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Notice from Randi re Yellow Bamboo

Linda

Former JREF Goddess
Linda
Joined
Jul 23, 2001
Messages
788
There are so many threads in this forum on Yellow Bamboo, I figure it's best to start a new one. Randi has responded to the questions and covers it both below and in his commentary to be posted tomorrow.

From: Randi
To: Linda
Post this on the forum in response to the YB objections….

Briefly, in response to YB, referring to www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=27804&referrerid=5


(1) The press release, claiming that YB has won the prize, has been all over the Internet.

(2) The document Joko Tri signed September 14th stated this condition. It supercedes the previous one.

2 a, b, and c, were my instructions to Joko Tri, not to you. He agreed to those stipulations.

(3) Where did you get the idea that I wanted to, intended to, or was expected to, go to Bali? I have no such intention. If any formal test were ever to take place, you would be coming here, where conditions would be in our control.

(4) You write that Joko Tri "was knocked down by Mr Serengen." No, Mr. Tri fell down, but we have no evidence -- yet -- of how or why he fell down. Much more is to come on that, believe me. You write that YB "are the first to pass the preliminary test and become claimants this must be very distressing to you." No, you have not passed that test, for reasons that will be outlined in detail on my October 3 web page. And don't flatter yourself that I'm at all distressed. I'm not.

See tomorrow’s web page….

James Randi
 
In his column, Randi states that no agreement was in place between himself and Yellow Bamboo. This is clearly in contradiction to what Yellow Bamboo states in their press release and in a thread on this forum.

He also states that Joko Tri di not go as a representative of JREF.

I told him that though he appeared to have the right qualifications, and that I would normally accept him to do the preliminary test, I'd officially severed my connections with them. But, I told Joko, he was quite free to go there and see what happened, if they'd let him do so.

He decided to go, on his own,...
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This is in contradiction to what Yellow Bamboo has stated.

Yellow Bamboo has yet to produce the contract they claim to have for the test. Perhaps they would care to produce that document, or comment upon it.
 
In another thread I believe I have shown with a modicum of certainty that this announcement is a hoax by a person associated with YB but not necessarily supported by YB. A loose cannon, if you will...
 
From Oct 3rd Commentary:

On August 11th, 2003, a Mr. Joko Tri Lestari, on the island of Java, wrote me volunteering to go to Bali and go through the Yellow Bamboo rigmarole that they'd put forth
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(Emphasis mine). OK, we have a dark and meaningless video recording of the test, and the subject who volunteers was unknown to Randi. All this sounds suspicious to me, though Randi is giving him the benefit of the doubt. We'll see.

I also told him that he [Tri] should use a small bamboo stick, not a weapon, and simply walk forward and tap Serengen on the leg, then walk away
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I seem not to understand the reason behind this demand on Randi's part.

Most damning of all: the report that Joko Tri gave me regarding what he experienced, is congruent with another modus, one that is not at all new, strange, nor unusual. I'm gathering data on this right now, and I'll report on it. This modus was offered by several readers with experience in the subject.
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Well, this is really intriguing. I'm looking forward to knowing more about it.
 
I've figured it out now. Piece of cake. No more waiting that extra 24 hours for me. :D
 
CERDIP said:
Pyyrho - thanks - I figured it out, all on my lonesome!

last week's: http://www.randi.org/jr/092603.html

tomorrow's: http://www.randi.org/jr/100303.html
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Ha ha! It's not tomorrow's anymore.
:)

Randi seems to feel Joko Tri is not a co-consiprator, but I am doubtful fo that. A few points already raised by various people in other threads:

Joko did not follow Randi's protocol with regards to time of testing, quality of video, and method of attack.

Joko's description of the demonstration diverges severely from what is seen in the video (i.e. lunged with a pole instead of tapped with a stick, no mention of unconsciousness or spasms)

I wonder if Randi is considering the use of a Taser, and if so, how a person could be hit with such and not know it.

