Psychics fight over business leads to attack?

Questioninggeller · 16th July 2009, 06:27 PM

Connecticut psychic Janet Lee is being driven out of business by another psychic, only she doesn't know who it is, where they are, when it'll end, how it'll end, where they come from, etc. So she's having the police look into it.

Quote:

Local psychic attacked in Greenwich
Connecticut Post
July 16, 2009
By John Nickerson, Frank MacEachern

After receiving threatening phone calls and being injured by a man during a midnight attack in Greenwich over the weekend, a local psychic says someone is trying to drive her out of business.

Janet Lee said she was taken to the hospital after being beaten by a man outside her office at 16 Greenwich Ave., in Greenwich, late Friday night. She also has an office at 565 Westport Ave., in Norwalk.

Four days before the attack, which left her with a black eye and a cut on her face, Lee reported to Norwalk police that a woman left several threatening phone messages focusing on her business and her son.

Norwalk and Greenwich police said they are investigating Lee's complaints.

In one of the messages the woman said, "This town is not big enough for the two of us. We want you to take down your sign," said Lee, who lives in Norwalk.
...
Norwalk police Sgt. Andre Velez said police are investigating Lee's complaint of harassing phone calls and are aware of the Greenwich investigation. He would not discuss the case further.

Lee said she has been a psychic in Norwalk for eight years and told people's futures in Greenwich for 10. Until 2004, she even had a two-year stint as a "promotional" psychic at Saks Fifth Avenue in Greenwich.

Lee, who says she has a large clientele and describes herself as a "life coach," said it is not unusual for her to receive crank calls. But these calls were different, she said.
...
Lee said she has heard that another psychic is coming into the area, but has no idea who it is.

Her psychic gifts are no help to her in this investigation, Lee said.

"I am not able to read for myself or my children. I can only see things for other people," Lee said.

Full: Connecticut Post

Per the last line shouldn't she "read" the stranger who attacked her or had her attacked?

EeneyMinnieMoe · 17th July 2009, 01:58 AM

Though I generally do not support vandalism, I have ripped down and thrown out advertisements for psychics at my school. So much so that questions started being asked about why all the flyers for so and so service kept going missing.

And a stern warning not to remove or destroy any flyers went up.

Having learned all I have learned about Sylvia Browne, I confess I have very, very little patience for these people.

Maybe the same thing is going on here.

Though think how funny it would be if it were a rival psychic.

Baby Nemesis · 17th July 2009, 02:33 AM

Originally Posted by Article

After receiving threatening phone calls and being injured by a man during a midnight attack in Greenwich over the weekend, a local psychic says someone is trying to drive her out of business.

Janet Lee said she was taken to the hospital after being beaten by a man outside her office at 16 Greenwich Ave., in Greenwich, late Friday night. ...

Four days before the attack, which left her with a black eye and a cut on her face, Lee reported to Norwalk police that a woman left several threatening phone messages focusing on her business and her son. ...

In one of the messages the woman said, "This town is not big enough for the two of us. We want you to take down your sign," said Lee, who lives in Norwalk. ...

Lee said she has heard that another psychic is coming into the area, ...

Originally Posted by EeneyMinnieMoe

Having learned all I have learned about Sylvia Browne, I confess I have very, very little patience for these people. ...

Though think how funny it would be if it were a rival psychic.

Hilarious. [/sarcasm]It seems from the article that it is a rival psychic! And no psychic deserves to be physically attacked no matter how little patience you happen to have for their knowing or unwitting fraudulent activities!! Wouldn't you say there are more humane ways of dealing with them than physically attacking them and threatening their child?

And no, this attack probably won't work out for the long-term good because she can't tell who the attacker was. If anything, people who hear skeptics gloating and laughing will end up with more sympathy for psychics, or at least more interest in them due to the publicity!

Foolmewunz · 17th July 2009, 02:43 AM

Baby N,

Maybe you could just pay for a reading, since you seem to believe every word of the article, anyway.

Doesn't any of this get your spidey senses a-tingling?

The jury's still out on this, if you ask me. Mysterious threatening phone calls? Sinister new psychic coming to town to try to hijack her business. "This sucker pool's not big enough for the two of us." "Oh, yeah? Smile when you say that, pahdner."

I don't think anyone should be beaten up, either, but my sympathy ends at my borderline pacifism. Why is it a rival psychic and not a disgruntled customer? Ex-boyfriend? Random act of violence? Mugging?

Sheesh. I'm giving two bucks on "boyfriend smacked her around and she's shifting the blame to get some publicity out of it".

Baby Nemesis · 17th July 2009, 02:59 AM

Right, so you think she'd have her profession tarnished by making up a story that suggests psychics can be violent and sinister because she thinks it would be good for business? Well, stranger things have happened. But why would you automatically be inclined to disbelieve her, just because you don't like psychics?

Yes, it would seem strange that a rival psychic might worry there aren't enough gullible people to go around. What might make the difference is that she's quite well-known so she might be first choice for many. In any case, it seems grossly unfair that she should be the one on trial for this in this thread.

SkeptiChick · 17th July 2009, 03:02 AM

Originally Posted by Baby Nemesis

Right, so you think she'd have her profession tarnished by making up a story that suggests psychics can be violent and sinister because she thinks it would be good for business? Well, stranger things have happened. But why would you automatically be inclined to disbelieve her, just because you don't like psychics?

Yes, it would seem strange that a rival psychic might worry there aren't enough gullible people to go around. What might make the difference is that she's quite well-known so she might be first choice for many. In any case, it seems grossly unfair that she should be the one on trial for this in this thread.

To answer the bolded section: Because psychics make their living by lying to people.

Sean84 · 17th July 2009, 03:06 AM

I say weigh them both against a duck!

Foolmewunz · 17th July 2009, 03:18 AM

Originally Posted by SkeptiChick

To answer the bolded section: Because psychics make their living by lying to people.

Ditto that. Actually, I'd intended to include something along those lines in my original comment, but forgot.

BabyNemesis, you're normally much more creative than this. You don't think a psychic would think the publicity was good, that, oh, say, some OTHER BAD psychic was so threatened by her brilliance and great client relations that he (the other bad psychic - cue villain music, f-minor chord) would send goons to run her out of town?

She's a psychic. That means she's either delusional (and wouldn't think through whether or what impact the hoary tale has) or a professional liar and con artist. I'd tend to look askance at anything that comes out of her mouth, frankly.

Baby Nemesis · 17th July 2009, 03:21 AM

Originally Posted by SkeptiChick

To answer the bolded section: Because psychics make their living by lying to people.

Psychics don't all realise they're deceiving people. See this story about someone who gave people psychic readings for years and genuinely believed she had a psychic gift before reading skeptical articles about cold reading and realising what she must have been doing without being that conscious of it: http://www.skepticreport.com/newage/confessionswoo.htm

Quote:

I feel a bit silly now and think to myself, fancy you believed [you were a real psychic], silly cow, yet at the same time, had her childhood experiences with no-one actually explaining what was happening in a language you understand (hallucinations). Add to that, the fact of some cracking hits here and there, and I don't suppose it would be that hard to understand why people believe. I just know better now.

