I find it appalling how superstition and ignorance can be portrayed and exploited as something positive and intelligent. Case in point was your article by Audra E. Clark in your Oct. 21-27 edition titled "Messages From The Spirits."

At first I was tempted to chalk this article up to an effort to entertain your readership with spooky, ghostly, creepy stories as we approach the season of Halloween. On reading it, however, I note that the article not only misinformed but also attempted to convince the readership of a belief in several paranormal beliefs that are unsupportable by a preponderance of evidence and that have not yet been proved by any neutral scientific test.

Of course it is always admirable to console those who have lost loved ones and provide comfort for their grief. However, I'm convinced that the article's purpose was only to encourage the bereaved to place their trust in those who cannot scientifically support their pseudo-scientific beliefs and who charge their customers for the readings or sessions which are claimed to be done in an effort to help. Practitioners of psychic readings, seances or astrology try to say that their beliefs are soundly based in some sort of sort of scientific test, yet the article does not give any specific reference to who or what organization has tested these ideas and beliefs.

The truth is that there is absolutely no sound scientific basis to believe that there is any presence among the living of spirits of the dead or that astrology can specifically predict anything with any specificity. This lack of scientific evidence is shown by almost all testing that has been properly examined. Indeed, there is at least one organization that is offering a large cash reward to anyone who can scientifically prove the existence of ghosts or other paranormal phenomena including astrology (www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge). Should one of the persons mentioned in the article successfully apply for this prize, think of the good works of humanitarian nature that could be done with the financial reward as well as the positive press that would result for the supernatural beliefs presented by the practitioner.

What I found in Ms. Clark's article was a blatantly unsupportable assertion that astrology is a "science." The article also lists means by which a reader might reach a psychic or astrologer, listing the phone number, radio show dates and times as well as the rates charged by the practitioner for their or performances.

Stories of ghosts, ghouls, vampires, zombies, monsters and people with psychic powers can be entertaining and fun and entertaining, particularly at Halloween, but please do not present these pretensions as some sort of science that is supportable, testable by neutral examination, and freely open to challenge.