Post by Mr. Jon Donnis on Feb 4, 2011 18:02:07 GMT
But I have a prediction for them and it’s that every last one of their premonitions will be proved to be nothing more than guesswork and the weighing up of odds for the coming year. Furthermore not ONE of them will be 100% proved as true or come to pass entirely as they have stated.
With their ever increasing media onslaught, website, TV show, books, magazine deals, forums, radio interviews and phone lines spreading their own particular brand of psychic verbal, they now ask us to look to the future and consider their premonitions for the year to come. Something I’m sure many a psychic will be asking us to do as usual as this eventful year ends and the next begins.
So what makes theirs any different from the plethora of other educated and not so educated guesses out there?
Well take a look below and I think you’ll find the answer is not much.
More of the same predictable statements and pearls of wisdom we have come to expect from the career psychic community adorn their website, and when I say predictable I’m referring to the obvious, the possible and vague nature of the predictions they have made, not their ability to look into the future by some otherworldly means and pull out really astounding unprecedented and unexpected wonders from the ether.
It’s worthwhile to bear in mind when reading these, and in fact any predictions be they psychic or not, for the year ahead that anyone with the ability to read, watch and consider the factors involved can come up with statements that have a probability of happening. That doesn’t make them psychic, nor does it make the chances of them coming to pass any more or less amazing.
The predictions game will always be about probability, considering the odds and factors, and going for the one that is most likely to be the case in the year all things taken into consideration.
Add the ability to make your prediction in such a manner that it can be interpreted in many ways by many people, then throw in the “ahhh but I really meant this” after analysis and you’re well on your way to becoming this year’s on trend oracle.
It’s easy to cover the half-truth of predictions by giving the same old excuses of, “Well we only get what we are given” and “but it nearly happened” or even worse the all too common faking of dates that predictions were given to make them fit with events that have since happened.
However it’s the continual lack of exact details OR definite dates that astound me along with the usual vague noncommittal broad statements that could in fact be attributed to many happenings across 365 days of any year.
Let's look at the Hamilton Parkers’ offerings for 2009 as an example –
Predictions for 2009 have been submitted to Spirit & Destiny magazine on 9th October 2008 for publication in the January issue 2009 Check for date authenticity and archived pages at www.archive.org
1.There will be an assassination attempt on Obama (UPDATE: Looks like this one may have happened before the 2009 date predicted. There was a neo-nazi assassination plot foiled on 27th October 2008. Note that these predictions were posted on the 9th October 2008)
Everyone and their psychic granny has pontificated on the possibility of the new president elect being the subject of an assassination attempt at some point in the future so the Hamilton Parkers are not unique in their claim.
It’s not beyond the realms of possibility in the current climate of terrorist threats, racial prejudice, and general excitement and hype surrounding the first black president elect of the USA that some crazed nut, organisation or political enemy could take a pop at Obama.
The ‘net is full of websites and comment on just such conjecture and endless conspiracy theories surrounding it; most of which have no grounding in any actual fact or truth it has to be said.
But lets humour the Hamilton Parkers and look at their claim that this prediction has already come true due to a foiled neo-Nazi assassination plot on 28th October 2008.
Here's the FULL story -
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/28/nazi-assassination-plot-barack-obama
Daniel Cowart, 20, and Paul Schlesselman, 18, who were arrested in Tennessee on Wednesday, planned to attack an unidentified high school where most pupils were African-American. They intended to shoot 88 people and behead 14 others, before trying to shoot Obama.They have been charged with making threats against a presidential candidate, conspiring to rob a gun store and possessing an unregistered firearm.A spokesman for the Secret Service, which has been assigned to protect Obama since May 2007, said there did not appear to be any definite assassination plan.
Hmm it’s not really the full-scale assassination attempt they would have you believe is it.
And their initial prediction in the first place simply says there will be an assassination attempt on Barack Obama. What it doesn’t say is that there will be a foiled attempt. It doesn’t say when or how. It doesn’t say there will be two nutters who know they haven't a hope in hell of getting anywhere near Obama, who will be arrested for conspiring to rob a gun store and threatening to cause harm to the students of an unidentified high school and the president of the United States.