Besides, lying about some things doesn't mean you'll lie about everything. One of the principles of the legal system, for better or worse, is that juries won't be told all the instances of a crime someone on trial for a similar crime has committed in the past, lest it prejudice the jury's judgment about their likelihood of committing this one. So how much more should we reserve judgment when the person might not even be knowingly deceiving with her psychic activities, and when lying about one thing doesn't necessarily mean you're likely to lie about something totally different.

Foolmewunz · 17th July 2009, 04:05 AM

Well, I think Skeptichick gave you the economy version and I gave the fuller version, wherein I said, EITHER liars or delusional persons. You're covering the latter, and I concur. But whether the one or the other, it seems a good reason to take the article and her unproven complaints with a grain of salt unless (I won't say "until" because this story will quite logically die off) there's some corroboration.

Baby Nemesis · 17th July 2009, 04:57 AM

If we were the ones responsible for investigating the story, catching the perpetrators and questioning them, I would most wholeheartedly disagree with you! Thankfully we're not, so we can in fact ignore the story. But there are enough miscarriages of justice already without people further being assumed to be liars and their stories not investigated because of it.

Don't forget it's about making things safer for the community by catching the right people. If the police decided she was probably lying before even questioning her much, they might fail to follow up leads that would prevent others becoming victims. Imagine: "Oh, she's probably lying; I'd guess it was a random act of violence - there's nothing we can do". So they don't give her advice on getting calls traced and equipment to record calls. Harassment continues. Her son eventually gets hurt. You can't dismiss an allegation just because the person making it doesn't have an exemplary character!

As for your idea that the allegation might be the work of a con-artist who knows it would be good for business, it would be good for business after any perpetrators have been caught, not before, surely. Who's going to want to go to the offices of someone who's being persistently threatened with violence? Who would risk the possibility that the people threatening the violence might commit an attack while they're there and they might be hurt in the process? After the perpetrator's been caught, that's the time people are most likely to flock to her in sympathy. But that certainly isn't going to happen if instead of a perpetrator being caught, she's penalised for wasting police time! If this is the work of a con-artist, the con-artist really isn't that bright! But I'm sure con-artists have done stupider things.

Still, I think it's very important to reserve judgment, for the reasons I've specified.

alfaniner · 17th July 2009, 06:03 AM

The title of this thread has me imagining the two psychics standing across from each other in a field.

"Zap!"

"Missed me! Zap!"

"Missed me, too! Zap, zap!"

"Ha, ha! Missed again! Zap!"

"Missed... hey, wait a minute... How can we miss when we're standing two feet away from each other?"

"Yeah. Maybe there's nothing it it?"

(both) "Nahhh! Zap! Zap!! Zap!!!"

Baby Nemesis · 17th July 2009, 06:18 AM

That reminds me of the thing I linked to a couple of days ago in another thread, about the witchdoctor in India doing all kinds of black magic to try to kill an atheist on live Indian television, while the atheist just sat there calmly and laughed at the most outlandish things. Here's an account: Indian Tantrik Tries to Kill Man on Television with Black Magic.

The atheist wanted to prove it didn't work. The show got an audience of millions, many of whom might have believed in it before.

EHocking · 17th July 2009, 06:42 AM

Originally Posted by Baby Nemesis

That reminds me of the thing I linked to a couple of days ago in another thread, about the witchdoctor in India doing all kinds of black magic to try to kill an atheist on live Indian television, while the atheist just sat there calmly and laughed at the most outlandish things. Here's an account: Indian Tantrik Tries to Kill Man on Television with Black Magic.

The atheist wanted to prove it didn't work. The show got an audience of millions, many of whom might have believed in it before.

The Television challenge (all in Indian, I'm afraid).
Part 1^[YouTube]
Part 2^[YouTube]
The final showdown.
Part 3^[YouTube]

Baby Nemesis · 17th July 2009, 07:57 AM

Originally Posted by EeneyMinnieMoe

Though I generally do not support vandalism, I have ripped down and thrown out advertisements for psychics at my school. So much so that questions started being asked about why all the flyers for so and so service kept going missing. And a stern warning not to remove or destroy any flyers went up.

If they're going to make that much fuss, perhaps instead you could ask whoever gives permission for adverts to be put up if you could advertise a website warning against scams. If they say yes, you could advertise the address of one where there are warnings against psychic scams, next to the psychics' adverts. It wouldn't necessarily have to specifically warn against psychic scams so you didn't look too combative. But it could perhaps be something like This page with links to advice on all kinds of scams, besides several to information about psychic ones: Links to Advice on Consumer Protection - Scams, Rogue Traders, Loan Sharks and Psychic Frauds.

Psi Baba · 17th July 2009, 09:04 AM

Quote:

the clod of wheat flour dough. He kneaded it and powdered it with mysterious ingredients

Mmmmm, donuts.

skyhand · 17th July 2009, 01:13 PM

As much as I dislike what she does, I have to feel a little sorry for her. If she is being targeted by someone unknown for any reason, it has to be extremely frightening. There are so many unknowns for her. The person knows my number, my place of "work" and where I live. Am I safe in my house or anywhere? Let the police determine if it is a false report and if it is throw the book at her.

It is interesting how they can't use their powers in their own lives. Does this give them doubt in their abilities or is it just the rules?

Fnord · 17th July 2009, 01:17 PM

Dark forces are definately at work...

(That's a straight line, folks! Jump on it!)

Foolmewunz · 17th July 2009, 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by skyhand

As much as I dislike what she does, I have to feel a little sorry for her. If she is being targeted by someone unknown for any reason, it has to be extremely frightening. There are so many unknowns for her. The person knows my number, my place of "work" and where I live. Am I safe in my house or anywhere? Let the police determine if it is a false report and if it is throw the book at her.

It is interesting how they can't use their powers in their own lives. Does this give them doubt in their abilities or is it just the rules?

It's the rules (of the scam). The I Can't Use My Powers to the Benefit of Myself or My Family ruse is used to explain why they aren't winning the lottery every day or multi-billionaires, how come they get hit by cars like other people, etc....

It's generally, if not spoken directly, got a religious connotation to me - that some higher power (the Big G, generally) has given them this power for good and they aren't allowed to exploit it, blah blah blah. Except in making videos, plugging books, selling $400 readings, and staging events at auditoria, of course.

Ferguson · 17th July 2009, 07:12 PM

Meh, if you're in a criminal enterprise, you should expect competition. I have no sympathy for her.

rjh01 · 18th July 2009, 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by EeneyMinnieMoe

Though I generally do not support vandalism, I have ripped down and thrown out advertisements for psychics at my school. So much so that questions started being asked about why all the flyers for so and so service kept going missing.

And a stern warning not to remove or destroy any flyers went up.

<snip>.

You do not need to destroy such ads. Just alter the contact details. Do it right and it would be hard to spot. That way they stay there and are 100% worthless.

EeneyMinnieMoe · 18th July 2009, 01:00 AM

Originally Posted by Baby Nemesis

Hilarious. [/sarcasm]It seems from the article that it is a rival psychic! And no psychic deserves to be physically attacked no matter how little patience you happen to have for their knowing or unwitting fraudulent activities!! Wouldn't you say there are more humane ways of dealing with them than physically attacking them and threatening their child?

