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James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge, August 7,1928), more often known as The Amazing Randi, is a stage magician, skeptic, and opponent of pseudoscience (including homeopathy). He is perhaps most famous for the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, in which the James Randi Educational Foundation will award a prize of one million US dollars to anyone who is able to show evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event under test conditions agreed to by both parties. His interest in debunking the paranormal started when he was in his early teens. He was present at the show of a magician who asked for someone in the audience to help him with his performance. Randi of course wanted to do that, having started with magic tricks himself. When the young Randi raised his hand, the magician said 'Ah, young man, you're a magician yourself aren't you?', much to Randi's amazement. After the show, Randi approached the man and asked how he knew this. The man told Randi he didn't. It was simply part of his routine and whenever he turned out to be right, he'd credit his 'magical powers' and whenever he was wrong, he'd turn it into a standard quip he had. 
Professional careerRandi has worked as a professional stage magician and escapologist since the 1950s (he appeared as "The Amazing Randi" on a TV show entitled Wonderama in 1955). In the February 2, 1974 issue of "Abracadabra" (a British conjuring magazine) Randi defined the magic community saying, "I know of no calling which depends so much upon mutual trust and faith as does ours." Randi entered the international spotlight in the 1970s as he challenged the public claims of Uri Geller. Randi accused Geller of being nothing more than a charlatan who uses standard "magic" tricks to accomplish his paranormal feats, and he attempted to back up his claims in the book The Magic of Uri Geller. Geller's supporters state the book contained numerous factual errors and misleading statements, such as the claim that Geller had faced criminal prosecution in Israel. The book claims Geller had been "tried in a court of law and convicted" for fraud. In actual fact, the case was a trivial civil dispute. [1] (http://www.zem.demon.co.uk/beer.htm) In an interview with Twilight Zone Magazine, Randi accused Geller of being the ringleader in a criminal blackmail plot aimed at Randi. [2] (http://www.uri-geller.com/eldon.htm) In an interview with a Japanese newspaper, Randi stated that Geller's association with Dr. Wilbur Franklin of Kent State University had caused Franklin to "shoot himself in the head." Randi later claimed that he had been speaking metaphorically, but the newspaper described Franklin as committing suicide in shame. Franklin had actually died of natural causes. Geller responded to Randi's claims by filing a number of lawsuits against him, and various journals that reprinted Randi's claims; some suits were successful, others failed. In the wake of these legal actions, Randi updated the information in the book for accuracy; he currently includes a 10-page errata list with each copy of the book. [3] (http://www.randi.org/jr/072304willful.html#9) Geller's rivalry with Randi has continued for more than three decades. Randi was a founding fellow and prominent member of CSICOP, the Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. The senior fellows of CSICOP, fearing possible legal and financial repercussions for Randi's statements, instructed Randi to refrain from publishing remarks on Geller. Randi was unwilling to so restrain himself and resigned from CSICOP. Randi has gone on to write several books attacking popular beliefs and claims regarding the paranormal. He has also been instrumental in exposing frauds and charlatans who exploit this field for their own personal gain. His Project Alpha demonstrated the shortcomings of many paranormal research projects at the university level. Randi's expose of faith healer Peter Popoff resulted in a sharp decline in Popoff's influence and popularity. In 1996, Randi established the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). This organization supports research into paranormal claims and attempts to test them in controlled experimental conditions, offering the prize of one million US dollars to anyone who can demonstrate a supernatural ability under agreed-upon scientific testing criteria. No one has passed a preliminary test, which is set up and agreed upon between both Randi and the applicant. Randi updates the JREF's website with written commentary on Fridays. In 2001, Randi claimed during a BBC Radio 4 broadcast that physics Nobel Laureate Brian David Josephson, who discovered what is now known as the Josephson effect, was a "scoundrel" for suggesting that subatomic physics may permit the functioning of paranormal phenomena. Josephson has for a long time been alienating himself from the mainstream science societies for his support of what is viewed by some as junk science. The particular debate of the radio program centered on telepathy. Randi contributes a regular column, titled "'Twas Brillig", to The Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine. Asteroid 3163 Randi was named after him. The $1 million challengeIn the conditions and rules governing his one million US dollars challenge, Randi plainly states that both parties (himself and the party accepting the challenge) must agree in advance as to what conditions of the test constitute a "success" and what constitutes a "failure." He also refuses to accept any challengers who might suffer serious injury or death as a result of the test they intend to undergo. Some of Randi's detractors claim that the challenge is insincere, and that Randi will ensure he never has to pay out. In the October 1981 issue of Fate magazine, Dennis Rawlins quoted him as saying "I always have an out" [4] (http://cura.free.fr/xv/14starbb.html). Some critics interpret as meaning he will never let his organization lose such a challenge. Others, noting this magazine article grew out of political infighting among the members of CSICOP, believe this quote is being misapplied, and that it refers to the fact that Randi employs safeguards against cheating. The challenge has been criticised for giving Randi too much control in determining if a claim is successful or not. It has been noted that a potential applicant may well be wary of taking the challenge on the basis that Randi may insist upon conditions that are impossible to meet. There is, however, no evidence of this ever occurring. The discussions between the JREF and applicants are currently posted on a public discussion board for all to see (see the external links section below). Another objection made by critics of the challenge is that the rules prohibit independent judging, making the success or failure of the challenge dependent on whether Randi agrees that the test has been passed (it should be noted however that Rule 8 of the challenge places an independent person in charge of a $10,000 personal cheque from Randi, to be delivered to the claimant immediately on success of the challenge, to be followed within 10 days by the payment of the full prize). This is often countered by Randi and others by pointing that tests are designed so that no judging is needed. Such critics claim that Randi's degree of control over the challenge's outcome may be a sufficient to prevent a serious applicant from undertaking it. Supporters point to the lack of evidence of this happening. Objections to the nature of the test and its rules include:
Randi's caustic styleParapsychologists generally try to downplay the Randi challenge because of these attacks on Randi's character, and also because of his harsh, uncompromising style of writing and presentation, which has won him enemies among those who claim to be paranormal experts. Randi's supporters note that there are other skeptical organizations that have their own similar standing offers to prove the existence of paranormal abilities, and anyone claiming to be an expert in their field of the paranormal can apply for any of these other prizes, avoiding Randi altogether. In his weekly commentary, Randi often gives examples of the sort of nonsense he has to deal with every day. The sheer quantity explains why Randi often has little patience. People who find Randi abrasive or even aggressive should read The Faith Healers. The picture of Randi that emerges from that book is of an anger and relentlessness arising out of compassion for the helpless victims of frauds. Also, in his weekly commentary, Randi often expresses dismay that he has to frequently expose various frauds due to no one else doing it. Recently, for instance, Randi has accused Sylvia Browne — a well-known claimed psychic medium and author of numerous books on spirituality, who has performed thousands of one-on-one readings and assignments with a wide variety of groups and individuals — of avoiding to take the $1,000,000 challenge despite agreeing on Larry King Live in September 2001 to do so. Randi keeps a clock on his website (http://www.randi.org/sylvia/) recording the number of days that have passed since Sylvia accepted the challenge without following through. A quote from a recent exchange between JREF and a correspondent who provided extra information about himself: Dear Jim, We're only interested in your claim. We don't care what you do for a living, what your hobbies are, what you dream about, or what you do in the privacy of your own home. Please stick to your claim, as previously requested. See alsoBibliography
External links
On the Randi Challenge
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