Welcome new Members! Introduce yourselves here!

[Charlie in Dayton]

...aw crap...

He and I went to grade school together...

We trod different paths in life. Didn't know about his passing. Life will be just a bit duller without him.

Seems as if this year, they been droppin' like flies...every time I turn around, I've lost someone...makes bein' a depression sufferer that much worse.

Farewell, Jeff...until we meet again somewhere down the cosmic road.

[ElMondoHummus]

When I saw your name, I entered the threads specifically to ask if you knew Mr. Skinny. Well, turns out you had. I'm so sorry you missed out on his time here; it was well worth experiencing.

Oh, Ps. There's at least one thread about him that's entered the forum mythos: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=128252. It's worth a chuckle/grin/snort, and I don't think it's disrespectful in the least to have good laugh at it. He obviously enjoyed the heck out of that thread, and it's a nice tribute to his time here in JREF Forums.

Plus, the sheer spectacle of punnery, insults, bad word play... it'll also function as nice prep for our collective sense of humor here . Those of us who weren't around for your first go around, I mean.

[Charlie in Dayton]

I caught early days with him here, but in January '08 life reared its ugly head and I lost contact with lots of people I'd been hanging with on the web. Luckily, before all that happened, Jeff and I did manage to get together for a face to face. We hadn't seen each other in decades, but we caught up.

A bit of my childhood is gone...Mr Skinny (and trust me, he most certainly was) will be sorely missed.

[Sjw]

The people were so congenial, i decided to join the Forum. I'm a college professor in NYC, and especially interested in science and the debunking of alternative medicine and new age practices. I'm also Catholic, so in the minority in this group.

[Akhenaten]

Hi there Sjw.

[happyskeptic]

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Brian and I work in the health and fitness technology industry.

When I was working for one of the largest gym chains in the world they made the decision to sell branded supplements. Part of my role was to evaluate the formulations and then develop the education for all the gyms in multiple countries.

Upon review the formulations I was very concerned. After discussing the situation with the executive team I was informed to move forward as there is a lot of money to be made. They also decided to include homeopathy. I spoke to my wife that evening (who was pregnant with our first child) and decided to resign the next day despite the bad job market.

At the end of the day, one must be able to look in the mirror and be OK with what they see.

I shall continue to be active against pseudoscience for my son, for society and for life.

I'm happy to be a part of this community.

[AdMan]

Originally Posted by happyskeptic

When I was working for one of the largest gym chains in the world they made the decision to sell branded supplements. Part of my role was to evaluate the formulations and then develop the education for all the gyms in multiple countries.

Upon review the formulations I was very concerned. After discussing the situation with the executive team I was informed to move forward as there is a lot of money to be made. They also decided to include homeopathy. I spoke to my wife that evening (who was pregnant with our first child) and decided to resign the next day despite the bad job market.

I tip my hat to you. Not many people would have done that and it's admirable.

Welcome to the forum.

[The Barefoot Skeptic]

I guess in certain areas I have always been skeptical-however in many others I took things at what they call "face value". Not sure what that really means, but in my newly questioning mind it is something like "Hmmmm, that sure sounds like it would make sense. You are pretty smart so you must have done some research-I am just going to go with it......I am way too busy to look it up myself."

DUUUUUHHHHH!!!!!! What the H was I thinking???? Oh, yeah-I wasn't.

Well, after a weekend at TAM 2012 I saw the error of my ways. I had no idea so many people believed so many crazy things (cancer caused by a liver fluke? SERIOUSLY??) and then realized I am no better than they are. Because I didn't take the time. AND I AM RAISING CHILDREN!!!!!! Ugh!

So not only did I learn a lot of valuable information, I learned a lot about myself. And I was incredibly inspired by the people I met who made it their mission to EDUCATE! So I took it upon myself to become one of them-instead of sitting back and letting people spread ridiculous ideas which could potentially hinder my children in knowledge, health and desire to learn the truth. My greatest fear is allowing my children to grow up without learning how to think, and here I was setting a horrible example!!

Well no more I say!! Thank you JREF, TAM speakers, and all the attendees that opened my eyes and my mind!!

