Shadow of a Doubt - November 2023

  • Lecture November 18 - "The times they are(n't) a-Changin'," presented by  NCAS President Scott Snell
  • Eldrich investigations and a discount for NCAS
  • November PhACT lelcture - "How are we deceived" presented by Brian "Happie" Foshee.
  • A Report on CSICon 2023
  • NCAS membership
  • Shadow Light
  • Time to Renew
See the complete November 2023 Shadow
 

Shadow of a Doubt - November 2023

 

November 2023

NCAS Public Lecture Series

The Times They Are(n't) a-Changin'

Scott Snell
President, National Capital Area Skeptics

Saturday, November 18, 1:30pm - 4:00pm US/Eastern (UTC-05:00)
Connie Morella Library
7400 Arlington Road
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

 Also a YouTube Live Event with Q and A 

NCASVideo YouTube Channel:




Back and forth we go.  Are you tired (literally tired) of switching your clocks one hour back every Fall and one hour forward every Spring? Why do we go to all the trouble?  Do we have any good alternatives?  What’s been tried before, or tried elsewhere?

Polls show that the public is divided on what to do.  But even the experts can’t agree among themselves. Meanwhile, the US Congress and some state legislatures have introduced legislation to alter standard time.

You're encouraged to Google the topic to prepare for this event.  We’re seeking a lively informed discussion, online and in person, focused on problem-solving.

Scott Snell is a flight software engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, tending the onboard computer of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. He received his BS in physics from the University of Maryland. A charter member of NCAS, he has served as its president since 2018.

Refreshments will be available.

https://www.ncas.org/2023/11/november-18-times-they-arent-changing.html


Eldrich Investigations and a Discount for NCAS
"Cults and cryptids collide when a curious Washingtonian investigates local unexplained phenomena.  Explore the lure of the unknown and its entanglement with DC history in this multi-chapter adventure across the city."

At the start of the pandemic, the local Rorschach Theatre company created a unique theatrical experience that extended over the course of 9-10 months. It was originally a way for the show to go on when the pandemic shut down stage performances, but it has been so successful that they are continuing into their 4th year with an all-new story beginning this month (November 2023).

Rorschach often incorporates elements of fantasy, horror, and/or supernatural. This coming season the Eldrich Investigations project involves themes particularly close to NCAS. The company has extended a 20% discount to NCAS members.

Subscribers receive a monthly box or envelope with maps, directions to locales around DC, and other artifacts such as postcards, telegrams, and various trinkets that help unfold a story over the course of 9-10 months. You investigate these locations at your own pace, on your own time. They also provide online videos for those who can't visit in person.

For the discount, use code NCAS when subscribing here:

https://rorschachtheatre.com/23-24-psychogeographies-project/

Sounds a bit like an expanded version of our NCAS Skeptours!


November PhACT Lecture
Our skeptical neighbors to the north, the Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking (PhACT), will host their next online event on Saturday, November 18 at 2 PM ET.  Brian 'Happie' Foshee will present "How Are We Deceived?"  He'll "explore how others deceive us, and the world of magic. Unraveling the psychology and techniques involved, we'll gain insights to navigate the intricate web of deceit that surrounds us. Welcome to the enigmatic world of deception and magic."  Event details at http://www.phact.org/meetings.php.


A Report on CSICon 2023
By Curtis Haymore

This year’s CSICon was my first in a few years and it was as fun and interesting as previous CSICons and TAMs. Attending CSICon conferences requires a big commitment of time and money, but each one I have attended proved worth it.

Attendees about filled the large hall and nearly a third of them appeared to be first-time attendees, based on how many raised their hands in response to emcee George Hrab's question. Every conversation I had that started with “How did you become interested in this conference?” led to a multitude of interesting stories about people’s histories and revelations.

The presentations were mostly half-hour, which led to snappy and very focused talks, and allowed a wide range of speakers.

I signed up for the two workshops. “Magic for Skeptics” was entertaining and insightful from even the simplest things. Psychologist Richard Wiseman in particular always makes me smile. Jim Underdown and Kenny Biddle led the “Investigating and Testing Extraordinary Claims” workshop. Kenny is fun, entertaining, and curious. CSI is in good hands with Kenny as its new chief investigator.

Thursday night was the Richard Dawkins lecture, “Science, the Poetry of Reality, Jewel in Humanity’s Crown.” It was really wonderful, deeply thoughtful, filled with his well-crafted language. He reminded me of Christopher Hitchens…having a rare gift to form thoughts around interesting stories and analogies, and speak so well.

