Donna LaFramboise writes to tell me:
The head of the IPCC has written a novel in which the central character [Sanjay] is infatuated with pseudoscience and in which UFO enthusiast Shirley MacLaine is presented as credible. The final installment of the Nobel Laureate Summer Reading series.
Excerpt from Donna’s Article:
As a young Hindu, Sanjay thinks about life’s great mysteries – and wonders how the soul passes from one body to another during the process of reincarnation. He consults a couple of swamis, visits a few sacred locales, and later, as a result of his meditation fame, comes to be regarded as a spiritual leader in his own right.
What kind of spirituality? The sort associated with Hollywood actress Shirley MacLean – who appears as a character in this novel, voicing lines written by Pachauri. These days, MacLean is famous for her outspoken views about extraterrestrial life. According to a recent article on Oprah Winfrey’s website, MacLaine has
seen many UFOs from the deck of her New Mexico property. “I’ve seen a mothership here, and I’ve seen them at my ranch,” she says. “One famous day, a friend of mine was sitting in my hot tub out there, and three UFOs came over and hovered over the hot tub for about 10 minutes.”
…Shirley says that she believes extraterrestrials are attracted to the many crystals around New Mexico. “Crystals amplify the consciousness,” she says. “They’re attracted to that crystal amplification.”
She says she has never seen an alien but says their teaching is that the soul does not die. “The soul is everlasting, and its learning experience is lifetime after lifetime.”
In the novel, MacLaine’s ideas are not ridiculed. Quite the opposite. Sanjay treats her as an intellectual equal and takes her advice. While she doesn’t mention UFOs specifically, she urges Sanjay to travel to Peru:
You won’t believe the spiritual richness of that land. God does not reside above in that place. He has actually descended on to the mountains, and you can feel his presence everywhere.
When Sanjay and MacLaine meet for dinner in that country, we’re advised that a member of her entourage is “known to communicate with the spirits.”
Read: The IPCC, UFOs & Pseudoscience
See also: IPCC now in Bizarroland: Pachauri releases “smutty” romance novel
Note: The MacLaine spelling error from Donna’s original article has been corrected in several places – Anthony
“I am still waiting for the revelation that Jim Hansen writes science fiction novels under a well known pen name in the SCI-FI circles.”
Storms of My Grandchildren or whatever it’s titled certainly counts as sci-fi.
@ur momisugly Scarface says:
July 31, 2013 at 10:45 am
The man is a perfect example of the Peter Principle.
Thought that man was Weiner (or is it Wiener?)
All that climate Sci Fi sure gets the fictional creative juices flowing. He probably is going for the Nobel Prize for literature – he won’t have to share that one with the hockey team, although they may sue because of their contribution to the creative juices.
“Whoops, I confused Shirley MacLean with Shari Lewis:”
What else would one expect from a Ventriloquism, Climatism, UFO and Spiritism Denier?
Everybody needs to keep their minds occupied. You don’t think Pauchauri really puts in that much time working at the office, do you?
#Occupy Pauchauri’s Brain!
It is great to see the IPCC chair engaged in realism backed up by hard facts for a change.
Sincere apologies. I misspelled MacLaine’s surname throughout the original version of this post.
Corrections made. Mea culpa.
Pauchauri’s infatuation with pseudoscience sinks his books this to the bottom of my reading list.
For key insights from an Indian philosopher, see Vishal Mangalwadi , especially in
The Book that Made Your World
Say what you will about Shirley Maclaine and the possibility that she may actually be batshit crazy but there is no denying that she was at one time, one of the most beautiful creatures to ever have set foot on this earth. Mind you, she’s no Audrey Hepburn. Don’t get me started on that winsome enchantress. I am that shallow 😉
Now, what was this about again?
After reading Ms Laframboise’s five part report of the book, it becomes more obvious that he is day dreaming about himself and that he is exceptionally narcissistic, delusional and sexually
wanting.
My doubts about AGW started when listening to him speak at a Nobel Conference at Gustavus College in St. Peter Minnesota in 2009. When asked about the role water vapor may play in AGW he stated in so many words that what is important in what is causing warming is soil degradation not water vapor.
WHAT!! The feedback of water vapor was exactly what I was studying at the time and so I was very interested in his answer. Someone repeated the question referring to water vapor feedback in the science of AGW and finally he stated ‘well that is important also’.
I would have accepted an answer to the effect of ‘that is not my area of expertise and a reference to someone or somewhere else’
I am amazed that he has retained his position with the IPCC.
He’s seen too many choo-choo’s.
It sounds like terrible fiction.
But as it is labelled as fiction it doesn’t really matter.
Now the Summaries for Policy Makers…
Pachauri brings to mind Bagwan Rashnish.
None of this made any sense to me.
Crystals can and do affect the mind and thought formations and the energy in your body. Period. Sure, a great amount of metaphysical claims are hyped, whether Hindu, Christian or pagan. Most metaphysical claims are utter crap; they are either fabricated, or even malevolent. The fact that there are liars and exaggerators in every field of endeavor – yes, it’s a serious problem in religion to have these miracle mongering holy roller invading. I have experienced a great amount of metaphysical phenomena, including with crystals. It’s not a big deal, but people want to know there is something more. That is no sin in itself. That doesn’t mean that most new age, kundalini or even evangelical claims are dubious in one way if not another.
@ur momisugly Poems of Our Climate:
Most metaphysical claims are utter crap; they are either fabricated, or even malevolent.
I would say that all metaphysical claims are utter crap, regardless of intention. If and when they are tested scientifically, those claims can shed the “meta.” The CAGW hypothesis is undergoing such a process now and its prospects are not good. In any case, I have no doubt that some will cling to the theory long after science has moved on to more pressing concerns.
I asked an Indian coworker of mine to see if he could pick up a copy the next time he went home. He came back with a copy. I suppose I should finish reading it one of these years.
I’m not going to write a five part review…..
Brain activity produces EM. It propagates out into space and will eventually encounter a black hole in every direction it goes where it is trapped forever. We’re pretty sure there more dimensions than only the four we experience and I doubt anyone knows how brane or string theories work out within a black hole but perhaps there is some connection between all black holes storing up all of our information as though it was all in one place – our “after life”.
There is no heaven and hell. You create one or the other yourself while you are alive then are forced to live with the memories of yourself for eternity – the goods ones and the bad ones. Make them good ones…
Ric Werme says:
July 31, 2013 at 5:34 pm
“I’m not going to write a five part review…..”
Neither am I. I can only heartily thank Donna for wading through what only comes over as unspeakable trash and for exposing the mediocre phantasms of a mediocre man who obviously identifies himself with his created character.
@mod.
Doh! The Da Pointy code is broken …
Pointman
Yeah Pointy, ‘Hot Stuff’!
Thought we skeptics were the one who believed in UFO’s!! quick some one tell Cook/Lewandowsky
we are not alone…Oh what have said now!!