The Krystal Starshine debate.  Nine items appear below:

  

1    Predictions Starshine 39
2    Krystal Starshine – Remarkable Starshine  40
3    Eclipse of Krystal Starshine  Edwards 41
4    I Refute My Critics! Incredible! Starshine  41
5    Get Rid of Krystal Edwards  42
6    Starshine Right  Brief Comment 45
7    Starshine Didn't Need Crystal Ball Edwards 46
8    Starshine Correct Brief Comment 47
9    Starshine Right But Not Clairvoyant  Edwards 49




PREDICTIONS

By Krystal Starshine

(Investigator 39, 1994 November)


These are my predictions for the immediate future:

FINANCE.
Gold price passes $US400
Tourism increases in SA
Inflation & interest rates increase in Australia
Price rises in Russia cause discontent
Surprise winner in Melbourne Cup

CELEBRITIES
New Elvis Presley sightings
Hollywood celebrity with initial "B" dies
Chess playing computer beats world champion
A famous psychic makes a correct prediction
An American sports hero found not guilty
New revelations about the Prince & Princess of Wales

DISASTERS
Flood in India and USA
Bush fires in Australia
Drought & famine in Africa
Earthquake in Iran and South America
Train crash in Europe
Aeroplane crash in China

POLITICAL
Corruption scandal in Mexico
Prominent West European politician dies
Kuwait borders recognised by Iraq
Terrorist bombing in Israel

SCIENCE
Contact with Space aliens not made
New medical advances against cancer
Osone hole over Antarctic increases



KRYSTAL STARSHINE

(Investigator 40, 1995 January)

Move over Jeane Dixon.
Turn in your grave Nostradamus.
Hide your face Athena Starwoman.
Go back to school Uri Geller.

Krystal Starshine's talent outshines you all!

My predictions in Investigator No. 39 have already started their remarkable fulfilments. Attempts by skeptics to predict the future (the Skeptic 1993 Volume 13 No.4) are pathetic in comparison. Howl you skeptics! ...

Not all my statements are yet fulfilled but let me show you some which were, or which are in the process:

Tourism increases in SA. After 4 years of neglect a new campaign to attract tourists to SA started. A new TV ad about "sensual South Australia" went to air November 20.

Inflation & Interest Rates Increase in Australia. Interest rates on loans have risen twice since I wrote they would. Now, strikes and threatened tax increases threaten a "wage explosion".

Surprise winner in Melbourne Cup. The first four were: 1 Jeune 2 Paris Lane 3 Oompala 4 Double Take. The favourite was last year's winner Vintage Crop – who came 7th! Others tipped to win were Top Rating and Paris Lane. Clearly the real winner was a "surprise" to almost everyone!

Hollywood celebrity with initial "B" dies. Burt Lancaster died in October.

Chess playing computer beats world champion. The Sunday Mail (Adelaide Nov. 20 p.139) described the defeat of Gary Kasparov by the program "Chess Genius"

New Revelations about the Prince & Princess of Wales. The book Diane Her True Story has appeared. The TV documentary Diana – Portrait Of An Angry Princess played on Adelaide TV on November 20 after screening in Britain.

Flood in India and USA. Severe flooding occurred in Texas in late October. A hurricane caused coastal flooding in Florida – November 18 -19. Flood in India is still pending.

Bushfires in Australia. There were serious bushfires in Queensland in early November and severe fires along the Victorian coast on November 18.

Kuwait Borders recognised by Iraq. On November 11 Iraq recognised the separate existence of Kuwait and abandoned territorial claims on Kuwait.

Terrorist bombing in Israel. One occurred in October when many died on a bus. Another in Gaza about November 11. However, more is to come.

Contact with Space aliens not made. This will continue to be the case.

New medical advances against cancer. Several announcements have been made in the media. One started off: "US scientists claim they have genetically engineered a tobacco plant which actually helps prevent cancer." (Sunday Mail November 6)

Not all I wrote for Investigator 39 has yet been fulfilled. However, the process continues. The above examples already demonstrate my paranormal precognition. Go pale you skeptics. Wring your hands and stamp your feet. I'm Krystal Starshine!




The Eclipse of Krystal Starshine

Harry Edwards

(Investigator 41, 1995 March p. 5)


Clairvoyance: The ability to see things not visible to the normal human eye; second sight. Intuitive sagacity or perception; mind-reading.

Before Krystal Starshine floats off the planet in a cloud of flatulent self-aggrandisement, she should learn to differentiate between a prediction using clairvoyance or paranormal ability, and a prediction arrived at by using the laws of probability or a pragmatic consideration of political and socio-economic trends. Further, predictions unconstrained by a definitive time frame will almost inevitably come to pass, although most of us won't be around to see them, e.g. the end of the world! Krystal gives herself two years, hardly indicative of crystal clear clairvoyance.

