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Croydon - Whitgift Hospital Prior to 1928. And The Amazing Randi. by pepandtim

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The Postcard

A postcard bearing no publisher's name that was posted in Croydon, Surrey using a 1d. stamp on Tuesday the 7th. August 1928 to:

Mr. & Mrs. Osborne,

c/o 'Burleigh',

Queen Street,

Dawlish,

S. Devon.

The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:

"This is just to let you

know that C. & I are

here quite safely.

Hope you had a good

journey.

My word it did rain when

we left home on Saturday,

but Sunday and today

have been just lovely.

I did not hear any news!

Don't forget to have a

real good time.

Syd.

c/o 28, Pitlake,

W. Croydon,

Surrey."

The Whitgift Foundation

The Whitgift Foundation is a charity based in Croydon, South London. The purpose of the charity is to provide education for the young, and care for the elderly.

The main activities of the charity are the operation of three independent schools, providing sheltered accommodation and nursing care through three care homes, and running the Carer's Information Service.

In addition, the charity provides bursaries and scholarships in excess of £5million a year.

The foundation is governed by a Court of Governors, including the Bishop of Croydon, the Vicar of Croydon, and nominees of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Croydon Council.

History of the Whitgift Foundation

Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift's liking for Croydon, and his fondness for the elderly and indigent, prompted him to ask Queen Elizabeth I for permission to build a Hospital for elderly people and a school.

Permission was granted, and the Whitgift Foundation was established in 1596 by John Whitgift. His aims were to provide care for the elderly and education for the young.

Originally three separate buildings were built, The Hospital of Holy Trinity (shown in the photograph), The School House and Schoolmaster’s House. The latter two were demolished in 1897, leaving the Almshouses as the only remaining original building.

The accommodation in The Almshouses included two rooms for the Archbishop himself. From 1599, when the first residents moved in, until his death in 1604, John Whitgift was a frequent visitor. He would dine with his ‘brothers and sisters’ in the Common Hall, and he came to look upon them as members of his own family.

The Whitgift Centre, a large shopping mall, now stands where the later Victorian school and surrounding buildings and sports fields were. These buildings were occupied firstly by Whitgift School prior to its move to Haling Park in south Croydon in 1931. Haling Park was originally the home of Lord Howard of Effingham.

The school buildings in North End, Croydon were then occupied by the Trinity School of John Whitgift, prior to its move to Shirley Park which was formerly the country seat of Lord Eldon.

Whitgift Schools

The Whitgift Foundation runs three independent day schools:

-- Whitgift School, for boys aged 10–19 years

-- Trinity School of John Whitgift, for boys aged 10–19 years, with a co-educational sixth form

-- Old Palace of John Whitgift School incorporating Old Palace Nursery, a co-educational Day Nursery for both boys and girls up to 4 years, and Old Palace of John Whitgift School for girls aged 4 to 19 years.

Grimsby

The John Whitgift Academy in Grimsby in Lincolnshire is named after John Whitgift, who was born in the town, but is not part of the Whitgift Foundation.

Italy's Emigration Laws

So what else happened on the day that Syd posted the card?

Well, on the 7th. August 1928, Italy tightened its emigration laws, making it harder for Italians to reunite with relatives living abroad.

Wives and sons could still join emigrated husbands and fathers, but only if they were dependent on them. Sisters had to be unmarried in order to join their brothers.

James Randi

Also on that day, James Randi was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge) was a Canadian-American stage magician, author and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.

He was the co-founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), and founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF).

Randi began his career as a magician under the stage name The Amazing Randi, and later chose to devote most of his time to investigating paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims, which he collectively called "woo-woo".

Randi retired from practising magic at the age of 60, and from his foundation at the age of 87.

Although often referred to as a "debunker", Randi said he disliked the term's connotations, and preferred to describe himself as an "investigator".

He wrote about paranormal phenomena, skepticism, and the history of magic. He was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, famously exposing fraudulent faith healer Peter Popoff, and was occasionally featured on the television program Penn & Teller: Bullshit!

Before Randi's retirement, JREF sponsored the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, which offered a prize of one million US dollars to eligible applicants who could demonstrate evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event under test conditions agreed to by both parties.

In 2015, the James Randi Educational Foundation said they will no longer accept applications directly from people claiming to have a paranormal power, but will offer the challenge to anyone who has passed a preliminary test that meets with their approval.

James Randi - The Early Years

Randi was the son of Marie Alice (née Paradis; 1906-1987) and George Randall Zwinge (1903-1967), an executive at Bell Telephone Company. James was of French, Danish and Austrian descent. He had a younger brother and sister.

James took up magic after reading conjuring books while spending 13 months in a body cast following a bicycle accident. He confounded doctors, who predicted that he would never walk again.

Randi scored 168 on an IQ test. However he often skipped classes, and at 17, dropped out of high school to perform as a conjurer in a carnival roadshow. He practised as a mentalist in local nightclubs and at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition, as well as writing for Montreal's tabloid press.

As a teenager, James stumbled upon a church where the pastor claimed to read minds. After he re-enacted the trick before the parishioners, the pastor's wife called the police and he spent four hours in a jail cell. This event inspired his career as a scientific skeptic.

In his 20's, Randi posed as an astrologer, and to establish that astrologers were merely doing simple tricks, he briefly wrote an astrological column in the Canadian tabloid Midnight under the name "Zo-ran." James simply shuffled up items from newspaper astrology columns and pasted them randomly into his column.

In his 30's, Randi worked in the UK, Europe, Philippines and Japan. He witnessed many tricks that were presented as being supernatural. One of his earliest reported experiences was that of seeing an evangelist using a version of the "one-ahead" technique to convince churchgoers of his divine powers.

James Randi's Career

Although defining himself as a conjuror, Randi began a career as a professional stage magician and escapologist in 1946. He initially presented himself under his real name, Randall Zwinge, which he later dropped in favor of "The Amazing Randi".

Early in his career, he performed numerous escape acts from jail cells and safes around the world. On the 7th. February 1956, he appeared live on NBC's Today show, where he remained for 104 minutes in a sealed metal coffin that had been submerged in a hotel swimming pool, breaking what was said to be Harry Houdini's record of 93 minutes, though Randi called attention to the fact that he was much younger than Houdini had been when he established the original record in 1926.

James Randi was a frequent guest on the Long John Nebel program on New York City radio station WOR, and did character voices for commercials. After Nebel left WOR in 1962, Randi was given his time slot, where he hosted The Amazing Randi Show from 1967 to 1968.

James's show often had guests who defended paranormal claims, among them Randi's then-friend James W. Moseley. Randi stated that he quit WOR over complaints from the archbishop of New York that Randi had said on-air that "Jesus Christ was a religious nut," a claim that Randi disputed.

Randi also hosted numerous television specials, and went on several world tours. As "The Amazing Randi" he appeared regularly on the New York-based children's television series Wonderama from 1959 to 1967.

In 1970, he auditioned for a revival of the 1950s children's show The Magic Clown, which showed briefly in Detroit and in Kenya, but was never picked up.

In the 2nd. February 1974 issue of the British conjuring magazine Abracadabra, Randi, in defining the community of magicians, stated:

"I know of no calling which depends

so much upon mutual trust and faith

as does ours."

The December 2003 issue of The Linking Ring, the monthly publication of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, stated:

"Perhaps Randi's ethics are what make

him Amazing. The Amazing Randi not

only talks the talk, he walks the walk."

During Alice Cooper's 1973–1974 Billion Dollar Babies tour, Randi performed on stage both as a mad dentist and as Cooper's executioner. He also built several of the stage props, including the guillotine.

In a 1976 performance for the Canadian TV Special World of Wizards, Randi escaped from a straitjacket while suspended upside-down over Niagara Falls.

Randi has been accused of actually using "psychic powers" to perform acts such as spoon bending. At a meeting where Randi was duplicating the performances of Uri Geller, a professor from the University at Buffalo shouted out that Randi was a fraud. Randi replied:

"Yes, indeed, I'm a trickster, I'm a

cheat, I'm a charlatan, that's what

I do for a living. Everything I've

done here was by trickery."

