Quote:
James Randi writes ....
Looking into a silly dog claim is among my lowest-priority projects. When I’m prepared to give you some time, I’ll let you know. There are some 40+ persons ahead of you.
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If Randi is going to deceive, one would think a magician could make a less obvious job than this? The idea Randi is so busy with 40+ persons about to be tested is contradicted by his later e-mail when he writes he has nothing to do with the JREF trials and he doesn't conduct the trials....
Quote:
| '....I have nothing to do with the challenge; it’s handled by other persons, and neither of them recognize your name. ... |
Who are those 40+ persons taking up his time? If these 40 are others under test outside the JREF challenge, Randi is still contradicting himself by saying
'... No application, no interest. Goodbye...' 
I seriously question whether Randi has tested 40 persons in his life, at least properly ... yes if he counts cheque waggling in his early days, counts non-scientific short stunts and counts non-test failed applications he might be in the hundreds or more.
It seems Randi has LOADS of time, according to Kramer in 2005 (then Randi's JREF challenge organizer)
..'There have been two tests since my arrival here one year ago. My understanding is that there has never been more than a couple of tests per year.'
If both Randi and Kramer were telling the truth, Alex's doggies should be due to be tested in 20 years time?
Also on the skeptiko interview
Quote:
Randi says
[i] '..So, it wouldn’t be me doing the test. It would be someone like Chris French or Wiseman, or some other scientist with the proper credentials. Plenty of places could do this sort of thing, and we always, always have it out of house. We don’t do the tests ourselves. We always turn it over to a lab or to an association, organization, college, whatever, who will do the experimentation, the whole run on the thing, and announce the results at the end of it.”
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Randi is trying to make his tests sound independent by saying 'out of house'. Wiseman and French are clearly within the house of organized skepticism. Wiseman is fellow of CSICOP and consultant editor of their magazine ...... Chris French is co-editor of UK skeptic magazine funded by CSICOP. Randi was the co-founder of CSICOP before moving on to JREF.
Last time Randi was in the UK (April 2008) he shared a stage with other TV rent-a-skeptics ........ Richard Wiseman, Chris French, Susan Blackmore and a couple of others. .... ' An Evening With Randi And Friends' ...
Let us have some researchers who haven't invested their reputations and made media careers out of opposing paranormal claims .... anything less is hardly independent.