The Twenty-sixth Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle

It's that time again. The Twenty-sixth Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle has been posted at Skeptic Rant, and Sean has done a great job gathering the best blogging devoted to skepticism and critical thinking. He's even gone so far as to create an über-cool Flash animation to lead the reader to the posts in the Circle, thus going above and beyond the call of duty as a host. (I wish I knew how to make Flash animations like that.)

It occurs to me, though. This latest Circle represents the last Skeptics' Circle of its first year. It's been an eventful first year, ever since the very First Skeptics' Circle was hosted by its creator, Saint Nate, to my reluctant assumption of the duties of organizing the Circle when Nate retired from blogging. The next edition, to be hosted on February 2 by Prometheus at Photon in the Darkness, will represent the first Skeptics' Circle of its second year of existence, and I'm urging everyone to help Prometheus get the second year of the Skeptics' Circle off to a great start by sending him your best stuff by a deadline on February 1 to be announced by Prometheus.

Yes, last year was a great year for the Circle, despite its upheaval last summer. I want make its second year even better than the first, but I need your help. Consequently, I'm putting out an appeal for bloggers who might be interested in hosting their very own Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle. If you think you have what it takes to host a Skeptics' Circle that would make The Amazing Randi or Michael Shermer proud, drop me a line at oracknows@gmail.com. We're booked through April, but I'd like to get the rest of the spring taken care of and start working on lining up hosts for the early summer.

The first Skeptics' Circle of the New Year

The first Skeptics' Circle of the New Year has been posted at the Saga of Runolfr, this time in the form of a medieval meeting of Lords:

Even though it was winter in the north, where the Sun would not rise for many days and snow and ice held the land in a ferocious grip, the great Lords of skeptical thought would not rest. They had searched their realms for the claims of the foolish and credulous, and now they journeyed to the hall of Ulfsheim, where Runolfr, son of Ulf, called the Word Chooser, would host their discussion of matters unproven.

As they entered the hall, servants took their great fur coats and hung them on pegs along the walls. They seated themselves on benches around the great central fire, and more servants brought out drinking horns brimming with mead. They muttered among themselves and sipped from their horns until the last of had arrived, then Lord Runolfr rose from his seat at the head of the hall and raised his arms for silence.

“Great Lords and Ladies of the Realms of Clear Thought. Let our business begin!” he shouted. “The Skeptic Thing has begun! Rise and share your wisdom!”

What other format for the Circle would you expect from a blogger going by the 'nym of Lord Runolfr? Once again, there's more great stuff, showing that skeptics didn't rest (well, not entirely, anyway) over the holidays.

Next up in two weeks is Skeptic Rant. Start getting those skeptical posts ready to submit to Sean by January 18 and join us again two weeks hence on January 19 for more skepticism.

Finally, with the new year upon us, have you considered hosting the Skeptics' Circle? Those of you who have submitted work to the Circle before, have you considered how much fun hosting could be (not to mention the extra traffic it could bring your way)? Anyway, if you're interested in hosting, check out the Skeptics' Circle archive and schedule to see if it's something you'd like to do and then, if it is, drop me a line at oracknows@gmail.com.