
  5, Sweedenborg's unit of measurement, the ell, is about
  2' (24n). However, _Webster's Third New International
  Dictionary_, p. 736, states that an ell is 2.25' (27").
  Based on the latter, the overall dimensions and areas
  would be as follows: Oval, 36' * 27', 763.4 sq'; circle,
  31.5' dia, 779.3 sq'; square, 28.125', 791 sq';
  rectangle, 22.5' * 33.75', 791 sq'. Additionally, the
  dimensions of the pilot's basket would be 6.75' * 4.5' *
  2.25'. The wings would measure 5.625' * 1.6875', 9.5 sq'
  (ea), and the rod for the pendulum weight would be 9' in
  length.

                        BIBLIOGRAPHY

                            BOOKS

Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 21 (Spelman-Timmins).
  Chicago, etc.; William Benton, 1968. pp 503-504.

Gibbs-Smith, Charles Harvard. Sir George Cayley's
  Aeronautics 1796 - 1855. London; Her Majesty's Stationary
  Office, 1962. pp 7-10.

Hart, Clive, Ph.D. The Dream of Flight: Aeronautics From
  Classical Times to the Renaissance. London, 1972.

ibid. The Prehistory of Flight. Berkeley, California;
  University of California Press, 1985. pp 146-151, 223.

Swift, E. Swedenborg, The Man and his Works. 1932.

Sigstedt, C.S. The Swedenborg Epic. 1953.

Tafel, R.L. Documents Concerning the Life and Character of
  Emanuel Swedenborg, 3 Vol. 1875-1877.

Trobrigdge, G. Swedenborg, Life and Teaching. 1944.

Webster's Third New International Dictionary. Chicago,
  London, Toronto, Geneva, Sydney, Tokyo, Manila;
  Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1966. p 736.


                         PERIODICALS

Acton, Alfred. "The Mechanical Inventions of Emanuel
  Swedenborg." Philadelphia, 1939. pp 20-26.

"Machine att Flyga i Wardet Enlight Utkast av Emanuel
Swedenborg." Stockholm, 1960.

Odhner, Carl Th. "Swedenborg's Flying Machine." New Church
  Life, October 1909, pp 582-591.

Odhner, Carl Th. and Hugo Lj. Odhner. "Suggestions for a
  Flying Machine." Aeronautical Journal, July 1910, pp
  118-122.

Swedenborq, Emanuel. "Utkast til en Machine at Flyga i
  Wadret." Daedulus Hyperboreus. 4, October-December 1716,
  pp 80-83.

Transactions of the International Svedenborg Congress.
  London, 1910, pp 45-46.


                  MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Illinois State Library. Patent Classification Index.

Stifts-Och Landesbiblioteck. Linkoping, codex 14a, 1714.

Swedenborg, Emanuel. Opera quaedam aut inedita aut obsoleta
  de rebus naturalibus I, ed. Alfred H. Stroh (Holmiae
  1907), p 226.

      LISTING OF CIRCULAR, ANNULAR, ELLIPTICAL, SQUARE,
  RECTANGULAR OR OTHERWISE ODDLY SHAPED AIRCRAFT WHICH HAVE
               RELEVANCE TO THE UFO PHENOMENON

