1 October: Café Inquiry, Menlo Park

2 October: Skeptics in the Pub, Sunnyvale

4 October: Kitzmiller v Dover, Online

8 October: SkepTalk, Online

20 October: North Bay Skeptics, Online

23 – 25 October: Skepticon 2020, Online

25 October: East Bay Skeptics, Berkeley

28 October: Skeptics in the Pub, Millbrae

Café Inquiry: Menlo Park

POSTPONED

WHEN: 6PM Thursday 1 October

WHERE: Café Barrone, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. A 2-minute walk from Menlo Park Caltrain. [Map]

HOW: Hosted by Center for Inquiry, SF and Bay Area Skeptics.

Skeptics in the Pub: Sunnyvale

WHAT: Upholding the tradition of skeptics groups: good free-flowing discussions with food and ale.

WHEN: 7PM Friday 2 October

WHERE: Firehouse Grill, 111 S. Murphy Avenue, Sunnyvale [Map]

HOW: Brought to you by the Silicon Valley Skeptics.

Kitzmiller v Dover, Online

WHAT: Why Kitzmiller v Dover should be remembered 15 years later

WHEN: 11AM Sunday 4 October

WHERE: Online: Click HERE to find links for passive viewing or for active participation.

HOW: Brought to you by the Humanist Community in Silicon Valley.

SkepTalk: Online

WHAT: Facilitated Communication: Holding on to (False) Hope

Facilitated Communication (FC) is a technique used on people with severe communication difficulties as an alternative to valid Augmentative and Alternative Communication methods. Proponents claim that simply by providing emotional and physical support, people with disabilities can unlock inner language and literacy skills. However, controlled studies of the technique repeatedly show that facilitators, not people with disabilities, are authoring messages obtained via FC. Most major health and educational organizations have opposition polices for FC and strongly urge its members not to use the technique. Still, the practice persists. Former facilitator, Janyce Boynton, believes FC is not a communication technique, but a belief system within the facilitators themselves. She will discuss the various forms of FC that exist today, as well as social, emotional, and political forces that attract people to FC in the first place and make it particularly difficult to let go once the belief system takes hold.

WHO: Janyce L. Boynton, M.Ed., B.S.

Janyce is an artist, educator, and advocate for evidence-based practices in the field of communication sciences and disorders. As a speech/language clinician in the early 1990s, she became involved with facilitated communication. Her story, first as believer, then as critic, is well-documented and was featured on Frontline’s “Prisoners of Silence”. She left teaching to pursue her artwork but has continued to be active in educating people about the dangers of FC and other facilitator-influenced techniques. An overview of her experiences with FC can be found in Stuart Vyse’s “An Artist With a Science-Based Mission”, published in Skeptical Inquirer (November 2018). Her 2012 article, “Facilitated Communication: What Harm it Can Do – Confessions of a Former Facilitator”, published in the journal Evidence-Based Communication and Intervention, was the first of its kind. To date, she is one of the few facilitators world-wide to publicly acknowledge her role in producing FC messages and speak out against its use. She is currently co-hosting a series of talks with Susan Gerbic exploring the many facets of FC.

[for more, click here]

WHEN: 6:30PM [an hour EARLIER than usual] Thursday 8 October

WHERE: Online

[Links to attend and participate coming soon]

HOW: This event is presented FREE by the Bay Area Skeptics.

WHY: Because we’re curious creatures.

North Bay Skeptics: Online



What: Join the North Bay Skeptics celebrating the scientific method while discussing current topics and consuming non-homeopathic liquids.

When: 7PM Tuesday 20 October

Where: Online



Skepticon 2020: Online



What: Australian Skeptics Annual Convention

It is a festival exploring science, reason, and critical thinking. The lineup of speakers covers medicine, space, reproducibility crisis, climate, human evolution, and science and skepticism, not to mention some of the best local and international podcasters and science communicators. Details HERE.

When: October 23 – 25

Where: Online

How: Registration details HERE. (Early bird prices until September 24)

Skeptics in the Pub: Millbrae

East Bay Skeptics Dinner: Berkeley

POSTPONED

WHEN: 6PM Sunday 24 October



WHERE: Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers, 1600 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley [Map]

HOW: Hosted by the East Bay Skeptics.

POSTPONED

Join lads & lassies from hill & dale

discussing pseudoscience & science

over good eats & ale.

7PM Wednesday 28 October (4th Wednesday)

WHERE: Fiddlers Green, 333 El Camino Real, Millbrae. A 10 minute stroll from the Millbrae BART & Caltrain station. [Map]

HOW: Hosted by the Bay Area Skeptics and Center for Inquiry, SF.