Notes

[RSLancastr]

I watched an episode of CO the other night, and saw something I hadn't before.

JE was talking with one woman, plus the couple of people on either side of her. He was getting lots of names and such, then at one point, he asked what the 18th of any month signified to her family. Birthday, anniversary, etc...

The woman said no. JE asked again, then the woman sitting next to the first woman pointed at something in the first woman's lap. She looked down at her lap and then said "Oh, of course, that's my sister's birthday! I had forgotten that, but my friend pointed it out to me!"

At that point, the camera changed angles, and you could see that the woman and her friend each had a large, yellow legal pad in front of them. Evidently the first woman had names and dates important to her family written down on hers.

You know of course what immediately went through my mind. The pad was right there, in plain sight of a camera, should it choose to zoom in on it.

My question is: is this a common practice among people attending his shows and seminars?

I guess if I ever went to one, I'd have to take a ton of notes, because outside of my immediate family, I'd be hard pressed to remember names, let alone birth and death dates of uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. But it sure opens up one more avenue for a skeptic to name as a possible means for "prior knowledge".

-Bob

[JBannister]

Bob,
Good question. I can only answer you from my experience, so
here it is.
When I went to a JE seminar, two things come to mind in regards to your question. First, there are no cameras allowed.
We were informed right before John came out that anyone with
intent to film should dismiss the idea or leave. Where there are
cameras in his gallery show, the seminar I attended had none.
In regards to the notes, I can only tell you what again my experience. I carried two photos and some scribbled notes I
never took out of my purse (by the way, he described one of the
photos I had in my purse exactly and I never took it out). Looking
around the auditorium I saw some people clutching notes, others
did not seem to. John also did a long, long (much to the chagrin
of everyone else) read for an elderly man that was sitting very
close. He had no notes. And the elderly man finally told him (JE)
that he was 100% correct on his validations, "even" the old guy
said, "the trick one."
John was confused. "The trick one?" He asked the guy. The
old guy explained he get validation and communication with his
crossed-over wife all the time. The night before the seminar, he
claimed he told his wife to "tell JE they had been married twice.
He said show John 2 rings. That way I'll know if I wasted my 49
bucks or not." That had been the one problem with the reading
and the reason it had taken so long. John kept telling the guy
that his wife was showing him two rings, but the old guy kept
saying, "nope, only married once." When he told John finally ab-
out the agreement with his wife, John did his classic, "I could
just come up there and slap you."
Great moment. Sorry I took so long to answer a simple quest-
ion. Be safe, Bob.
Julie

[scrambled6]

Originally posted by RSLancastr
[My question is: is this a common practice among people attending his shows and seminars? But it sure opens up one more avenue for a skeptic to name as a possible means for "prior knowledge".

Hi Bob:
Not sure if it is common practice, but common sense yes. Many people do bring notes. Some are out in plain view and some still in purses or pockets. This will help the sitter in case they get stuck on a date, or even a name of a great-grandparent or aunt/uncle. They can reflect on what they had written down for memory purposes......simple as that.

Now regarding what you stated about the skeptics, and having JE and his staff having another avenue for prior knowledge....

Not sure where you are going with this Bob, but if you are assuming that the cameras are directly above the heads of people sitting in the gallery, zoom down and record things from people who have notes on their laps, get recorded, and then get sent to a back room?.......That would be right up there with the microphones and plants in the audience scenario....and we all know that is and never was so.....

[Jude]

One of the important things to remember is that names and dates are NOT the only things that John validates. It's the personal, detailed information to go along with the name and/or date that are the biggest validations.

I did bring notes with me, but they were zipped up in a leather portfolio because I was already familiar with the information. If I hadn't been, I'd have a tough time, because when the reading began, it was fast and furious. Forget having time to take notes! Not to mention that 4 of the 8 family members that came through weren't on the list, anyway.

In our reading, we believe that initials and dates weren't given because we have so many of the same and so many overlapping dates, that it would have been confusing.

