Uri Geller is famous around the globe for his mind-bending psychic powers and has led a very unique life shrouded in debate and mystery. He joined Connie Willis (info) to discuss his life, controversies surrounding his claims, and government projects that used psychics. He recalled the event that seemed to jumpstart his apparent powers, when, playing in a garden at the age of 5, he observed a pulsating ball of light and "a sharp beam of light from this sphere hit my forehead." Soon after, he said, a spoon bent spontaneously while he was eating a bowl of soup. He said that the controversy surrounding his feats have only made him more popular, and recalled his disastrous 1973 appearance on the Johnny Carson show where his failure to bend a spoon on live television was followed immediately the next day by a request from talk show host Merv Griffin to appear on his program.
In spite of negative publicity, Geller says he was the subject of intense study by the American intelligence community in the 1970s, with the result that the CIA released a confidential report that claimed he "exhibited his paranormal powers in a convincing and unambiguous manner." He also discussed an island off the coast of Scotland which he purchased and is convinced contains some sort of buried Egyptian treasure. Geller emphasized his belief that psychic talents are available to all and said that "whatever you can visualize, you can materialize."
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Open Lines began with Joe in British Columbia who said he was getting messages from extraterrestrials that indicated Uri Geller was the reincarnation of a "healer in the reign of Tutankhamen." Diana from New York state reported that her niece recently sent her a picture of the full moon with an anomalous light "shooting through" the frame. Steve in North Carolina said he read the Bible like it was a regular book and as though everything in it was true, and concluded that there were "two creations" instead of the one described in Genesis. Jeff in California said he examines GoogleEarth images for evidence of former, possibly alien civilizations. He described a "head" that he concluded was "terraformed into the terrain" of the California coast many thousands of years ago.
Michael in North Carolina mentioned the irony of actor Peter Fonda passing away recently on nearly the same day as Elvis Presley 42 years ago. Gina Maria from Washington state said that when she was five-years-old she had a possible UFO experience that apparently gave her powers to levitate and see and hear spirits. as well as "see the molecular composition of anything." Gary in Ohio recalled how he was driving a truck when he saw a flash of light and then observed something with a "14-18 foot wingspan" fly across the highway, which then disappeared over a stand of trees in another flash of light.