Friday night was devoted to Bill Nye receiving the Richard Dawkins Award from Dawkins, followed by their conversation. Nye was passionate, relaxed, and entertaining. As CEO of The Planetary Society, he advocated for robotic and human travel to other planets. I’m skeptical about human space exploration, but he has me reconsidering it—at least to Mars.

One highlight of Saturday’s program was an informative talk on vaccines by Dr. Paul Offit. Even though I thought I knew a lot about the vaccine rollouts—I really didn’t understand the background he gave about the research on the variants and the vaccines and decisions for use—I wonder if he is available to talk with some of my relatives (please!). There was a theme around education and communication of scientific understanding and critical thinking skills, which gave at least some hope for better reasoning among future generations. Health/wellness reporter Rina Raphael described how she became a skeptical reporter on that industry, which was fascinating.  Naomi Oreskes’ talk about her impressive new book, “The Big Myth,” co-authored with Erik Conway about “the magic of the market,” provided information I hadn’t seen or at least hadn’t seen put together in the way she had.

Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post talked about fact-checking. We should all be grateful for the exhausting work of all of the fact-checking groups and organizations, and depressed on how little shame and repentance that work engenders.

Between Nye, Wiseman, Penn & Teller, comedian Leighann Lord, and George Hrab, there were plenty of laughs to go along with the learning.

If you need a skeptical boost in your life, try attending the next CSICon.

(CSICon 2023, sponsored by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry / Center for Inquiry / Skeptical Inquirer magazine was held October 26-29 at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.)

NCAS Membership
At its September 20 meeting, the NCAS Board of Directors approved a change in membership classifications, effective October 1.  Formerly in two classifications, Single and Double, membership now comprises one or two individuals at the same home address.  In addition to simplifying transactions for the NCAS treasurer, this represents a per-person reduction in membership costs.  The former Single membership cost now covers up to two people.  Consider adding a 2nd person in your household to your NCAS membership at no extra cost!  Both will be able to vote separately in the annual NCAS board of directors election.  Send an email to ncas@ncas.org to add a 2nd person to your membership.  We hope to add members, and of course a student or other young person is always welcome for the future of skepticism.  Also see https://www.ncas.org/p/join-ncas.html.

Shadow Light
Some members and contacts of NCAS receive a postal notification of this and every new monthly Shadow of a Doubt.  The Shadow Light postcard announces the monthly lecture and highlights of the electronic Shadow of a Doubt, which is available online at ncas.org/p/shadow.html.  NCAS thereby reduces Shadow production and postage costs.  To further reduce costs, members and contacts can opt out of postal notification altogether, while continuing to receive Shadow of a Doubt via e-mail.  To opt out, send us an e-mail at ncas@ncas.org.

Time to Renew?
Be sure to check your renewal date above your postal address on the Shadow Light postcard. Send any queries to ncas@ncas.org.  Use the online membership form to renew.
https://www.ncas.org/p/shadow.html

November 18 - The times they are(n't) a-changing


Scott Snell

President, National Capital Area Skeptics


Saturday, November 18, 1:30pm - 4:00pm US/Eastern (UTC-05:00)
Connie Morella Library
7400 Arlington Road
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members
 Also a YouTube Live Event with Q and A 
NCASVideo YouTube Channel:


Back and forth we go.  Are you tired (literally tired) of switching your clocks one hour back every Fall and one hour forward every Spring? Why do we go to all the trouble?  Do we have any good alternatives?  What’s been tried before, or tried elsewhere?

Polls show that the public is divided on what to do.  But even the experts can’t agree among themselves. Meanwhile, the US Congress and some state legislatures have introduced legislation to alter standard time.

You're encouraged to Google the topic to prepare for this event.  We’re seeking a lively informed discussion, online and in person, focused on problem-solving.

Scott Snell is a flight software engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, tending the onboard computer of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. He received his BS in physics from the University of Maryland. A charter member of NCAS, he has served as its president since 2018.

Refreshments will be available.

