by D. Trull
Enigma Editor
dtrull@parascope.com
James Randi, the debunker of claims of the paranormal known worldwide as the Amazing Randi, has announced the establishment of the James Randi Educational Foundation. A newly incorporated non-profit organization, the Foundation will serve as a global network for the study of bizarre phenomena.
The Foundation's primary objectives will be to fund investigations into supernatural and paranormal claims, conduct investigations of its own, and publicize the findings. It will also serve as a clearing house for information related to this field of inquiry, which will be placed at the disposal of scientists, students, the media and the public at large.
At its headquarters in Florida, the Randi Foundation will set up a comprehensive reference and lending library of books, videos and computer media. A World Wide Web server will furnish state-of-the-art Internet access to a wealth of resources, and a Randi Foundation web page is now online. The Foundation will offer a variety of classes and seminars to students and the public, and will award scholarships for essays and achievements in the study of the paranormal.
The intent is to provide these services and fulfill information requests at little or no cost. Nonetheless, Randi anticipates that the Foundation -- whose creation was made possible by an anonymous Washington, D.C., benefactor -- will raise enough money through grants to become self-supporting within its first two years.
The Randi Foundation is actively seeking the involvement of individuals who wish to help with the project, whether contributing materials, offering technical and computer assistance, or lending any other much-needed support. "We hope to interest competent academics in various fields, in joining in the work of the Foundation," Randi said. "In particular, we are looking for persons involved in parapsychology to co-operate and work with us. Several persons have already been approached and have expressed interest."
Randi stresses that the Foundation's goal is to work alongside other organizations that investigate similar matters, not to engage in competition. "Our battle should be with pseudoscience, superstition, quackery, nonsense, and misinformation -- not with one another. I look forward to using this great opportunity which has been entrusted to me, for the purpose of not only educating the public, but reminding all of us that we can only succeed if we work together."
If you are interested in learning more, you can e-mail James Randi at randi@randi.org , or visit the James Randi Educational Foundation web site.
(c) Copyright 1996 ParaScope, Inc.
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