It’s hardly an out and out accurate hit is it? Just as this was hardly a valid assassination attempt on the president of the United States.
Once again a broad statement about a figure in the public eye who as president of the US would of course be a valid choice for a prediction of assassination as would any other world leader in the probability stakes.
2.There will be serious tensions within Europe as the Euro free falls with both France and Germany threatening to leave.
With the unprecedented financial turmoil the world over right now it seems feasible you could predict many things that would previously have been unthinkable but now would have a higher rate of probability than ever before. However either France or Germany threatening to leave the EU in real terms is highly unlikely and the consequences if they did would be huge. There’s nothing better in a prediction than to go for the biggest bang for your buck.
In short the current climate is a psychic predictor’s dream with endless discussion in the media and notably on the Internet on what’s next for the economies of the world.
Never before has there been more information out there to hint and tip on what might be ahead and sure enough a quick Google under “Euro freefall” brought endless articles on the consequences of a German or French detachment from the Euro and of course those two countries would be the ones to choose for predictions being the most likely to have the biggest effect should they leave the Euro and hence the most discussion on them out there to be read by predictors.
The tension the Hamilton Parkers predict is of course already evident therefore is less a prediction and more a comment on present circumstances.
The Euro already is in freefall albeit not to the extent the US Dollar and British Sterling have been so again no prediction here.
Which leaves us with only their prediction that France and Germany will threaten (note threaten not definitely leave) to consider.
3.Gordon Brown will be forced out of office and an early election will be called.
If you asked 100 people on the streets of Britain right now if they think an early general election will be called I would wager the majority of them would answer a resounding yes which may be more in line with wishful thinking than actual probability but nonetheless a consideration for any predictor out there.
It’s not prediction to suggest this but in October when these predictions were made a very probable and widely held belief by the general Joe that this might happen was common knowledge so not exactly earth shatteringly revealing to make a prediction on the matter.
However it’s worthwhile to note Brown has tried to kill off any speculation of an early election saying it would be “completely wrong” stating the public would want him to focus on sorting out the economic problems at present rather than on gaining a fourth term for Labour. This was a statement made in late November obviously before the Hamilton Parkers’ predictions which must have had them kicking themselves they didn’t wait till later in the year to make a guess on this one.
After all just how early does an early general election have to be to qualify this prediction, a few months, one month?
Also this is the kind of prediction that psychics love, as there’s a 50/50 chance of being right. Either it’s early or it’s not.
As for Ole Gordon being forced out; well that depends on what your definition of forced out is.
If it’s voted out by a well documented disillusioned and unfavourable public then once again not exactly prediction of the year as the polls all point to the falling support for the PM and as much as an 11% swing to the Tories all suggesting his days may be numbered. If it’s ousted by his own party from office, once again there is plenty of political comment out there at the moment to suggest that it is a possibility; however, I would say a defeat of Brown at the next election has to be a very real possibility and one the Hamilton Parkers couldn’t have failed to have considered.
4.A number of C of E bishops and senior ecclesiastical leaders convert to Catholicism simultaneously threatening to undermine the very existence of the church.
Once again a quick Google of “C of E bishops convert Catholicism” brings up several articles pre October of this year that hint at or suggest this is a possibility and is becoming more common. This from Damian Thompson a Telegraph leader writer and editor-in-chief of a leading Catholic newspaper from June 2008 seems to suggest it’s on the cards.
blogs.telegraph.co.uk/damian_thom...._defect_to_rome
This prediction does seem to have more parameters in that it specifies C of E bishops and also speaks of a mass simultaneous conversion with the added comment that it will threaten the existence of the church; however, I’m betting if even ONE converts in 2009 the Hamilton Parkers will claim it as a hit.
5.There is a worldwide rekindling of socialist ideals and a major swing back towards communism in Russia.
So Russia is about to turn back the clock 20-odd years and go back full swing to communism?
IN A YEAR!
Well that’s some feat. However let’s face it. If you were to pick a country that might embrace communism in anyway wouldn’t Russia be top of anyone’s list since it kind of invented it?
Not only that the world is going to turn to Socialist ideals in a year or at least considerably enough to qualify it as remarkable.
