At What Point Do We Come Clean?Inside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

Geraldini

There is an article in today?s Norwich Evening News (UK) titled, ?Magician Predicted Terrible Earthquake.? The article tells the story of Geraldini (a/k/a Gerald Morter) headline prediction as part of the Cavalcade of Mystery, Magic and Illusion in Norwich.

Mr. Morter told reporters he would be able to forecast the headline of the Evening News on December 28^th. He placed his predictions into a box, locked the box and gave it to a radio presenter for safe-keeping until last night.

Mr. Morter invited the radio broadcaster to the stage of the Cavalcade and instructed him to open the box and the smaller box inside. Inside the smallest box was a brown envelope with the prediction.

It said: “I, Geraldini, predict that the front page of the Evening News dated Tuesday, December 28 December, 2004 will reveal the worst under-sea earthquake to hit Thailand and Asia. This quake will cause great damage and loss of life.”

The front page of the Evening News told the tragic story of how a Norfolk mother-of-four was swept to her death as the immense wave hit her in Thailand.

The magicians in the reading public know how this was done but for those who don?t know the secret, you won?t learn it here. Inside Magic does not expose magic secrets. Suffice it to say Mr. Morter did not really predict the future headline ? there is a trick to it.

Mr. Morter refused to tell reporters for the Evening News how the effect was done. …

Geraldini

Mr. Morter invited the radio broadcaster to the stage of the Cavalcade and instructed him to open the box and the smaller box inside. Inside the smallest box was a brown envelope with the prediction.

The front page of the Evening News told the tragic story of how a Norfolk mother-of-four was swept to her death as the immense wave hit her in Thailand.

Mr. Morter refused to tell reporters for the Evening News how the effect was done. He told reporters, ?I can’t say. I am sorry it is such a sad and tragic story.?

At what point do we become human? The Tsunami is being described as one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history. Beyond the numbers of dead and missing, the town of Norwich lost a mother of four swept into the sea.

What could Mr. Morter have done? He could have correctly predicted the horrible tragedy and not admit it was a trick ? as he apparently did. He could have failed to make a correct prediction ? which would be as easy as making a correct prediction. He could have called off the effect on December 25^th when the Tsunami hit.

We do not know Mr. Morter and do not know all of the fact surrounding his performance of the prediction. It could be Mr. Morter did try to call off the performance or was forced to make a correct prediction.

By performing the effect to a successful conclusion, Mr. Morter preserved his image as a psychic or mentalist but at what cost? The public justifiably has questions about the performance: if Mr. Morter knew of the Tsunami and its incredible death toll why would he not warn the victims. Would the deaths of children and their parents ? including a local woman ? be worth keeping the prediction secret to impress an audience at a live show? Of course not. Mr. Morter did real harm in maintaining the effect.

As mentioned above, we know Mr. Morter did not really predict the future and could not, therefore, have prevented any of the deaths and devastation. We believe that no matter the cost to Mr. Morter?s professional reputation as a psychic or mentalist, the humanity of the tragedy required him to either intentionally fail in his prediction or call it off.

We hope this most recent article in the Evening News ends the matter and that Mr. Morter does not use the ?prediction? to promote his act or skills. That would be wrong.

Read the Evening News article here.

</}