Next Skeptics Meeting: Wednesday February 11th, 2009 at the Tap & Mallot at 6:30 pm

Hi Everyone!

The next meeting of the Rochesterville Skeptics Club will take place on February 11th, 2009 at the Tap & Mallot at 6:30pm. Whether you are new to the group, or a seasoned Rochesterville skeptic, I hope to see all of you there! We have not met in a few months due to scheduling conflicts and the overall busyness of the "holiday season", but I am looking forward to regular monthly or bi-weekly (we can discuss this on the 11th) meetings in 2009! Please feel free to bring any friends/family/co-workers who may be interested in having skeptical, fun conversations/debates with like-minded individuals.

For those of you who are unaware, the Tap & Mallot is located in the South Wedge on Gregory Street. Here is a link to their website, complete with an online menu and directions:
http://www.tapandmallet.com/

Please feel free to bring any articles or brainstorm topics that you'd like to discuss at the meeting. For example, I recently read about the theory that Dr. Mengele (the "angel of death" Nazi) is behind the twin phenomenom in certain South American towns. A few days later, I read an article from a skeptic stating that the recent research is wrong about Dr. Mengele. I'm betting that SGU might cover this in their upcoming episode, but regardless, it will still be fun to discuss/debate with live rogues, rather than simply listening to a podcast. :-)

Please bring your calendars and feel free to brainstorm ideas for 2009 events. Past events have included the following: a field trip to Lilydale, seeing a pet psychic give a speech/demonstration (what a joke that was!), and attending lectures by James Randi and Lawrence Krauss. Paul DesOrmeaux, the founder of the Rochesterville Skeptics Club, has also attended some of the national skeptical meetings and I'm sure he would be happy to share his experiences with anyone who is interested. (sorry to volunteer you without asking, Paul!) Some ideas that we've had that have not yet come to fruition are: hosting a public event/talk on "9/11 truthers", de-bunking local Rochester myths (ie, the RIT skeptics investigated the "White Lady" ghost of Durand Eastman Park), hosting a Halloween event for the public to discuss the mythology of various monsters, hosting a public event on the ID/evolution debates, becoming more active in the community and writing opinion pieces in local newspapers, and so on. We are welcome to any ideas, as well as volunteers to help coordinate and plan these events.

Please feel free to RSVP, or e-mail me with any questions, or just show up next Wednesday! I hope to see everyone there :-)

Have an excellent day,

Trisha