Dear Friends of the JREF,
The last month has hustled by and much has happened in that time. Perhaps the most important event of note since my last letter to you was TAM London 2010, which I can say with all sincerity, warmed this seasoned curmudgeon's heart with the outpouring of warmth and support for our skeptics movement "across the pond." To be sure, The Amaz!ng Meeting has grown beyond my greatest expectations — the JREF holds Amaz!ng Meetings now in the United States, Britain and Australia — and I have to thank the talented cadre of JREF staffers as well as those who volunteer at and attend these meetings for the singular level of support we've enjoyed. These meetings are not just about "preaching to the choir," folks. They reach out to new people, as the number of new faces at each meeting shows — some of these are people for whom these Amaz!ng Meetings are their very first skeptics events, ever!
Now, next weekend, I'll be speaking at Skepticon III in Missouri, along with JREF President D. J. Grothe and a host of other notable skeptics, and the week after, I'll travel Down Under, for the first Amaz!ng Meeting in Australia! That'll be "across the other pond," of course. Briskly moving right along…
For those who are curious about the machinations of this old prestidigitator and our proud Foundation, I want to let you all know that I'm focusing more these days on writing my next book, and to that end we've decided to move our administrative offices to Falls Church, Virginia. D. J. Grothe has moved to Los Angeles, and will be hiring additional staff to work out of that location for the JREF in the coming months. Not to worry, however, because the venerable JREF Library — almost 4,000 volumes! — will remain intact in Fort Lauderdale for those who need it.
With TAM London 2010 such a success, it's clear that the JREF is on a solid footing for the future, but we need to do more! I, for one, am thrilled at the new initiatives brought forward by Grothe and our staff.
But we cannot continue to expand our skeptical public education programs without your help. You'll find out more about our Season of Reason fundraising campaign elsewhere in the letter, or online.
But I want to ask you, please, to support the JREF, if you can, and to the best extent that you can. Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, your donations will now be doubled, but only if you donate during the campaign. Won't you please help the JREF today?
Sincerely,
James Randi
P.S. - if you donate to the JREF today, we would like to send you a unique gift featuring a likeness of yours truly, made especially for our Season of Reason.
(To read the rest of the November JREF News and Updates which began with this letter, click here.)