Over four+ days in June, nearly a thousand skeptics converged on the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas for the James Randi Educational Foundation's annual "Amazing Meeting." This year's conference, the sixth, was the most successful thus far, and NYC Skeptics is proud to have participated in the event.

The NYC Skeptics table was a constant hotbed of activity (possibly because it was conveniently located right next to the Skeptics Guide to the Universe table!). Many NYC Skeptics members and supporters stopped by to say hello, as did a host of new faces. Thanks to everyone who helped man the table; we answered questions about the state of skepticism in New York City, and nearly sold out of Darwin08 shirts!

A few NYC Skeptics friends and supporters show off their Darwin08 t-shirts.

Michael Feldman with Matthew Chapman, great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin.

On Friday afternoon, NYC Skeptics president Michael Feldman participated in a panel discussion titled "Identifying as a Skeptic" with fellow panelists James Randi, Michael Shermer, Phil Plait, PZ Meyers, Hal Bidlack, and Margaret Downey. JREF General Manager Jeff Wagg moderated and allowed plenty of time for audience Q&A, which facilitaed a wide-ranging a lievely discussion about the pitfalls and joys of identifying as a skeptic.

TAM6 panelists (l-r) Michael Shermer, Hal bidlack, Phil Plait, and Michael Feldman.

Next year's TAM will take place at the South Point Casino, and we hope to see even more NYC Skeptics in attendance!

New York City Skeptics invaded the Four Faced Liar again this month, and we again had record turnout. Significantly, over half of the skeptics in attendance were women. We were also joined by Pace university professor Dr. Terence Hines, author of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal.

The next Drinking Skeptically will be on June 25. Please join us!

NYC Skeptics board members Jamy Ian Swiss and Benny Pollak.

NYC Skeptics Vice President Jamy Ian Swiss was a recent guest on the Point of Inquiry podcast. He discussed the intersection between skepticism and magic, and his own experiences combining both as a magician and skeptical activist.

His previous Point of Inquiry interview can be found here.

NYC Skeptics will be well-represented at the JREF's Amaz!ng Meeting 6, taking place June 19-22 in Las Vegas, NV. Be sure to stop by our information table and introduce yourself!

Find out what your fellow NYC skeptics are up to and post your own Vegas plans on the official TAM6 activities thread on the NYC Skeptics forum.

As a show of skeptical solidarity, we encourage everyone in attendance to wear their Darwin08 t-shirts on Friday June 20th. We will organize a group photo, which will be taken immediately after official TAM activities end for the day (Darwin08 shirts will also be available for sale).

Follow us on Twitter!

Twitter is an easy way to receive updates on your mobile device about NYC Skeptics-related happenings at TAM6. Simply subscribe to our Twitter feed (note: be sure to turn on device updates after subscribing).

It's been nine months since the first Drinking Skeptically, and last night's edition was our most successful yet! Over twenty skeptically-minded folks met at the Four Faced Liar in the West Village, including several new attendees from the New York City Drinking Skeptically Meetup Group.

Also making his way downtown was Scientific American editor-in-chief (and NYC Skeptics Advisory Board member) John Rennie. Proudly wearing his Darwin08 t-shirt, John regaled everyone while discussing his recent smackdown of Expelled associate producer Mark Mathis.

Thanks to everyone who showed up, and see you all at the next Drinking Skeptically on May 28!

Skeptics, engrossed

John Rennie listens to NYC Skeptics forum admin William Kane

NYC Skeptics treasurer Matt McCarthy and friends

John Rennie doing some regaling

by Michael Dorian

Massimo Pigliucci shoots straight, pulls no punches, and isn't afraid to take on weighty issues. That was made delightfully obvious during not only Pigliucci's informative and highly entertaining slide-show presentation but also at the afternoon brunch following the engaging talk by the SUNY Stonybrook Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Philosophy.

Professor Pigliucci entertains and enlightens.

A near-capacity crowd was in attendance Saturday April 5th at the University Settlement on Eldridge Street for Pigliucci's new lecture, "Of Paradigm Shifts and Objectivity in Science." In elucidating some of the less auspicious moments in Science's colorful history, Pigliucci brought a thoughtful, easy style punctuated by insightful and humorous observations. Complete with PowerPoint accompaniment, Massimo regaled the audience with the story of the spat between Charles Darwin and Lord Kelvin over the Earth's age, Science's unfortunate foray into eugenics, and "The Sokol Affair," which was a brilliant hoax on Postmodernism perpetrated by Alan Sokol in the publication Social Text.

Willing "guinea pigs."

Being on the side of rationality and good science, Pigliucci made sure to point out that Science is not always correct. He explained that good science relies significantly upon proving new theories (though that often means disproving older and accepted ones), stringent and honest peer review, and upon a methodology that strives for objectivity.

It was Massimo's first time giving this particular lecture, so he made sure to inform us at the outset that we were his "guinea pigs." It was a thoroughly painless experiment carried out on willing subjects. After the talk, a group of at least 20 sidled over to a nearby French bistro for some drinks and light fare. Massimo joined us and we found ourselves in truly stimulating conversation about all manner of topics from the morality of drawing qualitative distinctions between human and non-human animals to how Massimo declared his atheism as a 12-year-old to his Italian Roman-Catholic mother, who even to this day is not thrilled with her son's decision.

