Conference Calendar Discussion @North

July 14: Product Ingredients Whether it's waxes on organic fruit, growth inhibitors on garlic, tomato soup in chocolate cake, cheap spices, expensive salt, or bay leaves from Tilden, let's discuss what all's in the food that we buy and make. August 11: Paranormal Experiences Have you or someone you know had a paranormal experience that you want to share, like telepathy, seeing a ghost, or a near-death experience? If not, do you want to talk with some folks who have? More about Conference Calendar: The Conference calendar lists discussion topics, times, and local places where anyone can come join the discourse. You don’t have to be an expert, but people will appreciate it if you are. The discussions are free and unstructured, although a facilitator will be present to help make things click. There’s no commitment or tracking; if you want to show up for some or all of the discussion, great. But there’s also no photography or recording; the folks who miss a discussion that they’re interested in will just have to hear about it from the folks who went. Wanna discuss something interesting with a bunch of people? There are many ways, and each has limitations: Friends and family are the first choice, but what if you’re super interested in something that they aren’t, or you want to hear some new perspectives? Professional conferences are where experts go deep with the latest findings, but what if you’re not an expert, won’t travel and pay to attend, or want to talk about something that doesn’t even have an organized conference? Lectures, panel discussions, and author events are great, but they focus on consuming and reacting to the views of the people onstage, rather than discussing everyone else’s ideas. Online forums and Comments sections support some discussion, but they’re typically superficial, polarized, and filled with trolls and bots. Plus, your every word is slurped up by search engines and AIs. Parties and other gatherings can work if you steer the conversation towards topics of mutual interest, but that’s easier for extroverts.