Instead, we got one full name, the beginning sounds of one, and the "sounds like" of another. What came through was detailed information on a much more personal level, certainly nothing that was written on those notes, anyway, even had they been in full view.

The only reference to dates at all was when JE stopped for a moment, as if listening, then shook his head and said, "Man! You guys have a terrible week, no, MONTH -- like October, with lots of birthdays and deaths, with several overlapping dates." We simply said, "Yes."

In the month of October, we have 10 birthdays and 6 death anniversaries. In one twelve-day period in October, there are 4 birthdays and 4 death anniversaries (that we're sure of), including the loss of my maternal grandparents, both in 1925, ten days apart.

[murphy2747]

I was read at the Houston seminar and I had no notes at all. John picked up on the nick name my Dad used for me and that was never written anywhere!I wore my Moms amathest ear rings and carried a tiny locket that had my Dads picture in it.Murphy:user:

[RSLancastr]

Julie, thanks for your resopnse.

When he told John finally about the agreement with his wife, John did his classic, "I could just come up there and slap you."Interesting... What seminar did this take place at?

[RSLancastr]

Scrambled, Jude & Murphy:

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Scrambled, I appreciate that you and the other believers here firmly believe that microphones, plants and now, cameras, "are not and never were so", but not having any personal experience with JE, they are all still viable explanations in my mind.

Thanks again everyone,

Bob

[PsyQuestor]

Jumping in here, hope you don't mind...

Bob, I have only been to one seminar ( Indy ) and from what I saw there all these comments about seminars are accurate. There are NO camaras, mics etc. It is John doing readings that are UNedited.

If you don't intend to 'study' the subject matter ( i.e. going to a seminar ) how can we discuss it?

Thank you Cyndy for cutting right to the point. :rolleyes: I know, i know...

Tammy

[scrambled6]

But Bob, (I know that this has been discussed before), don't you think the show CO would have been closed down by now if mics, plants, cameras were found?

...and Bob, if one day I ever got gallery tickets, I think you would be the one I take, just so you could have a personal experience. Be well, Cyndy

[Pam]

You can buy devices that will detect a microphone in Spy magazine, on the net and at some RadioShak stores. If there were microphones planted in seminar audiences, surely a professional skeptic would have detected this already. Or even a skeptical beleiver who needed to be sure.

But it hasn't happened.

[Jude]

Even if there WERE cameras, microphones, plants, and spies, and even if JE was reading our minds, he still would not have been able to come up with the information we got in our reading. Period.

:o

[RSLancastr]

Jumping in here, hope you don't mind...The water's fine!

If you don't intend to 'study' the subject matter ( i.e. going to a seminar ) how can we discuss it?

Tammy, as I have stated in another thread, I fully intend to attend a seminar. There is one in Anaheim next month, and I hope to go, if finances allow.

-Bob

[RSLancastr]

But Bob, (I know that this has been discussed before), don't you think the show CO would have been closed down by now if mics, plants, cameras were found?Well, there quite definitely ARE microphones and cameras in the studio of CO.

That doesn't prove they are used for anything other than taping the show. But they are there, in abundance.

As for plants, I'm sure if one were found, he or she would be "outed".

But would they "close down the show"? No, not as long as the ratings were there. The SF channel already runs a disclaimer on the show to cover their back, and I doubt they care one way or the other about the validity of JE's abilities, as long as the money is rolling in. They are a business. That's no reflection on JE, just a statement of fact about the way networks are run.

...and Bob, if one day I ever got gallery tickets, I think you would be the one I take, just so you could have a personal experience. Be well, CyndyI'll keep a bag packed! :)

Thanks, Cyndy. You be well too.

-Bob

[RSLancastr]

You can buy devices that will detect a microphone in Spy magazine, on the net and at some RadioShak stores. If there were microphones planted in seminar audiences, surely a professional skeptic would have detected this already. Or even a skeptical beleiver who needed to be sure.I am no expert on spy electronics, but I believe that the devices you are describing would only detect microphones physically nearby (i.e., planted within the audience).

