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michigantriangleThe JREF headquarters is in Fort Lauderdale, FL, just a few miles from the "infamous" and thoroughly explained Bermuda Triangle. Two of the JREF's "Amaz!ng Adventure" cruises have sailed through this "Hoodoo Sea," and in fact it's one of the most heavily trafficked areas in the world on both land and sea. The number of incidents in the area — including disappearances — is on par with other parts of the ocean. Lloyd's of London charges no more for its insured vessels in these waters, and that alone should tell you something.

Ships and planes have disappeared there, of course. They also disappear in other places. One of those places is Lake Michigan.

That's right — Lake Michigan has its own triangle.

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The James Randi Educational Foundation is excited to hear that Drinking Skeptically will return again for TAM 8. ThisPoker Chip year's festivities will be co-hosted by New York City Skeptics, National Capital Area Skeptics, and Center for Inquiry-Washington, DC.

When: Thursday July 8th @ 9PM

Where: The South Point Casino's "Silverado Lounge"

There is no charge to attend--whether or not you want to drink, just stop by, get to know your fellow TAM attendees, and enjoy the company of skeptics from all over the world (and yes, they will have "poker chip"" buttons again).

To commemorate the event, special, limited edition t-shirts are now available. These shirts feature the Drinking Skeptically @ TAM8 "poker chip" style logo on the front and the logos of the co-sponsoring groups on the back.
 All proceeds will help support NYC Skeptics, CFI-DC, and NCAS.  Order your t-shirt here.

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I wrote recently about an “Ode to Joy” moment I experienced 17 years ago, when I first walked into my university library and discovered the full depth of the skeptical literature. Since then, I’ve had many other wonderful moments in my life as a skeptic: the day I discovered Skeptic magazine (in a café in Sherbrooke, Quebec in 1995); the first time I saw hundreds of skeptics in one room (at “The Amazing Meeting 2″ conference in 2004); or, the day last year when the Skeptics Society announced the release of a free full-color Junior Skeptic-based evolution book to thousands of Portuguese school children.

Today I’m writing about another Ode to Joy moment — one of the greatest of my career. It’s a moment I’ve long hoped for, and never expected to see: last week’s announcement that The Amazing Meeting 8 conference (July 8 – 11, 2010, in Las Vegas) will be co-sponsored by all three U.S. national skeptics organizations:

In keeping with recent trends for national US skeptical organizations to work more closely together to advance shared aims, the James Randi Educational Foundation is very pleased to announce that…both the Skeptics Society, as well as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (formerly CSICOP), will officially be co-sponsors of the event, providing both financial and promotional support to the JREF for the meeting.

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Grassroots Skeptics is pleased to announce that we’re partnering with the James Randi Educational Foundation to present a workshop on grassroots skeptical organizing at The Amazing Meeting 8. We’re assembling a fantastic group of skeptical organizers and activists, who will share their experiences, and offer lots of practical tips. If you’re looking for advice about starting a local skeptics group, how to grow the membership of your existing group, or ideas for events you can plan to help spread critical thinking in your community, then we’ll have something for you.

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Deirdre Barrett talks about supernormal stimuli, which are exaggerated versions of natural stimuli to which there are existing instinctual responses. She discusses how our evolved instincts are overwhelmed by technological advances and other facets of modern society. She explores how pornography, unhealthy diets, and even the quest for nuclear energy as opposed to wind or solar energy are supernormal stimuli. And she explains how undue credulity in the supernatural and the paranormal may be a function of our natural instincts to believe becoming overrun by supernormal stimuli.

Also, in this week’s edition of the Honest Liar, we consider the similarities between a streetside scam artist and a billion dollar Ponzi schemer.

Listen now at ForGoodReason.org.

  1. James Randi Speaks: Powered by Sunlight
  2. Sense From The Ashes
  3. Register now for JREF Workshops in Louisville and Chicago.
  4. TAM as Social Media Glue