HomeSkepticism

September, 2003
By now, most people should be aware of the James Randi Educational Foundation's Million Dollar Challenge. A tireless advocate of critical thinking and skepticism, James Randi offers the prize, which will go "to anyone who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event."

That should be easy, considering not just the money, but also the vast, positive impact on humanity. But, although this is a fantastic offer, nobody has yet won it. Some try, all fail, and for the same reason: They cannot do what they claim to do.

But wait. There's more.

Lot's more!

By the combined offers of skeptical organizations all over the world, it is possible to cash in no less than

Strangely enough, some of these people, when offered money, turn it down for various reasons. One of them is that the money is "tainted", has "bad karma", and "negative waves". Another is that they are not interested in money themselves, so why should they take these challenges?

Why indeed?

What can you do with a mere $2,326,500, in this day and age?

Well, you can buy a Lamborghini, a really nice 2-bedroom co-op on the Upper East Side, Manhattan, or a few crates of caviar. You can go on a whopping shopping spree that would leave Ivana Trump positively green with envy.

Or, you could...

• Feed 90,000 starving people with rice for one year.
• Keep 25 hospitals, each with 100 beds, operational for one year, saving countless of lives.
• Buy 145,406 pairs of crutches for people with their legs blown off by landmines.
• Buy 15,510 wheelchairs or artificial limbs for landmine victims.
• Buy 58,162,500 water purification tablets, capable of cleaning 581,625,000 liters.
  This will provide clean water for at least 227,641 people for one year.
• Buy 46,530,000 packets of Oral Rehydration Salts to treat diarrhea, a leading cause of death among children.
• Buy 7,755 school-in-a-box kits, with educational supplies for up to 80 children each.
  That's 620,400 children.
• Buy new clothing for 36,351 children who have lost almost everything.
• Provide 116,325 infants with formula or baby food for a week.
• Pay for the removal of between 2,326 and 7,755 landmines.
  Each month, more than 2,000 people are either killed or maimed by landmines.

Why, indeed?

Red Cross

National Honor Society

United Way International

Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation

Editor's note: Thanks to JimTheBrit and ASKE for supplying the data.

Editor's note: As of March 6th, 2010, the JREF Challenge will be discontinued.