"The James Randi Million dollar prize"

[DarkQuest]

well i can say this in response.  there are so many people out there that don't believe in telepathy or psychics and all that good stuff.  even i didn't believe in any of it until about a year ago.  If you say you can do something and you don't do it right away people lose belief that u can do it.  the thing is it takes a while to meditate before you show people something, and just because you did it before doesn't mean u can do it again.  there are several people that can do like telekinesis and such, but its just that the littlest distraction such as an audience will disrupt you and make you unable to do it until you are really experienced, and believe me it takes a long time to get experienced.


oh and might i just add welcome to the forum as i see this is your first post []

[beavis]

The rules of Rhandi's website say Rhandi is the judge of if the test has been passed. All rules must be approved by Rhandi. Somebody could lift a car with telekinesis and all he would have to do to not pay is say he thinks its a trick. He wants people to believe paranormal things dont exist. Why would he pay when he doesnt have to, and prove himself wrong?

[Incognito]

I agree with what you are saying about the Rhandi prize.  However on this site alone and another such as psi pog there must be at least a hundred who say that they can do, telekinesis for example and about 10 who are really good at it.  If these people really can do it James whould probably no longer be a sceptic.  Having said that I have been on the James rhandi institute website and there is such a thing as being Too sceptical.  Also if you have only done something once it may just have been chance or the like thus is an anomolous result.

[Risu no Kairu]

Again James Randi is mentioned.

Well, in case you'd like to read the other threads dealing with this issue, here they are:

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5605

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2266

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=805

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7539

[Incognito]

It wouldn't be that difficult to test though.  Just put two astral projecter in seperate rooms and then give one a message to give to the other.  I heard a person say that they met that Robert something author in the astral plane so it is possibly possible.

[Nick]

Here is a bit from Randi's webpage (http://www.randi.org/):

"In 1996, the James Randi Education Foundation was established to further Randi's work. Randi's long-standing challenge to psychics now stands as a $1,000,000 prize administered by the Foundation. It remains unclaimed."

Note the establishment of the Randi "Foundation". He's made a nice living at narrow-mindedness. Don't ever expect him to part with his million dollars, no matter what he sees, hears or observes, he doesn't believe it.

[pod3]

Well, the question is not difficult to answer, Incognito. Here is why the prize has not been won:

The subject of the Randi Institute prize comes up in these forums, occasionally. He personally comes to see you for free! - Or thats just what he says, at least.

I suggested several, straight foward tests regarding the physical properties of everday objects, even, posibbly, any of his choice. I was berated, told it was impossibble and that he would not humor it. And what follows is just hearsay, but several have reported to me that refusals of this sort have been recorded on camera when he dared to to be seen on the street.

[moontingle]

Hi all,
Could I suggest we approach this in an organized manner? Could we form a group to oversee a testing, because we truly believe. Let's ask Robert Bruce and another ace AP'er to prove this once and for all. The test is not beneath them because it would change the minds of people globally. Let's put this money toward sponsoring Robert Bruce to give more workshops around the world because we cannot all get to Wales and Costa Rica. Maybe this is the breakthrough we've all been waiting for. Why do I get the feeling this won't happen, though. Are we afraid? Just getting the conversation going ...

Love,
Moontingle

[moontingle]

I just read old posts re Randi's $million challenge and why Robert Bruce would not participate, so scratch what I wrote. But, my husband and I argue daily about the paranormal and I can't OOBE yet but he says if I can move the clock in his office he will pay for me to attend RB's workshop in Costa Rica next year. Likely I won't ever be able to do that, but I am practicing every day. Why do I believe so strongly? I interviewed Native Elders who still live in northern Canadian bush and they spoke of spirit guides and shape-shifting extensively. The astral plane explains so much of the medicine power they live by. The Catholic church beat it out of later generations. I'd give anything to help teach those abilities again.

Moontingle

[DarkQuest]

ok i can say i was very off topic when i spoke cause i thoght when u said james Randi Million dollar prize it was just a title.  i actually havent heard about Randi, wish u put a link but i think Nick did so ill check it out from his post.  anyways, ummmm yea. but according to what people say about Rhandi i dont think anybody will ever win it if he's the judge for he will say it is false and find a way or another to prove it.  i think that people shouldn't buy into it only because he can make more unbelievers out of people that might have used to believe in psychics.

