About Us ThisisBigBrother.com

kirklancaster · 21-09-2015, 10:41 AM

I've just watched an excellent documentary on BBC 4 about the Great James Randi and it is unmissable viewing.

Randi is a very famous magician who has offered a cool million dollars to any psychic, clairvoyant, and medium etc who will PROVE their powers under laboratory conditions. Thus far, after decades, no one has claimed it.

The abhorrent Uri Geller is only one of many whom Randi has exposed as crooks, but it is the 'human interest' aspect of this documentary which lifts it way above the ordinary. Randi is a gay man but kept it private for decades, and his live-in-partner of 25 years is suddenly arrested - bringing Randi out of 'the closet'.

I love Randi and this documentary is brilliant.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...ics-and-frauds

Niamh. · 21-09-2015, 10:44 AM

Oh that sounds good actually, I'm going to check that out Kirk

kirklancaster · 21-09-2015, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Oh that sounds good actually, I'm going to check that out Kirk

Do that Niamh - It's all enthralling. I had a little tear in my eye at how little and frail Randi is now.

billy123 · 21-09-2015, 11:06 AM

Cheers for the recommendation Kirk it does sound interesting i will check it out

Kizzy · 21-09-2015, 11:30 AM

I have a feeling someday someone will claim that money...

kirklancaster · 21-09-2015, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobnot

Cheers for the recommendation Kirk it does sound interesting i will check it out

Do watch it Bob, it's fascinating.

Ramsay · 21-09-2015, 11:54 AM

Big fan of Randi, nothing better than seeing "Psychics" called out.

kirklancaster · 21-09-2015, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kizzy

I have a feeling someday someone will claim that money...

I hope so - which is why I love James Randi, because every charlatan he exposes or closes down clears the way for any genuine paranormal cases to be scientifically studied. As it is now, all the fraudsters and hoaxers and cranks convince everyone that ALL paranormal cases are fake, which I do not personally believe is the truth.

I mean, one of the crooks in this documentary has made millions out of conning the gullible that he is in 'direct touch with God' and the ruthless bastard tells seriously ill cancer patients and others to "Throw away those tablets and medicines, you are cured" by his laying on of hands B.S. He should be executed. And I mean it. Randi exposed him brilliantly on the Johnny Carson show.

Crimson Dynamo · 21-09-2015, 12:49 PM

Yes I have seen this docu and its quite sad about his love life and his closeted sexuality. He did a great job exposing all the fake mediums and supernatural eejits like Gellar.

.. and of course noone won the money

Kizzy · 21-09-2015, 01:05 PM

The same could be said of the evangelical crew and their 'power of jebus' baloney, they are lauded in the US and here too.

DemolitionRed · 21-09-2015, 10:05 PM

I've got mixed feelings about this and I'll explain why.

Today I chatted to a close friend who recently went through something absolutely devastating. She had therapy but that didn't seem to help. Its very unlike her but she decided to go and see a medium a few weeks ago and since then her spirits have lifted. The medium didn't offer her a solution but she did tell my friend that her grandmother was watching over her and guarding her.

From what she has told me, it sounds like this particular medium just gave her something that she desperately needs right now. Maybe her grandmother is with her, maybe she's not but if her belief helps her, then in my opinion, that has to be good don't you think?

There is so much we don't know, don't understand and for that reason I prefer to keep an open mind about such things.

Kizzy · 21-09-2015, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DemolitionRed

I've got mixed feelings about this and I'll explain why.

Today I chatted to a close friend who recently went through something absolutely devastating. She had therapy but that didn't seem to help. Its very unlike her but she decided to go and see a medium a few weeks ago and since then her spirits have lifted. The medium didn't offer her a solution but she did tell my friend that her grandmother was watching over her and guarding her.

From what she has told me, it sounds like this particular medium just gave her something that she desperately needs right now. Maybe her grandmother is with her, maybe she's not but if her belief helps her, then in my opinion, that has to be good don't you think?

There is so much we don't know, don't understand and for that reason I prefer to keep an open mind about such things.

I believe the exact same thing, some may say it's exploitative and many may get addicted to receiving 'messages' from loved ones who have passed... I personally feel there's something in it and would love to think that it was a way to connect, I'm really conflicted on this too.

DemolitionRed · 21-09-2015, 10:47 PM

Kizzy, the problem is, there are more exploitative mediums, psychics and fortune tellers out there than there are genuine ones (or ones who believe they are genuine). My grandmother used to get what she called psychic dreams. I don't know if her dreams really were psychic but she genuinely believed they were.

Telepathy has been proven to be real but it took many, many years of rigorous and repeated experiments to reach this conclusion.

As for psychic phenomenon... just because there's presently a lack of published papers and peer reviews for a scientific theory doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Kyle · 21-09-2015, 10:58 PM

Is this the sameguy who exposed Peter Popov when he caught his wife reading the prayer cards of people to him over a wireless earpiece?

