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Quest for the Grail

(Note: This post will be up for the rest of the week on the front page. However, stories continue to be posted on the site – just click on the ‘Recent Posts’ or ‘Grail Blog’ links at the top of the page to find them.)

In a few months time, The Daily Grail will have been running for 15 years. That’s a long time for any organisation, let alone a website. I’m proud of what we’ve done here, amazed at the friends I’ve made and the community we’ve developed. But 15 years is a long time to be doing something, especially when it requires very long hours for basically no reward. In that time I’ve been married and had three kids, and in recent years my work on the Grail has inconvenienced my family in many ways, from lack of time to lack of money. It’s not fair on them to continue in this manner. So, change is required.

I need to either make this website self-sustaining by running it more professionally, or I need to get out and do something else. I would prefer the former, no doubt. But I need your help to do it – I need some seed funding through which I can redesign the website, pay writers for regular content, and promote TDG around the internet.

I can’t ask you to pay for something you can’t see yet, but I can ask you to perhaps chip in some money for the daily news and articles we’ve presented over recent years. Does The Daily Grail help you out, educate or entertain you, or otherwise add something to you life? Is it worth something to you, or would you not care either way if it disappeared from the web? I would welcome any amount you see fit to contribute, because this is a tipping point in the future of the Grail.

I’ve set up a PayPal button through which you can pay a retrospective subscription to TDG for everything you’ve read in recent years – you can choose your own value. But in order to make it a little more attractive, I’ll also be attaching some rewards (yet to be determined) to individual subscription levels as thanks for your support. You can help keep TDG running via this button:


Select a subscription


(BTW I’d appreciate feedback on how the button works – PayPal removed my ability to use the ‘Donate’ button as I wasn’t a non-profit organisation, and I can’t test this button myself as the account holder. You can email me via greg – at – dailygrail.com)

I also appreciate any feedback or suggestions for how the site can evolve to help serve readers better – this site has always been about the community of free-thinkers who read it regularly, and I hope we can continue on into the future. I of course also welcome any discussion of ways of making it work as a business. You can either email me via the address above, or put in your two cents in the comments below.

My thanks and appreciation to you for your support!

Editor
  1. Too sexy for my shirt…
    Dude, we need to offer some merch! TDG shirts & mugs for example.

    We should also probably make a commitment to write a book review (with an Amazon link) every week. In fact, the site could use an Amazon button, that way if someone wants to help with some cash that’ll come out of Jeff Bezos pocket, they’ll be able to do so more easily.

    1. Book Reviews by Grail Gnus
      [quote=RPJ]We should also probably make a commitment to write a book review (with an Amazon link) every week.[/quote]

      I have a piñata plethora of near-completed book reviews sitting on my macbook; which is broken because I can’t afford to fix it and recover the files. This is on top of my boondocks 1990s-era internet connection for most of the year. It’s definitely something on my list of priorities for Grail contributions though.

      Now how about a Daily Grail forum/message board? I volunteer RPJ to moderate.

    2. The Grail Store — t-shirts, coffee mugs, Necronomicons!
      I’d love to have a Grail mug/beer stein (for Stonecutter get-togethers). There are so many design options and slogans to take from the Fortean-verse. The mugshot of this guy in the red mask would look great on a t-shirt, for example. I love the smell of Red Pills in the morning.

  2. Subscription…
    The Daily Grail has provided me with nearly 15 years worth of interesting news, so I clicked the button and paid my retrospective subscription. (and it all worked fine!)

    It would a sad day for TDG to disappear, and many thanks Greg for keeping it going through thick and thin.

    1. Cheers Nostra!
      [quote=Nostradamus]The Daily Grail has provided me with nearly 15 years worth of interesting news, so I clicked the button and paid my retrospective subscription. (and it all worked fine!)

      It would a sad day for TDG to disappear, and many thanks Greg for keeping it going through thick and thin.[/quote]

      Cheers Nostra! And thanks to you too for being an active member of the DG community for many years.
      🙂

  3. Family Comes First
    In my world, family is always more important than anything else. If the blog is putting a hurt on your family and taking you away from them, then the blog has reached the end of its “shelf life” and needs to be mothballed or the baton should be passed.

    Though you will have those three progeny until you die, they will be children for only a very short while. Better to be tossing a ball around with them now, then worrying about, for example, NDE stories. We’ll all know the truth about that soon enough anyway.

