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Certified_letter_to_JVP_600px

James Van Praagh
℅ Spiritual Horizons, Inc.
P.O. Box 9675
South Laguna, CA 92652

     

via U.S. Mail
via E-mail (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
via Twitter (@JamesVanPraagh)
posted at The Huffington Post

October 10, 2011

Mr. James Van Praagh:

I’m sure you received my letter of Sept. 9 encouraging you to accept the James Randi Educational Foundation’s Million Dollar Challenge by agreeing to demonstrate your claimed psychic powers in a fair, mutually-agreed-upon test, under conditions that would prevent cheating. The certified letter was confirmed to have been picked up from your local post office.

We also sent the letter to you via email. During the week prior to that, our challenge to you was covered by ABC News and Time.com. AOL News reached out to you for an answer, but you didn’t reply to them either. All this time, you have refused to give an honest answer to the question of whether or not you’ll accept our challenge.

It seems odd that you won’t return our messages. After all, if you can really do what you claim, we’re offering you one million dollars and a chance to prove wrong everyone who doubts you, including those of us at the James Randi Educational Foundation. If your ‘psychic powers’ are real, hiding from our offer makes as much sense as throwing away a winning lottery ticket.

So, we can only guess at why you haven’t answered.

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The death of Charles Dickens on June 9, 1870 wasn't entirely unexpected.

The eminent author had been in poor health for years and had already suffered one previous stroke.  When a second stroke struck on June 8, he slipped into a coma from which he never awakened.    Mourners from around the world paid tribute to the great author and it seemed only fitting that he be laid to rest in the Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey.    Despite Dickens' full life and the long list of iconic books that he had left behind, there was one last bit of unfinished business, however...

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[Editor’s Note: “Your Skeptic Stories” is an ongoing series written by readers like you, people who have, through one means or another, discovered skepticism and critical thinking. These stories remind us that we all started somewhere and some of us are still finding our way as skeptics. Please send your story of around 1000 words, along with a 2-3 line bio, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


Today’s story comes from Maggie]

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Evidence emerged this week that alternative medicine practitioners in England are feeling considerable pain caused by the ongoing work of skeptical activists.  A new web site called “ASA Sucks” has surfaced, which claims to be a campaign against “self appointed vigilantes” who “attack complementary medicine”.  On Twitter a corresponding account named @Against_The_ASA began debating various UK skeptics on the topic on Wednesday.

This anger has its origins in a skeptic project that is one year old this week: Nightingale Collaboration. It was first announced by Simon Singh at JREF’s TAM London event last year. Its purpose is to encourage skeptics to file complaints to the various UK regulatory agencies about claims or behavior of alternative medicine purveyors. UK skeptics are fortunate that they have a number of such official channels including ASA, the Office of Fair Trading and others.

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Here are the JREF's news stories from the last week, and a notice of a new interview airing this Sunday, Oct. 9: James Randi will appear on the Think Atheist Radio Show podcast this Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Pacific (8:00 p.m. Eastern). Tune in at this link!

  1. Last Week at Science-Based Medicine
  2. Psychic Arrested for Scaring Girl Into Stealing From Parents
  3. JREF in Haunted Magazine
  4. Notes from the Classroom: Atlanta ESP Workshop and Dragon*Con Skepticism and Education Panel