Randi Has Cancer

[Ibison]

Sorry if someone posted this already.

http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-08-26/news/the-demystifying-adventures-of-the-amazing-randi/1

[Scepcop]

That's pretty sad.

I guess we may not get the chance to debate him at DragonCon then.

With all his hateful negative energy, it's not surprising that it can manifest as a cancer.

Maybe he will be cured miraculously by prayer or alternative medicine, wouldn't that be ironic?

If so, and he became a paranormalist, that would be the single greatest conversion in history, dwarfing than that of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament.

[quantumparanormal]

With all his hateful negative energy, it's not surprising that it can manifest as a cancer.

Come on! There's no way of knowing whether or not his attitude/behavior towards paranormal claims was the cause of his cancer. That's a completely subjective and unscientific presumption.

[Scepcop]

With all his hateful negative energy, it's not surprising that it can manifest as a cancer.

Come on! There's no way of knowing whether or not his attitude/behavior towards paranormal claims was the cause of his cancer. That's a completely subjective and unscientific presumption.

Not completely. Science has shown that there is a mind body connection and that emotions and states of mind can and do affect one's health. This was proven long ago. Positive emotions are healthier for your body than negative ones, for sure.

And for sure, Randi has a lot of hate in him. It's in his words, attitude, and behavior. Anyone can see it.

Therefore, my theory is an "educated guess". It could be a factor at least.

Nevertheless, I do wish him well. The paranormal world would be a lot more boring without him, for sure.

However, I don't think that Randi would want anyone to "pray for him", unfortunately.

[quantumparanormal]

Yes, I agree that our mindset can influence our physiology in a psychosomatic way. The placebo effect is good evidence of this. Dr. Bruce Lipton demonstrates this very well in his book, "The Biology of Belief." But to say that Randi has cancer because of his mindset towards the paranormal if just flat out incorrect.

[SeanRMR]

A more educated guess would connect it to his age.

[Ibison]

Do you think anyone will try to take his place? Personally, I can't imagine anyone being able to fill his shoes.

[ProfWag]

Do you think anyone will try to take his place? Personally, I can't imagine anyone being able to fill his shoes.

No one can take his place, but the foundation will continue. Dr. Plaitt, Dr. Wiseman, Jeff Wagg, and others will continue to educate the public on fraudulent claims of the paranormal.

[ciscop]

With all his hateful negative energy, it's not surprising that it can manifest as a cancer.

do you realize . he is 81 years old !!??
kids can get cancer! this guy pulled a life without it
all those kids must have a negative attitude thats why they get cancer and die right??
you are soooo off on this one.

and yes, nobody could take his place
althought it would be fun to see who will raise up as the new face of skepticism.
shermer? wiseman? dawkins? plait? nouvella? jillete?

[Scepcop]

Yes, I agree that our mindset can influence our physiology in a psychosomatic way. The placebo effect is good evidence of this. Dr. Bruce Lipton demonstrates this very well in his book, "The Biology of Belief." But to say that Randi has cancer because of his mindset towards the paranormal if just flat out incorrect.

Why is it incorrect? It's a possibility. I didn't say his disbelief in the paranormal could cause cancer. I said his ANGRY HATEFUL CONDESCENDING attitude and mindset could contribute to it. Why do you doubt that?

Do you know anyone who lives with lots of hate who has lived beyond 90? People who live with hate their whole lives do not usually live that long. Before Hitler committed suicide, he was also diagnosed with a terminal illness, it was syphilis or something.

If he were really smart, he would have been eating only organic foods and eliminated junk and artificial flavoring in foods. With his income of 200K I read, he could have afforded it. A holistic mindset of love helps too.

[Scepcop]

Do you think anyone will try to take his place? Personally, I can't imagine anyone being able to fill his shoes.

No one can take his place, but the foundation will continue. Dr. Plaitt, Dr. Wiseman, Jeff Wagg, and others will continue to educate the public on fraudulent claims of the paranormal.

