Friday, March 12, 2010

Academy for Psychic Studies - Hail Mary Reading Day


 
They're at it again.  It's another attempt at raising money and fleecing the public, but this time the Academy for Psychic Studies is holding their unusual "Psychic Reading Jamboree" this coming Saturday instead of their usual irregular times, dates and purposes.

What's really interesting about the whole thing is the pricing.  Again, defying their usual mandate to "make 'em pay" and to never leave a dollar on the table, the Academy for Psychic Studies is offering a free reading when you come in to experience their reading fair.


During our time at the Academy for Psychic Studies, there was no real need to offer free anything outside an energy healing or a free information session of a class or something.  Of course, in our day there was less of a history of scandal and more acceptance of these kinds of organizations by the public.

Since then, the truth began to emerge.

The truth about how the members were taken advantage of and deceived.


The truth about how young children were torn from their parents.


The truth that the only ones to benefit from the Academy for Psychic Studies doctrine of prosperity are the leaders.


The truth that the Academy for Psychic Studies turned out to be no more than a church of lies and exploitation.

As time passed, the Academy for Psychic Studies became more and more desperate for the attention they had in their heyday.  The desperation is showing and showing big time.  Every special event, every class offering and every communication from them feels like a Hail Mary - a vain, last-ditch attempt to score and stay in the game.  Maybe if they got on their knees and did a REAL Hail Mary, they'd have better luck.

But that's too much for the Academy for Psychic Studies.  They would rather ignore their sordid past, present and future so they can make more and more transparent attempts at hooking another victim.

With all that, the public became less and less accepting.  The leaders of the Academy for Psychic Studies looked among their ranks for a scapegoat and regularly conducted human sacrifice to purge their flock of anyone with a germ of independent thought.  Meanwhile, the world they feared so much learned more and more of the nutty, defective and dysfunctional behavior behind the wrought iron gates of the Academy for Psychic Studies.

Why they never conducted a positive public relations campaign, I'll never understand.  Actually, I do.  Engaging the world is anathema to the Academy for Psychic Studies.  They strive to separate themselves from the world while being dependent on the income they can generate from it and the new victims they can draw into their membership.  They are against any kind of engagement with people outside their ranks unless there is an opportunity to make money.

And an opportunity to make money is exactly what this "Psychic Reading Day" seems to be all about.  When the Academy for Psychic Studies is offering a free product they never offered before and heartily feature new and "free" offers that were, well, always free in the first place you have to wonder if they are offering this "Psychic Reading Day" as a sincere attempt at serving the public or as an opportunity to trick them into opening their wallet.

It really isn't a wonder.

These "Psychic Reading Day" events were sold to the members as a way to "validate" their psychic skills.  So when the money was passed from the hapless victims receiving a reading, they wouldn't feel slighted that they are doing all the work for free.

And the public?  It's doctrine at the Academy for Psychic Studies: the less the public knows about us, the better.  And the more they reach into their wallet, the better.  The more they find out about the place, the less they will reach into their wallet - they might reach into their trunk for a baseball bat and brass knuckles.

Before you attend an Academy for Psychic Studies "Psychic Reading Day", I would research them and find out what is really happening there.  Google: "Spiritual Rights Foundation" as those guys on Yelp! sayFind out both sides of the story and decide for yourself.  I would never just go there and assume they are harmless.

Oh wait.  I did assume they are harmless.  So did  a lot of others.

We found out the hard way just how harmful the harmless psychics at the Academy for Psychic Studies really are.

None of us want you to find out the hard way.  Take a moment to do the research.  Then decide.

Your decision could save your life.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Torn Between Two Lovers


We all know how Bill Duby of the Spiritual Rights Foundation interfered with couples, forcing them to separate and coupling unlikely pairs for reasons that made sense only in his crippled, delusional mind.

There were several articles in the news media about Bill’s maniacal behavior.  There were several people subjected to coupling, uncoupling and re-coupling so they can be coupled and uncoupled all over again to achieve the higher calling Bill had planned for them - which involved even more uncoupling and re-coupling as well as the loss of your children, your assets and your self-respect.

I suppose it was worth it for the riches we received from heaven.  My reward must have been that dime I found on the sidewalk.  I sure didn't get anything by way of Bill Duby. 

Bill has been gone for some number of years now, and presumably so has been the maniacal interference in personal relationships.

Not so fast… 

This tale is another hair curler.

Our friend Santa decided that after an appropriate period of being divorced (and about as long without visiting his child) it was time to couple with a God-blessed and upright woman.  Santa was back in the game.

Santa began courting a woman who I remember as basically good, kind and supportive – a long time member of SRF.  She is someone any man would be happy to have as a mate. 

