Details
Category: Swift
Hits: 18553

There are plenty of conspiracy theories surrounding President Barack Obama. In just a few minutes of light Googling, one can find all manner of poorly proofread articles on Mr. Obama's true nature as a Kenya-born secret terrorist sympathizer and/or shape-shifting lizard man. Most of these misconceptions are easy to correct. According to all official documentation, Mr. Obama was born in Hawaii. He oversaw the killing of the most wanted terrorist in the world. And there's no way he could be a shape-shifting lizard, since those creatures are all remarkable bowlers.

Full disclosure: I made up that last part. The fact is, I cannot prove Mr. Obama isn't a shape-shifting lizard. Score one for the conspiracy theorists.

But the belief that the president belongs to a royal line of reptilian overlords may not be the strangest conspiracy theory about him. Last November, the website Exopolitics published a stunning exposé on Mr. Obama's secret past as a government "chrononaut" sent as a teenager to confront deadly beasts on the surface of Mars. Despite the mind-bending implications of this story, it took several weeks for most people to notice. This could be evidence of a massive government effort to keep a lid on the revelation. Or it's possible that not very many people read Exopolitics, a site devoted to the "science of relations between intelligent civilizations in the Universe".

Regardless, the world has taken notice. Wired.com even managed to force a comment out of the Obama administration, which denies the president has ever visited Mars.

Likely story.

Details
Category: Latest JREF News
Hits: 5046

Here is a recap of the stories that appeared last week at Science-Based Medicine, a multi-author skeptical blog that separates the science from the woo in medicine.

Details
Category: Latest JREF News
Hits: 5698

Few have lived as eventful a life as James Randi, and he has the stories to prove it! Join him in San Francisco this Thursday, January 12, as he shares one of his remarkable tales at Porchlight, the Bay Area's premiere storytelling series.

For nine years, Porchlight has offered a stage to dozens of luminaries and regular folks from all walks of life to share their unfiltered, unscripted recollections with the world. Previous storyteller have included writer Stephen Elliott, comedian Rob Baedeker, poet Bucky Sinister, and mythbusting friend of the JREF Adam Savage.

Randi will be performing as part of a special Harry Houdini tribute edition of Porchlight, where a cast of magicians and mentalists will be sharing their stories of brushes with magic.

The show will be held at the Contemporary Jewish Museum on Mission St. at 7:00pm. For ticket information, click here.

Details
Category: Latest JREF News
Hits: 6635
It's the latest edition of The Randi Show, our biweekly video podcast from James Randi himself. In this episode, Randi discusses the recent conviction of a self-proclaimed psychic for theft. Plus, he talks about laws against storefront psychics and how these types of frauds operate around the world.

Stay tuned to the JREF's YouTube page for more episodes, or find The Randi Show on iTunes .

Details
Category: Swift
Hits: 12897
Friends, I want to make sure you know about a very important event this year at which I’ll be speaking. On March 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., thousands of freethinkers will gather in Washington, D.C. for what could be the largest ever celebration of secular values in our nation’s capital.

It’s just been announced that the brilliant musician and comedian Tim Minchin will be part of the Rally’s featured entertainment, along with punk rock band Bad Religion, more music and comedy, and addresses by leaders of the freethought community. How can you pass this up...?

Joining with the nation’s leading secular organizations, the JREF is proud to be a founding sponsor of the Reason Rally, and I hope you’ll lend your support as well by joining me in Washington this March. You can learn more about attending the rally at ReasonRally.org. See you there?

James Randi
  1. A Wonderful Artifact
  2. Questions VS Answers
  3. The Ornish Myth
  4. The Marie Laveau Phenomenon