Randi on Anderson Cooper 360

I would imagine that it has increased the hits on the SSB site, as I have already reecived a handful of emails from people who saw it. Of course, my site's URL was on the screen. I don't know if Randi's ever was.
 
Drudgewire said:
That was PRICELESS!

"Sylvia has never taken money for a reading, those are donations to... um... unsolicited... RANDI'S AN ATHIEST!! AN ATHIEST EVERYBODY!!"
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Yes you can't judge god--you can't question someone's spirituality, she doesn't claim to be a "psychic" first (Anderson Cooper points out that it's the first descriptor of her at her website), people have been with her for years and god and spirituality blah blah blah god blah blah helps people and blah blah god, god, god, and spiritual an blah blah and Randi is evil and it's just like he's trying to discredit god he is a bad man..

So if you insert god it must be good and beyond question and you can claim the moral high ground no matter how much you lie, twist the facts, or hurt people--and if you don't believe this stuff, you are an evil debunker of god and everything one can attach somehow to that god.

I have new respect for Anderson Cooper, myself. And he described his test so easily as she waffled and said she doesn't need to prove anything to that horrible Randy, etc. etc. I hope more people visit swift and stopsylviabrown.com.
 
Kopji said:
Not to repeat myself, but the image is still on my clipboard. This from Sylvia's own website. She uses the word "fee", which is not by any stretch of the imagination an optional donation. 'The truth is not in them.'

[qimg]http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/106145c013f5cea8b.jpg[/qimg]

On the ''atheist" comment, there was an interview (Larry King?) with Sylvia last year which featured her with a prominent Rabbi and a professor from the university of Oklahoma(?) Her accusation then was that the Rabbi could not criticize her because he would essentially be a hypocrite.

So to their thinking - non-religious people cannot criticize her, and religious ones can't either. That about covers it.
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That constitute fraud. This woman must be sued. Does RSL have a copy of the above on his website. Ah yes....the money is just recycled in Sylvia's spiritual enterprises--which probably means she doesn't pay one cent of taxes on it.
 
Hawkeye said:
I like how Anderson Cooper has started calling Sylvia an “alleged” and “self proclaimed” psychic. At least he realizes she is a fraud. I was especially pleased when he called out Linda on her shameless ad hominem attacks on Randi’s atheism. If you call what Sylvia Browne does “spiritual,” then boy am I sure glad I’m an atheist.

One problem with appearances like these is that there is never enough time to properly discuss the challenge. It was not stressed enough that Sylvia, if she is a truly a legitimate psychic, could easily earn one million dollars in less than a days work. Sure, Sylvia “doesn’t have to prove anything to Randi,” but I can’t think of a better way to shut him up than to take his money. One minute just isn’t enough time to debunk all the lies about the challenge, or to explain how a mutually agreed upon double blind test is a fair way to measure ability, or to tell the story of how Browne already agreed to take the test 6 years ago.

I thought it was deliciously ironic that Linda said Randi should go after the “real charlatans out there” and leave Sylvia alone. Hmmm, that sounds an awful lot like what Rosemary Altea said. Apparently every psychic out there is a fraud except for the one you happen to be talking to at the moment.

P.S.: Kudos to Mr. Lancaster for having a bit of his segment about Sylvia air again. I think once you’re on CNN twice you can officially call yourself a T.V. star ;)
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I agree, I agree, I agree. But I bet there are some true believers who think that Sylvia has a gift from God, and they'll swear that her manager came across as honest, and that Randi is clearly and evil atheist bent on destroying the spiritual Sylvia as a means of making money or empowering himself or some other laughable claim. To us it's so obvious. But it's also obvious that the longer a person believes in such things--the harder it is to ever get them to see the light. There's a great book about this called "When Prophesy Fails".

But it always seems these jerks declare bankruptcy then disappear for awhile and resurface with a new story to a new eager-to-believe crowd.

I just hope Randi's new "proactive" approach puts Sylvia out of practice permanently. And gives encouragement to skeptics everywhere.
 
A really, really great show.

It was a huge mistake of Sylvia's to let Linda Rossi go on. That was one bad performance.

All that "atheist" crap was shot down effectively, so she wants to play the victim and asks Randi to explain why he goes after Sylvia instead of all the charlatans. But when he does, she simply can't refrain from interrupting, because he is actually making very good points.

WOULD YOU MIND???

Hehehe...that's as good as "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"

It's not the Sylvia Followers this program will affect. They are lost cases anyway. It's those many people who may have heard of psychics, or even Sylvia Browne, but really have no stance on the subject.

A lot of very good points stand out:

  • Sylvia "predicted" the name of the WTC bomber 2 weeks after his name was floating around.
  • Sylvia "predicted" that Shawn Hornbeck was dead. Ouch.
  • Sylvia "predicted" that a missing person was in Tennessee, but was wrong.
  • Sylvia claims not to charge money for her readings, yet her website shows her a liar.
  • Sylvia doesn't want to take the test, yet she is on record for agreeing to do it. Yet another lie.

Sylvia is going down.
 
The whole damned thing sucked. Anderson wimped out in the name of giving both sides a chance. When the hell is some "journalist" going to have the cojones to put on a show with the same balance as the "John of God" show only "balanced" in the other direction.

