James Randi offers new $1m challenge

[Saru]

James Randi is offering $1m to any homeopathy manufacturer able to prove that their products work.

To expose a scam industry that endangers and rips off millions of consumers a year, world-renowned conjuror, escape artist, and skeptic James Randi has put one million dollars on the line.

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[WoIverine]

I think he'll lose this one. The plant sterols in many homeopathy supplements are very healthy. Saw Palmetto, Beta Sistosterol...my father is 65, has been taking those since he was 45, never once had any prostate issues, and our family has a history of that. His urologist was amazed and said he was like a teenager. The sterols in moderate quantities serve to alter testosterone and will also help men keep their hair. Also, magnesium (supplements) is known to break up calcifaction and has a beneficial effect on kidney stone sufferers.

Edited February 6, 2011 by SpiderCyde

[bmk1245]

I think he'll lose this one. The plant sterols in many homeopathy supplements are very healthy. Saw Palmetto, Beta Sistosterol...my father is 65, has been taking those since he was 45, never once had any prostate issues, and our family has a history of that. His urologist was amazed and said he was like a teenager. The sterols in moderate quantities serve to alter testosterone and will also help men keep their hair. Also, magnesium (supplements) is known to break up calcifaction and has a beneficial effect on kidney stone sufferers.

I think, its about true homeopathic remedies, with no active ingredients, not about herbal. I don't think remedies with 0 atoms of active substance would be of any help (except placebo effect) to your father.

[dougeaton]

He needs a life, or he is making a lot of money.doug

[ShadowSot]

He needs a life, or he is making a lot of money.doug

He has a life, and is fairly respected.

Homeopathy is a scam, and it's a dangerous scam as it convinces people to move off of needful medicines.

Edited February 6, 2011 by ShadowSot

[voidla]

Medicines 'proven' to help people with illnesses don't work for everyone, so how are they any less of a scam than homoeopathy, which for some people helps them with their illness.

[Psukhe]

Medicines 'proven' to help people with illnesses don't work for everyone, so how are they any less of a scam than homoeopathy, which for some people helps them with their illness.

I don't want to be rude, but, are you serious? You're comparing apples with kumquats.

[Nitty]

Hmm,I would not say it is a scam.I once took holy basil and its effects calmed me.As well as a few other things.But just an opinion.

[vitruvian12]

I think, its about true homeopathic remedies, with no active ingredients, not about herbal. I don't think remedies with 0 atoms of active substance would be of any help (except placebo effect) to your father.

I agree, you are confusing homeopathy with naturopathy. Homeopathy is a "like heals like' solution that has been diluted to the point where the solution contains none of the actual supposed remedy. According to proponents the water solution retains a "memory" of the active ingredient even though it is no longer present.

His million is safe, as it has been for decades since his challenge started

[ShadowSot]

Medicines 'proven' to help people with illnesses don't work for everyone, so how are they any less of a scam than homoeopathy, which for some people helps them with their illness.

Homeopathy is water.

It has nothing else in it.

[dougeaton]

Water is good for you ;-).doug

[ShadowSot]

Water is good for you ;-).doug

yep, but it shouldn't be sold as a cure all.

[TheMcGuffin]

The Amazing Randi is still alive? I wonder if he is still hiring underage male prostitutes? Look up his record in Florida if you don't believe me. He got arrested for that years ago and little has been heard from him since.

Skeptics, I advise you to run away from this guy. Not walk away, but run in the opposite direction.

[ShadowSot]

The Amazing Randi is still alive? I wonder if he is still hiring underage male prostitutes? Look up his record in Florida if you don't believe me. He got arrested for that years ago and little has been heard from him since.

Skeptics, I advise you to run away from this guy. Not walk away, but run in the opposite direction.

No. He was receiving harassing phone calls from teens, called the cops, who recorded the calls and traced them back tot he youths. This tape was made in the 60s, and no arrest was made.

Plenty has been heard form him since, he's been active in several homeopathic criticisms and has a couple of things up on TED from the looks of it. He's published a couple of books and his organization, JREF, is one of the larger skeptical organizations out there.

He was also a defendant in a case where he was accused of slander, where he called a fellow a child molester.

He was charged, but as the fellow's testimony during the trial incriminated him as a child molester, he was not required to pay a fine.

[Psukhe]

The Amazing Randi is still alive? I wonder if he is still hiring underage male prostitutes? Look up his record in Florida if you don't believe me. He got arrested for that years ago and little has been heard from him since.

Skeptics, I advise you to run away from this guy. Not walk away, but run in the opposite direction.

Regardless of any ALLEGED sexual proclivities, what does that have to do with the snake oil that is homeopathy?

[The Skeptic Eric Raven]

He has a life, and is fairly respected.

Homeopathy is a scam, and it's a dangerous scam as it convinces people to move off of needful medicines.