Kizzy · 21-09-2015, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DemolitionRed

Kizzy, the problem is, there are more exploitative mediums, psychics and fortune tellers out there than there are genuine ones (or ones who believe they are genuine). My grandmother used to get what she called psychic dreams. I don't know if her dreams really were psychic but she genuinely believed they were.

Telepathy has been proven to be real but it took many, many years of rigorous and repeated experiments to reach this conclusion.

As for psychic phenomenon... just because there's presently a lack of published papers and peer reviews for a scientific theory doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

I agree, my daughter and her partner went to a local medium just a few days ago before they set back off to uni... it really did set their minds at rest about things and it was very accurate, I know many say it's pure Barnum but I have an open mind

Ammi · 22-09-2015, 06:15 AM

..I haven't actually heard of James Randi, Kirk but I will try to find time to watch this...it's really hard with mediums I think because grief is something that is so individual to everyone and everyone copes with it differently...I guess for me the whole concept and thought of..'yes I a truly spiritual person' and a 'real medium'..and then the making money from it, 'selling comfort'...just to me doesn't connect, spiritual/moneymaking, you know...

..it's a tricky one really I think..obviously because I've worked in schools for many years, I've known quite a few young deaths and sudden deaths of parents and the effects on families and specifically the effects on the children, which is our main focus but obviously that extends to the whole family as well and trying to make sure they have all the support they need...I have known a few families, where the surviving parent has felt much comfort through a medium and then through that comfort, that's how they've relayed things to their child/children..anyways for a young child who doesn't understand 'death' anyway as such, in the situations I know of..the use of a medium as comfort has not only added to that child's confusion but I think for me more importantly/or more 'damaging' I should say...is that their surviving parent has focused so much time on the death they're finding so hard to get beyond that their focus on the 'life' and their child/children is something that has been neglected...obviously not intentionally but where schools are, are with the 'life' and the child and seeing their damage../so yeah so complicated...I had an elderly neighbour..(she's dead now..)..but she also couldn't get beyond the death of her husband and every day of her life without him, for her was almost another day 'too much'...but what she did have, was two children and their own children/her grandchildren and they were a very close family so her 'comfort days' were the days she spent with them and really the thing that helped her step from one day to the next etc..but then she did go to a medium, a friend persuaded her to go along one time...and she did get comfort, the medium gave her that comfort and told her things that she so needed to hear...but the thing with that..I guess 'the cost'..maybe..?..was that it took away her focus on her family, on the here and now and the living and the short time they knew that they would have her because of her age..and they also had lost their father so every moment with their mum became precious obviously...it gave her comfort and yet in doing that, it kept her in grief as well and kept her in that place..her family needed her in their lives as well but in a way they 'lost her to the medium' and the effect on them was that they had lost two parents instead of just one...this is rushed as I have work..but a really complicated thing I think because it can have such a far reaching effect on families as well../but I'm sure there are positive stories with whole families as well...we tend to go by our own associations with these things...

..but yeah, the 'spiritual' and the 'money earning' I find hard as well...I mean for most of us I think...if it was one of those things were we were give a 'gift'...if you had the power to give comfort and ease sadness and grief...and it was true and real..etc../would you do it...would we really think and feel, well yes, of course but I'm going to charge for that I'm afraid../it just doesn't sit right with me as being a 'spiritual' thought process....

user104658 · 22-09-2015, 07:03 AM

I'll give £10 million to anyone who can prove the existence of God in laboratory conditions.

Any takers?

kirklancaster · 22-09-2015, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I'll give £10 million to anyone who can prove the existence of God in laboratory conditions.

Any takers?

And I'll give all I have if anyone can disprove the existence of God under ANY conditions.

user104658 · 22-09-2015, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirklancaster

And I'll give all I have if anyone can disprove the existence of God under ANY conditions.

That's not how experimental science works. I'll give you the world if you can disprove the existence of an anthropomorphic duck with penis fingers being controlled telepathically by a super-intelligent hamster.

kirklancaster · 22-09-2015, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

That's not how experimental science works. I'll give you the world if you can disprove the existence of an anthropomorphic duck with penis fingers being controlled telepathically by a super-intelligent hamster.

But I KNOW that exists because in the old Adam West Batman TV series, he had an Anti-anthropomorphic duck with penis fingers being controlled telepathically by a super-intelligent hamster device on his utility belt.

user104658 · 22-09-2015, 07:36 AM

Batman believes in infinite possibility, he has devices for every potential outcome no matter how improbable.

kirklancaster · 22-09-2015, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Batman believes in infinite possibility, he has devices for every potential outcome no matter how improbable.

That's why I love the old naff TV series so much.

rubymoo · 22-09-2015, 09:28 AM

I just laughed so loud at the conversation between TS and Kirk, it made my dogs jump.....and now they're pestering me for a biscuit

But on topic i will watch this as anything to do with the supernatural and the debunking of pyschics and frauds is for me.

There are a lot of fakes out there and i dislike what they do, they charge a ridiculous price and prey on the vulnerable who are struggling with relationships, or grief.

This is a good link, and after reading this i will never go to a medium/psychic again.

http://www.aske-skeptics.org.uk/befo...a_psychic.html