Talking to animals on swiss TV

[benji]

Yesterday evening - I'm sitting in front of the TV zapping through the channels. I end up with a show on swiss TV called "Quer". There's some guy claiming he can talk to animals wherever they are, he just needs to know their name and see a picture of them. To my big surprise, they actually say they are going to test him. Unfortunately I missed the first two "tests", but I zapped in just in time to catch the final one. This one is about a parrot. The actual "communication" took place before the show, and the guy is just going to recount what he learned from the parrot earlier.

He starts by saying that he had a much stronger connection with this parrot than with the other two animals before, so he is very confident that he is going to tell us some amazing things about this bird.

He starts by saying that the parrot was a funny little guy (:cool: how specific!) and that the first feeling he got from him was overwhelming zest for life! At this point the host jumped right in and asked him, if this was a current emotion.

I could have slapt him senseless for that...

Of course the other guy got suspicious and immediately answered that he had worked under the assumption that all the animals were alive and at home at that moment. Anyway - he was too stupid or too cocky to stop there and went on instead...

He said the bird spoke two languages(!), either (and I am not making this up!) german-french or bird-french! He wasn't sure which one, but he was sure about french, because he picked it up while watching TV with his owner. The bird just LOVED watching TV!

(at this point, the camera showed one of the few sane persons in the studio: a biologist who took the role as critic. He was almost cracking up in his chair).

Other than that, he (the parrot) talked about a mirror-incident. He couldn't be more specific about it, but the parrot got hurt somehow years ago by a mirror...

That was the end of this guys revelations, at which point the host told him that the parrot had been dead for 10 years. Answer: That doesn't matter. Host: You also speak to dead animals? Answer: well - yes, sure.

This guy was really digging his hole deeper and deeper...

The host didn't even ask why this tiny little detail had never been mentioned in their discussion :(

The host then turned to the formal owner of the parrot who was in the audience and asked her about the "facts". She was less than enthusiastic.

Yes, the parrot had been a funny little guy (as opposed to sad, huge parrots?), but he was never hurt by a mirror, she wasn't quite sure about how many languages her bird spoke, but she was absolutely sure it hated TV. Instead it loved to get into open drawers and cupboards - something the psychic never picked up.

Now you could get the impression that - even in a sloppy "test" like this - the psychic completely and utterly failed and would be expelled from the studio with his tail between his legs. But you would be wrong! Because now comes the reason why I have to write yet another furious letter to our TV station:

Following this complete defeat, the host actually said to the owners of the animals: "Maybe you all want to sit together after the show to learn EVEN MORE ABOUT YOUR ANIMALS".

:mad:

Sorry about the long post - I just had to tell someone who would understand my desperation...

[Mojo]

Now you could get the impression that - even in a sloppy "test" like this - the psychic completely and utterly failed and would be expelled from the studio with his tail between his legs. But you would be wrong! Because now comes the reason why I have to write yet another furious letter to our TV station:

Following this complete defeat, the host actually said to the owners of the animals: "Maybe you all want to sit together after the show to learn EVEN MORE ABOUT YOUR ANIMALS". The host was probably just reading something that was written in advance of the show from the autocue. Judging by the TV presenters we have here, you can't expect these people to think for themselves. ;)

[ChristineR]

Don't you just hate it when you're trying to talk to long distance to some dead parrot and some stupid live parrot jumps into the aether and sends you bogus messages? It's soooo hard to prove a parrot is dead. (Insert Monty Python here.)

[benji]

Don't you just hate it when you're trying to talk to long distance to some dead parrot and some stupid live parrot jumps into the aether and sends you bogus messages?

Must have been one of those depressive, sad, huge parrots posing as a happy small one...

[kittynh]

I can read pets minds. I totally pick up on things like, "THEY CUT OFF MY BALLS!!!! WHERE ARE THEY????"

and "Can I look through your dirty laundry to find some underwear to chew on?"

and "food food food food food FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD!!!!"

My cat Theodate says, "The dog is freaking stupid and I want to kill him." That is what she is thinking. What she says is, "MRWERERERERGRWMRWERWRWRWR fffffftttttffffftttttfffftttt!!!!!" and her claws go flying!

I want the million dollars or a guest spot on Swiss TV.

[AnotherSillyAlias]

I'll have you know that I have perfectly good conversations with my parrot.

For example, here is a transcript from yesterday.

Me: Hello cocky.

Parrot: Hi bird.

Me: Bloody hot today isn't it.

Parrot: Its OK

Me: Well, it might be OK for you but I don't like it this hot.

Parrot: Scratch cocky.

Me: Well, OK, for a short time, I have to go light the BBQ soon. (I give the parrot a little scratch which she seems to enjoy.)

Parrot: A tuneful little whistle. (Which I take to be a favourable comment on the scratching.)

