Psychic octopus in Germany predicts World cup winners – Paul the astrologer
Posted on July 9, 2010
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Time has come when an octopus is the most popular creature and he can soon become an millionaire due to his special capabilities and talent- the strong sixth sense or the intuition to predict about the future winners. Yes he is the boss in the present scenario and all the teams are looking ahead for his future predictions. (Octopus all over the earth are you listening). An octopus at an aquarium in Germany is building a reputation as an accurate psychic, at least when it comes to picking the winner in World Cup matches.Imaginatively named octopus Paul the octopus lives in Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany. He has been predicting the winner in Germany’s soccer matches since at least 2008, when he chose the winner of the German games in the European Championship. At that time, he had an over 80% success rate. But when it comes to predicting the outcome of the 2010 German World Cup games, his record is flawless.
A Sea Life center in Oberhausen put feeding boxes in their octopus tank prior to each of their group stage games – one was decorated with Germany’s flag and the other with that of their opposition. Paul then randomly chose a box performed a detailed statistical analysis of the teams and picked a winner.
Octopuses (yes, that is the correct collective term) are renowned as the most intelligent of the invertebrates, and Paul has done his species proud thus far by accurately predicting victory against Australia and a loss against Serbia. His reputation as an underwater oracle was further cemented before last night’s match, when he correctly called a victory over Ghana.
Or you can just call him Paul. Paul’s an octopus with a special gift: He can predict winners of World Cup matches from his temple. Paul’s handlers place two glass boxes in his tank — one with a German flag, the other with the flag of an opponent. Then they place shells and other treats inside. The first box Paul picks is the winner — and he’s pretty good at it.
The octopus picked Germany to defeat Ghana in Wednesday’s game, no doubt pleasing the home crowd. You might call it pandering, but he’d probably tell you he’s no panda — he’s an octopus. Besides, Paul has an impressive history: He picked Serbia to beat Germany last week in one of the tournament’s biggest upsets so far.
He also accurately predicted Germany would win its first match of the tournament, a 4-0 drubbing of Australia, so he’s 2-0 so far. If Paul gets any better at this, he could have an incredible career as a telephone psychic — able to handle eight lines at once.
But for now, he’ll keep picking World Cup matches. The aquarium says that as long as Germany’s still in the tournament, Paul will keep making picks. While Germany is not the tournament’s favorite, it’s not a long shot, either. Most two-armed bookies rank it fifth — behind only Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Holland — with roughly 10 to 1 odds, depending on where you place your bets.
No word yet on whether Paul has filled out eight betting slips of his own. Then again, bet-making octo-bookies face their own challenges. If he doesn’t make good on his picks, he risks having his arms broken …Call him the eight-armed oracle of the deep, soccer’s seer of the sea.
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I cannot believe it