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The Amazing Meeting 5
The Amazing Meeting 5 Per Johan Råsmark James Randi är känd för de flesta skeptiker. Det finns knappast någon som inte vid något till- fälle i en diskussion nämnt hans utmaning, där den som kan visa upp en paranormal förmåga under kontrollerbara former kan få $ 1 000 000. För knappt ett år sedan var vi nära att förlora honom då han drabbades av en allvarlig hjärtattack, men tack vare modern medicinsk veten- skap överlevde han. Den 18 januari 2007 var han så närvarande när det femte ”The Amazing Meeting” (TMA) inleddes i Las Vegas. Dessa möten, av vilka det första hölls i Florida och de övriga har varit i Las Vegas, arrangeras av ”James Randi Educational Foundation” (JREF). Denna gång hölls konferensen på Riviera eftersom Stardust där man varit de två senaste åren håller på att för- vandlas till enbart ”dust” i den ständiga omvandlingen av staden. Konferensen har hela tiden ökat i popularitet och detta år tyckte drygt 800 personer att det var värt att resa till ett kallt Las Vegas. Enligt arrangörerna gör detta konferensen till världens största någonsin för skeptiker och det ska också vara den med procentuellt sett flest kvinnor och flest ungdomar. (För att vara sunt skeptisk vill jag påpeka att jag inte har kontrollerat de uppgifterna.) Temat för årets möte var ”Skepticism and the Media”, något som inte alla talarna höll sig till eftersom det är en stor konferens, men som kunde ses på antalet mediepersonligheter bland de inbjudna gästerna. Att man inte helt höll sig till konferensens tema märktes redan den första dagen som inled- des med två workshops. -
United States District Court District of Minnesota
CASE 0:07-cv-01296-JRT-FLN Document 1 Filed 02/23/07 Page 1 of 4 United States District Court District of Minnesota Christopher Roller (Plaintiff) vs. The James Randi Educational Civil Action No. Foundation, Inc. (JREF) c/o Magician James Randi (Defendant) Complaint I'm thoroughly confused about James Randi. James educates people. I would like James to educate me. James is a magician. The "Amazing Randi". I truly believe Randi is amazing. I believe James Randi has godly powers. I could be wrong. I've been wrong before, but I had a hunch about David Copperfield, and it turned out I was right. Now James doesn't perform many magic shows anymore, but I think he's making money via products made from godly powers. Again, I could be wrong. You see, I now have a patent on godly powers - Pat#20070035812. http://www. objectforce.com/php/MyTrumanShow__/Legal/Patent/Patent.html. The patent gives me exclusive right to the ethical use and financial gain in the use of godly powers on planet Earth. I believe James has been infringing on that patent effective 29July2005 in accordance with U.S.C 35 § 271. Not just for financial gain, but also because I believe he has knowledge of immoral behavior through the use of godly powers. CASE 0:07-cv-01296-JRT-FLN Document 1 Filed 02/23/07 Page 2 of 4 Again I could be wrong. If I'm wrong I will drop the suit immediately. But it's seems like a stubborn game played by lawyers to dismiss the case before I get a chance to ask any questions. -
United States Court of Appeals for the DISTRICT of COLUMBIA
<<The pagination in this PDF may not match the actual pagination in the printed slip opinion>> USCA Case #93-7140 Document #89561 Filed: 12/09/1994 Page 1 of 8 UnitedÿStatesÿCourtÿofÿAppeals FORÿTHEÿDISTRICTÿOFÿCOLUMBIAÿCIRCUIT ArguedÿOctoberÿ6,ÿ1994ÿÿÿÿÿDecidedÿDecemberÿ9,ÿ1994 No.ÿ93-7140 URIÿGELLER, APPELLANT v. JAMESÿRANDI, A/K/AÿADAMÿJERSIN, A/K/AÿDONALD, A/K/AÿTRUTH'SÿBODYGUARD, A/K/AÿTHEÿAMAZINGÿRANDI, A/K/AÿRANDALLÿJAMESÿZWINGE; ÿCOMMITTEEÿFORÿTHE SCIENTIFICÿINVESTIGATIONÿOFÿCLAIMSÿOFÿTHEÿPARANORMAL, APPELLEES AppealÿfromÿtheÿUnitedÿStatesÿDistrictÿCourt forÿtheÿDistrictÿofÿColumbia 91cv01014 RichardÿW.ÿWinelander arguedÿtheÿcauseÿandÿfiledÿtheÿbriefÿforÿappellant. LeeÿLevine argued the cause for appellees. Withÿhimÿo nÿt heÿbriefÿwasÿ James E. Grossberg.ÿÿR. Darryl Cooper enteredÿanÿappearanceÿforÿappelleeÿCommitteeÿforÿtheÿScientificÿInvestigationÿof ClaimsÿofÿtheÿParanormal.ÿÿMichaelÿJ.ÿKennedy enteredÿanÿappearanceÿforÿappelleeÿJamesÿRandi. BeforeÿWALD,ÿSENTELLE,ÿandÿROGERS,ÿCircuitÿJudges. OpinionÿforÿtheÿCourtÿfiledÿbyÿCircuitÿJudge SENTELLE. SENTELLE,ÿCircuit Judge: AppellantÿUriÿGellerÿchallengesÿtheÿdistrictÿcourt'sÿawardÿof monetary sanctions under Rule 11 of the FederalÿRulesÿofÿCivilÿProcedureÿ("Ruleÿ11")ÿinÿfavorÿof appellee Committee for the Scientific Investigation ofClaims ofthe Paranormal. Gellerÿcontendsÿthat the district courtÿerredÿwhenÿitÿtreatedÿaÿmotionÿforÿRuleÿ11ÿsanctionsÿasÿconcededÿbyÿGeller under localÿrulesÿandÿthusÿawardedÿsanctions.ÿÿBecauseÿweÿholdÿthatÿtheÿdistrictÿcourtÿdidÿnotÿabuseÿit s discretionÿinÿsanctioningÿappellantÿunderÿRuleÿ11,ÿweÿaffirm. -
The Chronicle Review