If I was a fence-sitter, I would have come away on SB's side.

Investigative journalism has gone the way of the dodo bird under the pressure of the 24/7 "news" cycle.

Gawd, I'm so pissed....
 
SezMe said:
The whole damned thing sucked. Anderson wimped out in the name of giving both sides a chance. When the hell is some "journalist" going to have the cojones to put on a show with the same balance as the "John of God" show only "balanced" in the other direction.

If I was a fence-sitter, I would have come away on SB's side.

Investigative journalism has gone the way of the dodo bird under the pressure of the 24/7 "news" cycle.

Gawd, I'm so pissed....
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Ehm, if it was "balanced" just in the other direction all the fence sitters would probably just ignore it as being biased(which it would be).

Also, Cooper fought for Randi, it wasn't like he didn't have a stance, he correctly identified and threw away the ad homin attacks on Randi as irrelevant.

Also, what is with the gawd crap?

RANT!
So I was like, I was like, "Tiffany, my Gawd!" And Tiffany was like, "Well, duh!" And Amber goes, "Like, so what. I mean, geez." And I was like, "Don't go there, girl." And she was like, "Don't go there, yourself." And I was like, "Right." And she was like, "Whatever."
 
Lisa Simpson said:
Part 2 (it's missing a few seconds off the beginning, but it's only AC's introduction)
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Thanks so much! That was AWESOME! I'm going to go write CNN right away and ask for more. I had to laugh at Rossi -- I couldn't help it. My husband wonders what the heck I'm doing. ; )
 
So SB's response is going to be "we don't know everything about this case", in other words suggesting that a boy may have been killed . Sadly I can just imagine how that will pan out in a few years with people who want to believe in her e.g. like John Edward's Dateline hot-reading.
 
I want to thank those who uploaded it to Youtube but is it me, but does part 2 end rather suddenly just as it gets going as Randi is asked about going after the "true charlatans"?
Is there a third part?
 
Questioninggeller said:
So far, what I've found

http://www.jonstewart.net/faq.html#know



Comedy Central contact form: http://www.comedycentral.com/help/questionsCC.jhtml

Ticket hotline: (212) 586-2477 http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/tickets/tickets.jhtml
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Let's summarize what we can DO:

(1) If everybody at least emails the Larry King and Anderson 360 sites on CNN (start with CNN.com) to thank them for having Randi and to ask for more.

(I'm going to go on Bad Astronomer's blog and suggest people do the same. Those of you involved in other skeptic websites might do the same there. This will create critical mass.)

(2) If everyone fills out the Comedy Central Contact form and request his appearance on the Jon Stewart show, which he has gone on record as saying "I'd love to do..." (All the above is easy and takes little time.)

(3) Someone above mentioned another show possibility--we can do the same as above for other possible venues.

(4) If those who are inclined can particpate on Comedy Central's message board and pump a visit by Randi.

(5) Be creative about other ways to get free, positive press. For instance, sober letters to the editor of our local newspapers, expressing how glad you are that Sylvia Browne and her like are now being exposed, etc. etc.
(This may sound hokey, but it's free press and if you've never done it, you would be surprised how much read those things get.)

And thank you RS, Mr. StopSylviaBrowne for all you are doing. Thank you.

(6) Those who are inclined, call Sylvia Browne's office, ask for a consultation but explain that you are unable to pay, report what happens here, to Randi, to AC 360.

Other ideas?
 
Mariah said:
(2) If everyone fills out the Comedy Central Contact form and request his appearance on the Jon Stewart show, which he has gone on record as saying "I'd love to do..." (All the above is easy and takes little time.)
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Somehow, I can't see The Daily Show, or The Colbert Report having much interest in Randi. Their focus is much more in the political arena.
 
The easiest way to get Randi on the Daily Show would likely be to get the latest book out as soon as possible. If you're pimping a book, anyone can get on that show. Just mention "MacArthur Genius Grant winner" and you're in.
 
Gr8wight said:
Somehow, I can't see The Daily Show, or The Colbert Report having much interest in Randi. Their focus is much more in the political arena.
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You may be right. I just know he said (in an email we exchanged) that he'd love to be on it.
 
ranson said:
The easiest way to get Randi on the Daily Show would likely be to get the latest book out as soon as possible. If you're pimping a book, anyone can get on that show. Just mention "MacArthur Genius Grant winner" and you're in.
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Anybody? Well let me on it then. I've been pimping books for years, and my third is out this fall.
 
Rrose Selavy said:
I want to thank those who uploaded it to Youtube but is it me, but does part 2 end rather suddenly just as it gets going as Randi is asked about going after the "true charlatans"?
Is there a third part?
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No, there isn't. Anderson Cooper wrapped things up rather abruptly, then went on to talk about how another segment got bumped because they allowed this segment to go longer.
 
Questioninggeller said:
Send your comments, let's encourage more of this programming

Email Cooper: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?10
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I sent:
Thank you very much for taking an honest view of Sylvia Browne. She plays a classic confidence game and hides under a pretense of religion. So what if James Randi is an atheist? That should protect her, excuse me, her business manager from answering honest questions.

This is the 21st century. We should not still be believing in witchcraft.​
 
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