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Infamous
Skeptic Friend
85 Posts |
 Posted - 01/28/2003 : 10:41:15
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On December 12, 2002, famous skeptic and magician Jay Rand conducted a demonstration for the members of the Scientific Investigations Committee On Paranormal Claims (SICOPC). Rand was to show how magicians do the "disappearing" trick, to show that there was nothing magic or paranormal about it at all.
"Jay wanted to show that even the most unexplainable-looking events do have a scientific explantion," says Carlos Sage, noted skeptic and astronomer.
The demonstration seemed to proceed as planned. Rand disappeared, and the audience waited, spellbound, for him to return and prove that it was all an illusion.
He never reappeared. His fellow SICOPC members waited for hours, but it seemed Rand had simply vanished.
Skeptics across the country were at a loss to explain the mysterious disappearance.
"I'm still certain it's some kind of trick. He's going to reappear any day now and prove that it was all a hoax," suggested Marty Garden.
However, over a month later, Rand still hasn't reappeared. Several members of SICOPC claimed to have been contacted by him. One of them claimed that he had been using a HAM radio and spoke to a man who said he was Jay Rand.
"He told me, 'Just you wait, I'll reappear and show the world how easily they fell for my hoax'," said the young SICOPC member.
Others claim to have received emails from Rand's address, but that the emails automatically deleted themselves after being read once. A skeptic said that he received a phone call from Rand's number, but the phone company had no records of such a call. Dozens of members, including Marty Garden, received postcards from addresses across the country, written by a person claiming to be Jay Rand, but the handwriting on the postcard did not match Rand's actual handwriting.
"It's obvious that he was dictating. Apparently he has been travelling all over the country, dictating these messages to various people, and mailing them from their addresses. Unfortunately, all of these people are keeping quiet. Perhaps Rand told them not to say anything," Garden said.
Others ridicule SICOPC's claims.
"I won't believe Rand didn't disappear until you find me a body, or at least some good, clear photographs," laughed Don Keyhole, chairman of the National Committe for Investigations of Aerial Phenomena (NCIAP).
Carlos Sage did provide a few photographs, but experts say they are too blurry to tell whether the subject is Rand or someone else.
Also, a video has surfaced, filmed by Roger Gimmerson and Bob Pattlin. Several shoeprints that matched Rand's Reebok shoes were also found in the area that the video was shot. However, an admitted hoaxer named Ray Walter has stepped forward, claiming that he had worn a Jay Rand mask while Gimmerson and Pattlin filmed him.
"I threw the mask away afterwards, but it was me alright. I still have the shoes I used to make the footprints," says Walter, holding up a pair of Nike sneakers.
However, despite NCIAP's attempts at "bunking", as Sage calls it, and the "outright lies" of Ray Walter, the members of SICOPC are confident that Jay Rand will reappear someday, and pronounce everything a hoax.
"We're all certain that Jay Rand is alive and will show up any day now," said Paula Kurt, chairwoman of SICOPC, in an address to the scientific community, "The world needs to look at this unusual occurance objectively and scientifically. Rand will return soon and set everything right."
Kurt continued her speech, going on to dismiss the Christian faith, specifically the idea of Christ's Second Coming.
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Slater
SFN Regular
USA
1668 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2003 : 12:33:03 [Permalink]
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WOW!!!
Not only did famous skeptic and magician Jay Rand make himself disappear but he made all memory of him disappear too. Even Google has never heard of him.
BUT!! He didn't stop there. He made Scientific Investigations Committee On Paranormal Claims disappear with him!! (the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal that owns Skeptical Inquirer magazine is still very visible)
Bravo, bravo. Encore!!! What a wonderful trick. It's almost as if he never existed
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Infamous, do you collect these Urban Myths or do you just have friends who find humor in your gullibility?
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Infamous
Skeptic Friend
85 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2003 : 13:29:06 [Permalink]
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Slater, apparently you didn't get it.
This is not an urban myth that I'm trying to pawn off as the truth. This is an attempt at satirical fiction, written by me. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm not exactly sure what I was satirizing, but I satirized it just the same. All of the characters represent real people, but of course the events never happened, it being fiction and all.
It's not rocket science. |
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Slater
SFN Regular
USA
1668 Posts |
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Infamous
Skeptic Friend
85 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2003 : 13:54:29 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Slater
?
Can you be more specific? Need me to explain it or something? |
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Legallee Insane
Skeptic Friend
Canada
126 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2003 : 17:36:31 [Permalink]
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| Please note how close "Jay Rand"'s name is to "James Randi." I don't suppose that had anything to do with the name you came up with did it Infamous? |
--"Only the fool says in his heart: There is no god -- The wise says it to the world"
--"I darn you to HECK!" - Catbert
--"Don't worry, we're not laughing at you, we're laughing near you." |
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Slater
SFN Regular
USA
1668 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2003 : 17:47:52 [Permalink]
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| I can't be more specific than..(?) because I'm questioning everything. By all means explain away. Why did you write this piece? |
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Infamous
Skeptic Friend
85 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2003 : 11:20:11 [Permalink]
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I really don't know why I wrote this piece...sheer boredom perhaps. I had been sitting at home all day with absolutely nothing to do.
As I said before, all of the characters loosely represent real people:
Jay Rand, magician / James Randi, magician
SICOPC, skeptic organization / CSICOP, skeptic organization
Carlos Sage, astronomer / Carl Sagan, astronomer
Marty Garden, SICOPC member / Martin Gardner, CSICOP member
Don Keyhole, NCIAP chairman / Maj. Donald Keyhoe, NICAP chairman
NCIAP, UFO organization / NICAP, UFO organization
Roger Gimmerson & Bob Pattlin, Jay Rand filmers / Roger Patterson & Bob Gimlin, bigfoot filmers
Ray Walter, Jay Rand hoaxer / Ray Wallace, bigfoot hoaxer
Paula Kurt, chairwoman of SICOPC / Paul Kurtz, chairman of CSICOP
SICOPC's belief that Jay Rand will return is symbolic of believers' belief that certain events will happen or certain things exist. He's sort of SICOPC's Christ.
Jay Rand's Reebok shoeprints and Ray Walter's claim that he made them with Nike shoes is a spoof of the claims that Ray Wallace's "bigfeet" didn't match the plaster casts.
I suppose it's about believers and how silly their beliefs are when considered objectively. |
| Edited by - Infamous on 01/29/2003 11:21:10 |
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walt fristoe
SFN Regular
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2003 : 16:43:23 [Permalink]
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| Jay Rand came to me in a dream last night, and He told me He would return while many in this generation are still alive! I'm eagerly awaiting His second coming. Praise Rand!!! |
"If God chose George Bus of all the people in the world, how good could God be?"
Bill Maher |
| Edited by - walt fristoe on 01/30/2003 14:11:03 |
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