[Incognito]

I agree that JAmes is too biased to conduct the testing on his own.  Therefore he actually gets another "company" to do the testing, he just looks over it.  Additionaly I have heard of him simply refusing point blank to test some people and I agree that it is totally ridiculous for that to happen as how can he say here is the proof that this does not exist" if he does not even allow all people to do the test.  Having said that i heard that he turned down testing a breatherian, a person who professes to be able to live on just water.  It is easy to understand why he did that, it seems impossible and would take far too long to do.  
        However I have many questions which don't even relate to the James Rhandi prize as I can see that that has a plentiful supply of faults.  My first statement rather than question is that if something like astral projection exists why don't we all know about it?  If telepathy exists why aren't all telepaths major ceo"s or at least very rich through telepathic suggestion. Why aren't all telekinetics....................the List goes on.  Lastly to those of you who can do any of the above acts isn't it a bit selfish to keep it from those who want to learn but have no real evidence that what they are spending their time on exists?

[mustang]

James Randi is a liar and fraud and conman, involved in cover-ups, such as the CSICOP fiasco relating to the Mars effect/Gauquelin affair, see here http://www.discord.org/~lippard/kammann.html and unending mendacity in the name of objective scientific investigation of the paranormal.

Randi's deceit and ad hominem attacks on serious researchers in the field of the paranormal is well known, as are his blatant fabrications and inventions in denying the reality of the paranormal. Indeed he has arguably done more lying in the name of supposedly exposing the paranormal as merely fraud and delusion than anybody else in the past few decades. He was one of the head inquisitors at CSICOP, but an ugly courtcase with Uri Geller forced him out. Randi is a pseudosceptic, since he he is a self declared atheist, he is so beloved by the majority in the scientific community, since he is telling them exactly what they want to hear and does their dirty work for them re the paranormal, and has been doing so for a few decades now.

All serious researchers in parapsychology know Randi for the liar that he is and his million dollar prize for the self serving  attention getting rubbish that it is. Bruce knows this for sure which is why he surely won't go near Randi with a ten foot pole.
For the expose of the liar and charlatan that is Randi see the book
The Hidden Power by Brian Inglis, also in the books of Colin Wilson and Guy Playfair, relating to his supposed expose of Geller. This by Playfair is pertinent
http://www.uri-geller.com/geller-effect/tge13.htm

James Randi goes after easy targets like Sylvia Brown on CNN, Brown is an obvious loony and fraud, but the genuine thing he doesn't go near, except to lie about it, such as his lies about Targ and Puthoff, prominent physicists who were involved in the pioneering research in remote viewing, http://www.michaelprescott.freeservers.com/FlimFlam.htm .
Rupert Sheldrake, the prominent biologist on Randi's supposed debunking of his work on experiments re a six sense in dogs http://www.sheldrake.org/controversies/randi.html
Randi just preaches to the converted and the like minded CSICOP crowd.
See here for an honest overview of CSICOP http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:MVf1mMDpFlwJ:www.psicounsel.com/binary/scicop.pdf+%22james+randi%22+puthoff+targ+michael+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

For a very good overview of the "career" of Randi and his million dollar prize see this article by Sam Nicholls, an astrophysicist http://www.cfpf.org.uk/articles/background/nicholls.html

[mustang]

Yikes sorry about that screw-up link, here it is again, the overview of CSICOP by George Hansen originally published in The Journal of The American Society of Psychical Research  http://www.tricksterbook.com/ArticlesOnline/CSICOPoverview.htm

Also see within this link for how Randi made a real butt of himself, it's hilarious; the Dennis Stillings Project ROTSUC (Randi ought to sell used cars) hoax  http://www.uri-geller.com/geller-effect/tge14.htm

[Makaveli]

His challenge is just a pubicity stunt.  Well known people with paranormal abilities would be taking a huge risk even if they can replicate their powers since Randi is extremely biased and only is out to expose fruads.  It's questionable if the paranormal powers can be done with such negativity.  Here are a few articles about the challenge:  

http://skeptics.victorzammit.com/reward.html
http://www.alternativescience.com/james-randi.htm

[pod3]

No, nervousness has no more effect on this than it does on opera singers' skills or painters' as it's simply a matter of fine tuning that differentiates a psychic from a normal. Furthermore, when I say to pick any object of your choice, and I'll forthrightly, immediately freeze, melt it, etc., that is testable in lab conditions!