Me: Hmm.. looks like we're a little low on parrot food. Must get some more.

Parrot: Its OK

Me: Well, not really, you probably don't want to starve to death.

Parrot: Here puss puss puss.

Me: Umm.. I don't think parrots eat cats as a general rule.

Parrot: A tuneful little whistle followed by a loud screech. (I take this to mean that it's not interested in my opinions of parrot cullinary habits).

Me: Well, time to go get a beer and light the barby.

Parrot: Its OK

Me: OK, see you later.


I'll be happy to communicate with your parrot for a small consideration.

[benji]

My cat Theodate says, "The dog is freaking stupid and I want to kill him." That is what she is thinking. What she says is, "MRWERERERERGRWMRWERWRWRWR fffffftttttffffftttttfffftttt!!!!!" and her claws go flying!


That's approximately what the biologist in the studio said. He also said that hamsters and birds do not have the brain structures necessary to have a representation about "the past" or "the future" (while bonobos and dophins do), and so they couldn't communicate (if the could at all) about events from the past or about things they are going to do.

The psychic just said that they should learn from each other - meaning of course that science should learn from HIM...

[Amapola]

I just missed a pet psychic that came to NM. She does this same thing too. I was going to ask her to tell me the pet's name, and whether or not it was alive. Hey, it seems to me they should KNOW what a dog's name is. Maybe not a cat's name, or a horse's name, but DOGS should at least know what their name is, and therefore the "psychic" should know. I was going to show her pictures of dogs and ask her what their names were. However I am a "known skeptic" and was not contacted until she was safely out of the state. Coincidence??? :cool:

[benji]

However I am a "known skeptic" and was not contacted until she was safely out of the state. Coincidence??? :cool:

There's no such thing as coincidence - at least not in the psychic's world. Once more, they beat themselves ;)

What exaxtly do you do to become a "known skeptic"? I sent an e-mail to the TV station including the remark that their so-called "test" didn't deserve that name. And it wasn't the first time I had to write to them. Actually, the day after the pet-psychic, they showed a report about some Feng-Shui idiot who (among other things) claimed, that if she had a running fauced (is that the correct expression? as you MAY have noticed, english isn't my first language ;) ), she would change something in her home, and it would stop running.... :boggled:
But the worst was the commentary saying that "Feng Shui is a very complex science" !!!!! :covereyes

I almost puked right there on the floor :jaw-dropp

So how did you manage to get involved in those things? I'd just love to step on those guys toes...

[Amapola]

What exaxtly do you do to become a "known skeptic"?

:D I am only known among a small section of people. These are people that I interact with in some way. They send me forwards about Bill Gates giving out money if you forward an email so many times; I send them (and everyone they forwarded to) the Snopes link showing why this is nonsense, and usually give a synopsis in my note. They excitedly post on a forum that the pet psychic correctly predicted that their pet "loves" TV; I post pointing out all the times she (let's be honest here, guessed) incorrectly which leg or eye was affected on an injured animal. They tell me excitedly how they have just purchased homeopathic remedies for their alpacas; I ask them to define homeopathy, and then when they tell me the (wrong) definition, I explain what it actually is and how they just wasted $800.00. I try to do it all in the cheery spirit of educating, but somehow a lot of these people consider me a spoil sport.

Do this long enough, and people won't tell you when the pet psychic is in town until after she has left. ;)

[benji]

I try to do it all in the cheery spirit of educating, but somehow a lot of these people consider me a spoil sport.

Do this long enough, and people won't tell you when the pet psychic is in town until after she has left. ;)

Ok, so what you really wanted to say is that you are one of those guys that people are afraid of talking to because they know they are going to say something you will undouptedly rip apart - and you will have a lot of fun doing so. ;)

In that case I'm a "known skeptic" too ... and proud of it :D

[tsg]

they showed a report about some Feng-Shui idiot who (among other things) claimed, that if she had a running fauced, she would change something in her home, and it would stop running

Now wait just a minute. I know for a fact that this works because I just had it happen the other day. My faucet was dripping relentlessly and all I did was change a washer AND IT STOPPED DRIPPING! JUST LIKE THAT! HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT!!??!

:D

[benji]

My faucet was dripping relentlessly and all I did was change a washer AND IT STOPPED DRIPPING! JUST LIKE THAT! HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT!!??!

:D

NONONO! That doesn't have ANYTHING to do with Feng Shui! You are completely mistaken! What you experienced in this case was a magical washer!!!

[rwguinn]

Now wait just a minute. I know for a fact that this works because I just had it happen the other day. My faucet was dripping relentlessly and all I did was change a washer AND IT STOPPED DRIPPING! JUST LIKE THAT! HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT!!??!

:D
IF you had done it without turning the water off first, then that would have been Feng shui