…and this is a 
With mixed feelings, I announce the demise of Paul the 'psychic' octopus.
On the one hand, he was a living creature, and I feel sadness at any death. On the other hand, he was a psychic fraud, and I have no sympathy for those rascals. On the other hand, he was a cephalopod, and those especially deserve to thrive. On the other hand, the hype surrounding him was tiresome and overblown—good riddance. On the other hand, he was being exploited by his trainers slave masters, so he hardly deserves the blame. On the other hand, what a waste of everyone's time to be playing fake psychic games with already boring football games. On the other hand, he spent his life confined to a really boring tank instead of savoring the splendor of life in the wild. On the other hand, he did have a life of safety and security and readily available food, so it could have been a better life than the typical short and brutal experience of nature.
I guess the bottom line is that I regret the death of the octopus, but am relieved that there'll be no more of this psychic flim-flam.
Comments
Posted by: andrew.david.smith
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October 26, 2010 9:08 AM
..."but am relieved that there'll be no more of this psychic flim-flam."
HA! That's funny.
My psychic powers tell me there will be.
Posted by: Bill Dauphin, avec fromage
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October 26, 2010 9:10 AM
Cue walrus jokes in 3... 2... 1....
Posted by: rni.boh
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October 26, 2010 9:14 AM
Errm, when did Paul ever claim that what he did was genuine? Did anyone think that he was genuinely psychic? I thought we all took the whole thing as a bit of a joke.Posted by: hellocthulu
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October 26, 2010 9:14 AM
Appropriately enough, you ended up with eight hands there.
Posted by: Thebear, just an agent of peas
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October 26, 2010 9:15 AM
Isn't 2 years a typical life span for an octopus?
Posted by: mattand08
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October 26, 2010 9:18 AM
At least until his ghost comes back and starts handicapping horse races.
Posted by: Ian Rawlings
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October 26, 2010 9:21 AM
Just watch the web, there will be a new industry in Paul The Psychic Octopus Chanelling appearing any moment now.
Posted by: Cuttlefish, OM, CR
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October 26, 2010 9:24 AM
Heh. Nice thing about being a Cuttlefish--I get two more "on the other hand" chances. Although I hear that sometimes, nothing is a pretty cool hand.
Posted by: Curt Cameron
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October 26, 2010 9:25 AM
I saw what you did there.
Posted by: Iris
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October 26, 2010 9:27 AM
LOL.
Posted by: James F
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October 26, 2010 9:42 AM
He even had his own theme song.
Descanza en paz, Pulpo Paul.
Posted by: AJ Milne OM
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October 26, 2010 9:43 AM
He's dead, huh?
Cool. Time to start the next phase of his career:
(Gets out megaphone, yells through it in the direction of St. Peter's Basilica...)
"Hey, I heard the daughter of a sports bookie was cured of acne while looking at a poster of Paul the Psychic Octopus!"
(/... Vatican to announce fast-track canonization 3... 2... 1...)
Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort
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October 26, 2010 9:44 AM
@Cuttlefish:
You could be a jellyfish, some of them have over 800 'on the other hand' chances, and that could go on for days.
Posted by: Duckbilled Platypus
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October 26, 2010 9:49 AM
He's dead?
I bet he didn't see that one coming.
Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort
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October 26, 2010 9:51 AM
@Duckbilled Platypus:
He might have, but they didn't have the ability for him to demonstrate his prediction. They needed to put him in a cage with two boxes and two tasty clams with signs "I am going to die soon" "I am going to live a happy life for the next few years."
Posted by: daveau
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October 26, 2010 9:52 AM
.luaP deirub I
Posted by: TriciaG28
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October 26, 2010 9:57 AM
Actually I quite admired the Aquarium for exploiting this nonsense and probably dramatically increasing their visitor numbers.
And don't diss the footie! I loved the World Cup! And I was "psychic" enough to predict Spain as the champs at the beginning of the tournament. (Me and about 100 football pundits! :))
Posted by: butterflyfish.heidi
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October 26, 2010 10:14 AM
Who else counted how many hands PZ mentioned?
Posted by: locka99
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October 26, 2010 10:24 AM
"I guess the bottom line is that I regret the death of the octopus, but am relieved that there'll be no more of this psychic flim-flam."
Until the next psychic octopus story.
Posted by: Glen Davidson
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October 26, 2010 10:25 AM
I did think that his "psychic abilities" were pretty much a joke at the expense of the various charlatans out there. I suppose I could be wrong, barely paying attention to either sports or trite stories about "psychic octopuses," but it sure seemed like a poke at the idiocies of "psychics."
If only more "psychics" had such short careers.
