Welcome to the home page of the
Inquiring Skeptics
of
Upper New York
The Inquiring Skeptics of Upper New York (ISUNY) is a non-profit
educational organization skeptical of claims of the paranormal and
fringe-science. Our purpose is to promote science, science education,
and the objective investigation of the paranormal and fringe science.
Our next meeting is Monday, August 6th, 2001
Massimo Polidoro
Secrets Of The Psychics
13 years of of research among extraordinary claims
During the past 13 years, Massimo Polidoro has investigated dozens of
cases of supposed paranormal events. His work follows two main
lines. One is historical investigations that have helped in bringing new
light on famous cases like: The Feilding Report on Eusapia Palladino;
Franek Kluski's Spirit Moulds; Alla Vinogradova's PK demonstrations; Uri
Geller's Watch Test... The results of this kind of work have been
published in both ''The Skeptical Inquirer'' and the ''Journal of the
Society for Psychical Research''. The other one is the testing of
psychics, often conducted along with his colleague and friend Dr. Luigi
Garlaschelli, at Pavia's University. Clairvoyants, mediums, human
magnets, girls with X-Ray eyes, table-tippers, prophets, healers and
many other claimants have been tested under proof conditions. Although
the results do not furnish proof of real paranormal activities, they
tell a fascinating story about the too human will to believe. During the
lecture, Massimo makes ample use of video material and gives live
demonstrations of various psychic trickery.
The meeting is being held at the Guilderland Public
Library, 2228 Western Avenue, Guilderland, NY.
The room opens for socializing at 6:00pm. The talk begins 7:00 pm.
Meetings are free and open to the public.
Massimo Polidoro: Biographical notes
Massimo Polidoro is one of today's leading skeptics on the paranormal and
fringe sciences. Co-founder and Executive Director of the Italian Committee
for the Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CICAP - Comitato
Italiano per il Controllo delle Affermazioni sul Paranomale:
http://www.cicap.org/) he holds a degree in Psychology from the University
of Padua, where he graduated with an experimental thesis devoted to the
study of the reliability of eyewitnesses reports of unusual events. He has
had the good fortune to work and study with James Randi for over a year and
has become an expert in the psychology of deception and in the duplication
of apparent psychic phenomena; thanks to these abilities and to his
scientific background, he has been able to conduct dozens of tests and
experiments on apparent psychic phenomena...
Since 1989 he is the Editor of Scienza & Paranormale, the bi-monthly
magazine published by CICAP; since 1996 he is the European Representative
to the James Randi Educational Foundation and since 1997 he is the Editor
of "OpenMind" a collection of books by Avverbi
Publishing, in Rome.
Author of 13 books and about two hundred articles dealing with science,
pseudoscience and the paranormal, he frequently acts as a consultant on
science projects for University Departments, TV programs and multimedia
productions and is in the Editorial Board of Focus magazine, the largest
selling Italian science magazine.
Among his books: Viaggio tra gli spiriti (Journey among the spirits, 1995),
Misteri (Mysteries, 1996), Dizionario del paranormale (Dictionary of the
paranormal, 1997), Sei un sensitivo? (Are you psychic?, 1997), La
maledizione del Titanic (Curse of the Titanic, 1998), I segreti dei fachiri
(Secrets of the fakirs, 1998), L'illusione del paranormale (The Paranormal
Illusion, 1998), Il sesto senso (The Sixth Sense, 2000), Houdini (2001).
His first book in English, ''Final Seance -The Strange Friendship Between
Houdini and Conan Doyle'', is going to be published by Prometheus Books in
the Spring of 2001.
For further information: http://www.aznet.it/polidoro/
For a profile drawn during his 2000 US lecture tour:
http://www.csicop.org/genx/polidoro/
James Randi, with whom Massimo has studied for over a year, recently wrote:
''When I first spoke in Italy, in 1988, I could not help but notice an
enthusiastic young man in the front row, center, who was obviously
enthralled by what I was saying. Immediately following the meeting, this
chap approached me with a wide grin and a hug, and announced, "I am
Massimo!" and I realized why he'd been so attentive. This was Massimo
Polidoro, the fellow I'd been exchanging correspondence with for a long
time -- in the days before e-mail and fax machines -- and I had not known
until that moment that he was only a teen-ager. Then, as now, he continues
to astonish me''.
Links
- The Why-Files
- Back issues of ISUNY's newsletter.
- Meetings
- Previous ISUNY meetings.
- CSICOP
- Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal.
- Skeptic Organizations
- CSICOP's list of International Network of Skeptical Organizations.
- Skeptics Society
- Skeptics Society, publisher of Skeptic Magazine.
- Annotated links.
- Skeptic organizations, UFO, Fringe Science, PSI, Ghosts and so on.
Read Skeptic News Now for the latest in skeptic news items.