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James Randi million dollors

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  • 29-09-2014 1:40pm
    #1
    brucy
    Registered Users Posts: 38 ✭


    The James Randi Educational Foundation will pay US$1,000,000 (One Million US Dollars) ("The Prize") to any person who demonstrates any psychic, supernatural, or paranormal ability under satisfactory observation

    Anyone know if this prize still remains unclaimed... I suspect it is


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    #2
    brucy
    Registered Users Posts: 38 ✭brucy


    The James Randi Educational Foundation will pay US$1,000,000 (One Million US Dollars) ("The Prize") to any person who demonstrates any psychic, supernatural, or paranormal ability under satisfactory observation. Such demonstration must take place under the rules and limitations described in this document. An applicant can be from or in any part of the world. Gender, race, and educational background are not factors for acceptance. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and legally able to enter into binding agreements....


    This has been running since 1964 and is still of course unclaimed..funny that!


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    #3
    maccored
    Registered Users Posts: 10,660 ✭✭✭✭maccored


    been done to death that one. As usual 'paranormal' in this case means 'flakey fake mediums'. we all know they exist, so theres nothing new there. otherwise, though how can you make a ghost show up on que? Answer: you cant, ergo mr randis money is quite safe and doesnt prove or disprove anything.


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    #4
    maccored
    Registered Users Posts: 10,660 ✭✭✭✭maccored


    not really very funny. stupid maybe, funny - no not really.


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    #5
    degrassinoel
    Registered Users Posts: 10,733 ✭✭✭✭degrassinoel


    The amazing Randi - some of his debunks are pure comedy. He nailed a few people live on air. There are great ones on youtube, but this is probably his crowning achievement



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    #6
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    brucy wrote: »
    The James Randi Educational Foundation will pay US$1,000,000 (One Million US Dollars) ("The Prize") to any person who demonstrates any psychic, supernatural, or paranormal ability under satisfactory observation

    Anyone know if this prize still remains unclaimed... I suspect it is

    Take Global warming you have 2 sets of Scientists.

    One set are saying global warming is real and the other set is saying its not real. Both have evidence to support their claims, yet we still dont know what the truth is.

    Now i can start the Dre as in Dray foundation and offer 1 million Dollars to somebody to prove to me that Global Warming is not real (or real) I feel confident which either side i pick, I wont have to pay that 1 million Dollars. As no evidence will be conclusive enough.

    Then i can write a book about it, go on TV shows and talk about it, build up my following, get booked for talks. Build up more followers. Write more books. Look for more easy targets i can discredit in public in order to build myself up, so i can write more books.


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    #7
    maccored
    Registered Users Posts: 10,660 ✭✭✭✭maccored


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Then i can write a book about it, go on TV shows and talk about it, build up my following, get booked for talks. Build up more followers. Write more books. Look for more easy targets i can discredit in public in order to build myself up, so i can write more books.

    then get all your fans to call themselves 'critical thinkers' even though they are as bad as followers of mediums who put blind faith into a stranger.


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    #8
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,232 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Take Global warming you have 2 sets of Scientists.

    One set are saying global warming is real and the other set is saying its not real. Both have evidence to support their claims, yet we still dont know what the truth is.
    Not really. An overwhelming proportion of peer-reviewed and reputable climate scientists agree that the available evidence for accelerated climate change is compelling. A small cadre of nutjobs dispute this, for whatever reason (vested interest, anybody...? Simply contrarian?). Nothing new here of course. There will always be nutjobs happy to fly in the face of reality. In the case of Randi's reasonable and straightforward challenge, there simply hasn't yet been a nutjob who could demonstrate, verify, and repeat their nutty claim. None, in fact, who could even complete step one: demonstrate. I must admit though, It'd be cool if they could. They can't though, so I'll enjoy my magical thinking through the tried and trusted medium of fiction.

    You picked a bad analogy, and you should feel bad.

    ;)


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    #9
    Zillah
    Registered Users Posts: 17,371 ✭✭✭✭Zillah


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Take Global warming you have 2 sets of Scientists.

    One set are saying global warming is real and the other set is saying its not real. Both have evidence to support their claims, yet we still dont know what the truth is.

    One side is a teeny, tiny minority of cranks with no evidence and a lot of religious bias, the other side is the scientific community with an overwhelming body of evidence.