The professor shouted back:

"That's not what I mean. You're a

fraud because you're pretending

to do these things through trickery,

but you're actually using psychic

powers and misleading us by not

admitting it."

A similar event involved Senator Claiborne Pell, a confirmed believer in psychic phenomena. When Randi personally demonstrated to Pell that he could reveal—by simple trickery—a concealed drawing that had been secretly made by the senator, Pell refused to believe that it was a trick, saying:

"I think Randi may be a psychic

and doesn't realize it."

Randi consistently denied having any paranormal powers or abilities.

James Randi the Author

Randi wrote 10 books, among them Conjuring (1992), a biographical history of prominent magicians. The book is subtitled Being a Definitive History of the Venerable Arts of Sorcery, Prestidigitation, Wizardry, Deception, & Chicanery and of the Mountebanks & Scoundrels Who have Perpetrated these Subterfuges on a Bewildered Public, in short, MAGIC!

The book's cover indicates it is by:

"James Randi, Esq., A Contrite Rascal

Once Dedicated to these Wicked

Practices but Now Almost Totally

Reformed".

The book features the most influential magicians and tells some of their history, often in the context of strange deaths and careers on the road. This work expanded on Randi's book, Houdini, His Life and Art. This illustrated work was published in 1976 and was co-authored with Bert Sugar.

Randi's book, The Magic World of the Amazing Randi (1989), was intended as a children's introduction to magic tricks.

In addition to his magic books, he wrote several educational works about paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. These include biographies of Uri Geller and Nostradamus, as well as reference material on other major paranormal figures.

In 2011, he was working on A Magician in the Laboratory, which recounted his application of skepticism to science.

James was a member of the all-male literary banqueting club the Trap Door Spiders, which served as the basis of his friend Isaac Asimov's fictional group of mystery solvers, the Black Widowers.

Other books by Randi include Flim-Flam! (1982), The Faith Healers (1987), James Randi, Psychic Investigator (1991), Test Your ESP Potential (1982) and An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural (1995).

James Randi the Skeptic

Randi was a regular contributor to Skeptic magazine, writing the "'Twas Brillig ..." column, and he also served on its editorial board. He was a frequent contributor to Skeptical Inquirer magazine, published by Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, of which he was also a fellow.

Randi gained the international spotlight in 1972 when he publicly challenged the claims of Uri Geller. He accused Geller of being nothing more than a charlatan and a fraud who used standard magic tricks to accomplish his allegedly paranormal feats, and he presented his claims in the book The Truth About Uri Geller (1982).

Believing that it was important to get columnists and TV personalities to challenge Geller and others like him, Randi reached out in an attempt to educate them. During this effort, Randi made contact with Johnny Carson, and discovered that:

"He was very much on our side.

He wasn't only a comedian ...

he was a great thinker."

According to Randi, when he was on The Tonight Show, Carson broke his usual protocol of not talking with guests before their entrance on stage, but instead would ask what Randi wanted to be emphasized in the interview:

"He wanted to be aware

of how he could help me."

In 1973, Geller appeared on The Tonight Show, and this appearance is recounted in the Nova documentary "Secrets of the Psychics":

"In the documentary, Randi says that Carson "had

been a magician himself and was skeptical" of

Geller's claimed paranormal powers, so before the

date of recording, Randi was asked "to help prevent

any trickery".

Per Randi's advice, the show prepared its own props

without informing Geller, and did not let Geller or his

staff "anywhere near them".

When Geller joined Carson on stage, he appeared

surprised that he was not going to be interviewed,

but instead was expected to display his abilities

using the provided articles.

Geller said "This scares me. I'm surprised because

before this program your producer came and he

read me at least 40 questions you were going to

ask me."

Geller was unable to display any paranormal abilities,

saying "I don't feel strong" and expressing his

displeasure at feeling like he was being "pressed" to

perform by Carson."

According to Adam Higginbotham's 7th. November 2014 article in The New York Times:

"The result was a legendary immolation, in which

Geller offered up flustered excuses to his host as

his abilities failed him again and again. Geller told

me when I spoke to him in September:

"I sat there for 22 minutes, humiliated. I went back

to my hotel, devastated. I was about to pack up the

next day and go back to Tel Aviv.

I thought, That's it—I'm destroyed."

However, this appearance on The Tonight Show, which Carson and Randi had orchestrated to debunk Geller's claimed abilities, backfired. According to Higginbotham:

"To Geller's astonishment, he was immediately

booked on The Merv Griffin Show. He was on

his way to becoming a paranormal superstar.

"That Johnny Carson show made Uri Geller,"

Geller said.

To an enthusiastically trusting public, his failure

only made his gifts seem more real: if he were

performing magic tricks, they would surely work

every time."

According to Higginbotham, this result caused Randi to realize that much more must be done to stop Geller and those like him. So in 1976, Randi approached Ray Hyman, a psychologist who had observed the tests of Geller's ability at Stanford and thought them slipshod, and suggested they create an organization dedicated to combating pseudoscience.

Later that same year, together with Martin Gardner, a Scientific American columnist whose writing had helped hone Hyman's and Randi's skepticism, they formed the Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP).

Using donations and sales of their magazine, Skeptical Inquirer, they and secular humanist philosopher Paul Kurtz took seats on the executive board, with Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan joining as founding members. Randi travelled the world on behalf of CSICOP, becoming its public face, and according to Hyman, the face of the skeptical movement.

Geller sued Randi and CSICOP for $15 million in 1991 and lost. Geller's suit against CSICOP was thrown out in 1995, and he was ordered to pay $120,000 for filing a frivolous lawsuit. The legal costs Randi incurred used almost all of a $272,000 MacArthur Foundation grant awarded to Randi in 1986 for his work.

Randi also dismissed Geller's claims that he was capable of the kind of psychic photography associated with the case of Ted Serios. It is a matter, Randi argued, of trick photography using a simple hand-held optical device.

During the period of Geller's legal dispute, CSICOP's leadership, wanting to avoid becoming a target of Geller's litigation, demanded that Randi refrain from commenting on Geller.

Randi refused and resigned, though he maintained a respectful relationship with the group, which in 2006 changed its name to the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI). In 2010, Randi was one of 16 new CSI fellows elected by its board.

Randi went on to write many articles criticizing beliefs and claims regarding the paranormal. He also demonstrated flaws in studies suggesting the existence of paranormal phenomena; in his Project Alpha hoax, Randi successfully planted two fake psychics in a privately funded psychic research experiment.

Randi appeared on numerous TV shows, sometimes to directly debunk the claimed abilities of fellow guests. In a 1981 appearance on That's My Line, Randi appeared opposite claimed psychic James Hydrick, who said that he could move objects with his mind, and appeared to demonstrate this claim on live television by turning a page in a telephone book without touching it.

Randi, having determined that Hydrick was surreptitiously blowing on the book, arranged foam packaging peanuts on the table in front of the telephone book for the demonstration. This prevented Hydrick from demonstrating his abilities, which would have been exposed when the blowing moved the packaging. Randi writes that, eventually, Hydrick "confessed everything".

Randi first exposed Peter Popoff on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in February 1986. Carson invited Randi onto his show without seeing the evidence he was going to reveal.

Carson appeared stunned after Randi showed a brief video segment from one of Popoff's broadcasts showing him calling out a woman in the audience; he then revealed personal information about her that he claimed came from God, and then performed a laying-on-of-hands healing to drive the devil from her body.

Randi then replayed the video, but with some of the sound dubbed in that he and his investigating team captured during the event using a radio scanner and recorder. Their scanner had detected the radio frequency Popoff's wife Elizabeth was using backstage to broadcast directions and information to a miniature radio receiver hidden in Popoff's left ear.

That information had been gathered by Popoff's assistants, who had handed out "prayer cards" to the audience before the show, instructing them to write down all the information Popoff would need to pray for them.