Exactly. Certain herbs like were talked about in one post(saw palmeto) do have beneftis,BUT thats herbs not homeopathy.

There is NO scientific proof to show it works. I tried this crap in my younger and more gulliable years with no results.

[Rlyeh]

The Amazing Randi is still alive? I wonder if he is still hiring underage male prostitutes? Look up his record in Florida if you don't believe me. He got arrested for that years ago and little has been heard from him since.

Skeptics, I advise you to run away from this guy. Not walk away, but run in the opposite direction.

Did you want to get some tips from him?

[ShadowSot]

Did you want to get some tips from him?

Heh, keep it cool, we don't want this to degenerate to much like the other skeptically themed thread active at the moment.

[TheMcGuffin]

No. He was receiving harassing phone calls from teens, called the cops, who recorded the calls and traced them back tot he youths. This tape was made in the 60s, and no arrest was made.

Plenty has been heard form him since, he's been active in several homeopathic criticisms and has a couple of things up on TED from the looks of it. He's published a couple of books and his organization, JREF, is one of the larger skeptical organizations out there.

He was also a defendant in a case where he was accused of slander, where he called a fellow a child molester.

He was charged, but as the fellow's testimony during the trial incriminated him as a child molester, he was not required to pay a fine.

According to James Mosley of "Saucer Smear" fame, there was also a blackmail tape against Randi circulating in the 1980s and 1990s accusing him of pedophilia and threatening to reveal his record of procuring underage male prostitutes, allegations that Mosley believed were true. He concluded that Randi just wasn't a very nice person or a credible one.

http://www.martiansgohome.com/smear/v46/ss990701.htm

Then there are the reports that Randi claimed he was really "cooperating with the police" when he made phone calls soliciting sex with underage boys, although that might have been true in some way if he'd actually been arrested for that.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-207597.html

Edited February 6, 2011 by TheMcGuffin

[ShadowSot]

According to James Mosley of "Saucer Smear" fame, there was also a blackmail tape against Randi circulating in the 1980s and 1990s accusing him of pedophilia and threatening to reveal his record of procuring underage male prostitutes, allegations that Mosley believed were true. He concluded that Randi just wasn't a very nice person or a credible one.

http://www.martiansgohome.com/smear/v46/ss990701.htm

Then there are the reports that Randi claimed he was really "cooperating with the police" when he made phone calls soliciting sex with underage boys, although that might have been true in some way if he'd actually been arrested for that.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-207597.html

Again, these calls weren't from him, they were TOO him. The tapes were how the cops told him to handle it, and were turned over to them.

Note that he was not charge or arrested for anything, nor does he appear on any lists as a child molester, which he would have been had he been calling these kids.

There was a smear campaign, which was disproved

[Drj312]

hooray for ad hominem attacks!

since homeopathy supports cannot provide evidence to support homeopathy, the next step is just attacking and spreading rumors about a critic of homeopathy.

[TheMcGuffin]

hooray for ad hominem attacks!

since homeopathy supports cannot provide evidence to support homeopathy, the next step is just attacking and spreading rumors about a critic of homeopathy.

I don't care one way or the other about homeopathy, but I've known these things about Randi for years. Why do you think he got kicked out of CSICOP and had to start his own organization?

[bmk1245]

I agree, you are confusing homeopathy with naturopathy. Homeopathy is a "like heals like' solution that has been diluted to the point where the solution contains none of the actual supposed remedy. According to proponents the water solution retains a "memory" of the active ingredient even though it is no longer present.[...]

There is the problem with definition of "homeopathic" in some countries (at least in mine; just checked again website promoting/selling that stuff - yeap, herbal remedies and mixtures of herbs with "mainstream" chemicals/antibiotics go as homeopathic) : some years ago I was engaged in dispute (quite heated, must say, although without blood spilling) with friends' wife that homeopathic remedies nothing more than pure BS. After several minutes, we realized (to my amazement) that we are talking about different things: me - about true homeopathy, and her - about herbal remedies. Maybe the same situation with definition of "homeopathic" is in some other countries, too.

[...]

His million is safe, as it has been for decades since his challenge started

I have no doubt. He can raise to $10 mills pretty safely.

[ShadowSot]

I don't care one way or the other about homeopathy, but I've known these things about Randi for years. Why do you think he got kicked out of CSICOP and had to start his own organization?

He wasn't kicked of CSICOPs, he resigned after being told to stop writing articles concerning Uri Geller.

He still writes articles and contributes to CSICOP, which has since dropped the COPs.

Again, if these claims were true he'd be listed as being a sex offender, which he is not.

[Psukhe]

hooray for ad hominem attacks!

since homeopathy supports cannot provide evidence to support homeopathy, the next step is just attacking and spreading rumors about a critic of homeopathy.

Yay ad hominem.