And no, this attack probably won't work out for the long-term good because she can't tell who the attacker was. If anything, people who hear skeptics gloating and laughing will end up with more sympathy for psychics, or at least more interest in them due to the publicity!

You are absolutely right. It's wrong to threaten or harass anyone (which I didn't condone) and there's a big difference between making their signs disappear (something I've admit I've done) and stalking them (something I'd never do to anyone).

If this is a disgruntled client or a skeptic with an agenda, they can get their message out in other ways. If this is a rival psychic, that's kind of ironic and amusing in a dark way- but that person should be ashamed.

According to this, she was actually attacked:

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_1...ce=most_viewed

Foolmewunz · 18th July 2009, 02:33 AM

That's pretty much the same article as the OP (and same author, so I'm sure he sent it out around the state and a few have picked up on it).

So? My spidey sense is still tingling. "There's another psychic coming to the area?" That just sounds so melodramatic. What about the psychics that are already there? Greenwich/Stamford is a pretty big community. There are already psychics practicing there. Why's she heard of another one coming and assumes it's him/her who's having her attacked, and not one of the established psychics.

Has the news contacted the other psychics in the area? Are they being threatened?

I just don't like this article or story behind it.

Baby Nemesis · 18th July 2009, 06:04 AM

Originally Posted by EeneyMinnieMoe

You are absolutely right. It's wrong to threaten or harass anyone (which I didn't condone) and there's a big difference between making their signs disappear (something I've admit I've done) and stalking them (something I'd never do to anyone).

If this is a disgruntled client or a skeptic with an agenda, they can get their message out in other ways. If this is a rival psychic, that's kind of ironic and amusing in a dark way- but that person should be ashamed.

According to this, she was actually attacked:

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_1...ce=most_viewed

The other article said she was attacked as well.

Sorry, perhaps my post was an over-reaction. I didn't mean to imply that I thought you might do anything personally to them, or that you might genuinely approve of violence against them; I was just aghast and mind-boggled, sickened and appalled, disgusted, indignant and horrified, scandallised and outraged, angry and vexed, perturbed and grossed out, disturbed, and most of all ... well OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration. And I'll make it simpler:

I just didn't like the way you responded to an account of an attack on a psychic that left her needing hospital treatment, and threats she said were made about her son over the phone, by more-or-less just suggesting you didn't have much patience with the likes of her, and saying it would be funny if it was another psychic who did it. I'd have agreed with you if the story had been about something fairly trivial, like a psychic missing her bus because someone didn't see her coming and spilled a drink down her, and she thought she'd have time to go home and change, so it might have been another psychic who didn't see her coming, and then she didn't foresee that she'd miss her bus if she went home first.

Foolmewunz · 18th July 2009, 06:40 AM

The "other article" is the same article.

(sheeesh!)

Baby Nemesis · 18th July 2009, 07:12 AM

Originally Posted by Foolmewunz

The "other article" is the same article.

(sheeesh!)

Oh really? So now I know: *Add spooky echo* Never take the word of a Foolmewunz! It wasn't so long ago at all, ... in fact it was only a matter of hours ago, that you said, apparently as it seems now in a bizarre and arcane, possibly vaguely sinister attempt to mislead:

Quote:

That's pretty much the same article as the OP (and same author, so I'm sure he sent it out around the state and a few have picked up on it).

Foolmewunz · 18th July 2009, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by Baby Nemesis

Oh really? So now I know: *Add spooky echo* Never take the word of a Foolmewunz! It wasn't so long ago at all, ... in fact it was only a matter of hours ago, that you said, apparently as it seems now in a bizarre and arcane, possibly vaguely sinister attempt to mislead:

Suggestion: Read the two articles.

(Just a suggestion. You can continue prattling on if you want, but in the interim, I actually read the two and compared. "Apparently" was politesse - it's got the same byline for Ed's sake!)

Baby Nemesis · 18th July 2009, 08:01 AM

Just what is the great significance of this? Why is it such a big deal that I used the word "other" when I mentioned the article linked to in the OP that you should feel the need to write not just one but two posts insistently proclaiming that they're the same article? Really, just what is the point? Do you not have better things to do with a Saturday afternoon than nit-pick? Or do you have a point buried somewhere that you have thus far forgotten to bring to the fore?

The only point I was inferring by even mentioning the article was that it seemed strange to me that EeneyMinnieMoe should be saying that the article she herself was linking to said the psychic had actually been attacked, when the one linked to in the OP made that extremely clear. She seemed to be inferring that she'd somehow missed it.

Now why you feel this particular issue needs to be raked over above everything else posted today, I don't know. Perhaps you'd like to explain?

Foolmewunz · 18th July 2009, 09:43 AM

I don't know that it really needs explaining. There's a single article, mostly, it seems, based on her police report. It's been released to a couple of papers. It has no corroborating evidence or conclusions from the investigation and it seems to have illogic in it.

In such cases, I'd rather see something with a little more meat, e.g. the results of the police investigation. I don't think we're going to see it. And when Eenie pointed out the article, I thought it might be worth noting that it's the same article in a different paper. When you referred to it as the "other" article, I pointed it out again.

As I said, I have a problem (or several) with the story and with everyone being willing to accept, perhaps for the humor value - perhaps for the woo-bashing value, that the story holds water. When that girl claimed in a police report that she'd been jumped and had a (backwards) B carved in her cheek by Obama supporters, the possibility that it was a fabrication was leaped on by liberals and conservatives alike. This story has all the same elements, just a different setting.

I'm taking the skeptical view of the evidence, which is not evidence, but merely hearsay.

Two police departments. One says they received her report of the attack and are investigating. The other says they received her complaint about harassment and have heard that the other police department is investigating the reported attack. Neither says anything about the evidence, witnesses, etc...

Further, there are a dozen psychics practicing in her area. The "new psychic coming to town" bit just doesn't ring true.

If everyone wants to believe that psychics are duking it out in the streets, that's everyone's prerogative. I think it smell's fishy.

That's all. Not of earth-shattering importance, but yet significant enough to me in how I choose to look at things.

jakesteele · 18th July 2009, 10:40 AM

[quote]

Originally Posted by EeneyMinnieMoe

Though I generally do not support vandalism, I have ripped down and thrown out advertisements for psychics at my school.

Who died and made you the Thought and Speech Control Police? It's called "Freedom of Speech". If a majority rule of students/faculty want them down, they will decide the case on its own merits, not yours. They don't need someone like you arrogantly and imperiously making those decisions for them by jamming their belief system down their throats.

VisionFromFeeling · 18th July 2009, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by News article

"This town is not big enough for the ~~two~~ woo of us."

I'm sorry. What has happened is horrible. No one should be assaulted like that.

EeneyMinnieMoe · 18th July 2009, 11:02 AM

Sorry, my mistake.

I somehow missed the first few lines in the OP and thought the article was about the lady getting threatening phone calls, so I thought a newer article had now reported she'd been assaulted.

RichardR · 18th July 2009, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Questioninggeller

Connecticut psychic Janet Lee is being driven out of business by another psychic, only she doesn't know who it is, where they are, when it'll end, how it'll end, where they come from, etc. So she's having the police look into it.

Why? Can't she just figure it all out using psychic powers?