Shadow of a Doubt - October 2023

  • October NCAS lecture- Brian Sharpless will talk about "The werewolves among us"
  • November talk - NCAS President will talk about "The times they are(n't) a-changing. "
  • November Bay area skeptics lecture
  • NCAS board elections
  • Csicon 2023
  • NCAS membership
  • Happy belated Friday the 13th
  • Torn from Today's Headlines
  • Shadow Light
  • Time to Renew? 
 Read Shadow here

Shadow of a Doubt - October 2023

 

October 2023

NCAS Public Lecture Series



The Werewolves Among Us

Brian A. Sharpless, PhD
Visiting Research Fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London

Saturday, October 21, 1:30pm - 4:00pm US/Eastern (UTC-04:00)
Connie Morella Library
7400 Arlington Road
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

 Also a YouTube Live Event with Q and A 

NCASVideo YouTube Channel:



Join us as Brian A. Sharpless discusses unusual psychological conditions described in his new book, Monsters on the Couch: The Real Psychological Disorders Behind Your Favorite Horror MoviesWe'll delve into Clinical Lycanthropy, a psychiatric syndrome within which the patient has the delusional belief of turning into a wolf, and Clinical Zoanthropy, a broader category of delusional belief in turning into an animal.  (Hollywood has dramatized werewolf stories many times, but were-gerbils remain "stories untold.")  What are these real-life disorders, how do they compare with myth and popular culture, and what treatments are available?

Brian A. Sharpless is a licensed psychologist, author, and a visiting research fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London. He received his PhD in clinical psychology and MA in philosophy from Pennsylvania State University and completed post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania. He has authored more than fifty professional publications including three books for Oxford University Press. His research interests include common and unusual psychological disorders, psychotherapy, professional issues, and the history of mental illness.  This research has been featured on TV, radio, and in other media outlets, and he is a frequent speaker at conferences and public events in the United States and abroad.

Twitter:       @briansharpless
website:      www.briansharpless.com


Refreshments will be available.

https://www.ncas.org/2023/10/october-21-clinical-lycanthropy.html

At the speakers' request, this live-streamed event will not be recorded for the NCAS YouTube channel.

November NCAS Lecture
NCAS President Scott Snell will present "The Times They Are(n't) a-Changin'." Should we stop changing our clocks forth and back between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time?  We’ll sort through conflicting advice from experts.  Saturday, November 18 at 1:30 PM (that's Standard Time!) at Connie Morella Library.

September Bay Area Skeptics Lecture
The [San Francisco] Bay Area Skeptics will host their next online event on Thursday, November 9 at 10:30 PM ET.  Jennifer Pan, Sir Robert Ho Tung Professor of Chinese Studies, Professor of Communication and (by courtesy) Political Science, and a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University, will present "The Science behind Social Media and Political Behavior."  Details of the livestream will be posted at https://baskeptics.org/upcomingskeptalk/.

CSICon 2023
CSICon 2023, sponsored by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry / Center for Inquiry / Skeptical Inquirer magazine will be held October 26-29 at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.  Speakers include Bill Nye, Penn & Teller, Richard Dawkins, Mick West, and many others.  Register at csiconference.org.

NCAS Membership
At its September 20 meeting, the NCAS Board of Directors approved a change in membership classifications, effective October 1.  Formerly in two classifications, Single and Double, membership now comprises one or two individuals at the same home address.  In addition to simplifying transactions for the NCAS treasurer, this represents a per-person reduction in membership costs.  The former Single membership cost now covers up to two people.  Consider adding a 2nd person in your household to your NCAS membership at no extra cost!  Both will be able to vote separately in the annual NCAS board of directors election.  Send an email to ncas@ncas.org to add a 2nd person to your membership.  We hope to add members, and of course a student or other young person is always welcome for the future of skepticism.  Also see https://www.ncas.org/p/join-ncas.html.

Happy Belated Friday the 13th!
NCAS had no events planned for Friday, October 13, but we hope our members celebrated the silliness of superstition responsibly.  Always wear eye protection if you smash a mirror, be careful when walking under a ladder, etc!

Torn From Today's Headlines
By Scott Snell
NASA to Investigate UFOs
On September 14, 2023, NASA's "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Independent Study Team" released its final report, about 11 months after the study began.  The report is a relatively quick read:
https://smd-cms.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/uap-independent-study-team-final-report.pdf

From the Framework of Recommendations: "Although [the Defense Department's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)] leads the whole-of-government response to [Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena], the panel recommends that NASA play an essential role within that framework. NASA should leverage its core capabilities and expertise to determine whether it should take a leading or supporting role in implementing [the panel's] recommendation[s]."  NASA's reputation for openness was also cited as justifying a role for the agency in UFO investigations.