The news coverage generated by Randi's exposé on The Tonight Show led to many TV stations dropping Popoff's show, eventually forcing him into bankruptcy in September 1987. However, the televangelist returned soon after with faith-healing infomercials that reportedly attracted more than $23 million in 2005 from viewers sending in money for promised healing and prosperity.

In February 1988, Randi tested the gullibility of the media by perpetrating a hoax of his own. By teaming up with Australia's 60 Minutes program and by releasing a fake press package, he built up publicity for a "Spirit Channeler" named Carlos, who was actually artist José Alvarez, Randi's partner.

While performing as Carlos, Alvarez was prompted by Randi using sophisticated radio equipment. According to the 60 Minutes program on the Carlos hoax:

"It was claimed that Alvarez would not have had

the audience he did at the Opera House (and the

resulting potential sales therefrom) had the media

coverage been more aggressive (and factual)".

Though an analysis by The Skeptic's Tim Mendham concluded that, while the media coverage of Alvarez's appearances was not credulous, the hoax at least showed that they could benefit by being a touch more sceptical.

The hoax was exposed on 60 Minutes Australia; "Carlos" and Randi explained how they had pulled it off.

In his book The Faith Healers, Randi wrote that his anger and relentlessness arose from compassion for the victims of fraud. Randi was also critical of João de Deus, a.k.a. "John of God", a self-proclaimed psychic surgeon who had received international attention. Randi observed, referring to psychic surgery:

"To any experienced conjurer, the

methods by which these seeming

miracles are produced are very

obvious."

In 1982, Randi verified the abilities of Arthur Lintgen, a Philadelphia doctor, who was able to identify the classical music recorded on a vinyl LP solely by examining the grooves on the record.

However, Lintgen did not claim to have any paranormal ability, merely knowledge of the way that the groove forms patterns on particular recordings.

In 1988, John Maddox, editor of the prominent science journal Nature, asked Randi to join the supervision and observation of the homeopathy experiments conducted by Jacques Benveniste's team. Once Randi's stricter protocol for the experiment was in place, the positive results could not be reproduced.

Randi stated that Daniel Dunglas Home, who could allegedly play an accordion that was locked in a cage without touching it, was caught cheating on a few occasions, but the incidents were never made public.

He also stated that the actual instrument in use was a one-octave mouth organ concealed under Home's large mustache and that other one-octave mouth organs were found in Home's belongings after his death.

The fraudulent medium Henry Slade also played an accordion while held with one hand under a table. Slade and Home played the same pieces, and they had at one time lived near each other in the U.S. The magician Chung Ling Soo exposed how Slade had performed the trick.

Randi distinguished between pseudoscience and "crackpot science". He regarded most of parapsychology as pseudoscience because of the way in which it is approached and conducted, but nonetheless saw it as a legitimate subject that "should be pursued", and from which real scientific discoveries may develop. Randi regarded crackpot science as "equally wrong" as pseudoscience, but with no scientific pretensions.

Despite multiple debunkings, Randi did not like to be called a "debunker", preferring to call himself a "skeptic" or an "investigator":

"If you into a situation calling yourself a

debunker, then it is as if you have prejudged

the topic. It's not neutral or scientific, and it

can turn people against you."

Skeptics and magicians Penn & Teller credit Randi and his career as a skeptic for their own careers. During an interview, Penn stated that Flim-Flam! was an early influence on him, and said:

"If not for Randi there would not be

Penn & Teller as we are today.

Outside of my family, no one is more

important in my life. Randi is everything

to me."

At The Amaz!ng Meeting in 2011, the Independent Investigations Group (IIG) organized a tribute to Randi. The group gathered, put on fake white beards, and posed for a large group photo with Randi. At the CSICon in 2017, in the absence of Randi, the IIG organized another group photo with leftover beards from the 2011 photo. After Randi was sent the photo, he replied:

"I'm always very touched by any such expression.

This is certainly no exception. You have my sincere

gratitude. I suspect, however that a couple of those

beards were fake. But I'm in a forgiving mood at the

moment. I'm frankly very touched. I'll see you at the

next CSICon. Thank you all."

In a 2019 Skeptical Inquirer magazine article, Harriet Hall, a friend of Randi, compares him to the fictional Albus Dumbledore. Hall describes their long white beards, flamboyant clothing, associated with a bird (Dumbledore with a phoenix and Randi with Pegasus). They both are caring and have "immense brainpower" and both "can perform impressive feats of magic". She states that Randi is one of "major inspirations for the skeptical work I do ... He's way better than Dumbledore!"

Exploring Psychic Powers ... Live was a two-hour television special aired live on the 7th. June 1989, wherein Randi examined several people claiming psychic powers.

Hosted by actor Bill Bixby, the program offered $100,000 (Randi's $10,000 prize plus $90,000 put up by the show's syndicator, LBS Communications, Inc.) to anyone who could demonstrate genuine psychic powers.

An astrologer, Joseph Meriwether, claimed that he was able to ascertain a person's astrological sign after talking with them for a few minutes. He was presented with twelve people, one at a time, each with a different astrological sign. They could not tell Meriwether their astrological sign or birth date, nor could they wear anything that would indicate it.

After Meriwether talked to them, he had them go and sit in front of the astrological sign that he thought was theirs. By agreement, Meriwether needed to get ten of the 12 correct, to win. He got none correct.

The next psychic, Barbara Martin, claimed to be able to read auras around people, claiming that auras were visible at least five inches above each person. She selected ten people from a group of volunteers whom she said had clearly visible auras.

On stage were erected ten screens, numbered 1 through 10, just tall enough to hide the volunteer while not hiding their aura. Unseen by Martin, some of the volunteers positioned themselves behind different screens, then she was invited to predict which screens hid volunteers by seeing their aura above. She stated that she saw an aura over all ten screens, but people were behind only four of the screens.

A dowser, Forrest Bayes, claimed that he could detect water in a bottle inside a sealed cardboard box. He was shown twenty boxes and asked to indicate which boxes contained a water bottle.

He selected eight of the boxes, which he said contained water, but it turned out that only five of the twenty contained water. Of the eight selected boxes, only one was revealed to contain water, and one contained sand.

A psychometric psychic, Sharon McLaren-Straz, claimed to be able to receive personal information about the owner of an object by handling the object itself. In order to avoid ambiguous statements, the psychic agreed to be presented with both a watch and a key from each of twelve different people. She was to match keys and watches to their owners.

According to prior agreement, she had to match at least nine out of the twelve sets, but she succeeded in only two.

Professional crystal healer Valerie Swan attempted to use ESP to identify 250 Zener cards, guessing which of the five symbols was on each one. Random guessing should have resulted in about fifty correct guesses, so it was agreed in advance that Swan had to be right on at least eighty-two cards in order to demonstrate an ability greater than chance. However, she was able to get only fifty predictions correct, which is no better than random guessing.

The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF)

In 1996, Randi established the James Randi Educational Foundation. Randi and his colleagues publish in JREF's blog, Swift. Topics have included the interesting mathematics of the one-seventh area triangle, a classic geometric puzzle. In his weekly commentary, Randi often gave examples of what he considered the 'nonsense' that he dealt with every day.

Beginning in 2003, the JREF annually hosted The Amaz!ng Meeting, a gathering of scientists, skeptics, and atheists. The last meeting was in 2015, coinciding with Randi's retirement from the JREF.

James Randi - The Later Years

Randi began a series of conferences known as "The Amazing Meeting" (TAM) which quickly became the largest gathering of skeptics in the world, drawing audiences from Asia, Europe, South America, and the UK. It also attracted a large percentage of younger attendees.

Randi was regularly featured on many podcasts, including The Skeptics Society's official podcast Skepticality and the Center for Inquiry's official podcast Point of Inquiry.

From September 2006 onwards, James contributed to The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast with a column called "Randi Speaks". In addition, The Amazing Show was a podcast in which Randi shared various anecdotes in an interview format.

