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Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions - James Randi [168]

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of no use. (We are not taking into account the possibility of using the feet or legs in this discussion.)

Diagram 1. Downward pressure at D and drawing the table indirection H cause the table to tilt upward at R.

Diagram 2. The special table made for the Zaricas. Pressure at the large stars easily tilts it, and pressure at the small stars also causes a tilt, but with some difficulty.

Michael Faraday, the famous inventor, devised a way of proving this by placing a board on ball bearings atop the table. The medium had to place his hands on this board. The table stayed put, though the board moved around a lot.

The Zarica team, despite the fact that we had made the table to their specifications, was unable to move it. This table, represented by Diagram 2, weighed about sixty-five pounds and gave enormous advantages to the performers. Again, pressing at the spots marked by the large stars would tilt the table easily. Even pressing at the position indicated by the smaller stars would produce a good tilt, though much more pressure is necessary. One of the TV crew, pulling within the "dead" triangular area, was able to tilt the table slightly, though he had to stand to do it. It is evident that the pressing technique is much easier if the tilter is seated high, and though we supplied chairs of standard height to Catarina and her husband, they asked for another six inches of height in the form of cushions to sit on. Even with this advantage, the table stayed put.

Mr. and Mrs. Zarica examine the made-to-order table suspiciously.

The Zarica seance. Note that when cameras were present the Zaricas touched the table lightly. The result was that nothing happened.

The Zaricas and another sitter are unable to move the table with their hands inside the "safe" area.

The Zaricas complained that the table was too heavy. But, we reminded them, they had told us that at home they used a table of these dimensions regularly—and it weighed 220 pounds! Aha, countered Mr. Zarica, to the evident satisfaction of Catarina, but this table had a triangle drawn in white on the top, and that, as everyone knew, was the sign of the devil and inhibited the effect. The offending triangle was erased, but the Zaricas felt they'd had enough and flew into individual tantrums, alleging negative vibrations everywhere and a general lack of sincerity.

Mrs. Catarina Zarica, table-tip-per. She and others took turns pushing the furniture around.

We had been promised great results that evening under informal, subdued-light conditions with no cameras. I carefully informed all present that I would not tolerate their claiming that they had been successful if that evening, under uncontrolled conditions, the table cavorted. They were not pleased but were forced to agree.

With the camera crew packed up for the night, I was invited to sit at a regular round table. The Zaricas sat side by side, and the Del Res and I completed the circle of six. Almost as soon as we sat down, the games started. The table began scooting about, obviously pushed by Mr. Zarica, whose efforts were not resisted by the others. The illustrations will show how the movement was evident. After Mr. Zarica had pushed the table around for a while, with his hands pressed tightly to the surface, he announced that all should contact the table only very lightly and called attention to the fact that now only his fingertips were in contact. But Mrs. Zarica, responding to the cue, now pressed her hands down hard and took over the action. I was surprised to note that she made one very careless and obvious error. Most of the time we had to stand, since the table was zipping about, and I could see that just before the table began to move because of her efforts, she began to step in the direction it was about to move! Thus I not only always knew which way the "spirits" were about to toss the table, I could also plainly see who was moving it. Their sitters must be pretty dense to believe this act.

When we settled down to serious business, after transferring our efforts

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