Also from the report, "The panel finds that public engagement in the effort to better understand UAP will be vital. NASA, by lending its name to UAP studies, is already helping to reduce stigma associated with reporting."

NASA announced its first "Director of UAP Research," Mark A. McInerney, a meteorologist and climate data scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center.  Here's a NASA public outreach interview with McInerney from 2020:
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/data-chats/data-chat-mark-mcinerney

Author's comments:
The rationale for selecting McInerney isn't obvious.  As described in the NASA news release...
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/update-nasa-shares-uap-independent-study-report-names-director/
...he was the "liaison to the Department of Defense covering limited UAP activities for the agency."  I assume he was chosen as the liaison and then the director of research because of his experience in the technical management of NASA's Earth science data.  My assumption follows from the first recommendation in the report: "We specifically recommend that NASA utilize its existing and planned Earth-observing assets to probe the local environmental conditions associated with UAP that are initially detected by other means."

To me, the most remarkable aspect of the report is the opening sentence of its foreword, written by Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate: "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) are one of our planet’s greatest mysteries."  Given that her expertise is in heliophysics and plasma physics (see https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicola-Fox-3), she may have requested briefings on the UAP topic--briefings that apparently underemphasized prosaic explanations.

Soon after its commissioning by NASA Administrator BIll Nelson, the independent study team was discussed by Dr. Fox's predecessor, Thomas Zurbuchen, at the June 2022 Space Studies Board meeting at the National Academies of Sciences:
https://vimeo.com/723865564 (starting at the 34:30 mark).  This is an interesting presentation because it represents a scientist-to-scientists defense of the NASA UAP study.

Now that NASA has established a program to search for UAP, there will be associated programmatic funding.  I wonder how much funding, and what other programs will have their funding reduced within the overall NASA budget?

At this point, NASA seems mainly interested in studying Earth science data for UAPs.  But it could also be worthwhile to examine lunar science data.  (Disclosure: I'm part of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's engineering team at Goddard.)  LRO's sensors, including high-resolution cameras, have studied the Moon since 2009.  Unlike Earth or Mars, the Moon's dusty surface preserves displacements of all kinds, from impact craters to footprints.  Perhaps the aftereffects of alien landings and departures, sample scoopings, etc are still visible on the surface, hidden away in the many terabytes of LRO camera data that are analyzed solely for geological features (except for occasional localized searches for a crashed spacecraft from Russia or other countries, for example).  For that matter, alien artifacts may be on or near the surface.  I suppose aliens may have taken care to leave no trace whatsoever of their scientific study of the Moon.  If we find nothing in our mining of LRO data, that might be an explanation.  Or perhaps they have no interest whatsoever in the Moon, although that seems inconsistent with a species curious enough to travel here.  (Maybe their remote sensing is so good, they don't need to land on the Moon to study it thoroughly.  But then why are they landing on Earth?)  In any case, the Moon is an excellent place to look for ancient* or recent evidence of alien visitation.  We just may need to look at our data in a new way.  (I'm not proposing a rehash of Richard Hoagland's pseudoscientific interpretation of lunar images: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_C._Hoagland.)

*Mark Robinson, an Arizona State University scientist and the principal investigator for LRO's camera, stated "probably there will be no traces of the Apollo exploration in, let's say, 10 to 100 million years [due to erosion from micrometeorites]."  That may also be an upper limit on how long alien traces would last on the Moon.

Shadow Light
Some members and contacts of NCAS receive a postal notification of this and every new monthly Shadow of a Doubt.  The Shadow Light postcard announces the monthly lecture and highlights of the electronic Shadow of a Doubt, which is available online at ncas.org/p/shadow.html.  NCAS thereby reduces Shadow production and postage costs.  To further reduce costs, members and contacts can opt out of postal notification altogether, while continuing to receive Shadow of a Doubt via e-mail.  To opt out, send us an e-mail at ncas@ncas.org.

Time to Renew?
Be sure to check your renewal date above your postal address on the Shadow Light postcard. Send any queries to ncas@ncas.org.  Use the online membership form to renew.
https://www.ncas.org/p/shadow.html

October 21- Clinical Lycanthropy: The Werewolves Among Us

Brian A. Sharpless, PhD

Visiting Research Fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London

Saturday, October 21, 1:30pm - 4:00pm US/Eastern (UTC-04:00)
Connie Morella Library
7400 Arlington Road
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

 Also a YouTube Live Event with Q and A 

NCASVideo YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/WfmbQNDHaoA

Join us as psychologist Brian A. Sharpless discusses unusual psychological conditions described in his new book, Monsters on the Couch: The Real Psychological Disorders Behind Your Favorite Horror Movies.  We'll delve into Clinical Lycanthropy, a psychiatric syndrome within which the patient has the delusional belief of turning into a wolf, and Clinical Zoanthropy, a broader category of delusional belief in turning into an animal.  (Hollywood has dramatized werewolf stories many times, but were-gerbils remain "stories untold.")  What are these real-life disorders, how do they compare with myth and popular culture, and what treatments are available?