In 2014, Part2Filmworks released An Honest Liar, a feature film documentary. The film focuses on Randi's life, his investigations, and his relationship with longtime partner José Alvarez to whom he was married in 2013. The film was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, at Toronto's Hot Docs film festival, and at the June 2014 AFI Docs Festival in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., where it won the Audience Award for Best Feature. It also received positive reviews from critics.

In December 2014, Randi flew to Australia to take part in “An Evening with James Randi” tour, organized by Think Inc. This tour included a screening of An Honest Liar followed by a "fireside chat" with Randi on stage.

In 2017, Randi appeared in animated form on the website Holy Koolaid, in which he discussed the challenge of finding the balance between connecting sincerely with his audience and at the same time tricking/fooling them with an artful ruse, and indicated that this is a balance with which many magicians struggle.

The One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge

The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) offered a prize of US$1,000,000 to anyone able to demonstrate a supernatural ability under scientific testing criteria agreed to by both sides.

Based on the paranormal challenges of John Nevil Maskelyne and Houdini, the foundation began in 1996, when Randi put up $1,000 of his own money payable to anyone who could provide objective proof of the paranormal.

The prize money grew to $1,000,000, and had formal published rules. No one progressed past the preliminary test, which was set up with parameters agreed to by both Randi and the applicant. He refused to accept any challengers who might suffer serious injury or death as a result of the testing.

On the 1st. April 2007, it was ruled that only persons with an established, nationally recognized media profile and the backing of a reputable academic were allowed to apply for the challenge, in order to avoid wasting JREF resources on frivolous claimants.

On Larry King Live, on the 6th. March 2001, Larry King asked claimed medium Sylvia Browne if she would take the challenge, and she agreed. Randi appeared with Browne on Larry King Live six months later, and she again appeared to accept his challenge.

However, according to Randi, she ultimately refused to be tested, and the Randi Foundation kept a clock on its website recording the number of weeks since Browne allegedly accepted the challenge without following through, until Browne's death in November 2013.

During a subsequent appearance on Larry King Live on the 5th. June 2001, Randi challenged Rosemary Altea, another claimed medium, to undergo testing for the million dollars, but Altea refused to address the question. Instead Altea replied:

"I agree with what he says, that there are many,

many people who claim to be spiritual mediums,

they claim to talk to the dead. There are many

people, we all know this. There are cheats and

charlatans everywhere."

On the 26th. January 2007, Altea and Randi again appeared on the show, and Altea again refused to answer whether or not she would take the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge.

In October 2007, claimed psychic John Edward appeared on Headline Prime, hosted by Glenn Beck. When asked if he would take "the Amazing Randi's" challenge, Edward responded:

"It's funny. I was on Larry King Live once, and they

asked me the same question. And I made a joke

then, and I'll say the same thing here: why would I

allow myself to be tested by somebody who's got

an adjective as a surname?"

Randi asked British businessman Jim McCormick, the inventor of the bogus ADE 651 bomb detector, to take the challenge in October 2008. Randi called the ADE 651:

"A useless quack device which cannot perform

any other function than separating naive persons

from their money. It's a fake, a scam, a swindle,

and a blatant fraud. Prove me wrong and take the

million dollars."

There was no response from McCormick. According to Iraqi investigators, the ADE 651, which was corruptly sold to the Baghdad bomb squad, was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians who died as a result of terrorist bombs which were not detected at checkpoints.

On the 23rd. April 2013, McCormick was convicted of three counts of fraud at the Old Bailey in London; he was subsequently sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for his part in the ADE 651 scandal, which Randi was the first to expose.

Legal Disputes

Randi was involved in a variety of legal disputes, but said that:

"I have never paid even one dollar

or even one cent to anyone who

ever sued me."

However, he said, he had paid out large sums to defend himself in these suits.

Uri Geller

Randi met magician Uri Geller in the early 1970's, and found Geller to be:

"Very charming. Likable, beautiful,

affectionate, genuine, forward-going,

handsome—everything!"

However Randi viewed Geller as a con-man, and began a long effort to expose him as a fraud. According to Randi, Geller tried to sue him several times, accusing him of libel.

In May 1991, Geller sued Randi and CSICOP for $15 million on a charge of slander, after Randi told the International Herald Tribune that Geller had "tricked even reputable scientists" with stunts that "are the kind that used to be on the back of cereal boxes", referring to the old spoon-bending trick.

The court dismissed the case, and Geller had to settle at a cost to him of $120,000, after Randi produced a cereal box which bore instructions on how to do the spoon-bending trick.

Geller's lawyer Don Katz was disbarred mid-way into this action, and Geller ended up suing him. After failing to pay by the deadline imposed by the court, Geller was sanctioned an additional $20,000. Geller sued both Randi and CSICOP in the 1980's.

CSICOP argued that the organization was not responsible for Randi's statements. The court agreed that including CSICOP was frivolous, and dropped them from the action, leaving Randi to face the action alone, along with the legal costs. Geller was ordered to pay substantial damages, but only to CSICOP.

Geller never won against Randi, save for a ruling in a Japanese court that ordered Randi to pay Geller one-third of one per cent of what Geller had requested.

This ruling was cancelled, and the matter dropped, when Geller decided to concentrate on another legal matter.

Other Legal Cases

In 1993, a jury in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore found Randi liable for defaming Eldon Byrd for calling him a child molester in a magazine story, and a "shopping market molester" in a 1988 speech.

However, the jury found that Byrd was not entitled to any monetary damages after hearing testimony that he had sexually molested and later married his sister-in-law.

Late in 1996, Randi launched a libel suit against a Toronto-area psychic named Earl Gordon Curley. Curley had made multiple objectionable comments about Randi on Usenet.

Despite suggesting to Randi on Usenet that Randi should sue - Curley's comments implying that if Randi did not sue, then his allegations must be true - Curley seemed entirely surprised when Randi actually retained Toronto's largest law firm and initiated legal proceedings.

The suit was eventually dropped in 1998 when Earl Curley died at the age of 51 of "alcohol toxicity."

Allison DuBois, on whose life the television series Medium was based, threatened Randi with legal action for using a photo of her from her website in his 17th. December 2004 commentary without her permission.

Randi removed the photo, and subsequently used a caricature of DuBois when mentioning her on his site, beginning with his 23rd. December 2005 commentary.

Sniffex, producer of a dowsing bomb detection device, sued Randi and the JREF in 2007 and lost. Sniffex sued Randi for his comments regarding a government test in which the Sniffex device failed. The company was later investigated and charged with fraud.

Randi's Political Views

Randi was a registered Democrat. In April 2009, he released a statement endorsing the legalization of most illegal drugs.

Randi was a believer in Social Darwinist theories, although he denounced the ideologies and movements that formed around the theories in 2013.

In 2003, he was one of the signatories of the Humanist Manifesto.

Randi's Views on Religion

Randi's parents were members of the Anglican Church, but rarely attended services. He attended Sunday school at St. Cuthbert's Church in Toronto a few times as a child, but he independently decided to stop going after receiving no answer to his request for proof of the teachings of the Church.

Randi identified himself as an atheist. In his essay "Why I Deny Religion, How Silly and Fantastic It Is, and Why I'm a Dedicated and Vociferous Bright", Randi opined that many accounts in religious texts, including the virgin birth, the miracles of Jesus Christ, and the parting of the Red Sea by Moses, are not believable.

Randi refers to the Virgin Mary as:

"Impregnated by a ghost of some sort, and as a

result produced a son who could walk on water,

raise the dead, turn water into wine, and multiply

loaves of bread and fishes."

He also questions:

"How could Adam and Eve have two sons, one of

whom killed the other, and yet managed to populate

the Earth without committing incest".

He wrote that, compared to the Bible:

"The Wizard of Oz is more

believable. And much more fun."

Clarifying his view of atheism, Randi wrote:

"I've said it before: there are two sorts of atheists.

One sort claims that there is no deity, the other

claims that there is no evidence that proves the

existence of a deity.

