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Blundered predictions in 2004: a Sylvia Browne review
Skeptical Inquirer, March-April, 2005 by Bryan Farha
Sylvia Browne is one of the best-known alleged psychics in the world and has been popularized mostly by television talk-show hosts Larry King and Montel Williams. She has repeatedly avoided taking the Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge--offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation--even though she agreed to do so three times on live television.
This is a review of her predictions for 2004, made on The Montel Williams Show, which aired December 31, 2003. Not surprisingly, many of the predictions were vague and difficult to measure. For example, she predicted that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will "come to the forefront" (whatever that means). Others were obvious, such as her prediction that the cruise industry would see a boom in business. Because of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, an expected decline in cruises was seen due to ships becoming likely terrorist targets--in other words, there was nowhere for the industry to go but up. Below is a partial list of Browne's blunders from the December 2003 Montel:
* American troops will be pulled out of Iraq by June or July.
* Osama bin Laden is "dead as a doornail."
* Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake will not marry. She is actually correct on this one, but by the time the show aired, ABCnews.com had already reported that they were broken up.
* Julia Roberts's marriage would end. Not only is Roberts still married to cinematographer Danny Moder--whom she wed in July 2002--but she gave birth to twins on November 28, 2004. Moder is the father.
* Britney Spears doesn't find anyone. Spears got married to childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander in Las Vegas on January 3, 2004--just three days after the prediction aired. The marriage was annulled the next day, but I'm not inclined to negate the prediction because of this.
* Martha Stewart will not go to jail. Stewart reported to a federal prison in West Virginia on October 8, 2004.
* North Korea will launch nuclear weapons in 2004. Not as far as we know.
* The Pope will die. As 2005 began, Pope John Paul II was alive. But at the Pope's age, I don't think Browne went out on a limb for this one--he was born on May 18, 1920.
Browne has a master's degree in English literature. Perhaps she should consider utilizing this degree rather than to purport to have psychic ability. Do you think any talk shows will air her 2004 blunders?
Bryan Farha is a professor of Behavioral Studies in Education at Oklahoma City University and is a CSICOP scientific and technical consultant.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
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