    1. Indeed
      [quote=purrlgurrl]In my world, family is always more important than anything else. If the blog is putting a hurt on your family and taking you away from them, then the blog has reached the end of its “shelf life” and needs to be mothballed or the baton should be passed.

      Though you will have those three progeny until you die, they will be children for only a very short while. Better to be tossing a ball around with them now, then worrying about, for example, NDE stories. We’ll all know the truth about that soon enough anyway.[/quote]

      Hi Purrl Gurrl,

      Since my father got Alzheimer’s at any early age we’ve always put an emphasis on living life and sharing family time, so that’s definitely always something I pay attention to. And if I could manage to turn this into a workable business, that would actually help on that front – the tough bit is the ‘turning’ though. That’s where the time issues come in. Life, it certainly throws challenges our way.

    1. Thanks Darryl!
      [quote=Sandy B]Greg, I want you to know how appreciative I am of your service and if there is anything…ANY-THING…I can do let me know.

      Darryl aka Sandy B

      http://forum.mind-energy.net/skeptiko-podcast/5277-support-daily-grail.html%5B/quote%5D

      Thanks for the spreading of the word – and BTW I’ve always enjoyed your posts over there at the Mind-Energy forum (often read it, don’t have time to post)!

      BTW, have added this username to our ‘Trusted User’ group, so if you choose to comment here in future you should not to have to deal with any anti-spam measures when you do so.

    1. I just went “platinum” for
      I just went “platinum” for TDG. Hoping you can find a way to stay. People are stingy with their money these days, but let’s get our priorities straight after all.

      1. Cheers very much
        [quote=emlong]I just went “platinum” for TDG. Hoping you can find a way to stay. People are stingy with their money these days, but let’s get our priorities straight after all.[/quote]

        I appreciate that very much, though considering you have been one of a small group to chip in each year you certainly didn’t need to do that. Thanks!

    2. Agreed
      [quote=nycjeff]any chance you can work out a bitcoin button?
      I’m sort of done with paypal.[/quote]

      I hope and pray for a better micropayment solution every day dude! IMO such a development is a necessity for the future of alternative community websites.

  4. There you go…
    After 10 years or so of reading The Daily Grail but not participating much, I set my priorities straigh and went Gold… actually twice, by mistake, so not platinum, but maybe Shining Gold.

    Greg, I always start my day reading this site. To watch it go without even doing something as simple as a donation should be considered ungrateful and irresponsible.

    May you get enough to keep TDG alive.

    P.D.: Greetings to Red Pill Junkie from somewhere in Mexico City.

    1. Thanks and ‘welcome’
      [quote=alejandroestrella69]After 10 years or so of reading The Daily Grail but not participating much, I set my priorities straigh and went Gold… actually twice, by mistake, so not platinum, but maybe Shining Gold.

      Greg, I always start my day reading this site. To watch it go without even doing something as simple as a donation should be considered ungrateful and irresponsible.

      May you get enough to keep TDG alive.

      P.D.: Greetings to Red Pill Junkie from somewhere in Mexico City.[/quote]

      Thanks Alejandro, and ‘welcome’ to the site as a member after many years as an anonymous reader! I’ve added your username to the ‘Trusted User’ group here on TDG, so if you comment in future you shouldn’t have to deal with any anti-spam nonsense when you do so. Hope to hear more from you!

  5. PayPal button works
    Love your site. It’s been a mainstay of my internet activities for many years (far longer than my “member since” stat would suggest.

    Your family is key and is sine qua non. Hopefully, a transformed Grail can sustain you and still allow us these glimpses of other realities.

    A googolplex of thanks!

    Platinum from me.

    1. Cheers Keith!
      [quote=Keith_Ellis]Love your site. It’s been a mainstay of my internet activities for many years (far longer than my “member since” stat would suggest.

      Your family is key and is sine qua non. Hopefully, a transformed Grail can sustain you and still allow us these glimpses of other realities.

      A googolplex of thanks!

      Platinum from me.[/quote]

      Thanks Keith, love to hear from longtime ‘anonymous’ readers! Sometimes there’s a real juxtaposition between the hit counter and the number of commenters, so always good to hear from the silent majority. I’ve added your username to our ‘Trusted User’ group, which should allow you to bypass any anti-spam measures if you care to comment on anything in the future (no excuse now!).