Ernie M · 18th July 2009, 11:51 AM

I feel there is something fishy about this story.

Janet Lee, a "psychic" gets a black eye and a cut on her face outside her office about midnight on a Friday night?

What was she doing at her office about midnight on a Friday night?
If the alleged man who beat her with his fists said he was going to kill her, why didn't he kill her at that time?
If she received harassing phone calls, the "Local psychic attacked in Greenwich" article didn't mention if Ms. Lee used the Call Trace *57 telephone feature to log the harassing calls with her local police department. This may not have been possible if she received a call after the alleged harassing call, but before she would have dialed the Call Trace *57.
The phone caller never said they were going to hurt Ms. Lee, but yet the person who allegedly hit her said he was going to kill her- why the discrepancy?
Was a trace DNA sample taken at the hospital from Ms. Lee from where she was beaten, right after the attack, so that there could be a DNA profile made of the alleged attacker?

I am highly suspicious about the events as described by Janet Lee.

Baby Nemesis · 18th July 2009, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by Jakesteele

Who died and made you the Thought and Speech Control Police? It's called "Freedom of Speech". If a majority rule of students/faculty want them down, they will decide the case on its own merits, not yours. They don't need someone like you arrogantly and imperiously making those decisions for them by jamming their belief system down their throats.

There are several things wrong with that little paragraph, not least of which is the logical fallacy of assuming that if the majority of students want them down, they'll all organise together in a discussion committee and take a considered decision to petition the principal to have them taken down. You also jump to conclusions about EeneyMinnieMoe's motives that are totally unfounded. How can you imagine you are critically thinking in the least when you accuse someone of being arrogant and imperious when there are so many other possible attitudes behind her behaviour, including one which I'd assume to be more likely - a desire to protect vulnerable students from spending lots of their money for nothing, or from getting advice that turns out to harm them. That kind of thing happens all too often. See these articles, for instance:

An intrepid reporter does hard time in the telepsychic trenches

Quote:

... I turned the cards over slowly, one by one, making little exclamations like "ohh ..." and "mmm." I told her I sensed that there was a very important man whose life had recently been disrupted by something from his past.

"Ah! He is very handsome!" I said, trying to make my voice reverberate deeply. I thought I detected a note of quiet desperation in her voice as she agreed.
Shyly, she asked me how the man from her past felt about her now, and I told her that the cards said that his love for her had never died. This, of course, was exactly what she wanted to hear. Barbara wanted permission to follow a path of action that her better judgment warned her was pure folly.

This was the first time Barbara had ever called a psychic hotline, and she said she did it only because she was "so worked up and didn't know what else to do." In her vulnerable state, she had seen the ad on TV and decided to "just give it a try." After all, the first three minutes were free. If she wasn't satisfied by then she could just hang up. Of course, a large portion of the first free three minutes of a pay-per-call are used up in phone menus and routing. ...

Psychic Scams

Quote:

Mrs. Sonia pulled out the death card, and proceeded to inform Lisa that someone in her family was very ill and was going to die. The news struck a chord with Lisa because her sister was diagnosed with leukemia and was undergoing chemotherapy treatments; moreover, her 17-year-old cousin had died recently.

"I was like, 'Omigod.' I was shocked," recalls Lisa. "She then told me that I had a lot of darkness in my life caused by a curse."

Gauging the concern rising in Lisa, Mrs. Sonia knew that she had found an opening into Lisa. Mrs. Sonia told Lisa if she returned for more readings and healings, she could help her sister. ...

She did some research and found out that sting operations in other cities like Boston, Baton Rouge and Los Angeles had busted psychics who swindled hundreds of thousands of dollars out of unsuspecting victims.

There are plenty more where those came from. Wanna browse some more?

Originally Posted by Ernie M

I feel there is something fishy about this story.

Janet Lee, a "psychic" gets a black eye and a cut on her face outside her office about midnight on a Friday night?

What was she doing at her office about midnight on a Friday night?
If the alleged man who beat her with his fists said he was going to kill her, why didn't he kill her at that time?
If she received harassing phone calls, the "Local psychic attacked in Greenwich" article didn't mention if Ms. Lee used the Call Trace *57 telephone feature to log the harassing calls with her local police department. This may not have been possible if she received a call after the alleged harassing call, but before she would have dialed the Call Trace *57.
The phone caller never said they were going to hurt Ms. Lee, but yet the person who allegedly hit her said he was going to kill her- why the discrepancy?
Was a trace DNA sample taken at the hospital from Ms. Lee from where she was beaten, right after the attack, so that there could be a DNA profile made of the alleged attacker?

I am highly suspicious about the events as described by Janet Lee.

Oh come on, you just wouldn't expect the media to report minute details like that! Never assume that just because they haven't told you the entire story in scrupulous detail, there's something wrong with it, or that just because things didn't go exactly the way you happen to think they would have done if everyone was behaving the way you'd expect in an ideal crime drama scenario, that there's something intrinsically wrong with the story in itself.

EeneyMinnieMoe · 18th July 2009, 02:31 PM

That's exactly what it is. You see the harm psychics and mediums can do, you don't want anyone going to them and resent them being allowed to advertise in your neighborhood, place of work, school, etc.

There are some woos that are harmless enough but psychics aren't one of them. Except for medical woo and maybe regular con artists, they are the most dangerous frauds in the world.

I've also taken Kevin Trudeau books off the shelves at book sales and at my local library.

I think one is still behind the radiator.

Ernie M · 18th July 2009, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by Baby Nemesis

[...]

Oh come on, you just wouldn't expect the media to report minute details like that! Never assume that just because they haven't told you the entire story in scrupulous detail, there's something wrong with it, or that just because things didn't go exactly the way you happen to think they would have done if everyone was behaving the way you'd expect in an ideal crime drama scenario, that there's something intrinsically wrong with the story in itself.

No, I don't expect the media to report minute details, although sometimes it would be nice if they did.

I still say (even though it seems you disagree) that there's something fishy about the story.

Hey, you don't think Janet Lee is learning-challenged, do you? I mean, the article quotes Ms. Lee as saying:

Quote:

"I am not able to read for myself or my children."

Foolmewunz · 18th July 2009, 05:57 PM

Ernie,
I hope there's a little sarcastic smiley implicit in your last post, there.

Questioninggeller · 18th July 2009, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by Foolmewunz

...
As I said, I have a problem (or several) with the story and with everyone being willing to accept, perhaps for the humor value - perhaps for the woo-bashing value, that the story holds water. When that girl claimed in a police report that she'd been jumped and had a (backwards) B carved in her cheek by Obama supporters, the possibility that it was a fabrication was leaped on by liberals and conservatives alike. This story has all the same elements, just a different setting.

I'm taking the skeptical view of the evidence, which is not evidence, but merely hearsay.

Two police departments. One says they received her report of the attack and are investigating. The other says they received her complaint about harassment and have heard that the other police department is investigating the reported attack. Neither says anything about the evidence, witnesses, etc...
...

I agree. I'm skeptical about her version of events too, which is why I put the question mark in the thread title.

Why would she be at work late-night on Friday?

Ernie M · 18th July 2009, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by Foolmewunz

Ernie,
I hope there's a little sarcastic smiley implicit in your last post, there.