BTW, the Swift is not always available a day early. Sometimes it's available a couple days early (like before a holiday), sometimes only a few hours, sometimes not at all until the links go live. But nothing prevents you from trying.
 
arcticpenguin said:
Randi seems to feel Joko Tri is not a co-consiprator, but I am doubtful fo that. A few points already raised by various people in other threads:

Joko did not follow Randi's protocol with regards to time of testing, quality of video, and method of attack.
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I too believe that the available evidence points to Joko being a plant.

But it's not watertight. One alternative explanation of the above facts is that Joko is hopelessly underqualified to conduct proper tests of supernatural claims.

Joko's description of the demonstration diverges severely from what is seen in the video (i.e. lunged with a pole instead of tapped with a stick, no mention of unconsciousness or spasms)
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Again, if Joko is an incompetent he might not have been alert for trickery and he might have written his report down a day or three after the events took place, giving his memory plenty of time to lose important details.

If he was conditioned to expect a push, and got a taser in the back, I'm coming around to the point of view that it's not inconceivable that after a day or two to muddle things up in his head he recalled it as a push.

Randi has posted tales of equally serious failures to remember Randi's act amongst the general public.

I wonder if Randi is considering the use of a Taser, and if so, how a person could be hit with such and not know it.
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Depending on how well informed Joko is about non-lethal weapons technologies, he might never have heard of a taser.

Java isn't exactly the boonies, but it's not totally inconceivable that Joko was sufficiently unfamiliar with modern electroshock weapons that he couldn't figure out what might have hit him.

If he didn't feel a violent downward force, just a very brief zap, someone whose grasp of English is imperfect might describe the experience as a gentle push causing terrible dizziness. I suppose.

Randi is certainly privy to more details than you or I and has been dealing with similar affairs for a long time. I argued against the taser story before, but I'm now an agnostic on this one until more evidence is released.
 
Silly quuestion here, but I know that general darkness is good for concealing things, but do tasers, stun guns, etc., emit either sparks or bright lights?
 
T'ai Chi said:
Silly quuestion here, but I know that general darkness is good for concealing things, but do tasers, stun guns, etc., emit either sparks or bright lights?
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I think it was Ravenwood last night in Paltalk who said he got a taser and TESTED IT ON HIMSELF!!! HAHA that was funny. Anyway, he said it did make a spark.

Dont test tasers or stun guns on yourself!!
 
Yes, in the interest of science, I attempted this...There was a bright blue spark & I can say that Joko's reaction did not match the extremely distateful experience of getting hit with 275kv. there was a sharp jolt of electricity, sort of like touching the flyback on a TV set, times fifty followed by about what seemed like 10 minutes of feeling buzzed, sort of like having 7-8 beers. There was a noticable blue arc before the lights went out...(NOTE: this was using the taser in contact mode through a leather bike jacket. I am not sure how much worse it would have been against the skin & I am sure as hell not going to shoot myself with it. The little "harpoon" probes look like they would really hurt...)
 
I'll pay $5 if you zap yourself again! If others pay up some cash, you could make a good amount of money. How much would it take for you to do it again :D ?
 
My first WAG was a trip wire was used; this would be invisible in a poor video, but a taser is an even better guess. Any spark given off is unlikely to show on a video if it occurred between 12 second exposures.

I think the reason Randi suggested a walk and tap instead of a wild-ass charge and wack was that any chicanery would be more readily detectable and there would be more time to be observant. Also it might throw off the Bambooers, who undoubtably expect a fierce attack. In this case, it played right into their hands.
 
LeFevre said:
I'll pay $5 if you zap yourself again! If others pay up some cash, you could make a good amount of money. How much would it take for you to do it again :D ?
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No amount of money...that was not fun
For the record, the device was an Air Taser, Model # 34000 (this is the 7 watt model, I understand that there is a Law Enforcement only version that is 18 watts)

I do not think a Taser was used, Firing the probes is a pretty dramatic event (big plume of released gas followed by a big blue arc about 3" across & an audible zzzzap!, not to mention the fact it fires two 1 1/2" harpoons...IIRC mine has a range of about 12' if fired, or you can use it in "contact" mode-which I foolishly experimented with.) There are other non lethal electroshock devices out there, one of which, the MYOTRON does not give off a visible electric discharge. Most other "stun guns" tend to have a bright blue arc.
 
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