Glen Davidson
Posted by: Erulóra (formerly KOPD)
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October 26, 2010 10:26 AM
"On the one hand" + "other hand"(x7)...
I see what you did there. ;-)
Posted by: Sigmund
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October 26, 2010 10:26 AM
Not so fast PZ, apparently Paul's last choice was between a shrimp salad and a bowl of takoyaki.
It may have been a bad idea for his owners to lend his skills to that Japanese restaurant.
Posted by: Duckbilled Platypus
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October 26, 2010 10:31 AM
@Kev Quondam:
That requires that he is able to read the texts provided on the signs. If this is the case, I would have had no doubt him to be intelligent enough to write an alarming message to his caretakers about his declining health, using the pebbles in his aquarium.
Besides, from a human perspective, "I am going to die soon" applies to his sort by default.
Posted by: Krimeg
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October 26, 2010 10:52 AM
By the way, coud someone tell me why so many deep-living cephalopods are brightly red in color ?
I guess this isn't a political choice...
Posted by: Rey Fox, Bird Caller Guy
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October 26, 2010 10:59 AM
Paul is dead man, miss him, miss him.
"Did anyone think that he was genuinely psychic?"
I believe we had a troll here who was quite convinced.
Posted by: latsot
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October 26, 2010 11:11 AM
Shame he didn't have chance to organise a Geller-style 'successor' reality show where various sea creatures got to compete for Paul's *cough* mantle.
It's probably just as well. Sea urchins are creepy enough without being able to INFLUENCE OUR MINDS. And bend spoons. And stop clocks. And find oil. And terrorists. And all the other great stuff we know for a fact Uri has done although he'll have to get back to us with the proof as although it totally exists he left it in his other jacket.
Posted by: Sengkelat
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October 26, 2010 11:16 AM
Because water filters out red light. Thus the deeper you go, the more red looks like nicely camouflaging black.Posted by: Andrew T
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October 26, 2010 11:18 AM
Farewell Paul, I hardly knew thee.
No, really. This is the first I've heard of him. I guess I haven't been keeping up on the world of cephalopod psychics.
Posted by: mole at the counter
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October 26, 2010 11:19 AM
He lost me money in a bet! In fact I wrote to him and asked him to reimburse me the cash...
'Where's that sick squid you owe me?'
Posted by: Krimeg
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October 26, 2010 11:22 AM
To Sengkelat :
Thanks for the rapid answer.:)
Posted by: pogsurf
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October 26, 2010 11:23 AM
Wow, octupi have hands!
I read it on a science blog so it must be true.
Posted by: hillaryrettig
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October 26, 2010 11:24 AM
8 hands - you really are an amazing writer, PZ
Posted by: mothra
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October 26, 2010 11:40 AM
At least he did not found a religion. . .yet
Posted by: chassoto
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October 26, 2010 11:44 AM
Haha. Got what you were going for, but octopuses have no hands! They do make for tasty campechana, however...
Posted by: englishbobster
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October 26, 2010 12:01 PM
Yes PZ, you're completely correct about the "psychic flim flam"....but calling football boring was the giddy limit!
I bet you wouldnt be saying that if it was football played by teams of octopuses (octopi??)eh?
hmm...then again it wouldn't be football would it.
Whatever! I intend not to lurk here again, in protest until Man U. win the EPL. ( not a prediction btw ... I never make predictions and I never will).
Posted by: Crystal
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October 26, 2010 12:26 PM
Paul is so cute.
He didn’t mean to deceive anyone.
Posted by: Gregory Greenwood
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October 26, 2010 12:51 PM
Just wait until 'mediums' start 'channeling' the 'essence' of Paul from the 'other side'...
These charlatans won't let a little thing like the death of the poor exploited cephalopod in question stop them gouging the gullible, and there are always people ignorant/stupid enough to believe in psychic phenomena, whether the stylings of a supposed 'medium' or the alleged sporting presience of an octopus.
Its been this way for millennia, and I do not see it changing soon. Rationalist sceptics are still a global minority, I'm afraid. Its one of the many reasons why I fear for the future of our species.
Posted by: JB
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October 26, 2010 12:53 PM
May you never return in that case. Not being a judgement on the quality or width of your character; just a heartfelt and sincere hope from a Liverpool supporter.
Now I'm going to pray to Paul-the-psychic-octopus in hope of Liverpool winning the EPL (or anything for that matter). In that event, I renounce atheism altogether and unilaterally declare Paul a St.^8.
Posted by: btthegeek
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October 26, 2010 1:11 PM
St. Octopaul, the patron saint of betting on football/soccer. Has a nice ring to it.
Posted by: Markklar
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October 26, 2010 1:14 PM
I'm rather certain that Sharktopus would not have suffered such humiliation.