I belong to the latter group, because if I were to

claim that no god exists, I would have to produce

evidence to establish that claim, and I cannot.

Religious persons have by far the easier position;

they say they believe in a deity because that's their

preference, and they've read it in a book.

That's their right."

In An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural (1995), Randi examines various spiritual practices skeptically. Of the meditation techniques of Guru Maharaj Ji, he writes:

"Only the very naive were convinced

that they had been let in on some sort

of celestial secret."

In a discussion with Kendrick Frazier at CSIC on 2016, Randi stated:

"I think that a belief in a deity is an unprovable

claim ... and a rather ridiculous claim.

It is an easy way out to explain things to which

we have no answer."

He then summarized his current concern with religious belief as follows:

"A belief in a god is one of the most damaging

things that infests humanity at this particular

moment in history."

Randi's Personal Life

When Randi hosted his own radio show in the 1960's, he lived in a small house in Rumson, New Jersey, that featured a sign on the premises that read: "Randi - Charlatan".

In 1987, Randi became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He said that one reason he became an American citizen was an incident while he was on tour with Alice Cooper, during which the Royal Canadian Mounted Police searched the band's lockers during a performance, completely ransacking the room, but finding nothing illegal.

In February 2006, Randi underwent coronary artery bypass surgery. The weekly commentary updates to his Web site were made by guests while he was hospitalized. Randi recovered after his surgery and was able to help organize and attend The Amaz!ng Meeting (T.A.M.) in 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada, his annual convention of scientists, magicians, skeptics, atheists and freethinkers.

Randi was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in June 2009. He had a series of small tumors removed from his intestines during laparoscopic surgery. He announced the diagnosis a week later at The Amaz!ng Meeting 7, as well as the fact that he was scheduled to begin chemotherapy in the following weeks. He also said at the conference:

"One day, I'm gonna die. That's all there is to it.

Hey, it's too bad, but I've got to make room. I'm

using a lot of oxygen and such - I think it's good

use of oxygen myself, but of course, I'm a little

prejudiced on the matter."

Randi underwent his final chemotherapy session in December 2009, later saying that his chemotherapy experience was not as unpleasant as he had imagined it might be. In a video posted in April 2010, Randi stated that he had been given a clean bill of health.

In a 2010 blog entry, Randi came out as gay, a move he said was inspired by seeing the 2008 biographical drama film Milk.

Randi married Venezuelan artist José Alvarez on the 2nd. July 2013 in Washington. Randi, who had recently moved to Florida, met Alvarez in 1986, in a Fort Lauderdale public library. He had left his native country for fear of his life, as he was homosexual. Jose Alvarez was a pseudonym which duplicated the name of an actual person in the United States.

The identity confusion caused the real Alvarez some legal and financial difficulties. José was arrested for identity theft and faced deportation. They resided in Plantation, Florida.

In the 1993 documentary Secrets of the Psychics, Randi stated:

"I've never involved myself in narcotics of any kind;

I don't smoke; I don't drink, because that can easily

just fuzz the edges of my rationality, fuzz the edges

of my reasoning powers, and I want to be as aware

as I possibly can.

That means giving up a lot of fantasies that might be

comforting in some ways, but I'm willing to give that

up in order to live in an actually real world, as close

as I can get to it".

In a video released in October 2017, Randi revealed that he had recently suffered a minor stroke, and that he was under medical advice not to travel during his recovery, so would be unable to attend CSICon 2017 in Las Vegas later that month.

The Death of James Randi

Randi died at his home in Plantation, Florida on the 20th. October 2020, at the age of 92. The James Randi Educational Foundation attributed his death to "age-related causes".

The Center for Inquiry said that:

"Randi was the public face of skeptical inquiry,

bringing a sense of fun and mischievousness

to a serious mission."

Kendrick Frazier said, as part of the statement:

"Despite his ferocity in challenging all forms of

nonsense, in person he was a kind and gentle

man."

Optical Rotation 2011 by Director Theophilus Raynsford Mann 馬天亮導演

1

Director Theophilus Raynsford Mann

~ a Taiwanese social reformer, philosopher, photographer, and film director

“Do Everything for My People”

馬天亮導演

~ 臺灣的社會改革者，哲學家，攝影師，和電影導演

《造福人民》

SUMMARY

Theophilus Raynsford Mann is a naturalist, occultist, Buddhist and Taoist. In 1982, Mann developed a technique for abstract photography, applied “Rayonism” into photographic works. Mann staged 32 individual, extraordinary exhibitions around Taiwan, who was the first exhibitor around Formosa. Mann’s works is the beginning of modernization in the modern abstract arts in the world. At the University of Oxford, Mann’s attractive topic was “A View of Architectural History: Towns through the Ages from Winchester through London Arrived at Oxford in England”; also an author at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Michigan in the United States; an alumnus from Christ Church College at the University of Oxford in England, the University of Glamorgan in Wales, and National Taiwan University in Taipei on Taiwan. Mann’s works have been quoted by the scholars many times, making Mann one of the highly cited technological, artistic, and managing public administrators in the academia. Mann was listed in “Taiwan Who’s Who In Business” © 1984, 1987, 1989 Harvard Management Service.

Education in Taiwan and a Brief of Latest Generation of History in Taiwan / Formosa

In 1980, Mann obtained his postgraduate certificate from the Graduate Institute of Electrical Engineering of National Taiwan University in Taipei; successfully completed another graduate studies in Information dBase III Plus and Taiwanese Traditional Chinese Mandarin Information System at National Sun Yat-Sen University in Kaohsiung in 1989.

Early Career

In 1989, Mann instituted Mann’s Office of Electrical Engineer, he settled himself in electrical technology and industries as a chief engineer in his early years. He put his professional and precise knowledge to good account in business management. A formal business management with business relationship established to provide for regular services, dealings, and other commercial transactions and deed. He had many customers having a business and credit relationship with his firm then he was a successful engineer.

Study Abroad and Immigration into the United Kingdom

In 1998, Mann studied abroad when he arrived in Great Britain; he studied at School of Built Environment, the University of Glamorgan, Wales for a master of science in real estate appraisal. Until the summer of 2000, Mann completed an academic course on “Towns through the Ages” from Christ Church at the University of Oxford.

PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS

Mann is a naturalist; he trusts spiritual naturalism and naturalistic spirituality, which teaches that “the unknown” created this wonderful world. “The unknown” arranged the nature with its law so that everything in nature is kept balanced and in order. However, human beings failed to control themselves, deliberately went against the law of nature, and resulted in disasters, which we deserved. He also is an occultist, a Taoist, and a Buddhist; but in Britain, he frequently goes to Christian and Catholic churches, where he makes friends with pastors and fathers as well as churchgoers. In his mind, he recognizes “Belief is truth held in the mind; faith is a fire in the heart”. He is always a freethinker, does not accept traditional, social, and religious teaching, but based on his ideas: a thought or conception that potentially and actually exists in his mind as a product of mental activity - his opinion, conviction, and principle. If people have not come across eastern classics and philosophy, we are afraid that people would never understand Theophilus Raynsford Mann. People cannot judge an eastern philosopher based on western ways of thinking. He studies I Ching discovering eastern classics of ancient origin consisting of 64 interrelated hexagrams along with commentaries. The hexagrams embody Taoist philosophy by describing all nature and human endeavour in terms of the interaction of yin and yang, and the classics may be consulted as an oracle.

Back in the 1990s when Mann just arrived at England, he had been offered places to do Ph.D. and LL.M. degrees (degree in Law and Politics of the European Union) by several western professors in the Great Britain. He has met all the requirements for postgraduate admissions to study at UK’s universities.

During his time at Oxford, he learnt a lot of British culture and folk-custom while carrying out research with many British and Western professors, experts, and archaeologists. This proves that Mann understands various aspects in British society, culture, and lifestyles. Of course, he does not fully understand about the perspectives of thinking of a typical British. For example, what would be the most valuable in life for a British person? What would a British want to gain from life? What is the goal in life for a British? Is it fortune or a lover? Alternatively, perhaps honour? On the other hand, maybe being able to travel around the world and see the world?