NAME                CONFIGURATION                 COUNTRY    YEAR


Emanuel Swedenborg  elliptical, etc. h-t-a        Sweden     1714
Robert B. Taylor    circular, h-t-a               US/Britain 1842
                         convertiplane design
Muzio Muzzi         circular (upright)            US/Italy   1844
                    l-t-a propelled balloon
Leteur              circular, h-t-a               France     1852
                    controllable parachute
John Wooton         annular, h-t-a                US,        1866
                    flying machine patent         New Jersey
Ringert Jongewaard  elliptical, h-t-a             US, Dakota 1883
                    flying machine patent Territory
F.R. Geshyenda      elliptical, h-t-a             Tsarist    1887
                    "Proekt Paraleta"             Russia
John Buegger        circular, l-t-a               US?        1888
                    airship
William Augustus    annular, l-t-a                US?        1891
Fyers               balloon
William N. Riddle   circular (domed)              US, Texas  1892
                     l-t-a propelled balloon
William Eddy        circular, h-t-a               US         1892
                     kite
Laurence Hargrave   annular (upright)             Australia  1893
                     h-t-a tandem kite
Estanislao          elliptical, h-t-a             US, New    1895
Caballero de Los    flying machine patent         York
Olivos
George F. Myers     circular, h-t-a               US, Ohio   1897
                    multiplane and patent                   -1904
Percy Pilcher       circular, h-t-a               Britain    1897
                    "Umbrella Boat/cyclone sail"
Rev. Burrell Cannon           semi-elliptical,    US, Texas  1880s
                    h-t-a "Ezekiel Airships"                 1902,1913?
A.G. Bell           annular, h-t-a                Canada     1908
                    "Ring Rite"
D'Equevilley        annular, (upright)            France     1908
                    h-t-a
Givaudan            annular, (upright)            France     1908
                    h-t-a tandem ring
Vermorel            annular, (upright)            France     1908
                    h-t-a "Givaudan II n
                    hybrid tandem ring triplane          
Cappazza            elliptical, l-t-a              France    1909
                    airship
Unknown             annular, h-t-a                Britain    1909
                    "Safety" annular biplane
Lt. J.W. Seddon,    elliptical, h-t-a             Britain    1909
RN and A.G Hackett
Steel hoops used in construction of tandem biplane
Seddon"Mayflyl".
A.G. Ufnmstev       annular, h-t-a                Tsarist    1909
                    "Sfyeroplan No.1 &            Russia     -1910
                    Sfyeroplan No.2"
William P. Gary     annular (upright)             US, New    1910
                     h-t-a "Flying Barbell n      Jersey
Butler Ames         annular wings                 US         1910
                    h-t-a, magnus effect
Amos Wyckoff        circular, 1-t-a/              US         1910
                    h-t-a hybrid flying machine             -1914
Two patents, one built. Destroyed by fire.
Lee-Richards        annular, h-t-a                Britain    1911
                    biplane
William P. Gary annular (upright)                 US, New    1911
                    h-t-a tractor triplane hybrid  Jersey
Edwards             diamond-shaped                Britain    1911
                     h-t-a "Rhomboidal" pusher biplane
Lee-Richards        annular, h-t-a                Britain    1912
                    biplane glider
McCormick-          annular (hexagonal)           US,Illinois 1912
Romme               h-t-a "Umbrella Plane"                   -1914
Lee-Richards        annular, h-t-a                Britain    1913
                    tractor monoplane
J. Robertson        annular, h-t-a                 Britain   1913
Porter              "Gyropachute" air cushion vehicle
Paul Malwurm        annular fuselage,             US         1929
                    h-t-a "Flyworm"
L.C. Popper and     annular lift rotors           US         1932
John B. Guest       using magnus effect, h-t-a
Snyder              square, 1-t-a/                US         1932
                    h-t-a hybrid
Unknown             circular, l-t-a               Italy      1932?
                    "Whirling Gasbag n
Nicholson           square, h-t-a                 US         1932
Carl N. Hall        annular, h-t-a                US         1933
                     propeller enclosed in a huge ring
Jonathan E.         rectangular blades            US         1933
Caldwell            rotating laterally, h-t-a
Luigi Stipa-        annular fuselage               Italy     1933
Caproni             enclosing buried engine, h-t-a
Nemeth              circular, h-t-a               US         1930s
Lamer               circular, h-t-a               US         1930s
Aarup               semi-elliptical,              US         1935
                    h-t-a tractor monoplane
Moskalyev           semi-elliptical,               USSR      1936
                              SAM-9 "Strela",               -1937
                    h-t-a tractor monoplane
Flettner            annular wings                 Germany    late
                    using magnus effect, h-t-a               1930s
Vought              semi-elliptical                US        1942
                    V-173, h-t-a "Flying Pancake"
Vought              semi-elliptical               US         1947
                    XF5U-l, h-t-a tractor monoplane         -1948
Miles               annular fuselage              Britain    1947
                    M-52, h-t-a                             -1948
Leduc               annular fuselage,             France     1949
                    0.10/0.16, h-t-a
Leduc               annular fuselage              France     1953
                    0.21/0.22, h-t-a
Hiller              annular rotor duct            US         1955
                    XONR-l flying platform, h-t-a
Convair             circular wing                 US         1950s
                    design studies, h-t-a
Doak                annular propeller             US         1958
                    ducts VZ-4DA, h-t-a
SNECMA              annular fuselage              France     1959
                    Coleopetre C.450-01, h-t-a
Avro tCanada)       annular, h-t-a                Canada/US  1960
                    VZ~9Z "Avrocar n
Piasecki            semi-annular, h-t-a           US         1962
                    VZ-8P n Airgeep II n
Aero Rinetics       annular, h-t-a                US         1963
Northrop            elongated cone                US         1966
                    HL-10 lifting body, h-t-a
Northrop            elongated cone                US         1965
M2-Fl/2 lifting body, h-t-a   -1966
Bell                annular rotor ducts           US         1966
                    X-22A, h-t-a
NORD                annular rotor ducts           France     1968
                    500, h-t-a
Boeing/Grumman      circular radome               US         mid-1960s   
                    AWACS, h-t-a                            -current
Martin Marietta     elongated cone                US         1970
                    X-24A lifting body, h-t-a
Martin Marietta     elongated cone                US         1973
                    X-24B lifting body, h-t-a
Skyship Enterprises           circular, 1-t-a     Britain    1974
                      airship
Lockheed            annular wing                  US         late
                    design for an airliner                   -1970s
Mr. Six?            annular, h-t-a                US?        1980?
Model seen at Oshkosh n Flymart n
Unknown             circular, 1-t-a               Russia/CIS 1994
Displayed in Washington! DC
Howard Menger       circular UFO model            US         1951?
                    HMX-l-l951 designed by 1950s alien
"contactee"         Howard Menger