The Chronicle Review January 11, 2008 The Truth Is Out There After a formative encounter with the paranormal, one philosopher embraced the study of it By Scott Carlson The pivotal moment of Stephen E. Braude's academic career happened when he was in graduate school, on a dull afternoon in Northampton, Mass., in 1969. Or, at least, what follows is what he says happened. Readers — skeptics and believers both — will have to make up their own minds. Braude and two friends had seen the only movie in town and were looking for something to do. His friends suggested going to Braude's house and playing a game called "table up." In other words, they wanted to perform a séance. They sat at a folding table, with their fingers lightly touching the tabletop, silently urging it to levitate. Suddenly it shuddered and rose several inches off the ground, then came back down. Then it rose a second time. And again and again. Braude and his friends worked out a code with the table, and it answered questions and spelled out names. Braude says he had not given much thought to the paranormal before that afternoon, but the experience shook him to his core, he says, sitting in an easy chair in his immaculate home in suburban Baltimore. He insists there was no way his friends could have manipulated the table, adding, "I should tell you, we were not stoned." Today Braude, 62, is one of the few mainstream academics applying his intellectual training to questions that many would regard at best as impossible to answer, and at worst absolutely ridiculous: Do psychic phenomena exist? Are mediums and ghosts real? Can people move objects with their minds or predict the future? A professor of philosophy at the University of Maryland- Baltimore County, Braude is a past president of the Parapsychological Association, an organization that gathers academics and others interested in phenomena like ESP and psychokinesis, and he has published a series of books with well- known academic presses on such topics. -
GROUP Bonus Assignments: Total 12 Points 2. JAMES RANDI WEEKLY
GROUP Bonus Assignments: Total 12 points These are not required assignments and are ONLY to be completed by the GROUPS. To take advantage of these bonus assignments your GROUP must first meet with your instructor to discuss the due date for completion and other details of the assignment. Only a brief explanation is provided below. Additional details necessary for completion of these assignments will be provided during your meeting with your instructor. There is a matching Grading Form that must be completed for these assignments. 1 A. ASSESSING A CLAIM USING FIVE (5) CRITICAL QUESTIONS (6 points) Using all five (5) “Critical Questions” put one claim (ordinary or extraordinary) to the test. Ordinary claims can include pharmaceutical, vitamin, homeopathy, and health/medical claims, and extraordinary claims include magic, psychics, mediums, conspiracy theories, ESP, and remote viewing to name a few. If you have a claim to test and it appear under one of the categories here, please consult your instructor. After you have met with your instructor regarding completion of the assignment, you will have two (2) class meetings within which to submit your answers. Submissions will not be accepted after that deadline. The five (5) “Critical Questions” can be found at the end of the Critical Thinking PowerPoint slides that were provided with your syllabus and that are available on your instructor’s ACC webpage. At the end of your response you must explicitly state whether you supported or refuted the claim. ------------------------------------------------- OR -------------------------------------------------------- 1 B. ASSESSING A CLAIM USING THE “CRITIC” ACRONYM (6 Points) Using the “CRITIC” acronym put one claim (ordinary or extraordinary) to the test. -
An Honest Liar Premieres on Independent Lens Monday, March 28, 2016 on PBS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Lisa Tawil, ITVS 415-356-8383 [email protected] Mary Lugo 770-623-8190 [email protected] Cara White 843-881-1480 [email protected] For downloadable images, visit pbs.org/pressroom/ An Honest Liar Premieres on Independent Lens Monday, March 28, 2016 on PBS Portrait of James “The Amazing” Randi, the Extraordinary Magician Who Dedicated His Life to Exposing Hucksters and Frauds “Magicians are the most honest people in the world. They tell you they’re gonna fool you, and then they do it.” – James Randi (San Francisco, CA) — For the last half-century, James “The Amazing” Randi has entertained millions of people around the world with his remarkable feats of magic, escape, and trickery. But when he saw faith healers, fortunetellers, and psychics using his beloved magician’s tricks to steal money from innocent people and destroy lives, he dedicated his life to exposing frauds, using the wit and style of the great showman that he is. Part detective story, part biography, and a bit of a magic act itself, the award- James "The Amazing" Randi. winning An Honest Liar, directed and produced by Credit: Justin Weinstein, Tyler Measom Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom, premieres on Independent Lens Monday, March 28, 2016, 10:00-11:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS. A self-described liar, cheat, and charlatan, Randi embarked on a mission for truth by perpetrating a series of unparalleled investigations and elaborate hoaxes. These grand schemes fooled scientists, the media, and a gullible public, but always with a deeper goal of demonstrating the importance of evidence and the dangers of magical thinking. -
