Category: Forums

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Ideological Conflicts in Science Acceptance

Andrea Love, PhD

11 a.m., April 26, 2026

Join us, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss a video about misinformation and science.

The world is increasingly polarized by ideologies, and acceptance of scientific evidence has become a battleground influencing public and individual perceptions of scientific facts.

By shedding light on the challenges of effectively communicating science in a polarized society, Biomedical Scientist, Andrea Love proposes strategies to bridge the ideological divides. She emphasizes the importance of fostering productive discussions on topics frequently targeted by misinformation campaigns in order to minimize harms to public health and science literacy.

Andrea Love is a Biomedical Scientist who answers questions about pseudoscience on YouTube.

This talk was part of the lineup for CSICon 2024 in Las Vegas. CSICon is the premiere conference for science and skepticism.

You can watch this 34-minute video at: https://youtu.be/FtoSjKGyo-I.

Attend in Person
Join fellow Humanists in the Grant Park Community Center, Classroom 2, 1575 Holt Ave Los Altos, CA 94024-6921.. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

Attend Online
Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
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Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
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From Psychic to Skeptic

Fleureo

11 a.m., April 19, 2026

Join us, either in person or online, as we watch Rob Palmer interview former psychic Fleureo.

Fleureo was raised by her mother to be a psychic and was a long-time true-believer and practicing psychic, but she then came to realize what she perceived as psychic powers were just fabrications of her own mind.

To her credit, Fleureo did not bury her realization and go on with life—as if nothing had changed—and knowingly pretend to be psychic. Instead, Fleureo created a YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@fleureo_) to shine the light of reason on the psychic and mediumship business, exposing the tricks and manipulation tactics used by those in this line of work. Her channel boasts over 24,000 subscribers, so hopefully she is changing many minds.

Rob Palmer has had a diverse career in engineering, having worked as a spacecraft designer, an aerospace project engineer, a computer programmer, and a software systems engineer. Rob became a skeptical activist when he joined the Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia team in 2016, and began writing for Skeptical Inquirer Magazine in 2018. Rob can be contacted at [TheWellKnownSkeptic@gmail.com](mailto:TheWellKnownSkeptic@gmail.com) Like Rob’s Facebook page to get notified when his articles are published.

You can watch this 48-minute video at https://youtu.be/ckl3eQR0YaM. It was recorded March, 2026.

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists in the Sequoia Room of the Los Altos Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

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Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
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Sameerah Munshi on Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission

Sameerah Munshi

11 a.m., April 12, 2026

Join us, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss a video from CAIR on Air Episode 2, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, a journalist who currently serves as the National Deputy Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), interviews Sameerah Munshi, an advisor to President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission and a policy advocate who focuses on protecting religious freedom and ensuring that minority voices are represented in government.

Sameerah discusses the Religious Liberty Commission, how it works, and what it’s like to represent Muslim perspectives in high-level government discussions on faith and freedom.

The video dives into Sameerah’s background in interfaith advocacy and the activism that first brought her national attention. She also shares what happened behind the scenes during commission hearings, including the reactions her testimony about Gaza and Palestine received from commissioners and attendees.

They discuss the controversy surrounding a hearing on antisemitism, rejected witnesses, and the debate over whether criticism of Israel is being wrongly labeled as antisemitism. And also cover the rise of Islamophobia in politics, how narratives about religion influence public opinion, and the importance of minority communities speaking up.

You can watch this 35-minute video at https://youtu.be/x3M0KivGBU4

Attend in Person
Join fellow Humanists in the Orchard Room of the Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, CA 94022. We often choose a local inexpensive eatery for lunch afterward.

Attend Online
Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

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Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20260412/48f10a44-d2e8-4311-948b-dfe0e80be65d/sameerah-munshi-on-trump-s-religious-liberty-commission

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Defending Internet Privacy

Cindy Cohn of Electronic Frontier Foundation photogrphed by SRK Headshot Day in San Francisco, CA

11 a.m., April 5, 2026

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we discuss the video Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance, by Cindy Cohn, a March 30 interview of Cindy Cohn by John Stewart of The Daily Show.

Cindy Cohn is an American civil liberties attorney specializing in Internet law. She has served as executive director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation since 2015. She is a leading legal voice representing the rights and interests of technology users, innovators, whistleblowers, and researchers during the Crypto Wars of the 1990s, in battles over NSA’s dragnet internet spying revealed in the 2000s, and in the fight against FBI gag orders.

he Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is an American international non-profit digital rights group based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1990 to promote Internet civil liberties.

You can watch this video at: https://youtu.be/QkC1aK7jfLo

Attend in Person
Join fellow Humanists in the Neutra House Conference Center, 181 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022-3742. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

Attend Online
Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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: https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/314082415/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
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Trump’s War, Netanyahu’s War

Paul George

11 a.m., March 29, 2026

Join us, either in person or online, as we welcome our presenter.

On February 28, the US and Israel together launched a devastating war against Iran. It quickly became apparent that this assault would be far more destructive than the so-called Twelve-Day War the two countries carried out against Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities last June. That attack, it should be noted, marked the first time that a US administration engaged in a coordinated military action with Israel against a local regional power. While the June attack had a clear goal, it is not all clear that the two allies share a common goal this time around, beyond the physical devastation of Iran. That could seriously complicate the “end game” of this conflict and the future of the region. We’ll examine the implications.

Paul George has been the Director of Peninsula Peace and Justice Center for 36 years. He has been a grassroots activist virtually his entire adult life, beginning when he was a 16-year-old organizer and activist against the Vietnam War. Paul has traveled to war zones as a Central American solidarity activist and has been arrested for civil disobedience numerous times. In addition to his years at PPJC, Paul has worked for international solidarity groups, candidates for elected office, ballot measure campaigns, and as a community organizer for the country’s largest health care workers union. As a former radio and TV host and as a frequent public speaker, Paul has developed a reputation for breaking down complex issues and outlining effective ways to organize resistance.

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists in the Sequoia Room of the Los Altos Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

03/29/2026 Trump’s War, Netanyahu’s War from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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