(236) Sun 25 Jan 98 21:24 By: Christopher Baker To: All Re: Randigram - Superbowl and Cuba St: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ @EID:0364 2439ab00 Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 17:26:04 -0500 (EST) Mailing-List: contact jrefinfo-help@ssr.com; run by ezmlm Delivered-To: mailing list jrefinfo@ssr.com From: James Randi --- Wizard To: broadcast-JREFInfo@ssr.com Subject: Big trouble! Sunday, January 25th, 1998. 12:15 p.m. The Superbowl prophet who confidently forecast a score of "Greenbay 27, Denver 17," for today's game (still 6 hours away) also declared (these are his own words, just as they arrived yesterday): I PREDICT THAT BETWEEN SUPERBOWL SUNDAY AND CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE TIGER THE EQUADOR WILL MOVE FROM SO. AMERICA TO MEXICO DUE TO A BI-POLAR MOVEMENT IN THE EARTH CRUST BECAUSE OF EARTHQUAKES IN CHINA AND ALSO SOME TO COME YET. HAD VISION OF LAST ONE 3 DAYS BEFORE AND IN 1976 OF THE BIG EARTH QUAKE IN GUADUMALE. THE SHIFT WILL BE SHIFT AND CHANGE OUR WORLD FOREVER GOOD AND IN GODS HAND. I'M VERY PSYCHIC AND KNOW MANY THINGS. Well, spelling isn't one of those things, I guess. Too bad he didn't tell us of the big "Guadumale" earthquake, in advance. That's the way predictions work, you see. Prediction first, then event. Shouldn't be too tough to get the sequence right. I predict that (a) this Superbowl prediction will miss, (b) the "equador" (I hope he means "equator," and not the country of Ecuador!) will stay put, and (c) he will offer rationalizations for item "a." Possible "outs": some of the digits were the same, so it was close. The difference between the two numbers (27 and 17) was close. Well, "Greenbay" did win (if they did). And so on. The nut also sent me a fax saying that the temperature at the game would be between 70 and 80. Wow! How did he know? A brilliant forecast -- and just what the weather folks are calling for. On another matter: Cuba's most prominent visitor, in a speech he gave this morning, declared that religion is needed for a practical purpose, as well as a spiritual one. "An irreligious society will die, because nothing in it encourages virtue." What an insensitive, insulting, demeaning, outrageous statement for a supposedly responsible leader to make! It says, in essence, that unless we fear damnation, hell, eternal torment, and all that medieval crap, we have no reason to act in a virtuous fashion! No one who denies religion can be moral, kind, thoughtful, honest, generous, or "good," because there's no threat of eventual punishment if those virtues are not practiced! What incredible gall, to make such a declaration! I'm offended and angry at this man for this insult. I admit that I rather do enjoy the spectacle of Fidel and the Anachronism fencing with one another. I've never seen Fidel so silent for so long! The two share a common quality: they both talk for a long time, say nothing new, and then do it again at the very next opportunity. But that's politics. James Randi **************************************** Subscribe to SWIFT! **************************************** SWIFT our quarterly (hardcopy) newsletter, is $10/annum Checks payable to JREF (address below). Tax deductible in the USA. Overseas, add $6 for airmail. **************************************** SUBSCRIBING/UNSUBSCRIBING: **************************************** Send an emtpy mail message to JREFInfo-help@ssr.com for details. **************************************** CONTACTING RANDI **************************************** James Randi Educational Foundation phone: +1 954 467 1112 201 SE Davie Boulevard fax: +1 954 467 1660 Fort Lauderdale FL 33316-1815 http://www.randi.org U.S.A. General questions: randi@randi.org Mail directly to Randi: JamesRandi@COMPUSERVE.COM **************************************** BACK ISSUES OF THE HOTLINE: **************************************** ftp.ssr.com is the home of the hotline, but we are very over loaded, so please try the other sites first. European users please try: Thanks to Anson Kennedy and Massimo Macucci for providing the ftp sites at netcom and unipi.it. -30- --- DB B2300sl/001027 * Origin: Rights On! - Make me believe it! - Edgewater_FL_USA (1:18/14) SEEN-BY: 12/12 218/890 1001 270/101 396/1 3615/50 51 3804/180 @PATH: 18/14 374/98 46 12/12 396/1 3615/50 218/1001