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The 72nd Meeting of the Skeptics’ Circle: Sister Mary Elephant strikes

This has been a bad week at skeptics’ school. Apparently, skeptical bloggers have been misbehaving left and right. Apparently we as the skeptical blogosphere have been very, very naughty indeed. Worse, the essays that we’ve handed in are apparently not pleasing to the teacher. Worst of all, we’ve been mischievously copying a screed against homeopaths and dispersing it far and wide across the blogosphere. Fortunately, Le Canard Noir is there to oversee detention in the 72nd Meeting of the Skeptics’ Circle over at the quackometer blog. Head on over to detention and see what’s going on.

Also, don’t forget that it won’t be long before the next Skeptics’ Circle comes around the pike. Next time around, it will be hosted by those self-described “naughty boys and girls” and scourges of quackery everywhere (but in particular of Patrick Holford) over at Holford Watch on Thursday, November 8, 2007. As always, the guidelines for submissions to the Circle are here.

As always, if you’re interested in hosting a Circle yourself (and if you’re a blogger who often writes about science, skepticism, and/or critical thinking, you really should host one of these puppies), check out the schedule and the guidelines for hosting, and then drop me a line. I’ll get you a spot on the schedule, assuming, of course, that your blog does not fail an evaluation by a tool designed by this week’s host, namely Le Canard Noir‘s infamous quackometer.

Note: For those of you who have no clue what the Sister Mary Elephant reference means, wonder no more.

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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