  6. Financial help
    As Purrigurri very rightly said (or at least implied), if financial and time constraints are creating personal and family difficulties for Greg then it’s unfair to expect him to continue as he has been doing for so many years. I personally have no problem in making a donation, but I realise that for many Grail readers that may not be quite so easy. A new model is needed, but how to ensure that it will be inclusive and thereby maintain the spirit of this site, and the presence of all its current members, is not an easy question to answer. One thing is for sure, though, Greg needs help, and it’s up to us, his friends and fellow travellers, to provide it.

    1. Reality Sandwich?
      I’ve just become a silver subscriber but I have contributed to most, if not all of the previous appeals and have no problem doing so. I love this site and have done so since the 90’s.

      Yesterday I donated to that other fine site: Reality Sandwich and it looks like their appeal is going well. That got me wondering whether you, Greg, might consider integrating with their setup? It might take some of the load off you and bring you a bigger audience too. I haven’t thought it through so I have no idea whether that would be practical or not.

    2. Needing a new model
      [quote=troglet]As Purrigurri very rightly said (or at least implied), if financial and time constraints are creating personal and family difficulties for Greg then it’s unfair to expect him to continue as he has been doing for so many years. I personally have no problem in making a donation, but I realise that for many Grail readers that may not be quite so easy. A new model is needed, but how to ensure that it will be inclusive and thereby maintain the spirit of this site, and the presence of all its current members, is not an easy question to answer. One thing is for sure, though, Greg needs help, and it’s up to us, his friends and fellow travellers, to provide it.[/quote]

      Thanks Troglet, appreciate the kind words, and the ‘new model’ is exactly what I’m working on – hopefully to the benefit of everyone!

  7. paypal
    As soon as i work out some kinks on my paypal account i will gladly contribute. it’s not the button, it’s me. Trying to get a bank to cooperate with paypal for an online business i’m opening and i can’t mix expenditures right now, not even for buying things for the business…..oye…i hate banks 😛

    i’m in a paperwork vortex!

  8. No-Brainer
    Not many things around us these days that I can call a clear no-brainer, but giving the max I had was one, and without a moment’s hesitation. Yes, of course, I can go get my Woo elsewhere – but I want my high-quality intellectual Woo, TDG style. Thank you, Greg, and you beautiful admins you, for your very hard work. And for your constant deep discernment and good taste.

    …….
    et cetera

    1. And thank YOU!
      [quote=et cetera]Not many things around us these days that I can call a clear no-brainer, but giving the max I had was one, and without a moment’s hesitation. Yes, of course, I can go get my Woo elsewhere – but I want my high-quality intellectual Woo, TDG style. Thank you, Greg, and you beautiful admins you, for your very hard work. And for your constant deep discernment and good taste.
      [/quote]

      Thank you too for being an active member of the community, and of course for your kind words. Always happy to spread the (high-quality intellectual) woo! 😉

  9. The button works fine! Money
    The button works fine! Money sent!

    I appreciate the work you do on this site. I get a lot of value from the Grail.

    My suggestion would be making Dark Lore editions available on Kindle. That would expand your market. Design some cool shirts, screen print with quality shirts and hoodies, and sell right here on your own site. I want one already. Create some ebooks that you can sell on the site. Create a Daily Grail University, and host some classes on all that is weird and wonderful.

    Good luck! I’ve been reading this site for a very long time. I hope you can keep the Grail alive!

    1. Good ideas
      [quote=Lonnie]The button works fine! Money sent!

      I appreciate the work you do on this site. I get a lot of value from the Grail.

      My suggestion would be making Dark Lore editions available on Kindle. That would expand your market. Design some cool shirts, screen print with quality shirts and hoodies, and sell right here on your own site. I want one already. Create some ebooks that you can sell on the site. Create a Daily Grail University, and host some classes on all that is weird and wonderful.
      [/quote]

      Thanks Lonnie, and appreciate the suggestion. The eBook route is definitely something I’m working on as a possible way to sustain the site, and Darklore is one of those things that needs to be converted. The difficulty is in reaching some of the original contributors to obtain permission (ebooks aren’t in the original contracts), and also due to the price of ebooks there might need to be some renegotiation on royalty rates. But yes, great idea and rest assured I am on it. 🙂

      As with others here, have added your username to the ‘Trusted Users’ group so that you don’t have to deal with any PITA anti-spam measures when commenting in future.

  10. My daily
    The Daily Grail is MY daily and as such I have donated for your yearly donation drives every time I am capable for the past 4 years. I’m glad to be a gold subscriber, and very much hope the site is able to continue running!