Posted by: A Bad Idea (♀)
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October 26, 2010 1:29 PM
I'm pretty sure anyone sane knew he wasn't "really" psychic, just that he had a good run of random "guesses" which were really extraordinarily unlikely and hence newsworthy. Think of him as an ambassador for the animal kingdom to humans.
If there's an octopus afterlife, Paul, I hope you are there enjoying it.
Posted by: 2euclide
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October 26, 2010 1:36 PM
Hey, he was still undefeated, so he decided to quit while he was ahead. Smart move, if you ask me.
Posted by: te24hours
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October 26, 2010 1:39 PM
I was with you right up until you called World Cup Football boring. For that, death is too light a sentence.
Posted by: Doktor Zoom
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October 26, 2010 1:54 PM
Turn me on, dead octopus.
Posted by: KenB
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October 26, 2010 2:01 PM
People, people, the ink isn't even dry yet, and you are making jokes about Paul.
Posted by: frank
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October 26, 2010 2:04 PM
interested in your thoughts on :
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8290411/FeelingFuture.pdf
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-social-thinker/201010/have-scientists-finally-discovered-evidence-psychic-phenomena
Posted by: heironymous
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October 26, 2010 2:26 PM
So were you implying that the football was boring because Paul was giving away the ending?
Posted by: M31
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October 26, 2010 2:35 PM
The football was boring because they were playing the two-legged variant. Eight is much better.
Posted by: What a maroon
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October 26, 2010 3:31 PM
Because they're fans of Spain.Posted by: A. Nuran
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October 26, 2010 4:33 PM
One of your hands was right.
Lots of commentators are saying they used to be afraid of or creeped out by octopuses. But Paul was endearing and helped them lose their prejudice.
Posted by: seculargaytheist
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October 26, 2010 4:48 PM
I buried Paul in an Octopuses garden in the shade
Posted by: seculargaytheist
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October 26, 2010 4:51 PM
oops: Octopus's Garden
Posted by: Ichthyic
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October 26, 2010 6:40 PM
Because water filters out red light. Thus the deeper you go, the more red looks like nicely camouflaging black.
True (and you don't have to get very deep for that), but I think there's a bit more to it.
black camouflages in dark water the same as red.
...and there are many deep sea critters that ARE black.
could be just that since there is functionally no difference, it's a matter of drift.
or, in cases where some are red, it could be that being able to see companions with reflected light from photosomes over a short distance would be beneficial, and being red might serve in that role.
I haven't looked, but wonder if commonly red species are also group oriented?
you'd get the benefit of being very visible at short range by dim light, and still re relatively invisible at longer ranges.
I still lean towards drift, though.
Posted by: Ichthyic
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October 26, 2010 6:49 PM
btw, there are several examples of both fish and inverts in the mesopelagic (deep open ocean) that emit and/or can see red light.
example:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18725085.300-deepsea-fish-lured-by-redlight-district.html
so, this siphonophore feeds by attracting deep sea animals to red lures.
must be at least enough critters down there that can see red light to feed it.
Posted by: Marchawc
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October 26, 2010 7:21 PM
Hey PZ, would you consider featuring Paul as the "Friday Cephalopod" this week? What do you say? ;-)
Posted by: Samantha Vimes
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October 26, 2010 8:21 PM
By the third hand, I knew you would give all eight hands in his honor. :)
Posted by: 'Tis Himself, OM
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October 26, 2010 8:23 PM
PZ forgot about the Gripping Hand.
Posted by: Ring Tailed Lemurian
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October 26, 2010 8:28 PM
Aparently his last "prediction" was that England would win the bid to host the 2018 World Cup Finals.
I hope he was wrong.
Firstly, because I couldn't stand the extra OTT hype that would accompany it about England's chances of winning it. It's bad enough when we have no chance at all. Six months of wall to wall media garbage would be unbearable. Let Russia have it.
Secondly? Milton Thieving Keynes has been included as one of the host cities, should we win the bid. It isn't a city (a requirement), nor does it have the footballing history* that is also a requirement (they left out cities, such as Derby, that really do have a footballing history), nor does it have a 40,000 (minimum) seater stadium that is also a requirement and the only way they'll get one there is if they use national money to build it. Those things should invalidate the English bid, but FIFA is so corrupt that that won't happen.
*If it did then they wouldn't have had to steal someone else's (ie my) club to get league football there, would they? Grrrr.
Posted by: Ichthyic
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October 26, 2010 8:54 PM
Firstly, because I couldn't stand the extra OTT hype that would accompany it about England's chances of winning it.
LOL
that's already happening here in NZ for the 2011 cup.
all black fury at it's finest
http://www.allblacks.com/news/12561/World-Cup-2011-ticket-sales-process-unveiled
Posted by: jcmartz.myopenid.com
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October 26, 2010 10:28 PM
Paul wasn't that psychic, anyway.