No. No one can replace him. He is one of those people with a unique charisma, that's why he has gotten all that attention. It's not what he says or what he knows or how smart he is. Some people just have a unique charisma that inspires and influences others.

For example, after Bruce Lee died, no one could replace him either. There's never been another Bruce Lee. He was unique. It wasn't that he was the fastest or the best martial artists. There was just something special about him that rubbed off on you.

No one has ever replaced John Lennon either, or able to to influence the masses the way he did, which is why his anti-war campaign was so successful.

Michael Shermer can't replace Randi cause he has no charisma and his personality is dry and flat, even though he says many similar things that Randi says.

Few people have that kind of charisma and when they do, it's unique and irreplaceable. No one ever replaces them.

[Scepcop]

BTW, how come they don't try to use chemotherapy or radiation therapy to treat his intestinal cancer?

Or some de-toxification remedy?

Why do some survive cancer and others don't?

[quantumparanormal]

Why is it incorrect? It's a possibility. I didn't say his disbelief in the paranormal could cause cancer. I said his ANGRY HATEFUL CONDESCENDING attitude and mindset could contribute to it. Why do you doubt that?

I don't doubt that it could have, but you don't have any evidence that that's what happened in Randi's case, yet it's still possible, sure. We could speculate broadly about all sorts of things, despite our lack of substantiation to support them. I could speculate that Randi's a pseudo-skeptic due to his genes. It's possible, but I have no evidence to substantiate it. Speculating a lot just shows how one, well, speculates a lot. Doubt is good. Doubt is what makes a skeptic, well, a skeptic. There's nothing wrong with doubt. It's an outright dismissal of claims that's pseudo-skeptic in nature, and that's surely not how I think.

doubt: Uncertainty about the truth or factuality or existence of something

Do you know anyone who lives with lots of hate who has lived beyond 90? People who live with hate their whole lives do not usually live that long. Before Hitler committed suicide, he was also diagnosed with a terminal illness, it was syphilis or something.

Personally, no, but do you have any statistical data that substantiates your claims? I wouldn't doubt it exists, but I haven't yet seen such data. Regardless of the possible evidence, there's no way to prove that's what caused Randi's cancer. It might have, sure, but speculation doesn't equal substantiation.

If he were really smart, he would have been eating only organic foods and eliminated junk and artificial flavoring in foods. With his income of 200K I read, he could have afforded it. A holistic mindset of love helps too.

Now you're getting very speculative. There's no substantive evidence that people who eat mostly organic foods avoid getting cancer, unless I've missed that amazing press release somehow. If you have such evidence, please post it here. Thanks.

[ProfWag]

[

Why is it incorrect? It's a possibility. I didn't say his disbelief in the paranormal could cause cancer. I said his ANGRY HATEFUL CONDESCENDING attitude and mindset could contribute to it. Why do you doubt that?

Do you know anyone who lives with lots of hate who has lived beyond 90? People who live with hate their whole lives do not usually live that long. Before Hitler committed suicide, he was also diagnosed with a terminal illness, it was syphilis or something.

If he were really smart, he would have been eating only organic foods and eliminated junk and artificial flavoring in foods. With his income of 200K I read, he could have afforded it. A holistic mindset of love helps too.

He has exceeded the average life expectancy in the US by 4 years so far. Maybe everyone should hate as much as him...
Oh, and BTW, how do you know what he eats and doesn't eat?

[ciscop]

hitler got syphillis or something...???

hahahaha
you are just especulating

all right
lets suppose that hitler got syphillis
do you know that syphilis is a STD??

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochetal bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The route of transmission of syphilis is almost always through sexual contact, although there are examples of congenital syphilis via transmission from mother to child in utero.

so.. according to you hitler got it for being a HATING guy
not for having sexual contact

wow...
so according to you
woo believers could go to 10 dollar crackwhore houses without a condom and not get anything?

i am just speculating.. just like you

and again... RANDI IS 81!!! he is an old dude
you wish that you with your positive ALL IS POSSIBLE even if it is woo attitude
could live that long