T he professional magician and skeptical James Randi, through the foundation he heads (James Randi Educational Foundation), offers one million dolars (more than 3,5 million Reais at the very moment I am writting it) to anyone who reproduces any paranormal phenomenon under a scientifically controlled environment. Fantástico, a program from the Brazilian Globo TV made a series of programs on this matter about the One Million Challenge and searched for many candidates to try it. The Round Earth Society assisted Globo in the production of these programs. I took part in a candidate selection test.

Plastic Flowers Don't Die

The name of the supposed paranormal was Johnny Gaspar. He claimed he could "revive" dead flowers "energizing" them only by the aproaching of his hands. The Fantastico's staff invited me to take part in this test with them, which would take place in Jardim Botanico, Rio de Janeiro. Biologist Yara Oliveira Brito joined us in this journey as well. A flower was chosen in the rose garden in Jardin Botanico and Johnny started to "energize" it. We spent hours under the hot sun waiting for this paranormal event to occurr. This session was shot in a video without cuts. We compared the images of the flower before and after the "energization". No change.

The following day we returned to the same place and the flower was remarkably regenerated. The biologist explained that during the night the plant could have received natural environmental resources enough to its recovering, as the dew, a mild temperature, etc. This could justify the recovering and we rejected the possibility of any delayed effect from the Johnny's alleged paranormal power. We chose another flower. Again we spent more than one hour under that hot sun observing carefully the man with his hands close to the flower trying to "revive" it with paranormal power. As the day before, nothing happened. The applicant was rejected.

The test didn't fuIfill the scientific control requirements I would have liked it to, but I think it was valid. I have reached very important conclusions from this simple case. Just like Johnny, some people think "energy"comes from the hands and this energy is "positive". They confer healing powers to this "energy" and think this energy can, at any rate, relieve or even put an end to diseases and pains. I don't think Johnny is trying to deceive people claiming to have such healing powers. He'd be an innocent quack, who really believes to have power. That's what I noticed in him, but I might be wrong.

The therapeutic touch is the elaborated form of this belief. Let's figure out a situation where somebody goes to a shaman who uses the therapeutic touch in the expectation of getting rid of a hard stomachache instead of going to the doctor. An ulceration could be disguised from this irrational attitude. No Johnny has ever proved that the therapeutical touch works, whether with plants or humans (besides all other evidence against TT). There is no kind of evidence that supports it, nor any reasonable arguments that could stand as a basis for this belief. This paranormal phenomenon does not exist, and the attitude of believing it instead of taking refuge in medicine could bring disastrous consequences.

Many other aplicants besides Johnny have been analysed. Most of them has failed in the tests. The ones that didn't fail vanished before being tested, as the quackster Roberto Lengruber, who alleged to cure the alcoholism "energizing" some pictures of the patient. Lengruber had even been arrested decades ago due to his practices. But finally a probable winner arises: Thomaz Green Morton, who is known as one of the most famous psychics in Brasil.

Introducing: Thomaz Green Morton

Thomaz Green Morton, an apothecary from the State of Minas Gerais, claims to have many psychic habilities, such as bending spoons and coins, and making colorful lights to appear misteriously. He says he makes perfume flow from his bare hands, transmutes substances as refined sugar into a golden anaesthetic powder. He moves cars with nobody driving them while he is on the rider's seat. He heals pains and people with mental power, revives dead chicks and birds. He guesses the contents of wallets (including the value filled in checks inside them). And, amazingly, turns an unfertilized egg into a chick! It seems we have our man, the first in the world who can prove the existence of psychic forces and will get Randi's big prize. Or not...

Debunking Thomaz Green Morton

Morton admirers made a lot of noise, here at Round Earth Society we received lots of mails from people declaring the guy would pull us down. Morton said he'd make an unfertilized egg originate a chick in Randi's presence to get the one million prize. But this didn't happen. He barked, but didn't bite. He ran away from the skeptic's scrutiny.

Thomaz Green Morton has been caught using people in black among the wood at his country-house to create colorful light flashes. He also used hidden cameras in his clothes and next to him to create the same effect. As shown in Fantastico's matter, in a recording made by Morton himself we can see a camera being used to create the flashes. In another scene the camera shoots alone and Morton gets apparently embarassed and tries, desperately, to attract the attention of the audience to another spot, so that they cannot find the camera under the table.