First let's set the record straight. Krystal says the predictions in the Skeptic Vol. 13, No. 4, were pathetic. I agree – they were meant to be. The idea was to show just how ambiguous, general and self-evident are predictions by professional prognosticators, using exactly the same criteria employed by Miss/Mrs/Ms Starshine. Now let's take a close look at some of our prognosticator's "remarkable fulfillments" listed in Vol. 40, p 9 of the INVESTIGATOR.

Tourism increases in SA. The ABS figures show that it also increased in NSW, QLD, WA, VIC, TAS, and the NT. With a depreciated dollar, Australia has become very attractive for overseas visitors. Conversely, as it is more expensive for Aussies to travel overseas, many of them are taking their holidays in other states.

Confining ourselves specifically to SA, I would presume the TV ad was mooted well before it appeared and that Krystal probably obtained prior information through a very mundane source. An excellent example of the way this works entitled "Old Moore's Mice" can be read in the Skeptic, 14(10):46.

Inflation & interest rates increase in Australia. Anyone who reads a newspaper, listens to the radio, or watches the TV news would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to be aware of the trend in interest rates and inflation.

Price rises in Russia cause discontent. Is Krystal living in a time warp? This has been ongoing for the past three years!

Surprise winner in Melbourne Cup. Exactly what does Krystal mean by "surprise?" A long shot? In the past 130 years some forty-five horses starting at 15/1 or longer odds (including three at 100/1) have won the Cup. A "surprise" on average every third Cup race meeting. I note she didn’t pick the winner!

Hollywood celebrity with the initial "B" dies. There are tens of thousands of Hollywood celebrities – film stars, singers and artists of one sort or another, producers, directors etc: etc: Several die every year. Our prognosticator just fluked one with the letter "B" in his name. Picking almost any other letter would have stood the same chance.

Chess playing computer beats world champion. You can't win them all. Even champs have their off days.

New Revelations about the Prince & Princess of Wales. Like The Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless and all the other soapies they go on for ever ad nauseum. So what’s new pussy cat?!

Flood in India and USA. Floods are endemic to the Indian sub-continent and south-east Asia, as are hurricanes to the southern states of the USA, earthquakes in California, Japan, Indonesia, South America, Turkey and New Zealand. Had Krystal forecast no floods or hurricanes, or snow avalanches in the Nullabor, I would have been impressed had it come to pass.

Bushfires in Australia. Try and recall one year when there weren't any!

Kuwait Borders recoonised by Iraq. Well I guess some people eventually have to admit when they’re licked.

New Medical advances against cancer. There is hardly a month goes by without the mention of an advance in medicine. Cancer being one of the most thoroughly researched, it is inevitable that progress and an announcement to that effect will be made periodically.

Contact with Soace aliens not made. Credit where credit clue Krystal, but then you couldn't really miss with that one could you! What’s more you can use it next year, the year after,the year after that and so on ad infinitum and you'll be spot on every time!

Going through the list of predictions in volume 39 I would aver that several more of them will come to pass simply because they are based on the laws of probability and statistics.

Gold once passes $US400. Over the past five years gold has fluctuated between $US370 and $US390, but hasn’t passed $US400. With time it probably will. So with no time frame constraints Krystal will eventually score a hit. But of what use is the information? When do I buy and sell?

A famous psychic makes a correct prediction. Given the number of so called "psychics" around the world, and the hundreds of thousands of predictions made every year, sooner or later the odds are that one of them will have to get it right.

As for the disasters and political forecasts, again you have this vague time frame "the immediate future", and the laws of probability in their favour. How "immediate" is immediate?

I’m afraid so far Krystal does not even qualify for the amateur league, it would be a waste of time, presumptuous and pretentious to submit a list like this and call them predictions. I'm not psychic, but by applying the laws of probability I have made far more specific forecasts, in some cases accurate to within a day or so as the accompanying article published in the Skeptic 9(3):50 will show. [Article here omitted]

<>I would also recommend that Krystal and readers of INVESTIGATOR read my articles, Predicting the Future, Parts 1 & II, in the Skeptic 1 3(2) and 13(3), which explain in detail how to predict the future with reasonable accuracy.



I REFUTE MY CRITICS!
INCREDIBLE!

(Investigator 41, 1995 March p. 41)

Is there anyone as remarkable as Krystal Starshine?

Within two years there will occur:

Omitted in Investigator No. 40 is that the success score of Krystal Starshine's foreknowledge is above 90%.

Skeptics say my predictions go with the odds. However, do not all potential events have a probability? Krystal Starshine regularly goes against the odds and still the predictions come true! Gape in astonishment you skeptics!