FAIRNESS and JUSTICE

As Theophilus Raynsford Mann’s saying are:

“Touching Fairness and Justice”

Feel good about themselves, but do not know the sufferings of the people...

Who can get easy life like them?

What is profile of modern society?

What type and style is truly solemn for this society identify?

Where “the characterization” is? Who can see? Did you see it?

《感動的公平與正義》

自我感覺良好, 不知民間疾苦...

誰能得到安逸的生活如同他們一樣？

這是個什麼樣子的社會？

這個社會認定什麼樣的類型和風格是真正莊重的?

「特徵」在那裡？誰可以看到？你看到了嗎？

Jurisprudence and Political Philosophy and Perspectives

Mann ever studied judicial review and governmental action, the impact of law and legal techniques, constitutional mechanisms for the protection of basic rights, and ensuring the integrity of commercial activity, the impact of law and legal techniques on government, policymaking, and administration, as well as the creation of markets. He tries to understand these critical trends in the political development of modern state. Mann will combine both theoretical and empirical approaches, and the conditions for democratic transition and the nature of state development in the ‘post-industrial’ era of globalisation and economic integration.

According as Mann’s legal experiences, he comprehend that “the knowledge of the law is like a deep well, out of which each man draught according to the strength of his understanding”, and, law and arbitrary power are in eternal enmity. He is also sure law and institutions are constantly tending to gravitate like clocks; they must be occasionally cleansed, and wound up, and set to true time.

The government issues a decree - an authoritative order having the force of law, which charged with putting into effect a country's laws and the administering of its functions. Any of the officials promulgate a law or put into practice relating to the government charged with the execution and administration of the nation's laws then they announce and carry out the creation of any order or new policy that will be responsible for the people.

Mann had knowledge in connexion with construction law; he also understands architectural arts, and as well learnt the forms by combining materials and parts include as an integral part concerning modern construct. I ever built urban buildings and rural architecture in different styles under new housing and building projects by the governmental administration and construction corporations.

Right now, Mann studies the problems caused by ethnic disputes and human armed conflicts in the modern society resulted code of mixed civil and criminal procedure. He wishes an agreement or a treaty to end human hostilities - the absence of war and other hostilities around the world. The interrelation and arrangement of freedom from quarrels and disagreement become harmonious relations living in peace with each other. Actually, erect peace in more friendly ways of making friendships for modern human society is comfortable in my ideal. It is like building monolithic architecture: houses and buildings for the people. Mann would like to do “something beautiful for `the unknown`”.

In the ethnic disagreement and armed conflicts as concerning the poor people and children notwithstanding they live through a bad environment on any of poor or crowded village or town in a particular manner - lived frugally. However, after years of industrialisation as a more educated population, becomes more aware of global plenum, continuing to be alive. Environmental groups are increasing and lobbing government will legislate to stop bad environmental and social practices. The establishments of human rights’ wide and untiring efforts will be alleviated people’s suffering. And as well the poor people shall meet and debate sustainable development and for a concerted government led action towards sustainability is an example that the younger generation are concerned for the future. It shall be making the younger easier for their life and make better on their lives, and help them to build a better future.

In present world, Mann really knows the full meanings of “Fundamental Human Rights and Equal Opportunities for the People”. He thinks ethics is the moral code governing the daily conduct of the individual toward those about him / her. It represents those rules or principles by which men and women live and work in a spirit of mutual confidence and service. Without going into the question of how an ethical code was formulated or why anybody should obey it, we can look at the matter in a common-sense fashion with reference to its influence upon our legal affairs. In brief, from the law point of view, a reputable ethical code embodies the qualities of accuracy, dependability, fair play, sound judgement, and service. It is based upon honesty.

No person can have an ethical code that concerns him / her alone. Living in society, as he / she must, a person encounters others whose rights must be respected as well as his / her own. An honest regard for the rights of others is an essential element of any decent code of ethics, and one that anyone must observe if anybody intends to follow that code. After all, ethics is not something apart from human beings. Indeed, there is no such thing apart from our actions and us. It is the duty, therefore, of every man and woman in legal affairs to see that his daily associations with others are truly in conformity with the plain meaning of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not barratry, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not receive illegal fee and the rest”.

The knowledge Mann has, in connection with legal affairs, was usually come from his precious experiences of his past over ten year’s law and political careers. In an interval regarded as a distinct period of 1980s, he studied mixed civil and crime, and the code of mixed civil and criminal procedure for the problems caused by ethnic disputes and human armed conflicts in the modern society. He was especially one who maintains the language and customs of the group, and social security in Taiwan.

Since 30 July of 1988, Mann settled himself in law as a chief executive and scrivener at Central Legal, Real Estate, and Accounting Services Office; it is in the equivalent to a solicitor of the United Kingdom. The Office provided full legal, accounting, real estate, and commercial services to the public. He did his job as a person legally appointed by another to act as his or her agent in the transaction of business, specifically one qualified and licensed to act for plaintiffs and defendants in legal proceedings and affairs. Over and above Mann was a chairman and executive consultant at Taiwan Credit Information Company®, founded in 1994. The company offered services to the public in response to need and demand in the area of credit information.

Mann had excellent experiences in political and law work was pertaining to mixed civil and crime, the code of mixed civil and criminal procedure, construction, and commercial law abroad. The experiences of legal services related to the rights of private individuals and legal proceedings concerning these rights as distinguished. In the criminal proceedings, he did many cases for the defendants. Although an act committed or omitted in violation of a law forbidding or commanding it and for which punishment is imposed upon conviction; but he also laid legal claim, required as useful, just, proper, or necessary to the defendants under the human rights in the meantime. This provision ensures to the defendant a real voice in the subject.

The men whose judgement we respect are those who do not allow prejudices, preferences, or personalities to influence their decisions. Profit and self-aggrandisement are likewise ignored in their determination to reach an equitable and fair settlement. What are the basic principles upon which good judgement is founded? A keen intellect, a normal emotionally, a through understanding of human nature, experience of law work, sincerity, and integrity.

Developed a Technique for Abstract Photography and Abstractionist

In 1982, Mann developed a technique for abstractive photography, which applied “rayonism” to the photographic works. In November of 1984, Mann was 26-year-old, he instructed many professors and students of National Taiwan Normal University in photography of abstract impressionism and rayonnisme in Taipei, Taiwan. The word “rayonnisme” is French for rayonism - a style of abstract painting developed in 1911 in Russia.

Photographic Exhibitions

Theophilus Raynsford Mann Photographic Exhibition of “Rayonnisme / Rayonism” Tour - Invitational Exhibition of Taiwan 1983-84.

一九八三〜八四年中華民國臺灣馬天亮攝影巡迴邀請展

Theophilus Raynsford Mann Photographic Exhibition of Rayonism (32 individual exhibitions) 1983~1985.

馬天亮『光影』攝影特展（個人展32場）1983〜1985年.

Mann staged 32 individual, extraordinary exhibitions and annual special exhibitions on photography of abstractive image and Rayonnisme around Taiwan / Formosa. Mann was the first exhibitor around the country. All of the invited displays were by the Taiwan’s Government, cultural and artistic organisations, and sponsors. Mann’s earliest exhibition took place in the National Taiwan Arts Education Center (Museum) on 19 December 1983 when Mann was 25 years old; Mann was the youngest exhibitor in the history of the Center in any solo exhibitions. The Center that was opened in March 1957, kept a collection of Mann’s work. It is currently updating the Center’s internal organisation and strengthening co-operation with leading centers and museums around the world. Meanwhile, it widened the center’s scope to increase its emphasis on Taiwan’ regional culture and folk arts.