I don't think that they detect the presence of directional mics, far away, pointed in your direction. And if someone wanted to listen in on conversations within an audience, that would be the way to go, as you could listen in on anybody, anywhere in the auditorium.

Just so everybody understands: I am NOT saying that mics and cameras are used to gather information from the audience. I just see it as a valid possibility.

Perhaps after I attend a seminar, I will be able to better judge the probability of it happening there. But it is DEFINITELY possible during the taping of CO. That doesn't mean it happens, but it is possible.

-Bob

[Don]

Hehe... sorry. Am having a hard time with this. I can hear John, "The 18th has GOT to be important. THINK! Look, it's right there on line 33 of your sheet. Oh, sorry, that's the 19th... you make weird 9's. What's that? That's next week's dental appointment? Oh, sorry."
Ok, ok... I'll behave now.
I'm still of the school of thought that the chance of discovery far outweighs the very rare occasion where this mechanism (like the microphones) would work to John's advantage. For instance, as silly as my first paragraph sounds, the crew would have to take into account that the information could be anything including someone's jotted down daily appointments.
Remember too, that skeptical writers have sat in the control room during a tape, so they'd have seen and heard this taking place, or there would have to be a totally separate control room. Not impossible, I suppose, but again that's a lot of complexity for little benefit.
Some final observations are that I'd think it'd be rare for people to have their information laying out, face up, on their laps until John hits on them, and then they're usually too busy listening to deal with it (right then). Also, those who I talked to at seminars that had brought info with them, all seemed to do it a different way. While I had stuff on a sheet in a notebook, the person next to me had her's written in an address book.
Spying: way, way more trouble than it's worth, IMHO.

[Pam]

Possible yes, but the question, is, "is it probable". No, it's not probable that every reading in a seminar of 3000 people was dervied from directional microphones picking up unscheduled conversations (how can they be SURE that someone will be talking about details about their loved ones?).

Possible, we concede that many things are possible. What is probable is what we're here to discuss.

[RSLancastr]

No, it's not probable that every reading in a seminar of 3000 people was dervied from directional microphones picking up unscheduled conversationsEvery reading? Of course not.

(how can they be SURE that someone will be talking about details about their loved ones?).They couldn't, obviously. It would require a lot of "fishing", and if someone did it a lot, I bet they would get fairly good at spotting people who were having those sorts of conversations.

I really didn't mean for this thread to turn into a debate of the "microphone theory". We could probably go back and forth on that forever.

I just wanted to hear if the notepad was a common thing, and that has been answered (no it is not).

Thanks,

Bob

[Pam]

Shall we close this thread Bob? (Yes - I think your question has been answered?)

[PsyQuestor]

Originally posted by RSLancastr
The water's fine!



Tammy, as I have stated in another thread, I fully intend to attend a seminar. There is one in Anaheim next month, and I hope to go, if finances allow.

-Bob

Yes but you aren't the only skeptic reading.( or who brings up the mic and camara issue ). Perhaps you are the only one considering going to a seminar. Some have outright said that they wouldn't waste their money on a seminar.

We can take up this conversation after you have been to a seminar then Bob.

Tammy

[RSLancastr]

Shall we close this thread Bob?That's fine, Pam. As you and I both said, my question has been answered.

Thanks,

Bob

[RSLancastr]

We can take up this conversation after you have been to a seminar then Bob.It's a date, Tammy.

[Pam]

Ok, This thread is closed, but as always, the subject can be reopened again.

And Bob - the seminar you mention is sold out. Watch for more in your area though :)

[RSLancastr]

And Bob - the seminar you mention is sold out. Watch for more in your area thoughSo I found out. I had only heard of it yesterday...

Probably a good thing, as it wasn't just JE, but Sylvia Browne and some others as well. I'd rather just see JE.

I'll keep on the lookout though.

Bob