Comments for Polterheist at http://www.randi.org/site , comment 1 to 15 out of 15 comments http://www.randi.org/site Sat, 18 May 2013 10:23:43 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1180 Those ghost hunting shows would be a lot different if someone would just turn on the lights. - dr pepper Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:12:46 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1080 The guy was a burglar, a crook. Thieves are typically drug/alcohol-addicted, hence the need to steal. They also lie, because telling the truth lands you in jail. Based on the little info given, I'd guess he was either hallucinating due to alcohol and/or drug withdrawal, or simply lying. - Cuddy Joe Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:25:29 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1071 Assuming that in fact there was no "supernatural figure" pushing the burglar to the ground, and barring the family not having employed an Orang-utan as a security guard for their store, it's fair to say that the burglar was hallucinating. I realize that the reference to betel was meant jokingly, however, it should be said that it is not a strong stimulant, is used socially throughout southern Asia, and there are studies that suggest it reduces the incidence of hallucinations in people suffering from schizophrenia and Alzheimer's. - markbellis Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:37:42 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1069 Just to clarify, I never said Betel Nut was a hallucinogen. It is however a CNS stimulant and the effects of a CNS stimulant can vary greatly depending on size/frequency of dose(s) as well as the users pre-existing mental condition(s). Amphetamines are a CNS stimulant not a hallucinogen yet can cause hallucinations....go figure. - cwniles Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:24:42 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1066 Evidence is coming.... in 10 ^ 70 years. The DrMatt Scholarship Fund is selling stock in it. The stock is primed to explode. ;D ;D ;D - DrMatt Fri, 19 Dec 2008 05:32:25 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1046 Jason7463, in fact I did go on a ghost hunting expedition when we filmed the pilot for "The Skeptologists". It was interesting. As with most ghost hunters I've seen, they didn't really understand what their equipment could and couldn't do. There was also some psychological priming before we went in ("Some people feel nausea, or chills..."). That was only one ghost hunting troop, but I bet a lot of them use those principles. - philplait@randi.org Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:17:57 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1036 The TAPS minions would say they have "tons" of credible paranormal evidence. It's high (though unintended)comedy on that website. - Resume Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:51:23 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1034 You can get dehydrated very quickly in Malaysia! There is quite a bit of folklore beliefs in Malaysia about evil spirits and things like the Penanggalan [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penanggalan[/url], a sort of flying head that has entrails hanging down from - makes for very lurid movie posters! If the guy had heat stroke and couldn't stand up he might have attributed it to a spirit. Betel is consumed in Malaysia, but it isn't a hallucinogen - you can try some yourself if you have an Indian grocery store near you - just ask for "Paan" (say it with a long a). - markbellis Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:02:18 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1027 First - The "ghost" story.... Gee willikers, someone shows signs of serious mental disorder. Yup, schizophrenics hear voices, see apparitions and have sometimes get overpowering paranoia. No new story there. Second - Klinghoffer's bit in the LA Times is just the usual crap for the ignorant. No new story here either. Third - Klinghoffer is a member of the Discovery Institute. It really puzzles me as to why an Orthodox Jew would, as advocated by the DI, want an unelected Christian Theocracy to rule the USA. I guess he doesn't think anything bad might happen similar to what happened to Jews under the rule of unelected Christian Theocracies in the past. Same old story here. :'( Willy K - Willy K Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:50:38 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1020 Malaysia huh? perhaps this guy had too much Betel Nut? (ok, so Betel Nut is from Micronesia not Malaysia) That David Klinghoffer Op-Ed piece reminds me of why I never read the Op-Ed's. By the way, he also authored "The Lord Will Gather Me In: My Journey to Jewish Orthodoxy" and "Why the Jews Rejected Jesus: The Turning Point in Western History." - cwniles Thu, 18 Dec 2008 05:51:32 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1015 No, my plumbing is fine, it's definitely a ghost. - BillyJoe Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:32:56 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1013 To BillyJoe, while it's not very easy to do, you can fight back a ghost: all you have to do is find one of its descendants, trick him to commit a really violent murder in your house and voila, your ghost will be too busy fleeing the wrath of its new nemesis. The downside is that the fights will probably be too noisy for anyone to sleep in the house, so simply burn the place down and use the insurance money to move somewhere else. :) ...or you could have your old plumbing fixed. - advancedGIR Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:18:28 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1011 I would start going to work if the ghost in my house would stop stopping me. I would fight back, but how do I fight back something I cannot see? - BillyJoe Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:32:00 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1008 There isn't much info to go on here. If the man really was on the floor of the house for a few days, then there's a likelihood he have suffered a stroke or seizure that was accompanied by delirium which led to his uninformed description. But I guess if they added this info, it would not have been a news item around the world, since the point of the story seems to be to laugh at the man? Hard to tell. - Diverted Chrome Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:03:05 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/344-polterheist.html#comment-1004 Why dont you do a debunking on ghosts,maybe join a ghosthunter party and find out if theres any truth to these claims.I would trust a member of randis team. - Jason7463 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:35:24 +0100