Uri Geller
21/12/19
Uri (pronounced Oori, not Yuri) Geller is an Israeli illusionist, magician, and self- proclaimed psychic who has demonstrated his psychic abilities on many occasions. Unfortunately, stage magicians such as James Randi are able to perform similar tricks using conventional illusions, so we cannot say whether the very litigious Geller is actually using secret, supernatural, paranormal powers or doing them the same way as stage-magicians. Geller himself once claimed that he really has powers because he was sent to earth by extraterrestrials from a spaceship fifty-three thousand light years away. He later refuted these early claims but admitted there "is a slight possibility that some of my energies do have extraterrestrial connection."
When he came to public prominence in the UK and USA in the 1970's it was mainly for his spoon-bending demonstrations. He seemed to have the amazing ability to take a spoon and just with applying light pressure, cause the spoon to break and split apart as if by magic. He claimed he as using psychic powers via his mind and that it was not trickery. He has stated that even though his spoon bending can be repeated using trickery, he himself uses psychic powers to achieve his results. James Randi pointed out that if Geller is truly using his mind to perform these feats, "He is doing it the hard way."
in 1973, the Stanford Institute (a Paranormal research laboratory) did some testing and announced that Geller had "demonstrated his paranormal perceptual ability in a convincing and unambiguous manner". Subsequent examinations of the protocol however, showed that the tests were "sloppy, poorly designed and open to trickery". That same year he appeared on the Johnny Carson show. Carson had set up the interview so that several props Geller had not had access to were provided live on TV and he was asked to demonstrate his psychic powers. Of course, Geller was unable to do so, saying he didn't feel 'strong'. Despite this Geller has constantly been in the press for the past 40 years, making more and more outlandish claims and taking credit for anything unexpected, usually after the fact, (he claimed that he had helped Johnston win the recent election). Happy birthday Uri. maybe one day you'll actually demonstrate your 'powers' under controlled conditions and convince even us skeptics.