Some clarifications:

Tourism Increase in SA   I had no prior knowledge about this.

Inflation & Interest Rates Increase in Australia  Experts and politicians denied this would happen.

Price Rises in Russia Cause Discontent  This meant greater levels of discontent. Many Russian politicians will lose power. Russia must watch several eastern regions or decrease further.

Surprise Winner in Melbourne Cup  Truly it was a surprise! Even if the odds were 1 in 3, who but Krystal Starshine could regularly be right over such odds?

Hollywood Celebrity with Initial "B" Dies  By "Celebrity" I meant "celebrity" someone known worldwide which Burt Lancaster was.

Chess Playing Computer Beats World Champion  This happened although the world champion himself predicted it never would. Calling it an "off day" for the champ explains his defeat – not Krystal Starshine’s precognition of it!

Kuwait Borders Recognized by Iraq  Prominent Iraqis said this would not happen. However, they did not know about Krystal Starshine!

New Medical Advances Against Cancer  Something significant has been or will be discovered within two years. My crystal ball focuses my insight but is not always specific. (Incidentally buildup of cancer-causing chemicals in the body can be slowed by eating brussell sprouts and broccoli.)

Contact with Space Aliens Not Made  The search far extraterrestrial intelligence is a worldwide effort proving that many scientists believe contact will be made. Krystal Starshine, however, says it won’t.

Precognition is not a precision science. It is like a weather forecast and many unknowns affect results. Accuracy increases with talent. Krystal Starshine predicts within time constraints unlike weak imitators who may offer the nearest event whether it occurred before or after their prediction!

In Investigator No. 40 I predicted further terrorist bombing in Israel which occurred January 20 with about 20 persons killed. In No. 39 I predicted "New Evidence for Greenhouse Effect" which was published in New Scientist of November 26 and titled "The rise and rise of global warming". And a train crash was predicted which occurred January 31 with one person killed. And the "Earthquake in South America", also predicted, occurred February 9 in Columbia. Amazing!

Krystal Starshine's paranormal precognition continues to confound! Gasp you skeptics! Shake your heads in wonderment! Stare in bewilderment! There is no one like Krystal Starshine!

KS



 
GET RID OF KRYSTAL

Harry Edwards

(Investigator 42, 1995 May)


Get rid of Krystal – she wouldn't recognise a prediction if she fell over it.

 



COMMENT IN BRIEF

(Investigator 45, 1995 November)


KRYSTAL STARSHINE

It's a rare self-proclaimed psychic who takes on the skeptics. Krystal Starshine did this in Investigator 39-41 but then went into "eclipse".

However, "giving credit where credit is due", she was completely right regarding the outcome of the Simpson trial. Also her prediction of floods in India has been followed by floods of more than usual severity. One estimate is that 6,000 died.
 



STARSHINE DIDN'T NEED CRYSTAL BALL

Harry Edwards

(Investigator 46, 1996 January)


Re: Giving credit to Krystal Starshine for correctly predicting the outcome of the O J Simpson trial and the Indian floods.

One hardly needed to gaze into a crystal ball or examine a sheep's intestines to make those two predictions.

The first was an even money bet – Simpson would either be found guilty or innocent. Given the outcry over the Rodney King bashing and a jury which included nine coloureds and a hispanic, the verdict was sure to be weighted in favour of an acquital. Commentators all subsequently agreed that it was a racial decision.

Re: Floods. Ho hum! They are endemic to the area. Predict floods, typhoons, famine or disease for anywhere in south east asia (but don't specify a date or exact location) and you're sure to get a hit. My articles, on predictions published in the Skeptic show how to predict the future with a 99% accuracy, and you certainly don't need to claim psychic powers to do it!
   


COMMENT IN BRIEF

(Investigator 47, 1996 March)

STARSHINE CORRECT

Prognosticator Krystal Starshine listed her predictions in Investigator 39-41 but was then apparently discouraged by skeptic Harry Edwards. Recently the price of gold passed $400 which Starshine wrote would happen within 2 years and it did.
 



STARSHINE RIGHT BUT NOT CLAIRVOYANT

Harry Edwards

(Investigator 49, 1996 July)


Judging by the comment in No. 46, page 9, someone still thinks that Krystal Starshine made a correct prediction concerning the rising price of gold. I agree – she did. It was not a "clairvoyant" prediction however, but one based on probability.

Anyone who has kept a record of gold price fluctuations over the past few years, will have seen a gradual average increase in the price which, when projected, indicated that eventually the price would pass $400. I note that she herself two years to be on the safe side, when it took only a matter of months.


Many more debates involving Harry Edwards on this website:

https://ed5015.tripod.com/