If you are interested in seeing the fruits of my inspiration, I am now "tweeting" and "blogging".....jeez those just sound odd!! lol

I am at thebarefootskeptic.blogspot.com/ and you can follow my tweets @barefootskeptic

I am always open to comments, so would really appreciate anyone who wants to take a look.

[Ketyk]

Hi Barefoot Skeptic.

Originally Posted by The Barefoot Skeptic

I am at thebarefootskeptic.blogspot.com/ and you can follow my tweets @barefootskeptic

I am always open to comments, so would really appreciate anyone who wants to take a look.

Here's those links all linkified:

http://www.thebarefootskeptic.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/BarefootSkeptic

Originally Posted by The Barefoot Skeptic

... Well, after a weekend at TAM 2012 I saw the error of my ways. I had no idea so many people believed so many crazy things (cancer caused by a liver fluke? SERIOUSLY??) and then realized I am no better than they are. Because I didn't take the time. AND I AM RAISING CHILDREN!!!!!! Ugh!

So not only did I learn a lot of valuable information, I learned a lot about myself. And I was incredibly inspired by the people I met who made it their mission to EDUCATE! So I took it upon myself to become one of them-instead of sitting back and letting people spread ridiculous ideas which could potentially hinder my children in knowledge, health and desire to learn the truth. My greatest fear is allowing my children to grow up without learning how to think, and here I was setting a horrible example!!...

It seems to me you are not like them. You re-evaluted your position after examining the evidence. Don't be so hard on yourself.

Originally Posted by The Barefoot Skeptic

...Well no more I say!! Thank you JREF, TAM speakers, and all the attendees that opened my eyes and my mind!!

If you are interested in seeing the fruits of my inspiration, I am now "tweeting" and "blogging".....jeez those just sound odd!! lol...

You do know we have a Humor section, right? It's perfect for upping your post count to sport a shiny new avatar.

See you around!

[The Barefoot Skeptic]

for the linkification, and the welcome.

You are right, I should have put i WAS like them!

Will have to check out the humor section-have a great story about my 8 yr old and his research lol

[AdMan]

Originally Posted by The Barefoot Skeptic

Will have to check out the humor section-have a great story about my 8 yr old and his research lol

The Forum Community section would also be a good place to share that story.

Welcome!

[CharlesCollom]

A quick hello to everyone!

I'm a 33 year old white, homosexual, American, atheist, libertarian, skeptic, attorney, and nursing student. I was raised in Bakersfield, CA where I went to evangelical schools until university. After university I was a Dean's Fellow at Pepperdine University School of Law (if there is one thing we can learn from Jesus it is this: don't represent yourself in a capital trial). *skipping boring legal career*
And now I'm a nursing student intending on (eventually) getting my MSN for teaching and being an expert witness.
The most important news, however, is that I'm recently affianced to the most beautiful and wonderful man in the world.

[Bell]

Welcome to this forum, Charles

I'm really happy for you that you found true love. I think that is the most important thing in live.

[AdMan]

Welcome, CharlesCollom, and congratulations!

[valleytenderfoot]

Hi All,

I have been a lurker for some time on the JREF forums (mostly the conspiracy theories section 9/11 topics... I know there are sooo many more educational topics on the list but I just can't help myself ) quietly observing and learning TONNES of amazing things. I am a business owner and Volunteer Firefighter and have few noteworthy skills beyond that

Cheers!

Jeff

[Akhenaten]

Hi Jeff.




You seem to have at least a couple of skills more than me, not least of them being able to deal with the CT subforum. It gives me cold shivers just thinking about that place.

Welcome to the Forum, mate.

[AdMan]

Welcome, Jeff, and thanks for being a volunteer firefighter.

That, and venturing into the CT subforums, means you are braver than I.

[valleytenderfoot]

Thanks for the welcome Akhenaten and Adman. I will be honest, some of the things people reveal about their personalities on the CT subforum scare me more than anything I see on the fireground.

I look forward to visiting the rest of the main forum, for a breath of sanity!