    1. Thank you
      [quote=ashwattha]The Daily Grail is MY daily and as such I have donated for your yearly donation drives every time I am capable for the past 4 years. I’m glad to be a gold subscriber, and very much hope the site is able to continue running![/quote]

      Thanks so much for your support not only now, but in the past as well! A true Grailer for sure – your contributions are directly responsible for this site still being alive.

  11. Daily Grail with my morning
    Daily Grail with my morning tea has been a ritual off and on the past few years. It allows me to at least dip my toes into the fringe when I’m otherwise consumed by parenting. I’d be disappointed to see you go. I hope you find the time, funds and motivation to keep going 🙂

    1. Happy to be of service!
      [quote=Marianne_M]Daily Grail with my morning tea has been a ritual off and on the past few years. It allows me to at least dip my toes into the fringe when I’m otherwise consumed by parenting. I’d be disappointed to see you go. I hope you find the time, funds and motivation to keep going :)[/quote]

      Hi Marianne,

      I know the feeling! Thanks so much for supporting the site, we really appreciate it – have added your username to our ‘Trusted Users’ group, to make future commenting a bit easier (no anti-spam hoops to jump through).

    1. Super!
      [quote=SuperTed]Gotta be worth $50!

      This is one of my few go-to sites so I’m happy to help.[/quote]

      Awesome, thank so much SuperTed. (that feels a little bit weird to say out loud). You’ve obviously earnt your name today. 🙂

  12. Long time Reader, first time contactee
    Many thanks for the years of hard work, your site has helped me immensely over that tme. I should have contributed before now.

    Warm regards from Portsmouth, UK.

    1. Mmm, fresh meat
      [quote=monkey-spunk]Many thanks for the years of hard work, your site has helped me immensely over that tme. I should have contributed before now.

      Warm regards from Portsmouth, UK.[/quote]

      Cheers! We always do love to see first-time contactees here… 😉

      Have added your username to the ‘Trusted Users’ group so that you might even comment again sometime before another 4 years has passed!

    1. Yay!
      [quote=LastLoup]what I could, keeping it private. Thank you Greg and all at TDG for all you do :)[/quote]

      Thanks LastLoup, and appreciate your contributions as a long-time commenting member here on TDG. It’s all about the community and the conversation!

    1. Good idea in theory
      [quote=MSobke]If I might suggest setting it up as a recurring subscription. Easy as pie and likely more stable for you.[/quote]

      Thanks for the suggestion, and I agree in theory – though I worry about whether people will feel ‘locked in’ (though they could opt out anytime they like). Once we get things set-up a bit better, we might look into doing this with a bit more of a plan in hand (e.g. certain subscription levels get you certain benefits). Speaking of which, have added your username to the ‘Trusted User’ group to help make commenting in future a bit easier (no anti-spam measures to deal with).

  13. A Daily Essential
    The daily grail is one of, if not the best source of fringe news.
    I certainly check almost daily. The Darklore Books are all excellent starting points for further investigation. Always entertaining, and thought provoking.

    1. Cheers!
      [quote=MisterY]The daily grail is one of, if not the best source of fringe news.
      I certainly check almost daily. The Darklore Books are all excellent starting points for further investigation. Always entertaining, and thought provoking.[/quote]

      Thanks for the kind comments, love to hear feedback good and bad, but the good is more fun! 😉

  14. Alternative Ways to Contribute?
    I remember a similar request a while back. I’d love to contribute but do not have a PayPal acct, and unfortunately never will. A while ago it was suggested that people could buy a book from Amazon? Is that option still available? Can you post links?

    As much as I hate commercialism and advertising.. I SECOND the idea for Graildise. T-shirts, tea cups, stress UFO balls that you can throw at people in the office, that type of thing.

    And just to let you know how much the site is appreciated, a short story. I started visiting the site way back when it first started. I still remember the April Fool’s Stories which I’d vote to bring back! Recently I was using my son’s laptop to surf and left the Grail loaded when I closed down the computer. On our nightly dog walk, my 11 year old started talking about some LHC topic that he had no right to know about let alone discuss. The next topic was just as strange for an 11 year old to discuss. So I stopped and asked where he was getting this stuff, because I had read some of it earlier in the day on the Grail. My son has been reading the Grail ever since I left the page loaded in the web browser on his laptop!!!!! So we’re talking about second generation readers here!!!