Brian A. Sharpless is a licensed psychologist, author, and a visiting research fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London. He received his PhD in clinical psychology and MA in philosophy from Pennsylvania State University and completed post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania. He has authored more than fifty professional publications including three books for Oxford University Press. His research interests include common and unusual psychological disorders, psychotherapy, professional issues, and the history of mental illness.  This research has been featured on TV, radio, and in other media outlets, and he is a frequent speaker at conferences and public events in the United States and abroad.

Twitter:       @briansharpless

website:      www.briansharpless.com

At the speaker's request, this live-streamed event will not be recorded for the NCAS YouTube channel.

Shadow of a Doubt - September 2023

 We're sorry to have to report this at this late date, but today's talk has to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. We hope that this can be rescheduled at a later date.

  • Combating Psychic Fraud 
Presented by Mark Carlon and Catherine Woytowicz, Saturday, September 9, 2:30pm - 4:30pm [NOTE SPECIAL TIME] https://youtu.be/JJ8A1drUslw (Only livestreamed at 2:30. Not available later)

 Read Shadow here: https://www.ncas.org/2023/09/shadow-of-doubt-september-2023.html

Shadow of a Doubt - September 2023

We're sorry to have to report this at this late date, but today's talk has to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. We hope that this can be rescheduled at a later date.

 Combating Psychic Fraud

Mark Carlon and Catherine Woytowicz
Society of American Magicians
Paranormal Investigation Committee
Fraud Awareness Program

Saturday, September 9, 2:30pm - 4:30pm [NOTE SPECIAL TIME]
Central Library
Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium
1015 North Quincy Street
Arlington, VA [map] [directions]
(Virginia Square-GMU Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

 Also a YouTube Live Event with Q and A 

NCASVideo YouTube Channel:



The Society of American Magicians  (S.A.M.) is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world, founded in 1902.  Several months after S.A.M.'s founding, Harry Houdini was elected to membership. Houdini was well-known for his escapes and magic acts, but he also worked to expose frauds who claimed to have supernatural powers.

Based in part on his own experiences with psychics attempting to contact the dead, Houdini helped form the S.A.M’s Paranormal Investigation Committee (P.I.C.) and establish its mission to investigate and expose those “supernatural” frauds. Houdini even testified before Congress, exposing a method fraudulent psychics used to imply they were in communication with the dead. S.A.M.'s P.I.C. has carried on that work for more than 100 years.

Mark Carlon and Catherine Woytowicz will talk about P.I.C.’s current work to raise awareness of fraud.  They have created a presentation on typical fraud cases and are partnering with community law enforcement agencies to raise awareness of these scams – especially psychics who are preying upon people who lost loved ones during COVID.

Mr. Carlon will be joining us virtually while Ms. Woytowicz will join us in person.

Mr. Mark Carlon is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) and S.A.M. who has performed magic from Chicago to Las Vegas.  He has a degree in developmental psychology and is a retired attorney.  Mr. Carlon is the chair of the Paranormal Investigation Committee.

Ms. Catherine Woytowicz is a magician, mentalist, and comic who began her magic career at 14 in a girl-to-tiger change illusion.  She performs corporate magic and facilitates critical thinking/structured thinking techniques with her company, Just the Trick.  She has a PhD in pharmaceutical design and discovery.  If you believe she could talk about drugs for hours, she will promise not to.

Refreshments will be available.

https://www.ncas.org/2023/08/september-9-combating-psychic-fraud.html

At the speakers' request, this live-streamed event will not be recorded for the NCAS YouTube channel.

October NCAS Lecture
Psychologist Brian Sharpless will discuss his new book, Monsters on the Couch: The Real Psychological Disorders Behind Your Favorite Horror Movies.  Saturday, October 21 at 1:30 PM at Connie Morella (formerly Bethesda Regional) Library.