Jeff

[Chuy]

Hello Everyone,

I have been a long time you tube follower and just recently found out about this forum. A little about me Im in the military, part time locksmith, and full time skeptic. I take nothing at face value anymore and have personally seen and been involved with enough BS to fill a black hole 2x.

Any questions about me feel free to ask.

[Akhenaten]

Yay!

You might be able to help us break into the liquor cabinet.

Welcome, Chuy.

[comixman]

Hello, My name is Steve. I went to my first TAM this month. I had a saturday only ticket. I enjoyed the conference and am getting active in a local skeptics group. I've been an atheist for over 40 years. I wasn't closeted but would only talk about it if asked.

I was raised as a half a**ed Catholic. - Mom and us kids went to church on sundays, Dad didn't, except on Easter and Christmas, even though it was a mortal sin. I didn't go to a catholic school but did go to catechism once a week, except when I skipped it and walked to the Mall instead. As an adolescent I enjoyed the music of Bach, Handel and other baroque composers. During a period of depression I appealed for help from God. I had a "vision" of angels, clouds and cherubs etc. that was straight out of the album covers of the baroque imagery. This was as vivid as a dream but I was awake. The skeptic in me thought this was totally a delusion from my own mind. I came to believe that this imagery came from my own mind and not from some higher power. Why would the Devine copy album covers? I extrapolated that to think what if other religious beliefs are based on elements or delusions of the minds of the proponents and not from some Devine word? I was then demoted from half a**ed Catholic to recovering Catholic, I abandoned my imaginary friend at that time, who, by the way, didn't help me with my problems, and haven't looked back.

I'm interested to hear from other people who had "religious" experiences that they later believed were false. I'm reading "The Believing Mind" by Michael Shermer and he talks about 2 people who had religious experiences that were life changing for them, but the author felt were delusional. Indeed my experience was life changing but in an opposite direction. In the movie Letting Go of God, Julia Sweeney talks of an experience that kept her in the church for a longer period but didn't last. A common theme seems to be that these experiences occur in times of physical and/or emotional stress. Perhaps this subject has been beaten to death in these forums but my search skills failed to disclose any. Any links to previous threads on this would be appreciated.

I'm still waiting for someone with a "Near Death Experience" come out and say it was all a hallucination instead of writing best selling books. I personally know someone who was under cardiac arrest for 45 minutes and survived without brain damage and she had no recollection of anything during that time period. Just a blank spot.

[Akhenaten]

Hiya Steve,

There's lots of formerly-religious folks here, as well as a number of lifelong heathens and a good few who are still in, as it were.

Quite cosmopolitan we are. Or at least would be, if we didn't fight like cats and dogs for most of the time.



Anyway, the last thing you need to worry about is whether a subject has been beaten to death. There are horses here being flogged this very day that were first buried more than a decade ago.

Welcome aboard. Enjoy!

[quadraginta]

Originally Posted by Akhenaten

Anyway, the last thing you need to worry about is whether a subject has been beaten to death. There are horses here being flogged this very day that were first buried more than a decade ago.

Are you trying to say that the JREF board is the go-to place for abusing zombie horses?

[Akhenaten]

Originally Posted by quadraginta

Are you trying to say that the JREF board is the go-to place for abusing zombie horses?

Let's just say that not everything in Ponylandistan is rainbows and butterflies.

[deniall]

Hey guys, I'm Niall from Australia.

I don't really know what else to say. I'm really interested in nutrition and human health, science and technology (massive audio buff) and various other things. I work in Engineering and consider myself a skeptic and athiest.

Good to be here.

[Akhenaten]

Originally Posted by deniall

Hey guys, I'm Niall from Australia.

I don't really know what else to say. I'm really interested in nutrition and human health, science and technology (massive audio buff) and various other things. I work in Engineering and consider myself a skeptic and athiest.

Good to be here.

Yay! Another Sandgroper for our collection!

Good to have you here, mate.

