James Randi had heart bypass surgery last week:
James Randi underwent bypass surgery last Thursday. He is currently in stable condition. He is receiving excellent care, but will need quiet time to recover. We will release more information as it becomes available, and we ask everyone to please respect the family’s wishes for privacy at this time.
For those who feel a need to help, please consider donating blood at your local Red Cross or Community Blood Center. Cards may be sent to Randi in care of JREF, 201 SE 12 Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316.
I wish you a speedy recovery Mr. Randi. I won’t be praying for a recovery because as you know, prayer is useless. I’m also sure you’ll be shunning any nonsense such as Therapeutic Touch or Reiki (although I would pay to see one of those altie nitwits try any of that quackery on you if you’re conscious and alert). I know you won’t be trying any psychic surgery either, since you made it your mission in recent years to expose those quacks. No, I’m sure you’re availing yourself of the best modern medicine can offer. Get well soon, the rational world misses you.
One more time:
Despite his objections, I will be continuing to use my psychic powers to heal him. It'll be easy, though, since I'll be getting a LOT of help from some doctors and nurses with sexy, wrinkly brains. Kind of like how Uri Geller's powers get a LOT of help from the muscles in his hands.
Posted by: BronzeDog | February 08, 2006 at 06:02 AM
Just a side comment...
Skeptico, I see that you don't pray as it's "useless," yet you open by wishing...
Yes, I know it's a figure of speech – and what does it figure for? Could your wish also be rendered as “It is my personal desire that in the future the follow situation comes to be…”? Clearly, wish is more compact, but is there another purpose behind the communication?
Whether by way of “wish” or the longer (silly) suggestion above, I sense (telepsychically?) that what you are really trying to do is influence that future – exactly as prayerful people do. Thus, I judge you as Magical Mumbo Jumboist and sentence you to your own defamation, to be carried out whenever you get around to it.
</flippancy>
PS: I, too, will be wishing for James’ full and speedy recovery. He seems a good egg and I’m sure the world would be reduced by his passing.
PPS: There is a (mildly) interesting issue here about how changing language (e.g. from “prayer” to “wishing”) serves to hide how we relate to the world, rather than transform that relationship. Any takers?
Posted by: Stevel | February 08, 2006 at 09:51 AM
My “wish” is just an expression of what my preferred outcome would be. Of course, I don’t claim that this outcome is now more likely just because I “wished” it, unlike the claims for prayers.
Posted by: Skeptico | February 08, 2006 at 10:03 AM
I remember an article that made it into one of the local papers a while back, talking about the nature of curmudgeons. The reason they criticize, speak harshly, and so forth is that deep down, they care.
Well, since I read Randi's weekly commentary, I know you don't have to dig deep to know that he cares. They should see about measuring the size and/or gold content of his heart while they're tinkering with it... Or maybe I'm thinking about a group of nerve cells inaccurately described as "the heart". Oh well.
Posted by: BronzeDog | February 08, 2006 at 11:56 AM
Here's hoping the Great Randi recovers swiftly. Those shoes are too big to fill. *clink*
Posted by: ChristieJ | February 08, 2006 at 01:16 PM
Yes, get well soon, JR. The world needs you!
ps - did you see the blurb by the Sylvia Browne Clock on JREF? She screwed up big time! I wrote a post on it here.
Posted by: Mike Nilsen | February 09, 2006 at 12:06 PM
That would be the best practical joke: sending in someone to act like they are giving him therapeutic touch! I think he'd love that!
At least the laughter would be beneficial.
Posted by: beajerry | February 16, 2006 at 10:10 AM
At least the laughter would be beneficial.
If not for his heart, at least for his state of mind.
He probably gets lots of laughs, anyway: My brother has a hypothesis that all humor (except maybe slapstick) is based on logical fallacies. And we all know that those of us in the skepticism business can't go a day without bumping into a whopper.
Posted by: BronzeDog | February 16, 2006 at 10:16 AM