    One more thanks for the continuing efforts to maintain and run the Grail to Greg and the rest of the Grailers

    Drinking tea in America…
    Thomas

    1. Generation Grail
      That’s an awesome story, Thommes, thanks for sharing! In fact, if other Grailers can’t afford nor have the means to donate, then share a good story about your connection with the Grail. It’s always great to hear how people found the Grail, or the Grail found them (nothing to do with PRISM, we swear).

      I hear Greg plans on giving TDG to his kids to run one day, as part of their inheritance. Imagine the site run on a quantum computer…

  15. I’ve been around since ’99-’00
    so it goes without saying that I’ll chip in! Please leave the paypal button on during the next week so I can go to the bank and charge up the paypal-linked acount…

    All the best Greg, I come here almost daily but seldom login he he…

    1. I like this Mk II model…
      [quote=archdake mkII]so it goes without saying that I’ll chip in! Please leave the paypal button on during the next week so I can go to the bank and charge up the paypal-linked acount…

      All the best Greg, I come here almost daily but seldom login he he…[/quote]

      Thanks Archdake, great to hear from you! The PayPal button should be available on the right-hand side of the front page at all times.

    1. Yup
      [quote=feasting.with.panthers]I would support a monthly sustaining subscription. Would 500 of us subscribing $5 a month make this work?[/quote]

      Certainly would, and even better 5000 at $1 each a month. But the internet doesn’t work like that (at least not yet), so it would take some work for us to push up from around 30 ‘regular’ contributors to the site all the way to 500, let alone 5000. But definitely something worth aiming for!

  16. I’ll be kicking into the
    I’ll be kicking into the kitty this weekend and as always have TDG as a featured link on The Secret Sun.

    I would hate to see TDG go and hope you’d hand it over to a new proprietor ( I vote for our pal Red Pill Junkie). If I could make one suggestion, I’d like to see a more aggressive and uncompromising attitude towards the material, more emphasis on the mind-boggling epidemic of fraud in mainstream science in the newsfeed, more pieces like the excellent series on RaMBLin’ Randi, exposing the staggering moral and ethical sins of the Skeptic movement and a more vigorous and bare-knuckled defense of paranormalia.

    A database and/or FAQs exposing the lies, tricks, con games and sleight of hand of the so-called skeptics would be a major tonic for the troops.

    We are at a weird place in the Internet timeline, with Borg-training sites like Twitter and Reddit doing serious damage to public discourse. Sneering and mockery and denialism are eating away at the old idealist dreams like maggots on roadkill of the Information Stupidhighway.

    It’s interesting to see onetime cyberidealists like Doug Rushkoff and Jaron Lanier wake up to the realization that “web” and “net” are both words describing deathtraps. Skepticism (so called) and atheism are now giving way to nihilism and nihilism always leads to fascism. Look at the horror show unfolding in previous socialist countries such as Russia, Greece and Hungary to see the eternal devolution.

    1. New proprietor
      Thanks for the vote of confidence, though I’m quite certain I’d never be able to fill Greg shoes –this from a man who wears 11 size 😛

      The fact is that I’d rather do all I can in order to preserve this site just the way it stands today; on Greg’s trusty hands 🙂

      I know what you mean, Chris. From time to time I like to comment on sites like io9, where the norm is to mock things like UFOs by employing all the cliched tactics. It’s a bit daunting sometimes, but someone’s gotta do it 😉

    2. Thanks Chris
      [quote=SecretSun]I’d like to see a more aggressive and uncompromising attitude towards the material, more emphasis on the mind-boggling epidemic of fraud in mainstream science in the newsfeed, more pieces like the excellent series on RaMBLin’ Randi[/quote]

      After however many years of pointing out the slipperiness of a number of skeptics, I’ve grown pretty tired of the whole thing. I post when I see something that I think is worthwhile pointing out, but I have little time or patience for getting into non-constructive debates with skeptics anymore. I understand your thoughts though…Randi has over the years become a minor internet deity. But sometimes you can achieve quite a bit I think slowly over time – see the entire chapter on Randi in Will Storr’s The Heretics for example, which has certainly changed a number of people’s opinion on the Amazing One.

      [quote]A database and/or FAQs exposing the lies, tricks, con games and sleight of hand of the so-called skeptics would be a major tonic for the troops. [/quote]

      Not sure about a database, but I have considered an ebook listing some of the more hiliarious howlers from skeptics.

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