Note: All opinions are those of Pat Schwind only.
Our speaker was my friend & local magician, Tony Barnhart. The guy's as good as many real "Pros" you'll see in Vegas! He put on a fantastic show. Better yet, he showed how he does lots of the tricks! He did some card tricks as elaborate as you see David Blaine do on T.V.! Serious. And then he tells you how!
Tony's working on his Ph.D., & lectures on the subject of the psychology behind magic, & why it really works in the first place. The cornerstone of fooling an audience is simply setting up the illusions with the 3 types of misdirections used:
1) Time: Over time, even a few minutes between when the magician "sets up" the audience for a trick, and it's completion, it's often very hard to remember all the intermediary steps, some of which can seem quite subtle, but in fact are very complex, & must be executed with precision & "flare".
2) Verbal: Words take the attention from one aspect of the action to another. Because of simple verbal cues, instructions or noises, the audience often diverts attention from the magician's hands, where the real action is, to someplace else on the stage.
3) Physical: Our eyes simply go to someplace on the stage, away from the magician or his hands, because he does something physical, or has an audience member or assistant do something physical, which causes us to "look elsewhere". The best example of this is when the magician's own eyes look at something away from the "real action", & our eyes follow.
Tony showed how he does the "cut the rope" trick, without really cutting the rope: He cuts it 6 - 8" from the end, making it appear that he's cutting it in the middle of a 6 - 8' segment. The real "trick" is simply the way he holds the rope in one hand. Simple but effective. He "made the switch", while the audience was looking at me, recruited to "draw" a pair of scissors from a holster. The loop of rope that got cut was never the real middle of the long rope itself. It's very simple, but fools the uninitiated every time.
Tony spent some time talking about how easily fooled were prestigious science departments at major US universities, (Stanford, Washington U. etc.), by outright charlatans, coached by the famous magician/skeptic, "The Amazing Randy". Even some Ivy League schools opened huge departments for the "study of the Paranormal". They got fooled by Yuri Geller of Israel, the famous "spoon bender", who didn't really bend a spoon at all, & many of Randy's "plants". The spoons were never bent by body heat or mental telepathy. It was all a hoax!!
Brainiac professors/scientists failed to ask, Randy's plants, over a 2 year period, the simple question: "Is there some trickery involved here? How are you doing this?" If they had, the plants had been instructed by Rangy to respond, "Yes!! I've been sent here & trained by the Amazing Randy"!! Often in life, the "smarter" one is, the easier it is to be fooled. (Wow have I been "stung"!!)
Tony's a great guy & a real scholar. However, I was very offended by his final comments, in which he said that Acupuncturists & Chiropractors are "absolute frauds....there's nothing scientific about the quacks at all.... It's all psycosomatic.... Most people'll get better on their own, or just 'want to' belief in the treatment, so they fool themselves into believing it works!"
I got really "torqued" at this B/S. I am living proof that conventional doctors sometimes can't explain physical problems; or if they can, they can't figure out a cure. And my chiropractors, over the last 2 decades, have!!
So, with that in mind, we're gonna have a debate later this year or early next, in which we're gonna have Tony get his skeptic "authorities" to come in, & face my chiropractor, Dr. Darin Henry, an acupuncturist, & some other doctors, & debate the subject. But telling me to my face, that people who have literally "worked miracles" for me, after serious car accidents, work injuries & street fights, are "frauds", was tough to take. But I didn't hit anybody.
I still like Tony, despite his narrow-mindedness. He's an atheist like me. One of the problems I have with many atheists is that they are often so smart, that they're "too smart for their own good". Case in point: I've done a ton of research on the "9-11 tragedies", & believe beyond a doubt, that they were an "Inside Job", perpetrated by the "Bush Crime Family" & Israel, in order to get America "sucked into" full tilt boogie War, 24/7, in the Middle East, to fight the Islamic world, at the behest of Zionist maniacs. And have America pay for it.
We have physical evidence & widespread intelligence to prove this. Some day we'll have "deathbed confessions" to confirm it. Just like we have for the fact that many other horrible US military actions were based on "false flag operations": The Spanish American War, WWI, Vietnam, Grenada, Nicaragua, taking Hawaii & the Philippines, etc.
If you don't believe me, ask yourself this: Do you still think JFK's assassination was not an Inside Job?!! If not, you're in that 15 - 25% of Americans that still believe the government's telling us the truth much of the time, which is flat ridiculous!
I also believe in UFOs, even though I've never seen one, because scientists have physical evidence to prove their existence, not merely "eyewitness testimony" from hundreds if not thousands of credible sources.
Most atheists are quite intelligent, but sometimes, they not only deny simple facts & physical evidence, they tend to denigrate their intellectual opponents, & snidely "look down their nose" at those who believe facts they see as "simply nonsense". This is particularly the case when you state you believe "9-11 was an Inside Job", or believe in UFOs.
I think Tony is guilty of this himself. But that's OK. I'm an atheist, & I still like Tony. I look forward to his debate with my Chiropractor & other medical practitioners.
IV. Folks, I'm still looking for a job. I'm pretty smart & "well read" in lots of subjects, & have a good education: BA in Economics, MBA
with specialty in Finance. I'm looking for a real "break" from the "sales grind"! Here's what I'd like to do:
A. My "Ideal Job", full -, or part - time:
1. Tour Guide. I've been all over Arizona, & know a great deal about the state's history, geology, topography & climate, as well as the diverse flora & fauna.
2. Tutor for kids or adults, preferably in the areas of math, science, history, geography, economics, languages, literature & writing.
3. Strength, Conditioning & Nutrition Coach for some athletic team.
4. Admin-Flunky-Grunt type, in a MMA (fight) club, or a traditional "Health Spa" or Gym. I'll "start at the bottom", & stay there a while, just to "learn the biz".
B. What I need in a job:
1. An employer that tells the truth & treats me fair.
2. Thursday mornings 'off' for Strategic Edge meetings, & a 'long weekend' now & then.
C. What I don't need: High Salary, "Benefits" or Insurance Plans, Covered Parking, Evenings & Weekends "off".
If you have any ideas at all, please let me know. I really need a job! I'd greatly appreciate the help. Pat Schwind, 480-250-8182.