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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

The 42nd Meeting of the Skeptics’ Circle: Recovering from an attack of the undead down under

Rapidly dwindling vacation or no vacation, I have to plug the Skeptic’s Circle.

Some of you may have wondered where the host of this week’s Skeptic’s Circle has been. After all, a few of you commented that his blog hadn’t been updated in three months, even with a notice for the Skeptics’ Circle. Fear not! Our intrepid host had to overcome even more than you think (in his mind, that is). Let him tell the tale in this brief excerpt:

Welcome to the 42nd meeting of the skeptics circle. Many of you have wondered where I have been over the past months and what has exactly been going on down in the lowest part of the world. Well my excuse is that, uhhhh, hmmmm…Ah yes, we’ve been invaded by the undead [of course, why didn’t I think of this before]. Oh yes, they are everywhere down here I assure you and we’re knee deep in them. Billions of them. Here is an example picture.

[Orac note: You’ll have to visit the Skeptics’ Circle to see the picture.]

See what I mean? Absolutely crawling with the undead [they are there I assure you, they are just camera shy]. Can’t cross the street without having to dodge numerous zombies all after your brains. What’s worse is they are all into various forms of pseudoscience, woo and quackery.

Egads, undead into pseudoscience, woo, and quackery! It sounds even worse than the Hitler Zombie. Get down there and help Joseph beat back this torrent of undead!

Next up is fellow ScienceBlogger Janet Stemwedel over at Adventures in Ethics and Science. She’s scheduled to host the 43rd Meeting of the Skeptics’ Circle on Thursday, September 14. You know what that means, of course. That’s right! You have only two weeks to get examples of your best work demonstrating critical thinking and skepticism to her.

So get cracking!

And, as always, should you think that you have what it takes to host your own Meeting of the Skeptics’ Circle (hopefully no fighting off of undead hordes, even imaginary, will be necessary), drop me a line at [email protected] and I’ll check out your site. (Hey, we wouldn’t want any creationists or quacks trying to hijack the Circle, now would we?)

By Orac

Orac is the nom de blog of a humble surgeon/scientist who has an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his copious verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few probably will. That surgeon is otherwise known as David Gorski.

That this particular surgeon has chosen his nom de blog based on a rather cranky and arrogant computer shaped like a clear box of blinking lights that he originally encountered when he became a fan of a 35 year old British SF television show whose special effects were renowned for their BBC/Doctor Who-style low budget look, but whose stories nonetheless resulted in some of the best, most innovative science fiction ever televised, should tell you nearly all that you need to know about Orac. (That, and the length of the preceding sentence.)

DISCLAIMER:: The various written meanderings here are the opinions of Orac and Orac alone, written on his own time. They should never be construed as representing the opinions of any other person or entity, especially Orac's cancer center, department of surgery, medical school, or university. Also note that Orac is nonpartisan; he is more than willing to criticize the statements of anyone, regardless of of political leanings, if that anyone advocates pseudoscience or quackery. Finally, medical commentary is not to be construed in any way as medical advice.

To contact Orac: [email protected]

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