Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions - James Randi [165]
Mrs. Antonetta Petrignani concentrates on taking another fuzzy picture.
During my examination of her results, I turned the man-on-a-plank shot 180 degrees and submitted it to her again as if I'd selected it from among the unsorted photos. This time, viewing it upside down, she said she saw part of an old building and a dog in the photo. Further examination showed that of her twelve most successful shots of "psychic" scenes, six were viewed upside down, two had been turned 90 degrees to the left, two others had been rotated 90 degrees to the right, and two were right side up. Psychic power knows no direction....
The results of our test were interesting. When the studio was well lighted, all her photos were reasonably sharp. The automatic feature of the Polaroid system gave sufficient exposure in spite of the short shutter release. When the light was diminished to much lower levels, smears appeared, but all were attributable to out-of-focus facial features or to bad development resulting from pulling the film too quickly from the camera. One thing I must say. At least Mrs. Petrignani followed instructions and wiped the rollers clean inside the camera before taking the photos. No "contamination bars" were visible, which was not the case with other "psychic photographers" I have examined.
Professor Giuseppe Festa, who claimed to be able to mummify food as proof of his healing touch.
Petrignani admitted that she could never tell what result she would get and that recognizable images were only "sometimes" obtained. She made no claims about the strange results she got, and she was willing to listen to reason if I offered a probable explanation. She listened, seemed to accept my analysis, and retired from the scene gracefully. She didn't even ask about the $10,000.
But Professor Giuseppe Festa was feisty. As proof of his healing power, he claimed to be able to mummify foods with radiation emanating from his hands. The test was easily set up, and the questionnaire was most revealing. Had he ever tried the test with the samples wrapped in plastic? No. Had he tried controlled tests with some samples treated and some not? No. Were hamburger, chicken, and veal satisfactory for the tests? Yes. How many times had he done this before? About four or five times (?!). Rate of success? One hundred percent
The Festa tests lasted nine days. This was because the samples had to be allowed to mature—and mature they did—for at least three days. The rules specified that we would conduct three tests, and two out of the three had to be wins in order for me to surrender the $10,000 prize. I began to worry when I noticed Professor Festa staring at expensive electronic equipment in a store window on the first day of the tests.The hamburger was divided into ten portions, and each was packed into a plastic dish, numbered on the bottom. From a hat, Festa chose a number and held the corresponding sample between his hands fourteen minutes, then returned it to the tray. The samples were shuffled about so that no one knew which was the treated one, after which the tray was taken by another party to be locked up safely. Three days later we met to view the results.
A judge was asked a simple question: Had any of the samples been mummified, and if so, which one(s)? The answer was no. All were in advanced states of putrefaction, which was quite evident from the smell. Festa asked if the samples might be kept longer, and I agreed, noting that he had specified seventy-two hours, and that further retention of the samples was to be considered outside the limits of the testing procedure. Next we tried chicken, which Festa claimed he had handled