| What exactly is it that you want to stop? |
Obviously, I cannot literally "stop" Anita (VFF) from doing anything. However, I and others would like to see Anita stop spouting her pseudo-scientific fantasies and actually approach her claims in a scientific manner. We want her to stop playing games and actually submit to scientific testing.
I also think it is irresponsible for VFF to medically diagnose people since she is not a qualified medical professional or even a layperson using reliable data as a source. VFF defends her actions by downplaying them. For example, she says that she only diagnoses "close friends" and family. When pushed she says that "close friends" includes people she just met that very same day.
She also says she tells them "mostly harmless" stuff like "your shoulder is tired." However, her own website says that she talks to people about serious issues like heart disease. And she tells them that while she's never been proven wrong, they shouldn't take her seriously. Yeh, right.
I firmly believe she needs to stop doing this before something bad happens. |
| Okay, but why make a website? |
Why not? It's not hard - I make them for a living.
VFF has a website where she is promoting her claims. I'm hoping that people who find her site will do a little research to find out more. When they do, they will find this site. Hopefully they will visit and learn something.
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| Weren't the JREF Forums sufficient? |
In a word, no. I mean no disrespect to the forums or the moderators, but it just wasn't working out. After a while (thousands of posts) the forums at the JREF made it difficult to discuss VFF's claims in a suitable manner. Several of us were unhappy with how the threads got derailed and were either closed or moderated. This site will give us the opportunity to discuss her claims in a way that is no longer feasible at the JREF Forums.
The JREF Forums also contain a lot of information, but it's not organized. One would have to read literally thousands of posts to really understand what's going on. By creating one site it will be easier for people find the information that interests them.
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| Don't you think this is a bit overkill? |
Was it overkill that there were several threads on the JREF Forums containing thousands of posts including a few hundred by me? Nobody ever complained. So what's the big deal about making my own site?
Remember, the only people who will find this site will come from the JREF Forums or from the search engines while searching for information about VFF. It's not like I'm taking this to the masses and renting billboards. Only those interested will find this site. |
| C'mon, she's no Sylvia Browne. What's the harm? |
I never said she was a Sylvia Browne. However, one day she could be. Some have argued quite vehemently that VFF is laying the groundwork to enter the psychic economy. If that happens, this website will already be in place. Her popularity in the general public will dictate the popularity of this site.
With that said, VFF does not have to be causing actual harm to someone for me to create a website to debunk and discuss the claims on her website. Critical thinking and skeptical inquiries are worthwhile pursuits. |
| What does Anita claim? |
Oh, where to start...Seeing inside the human body and sensing medical ailments is her general claim. She also claims to be able to identify chemicals by sensing their vibrational information (whatever that means). Then we have remote smelling, remote tasting, detecting what a person just ate, detecting when a person has to pee, detecting color blindness, identifying crystals via ESP, telepathy, reading the thoughts of insects, Vibrational Algebra and being a "star person" rather than a human.
See the Claims section in the Discussion area. |
| Is she serious? |
She's very serious about this. She has written tens of thousands of words on the subject. She has engaged people in her local skeptics group to go out on the city streets so she can "study" people. She has a website she's using to "document" her experiences.
If this is a hoax, it is an extremely elaborate one starting in June 2007. |
| What about her ghost claims? |
| VFF has made a number of claims regarding ghosts. Not only can she communicate with ghosts (she speaks with them), but she says that they have physically shoved her. Some ghosts, she claims, scare her while others bring her joy. She also claims to be able to detect where people have died. Oh, and she can see dinosaur ghosts. |
| What was the bit about bigfoot? |
| She claims she "sensed" a "bigfoot" beast in Europe. She also says that she firmly believes that if she were to go on an expedition, she could sense the presence of the North American bigfoot and communicate with it. I guess it's a form of telepathy. |