The Project Alpha Papers Edited by Peter R
Journal of Scientifi c Exploration, Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 458–466, 2016 0892-3310/16 BOOK REVIEW The Project Alpha Papers edited by Peter R. Phillips, Prologue by Lance Storm. The Australian Institute for Parapsychological Research, 2015. http://www.aiprinc.org/the-project-alpha-papers/ The electronic archival document The Project Alpha Papers is a collection of 18 articles relevant to “Project Alpha,” an intervention designed and executed by the magician James Randi and his confederates. The target of the intervention was the McDonnell Laboratory for Psychical Research (known as the “MacLab”) located at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. This document was originally conceptualized as a book by Michael Thalbourne, an Australian parapsychologist and scholar, but he died before he could fi nish the task. The erstwhile director of the Laboratory, Peter Phillips, assembled Thalbourne’s material and produced an archive for the website of the Australian Institute for Parapsychological Research, and it is available there. All the articles were written and published in the 1980s, except for an article by Thalbourne, which was delayed until 1995. Phillips produced an eBook, Companion to the Project Alpha Papers, which is available at a modest price. This archive is thorough and well-collated; this review will not describe all of the contents but will focus on some highlights, especially those of which I have fi rsthand knowledge. It will also raise questions as to why Randi’s hoax was not detected earlier, given the many clues, some of which were supplied by Randi himself. In the companion piece, Phillips describes how the magician James Randi sent two of his confederates (Steve Shaw and Michael Edwards, AKA “The Alpha Boys”) to his laboratory to simulate psychic effects by trickery, suspecting that the staff would not be able to detect fraud without the aid of an expert conjuror. -
Flim-Flam: the Truth About Unicorns, Parapsychology and Other Delusions Pdf
FREE FLIM-FLAM: THE TRUTH ABOUT UNICORNS, PARAPSYCHOLOGY AND OTHER DELUSIONS PDF James Randi | 357 pages | 31 Dec 1994 | Prometheus Books | 9780879751982 | English | Amherst, United States Psychic Breakthroughs Today - Uri Geller Flim Flam! James Randi. James Randi is internationally known as a magician and escape artist. But for the past thirty-five years of his professional life, he has also been active as an investigator of the paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims that have impressed Parapsychology and Other Delusions thinking of the public for a generation: ESP, psychokinesis, psychic detectives, levitation, psychic surgery, UFOs, dowsing, astrology, and many others. Those of us unable to discriminate between geniune scientific research and the pseudoscientific nonsense that has resulted in fantastic theories and fancies have long needed James Randi and Flim-Flam! In this book, Randi explores and exposes what he believes to be the outrageous deception that has been promoted widely in the media. Unafraid to call researchers to account for their failures and impostures, Randi tells us that we have been badly served by scientists Parapsychology and Other Delusions have failed to follow the procedures required by Flim-Flam: The Truth about Unicorns training and traditions. Here he shows us how what he views as sloppy research has been followed by rationalizations of evident failures, and we see these errors and misrepresentations clearly pointed out. Randi provides us with a compelling and convincing document that will certainly startle and enlighten all who read it. Rhine, on the Frontiers of Science K. Flim-Flam!: Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions by James Randi Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. -
Oh No, Ross and Carrie! Theme Song” by Brian Keith Dalton
00:00:00 Music Music “Oh No, Ross and Carrie! Theme Song” by Brian Keith Dalton. A jaunty, upbeat instrumental. 00:00:08 Ross Host Hello, and welcome to Oh No, Ross and Carrie!, the show where we Blocher don’t just report on fringe science, spirituality, and claims of the paranormal, no, we take part ourselves. 00:00:17 Carrie Host Yup, when they make the claims, we show up so you don’t have to. Poppy I’m Carrie Poppy. 00:00:20 Ross Host And I’m Ross Blocher, and we are joined with two exciting guests today. We have Susan Gerbic— 00:00:25 Susan Guest Yay! Gerbic 00:00:26 Ross Host —and Mark Edward. 00:00:27 Mark Guest Hey. Edward 00:00:28 Ross Host Welcome, and welcome back, Mark. 00:00:29 Mark Guest Thank you. It’s been awhile. 00:00:30 Ross Host I had to look this up. Our thirteenth episode was an interview with you. 00:00:34 Susan Guest Carrie said this house was weird— 00:00:35 Mark Guest Blissfully creepy, which I really liked. [Carrie laughs.] 00:00:38 Susan Guest He’s bringing it to my house in Salinas now. My house is becoming blissfully creepy, it’s great. 00:00:43 Ross Host Wonderful. 00:00:44 Carrie Host So you’re moving in. You’re shacking up. 00:00:46 Mark Guest Yeah, we’re shacking up. 00:00:47 Susan Guest It’s only been ten years. 00:00:48 Mark Guest After ten years, you know. -