Modernization in the Modern Abstract Arts of Taiwan

Mann’s works is the beginning of modernization in the modern abstract arts of Taiwan, China and greater Chinese society in the world. The use of “modernisation” as a concept that is opposed to “Traditional” of “Conservative” ideas began with the approach of the 20th century. It spreads rapidly through academic circles, and was broadly accepted as a means to reform society. Chinese Manchu Qing (Ching) dynasty’s first steps toward modernisation began in the Tung-chih era (1862-1874) with the “Self-Empowerment Movement”. During the late 19th century, as late Manchu dynasty was confronted on all sides by foreign aggression, voices throughout society debated the most effective means to reform and strengthen the country. Some advocated “combining the best of East and West”, while others went so far as to call for “complete Westernisation”. Taiwan was at the centre of these waves of reform. Faced with direct threats against the island by foreign enemies, the Chinese Ching dynasty court took special steps to push Taiwan’s modernisation.

In a role just like that of a gardener wanting to create a rich and fertile environment for the seeds of culture, one in which Mann may sprout, grow and bloom. Mann aims to provide an educational stimulus for society by introducing his works - Mann can express the neo-romantic spirit deftly from various creations and supporting international artistic exchanges. Mann believes that the first step in creating such a new and independent state is the real emergence of culture and arts, for which the art and science of designing and erecting buildings, and fine arts (including photography and motion picture) of the civilization is a good measurement of success. For the foreseeable future, Mann should be continuing to forge ahead, working diligently and unceasingly towards its mission of raising China and Formosa / Taiwan’s culture in his spare time.

Became an Author and a Scholar

In 1980, Theophilus Raynsford Mann completed his first book - scenario original “The Soul's Sentimentalizing”, also named: “Hun Yun : Jin Qi Tu Rui” 電影原著《魂韻》(衿契吐蕊) then Mann was at the age of 22. In 1983, The General Library of the University of California, Berkeley in the United States of America, collected and kept Mann’s writings - scenario original 「魂韻 : 衿契吐蕊」“Hun Yun : jin qi tu rui”, included a musical composition of his own – “Sonate Nr. 1 C-dur op. 3 für Klavier (piano)”, composed on 3rd April 1977 then Mann was 18 years old. The works were published in 1980; the theme was based on “The Soul's Sentimentalizing”. Another masterpiece was an Album of Academic Work for News

Publication “Theophilus Raynsford Mann Photographic Exhibition of Rayonnisme / Rayonism”, published in 1985. The Hathi Trust Digital Library, the University of Michigan also collected and kept Mann’s writings.

Authorship

Mann’s articles and writings were published in more than 200 different kinds of domestic and foreign magazines, newspapers, and periodicals, in the period between May of 1972 and 1990s. It was all started when Mann was just 13-year-old. Many of which have been very influential. These have been quoted by Western and Eastern scholars many times in the last few years, making Mann one of the highly cited technological, artistic, and managing public administrators in the world in the late 20th and early 21st century. The Ministry of the Interior in Taiwan had registered Mann’s professional writings and given him two certificates of copyright. The numbers are 33080 and 33081 on 4th July of 1985; and Taiwan’s Gazette of The Presidential Office issue No. 4499, featured his writings on 4th September 1985.

Became an Academic and Film Director

Today, Mann is a professor at Space Time Life Research Academy, a photographer (portrait, fashion, commercial, digital, architectural, abstract photography), film director, and computer engineer now live and work in London; and most currently engage in his vocational professions of ‘Consultant of Immigration and Translations’. Mann is an author at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Michigan; an alumnus from Christ Church at the University of Oxford, the University of Glamorgan, and National Taiwan University in Taipei.

Director Works:

FILMS:

Abstract Films:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0ghIxV0LBo&feature=youtu.be

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC_r2CO-UJs&feature=youtu.be

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/17893335268/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ph8qb2Wjps&feature=youtu.be

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/17979015641/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN1e07X4AEc&feature=youtu.be

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmCVSjG1KEk

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/17553751944/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoG3cxICeEY

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/17797502869/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkcmrMmF_gc&feature=youtu.be

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/18115536036/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xFOdzM3T9Y&feature=youtu.be

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/17525813743/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a48BPHplf4Q&feature=youtu.be

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/17576816593/

Documentary Films:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=j44palgzMtc

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/18201816521/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWjYRRTsltI

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/18208449565/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=flSg_KZC8T4&feature=youtu.be

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/17482109753/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0giOz8m6ros

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/18570212762/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMwt_iEK_tw

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/17956975333/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mcPNaQtWu8&feature=youtu.be

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/17883706816/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RApsQA2Km1w

www.flickr.com/photos/109334175@N06/17826553404/

Theophilus Raynsford Mann 馬天亮導演 - YouTube

www.youtube.com/channel/UCosvuIOImSVgFru84i9omOQ/videos

www.youtube.com/my_videos?o=U

Bing Videos

www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Theophilus+Raynsford+Mann&am...

Yahoo Video Search Results

video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A2KLqIJi82hVnk0A...

Google Search

www.google.co.uk/search?client=aff-cs-360se&ie=UTF-8&...

Drama Films:

“The Soul's Sentimentalizing” of the feature film is based on the scenario original “The Soul's Sentimentalizing” (preparation)

FASHION SHOWS:

ART EXHIBITIONS:

Musician Work:

MUSIC COMPOSITION:

PHOTOGRAPHIC ALBUMS:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijotODxZkNo

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/17730790734/

英國倫敦浴佛節佛陀雕塑藝術

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQqyefiuAYY

www.flickr.com/photos/124141020@N05/17730477174/

BOOKS:

Scenario Original「魂韻」(衿契吐蕊) “Hun yun: jin qi tu rui” © December 1980, © 1981, © 1983 (Date of First Publication: 31 December 1980, Second Edition on 29 July 1981, Date of Revision: Revised Edition on 8 May 1983), Languages: Chinese (traditional), and English language.

Album of Academic Work for News Publication: “TianLiang Maa (Theophilus Raynsford Mann) Photographic Exhibitions of Rayonnisme” © May 1985

新聞出版之學術著作專輯「馬天亮『光影』“Rayonism” 攝影展」© May 1985

New version of scenario original “The Soul's Sentimentalizing” (to be published)

「曾經輝煌到頂天立地」 “The Indomitable Spirit Was Brilliant to Successful” (The indomitable spirit was brilliant to towering a great height from earth reaching the sky!

Individual biography, to be published)

“My Life, My History, and My Love” (based on a legend, to be published, a film scenario will be developed later)

「感動的公平與正義」“Touching Fairness and Justice” (political science and social studies, to be published)

「氣壯山海‧頂天立地‧民富國強‧白金時代」 “Full of power and grandeur thrusts onto the mountain and ocean, towering a great height from earth reaching the sky for my people with good fortune and my country become stronger, builds a platinum era - white golden age.” (Chinese version for my way towards national election)

Research Interests:

University of Oxford

Research Studies in Archaeology:

Mann’s attractive topic was “A View of Architectural History: Towns through the Ages from Winchester through London Arrived at Oxford in England”.

National Taiwan University

Graduate Certificate,

Graduate Institute of Electrical Engineering:

Mann’s monograph of seminar was “Applied the sequence control in the electric power distribution engineering”.

University of Glamorgan

M.Sc. Course,

Master of Science in Real Estate Appraisal:

Mann’s thesis - major subject, with relevant construction law was “The Assignment is under Economics of Construction Management in Architecture”.

National Sun Yat-Sen University

Postgraduate Certificate,

Postgraduate Studies in Computing:

Mann’s required subject was Information dBase III Plus and Taiwanese Traditional Mandarin Chinese Information System. He combined academic course work and practical laboratory sessions in “Applied Mandarin Phonetic Symbols into Traditional Taiwanese Personal Computer and Its Information System”.

Associations:

Member of The Kaohsiung Life Line Association since 11 January 1979, an association established in the USA.

Member of The Society of Youth Writers, Tien (Catholic) Educational Center, Taipei since 1980.

Since 1980, a member of Chinese Taipei Film Archive (CTFA, National Film Archive, Taiwan; founded in 1978), The Motion Picture Foundation, R.O.C. (member of Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film, FIAF; The International Federation of Film Archives was founded in Paris in 1938 by the British Film Institute, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Cinémathèque Française and the Reichsfilmarchiv in Berlin.)