I would be amazed if he hasn't been harassed from a distance yet, but what for? The stick up his butt being to big to be accounted for by personal flair, I doubt he personally is in need of "enlightment."

[MJ-12]

aa

[greatoutdoors]

Incognito, here's where I dig myself into a bit of a hole I guess. I am firmly in your camp as regards those who claim to be able to perform telepathy, OBE, remote viewing, etc., "on demand". Talk is cheap, and claiming you are too "wise", "good" or whatever to demonstrably and scientifically prove a talent is nonsense. Sorry, no offense intended, just my own opinion. I also believe you can dismiss about 99% of those who claim so casually that they do these things.

Having said the above, now I'll tell you why I intend to keep on trying to discover these abilities in myself. I've had two provable instances of telepathy. One was a dream about a location I later saw. The second was a dream about one of my bosses hurting his leg over the weekend. I went to his office the following Monday and asked if he had hurt his leg. He asked how I knew that as he limped around his desk to show me the bruise on his shin. I told him the details of my dream before he said anything else and the details fit exactly (the only difference was that he had been unloading feed sacks from a pickup rather than loading them as I saw in my dream. His reaction was fear, not enthusiasm.

I've also had one instance of OBE, involuntary and while I was wide awake and standing up. Just instantly I was out of and behind my body and clearly aware of everything (vision and all).

The only fly in this ointment is that I can do nothing "on demand"! Try as I might, when I meditate, all I get is pretty pictures and frequently portraits of people. But despite the failure, I've been there, done that, and I know it can be done! That's why I plan to keep on plugging. I may never discover anything but I'm not giving up.

As to a question about why "true telepaths" aren't all rich, etc. -- how do we know they aren't? If I ever do obtain the abilities I'm seeking I certainly would use them to help me with a few money worries. But I also most certainly won't advertise the fact. And maybe this brings me back to an answer to my first paragraph -- it could be the true "achievers" are not eager to blow their cover. [] I can understand that.

[Nayru]

I'm pretty sure that guy makes his tests so hard that even the best Psions would have a hard time with it. Such as precognition on 100 cards, and have max. 1 incorrect. Or lifting something heavy in the air, like a chair, and then make it spin and go from left to right it while it's floating in the air with Telekinesis. He will ask to 'read his mind', wanting exact wordings of what he's thinking. He will ask to remote view to his house in Chine, asking you what's in that little box located on the fifth desk from left (of course, there will be no box). Or something. And he will finally finish the test by asking to throw a fireball. Or by asking you to fly around. Or whatever X-Men-like.

I'm pretty sure he knows that everything Psionic is possible, but not to a degree of what he asks. Btw, I just made that all up, I've never done that test and will never do it either, but I'm pretty sure that test will be like that.

I really think he's a pathetic idiot.

[MJ-12]

Just check out his website for five minutes. It's filled with bold sounding, but actually meaningless value judgments with no basis in experimental data, excessive self-flattery, and countless plugs and opportunities for people to buy his book.

What's sad is that so many "skeptics" use him as their mascot. Sounds like something right out of 1984.

[Incognito]

Here is the simple question which needs to be asked.  As you may have guessed it is related to the thing mentioned in the subject line of this post.  For people who believe in the world of the psychic this is equally difficult to answer as the question which used to be asked of "conchies", "If you do not want to see your country defeated are yiou willing to see innocent men die for you?"
The simple question is this, many of you say that you can do telekinesis or such like and I have certainly met others who say that they can do telepathy and the like.  If this is true and you really can do the things mentioned abouve why has this prize not been broken?  If a simple answer can be provided I am sure it would restore, at least my belief in the world of the psychic.  
Additionally before you answer this bear in mind that I , myself am not a sceptic what must they think?

[beavis]

I want to try Randi's million dollar paranormal challenge!

My thread about it here:
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=149433#149433