January 23, 2010

The Importance of the JREF

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James Randi

James Randi discusses his health and cancer treatment pseudoscience. He talks about JREF’s future, including expansion of the Million Dollar Challenge, a renewed focus on the skeptic grassroots, and international expansion of The Amaz!ng Meetings. He also reacts to the arrest of bomb dowsing huckster James McCormick on fraud charges, stressing the real-world implications of the skeptical outlook.

Listener Reactions

  1. Best of luck with your new Podcast! I love listening to Randi—he really is the voice of reason.

    Maria 08:29pm, 01/25/2010 #1

  2. Best of luck with the new podcast, I’m excited for some new DJ Grothe!

    Kevin I. Slaughter 08:33pm, 01/25/2010 #2

  3. This is GREAT!
    Randi is Amaz!ng of course!!!
    This is going into my favorites!

    Ron Hites 08:44pm, 01/25/2010 #3

  4. I’m getting a new Canon 50D, Big day for Apple and now this new podcast? What a great week!

    Doug R. Matheson 08:56pm, 01/25/2010 #4

  5. What great news!!  I’m a long-time listener of POI, so this exciting.  Best to both DJ and Randi!

    Laura 09:25pm, 01/25/2010 #5

  6. I’m very, very glad to see the continuation of the PoI format. Pleased to learn of DJ’s new position and Randi’s continued health.

    CHris Hobart 05:36am, 01/26/2010 #6

  7. O…this is going to be so “Great”

    Paul Dail 09:16am, 01/26/2010 #7

  8. D.J. is such a great interviewer.  I’ll be looking forward to each episode.

    Brian Hoyt 12:28pm, 01/26/2010 #8

  9. I’m sure DJ and Randi together will continue to be amazing.

    Ray Valenti 03:34pm, 01/26/2010 #9

  10. Have always thought DJ on Point of Inquiry podcasts was an excellent interviewer and presenter. Looking forward to hearing him on this one as well.

    OJB 04:34pm, 01/26/2010 #10

  11. Finally smile

    Really looking forward to where this show is going, D.J. is one of my favourite interviewers and JREF as an organization is a true “candle in the dark”.

    Thanks, much respect, and all the best.

    Voight 05:25pm, 01/26/2010 #11

  12. I am happy to hear that James is on the mend.  May he live for many more years to contribute to the JREF and to society.  Good job, DJ…

    Bornagain A. Theist 08:23am, 01/27/2010 #12

  13. Its like some kind of weird, parallel universe version of Point of Enquiry….

    Frozen Summers 06:24am, 01/28/2010 #13

  14. What a great interview!  I really hope this podcast takes off!  I will be listening to every episode!  Keep up the good work DJ!

    Joshua Hunt 11:32pm, 01/28/2010 #14

  15. Dear DJ.,

    Please balance the audio of these programs so that phone interviews are the same volume as the studio mic.

    POI often had terrible audio balance. So much so, that I had to skip it.

    All the best with the new show.

    Mitch Kahle
    Honolulu, Hawaii

    Mitch Kahle 06:23pm, 01/29/2010 #15

  16. Great to hear of the new podcast. Would like to listen to it too, but I seem to be unable to download the mp3 - clicking the “download” link starts the media player plugin, and when I right click on the link, the “Download source” option does not appear. Thus, I cannot download the podcast. A regular text download link would be appreciated.

    Jarno 03:32am, 01/31/2010 #16

  17. Just before listening to the inaugural podcast, I listened to On The Media (http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2010/01/29/04) where the host was interviewing The Washington Post’s Baghdad Bureau Chief Ernesto Londono who said that just before the blasts at the Sheraton, Babylon and Hamra hotels:

    “I was actually interviewing the government spokesman about these controversial hand-held devices that the Iraqis use to try to detect explosives. They’ve come under scrutiny because many people, including the U.S. military, thinks they don’t work.”

    Bingo!  It must be the same “devices” that you and Randi were discussing.  Perhaps you or Randi someone should reach out to Ernesto?

    Lots of luck with this venture!

    Svetlana 10:35pm, 02/02/2010 #17

  18. Randi & DJ—my two favorite skeptics! Wonderful!

    TJ 08:13pm, 02/03/2010 #18

  19. Excited about the new podcast, also glad to see Point of Inquiry will continue.  Thanks, and keep up the great work, DJ and Randi!

    Will 11:01pm, 02/03/2010 #19

  20. I’m on PC, Windows and IE, no problems at all with the DL. Not earlier, not in between, not now. Left click on the DL button and everything works fine.

    “Please balance the audio of these programs so that phone interviews are the same volume as the studio mic.”

    I agree, FGR should be the top of the cream when it comes to Skeptical podcasts. The overall audio quality of the first show is just not good enough.

    Voight 09:24am, 02/04/2010 #20

  21. I am overjoyed to see another quality skeptic website going forward on the internet. I’ve been reading James Randi’s book flim flam and I know this website is going to be a great hit with all the skeptics. Hopefully some easily pursuaded people will learn from this sight. Thank you Mr. Grothe and Mr. Randi for the opportunity to get onboard with forgoodreason

    Sam Salerno 07:37pm, 02/17/2010 #21

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