ADDENDA

Cayley      "Governable Parachute"      1852-1853
Convair     circular, n-t-a GEM         1960
            Ground Effect Machine
Avro        circular, h-t-a             1960
            WSGOGA
NC Price 1  U.S. Patent #3,103,324      1963
Lockheed    09-10-63, Circular
            High Altitude, High Velocity
            VTOL Aircraft
Sikorsky    annular, "cypher"           1988
            h-t-a                       -present
Paul Moller multiple annular            1980s
            "skycar" u200x              -present
Jesse A. Bird? elliptical reconstruction 1897
            of Swedenborg's original design
Lockheed    modified elliptical         Mid-
            GTD-21B hypersonic rpv      1960s


[Wesley Smith is a Springfield native with a Ph.D. in American History
from George Washington University.  He is an aerospace historian who 
has received two fellowships at the National Air and Space Museum, is the
Chief Archivist for the Wright Brothers Foundation, and was recently 
appointed to the Congressional Committee for the 2003 Wright Brothers
Centennial.  Smith is currently doing research for a forthcoming book
cataloging early American heavier-than-air flying machines.]

		==============================

                The Cold Truth about Psychics
                         by Bob Smet

   According to the magic book suppliers I've spoken to,
two recent books are the definitive books in the area of
cold reading: _King of the Cold Readers_ (KCR) by Bascom
Jones and _Red Hot Cold Reading_ (RHCR) by Thomas Saville,
Ph.D. and Herb Dewey. Authors Jones and Dewey are
respectively touted as prominent west coast and east coast
psychics. Not being your typical psychic groupie, it should
come as no surprise that I have never heard of either one.
Thomas Saville is an Associate Professor of Psychology at
Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colorado.
   For those unfamiliar with the term, cold reading,
according to RHCR, is "the description of the personality,
characteristics, features, past experiences and sometimes
the future of a person without the use of standard
psychological or other formal diagnostic procedures."
   The authors wrote their books as guides to the practice
of cold reading by providing the typical readings, the
sizing up of clients and the basic dos and don'ts of
effective cold reading. Both books present typical formula
readings; Saville and Dewey aptly call their formula reading
The Barnum Effect, which goes, "You have a strong need for
other people to like you and for them to admire you. You
have a tendency to be critical of yourself. You have a great
deal of unused energy which you have not turned to your
advantage. While you have some personality weaknesses, you
are generally able to compensate for them." Etc. This type
of reading is just for starters. To personalize it further,
other factors come into play. More on that later.
   The interesting thing about these books is that they are
written with the sincere interest in developing the psychic
as the poor man's psychologist. While a psychologist openly
shares psychological principles to promote treatment,
psychics use psychology as a personal tool to manipulate the
client, known as the sitter, presumably for the sitter's own
good. In the majority of cases, sitters go to psychics to
address a personal problem, whether it's travel, health,
expectations, sex, career, ambitions, or money (T.H.E.
S.C.A.M., as Jones calls it). The successful psychic is one
that lets the sitter depart feeling hopeful, self-confident
or to simply get a better sense of direction in their life.
The psychic's goal as described here is not to send the
sitter away feeling depressed or fearful. Each author
sincerely feels that the psychic must act responsibly to
play the role of caregiver, albeit a hired caregiver.
Nothing in either book addresses the devious practices
typically associated with the charlatans in the field; take
my word for it_here is plenty of info here to get anyone
with a vivid imagination interested in stretching their
ethical boundaries.
   The success of cold reading lies in the sitter
embellishing "selected statements from the reading, with
details that make the generalizations appear more accurate
than they are" (KCR). To further their success, psychics
must equip themselves with the fundamental knowledge
regarding human nature that most of us do not normally
appreciate. They realize that we arrogantly think of
ourselves as unique and more different than similar, when in
fact it is just the opposite. Whether we like to admit it,
we all generally possess similar fears, desires, drives,
etc., and it is this truth that psychics exploit.
   I also like Saville's contribution of detailing the
psychological factors that influence the sitter's
credulousness to the psychic's craft, such as the self-
serving bias, the air of confidence of the presentation,
selective perception/recall, self-fulfilling prophesies,
etc. By far, I thought the following typical generalities
about people (chosen from several) were very insightful
about how psychics ply their craft:

    Most people prefer gold jewelry to silver
    Most red-haired people get hay fever in the summer
    Most men prefer showers
    Most women prefer baths
    Most men enjoy reading books written by men
    Most women enjoy reading books written by women
    Most people have had at least one memorable sunburn
    Most people have wondered what their pupose in life is
    Most women that wear black are weight conscious
    Most women that wear hats consider themselves fashionable
    Most women as children kept a diary

   RHCR gives several additional observations about women
since 80% of the sitters are women!
   You can imagine the effect of a psychic's abilities when
he or she comes in armed with the formula reading, knowledge
of common life histories, and a good grasp of human nature
and body language, all presented with an air of confidence
that is wholeheartedly receptive to the sitter.
   I never planned on becoming a cold reader before reading
these books nor do I intend to do it now. I nevertheless
find it very insightful to know how it's done if for no
other reason to be able to spot it whenever I see it being
practiced. As a skeptic, I've generally been hostile to the
psychic charlatan who deliberately deceive the unknowing.
Although the tone of the authors is benevolent, I'm
unforgiving about the net effect of their techniques_
promoting the sitter's passive acceptance of the psychic's
claims through the use of benevolently-spirited deception is
still deception, no matter how one packages it.
   The books are only about 90 pages long, sized at 8 1/2"
x 11" and cost $40 apiece. Being interested in the field, I
called a few magic stores around the country and discovered
that they are the key books in the area of cold reading. If
any REALL members would like to borrow them, just let me
know.

[Bob Smet is a Patron Member of REALL and an environmental 
engineer with the Illinois EPA.]

		==============================

		      A Nod to Our Patrons

REALL would like to thank our patron members.  Through their extra
generosity, REALL is able to continue to grow as a force for critical
thinking in Central Illinois.  Patron members are those giving $50
or more.  To become a patron of REALL, please see the membership
form below.  Patron members are:

David Bloomberg, Springfield    Bob Ladendorf, Springfield
David Brown, Danville           John Lockard, Jr., Urbana
Alan Burge, D.D.S., Morton      Robert Smet, Ph.D., Springfield
Wally Hartshorn, Springfield    Edward Staehlin, Park Forest

		   ==============================

			Letters to the Editor

    We at REALL encourage letters to the editor about any article
or topic covered in The REALL News.  We want to make this a forum
for _all_ our members.  (Letters may be edited if too long.  Name,
address and phone number must be included with the letter.)

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			Skeptics Online

If you have a computer and a modem, you owe it to yourself to
participate in the skeptic message areas on the computer BBS
networks.  Here in Springfield, call The Temples of Syrinx at
(217) 522-4707.  David Bloomberg operates this BBS, which carries
the FidoNet SKEPTIC, EVOLUTION, UFO, and FMS conferences,
internationally distributed message areas for discussing topics
of interest to skeptics.  He is also carrying ParaNet conferences,
all dedicated to UFO and paranormal topics.  In addition, he has
recently added several Usenet conferences, including Sci.Skeptic,
the Skeptic Listserver, Talk.Origins, and various Alt.Folklore
groups. You can also find a wide variety of skeptic, scientific,
UFO, FMS, evolution/creation, and urban legend text files there.

	     The Temples of Syrinx -- (217) 522-4707
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		       Skeptics on the Web

Wally Hartshorn has set up an unofficial REALL homepage on the 
Internet.  To access it, go to:

		http://www.fgi.net/~whartsho/reall/

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			 MEMBERSHIP FORM

Regular membership includes _The REALL News_ and all of the benefits
of membership.  A subscription to _The REALL News_, without membership,
is available.  Full-time students can join at the discounted rate.
A patron membership includes all of the benefits of a regular membership,
plus a listing in _The REALL News_ and our eternal gratitude (where
"eternal" is defined as "one year").

Name: _________________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________

City, State, ZIP: _____________________________________________

Phone: ________________________________________________________

Interests: ____________________________________________________

		___      Regular Membership ($20/Year)
		___      Student Membership ($15/Year)
		___      Family Membership ($30/Year)
		___      Patron Membership ($50 or more/Year)
		___      Subscription Only ($12/Year)
		___      Trial or Gift Subscription ($3 for 3 issues)

Bring to a meeting or mail to:  REALL,
				P.O. Box 20302
				Springfield, IL 62708