Yes, there was a little sarcastic smiley intended for my last post.

I was going to include a

, but I tried to exercise some restraint. Besides, I haven't figured a way to make it bigger than this

size. I feel that Janet would want a big

16th July 2009, 06:27 PM	#1
Questioninggeller Master Poster Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 2,551	Psychics fight over business leads to attack? Connecticut psychic Janet Lee is being driven out of business by another psychic, only she doesn't know who it is, where they are, when it'll end, how it'll end, where they come from, etc. So she's having the police look into it. Quote: Local psychic attacked in Greenwich Connecticut Post July 16, 2009 By John Nickerson, Frank MacEachern After receiving threatening phone calls and being injured by a man during a midnight attack in Greenwich over the weekend, a local psychic says someone is trying to drive her out of business. Janet Lee said she was taken to the hospital after being beaten by a man outside her office at 16 Greenwich Ave., in Greenwich, late Friday night. She also has an office at 565 Westport Ave., in Norwalk. Four days before the attack, which left her with a black eye and a cut on her face, Lee reported to Norwalk police that a woman left several threatening phone messages focusing on her business and her son. Norwalk and Greenwich police said they are investigating Lee's complaints. In one of the messages the woman said, "This town is not big enough for the two of us. We want you to take down your sign," said Lee, who lives in Norwalk. ... Norwalk police Sgt. Andre Velez said police are investigating Lee's complaint of harassing phone calls and are aware of the Greenwich investigation. He would not discuss the case further. Lee said she has been a psychic in Norwalk for eight years and told people's futures in Greenwich for 10. Until 2004, she even had a two-year stint as a "promotional" psychic at Saks Fifth Avenue in Greenwich. Lee, who says she has a large clientele and describes herself as a "life coach," said it is not unusual for her to receive crank calls. But these calls were different, she said. ... Lee said she has heard that another psychic is coming into the area, but has no idea who it is. Her psychic gifts are no help to her in this investigation, Lee said. "I am not able to read for myself or my children. I can only see things for other people," Lee said. Full: Connecticut Post Per the last line shouldn't she "read" the stranger who attacked her or had her attacked?
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17th July 2009, 01:58 AM	#2
EeneyMinnieMoe Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4,704	Though I generally do not support vandalism, I have ripped down and thrown out advertisements for psychics at my school. So much so that questions started being asked about why all the flyers for so and so service kept going missing. And a stern warning not to remove or destroy any flyers went up. Having learned all I have learned about Sylvia Browne, I confess I have very, very little patience for these people. Maybe the same thing is going on here. Though think how funny it would be if it were a rival psychic.
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17th July 2009, 02:33 AM	#3
Baby Nemesis Sunshine addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: My favourite place Posts: 1,845	Originally Posted by Article After receiving threatening phone calls and being injured by a man during a midnight attack in Greenwich over the weekend, a local psychic says someone is trying to drive her out of business. Janet Lee said she was taken to the hospital after being beaten by a man outside her office at 16 Greenwich Ave., in Greenwich, late Friday night. ... Four days before the attack, which left her with a black eye and a cut on her face, Lee reported to Norwalk police that a woman left several threatening phone messages focusing on her business and her son. ... In one of the messages the woman said, "This town is not big enough for the two of us. We want you to take down your sign," said Lee, who lives in Norwalk. ... Lee said she has heard that another psychic is coming into the area, ... Originally Posted by EeneyMinnieMoe Having learned all I have learned about Sylvia Browne, I confess I have very, very little patience for these people. ... Though think how funny it would be if it were a rival psychic. Hilarious. [/sarcasm]It seems from the article that it is a rival psychic! And no psychic deserves to be physically attacked no matter how little patience you happen to have for their knowing or unwitting fraudulent activities!! Wouldn't you say there are more humane ways of dealing with them than physically attacking them and threatening their child? And no, this attack probably won't work out for the long-term good because she can't tell who the attacker was. If anything, people who hear skeptics gloating and laughing will end up with more sympathy for psychics, or at least more interest in them due to the publicity!
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17th July 2009, 02:43 AM	#4
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 10,131	Baby N, Maybe you could just pay for a reading, since you seem to believe every word of the article, anyway. Doesn't any of this get your spidey senses a-tingling? The jury's still out on this, if you ask me. Mysterious threatening phone calls? Sinister new psychic coming to town to try to hijack her business. "This sucker pool's not big enough for the two of us." "Oh, yeah? Smile when you say that, pahdner." I don't think anyone should be beaten up, either, but my sympathy ends at my borderline pacifism. Why is it a rival psychic and not a disgruntled customer? Ex-boyfriend? Random act of violence? Mugging? Sheesh. I'm giving two bucks on "boyfriend smacked her around and she's shifting the blame to get some publicity out of it".
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17th July 2009, 02:59 AM	#5
Baby Nemesis Sunshine addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: My favourite place Posts: 1,845	Right, so you think she'd have her profession tarnished by making up a story that suggests psychics can be violent and sinister because she thinks it would be good for business? Well, stranger things have happened. But why would you automatically be inclined to disbelieve her, just because you don't like psychics? Yes, it would seem strange that a rival psychic might worry there aren't enough gullible people to go around. What might make the difference is that she's quite well-known so she might be first choice for many. In any case, it seems grossly unfair that she should be the one on trial for this in this thread.
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17th July 2009, 03:02 AM	#6
SkeptiChick Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bellingham, WA Posts: 1,807	Originally Posted by Baby Nemesis Right, so you think she'd have her profession tarnished by making up a story that suggests psychics can be violent and sinister because she thinks it would be good for business? Well, stranger things have happened. But why would you automatically be inclined to disbelieve her, just because you don't like psychics? Yes, it would seem strange that a rival psychic might worry there aren't enough gullible people to go around. What might make the difference is that she's quite well-known so she might be first choice for many. In any case, it seems grossly unfair that she should be the one on trial for this in this thread. To answer the bolded section: Because psychics make their living by lying to people.

17th July 2009, 03:06 AM	#7
Sean84 Critical Thinker Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Conyers, GA Posts: 359	I say weigh them both against a duck!

