James Randi - Debunker Extraordinaire

I mentioned James Randi and his one million dollar challenge in my last posting.

Mr Randi has been debunking fakes, frauds and charlatans for many years. His targets are the people who do not claim to be magicians/illusionists, but instead claim to have paranormal powers.

Some of the people are quite harmless - misguided entertainers. Some are quite dangerous - people who claim to be able to communicate with the dead, or to heal people.

There are lots of interesting YouTube videos about Mr Randi. Here are some examples of the people/powers which he has debunked:

Uri Geller (spoon bender) and Peter Popoff ("faith healer")
James Hydrick who claimed to be able to move objects with his mind
"Magnet Man" who claimed that metal objects would stick to him

Sylvia Browne who agreed in 2001 to submit to a test by Mr Randi (and we're all still waiting!)

Dowsing
Graphology
Psychic Crime Solving
Crystal Power
Thought Transference
Psychic Artist
Aura Reading

And here is a video of Mr Randi on astrology that I am including because it features two of my favourite celebrities: Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie:

Nothing that can't be explained

I can't scare my kids

I can't scare them with talk of ghosts, ghouls, vampires or werewolves. None of the scary things I see on the TV show Supernatural.

And why?

Because of I told them about James Randi.

Mr Randi had been offering one million dollars to anyone who can do something inexplicable (paranormal) under controlled conditions

He has been offering this bounty since 1964 (it has been one million since 1996). No takers yet.

So now my kids know that there's nothing that can't be explained.

No mind-reading. No telekinesis. No teleporting.

No magic. Only illusions.

I am happy that we live in a world that is full of wonder, but devoid of silly fears and superstitions.

Check out the James Randi Educational Foundation for more information.