I’d love to know exactly how the Hamilton Parkers would define these claims and by which yardsticks they would consider their predictions as being fulfilled?
Once again it’s a massively broad statement to make, one that leaves open any kind of interpretation as to what would constitute its confirmation.
It’s another ill-defined and hugely open prediction from the HPs.
6.There will be a major terrorist attack in Dubai
As good a guess as anyone could make at the next big terror attack location as Dubai has obvious reasons for being a likely place to attack in its huge wealth, British and US expats’ settlements, massive super structures and holiday super parks; not to mention the political and religious factors and consequences of an attack there.
As with all terror attack predictions, if you get the location wrong you simply just say "well we got that one wrong" and it’s conveniently forgotten BUT get the location right alone and suddenly it takes on a much bigger relevance despite the fact that no mention of who attacks, how, exactly where, what will happen and when.
7.There will be a serious pollution problem in France – possibly in Paris with the contamination of the River Seine. Also a dam will burst in the Far East – maybe China.
Serious Pollution problem, ok well I think that’s pretty much covered in EVERY big city in the world but they do specify France and hint at Paris so it will be interesting to see if anything definite is reported along those lines.
As for a dam bursting in the Far East well it’s a huge place and narrowing it down to “China” isn’t exactly putting a pin on the map. For a country of that size it’s not unimaginable that somewhere in its borders in a whole year a dam will burst. If you apply that to the whole of the Far East I’d say it’s even more likely.
8.Britain sees many of its top companies go bust and in particular holiday firms, aviation companies and the building companies.
It’s already happening. See the demise of retailing big names like Woolworths, Zavvi, etc. Banking names such as Lehmans, HBOS etc., and a list as long as your arm on the potential hit list for New Year.
As for the singling out of holiday firms, aviation and building companies, well you’d have to be utterly thick or at best living in a cave not to pick these out as very likely casualties of the credit crunch mentality of thrift and the home buying and building slump.
No real prediction required here just sadly an application of facts and figures already known. It’s not if this happens, it’s when.
9.Victoria Beckham will become pregnant with a long awaited daughter. And Jordan will announce she’s pregnant too.
Well there is always the possibility that Posh and Becks will go for another in an attempt to have that elusive girl child, and of course three boys down the line who’s to say it won’t be a girl; after all it’s a 50/50 chance.
As for Jordan, well again it’s not exactly an earth shatteringly amazing prediction to say she will announce she’s pregnant again this year after publicly saying she and her husband Peter Andre would like to add even more to their brood.
It’s kind of akin to predicting Kerry Katona will say or do something stupid or stating Amy Winehouse will appear “tired and emotional” at some point this year.
10.There will be a knife attack on a top celebrity
And here we have it, to round the ten predictions off nicely my own personal favourite in the unnamed “celebrity” prediction.
So anyone of the thousands of people considered a celeb these days and not even confined to this country will be attacked with a knife sometime this year.
Well that’s swung it for me and I’m convinced now that there is no vague spouting of random statements or guesses based on already known trends and facts used whatsoever by psychics when issuing their predictions for the year.
I mean NO ONE could predict something as detailed as anyone of thousands of celebs, from any country in the world, at anytime in 365 days being the victim of something as uncommon as a KNIFE ATTACK without it being from some kind of psychic knowledge.
The chances of that happening must be so slim if it did happen it surely would prove the Hamilton Parkers’ psychic ability to see into the future year without any shadow of a doubt providing you ignore the psychic ability bit and replace it with ability to make hugely vague and therefore easily interpreted statements.
In conclusion nothing in any of the Hamilton Parkers’ predictions for the coming year is anything different from what you will see in a thousand psychic websites, magazine articles and forums the world over in the run up to 2009.
Or in fact any different from the thousands of non-psychic predictions made by people the world over based on trends and past occurrences which may hint at those in the coming year.
There never are any details.
There never are any definite timescales down to the day.
There never is a clear and definitive explanation of what they would constitute a fulfilment of their prediction or rather their carefully worded guess and perhaps most telling of all there is no proof anywhere in the world from any psychic to this day that any of them have ever successfully predicted an exact event, time, place or happening in detail.
I predict the Hamilton Parkers aren’t going to be the first to change that trend in 2009.
By Fluffet