17th July 2009, 03:18 AM	#8
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 10,131	Originally Posted by SkeptiChick To answer the bolded section: Because psychics make their living by lying to people. Ditto that. Actually, I'd intended to include something along those lines in my original comment, but forgot. BabyNemesis, you're normally much more creative than this. You don't think a psychic would think the publicity was good, that, oh, say, some OTHER BAD psychic was so threatened by her brilliance and great client relations that he (the other bad psychic - cue villain music, f-minor chord) would send goons to run her out of town? She's a psychic. That means she's either delusional (and wouldn't think through whether or what impact the hoary tale has) or a professional liar and con artist. I'd tend to look askance at anything that comes out of her mouth, frankly.
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17th July 2009, 03:21 AM	#9
Baby Nemesis Sunshine addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: My favourite place Posts: 1,845	Originally Posted by SkeptiChick To answer the bolded section: Because psychics make their living by lying to people. Psychics don't all realise they're deceiving people. See this story about someone who gave people psychic readings for years and genuinely believed she had a psychic gift before reading skeptical articles about cold reading and realising what she must have been doing without being that conscious of it: http://www.skepticreport.com/newage/confessionswoo.htm Quote: I feel a bit silly now and think to myself, fancy you believed [you were a real psychic], silly cow, yet at the same time, had her childhood experiences with no-one actually explaining what was happening in a language you understand (hallucinations). Add to that, the fact of some cracking hits here and there, and I don't suppose it would be that hard to understand why people believe. I just know better now. Besides, lying about some things doesn't mean you'll lie about everything. One of the principles of the legal system, for better or worse, is that juries won't be told all the instances of a crime someone on trial for a similar crime has committed in the past, lest it prejudice the jury's judgment about their likelihood of committing this one. So how much more should we reserve judgment when the person might not even be knowingly deceiving with her psychic activities, and when lying about one thing doesn't necessarily mean you're likely to lie about something totally different.
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17th July 2009, 04:05 AM	#10
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 10,131	Well, I think Skeptichick gave you the economy version and I gave the fuller version, wherein I said, EITHER liars or delusional persons. You're covering the latter, and I concur. But whether the one or the other, it seems a good reason to take the article and her unproven complaints with a grain of salt unless (I won't say "until" because this story will quite logically die off) there's some corroboration.
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17th July 2009, 04:57 AM	#11
Baby Nemesis Sunshine addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: My favourite place Posts: 1,845	If we were the ones responsible for investigating the story, catching the perpetrators and questioning them, I would most wholeheartedly disagree with you! Thankfully we're not, so we can in fact ignore the story. But there are enough miscarriages of justice already without people further being assumed to be liars and their stories not investigated because of it. Don't forget it's about making things safer for the community by catching the right people. If the police decided she was probably lying before even questioning her much, they might fail to follow up leads that would prevent others becoming victims. Imagine: "Oh, she's probably lying; I'd guess it was a random act of violence - there's nothing we can do". So they don't give her advice on getting calls traced and equipment to record calls. Harassment continues. Her son eventually gets hurt. You can't dismiss an allegation just because the person making it doesn't have an exemplary character! As for your idea that the allegation might be the work of a con-artist who knows it would be good for business, it would be good for business after any perpetrators have been caught, not before, surely. Who's going to want to go to the offices of someone who's being persistently threatened with violence? Who would risk the possibility that the people threatening the violence might commit an attack while they're there and they might be hurt in the process? After the perpetrator's been caught, that's the time people are most likely to flock to her in sympathy. But that certainly isn't going to happen if instead of a perpetrator being caught, she's penalised for wasting police time! If this is the work of a con-artist, the con-artist really isn't that bright! But I'm sure con-artists have done stupider things. Still, I think it's very important to reserve judgment, for the reasons I've specified.
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17th July 2009, 06:03 AM	#12
alfaniner Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Sorth Dakonsin Posts: 7,648	The title of this thread has me imagining the two psychics standing across from each other in a field. "Zap!" "Missed me! Zap!" "Missed me, too! Zap, zap!" "Ha, ha! Missed again! Zap!" "Missed... hey, wait a minute... How can we miss when we're standing two feet away from each other?" "Yeah. Maybe there's nothing it it?" (both) "Nahhh! Zap! Zap!! Zap!!!"
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17th July 2009, 06:18 AM	#13
Baby Nemesis Sunshine addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: My favourite place Posts: 1,845	That reminds me of the thing I linked to a couple of days ago in another thread, about the witchdoctor in India doing all kinds of black magic to try to kill an atheist on live Indian television, while the atheist just sat there calmly and laughed at the most outlandish things. Here's an account: Indian Tantrik Tries to Kill Man on Television with Black Magic. The atheist wanted to prove it didn't work. The show got an audience of millions, many of whom might have believed in it before.
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17th July 2009, 06:42 AM	#14
EHocking Master Poster Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,250	Originally Posted by Baby Nemesis That reminds me of the thing I linked to a couple of days ago in another thread, about the witchdoctor in India doing all kinds of black magic to try to kill an atheist on live Indian television, while the atheist just sat there calmly and laughed at the most outlandish things. Here's an account: Indian Tantrik Tries to Kill Man on Television with Black Magic. The atheist wanted to prove it didn't work. The show got an audience of millions, many of whom might have believed in it before. The Television challenge (all in Indian, I'm afraid). Part 1^[YouTube] Part 2^[YouTube] The final showdown. Part 3^[YouTube]
EHocking Master Poster Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,250	__________________ "A closed mouth gathers no feet" "Ignorance is a renewable resource" P.J.O'Rourke Prayer: "a sophisticated way of pleading with thunderstorms." T.Pratchett "It's all god's handiwork, there's little quality control applied", Fox26 reporter on Texas granite Forum Birdwatching Webpage Last edited by EHocking; 17th July 2009 at 06:46 AM.

17th July 2009, 07:57 AM	#15
Baby Nemesis Sunshine addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: My favourite place Posts: 1,845	Originally Posted by EeneyMinnieMoe Though I generally do not support vandalism, I have ripped down and thrown out advertisements for psychics at my school. So much so that questions started being asked about why all the flyers for so and so service kept going missing. And a stern warning not to remove or destroy any flyers went up. If they're going to make that much fuss, perhaps instead you could ask whoever gives permission for adverts to be put up if you could advertise a website warning against scams. If they say yes, you could advertise the address of one where there are warnings against psychic scams, next to the psychics' adverts. It wouldn't necessarily have to specifically warn against psychic scams so you didn't look too combative. But it could perhaps be something like This page with links to advice on all kinds of scams, besides several to information about psychic ones: Links to Advice on Consumer Protection - Scams, Rogue Traders, Loan Sharks and Psychic Frauds.
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17th July 2009, 09:04 AM	#16
Psi Baba Homo Skepticalis Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: On a recumbent bike Posts: 2,246	Quote: the clod of wheat flour dough. He kneaded it and powdered it with mysterious ingredients Mmmmm, donuts.
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17th July 2009, 01:13 PM	#17
skyhand Scholar Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 56	As much as I dislike what she does, I have to feel a little sorry for her. If she is being targeted by someone unknown for any reason, it has to be extremely frightening. There are so many unknowns for her. The person knows my number, my place of "work" and where I live. Am I safe in my house or anywhere? Let the police determine if it is a false report and if it is throw the book at her. It is interesting how they can't use their powers in their own lives. Does this give them doubt in their abilities or is it just the rules?
skyhand Scholar Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 56

17th July 2009, 01:17 PM	#18
Fnord Metasyntactic Variable Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pantopia Posts: 3,909	Dark forces are definately at work... (That's a straight line, folks! Jump on it!)
	__________________ "When I say, "Evidence, Please?" I am not asking for another statement of faith. I am asking for the evidence that supports that faith. Faith proves nothing." -- Fnord, Pointing Out the Obvious to the Oblivious Since 1957.