[Seven]

Hello everyone, I am a college student with a strong interest in biology and genetics entering his fourth semester. Learning how to think more critically has changed my life around and gave me the clear-headedness and motivation to succeed in college after having dropped out of high school. Having spent a paranoid childhood enamored with recreational drugs and various forms of woo, the message of folks from the James Randi Educational Foundation and other skeptic and atheist groups has truly been a life saver for me personally. My skeptical journey began not long ago and I realize that I have a long road ahead of me, so I'm not here to act as if I am an authority on any subject in particular. I've been reading the forums for a while now and have learned quite a bit from observing everyone's thoughts, so I finally decided to make an account and give my 2 cents where I feel it might contribute or I might learn something. Keep up the good work everyone.

[Ellen Travis]

Hello everyone.
I am a person who enjoys exposing quacks, psychic frauds, plastic shamans etc.
One of my favourite subjects is corrupt and / or deluded psychotherapists, recovered memories, satanic ritual abuse, MPD / DID etc.
I recently had the misfortune to be in a therapy group where I was exposed to a lot of this kind of insanity.
The truly bizarre thing is that ritual abuse does exist and is very widespread, however the abusers are not Satanists but predatory psychotherapists who claim to be able to recover memories with massage and breathing techniques that activate chakras. Or something.
I am also interested in the use of conspiracy theories by religious cults in order to abuse and manipulate people.
Er, so that's me
*waves*

[AdMan]

Welcome, Ellen.

[Akhenaten]

Seven and Ellen?

Welcome both!

[Ellen Travis]

I see what you did there

[Akhenaten]

Always good to start off with a little humour, I reckon.

Hope you have a wonderful time here, Ellen.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by deniall

Hey guys, I'm Niall from Australia.

I don't really know what else to say. I'm really interested in nutrition and human health, science and technology (massive audio buff) and various other things. I work in Engineering and consider myself a skeptic and athiest.

Good to be here.

G'day. Have a chat to Legend, a sandgroper and Weagles supporter. Smartest young bloke I've come across (don't tell him I said that )

[UnrepentantSinner]

For those of you that have been lurking and only just registered, you'll notice a few new sections are availible including Members Only that houses the Community, Humor, Sports, Movies, etc. subforums. This isn't just a place to learn and/or discuss, it's also a place to socialize with your fellow skeptics.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by UnrepentantSinner

For those of you that have been lurking and only just registered, you'll notice a few new sections are availible including Members Only that houses the Community, Humor, Sports, Movies, etc. subforums. This isn't just a place to learn and/or discuss, it's also a place to socialize with your fellow skeptics.

Second that. I've met a number of forumites in real life, and am planning to visit some in England next year. This place can be a better community than some more physical ones.

[Shiner]

After lurking sporadically for the last six months or so, I've taken my "leap of certainty". I've been cutting my teeth over at Australasian Skeptics under the helpful and very friendly (mostly) guidance of Orphia, Akhenaten and co.

Still, I find this place a bit intimidating and bewildering.

I consider myself a skeptic, I didn't have any woo shoved down my throat as a kid, but didn't have much guidance either. I basically work things out myself. Sometimes my logic is flawed, but this usually becomes apparent soon enough. To be corrected with evidence is to learn, and I love to learn.

I would probably go into the "Anti-establishment" brigade, but I am a productive member of society and a consumer. So? It is more flawed logic.
I abhor most of the Communist and Socialist ideology, think the world is overpopulated, can't stand the stupidity of religions, Bigfoots etc, (we call 'em Yowies) and was very breifly entertained by some CT's in the aftermath of 9/11. But bunk usually reveals itself under scrutiny.
I also find some skeptics can get caught up in belief systems, without neccesarily considering all the evidence/possibilities.

Anyway that's me in a (cracked?) nutshell.

ETA. Big thumbs up to happyskeptic. A rare stance in todays corporate environment.

[Akhenaten]

G'day mate. Good to see you here.

[lionking]

G'day Shiner.

Where are you from in our great land?

[Shiner]

G'day Akh, g'day lionking, I lurk in the gorges NW of Sydney on the bank of the Hawkesbury and the edge of the Wollemi. Yowie territory.
Black Panthers too!

[Orphia Nay]

Shiner!! You're here! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.