A friend of Morton's shot a video of him holding a broken fork. Morton fixed the fork. Analysing the video, we clearly notice Morton changing the broken fork for a perfect one. In another recording, Morton says that a vegetal powder appears from his hands. Watching this we are able to see that he distracts the people and astutely gets the powder from a previously prepared place. Morton talks, talks but always escapes from James Randi's tests. He knows it's a hoax. He knows Randi would humiliate him. Morton isn't two things: a psychic and a fool.

Israeli Who Bends Cutlery is Bent by Randi

In the 70's, an Israeli called Uri Geller became famous for his so called psychic deeds. He appeared many times in TV programs bending spoons and rings, fixing watches, guessing the contents in envelopes, materializing money from other countries and so many other abilities apparently without scientific explanation. Millions of people believed his fantastic powers, some of them even venerated him. Until a fellow showed that all those things were nothing but cheap tricks. The fellow was James Randi.

Ahe Truth About Uri Geller

Uri Geller bending a spoon

Geller never accepted Randi's challenge, but even so, the magician unmasked him. In his book "The Truth About Uri Geller", Randi tells how everything was done. Randi managed to see the Israeli in action personally some times, wearing disguises (he pretended to be a journalist) so that he couldn't be recognized. Geller knew he'd be caught if he presented his tricks in the presence of a professional and expert magician as Randi and for this reason he used to forbid any attempt of putting an ilusionist next to him. Since he couldn't test nor get closer to Geller, Randi trained journalists and some other people to observe the israeli in a correct way. With the proper training (and a bit of critical sense) they and any other person is able to notice that the "psychic" is, in fact, a guy doing tricks.

James Randi bending a key

Randi used independent recordings of Geller's exibitions to show him doing tricks. Some frames of the videos, when frozen, showed clearly when Geller used chairs or the hands of the presenters as a lever to bend the spoons. Randi also reproduced Geller's deeds using his ilusionist knowledge. Geller sued Randi, the editor and the CSICOP after the book was published. He lost all the lawsuits and even had to compensate the skeptics. He was definitely debunked.

Quack Monkeys See, Quack Monkey Do

Where does Geller fit into this story? Like a monkey, Thomaz Green Morton has imitated him, in all aspects. Geller tells that he got his "power" meeting a misterious bright flying sphere. Morton says a thunderbolt fell from the sky right on him, giving him, therefore, psychic powers (Shazam!). Geller's favorite number is the bent spoons, and Morton's as well. Geller created a Cadillac full of bent spoons glued on the car surface. His car looked like a parade wagon. Morton built up a rough doll made of bent steel that looks more like a piece of junk art. Geller loves to use TV celebrity's statements as a proof of his powers. Morton is also known as "Stars Guru" by the very same reason. Geller never accepted Randi's challenge. Morton scaped too. Both have been exposed. Both are deceivers, quacks. Both must be comdemned to ostracism (and in the case of Morton, to jail).

Charlatanism and Faith Healing are Crimes: Arrest'em!

Morton has admittedly committed crimes. In the 151st edition of the IstoÉ Gente magazine, from June, 24th, 2002, Morton clearly admits to have practiced the crimes of faith healing, illegal practice of medicine and omission of assistence in an act of running over ("hit-and-run"). The Brazilian Penal Code says that charlatanism and faith healing are crimes:

Morton claims that he heals people by "energizing", which is charlatanism. Morton uses words (RÁ!) and gives his golden magical powder to people, saying that it will cure them, and that is faith healing. Thomaz Green Morton is a criminal, and the Penal Code demands his imprisonment.

The Score is: Skeptics 10 x 0 Psychics

It is not likely that any other supposed psychic will try, here in Brazil, to take part in Randi's challenge in the following months. They are probably all afraid of becoming another Gheller or Morton: a fake for everyone to see. They hide in their ghettos, where cameras and skepticism cannot reach them. What a pity. I hope that those who happen to cross the way of these fakes have at least a little bit of skepticism, so that they don't fall in their trap.

Randi's prize is still waiting for a winner. My hint is that it will remain like this till the end of times. We go on as we started, no one has so far proven the existence of any paranormal phenomena. For those who claim that paranormality exists I don't say RÁ!, I say HA HA HA... PROVE IT!

References

Texts From James Randi About Thomaz Green Morton and the Challenge in Brazil