September PhACT Lecture
Our skeptical neighbors to the north, the Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking (PhACT), will host their next online event on Saturday, September 16 at 2 PM ET.  CSI Fellow Nathan H. Lents, PhD, Professor of Biology and Director of the Cell and Molecular Biology program at John Jay College of the City University of New York, will present "Hacking Humanity - Advances in Technology Lead to Big Breakthroughs in Medicine."  Event details at http://www.phact.org/meetings.php.

September Bay Area Skeptics Lecture
The [San Francisco] Bay Area Skeptics will host their next online event on Thursday, September 14 at 10:30 PM ET.  Michael Worobey, Professor and the Head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona, will present "Origins of the COVID-19 Pandemic."  This will be livestreamed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg0OlyCRhww

Nanotechnology Symposium in DC
Quinn Spadola, PhD, the Deputy Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, contacted NCAS to let us know that a free symposium entitled "Enabling the Nanotechnology Revolution: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the 21st Century Nanotechnology R&D Act" will be held on Tuesday, October 10 at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine in DC.

Dr. Spadola gave an NCAS lecture in November 2016, "Debunking the Nanobot," available on the NCASVideo site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z5mCYpiIOI.

Shadow Light
Some members and contacts of NCAS receive a postal notification of this and every new monthly Shadow of a Doubt.  The Shadow Light postcard announces the monthly lecture and highlights of the electronic Shadow of a Doubt, which is available online at ncas.org/p/shadow.html.  NCAS thereby reduces Shadow production and postage costs.  To further reduce costs, members and contacts can opt out of postal notification altogether, while continuing to receive Shadow of a Doubt via e-mail.  To opt out, send us an e-mail at ncas@ncas.org.

Time to Renew?
Be sure to check your renewal date above your postal address on the Shadow Light postcard. Send any queries to ncas@ncas.org.  Use the online membership form to renew.
https://www.ncas.org/p/shadow.html

September 9 - Combating Psychic Fraud

Presented by Mark Carlon and Catherine Woytowicz

Society of American Magicians
Paranormal Investigation Committee

Fraud Awareness Program


Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 2:30 PM ET (note special time)
Central Library
Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium
1015 North Quincy Street
Arlington, VA
(Virginia Square-GMU Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

The Society of American Magicians  (S.A.M.) is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world, founded in 1902.  Several months after S.A.M.'s founding, Harry Houdini was elected to membership. Houdini was well-known for his escapes and magic acts, but he also worked to expose frauds who claimed to have supernatural powers.

Based in part on his own experiences with psychics attempting to contact the dead, Houdini helped form the S.A.M’s Paranormal Investigation Committee (P.I.C.) and establish its mission to investigate and expose those “supernatural” frauds. Houdini even testified before Congress, exposing a method fraudulent psychics used to imply they were in communication with the dead. S.A.M.'s P.I.C. has carried on that work for more than 100 years.

Carlon and Woytowicz will talk about P.I.C.’s current work to raise awareness of fraud.  They have created a presentation on typical fraud cases and are partnering with community law enforcement agencies to raise awareness of these scams – especially psychics who are preying upon people who lost loved ones during COVID.

Mr. Carlon will be joining us virtually while Ms. Woytowicz will join us in person.

Mr. Mark Carlon is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) and S.A.M. who has performed magic from Chicago to Las Vegas.  He has a degree in developmental psychology and is a retired attorney.  Mr. Carlon is the chair of the Paranormal Investigation Committee.

Ms. Catherine Woytowicz is a magician, mentalist, and comic who began her magic career at 14 in a girl-to-tiger change illusion.  She performs corporate magic and facilitates critical thinking/structured thinking techniques with her company, Just the Trick.  She has a PhD in pharmaceutical design and discovery.  If you believe she could talk about drugs for hours, she will promise not to.

This event will also be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ8A1drUslw

Shadow of a Doubt - May 2023

 

  • May NCAS lecture- The Great Psychic Prediction Project with Rob Palmer
  • April Shadow?
  • April SkepTour Recap
  • NCAS board elections
  • Bay Ara Skeptics Lecture
  • Torn from Today's Headlines
  • Shadow Light
  • Time to Renew? 
 Read Shadow here

Shadow of a Doubt - May 2023

 

May 2023

NCAS Public Lecture Series

The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project

Rob Palmer
Skeptical Inquirer Columnist ("The Well-Known Skeptic")

Saturday, May 13, 1:30pm US/Eastern (UTC-04:00)
Central Library
Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium
1015 North Quincy Street
Arlington, VA [map] [directions]
(Virginia Square-GMU Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

 Also a YouTube Live Event with Q and A 

NCASVideo YouTube Channel:



In 2021, "The Skeptic Zone" producer and CSI Fellow Richard Saunders completed his 12-year project dubbed the "Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project" (GAPPP) – an analysis of 3811 published paranormal predictions made by 207 people claiming paranormal powers in Australia during 2000 to 2020.