“The Amazing” Randi
Page 1 Phactum April 2013 Phactum “Mind, like para- Phactum chute, only function The Newsletter and Propaganda Organ of the when open. “ Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking ~ Charlie Chan April 2013 editor: Ray Haupt email: [email protected] Webmaster: Wes Powers http://phact.org/ Come to the Philadelphia Science Festival with PhACT Our April Meeting will be at the Franklin Institute and our special guest will be James “The Amazing” Randi Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM This event is Free and Open to the Public but you must register at: http://www.philasciencefestival.org/event/79-science-pseudoscience-and-nonsense-a-clarification-by-james-randi More information on Pages 2 and 3 "Do not expect to arrive at certainty in every subject which you pursue. There are a hundred things wherein we mortals. must be content with probability, where our best light and reasoning will reach no farther." ~Isaac Watts~(1674-1748), English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. Page 2 Phactum April 2013 2013 Philadelphia Science Festival April 18 – April 28 PhACT’s contribution to the 2013 Philadelphia Science Festival will be, in partnership with the Franklin Institute, to host James “The Amazing” Randi who will present a program of science and magic to mystify, amuse, and to educate. At the Franklin Institute Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Free and open to the Public. Seating is limited. James "the Amazing" Randi has an international reputation as a magician and escape artist, but today he is best known as the world’s most tireless investigator and demystifier of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. -
The Confessions of a Leading Psychic
The confessions of a leading psychic MERE PUFFERY THE CONFESSIONS OF A LEADING PSYCHIC If one of the "world's leading psychics" confessed to being a hoax what would he or she say? Seldom does the world find out because leading psychics seldom ever reveal to the public the tricks of their trade. In 1981, however, one of this country's leading psychics did confess to being a hoax. That confession, unfortunately, took place during a television special which was aired only once and never repeated (a transcript was never published). SCS is pleased to publish here for the first time excerpts from that rare and fascinating television interview with confessed psychic James Hydrick. First some background information on James Hydrick. Hydrick rose to national fame after appearing on a December 1980 taped broadcast of ABC's popular program "That Incredible." Hydrick appeared to demonstrate for the viewing audience very strong psychokinetic powers. These powers enabled Hydrick to flip the pages of a telephone book (without touching the book) and cause a pencil to turn on a table merely by the power of his will. The tabloid newspaper The Star quickly ran an article on Hydrick labeling him "The World's Top Psychic." The glowing account labeled Hydrick's powers as "incredible and staggering." Other newspapers revealed that Hydrick could cure headaches and colds with a touch and answer questions before they were asked. A scientist and electrical engineer from the University of Utah after much testing also concluded that Hydrick's psychic powers were indeed authentic. Hydrick claimed that he had learned these powers from special training in the martial arts and that he could teach these powers to anyone. -
Fraud: Just Fraud
Bard College Bard Digital Commons Senior Projects Spring 2016 Bard Undergraduate Senior Projects Spring 2016 Fraud: Just Fraud Reeves David Ion Morris-Stan Bard College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2016 Part of the Acting Commons, and the Dance Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Morris-Stan, Reeves David Ion, "Fraud: Just Fraud" (2016). Senior Projects Spring 2016. 321. https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2016/321 This Open Access work is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been provided to you by Bard College's Stevenson Library with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this work in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights- holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Fraud: Just Fraud Senior Project Submitted to The Division of Arts Of Bard College By Reeves Morris-Stan Annandale-on-Hudson, New York May 2016 Acknowledgements I would like to start out by thanking my mother, father, and sister who shown given me nonstop support throughout the years. You are the reason I make art. I would like to thank Kedian Keohan, my amazing collaborator, for putting up with my crazy ways and for exposing my dark side. You made fraud make sense.