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Brian Turntime Special user 671 Posts |
Sadly, I may never get the chance to work with James Randi EF to debunk phony healers, psychics, or edify addle-pated "scientists" as Banachek did with the Alpha Project.
But then again, there's more delusion out there than JREF could ever hope to deal with in a century. Sweeping the beach, bailing the ocean.... so maybe there's room for one more debunker. But I'm wondering if this is worth the effort? Could be funny. First, please read this (brief):HAUNTED HOUSE(S) NEEDED Now, the thing is, I don't think this person is necessarily hurting anyone, she's just deluded. But then, the Alpha "scientists" were not defrauding anyone, they were just allowing themselves to be deceived-- which needed correction. Would it be wrong to bring this researcher into my house, convince her via Phanthomas' Polter and other effects that the house is haunted, and then show her how she was tricked? My purpose would be to teach her to be more skeptical and scientific, but she could still be very angry with me... Then again, maybe she's using the claim of research to line up some "psychic cleansing" business, in which case, I would love to expose her as a fraud, but then she'd know where I lived! Thoughts?
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Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died. - Steven Wright |
Brian Turntime Special user 671 Posts |
Now, I can NOT be the only James Randi fan here... surely others have wanted to debunk psychics and ghost chaserS?
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Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died. - Steven Wright |
rossmacrae Inner circle Arlington, Virginia 2475 Posts |
"Debunk" ... yeah, I'd love to, but remember (these are the things I constantly tell myself):
You ain't Houdini; You ain't Randi (who does it so well he practically has a patent on it) - Wouldn't you rather be known for being the ONLY you, rather than for being a Randi wannabe?; Some of these guys just LOVE to sue ... how's your budget for legal battles? |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
There's nothing quite like conning a con.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Brian Turntime Special user 671 Posts |
Good points.
I spoke with "Kramer" at JREF once, and he expressed glumness that so many of the people coming to test for the $1MM prize were really convinced that they had powers. The evidence of the failed test did not convince them.
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Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died. - Steven Wright |
lowphat Loyal user Michigan 240 Posts |
It's intersting though, there are strange things that have happened to me that I can't quite explain. For instance on the topic of haunted houses. My wife and I stayed at my aunts old farm house in Michigan right after we got married. There was a TV in our room with no remote control. My wife and I were sitting on the bed talking when all of the sudden the television turned on by itself. I walked over, shut the tv off, and sat back down on the bed. No sooner had I sat down on the bed than the tv turned itself back on again. I walked over shut the televison off again, and my wife and I began invoking some authority of a "biblical" nature over whatever was going on in the room. The television never turned back on again while we were there. The next moring we told my aunt about it and she said that it was her grandfather and that he often changed the times on the clocks and things of that nature just doing little mischievious things. Go figure.
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jimtron Inner circle 2039 Posts |
Is it possible that there was some sort of wireless signal that was doing it? From a nearby garage door opener, someone else's TV remote, wireless doorbell, etc.? I wouldn't completely rule out a ghost, but I would think in this day and age, when there's tons of wireless stuff (remotes, cell phones, satellite TV, etc.) that it wouldn't be hard to believe that it could be an errant signal.
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rossmacrae Inner circle Arlington, Virginia 2475 Posts |
The other night (it was a dark and stormy night), something like that happened to me - the TV started changing channels, the sound went in and out - I started to have a prickly feeling so vivid I couldn't sit comfortably - my children seemed to feel the unease, as they wandered the room aimlessly as though looking for something - the dog followed them with her eyes as though something humans can't see was hovering over them.
Then I realized I was sitting on the remote. |
lowphat Loyal user Michigan 240 Posts |
As far as the TV at my Aunts house, there was no remote. It was 1am and she lives in a farm house with the closest house well outside of the garage door opener range. She had one corded phone with a really long cord in the house with no cellular. I'm not saying that I'm completely convinced it was the activitiy of a pesky spirit, but it is one of those things that make you go "hmmm."
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Brian Turntime Special user 671 Posts |
With "haunting" reports often including TV changes, I wonder what the top-rated show is in the spirit world? CSI?
Pretty sad that they're so bored they're wasting their valuable time... that is, their squandering their lives... I mean, their rotting their brains... no... Heck.
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Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died. - Steven Wright |
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