The scoring of the predictions was performed by an international team of volunteers, including Rob Palmer. In this presentation, an expanded version of the talk he gave at CSICon 2022, Rob will share details and the results of this unique investigation into the precision (or lack thereof) of the published predictions of prominent, public, paranormal practitioners.

Rob Palmer is a retired aerospace engineer. He has been a spacecraft designer, spacecraft tester, computer programmer, and software systems engineer. Rob became a skeptical activist in 2016 upon joining the "Guerrilla Skeptics on Wikipedia" team, and in 2018 became a columnist for Skeptical Inquirer. To date he has had over 70 articles published by Skeptical Inquirer as well as in other publications, and the Wikipedia articles he's written have garnered over 13 million pageviews.

Mr. Palmer will be joining us remotely via Zoom.

Refreshments will be available.



April Shadow?
Was there an April 2023 Shadow of a Doubt?  No, there was only an email to our members announcing the April 1 NCAS SkepTour.  Speaking of which...


April NCAS SkepTour Recap
The latest NCAS SkepTour brought a group of 14 into the Museum of Illusions Washington, where skeptical eyes and minds were tricked to the brink of believing unbelievable sights on (appropriately enough) April Fool's Day.

There were plenty of gasps and laughs at the various ways human perception can fall prey to human ingenuity (and mischief).

After the SkepTour concluded, many of the participants proceeded to Clyde's of Gallery Place for food, drink, and conversation.

Those of you who couldn't join us that morning, by all means make time to visit the museum when you can!  (And trust our good judgment to eat *after* the visit, not before!)


NCAS president Scott Snell was served in "Head on a Platter" at Museum of Illusions Washington.



NCAS Board Elections: Electronic Voting
The 2023 NCAS election is underway.  In mid-April, your e-mail inbox should've received a single-cast secret ballot from "elections@ncas.org via SurveyMonkey <member@surveymonkeyuser.com>".  (NCAS will receive information indicating who voted, but nothing to indicate who cast each ballot.)  Please vote by May 15, 2023.

Note that voters will not be at risk for spamming as a result of participating...SurveyMonkey has a zero-tolerance spam policy:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/legal/acceptable-uses-policy/

Be sure to check your spam folder if you didn't receive the election email.  A reminder was sent on May 1 to anyone who didn't cast a ballot yet.


Bay Area Skeptics Lecture
The [San Francisco] Bay Area Skeptics, now in their 41st year(!), will host their next online event on Thursday, May 11 at 10:30 PM ET.  Alex Filippenko, Professor of Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, will present "Extraterrestrials?"  This will be livestreamed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qjQsJR7svY


Torn From Today's Headlines
By Scott Snell
Lessons from the Covid War: An Investigative Report
Released on April 25, 2023, written by a team of 34 experts calling themselves the "Covid Crisis Group," Lessons from the Covid War: An Investigative Report is intended to be the best possible substitute for a report from a National Covid Commission that may never be formed.

News media organizations are covering the report (see, for example, this Washington Post editorial and review) and some of the authors are discussing the book at public and/or online events:

Wednesday, May 3, 7 PM: Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC.  https://www.politics-prose.com/philip-zelikow

Thursday, May 4, 6 PM: George Mason University, Van Metre Hall Auditorium, 3341 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA. https://ibi.gmu.edu/event/book-launch-lessons-from-the-covid-war-an-investigative-report/

Most thorough were the panels discussions at the National Academy of Sciences Building on April 24: https://vimeo.com/819923414


Shadow Light
Some members and contacts of NCAS receive a postal notification of this and every new monthly Shadow of a Doubt.  The Shadow Light postcard announces the monthly lecture and highlights of the electronic Shadow of a Doubt, which is available online at ncas.org/p/shadow.html.  NCAS thereby reduces Shadow production and postage costs.  To further reduce costs, members and contacts can opt out of postal notification altogether, while continuing to receive Shadow of a Doubt via e-mail.  To opt out, send us an e-mail at ncas@ncas.org.