Posted by: https://me.yahoo.com/a/2txZPeIMi82dXr4sg1gNviqYQ0X3Hw--#b35fa
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October 26, 2010 11:12 PM
Boring football games???
Whine. You've offended my religious feelings. Whine. You're alienating potential football-loving allies with that comment. You shrill new atheists should just shut up. Whine. Football is the goodness in all of us. Whine.
Posted by: eyespy
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October 26, 2010 11:59 PM
"I guess the bottom line is that I regret the death of the octopus, but am relieved that there'll be no more of this psychic flim-flam."
You poor, deluded wretch.
Don't you get it?
This kind of idiotic superstition is likely to explode tenthousandfold (sounded kinda biblical).
By the time the 2014 World Cup rills around there are going to be thousands of octopus predicting websites.
And, inevitably, a small percentage will be right with every pick.
And the legend of octopus prognostication will grow in the brainless brainlessness of the brainless.
Certain species will be identified as particularly potent.
Certain parts will be prized above others.
Those will be consumed in vast quantities by the brainless in an effort to increase their gambling prowess.
The worldwide decline of the octopus has begun.
And if you think I'm wrong, replace "octopus" with "tiger" and "predicting" with "sex."
Posted by: Ichthyic
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October 27, 2010 12:08 AM
sadly, I can find little flaw in eyespy's reasoning.
regardless of whether or not people actually think there was a prognosticating 'pode, because of the hooplah it received in the media, it is a sure bet that there will be endless knockoffs.
hell, Paul ITSELF was a knockoff. His first round of predictions was supposed to have occurred a couple of years before the latest round.
sorry, but that species simply doesn't live that long.
Posted by: eyespy
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October 27, 2010 12:21 AM
@Ichthyic
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Say a super-quick goodbye to our friend/enemy/cute-as-a-button the ultra-venomous but super-tiny and utterly adorable blue-ringed octopus.
The nation represented by the mascot stung to death loses.
Gambling meets Deathsport.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Posted by: Ing: PhD Trollologist
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October 27, 2010 12:28 AM
Sorry if someone has done this joke before
~"Paul is a deadman. Miss him, Miss him"~
Double apologies to those too young to get it.
Posted by: DLC
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October 27, 2010 12:58 AM
Paul is dead, long live paul. and the walrus.
koo-koo-cachu.
Posted by: rni.boh
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October 27, 2010 2:38 AM
Rey Fox @25 -
"Did anyone think that he was genuinely psychic?"
I believe we had a troll here who was quite convinced.
Oh, thanks. And here we have a typical Pharygulite who leaps to conclusions without giving any benefit of the doubt (hm, what I was complaining that PZed was doing, actually).
Due to the crappy login system Sb gives PZed, I can't use my usual name ("Bob O'H") - if you check you'll see that I've been kicking around Pharyngula since before ScienceBlogs. If you can find evidence that (a) I'm a troll, and (b) I was gullible enough to believe it, then go ahead and present the evidence.
Posted by: John Morales
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October 27, 2010 2:49 AM
Bob, whatever made you think Rey was referring to you?
The reference was most likely to foresight.
Was that you?
Posted by: rni.boh
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October 27, 2010 3:20 AM
He quoted me word for word.
Posted by: Ichthyic
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October 27, 2010 3:40 AM
he wasn't referring to YOU as the troll, Bob.
Posted by: defides
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October 27, 2010 4:05 AM
Boring football games?
Jesus, that's rich coming from an American. At least we get a 90 minute game finished in 105 minutes or thereabouts. You guys take four hours to get through a 60 minute game!!!!
Posted by: rni.boh
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October 27, 2010 4:10 AM
Ah. Passed tense. Missed that.
I'll go and sit in the Stupid Corner for a bit.
Posted by: danbloom
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October 27, 2010 6:47 AM
Professor, good post. You know there is a major story here, and that is how the MSM, the mainstream media, from Reuters to AP to AFP etc, CNN too, allowed this fake news story by the PR handlers in Germany go public in the news columns without one word of balanced reporting quoting experts who would say that the claims were bogus and the entire thing was PR fun and a gimmick. Masses of people in non-Western countries, and many people in the West believe that Paul really could predict things. It was BS. As his PR handler at the zoo said, one box was loaded with juicier and more yummy pieces of mussels, and so naturally he went to that box. The entire thing was a set up and cute and fun, but the news media really did not report the truth. Why is that?
Posted by: RLFoster
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October 28, 2010 10:47 AM
It was clearly a hit job. It shall henceforth be known as the Bourne Delicacy.