How many times, while reading a great debunking, do you find yourself wishing you could get that debunking in front of the people who are reading about the woo? To get them the information they need, right when it matters? Right when they start forming their opinions about the subject...

Imagine an Internet where debunkings and rebuttals are made available right where the claims are being made. An Internet where there is no corner for ignorance to hide and multiply itself with self-referential confirmation. An Internet where our ever-present confirmation bias filters receive constant cracks in them, forcing us to thoroughly check our own thoughts...

On Sunday, April 14th, the JREF will be hosting a live workshop at our Hollywood headquarters. Presented by skeptical activist Susan Gerbic, "Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia" will teach you how to edit and expand Wikipedia in a way that challenges unsupported claims, spreads truthful information about pseudoscience and the paranormal, and helps the public have a better understanding of science and critical thinking.

Gerbic began the "Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia" project in 2011, and the project now has 80 volunteers editing in 17 languages. Gerbic is a co-founder of the Monterey County Skeptics and a steering member of the Independent Investigations Group.

Please join us at our offices in Hollywood on Sunday, April 14th, at 11am for this enlightening and inspiring presentation. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. To RSVP, visit our Facebook event page. 

And click here to find our location on Google Maps.

A new poll was just released by Public Policy Polling, concerning Americans’ belief (and disbelief) in conspiracy theories. This headline from MSN.com tells the story well, especially for skeptics.

True dat.

Among other results, the poll reports that:

21% of voters believe the government covered up a UFO crash at Roswell (27% of Romney voters believe in the cover-up as compared with 16% of Obama voters)

20% of voters believe there is a link between childhood vaccines and autism, 51% do not

13% think Obama is the Antichrist

 9% of voters think the government adds fluoride to our water supply for sinister reasons (not just dental health)

 7% of voters think the moon landing was faked

  5% of voters believe that Paul McCartney actually died in 1966

  4% believe that "shape-shifting reptilian people control our world by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate our societies."

 14% of voters believe in Bigfoot

What’s a poor skeptic to do?

_{The Gambian dictator, Yahya Jammeh, continues to insist that he has a cure for HIV/AIDS. While people outside Gambia might think he is a lunatic and that his claims are bizzare and should be ignored, many sick people in Gambia take him seriously. They are trooping to the state house to receive ‘free treatment’ with no proof of efficacy or effectiveness from his ‘Excellency’.}

_{Shortly after he announced his cure for AIDS, Jammeh gave a journalist access to his ‘quack healing session’ at the government house in Banjul. In response to questions by the journalist, Jammeh revealed himself to be a ‘presidential health care disaster’, a bloated, ignorant, shameless charlatan who ‘toys’ with the health and lives of the people of his country.}

_{At a point during the interview, when the journalist showed some reluctance towards drinking the concoction he prepared, Jammeh laughed like a typical comedian, saying ‘This is Africa’.}