    So, yes, it works perfectly well as an analogy for those who believe in magic and those who don't.


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    #10
    Not2Good
    Closed Accounts Posts: 318 ✭✭Not2Good


    I am having a deja vu moment now, feels like I just read a thread about James Randi….


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    #11
    Not2Good
    Closed Accounts Posts: 318 ✭✭Not2Good


    James Randi is a git in my view


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    #12
    Oryx
    Subscribers Posts: 19,425 ✭✭✭✭Oryx


    Two threads merged as one. Just. Like. Magic. :)


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    #13
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,232 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    Oryx wrote: »
    Two threads merged as one. Just. Like. Magic. :)

    Not magic. Simple condensation.

    There's ways an explanation!

    :pac:


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    #14
    degrassinoel
    Registered Users Posts: 10,733 ✭✭✭✭degrassinoel


    Missed out on your million dollars there Oryx :P


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    #15
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    endacl wrote: »
    Not really. An overwhelming proportion of peer-reviewed and reputable climate scientists agree that the available evidence for accelerated climate change is compelling.


    Its compelling yet no proof, they are not getting the 1 million dollars.

    See how it works :p


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    #16
    amorphous
    Registered Users Posts: 37 ✭amorphous


    It can never be won because the Randi has no proof he has a million.


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    #17
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Zillah wrote: »
    One side is a teeny, tiny minority of cranks with no evidence and a lot of religious bias, the other side is the scientific community with an overwhelming body of evidence.

    So, yes, it works perfectly well as an analogy for those who believe in magic and those who don't.


    The point of the analogy was that 2 arguments both backed by sciences cant deliver proof of global warming. But that went over your head.

    Although a minority of cranks Vs scientific community being lead by a magician sounds fun.


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    #18
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Deleted User wrote: »
    The point of the analogy was that 2 arguments both backed by sciences cant deliver proof of global warming. But that went over your head.

    Doesn't the same rationale lead you to conclude that scientists can't deliver proof of heliocentricity/gravity/whatever?


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    #19
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Dave! wrote: »
    Doesn't the same rationale lead you to conclude that scientists can't deliver proof of heliocentricity/gravity/whatever?

    Cant deliver something to somebody if they are not willing to accept.


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    #20
    Stainless_Steel
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,155 ✭✭✭Stainless_Steel


    Dave! wrote: »
    Doesn't the same rationale lead you to conclude that scientists can't deliver proof of heliocentricity/gravity/whatever?

    Eh....not sure if you are serious or not....but science is based on knowledge gained from experimentation and repeated results. They are termed theories otherwise.

    I applaud Randi. I hate it when people believe in paranormal/mediums whatever. Completely retarded.


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    #21
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Stainless_Steel wrote: »
    Eh....not sure if you are serious or not....but science is based on knowledge gained from experimentation and repeated results. They are termed theories otherwise.

    I applaud Randi. I hate it when people believe in paranormal/mediums whatever. Completely retarded.

    What did Randi discover through science ?


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    #22
    maccored
    Registered Users Posts: 10,660 ✭✭✭✭maccored


    what has Randi ever done bar 'exposing' a few celebrity mediums that everyone knew were fake anyway? I note he avoids anything that isnt about mediums and psychics - the low lying fruit of the paranormal world.

    He has though built up a following of self professed 'critical thinkers' who buy his books, feed off his every word and pay into his conferences. He must have learned those tricks off the mediums.
    Stainless_Steel wrote: »
    Eh....not sure if you are serious or not....but science is based on knowledge gained from experimentation and repeated results. They are termed theories otherwise.

    I applaud Randi. I hate it when people believe in paranormal/mediums whatever. Completely retarded.


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    #23
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    maccored wrote: »
    what has Randi ever done bar 'exposing' a few celebrity mediums that everyone knew were fake anyway? I note he avoids anything that isnt about mediums and psychics - the low lying fruit of the paranormal world.

    He has though built up a following of self professed 'critical thinkers' who buy his books, feed off his every word and pay into his conferences. He must have learned those tricks off the mediums.

    He really jumped all over the cold reading theory as if he came up with it himself. Its funny how not once in a 20 year span during the 80s and 90s has he used cold reading as an explanation for a psychic reading.

    Back then it was about "leading the subject" asking more questions then the subject is answering.


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