Commissioner of the cinema, photography, radio, and television committee of The Culture and Arts Association (Chinese Writers and Artists Association) of Taiwan ever since September 1983.

Classic member, the membership is equivalent to a doctorate membership of the Chinese Institute of Electrical Engineering since 23 March 1984.

On 15 March 1989, Mann promoted and founded the Consortium Juridical Person Mr. Theophilus Raynsford Mann Social Benefit Foundation 財團法人馬天亮先生社會公益基金會籌備處 (Social Charity 社會慈善事業) in Taiwan.

near.archives.gov.tw/cgi-bin/near2/nph-redirect?rname=tre...

Classic member, the membership is equal to a professor or associate professor of The Chinese Institute of Engineers since 30 September 1991.

Honours:

中華民國企業名人錄編纂委員會, 哈佛企業管理顧問公司.

On 26 August 1985, Mann was awarded a professional certificate of the Outdoor Artistry Activities issued by Education Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government, Taiwan. He acquired awards and certificates of honour about twenty times from National Taiwan Arts Education Center (Museum) on 24 December 1983; Kaohsiung Municipal Social Education Center on 17 March 1984, Kaohsiung Cultural Center, Taipei Cultural Center (Taipei Municipal Social Education Hall); and Taiwan Province Government, Taipei City Government, Kaohsiung City Government, and many cultural centres and art galleries, and so on.

Careers:

Honorary Professor at Space Time Life Research Academy, 7 June 2012 to present; Professor at Space Time Life Research Academy, 1 September 2011 to 1 June 2012 in London, United Kingdom:

Academia,

Teaching and Research:

business management and consultant, political philosophy, Chinese classics, Chinese humanities, modern Chinese language and literature, photography (portrait, fashion, commercial, digital, architectural, abstract photography), visual arts and film production.

www.facebook.com/stlres

教學與研究：

企業管理及顧問、政治哲學、中華經典 (古典漢學、文學、藝術、語言) 、中華人文、中華現代語言與文學、攝影 (人像、時裝、商業、數位/數碼、建築、抽象攝影) ，視覺藝術和製作影片。

Consultant and Translator at Eternal Life Consultants of Immigration and Translations Services, 10 March 2004 to present in London, United Kingdom:

consultants of immigration, translations, and legal services.

www.facebook.com/elcits

永生移民顧問翻譯服務社的移民諮詢顧問和翻譯：

移民事務，翻譯和法律服務。

Computer Hardware and Networking Engineer at Mann Office of Electrical Engineer, 8 March 2004 to present in London, United Kingdom:

Computer Engineering and Network Services. Repairing of Motherboards, Monitors, Power Supplies, CD-ROM Drives; UPS, Hard Disk Drives, H.D.D Data Recovery; BIOS Programming, and all types of Computer Hardware and Software Solutions.

www.facebook.com/maaelec

計算機工程和網絡服務。維修主機板，顯示器，電源供應器，光碟機/光盘驱动器，不斷電系統，硬碟/硬盘，硬盤數據恢復，基本輸入輸出系統編程，以及所有類型的電腦/計算機硬體/硬件和軟體/軟件解決方案。

Film Director and Photographer at Shapely Studio of Creative & Cultural Industries, 2 April 2007 to present in London, United Kingdom:

1) Photo, Video and Film Production; 2) Graphic Design, Web Design, Social Networking, Social Media and Advertising; 3) Architectural Design and Interior Design.

www.facebook.com/sscci

Reformer and Philosopher at Taiwanese Social Reformer and Philosopher, 7 April 2012 (location: Los Angeles, California) to present in London, United Kingdom:

Social Reform in Taiwan

www.facebook.com/twreform

Website

mtltwp.pixnet.net/album/set/1265174

album.blog.yam.com/mtltwp

photo.roodo.com/photos/mtltwp/albums/small/100469.html

www.facebook.com/hunyun22/info

www.facebook.com/hy22tss/info

www.facebook.com/tsstrm/info

Sonate Nr. 1 C-dur op. 3 für Klavier (piano) by Theophilus Raynsford Mann (TianLiang Maa 馬天亮) © 1977, © 1980, © 1981, © 1983. The Sonate composed on 3rd April 1977 then Mann was 18-year-old. The work was published in 1980; the theme was based on “The Soul's Sentimentalizing”.

Website

mtltwp.pixnet.net/album/set/1265208

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LINKS:

University of California, Berkeley

berkeley.worldcat.org/search?q=Ma%2C+Tianliang&dblist...

berkeley.worldcat.org/title/hun-yun/oclc/813684284?refere...

oskicat.berkeley.edu/record=b11283690~S1

University of Michigan

mirlyn.lib.umich.edu/Record/006237256

catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006237256

WorldCat® Identities

www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3AMa%2C+Tianliang%2C&dbl...

www.worldcat.org/wcidentities/np-ma,%20tianliang$1958

Google Books

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books.google.co.uk/books?id=JfxnMwEACAAJ&dq=editions:...

scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=3569983911138966023&am...

National Bibliographic Information Network (NBINet)

nbinet3.ncl.edu.tw/search~S10?/a%7bu99AC%7d%7bu5929%7d%7b...

192.83.186.170/search*cht/a%E9%A6%AC%E5%A4%A9%E4%BA%AE

National Yang Ming University 國立陽明大學

library.ym.edu.tw/search~S7*cht?/tThe+Soul%27s+and+sentim...

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology 國立臺灣科技大學

millennium.lib.ntust.edu.tw/record=b1016706~S1

國家圖書館期刊文獻資訊網, 臺灣期刊論文索引

readopac3.ncl.edu.tw/nclJournal/search/search_result.jsp?...

聲音藝術的審美角度, 大學雜誌, 天然

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為文化中心把脈, 幼獅文藝

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科學家與守財奴, 中國地方自治

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Yahoo, Bing, Google Search

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theophilus mann oxford

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馬天亮教授

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lurvely.com www.lurvely.com/photographer/77438197_N03/

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画像検索

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far-east-movement - Blogcu (Turkey)

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A Story of Professor TianLiang Maa (Theophilus Raynsford Mann) ...

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University of Oxford People In British Public Life

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Who is talking

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art galleries uk

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Mitrasites system

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articles.whmsoft

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pantieslace-forwomen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/motherhood-ma...

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www.flickriver.com/search/Theophilus+Raynsford+Mann/inter...

www.pediatr.org.tw/DB/News/file/1913-1.pdf

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Nationalist and Loyalist troops by Cassowary Colorizations

3

Francoist troops taking away Republican militiamen from a mountain, probably to take them to a firing block, in Somosierra, during the Battle of Guadarrama, July-August 1936. These people probably had not even hold a weapon before the war, and most likely were farmers or workers. As quoted by Bruno Mugnai, many left the front at night to sleep in their homes. The White Terror or Francoist Repression that followed the war was the series of political actions of violence, rape, and other crimes committed by the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War (1936 –1939), and during the first decade of Francisco Franco's dictatorship. For nine years, the official mass killings of the loyalists to the Second Spanish Republic included 150,000 - 400,000 members of the Popular Front, Protestant Christians, liberals, Socialists, Trotskyists, Communists, anarchists, freethinkers, intellectuals, Freemasons, and Catalan and Basque separatists. It has been proved by famous historian Paul Preston that Nationalists would commit atrocities to Republican and civilian forces during the war, such as dismemberment or beheading. Then, pictures were taken blaming Loyalist troops for these crimes, sending them to international media and causing a false opinion on the legitimate government.

#historiansunion #colored #colorized #colourised #colorization #colourisation #color #colour #history #ww1 #wwi #worldwarone #greatwar #thegreatwar #ww2 #wwii #worldwartwo #military #war #allies #axis #warcrime #francoistspain #spain #franciscofranco #spanishcivilwar

Optical Rotation 2011. by Photographer Theophilus Raynsford Mann 馬天亮攝影師

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