Until Next Year, the JREF Says Goodbye to Dragon*Con
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- Written by Brian Thompson
- Category: Swift
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Another Dragon*Con is finished, and we at the JREF are sad to see it go. As always, we had an amazing time here in Atlanta with all of our friends at the Skeptrack. There are few things better than spending time with those who want to protect the world from pseudoscience, false claims, and unreason. The environment this weekend was energizing. New and old friends hatched exciting skeptical projects for the days, weeks, and months ahead, and all of us were reminded just how important it is to fight for a more rational world.
Here are two videos from the convention floor to give you an idea of the fun and frenetic atmosphere of Dragon*Con, and we would like to acknowledge some of the people with whom we were fortunate enough to experience it.
Read more: Until Next Year, the JREF Says Goodbye to Dragon*Con
Galactic Overlord Xenu Strikes Scientology?
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- Written by James Randi
- Category: Swift
- Hits: 429840
Hey,the news isn’t all bad. The Australian government may be about to make a decision that could bankrupt the Church of Scientology [CoS] in that country – and perhaps further. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of thieves! An Australian federal senator, Adelaide's Nick Xenophon, has made public the church's abuse of their own staff; they’re paid some A$50 a week [US$53] and have been receiving that salary for some 30 years now. The legal minimum wage there is A$590/week [US$630]… One way the church gets around this minor problem is by pretending that the staff consists of volunteers. Sure.
I'd like to thank you
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- Written by James Randi
- Category: James Randi
- Hits: 8829
Dear Friend,
Next week, We'll be mailing out Flim-Flam! bumper stickers as a special thank you to all the new monthly donors who took a stand with us. I hope that we'll be sending one of these bumper stickers to you.
If you're still thinking about joining our monthly donor program, now is the time to sign up and Take a Stand for Skepticism.
Don’t miss your chance to receive a Flim-Flam! bumper sticker for making this commitment to our shared mission—there's still time. Your monthly gift will make a difference immediately.
Your generous support will help the JREF:
- Expose paranormal and pseudoscientific frauds in the media, and hold media organizations accountable for promoting dangerous nonsense
- Provide grants and free teaching modules to educators, to help them inspire an investigative spirit in the next generation of critical thinkers
- Award scholarships that encourage scientific skepticism among students
- Support grassroots skeptics groups with tools to help them organize and promote skepticism and critical thinking
- Digitally publish the important works of skepticism for distribution on the iPad, Kindle and other e-readers
- And organize major conferences and other gatherings that bring the entire skeptical community together
Your continuing contribution will help keep the light of reason shining all year long.
Please join our monthly donors today.
As always, thank you for all that you do.
Very sincerely, 
James Randi
Founder
Randi Foundation Responds to "Psychic Nikki”
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- Written by JREF
- Category: Newsflash
- Hits: 13467
Delivered via Twitter on September 6, 2011:
Nikki, I’ve read in the news that you’ve said you’ll take our Million Dollar Challenge and put your claimed psychic abilities to the test. You told CBC News, “I would say yes, I would take [the] challenge because I have enough faith in my own abilities, if I was available.”
You seem to be available for interviews, but so far, we haven’t heard anything from you.
If it’s true that you have faith in your own abilities, follow through and take us up on our challenge. I hope that you do follow through, and aren’t just misleading the media to get your name in the news.
Ten years ago this week, infamous U.S. “psychic” Sylvia Browne claimed on national TV that she’d take us up on our challenge. Sylvia must have no faith in her abilities, because all these years since, we’ve been waiting for her to return our calls. James Van Praagh and others have also failed to return calls about the challenge. I hope that you have more integrity than they do.
You can reach us anytime at +1 (703) 226-3794, or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., to find out more or to accept our challenge and arrange for a test of your abilities. In any case, we will keep the media informed of whether or not you accept the challenge and agree to a test.
James Randi, Founder
James Randi Educational Foundation
Your Skeptic Stories
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- Written by Maria Myrback
- Category: Swift
- Hits: 424116
[Editor’s Note: “Your Skeptic Stories” is an ongoing series written by readers like you, people who have, through one means or another, discovered skepticism and critical thinking. These stories remind us that we all started somewhere and some of us are still finding our way as skeptics If you are interested in contributing your own story, please submit your piece of around 1000 words to maria (at) randi.org along with a short 2-3 line bio.
Today’s story comes from Lauren]
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