Video: James Randi Challenge Exposed - A Lawyer Explains

[caniswalensis]

Yeah, i am willing to take Derrida at his word that he meant no insult.

There is a good lesson to be gleaned from this though; it is exceptionally easy for your meaning & intent to be misunderstood in print. We should all be careful and proof read our posts before hitting the submit button. In my case because of my terrible spelling!

[derrida]

I wasn't quite saying that you were making a slur, but that it bordered certain slur-like sterotyping. I don't think you meant ill. I was pointing out why it might seem to others that you did.

im sorry, english isnt my native language
i thought slur meant like something bad like an insult

and yes i am going to try to be more careful about how i write things
most of the time i am just being a cynic cause thats the way i behave, i just dont take things seriously.. i am amused by circunstances, cliches and beliefs.

[DerekMessina]

That was something. Nice post though.

[KimberlyHardacre]

How can you ignore a 1 mill $ challenge, it's impossible, hahah. Great video by the way

[Scepcop]

Check out Victor Zammit's cross examination of James Randi, from their dialogue:

http://www.victorzammit.com/articles/st ... lmay11.htm

[NinjaPuppy]

Crap, it's not real.

This would be fairly close to a real cross-examination- the information is taken from what Randi has ALREADY STATED ACCEPTED and IMPLIED. Some very minor flexibility and embellishment consistent with Randi’s beliefs and record have been used for easier reading and understanding of the script. Words in caps are there for emphasis - which is critical during cross-examination.

[SydneyPSIder]

hee hee, I had a chat with Victor on the phone once... I like the quote from Grand Illusion below, it sums the sceptic situation up perfectly:

Dean Radin explains some of the reasons why Randi's challenge just doesn't matter:

After studying these phenomena as a scientist for about 30 years, I've concluded that some psychic abilities are genuine, and as such, there are important aspects of the prevailing scientific worldview that are seriously incomplete. I've also learned that many people who claim to have unfailingly reliable psychic abilities are often delusional or mentally ill, and that there will always be reprehensible con artists who claim to be psychic and charge huge sums for their "services." These two classes of so-called psychics are the targets of celebrated prizes offered by magicians for demonstrations of psychic abilities. Those prizes are safe because the claimed abilities of these people either do not exist at all, or they're much weaker than sincere claimants may wish to believe. There is of course a huge anecdotal literature about psychic abilities, but the evidence that convinced me is the accumulated laboratory performance by people who do not claim to possess special abilities, collected under controlled conditions and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

http://www.deanradin.com/NewWeb/bio.html

[Arouet]

It always amazes me that this guy was a practising lawyer.

[SydneyPSIder]

His style is a little unusual...

[NinjaPuppy]

It always amazes me that this guy was a practising lawyer.

It does??? I would think that in your line of work, you would have seen it all before.

[Arouet]

heh. I just can't imagine this guy in actual practice. Maybe he had a different style back then. Thing is, for all the different styles, one thing law school really does is teach you to approach problems in a certain way - and this guy doesn't approach problems anything like any lawyer I know.

[NinjaPuppy]

heh. I just can't imagine this guy in actual practice. Maybe he had a different style back then. Thing is, for all the different styles, one thing law school really does is teach you to approach problems in a certain way - and this guy doesn't approach problems anything like any lawyer I know.

Then you need to go out and meet more lawyers. I wonder what the lawyers in Cuba are like.

[ProfWag]

It always amazes me that this guy was a practising lawyer.

You know, somewhere out there is the world's worst doctor. What's really scary is that someone has an appointment with him tomorrow...

[Arouet]

heh - true!

[BillPerron]

Randi lied to weasel out of my challenge for his publicity stunt million dollars after he had accepted my challenge. For several years I have a standing offer of ten thousand dollars that I will give to Randi or any of his zombified followers if I can not prove Randi a liar. After five years there has not been one taker of my honesty challenge. It's a real simple challenge we each bring ten grand cash or certified check and give the money to an unbiased third party, perhaps an off duty police officer, and if I can not prove Randi a liar the other person gets my ten grand, if I can I take theirs home with me. Professional pseudo skeptics here is your chance for a quick buck, don't be cowards you can use the money, I dare you!
...... Bill Perron billperron@billperron.com contact me, I'm friendly and easy to talk to.