While I do consider myself a student of the occult (a very lacks, and possibly failing student…), I am not a fan of TV psychics. I suspect that most of them are just really good at asking leading questions and reading body language.

It turns out that Barbara Walters may be a bit of a sceptic too. Apparently, after his appearance on The View, medium James Van Praagh took Ms. Walters aside and said that he felt she had a problem with her blood and lower back. Ms. Walters proceeded to have herself checked out by doctors, and was given a clean bill of health. As fits a journalist (although I’m a bit shy of saying that The View is a show that features great journalism), Ms. Walters reported the results of this encounter on her show. Mr. Praagh now claims that Ms. Walters has publicly disparaged him. I wonder why he didn’t see it coming. (For more on this, check out Barbara Walters vs. psychic powers over at TVguide.ca.)

Now, if you do believe in psychics by wonder why they never can tell you your name, you might find this interesting: Why Can’t Psychics Guess Your Name?.