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Drought Inspires a Boom In Pseudoscience, From Rain Machines To 'Water Witches'
merbs (2708203) writes Across drought-stricken California, farmers are desperate for water. Now, many of them are calling dowsers. These "water witches," draped in dubious pseudoscience or self-assembled mythologies—or both—typically use divining rods and some sort of practiced intuition to "find" water. The professional variety do so for a fee. And business is booming. They're just part of a storied tradition of pseudoscientific hucksters exploiting our thirst for water, with everything from cloudbusters to rainmachines to New Age rituals.
Yeah, I'm not a big believer in dowsing, but...I have seen it in action. In fact, back in 1993 I was shown how to do it by an old guy who was a friend of my grandfathers. And I did it. Of course, all I was able to do was find water pipes under people's yards, I don't know if it works any deeper. But dang I can find water pipes like a motherfucker now.