Sceptic (James Randi) changes the rules & and targets four psychics

[Raevenskye]

Originally Posted by A.LeClair

When I was a child and those hotlines first came out (way cheaper) I called an astrology one. It said I would be receiving important mail in 2 weeks. Funny, I won a tv contest and received a bunch of GI-Joe toys in the mail lol. So, I was like, darn, maybe there's something to this! Well I called many times after that and nothing was ever accurate. So, I can wright it off as a coincidence. Some don't believe in coincidence, and at a deeper level, this might be true, but I mean coincidence as in simply happen stance. Hard to explain heh.

i applied to work at an astrology hotline once, and after giving my shaky Tarot reading over the phone to a MAJORLY disinterested girl, I got this big packet of info in the mail. I was supposed to install a dedicated phone line and after I logged in, I was to work for at least 6 hours nightly (hardly a part-time job, which is what I wanted). I got all these scripts to read to callers, and I was supposed to keep them on the phone for at least 45 minutes, but no longer than an hour to entice them to call back. I was supposed to be pushing that Miami Vice guy's phone line (at the time). Needless to say, I didn't do any of it!

[Guy.W]

John Edward, as well as others were part of an 3 year University of Arizona experiment on Psychic phenomena. I saw it on HBO and I gotta tell ya it was pretty wild. Anyone ever see it? The guy In charge pretty much said that they had proven without a doubt that we exist as energy, keeping our own personality when we pass.

[Aaron LeClair]

That's right! On the same interview that John gave his cop out remark, he did go on to say that he has been tested, and gave the name of it. He made it out to be something elaborate. He then said, if I'm going to be tested why not something more scientific and respected than Randi? That was a paraphrase. I had forgotten the details or would have mentioned it before. Thanks for mentioning that.

[Ankhes]

Let me guess, was Edward "tested" by Gary Swartz (who also swore by Alison Dubious)? And by "scientific" does he mean people who aren't up on all the tricks of his trade?
I saw on YouTube where he made the "guy with an adjective as a first name" and I just thought, "that's rich coming from a fraud with a first name synonomous with a toilet." No offense to any other Johns out there!

[Aaron LeClair]

Funny about the John remark. I hadn't thought of that before. I wonder how John would respond to that, since it's using his own logic.


I don't recall if Gary was mentioned or not. A university was I think, as well as what the project/test was called.

[Recon]

Originally Posted by Raevenskye

interesting that he's calling them out by name, but of course, nothing would ever convince him that any of it's real (not that I believe those guys, but I believe that there are plenty of real people out there). I wonder if anyone will respond! I think I'd enjoy seeing what Randi would do to John Edward.

Are you kiding me... They do not exist... there is NO SUCH THING AS PHYCHICS!!!!
I'll give a ercent event that they should have stopped...
why didn't anyone stop the VT shootings... or (insert and other horrible act in the world.)

these people are criminals for preying on the weak.

[Aaron LeClair]

Originally Posted by Recon

Are you kiding me... They do not exist... there is NO SUCH THING AS PHYCHICS!!!!
I'll give a ercent event that they should have stopped...
why didn't anyone stop the VT shootings... or (insert and other horrible act in the world.)

these people are criminals for preying on the weak.

Correct. No such thing as "PHYCHICS" Unless they are maybe female psychic physicists.

[Recon]

lol. I should probably re-read my posts...

[Rick Deckard]

Originally Posted by Recon

They do not exist... there is NO SUCH THING AS PHYCHICS!!!!

You don't *know* that, but you do *believe* it.

If I were a psychic, I would keep it to myself and use it to my advantage...

...probably around the poker table. Perhaps the best players *are* psychics.

[Tommy Allison]

Here's my brush with psychic phenomena.

I was in the middle of a job interview. All of a sudden I was hit with this wave of relief, and I started to get all choked up. Not because of the interview, it just happened out of the blue.

I had to stop the interview, and went home to find out that my mom had died.

I believe that there is something to it, but I don't think that you can arbitrarily see dead people, talk to the dead, or write books about how you too, can be a highly paid gifted psychic.

There is so much fraud in the paranormal arena it's not even funny. The issue is what do you want to believe in?

I've had plenty of gut feelings, and great predictions on what's going to happen, I've even had some very prophetic dreams, but in all honesty, am I psychic? According to some, yes. According to others, no. Statistical probability gets in the way of what is or is not psychic. The law of averages states that with enough information you can make a very educated and accurate guess.

Psychic phenomena to me, is what you can't explain away with the law of averages. Which means that Sylvia Browne, James Van Praagh, John Edwards, and the various other frauds are doing nothing more than taking educated guesses, nothing more.