Mediums
John Edwards, Sylvia Brown, Dereck Akorah et al.

What they do being only legal because of the little disclaimer which says "This programme is for entertainment purposes only." Yeah, clearly the grieving, emotionally vulnerable people who are present in the audiences are there to be entertained, not at all because they are holding on to some desperate hope that their lost loved ones are somehow looking down on them from a better place. The techniques they use are sickening, from putting hidden mics in the seats of the audiences to covertly gather information about who's there and why, to blatantly using plants to pose as guests, starting totally innocent conversations with people about why they're there. That, coupled with an age old technique called "Cold Reading" and you have the makings of a charlatan. And for any of you even remotely impressed by the televised product, remember that what you're seeing isn't live, that all the failed attempts from the so called mediums are carefully edited out, to make it appear that they hit the nail on the head every time. Also keep in mind that so called guests sign contracts forbidding them from discussing with the media the actual content of the 'show.' Ask yourself this, if they're talking to that woman's dead grandma, why is it a 'J' name and not simply 'Julia' why do the dead want to play charades? Do you seriously believe that the dead grandmother is speaking from beyond and saying something like this..."Hi, I'm probably a woman, I might be quite old, my name could begin with a J, I'm here to talk to someone on the elft side of the room about some kind of special thing we used to do on a Sunday perhaps involving a stuffed animal." NONSENSE!

For further proof of how disgusting, dispicable and downright evil these people are, look no further than the case of Shawn Hornbeck, an 11 year old boy who vanished in 2002. His parents, desperate to find out what happened, go on a popular american talk show to talk to Sylvia Browne. Keep in mind she is what passes as a 'well respected' medium and speaker to the other side. She informs them that their son was kidnapped by a tall, hispanic man with Dreadlocks, and was later murdered, with his body available to find near some jagged rocks, some 23 miles south west of where he lived. The parenst of course are heart broken, he'd been missing for years, I'm sure they knew by this point he'd be dead, but it doesn't take away the sting when someone says it.

Well. Here's the thing. Shawn wasn't dead, he was alive and well and being held by an overweight white man in his apartment with another missing child some 50 miles North East of where he lived, and four years after his disappearance, he was reunited with his traumatised family. click here to see what I'm talking about. Then put yourself in their situation, then give me a single reason why someone who says they can talk to the dead shouldn't be immediately shot in the face.

EDIT: Most Haunted's own Dereck A used to come to my town with a little caravan, many years ago under the name 'Gypsy Akorah.' Notice how he left his eastern european (scouse) upbringing from the TV show he later appeared in. There was me thinking we had the world's first liverpudlian Gypsy. He even had all the garb to go with it.....
(The Cosmic Fool Became aware that the bird is indeed the word on, Fri 28 May 2010, 16:30, 9 replies)

Hahahah, Gypsy Acorah?
Brilliant! Do you have any photos?
(Juan Quar is clinging to her front teeth on, Fri 28 May 2010, 17:21, closed)

Bastards, the lot of them
I know otherwise perfectly sane and intelligent people who have fallen for this shite, just because they're desperately seeking comfort or guidance and turn the wrong way for outside help.
A work colleague of mine was going through a divorce and considered going to see one. Even though I pointed out how he could be 'cold read' he went ahead with it. His reading included the usual bullshit that he would find happiness with a new partner, but was otherwise pretty vague.
Of course, as he had just started dating actively following the failure of his marriage, even I could have predicted that.

They should all be cunted in the fuck. Bet they wouldn't see that coming.
( Snappyuk gets BIGGER with free sample., Fri 28 May 2010, 17:36, closed)

Photos
Alas I do not, but my friend's mother used to swear by him. She still insists he's the real deal despite being ridiculed as a fake on Most Haunted.

It pains me to say, but just last night, my girlfriend went to Bournemouth to see one, she's that bespectacled old witch on the telly that all the stars allegdly go to. Of course my G/F was picked and I recieved a txt last night about how she's so moved and now knows her mother is with her. It's all I can do to not speak my mind. She lost her mother tragically young some years ago and it haunts her to this day. I know in my heart this woman is a con artist, but for better or worse my g/f took some comfort in this. I can't take that away.
(The Cosmic Fool Became aware that the bird is indeed the word on, Fri 28 May 2010, 18:05, closed)

i followed that link
and saw the Bill O'Reilly comments about the case, almost as bad as the fakery that these shitbags should be shot for.
(nimrodihnio making gravy for one., Fri 28 May 2010, 18:05, closed)

Filth
really filth is the only word I can find to sum them up,but here a few that i thought of: parasites, vultures, scumbags, scrotes, bastards, snots, pissbags, and lets not forget the main two - liars & thieves.
(cname, Fri 28 May 2010, 22:57, closed)

This...
...for the win.
(emadex thinks the world will end on, Sat 29 May 2010, 6:18, closed)

If i ever get to meet Dereck Akorah ....
..i'll hang around until i see him smile then i'll punch his scouse teeth out. What can I say I like to strike a happy medium.
(Moominator missing the good stuff cos' the swear filter is on, Sat 29 May 2010, 7:52, closed)

I notice that...
Doris Stokes' psychic powers abruptly ended when she died, despite spending her whole career insisting that the dead were contacting her from "the other side". Now she's there, it's all gone quiet.

Or perhaps it was bollocks all along. Hmmm...
( shinyshinyscalp less a man, more a way of life, Sat 29 May 2010, 10:41, closed)

Formula
Cold reading + confirmation bias = effortlessly emptying the wallets of the grieving while prolonging their agony, all with a smile on your explotative fraudulent conniving bastard face.
( Amish Information Systems hates misplaced, commas, Tue 1 Jun 2010, 11:37, closed)