For those in the Southern California area, I'll be debating God again, this time at the Mission Valley Marriott in San Diego, Sunday, January 24, at 7:00pm. Admission is $5.00, students $3.00. The debate is: "DOES GOD EXIST?: Where Does the Evidence Point? Christianity vs Skepticism." It is being sponsored by KPRZ radio and the Community Bible Church, whose minister I am debating. For tickets call: 619/549-7729.

I am debating none other than Barry Minkow. Does that name ring a bell? Remember the ZZZZ Best carpet cleaning scam in which the youthful wonder kid bilked suckers out of millions of dollars, then went to jail for years after he got caught? Well, that fellow is Barry Minkow, who found God in jail and is now a minister and an expert (what else?) on fraud and scams and also has his own nationally syndicated Consumer Hotline radio show heard daily on the Business News Network.

I'm not expecting this to be the hardest hitting theological debate of all time, but I do suspect that this guy is going to be a fairly slick and really good at "selling" people on God. So I'm going to have to be at my skeptically- marketing best.

If anyone out there can come in support it would be appreciated. Although it is at a hotel instead of a church, I fully expect most audience members to be believers. They are expecting 1,500 people to show.

This Sunday, January 17, at 2:00pm at Caltech's Baxter Lecture Hall is our annual magic show with Bob Friedhoffer, AKA "The Madman of Magic," entitled "MAGIC TRICKS, SCIENCE FACTS: A Scientific Magic Show for Kids and Adults." Friedhoffer is the author of PHYSICS LAB IN A HARDWARE STORE, PHYSICS LAB IN THE HOME, TOYING AROUND WITH SCIENCE, MAGIC AND PERCEPTION, and HOW TO HAUNT A HOUSE AT HALLOWEEN.