Oops I did it again! The 120th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle

Damn them Europeans and their being five or six hours ahead! They screw me up when it comes to plugging the Skeptics' Circle. Oh, wait. This time around I'm a day late. Rats. My excuse doesn't work. Never mind...

In any case, longtime commenter at RI (who also has his own most excellent blog), Kristjan Wager has served up yet another heapin' helpin' of skepticism and critical thinking at the 120th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle. Go. Read. Enjoy.

Then come back in two weeks to do the same for The Mad Skeptic on October 8, preferably after having submitted your own pearl of skeptical genius. Also, don't forget: There's still one more opening for a Skeptics' Circle host in 2009. It's on December 17. Let's try to get the year filled out in style.

Reading the entrails: The 119th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle

It's that time again, time for another meeting of that--choke!--"venerable" blog carnival known as the Skeptic's Circle.

Sorry, it just bugs me that the Circle I took over four years ago is now counted as "venerable." Oh, well.

In any case, this time around, it's at Cubik's Rube (great name for a blog, BTW), and it's a rip-roaring tale in which our host conjures a god. I kid you not. He really does. But he ends up...well, you'll just have to check out the 119th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle to find out what happens. I will say no more.

Also, don't forget that a mere two weeks hence, on September 24, the 120th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle will appear at an old stalwart favorite, Pro-Science. Get your skeptical fingers a'tappin' on your keyboard and lay down some more fantastic skeptical blogging for Kristjan Wager to use as raw material.

And, of course, if you ever want to host one of these puppies, peruse the schedule and guidelines for hosts and then drop me a line.

Skeptical Blog Anthology 2009: Open for nominations

Given the skeptical bloggy goodness that arrives right here every other week in the form of the Skeptics' Circle, how could those of us entrusted with promoting skepticism on the Internet refuse to hawk something like this e-mail:

Inspired by the annual The Open Laboratory, the Skeptical Blog Anthology is a printed anthology of blog posts voted the very best of 2009, managed by the Young Australian Skeptics in conjunction with the Critical Teaching Education Group (CTEG).

Entries for the Skeptical Blog Anthology can be submitted to the Young Australian Skeptics Website at http://www.youngausskeptics.com/anthology.

The anthology is an attempt to bring a greater awareness of the skeptical content on blog sites and showcase some of the range and diversity in the blogosphere. With a combined aim to provide text-based resources to classes and general readers who may be interested or intrigued by what skepticism has to offer, entries from January 1st to December 1st 2009 are eligible for submission. Both a print and portable document format (pdf) will be made available for purchase via Lulu.com, with estimated printing early in 2010.

Entries can be self-nominated or proposed by readers of skeptical blog sites. The guidelines proposed by the popular Skeptics' Circle Blog Carnival are a fine indicator of the kind of content suitable for the anthology. These include urban legends, the paranormal, quackery, pseudoscience, intelligent design, historical revisionism, critical thinking, skeptical parenting / educating skeptically, superstitions, etc. The submission form on the Young Australian Skeptics site will guide you through the eligibility criteria.

Inquiries can be made to either youngausskeptics@live.com or ksturgess@podblack.com.

Even better, the 2009 Skeptical Blog Anthology now has badges! They're a bit more Twitterish than I would have designed but overall are quite attractive.

So get out there and start nominating! Hosts of the Skeptics Circle, past and present, consider nominating one post from the Circle you hosted (or will host between now and the end of the year). Let's help the young Aussies make this project a rip-roaring success!

Oops I did it again! The 118th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle

I've been a bad, bad boy. In particular, I've been a bad, bad host in that I totally forgot to hawk the last Skeptics' Circle back on August 27, nearly a week ago.

So, please, go make up for my horrific error and visit The 118 Skeptics' Circle: Looking Closely Edition. Now. Peruse the skeptical bloggy goodness that is there.

Hmmm. I wonder if too many toxins have built up in my bloodstream and are causing incipient Alzheimer's disease. Maybe I need some chelation and a colon cleanse or two.

In any event, don't let me forget that next week Cubik's Rube will be hosting on Thursday, September 10. Instructions for submitting your work are here, and guidelines are here.