17th July 2009, 06:27 PM	#19
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 10,131	Originally Posted by skyhand As much as I dislike what she does, I have to feel a little sorry for her. If she is being targeted by someone unknown for any reason, it has to be extremely frightening. There are so many unknowns for her. The person knows my number, my place of "work" and where I live. Am I safe in my house or anywhere? Let the police determine if it is a false report and if it is throw the book at her. It is interesting how they can't use their powers in their own lives. Does this give them doubt in their abilities or is it just the rules? It's the rules (of the scam). The I Can't Use My Powers to the Benefit of Myself or My Family ruse is used to explain why they aren't winning the lottery every day or multi-billionaires, how come they get hit by cars like other people, etc.... It's generally, if not spoken directly, got a religious connotation to me - that some higher power (the Big G, generally) has given them this power for good and they aren't allowed to exploit it, blah blah blah. Except in making videos, plugging books, selling $400 readings, and staging events at auditoria, of course.
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17th July 2009, 07:12 PM	#20
Ferguson Thinker Join Date: May 2009 Location: Downtown Lansing, MI Posts: 222	Meh, if you're in a criminal enterprise, you should expect competition. I have no sympathy for her.

18th July 2009, 12:45 AM	#21
rjh01 Fire Warden Tagger Join Date: May 2005 Location: Planet Earth Posts: 9,810	Originally Posted by EeneyMinnieMoe Though I generally do not support vandalism, I have ripped down and thrown out advertisements for psychics at my school. So much so that questions started being asked about why all the flyers for so and so service kept going missing. And a stern warning not to remove or destroy any flyers went up. <snip>. You do not need to destroy such ads. Just alter the contact details. Do it right and it would be hard to spot. That way they stay there and are 100% worthless.

18th July 2009, 01:00 AM	#22
EeneyMinnieMoe Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4,704	Originally Posted by Baby Nemesis Hilarious. [/sarcasm]It seems from the article that it is a rival psychic! And no psychic deserves to be physically attacked no matter how little patience you happen to have for their knowing or unwitting fraudulent activities!! Wouldn't you say there are more humane ways of dealing with them than physically attacking them and threatening their child? And no, this attack probably won't work out for the long-term good because she can't tell who the attacker was. If anything, people who hear skeptics gloating and laughing will end up with more sympathy for psychics, or at least more interest in them due to the publicity! You are absolutely right. It's wrong to threaten or harass anyone (which I didn't condone) and there's a big difference between making their signs disappear (something I've admit I've done) and stalking them (something I'd never do to anyone). If this is a disgruntled client or a skeptic with an agenda, they can get their message out in other ways. If this is a rival psychic, that's kind of ironic and amusing in a dark way- but that person should be ashamed. According to this, she was actually attacked: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_1...ce=most_viewed
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18th July 2009, 02:33 AM	#23
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 10,131	That's pretty much the same article as the OP (and same author, so I'm sure he sent it out around the state and a few have picked up on it). So? My spidey sense is still tingling. "There's another psychic coming to the area?" That just sounds so melodramatic. What about the psychics that are already there? Greenwich/Stamford is a pretty big community. There are already psychics practicing there. Why's she heard of another one coming and assumes it's him/her who's having her attacked, and not one of the established psychics. Has the news contacted the other psychics in the area? Are they being threatened? I just don't like this article or story behind it.
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18th July 2009, 06:04 AM	#24
Baby Nemesis Sunshine addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: My favourite place Posts: 1,845	Originally Posted by EeneyMinnieMoe You are absolutely right. It's wrong to threaten or harass anyone (which I didn't condone) and there's a big difference between making their signs disappear (something I've admit I've done) and stalking them (something I'd never do to anyone). If this is a disgruntled client or a skeptic with an agenda, they can get their message out in other ways. If this is a rival psychic, that's kind of ironic and amusing in a dark way- but that person should be ashamed. According to this, she was actually attacked: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_1...ce=most_viewed The other article said she was attacked as well. Sorry, perhaps my post was an over-reaction. I didn't mean to imply that I thought you might do anything personally to them, or that you might genuinely approve of violence against them; I was just aghast and mind-boggled, sickened and appalled, disgusted, indignant and horrified, scandallised and outraged, angry and vexed, perturbed and grossed out, disturbed, and most of all ... well OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration. And I'll make it simpler: I just didn't like the way you responded to an account of an attack on a psychic that left her needing hospital treatment, and threats she said were made about her son over the phone, by more-or-less just suggesting you didn't have much patience with the likes of her, and saying it would be funny if it was another psychic who did it. I'd have agreed with you if the story had been about something fairly trivial, like a psychic missing her bus because someone didn't see her coming and spilled a drink down her, and she thought she'd have time to go home and change, so it might have been another psychic who didn't see her coming, and then she didn't foresee that she'd miss her bus if she went home first.
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18th July 2009, 06:40 AM	#25
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 10,131	The "other article" is the same article. (sheeesh!)
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18th July 2009, 07:12 AM	#26
Baby Nemesis Sunshine addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: My favourite place Posts: 1,845	Originally Posted by Foolmewunz The "other article" is the same article. (sheeesh!) Oh really? So now I know: Add spooky echo Never take the word of a Foolmewunz! It wasn't so long ago at all, ... in fact it was only a matter of hours ago, that you said, apparently as it seems now in a bizarre and arcane, possibly vaguely sinister attempt to mislead: Quote: That's pretty much the same article as the OP (and same author, so I'm sure he sent it out around the state and a few have picked up on it).
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18th July 2009, 07:32 AM	#27
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 10,131	Originally Posted by Baby Nemesis Oh really? So now I know: Add spooky echo Never take the word of a Foolmewunz! It wasn't so long ago at all, ... in fact it was only a matter of hours ago, that you said, apparently as it seems now in a bizarre and arcane, possibly vaguely sinister attempt to mislead: Suggestion: Read the two articles. (Just a suggestion. You can continue prattling on if you want, but in the interim, I actually read the two and compared. "Apparently" was politesse - it's got the same byline for Ed's sake!)
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18th July 2009, 08:01 AM	#28
Baby Nemesis Sunshine addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: My favourite place Posts: 1,845	Just what is the great significance of this? Why is it such a big deal that I used the word "other" when I mentioned the article linked to in the OP that you should feel the need to write not just one but two posts insistently proclaiming that they're the same article? Really, just what is the point? Do you not have better things to do with a Saturday afternoon than nit-pick? Or do you have a point buried somewhere that you have thus far forgotten to bring to the fore? The only point I was inferring by even mentioning the article was that it seemed strange to me that EeneyMinnieMoe should be saying that the article she herself was linking to said the psychic had actually been attacked, when the one linked to in the OP made that extremely clear. She seemed to be inferring that she'd somehow missed it. Now why you feel this particular issue needs to be raked over above everything else posted today, I don't know. Perhaps you'd like to explain?
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18th July 2009, 09:43 AM	#29
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 10,131	I don't know that it really needs explaining. There's a single article, mostly, it seems, based on her police report. It's been released to a couple of papers. It has no corroborating evidence or conclusions from the investigation and it seems to have illogic in it. In such cases, I'd rather see something with a little more meat, e.g. the results of the police investigation. I don't think we're going to see it. And when Eenie pointed out the article, I thought it might be worth noting that it's the same article in a different paper. When you referred to it as the "other" article, I pointed it out again. As I said, I have a problem (or several) with the story and with everyone being willing to accept, perhaps for the humor value - perhaps for the woo-bashing value, that the story holds water. When that girl claimed in a police report that she'd been jumped and had a (backwards) B carved in her cheek by Obama supporters, the possibility that it was a fabrication was leaped on by liberals and conservatives alike. This story has all the same elements, just a different setting. I'm taking the skeptical view of the evidence, which is not evidence, but merely hearsay. Two police departments. One says they received her report of the attack and are investigating. The other says they received her complaint about harassment and have heard that the other police department is investigating the reported attack. Neither says anything about the evidence, witnesses, etc... Further, there are a dozen psychics practicing in her area. The "new psychic coming to town" bit just doesn't ring true. If everyone wants to believe that psychics are duking it out in the streets, that's everyone's prerogative. I think it smell's fishy. That's all. Not of earth-shattering importance, but yet significant enough to me in how I choose to look at things.
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18th July 2009, 10:40 AM	#30
jakesteele Muse Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 521	[quote] Originally Posted by EeneyMinnieMoe Though I generally do not support vandalism, I have ripped down and thrown out advertisements for psychics at my school. Who died and made you the Thought and Speech Control Police? It's called "Freedom of Speech". If a majority rule of students/faculty want them down, they will decide the case on its own merits, not yours. They don't need someone like you arrogantly and imperiously making those decisions for them by jamming their belief system down their throats.
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18th July 2009, 10:58 AM	#31
VisionFromFeeling Graduate Poster Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: North Carolina, United States Posts: 1,224	Originally Posted by News article "This town is not big enough for the ~~two~~ woo of us." I'm sorry. What has happened is horrible. No one should be assaulted like that.
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18th July 2009, 11:02 AM	#32
EeneyMinnieMoe Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4,704	Sorry, my mistake. I somehow missed the first few lines in the OP and thought the article was about the lady getting threatening phone calls, so I thought a newer article had now reported she'd been assaulted.
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18th July 2009, 11:33 AM	#33
RichardR Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 2,250	Originally Posted by Questioninggeller Connecticut psychic Janet Lee is being driven out of business by another psychic, only she doesn't know who it is, where they are, when it'll end, how it'll end, where they come from, etc. So she's having the police look into it. Why? Can't she just figure it all out using psychic powers?
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18th July 2009, 11:51 AM	#34
Ernie M Critical Thinker Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 295	I feel there is something fishy about this story. Janet Lee, a "psychic" gets a black eye and a cut on her face outside her office about midnight on a Friday night? What was she doing at her office about midnight on a Friday night? If the alleged man who beat her with his fists said he was going to kill her, why didn't he kill her at that time? If she received harassing phone calls, the "Local psychic attacked in Greenwich" article didn't mention if Ms. Lee used the Call Trace 57* telephone feature to log the harassing calls with her local police department. This may not have been possible if she received a call after the alleged harassing call, but before she would have dialed the Call Trace 57.* The phone caller never said they were going to hurt Ms. Lee, but yet the person who allegedly hit her said he was going to kill her- why the discrepancy? Was a trace DNA sample taken at the hospital from Ms. Lee from where she was beaten, right after the attack, so that there could be a DNA profile made of the alleged attacker? I am highly suspicious about the events as described by Janet Lee.
Ernie M Critical Thinker Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 295	__________________ paranormalstateillustrated.com Taking a close look at what you see and hear on a "Real Life. Drama." TV series. Last edited by Ernie M; 18th July 2009 at 12:01 PM. Reason: Edited to correct a few typos.