This courtship with this wonderful woman went on for a while - quite a while.  I remember seeing it begin while I was still there and that was a few years ago.  They seemed to get along just fine and have enough in common to make a good pair.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t good enough for Santa.  As was his habit, he played multiple women at once.  I guess someone forgot to clean THAT wolf out of his space. 

Privately, so secret that few noticed, Santa had been dating another woman, a member of SRF – a quite visible member of SRF.

How he got away with it for so long is beyond me.  Is anyone THAT good a liar?   How do you hide your secret relationship from the woman you are dating when both women see each other at SRF headquarters every day?

Well, I have to take my hat off to Santa.  He pulled it off like Tiger Woods.  I certainly couldn’t.  Hell, I wouldn’t even attempt that kind of stunt (it’s just plain wrong).  It’s amazing he was able to make it work as long as he did.

But as these kinds of situations always come to an end and end it did.

Somehow, someone made notice of Santa hooking up two reindeer at once.  The leaders of the cult were secretly but thoroughly briefed on the situation.  Santa's days of climbing down the chimney for some milk and cookies would shortly come to an end.

A staff meeting of all the ministers of the Spiritual Rights Foundation was called.  In front of those present was Angela Silva.

You’d think a staff meeting was to inform the staff of important news or discuss relevant issues.  Not at SRF.  The regular staff meetings at the Spiritual Rights Foundation were something like a commie kangaroo court meets Jerry Springer with the dignity and sense of a crack house argument.  The bad staff meetings were even worse.

During this particular staff meeting, the subject of Santa’s relationship with the other member (that is the PUBLIC relationship) was brought up by Angela Silva for some reason.  Now, what business that woman has in a personal relationship is beyond me.  And by who's authority does she have to resolve a personal relationship in front of a room full of one's peers?  It’s probably beyond anyone whose brain hasn’t been damaged by SRF addiction.

But to the moth-eaten remains of Angela's drug addled brain, if Bill did it, it had to be right.  So, she embarrassed the woman involved (who didn't deserve that kind of treatment), embarrassed Santa (who probably should deserve it), the gathered staff members and herself by describing details of the relationship, while mocking and going out of her way to humiliate the two involved.

If that wasn’t enough, Angela brought up Santa’s PRIVATE relationship with the prominent member of SRF announcing the prominent member by name.  Apparently, there was a reason for her to announce it.  If it made any sense, I’d like someone to explain it to me.

Well, a relationship between two adults is anything but a private matter in the eyes of the Spiritual Rights Foundation.  So, in front of every one of the staff members of SRF, she asked Santa who he’d prefer to be with and was told to have a discussion with his paramour.

As directed, Santa pulled away his public girlfriend for a quick chat outside.  The assumption was he would try to explain himself, ask for forgiveness (which he’d probably get) and walk down the beach with her hand-in-hand.

Instead, he shocked the room by announcing he will shun his public girl so he can solidify his relationship with his private girl - kind of like John Edwards ignoring his cancer-stricken wife for his piece of ass on the side.  Or maybe like Tiger Woods fooling around when he’s got a starter for the Swedish Bikini Team at home. 

Far from being as shocked as the rest of the congregation, Angela Silva praised the decision.  She proceeded to embarrass and humiliate the public girlfriend while showering praise on Santa for his obvious good taste and for choosing the woman who will be his soul mate for now and in the afterlife.

Uhhhh… WHAT?

As it turns out, Santa’s private girlfriend was also a friend of Angela Silva.  So, Angela will ensure her friends will get what they want even if what they want comes as a result of immoral and unethical behavior.

Men, if you learned your friend was two-timing, would you at least tell him he’s playing a dangerous game no one could win?  Women, if you knew your suitor was two-timing, what part of his body would you like to cut off?

Well, there is no such thing as individual initiative at the Spiritual Rights Foundation.  The leader does the thinking for you.  And when your leader is a drug addict you may have some decisions better suited for a crack house than a house for wayward spirits.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

The Academy For Psychic Studies - Your First Time


Anyone remember the first time you met up with Bill Duby?  Didn't he tell you how much fun you'll have with him?  Didn't he say if it's not fun, you aren't doing it right?  Didn't he tell you you should let go of your old morals and ethics for, uh, whatever it was he was peddling?

I found a clip from one of the best musicals of all time: "Into The Woods" called "Hello Little Girl".  It's pretty much self-explanatory.  In it, Little Red Riding Hood meets up with the Big Bad Wolf for the first time.  Just try to keep in mind who would be the Wolf and who's Little Red Riding Hood.


If you would please tell us your own story of the first time you met Bill.

The Academy for Psychic Studies in San Jose - A Free Class For The Same Damn Price



I ran across the new slate of classes at the the Academy for Psychic Studies in San Jose.