All in all, it was a splendid afternoon of smart and scintillating ideas hosted by the ever-thoughtful, ever-logical, and ever-hospitable NYC Skeptics.

NYC Skeptics president Michael Feldman enjoys the presentation.

Photos: Dale Langdon

By A.J. Mell

Rebecca Watson, a.k.a. the Skepchick, brought her winning blend of humor, skeptical chops, and unabashed girl power to the Lower East Side on Saturday as the third speaker in NYC Skeptics’ Public Lecture Series.

Speaking to an audience of almost 70 people at University Settlement on Eldridge Street, Watson gave a smart, chatty, PowerPoint-assisted talk on “Women and Skepticism,” leavened with wry observations and the occasional “unicorn break.” (Watson may be a hard-headed critical thinker, but she’s still a unicorn-lovin’ girl and doesn’t care who knows it.) A brief Q & A followed the presentation.

Rebecca Watson and a full house of attentive skeptics.

In a field where Y chromosomes predominate, the 27-year-old, Boston-based Watson has become the bespectacled public face of female skepticism. Toward the beginning of the lecture, she outlined the course of her own growing activism, which began with frequent contributions to James Randi’s online forum. Initially, she registered the Skepchick website to market the pinup calendar of the same name, a bit of tongue-in-cheek cheesecake which proves definitively that not all skeptics are bitter old men or socially maladroit mouth-breathers who speak fluent Klingon. (The site has since blossomed into a lively online magazine aimed primarily at young women.) More recently, Watson produced a well-received pilot for a proposed NPR series entitled "Curiosity Aroused"; she can also be heard dispensing informed opinions and tart witticisms on "The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe," a popular weekly podcast hosted by previous series lecturer Dr. Steven Novella.

Watson has devoted much of her energy to bringing more women into the fold—no small task, since her own research indicates that women are more inclined than men to believe weird things. (It’s a credit to Watson’s skeptical integrity that she reaches this uncomfortable conclusion, even though it goes against her own expectations.) Among the odd facts that came up in the presentation: women are more likely than men to have accidents on Friday the 13th, and less than 28% of the visitors to her girl-centric website, www.skepchick.org, are women.

Watson and the NYC Skeptics Board of Directors.

So how do we correct this depressing imbalance? Watson suggests a combination of web-based outreach, an attitude adjustment that discourages obnoxious alpha-male practices like “flaming,” and a general irreverence toward the old-boy’s-club mentality that dominates skeptical discourse. Nevertheless, she acknowledged that changing attitudes within the community is not enough; change also has to happen at a deeper societal level. Women find power in superstition because they’ve been denied more legitimate avenues. Ultimately, bringing more women into skepticism involves creating a society where women are encouraged to stand up, speak their minds, and not be afraid of controversy.

Watson modeling the the NYC Skeptics "Darwin08" t-shirt.

Due to the overwhelming success of Drinking Skeptically, we will be moving to a larger venue - The Village Pourhouse. The Pourhouse has many advantages over our prior home, including more space with multiple backrooms available, as well as full food service.

DS will continue to take place on the last Wednesday of every month, but the festivities will now start at 7PM, an hour earlier than before (of course, this should not discourage anyone from joining us later in the evening).

The first date at our new location will be FEBRUARY 27, 2008.

We will be meeting in the RED LIGHT room of the Pourhouse.

The Village Pourhouse is located at 64 Third Avenue (at 11th Street) in the East Village in New York City (click here for map).

Please contact us if you have any questions about this change. We hope to see everyone there!

For those who may not know, the "Skepchick" Rebecca Watson of Skeptics Guide to the Universe fame and long-time friend of NYC Skeptics has released her pilot episode as a finalist in the Public Radio Talent Quest this past week. She will now be searching for public radio stations to carry her irreverent and sorely needed skeptical take on current events called "Curiosity Aroused".

Listen to the pilot at www.publicradioquest.com/node/2696 and hear her interviews with Richard Saunders of the Australian Sceptic Society, Dr. Richard Wiseman (the Quirkologist), and a psychic "Lisa Marie" who displays just the sort of accuracy you might expect. Also, don't forget to check in on her blog as well at www.skepchick.org and tune into the SGU podcast every week with Rebecca, Dr. Steven Novella, and the rest of the skeptical rogues.

Congratulations on becoming a finalist Rebecca and best of luck with the show!

After Steve's fantastic talk this past Saturday, the Novella clan (including Skepchick Rebecca Watson, who sadly missed the lecture due to her editing schedule) graciously joined the New York City Skeptics board (and new Forum Admin William) for dinner.

Here are a few pictures, courtesy of Rebecca.

From l. to r. William, Robert Novella, Rebecca Watson, Steve Novella, Matt McCarthy, Jamy Ian Swiss, Michael Feldman, Benny Pollak (seated).