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Here is a recap of the stories that appeared last week at Science-Based Medicine, a multi-author skeptical blog that separates the science from the woo in medicine. 

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It's happened again, folks, this time in Palmdale, California. A woman claiming to be a psychic has been arrested for allegedly preying on a 12-year-old girl by scaring her into stealing $10,000 in valuables from her family. The 'psychic' held seances in her garage -- which sounds like it was decorated like a Halloween haunted house -- and she's accused of threatening the girl with horrible things that would happen to her if she didn't pay a fee to lift a curse.

Now, so-called psychics trick grown people out of their money every day, but there's something especially shameful about trying to swindle thousands from a youngster who's still getting money from the Tooth Fairy...

James Randi is the Founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation.

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Haunted_Magazine_ad_smallThis month's edition of Haunted Magazine (on UK newsstands now) includes a three-page feature on the JREF and our Million Dollar Challenge, interviewing MDC Director Banachek. The issue also features a full page ad from the JREF, challenging U.K. psychics to accept our Challenge.

Thanks to JREF supporter Anne Brogdon for design of the ad! Click the image to see the ad full-size.

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Welcome to another installment of Notes from the Classroom.

First, I want to thank those from both the National Capital Area Skeptics and the UMD Society of Inquiry for helping to make our recent workshop on the pseudoscience of dowsing at the University of Maryland such a success. I am happy to announce we will have another JREF regional workshop hot on its heels. The James Randi Educational Foundation will present a half-day workshop on ESP in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, October 22:

Does extrasensory perception (ESP) exist? The answer to this question has long been pursued by investigators from the military, the intelligence community, the media, and researchers form both the mainstream and fringes of science. Participants in this workshop—presented with the help of Atlanta Skeptics—will have a chance to examine the question through an in-depth and hands-on exploration of the often mysterious and always fascinating topic of ESP and the related science.

Registration is now open.

Speaking of Atlanta, I took great pleasure in making a small contribution to the Skeptrack at this year’s Dragon*Con. I was honored to take part in a panel discussion on the roles of "educating" and "debunking" in bringing skepticism to the public. The panel, which looked at skeptical education in the classroom and beyond, featured JREF staff members D.J. Grothe and myself as well as several members of the foundation’s education advisory panel. You can now listen to the discussion in its entirety on a special Skeptrack edition of the Skepticality Podcast.

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As a special thank-you to our online supporters, we would like to invite you to enter to win an iPad 2 with the new ebook version of James Randi’s classic Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions.

Enter our drawing right now online »

The brand new, factory sealed, black, 16GB, Wifi iPad 2 has been generously given to the JREF for this drawing by an anonymous donor in support of our new digital publishing efforts. 

Entry in the drawing is free. Once you’ve entered, you can improve your chances of winning by helping us promote skepticism and critical thinking by recommending the Flim-Flam! ebook to your friends and family. The deadline to enter is October 31, 2011. The drawing will be held on November 1, 2011.

  1. Science Cafes
  2. Famous Peddler of Infomercial Quackery Comes to a Sad End
  3. Thanks for an Amazing Canadian Tour
  4. A Tale of Fail: Schools pass on opportunities to teach skepticism