They are the same old classes and they are taught by the same old people at the same old location.  Of course, they are taught the same old way.  They do have a new twist on it though:  your first session of the six-session class series is FREE.

Yep, FREE.

You also get a discount if you pay online with PayPal!

But let's do the math and see what a great deal this is and let's make some intuitive and insightful deductions on why a thriving and prosperous organization such as the Academy for Psychic Studies in San Jose needs to give a discount and a "FREE" class on their well-attended and popular classes on meditation and psychic energy methods.


Here's the math:

The San Jose Academy for Psychic Studies offers 6 sessions of their six-week classes for the special online price of $135 (that's a 10% discount from the regular price of $150).  You get your first class session free also.  I don't know if you have to pay the full price of $150 if you sign up in person.  Who knows if you still get a FREE class either. 

Taking into account that you don't have to "pay" for the first class that price is: $27 per session.


The regular price for the same classes at the Berkeley Academy for Psychic Studies will set you back $135 for 6 class sessions - which includes a discount for using PayPal (presumably you will pay the full price of $150 if you pay in person).  They are not offering a "free" class session at this time.

If you divide the six class sessions by the total price, you pay $22.50 per session.


Uh.... what?


The bottom line is: even with your "FREE" class, the price you will pay at the Academy for Psychic Studies in San Jose (if you sign up online) is the same as the regular internet price at the Berkeley facility.  Sorry to point out the obvious but that kind of information is hard for the average Joe to find on the web site.

The Academy for Psychic Studies web site is fractured beyond belief and is listed under a myriad of web addresses and it's really hard to find and correlate any meaningful information.  It took me having to dig out my memory of the crazy web site and follow link after link and URL after URL to dig that information out of the ether.

Who knows if the fractured organization of the web site is any more than dumb, disorganized design.  I would believe that over a calculated, deliberate attempt to hide information.

Or maybe not.

With the many, many URL's pointing to pages in the Academy for Psychic Studies and Spiritual Rights Foundation web site, you have to wonder why the beneficial and helpful information there has to be compartmentalized underneath different names, different messages, different appearances.

The thought of it just drives me batty.  It's probably a result of the Academy for Psychic Studies bats getting loose in the belfry.  I just can't believe they are so calculating that they could concoct an evil scheme to deceive the world.  But I have been surprised before and those bats do appear to be hiding something.  I wonder what that might be?


But what about the offering of a "FREE" class session?   How about the 10% discount if you register online and pay in advance with PayPal?

We all hear how powerful, how life-changing, how popular are the classes at the Academy for Psychic Studies in San Jose.  We hear of those who attend experience healing, happiness and a renewed outlook on life.  The classes are truly addressing the needs of a long-suffering world.

If that is the case, why offer a discount?  If the classes are indeed so powerful, so life-affirming that students are forming a line around the block, why not raise the price to the level other spiritual gurus and teachers charge?

As Adam Smith said: supply and demand.

How many classes are supplied by the Academy for Psychic Studies and how strong is the demand really?

I'd demand that my FREE class be actually FREE.  I would demand that the total price with my FREE class be LESS than the total price of paying for all six sessions.  After all, the customer is always right...

I wonder if they would indeed supply that FREE class if confronted with their error.  Anyone care to take a guess?

When we bought my wife's new car, she went to a dealership my family used for decades.  So have my neighbors.  My neighbors and my father knew the owner personally and knew he ran an upright operation.  They gave my wife a great deal on her car and treated her like a valued customer and good neighbor without me having to drop a name.  Now that is a dealer we will go back to again.

Before we went to that dealer, she visited some others.  Even a used car lot, just for laughs.  Of course, the used car lot was filled with the usual slicksters in ugly clothes that give that business a bad name.  There were no great deals at that lot.  Just high-pressure tactics, crappy pricing with the usual "What will it take to get you to drive this car today?" - well how about a CARFAX, a background report on the used car lot from DMV as well as a DMV report on the salesman?  No?  Bye!


I will say the used car dealer offered a FREE car wash, a tank of gas and a discount on an overpriced warranty that would probably be needed over and over again.  And that free cup of horrible coffee is sticking with me to this day.  I would hate to think what would happen if we fell for their nutty pricing and not-so-free offers.

What do you think?  Would you pay the same damn price for the same damn thing?  Would you fall for a "FREE" offer that hides the same old price for the same old thing?

Look up the Academy for Psychic Studies in San Jose.  See for yourself.  If it's a good deal, take them up on it.  If you find out later it was not, well, I have some good coffee from Peet's.  Let me pour you a cup.  I'll throw in a couple of Krispy Kremes as well.