18th July 2009, 12:38 PM	#35
Baby Nemesis Sunshine addict Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: My favourite place Posts: 1,845	Originally Posted by Jakesteele Who died and made you the Thought and Speech Control Police? It's called "Freedom of Speech". If a majority rule of students/faculty want them down, they will decide the case on its own merits, not yours. They don't need someone like you arrogantly and imperiously making those decisions for them by jamming their belief system down their throats. There are several things wrong with that little paragraph, not least of which is the logical fallacy of assuming that if the majority of students want them down, they'll all organise together in a discussion committee and take a considered decision to petition the principal to have them taken down. You also jump to conclusions about EeneyMinnieMoe's motives that are totally unfounded. How can you imagine you are critically thinking in the least when you accuse someone of being arrogant and imperious when there are so many other possible attitudes behind her behaviour, including one which I'd assume to be more likely - a desire to protect vulnerable students from spending lots of their money for nothing, or from getting advice that turns out to harm them. That kind of thing happens all too often. See these articles, for instance: An intrepid reporter does hard time in the telepsychic trenches Quote: ... I turned the cards over slowly, one by one, making little exclamations like "ohh ..." and "mmm." I told her I sensed that there was a very important man whose life had recently been disrupted by something from his past. "Ah! He is very handsome!" I said, trying to make my voice reverberate deeply. I thought I detected a note of quiet desperation in her voice as she agreed. Shyly, she asked me how the man from her past felt about her now, and I told her that the cards said that his love for her had never died. This, of course, was exactly what she wanted to hear. Barbara wanted permission to follow a path of action that her better judgment warned her was pure folly. This was the first time Barbara had ever called a psychic hotline, and she said she did it only because she was "so worked up and didn't know what else to do." In her vulnerable state, she had seen the ad on TV and decided to "just give it a try." After all, the first three minutes were free. If she wasn't satisfied by then she could just hang up. Of course, a large portion of the first free three minutes of a pay-per-call are used up in phone menus and routing. ... Psychic Scams Quote: Mrs. Sonia pulled out the death card, and proceeded to inform Lisa that someone in her family was very ill and was going to die. The news struck a chord with Lisa because her sister was diagnosed with leukemia and was undergoing chemotherapy treatments; moreover, her 17-year-old cousin had died recently. "I was like, 'Omigod.' I was shocked," recalls Lisa. "She then told me that I had a lot of darkness in my life caused by a curse." Gauging the concern rising in Lisa, Mrs. Sonia knew that she had found an opening into Lisa. Mrs. Sonia told Lisa if she returned for more readings and healings, she could help her sister. ... She did some research and found out that sting operations in other cities like Boston, Baton Rouge and Los Angeles had busted psychics who swindled hundreds of thousands of dollars out of unsuspecting victims. There are plenty more where those came from. Wanna browse some more? Originally Posted by Ernie M I feel there is something fishy about this story. Janet Lee, a "psychic" gets a black eye and a cut on her face outside her office about midnight on a Friday night? What was she doing at her office about midnight on a Friday night? If the alleged man who beat her with his fists said he was going to kill her, why didn't he kill her at that time? If she received harassing phone calls, the "Local psychic attacked in Greenwich" article didn't mention if Ms. Lee used the Call Trace 57* telephone feature to log the harassing calls with her local police department. This may not have been possible if she received a call after the alleged harassing call, but before she would have dialed the Call Trace 57.* The phone caller never said they were going to hurt Ms. Lee, but yet the person who allegedly hit her said he was going to kill her- why the discrepancy? Was a trace DNA sample taken at the hospital from Ms. Lee from where she was beaten, right after the attack, so that there could be a DNA profile made of the alleged attacker? I am highly suspicious about the events as described by Janet Lee. Oh come on, you just wouldn't expect the media to report minute details like that! Never assume that just because they haven't told you the entire story in scrupulous detail, there's something wrong with it, or that just because things didn't go exactly the way you happen to think they would have done if everyone was behaving the way you'd expect in an ideal crime drama scenario, that there's something intrinsically wrong with the story in itself.
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