Time to Renew?
Be sure to check your renewal date above your postal address on the Shadow Light postcard. Send any queries to ncas@ncas.org.  Use the online membership form to renew.
https://www.ncas.org/p/shadow.html

May 13 - The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project

 Presented by Rob Palmer, "Skeptical Inquirer" Columnist


Saturday, May 13, 2023, 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Central Library
Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium
1015 North Quincy Street
Arlington, VA
(Virginia Square-GMU Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members


The speaker will be joining us virtually.  This event will also be live-streamed at https://youtube.com/live/dR3PtgRl-vM?feature=share

In 2021, "The Skeptic Zone" producer and CSI Fellow Richard Saunders completed his 12-year project dubbed the Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project (GAPPP) – an analysis of almost 4,000 published paranormal predictions made by over 200 people claiming paranormal powers in Australia. 

The scoring of the predictions was performed by an international team of volunteers of which Rob Palmer was a member. In this presentation, an expanded version of the talk given at CSICon 2022, Rob will share details and the results of this unique investigation into the precision (or lack thereof) of the published predictions of prominent, public, paranormal practitioners.

Rob Palmer is a retired aerospace engineer. He has been a spacecraft designer, spacecraft tester, computer programmer, and software systems engineer. Rob became a skeptical activist in 2016 upon joining the Guerrilla Skeptics on Wikipedia team, and in 2018 became a columnist for "Skeptical Inquirer." To date he has had over 70 articles published by "Skeptical Inquirer" as well as in other publications, and the Wikipedia articles he’s written have garnered over 13 million pageviews.

Rob writes about contemporary skeptical issues and has interviewed individuals as diverse as scientists Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Dawkins, and Robert Bartholomew, Penn Jillette, Ann Druyan (producer and writer for the modern Cosmos series), Seth Andrews (host of "The Thinking Atheist" podcast), and John de Lancie (Star Trek’s Q).

Rob is registered with the Center for Inquiry’s Speakers Bureau and has given presentations for various skeptic and humanist groups and conventions, including: We Can Reason, Dragon Con, and three times at CSICon (the annual science and skepticism conference in Las Vegas). His topics have included: Critical Thinking, the Wikipedia editing project he volunteers for (GSoW), the harm in believing in psychics and mediums, and the Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project. He has been interviewed about these subjects on various podcasts and YouTube shows, including "The Skeptic Zone," "Big Picture Science", "Be Rationable," "The Phil Ferguson Show", "Banachek’s Brain,"" 502 Conversations," Recovering from Religion, Point of Inquiry, and "The Thinking Atheist."

All of Rob’s skeptical work can be found at: https://linktr.ee/thewellknownskeptic.

Shadow of a Doubt - March 2023

 


  • March NCAS lecture- How to talk to a science denier, presented by Lee McIntyre, Ph.D.
  • April 1 visit to Museum of Illusions, Washington, DC
  • The Woman who saw it all coming to Bethesda
  • March Phact Lecture, March 18
  • NCAS board elections soon
  • Stuart Vyse Interim Editor of Skeptical Inquirer
  • Shadow Light
  • Time to Renew? 
 Read Shadow here

Shadow of a Doubt - March 2023

 

March 2023

NCAS Public Lecture Series

A Discussion of How to Talk to a Science Denier


 YouTube Live Event with Q and A 

Lee McIntyre, PhD
Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University

Saturday, March 11, 1:30pm US/Eastern (UTC-05:00)




For our March event, NCAS invites you to read the book How to Talk to a Science Denier BEFORE March 11, 2023. Then join us on Saturday, March 11 at 1:30 PM ET for an online Q & A with author Lee McIntyre.

Think of it as the ultimate book club meeting...your friends and acquaintances show up to discuss a book, and the author shows up too!

From the book's website:

"Can we change the minds of science deniers? Encounters with flat earthers, anti-vaxxers, coronavirus truthers, and others.

'Climate change is a hoax—and so is coronavirus.' 'Vaccines are bad for you.' These days, many of our fellow citizens reject scientific expertise and prefer ideology to facts. They are not merely uninformed—they are misinformed. They cite cherry-picked evidence, rely on fake experts, and believe conspiracy theories. How can we convince such people otherwise? How can we get them to change their minds and accept the facts when they don't believe in facts? In this book, Lee McIntyre shows that anyone can fight back against science deniers, and argues that it's important to do so. Science denial can kill.

Drawing on his own experience—including a visit to a Flat Earth convention—as well as academic research, McIntyre outlines the common themes of science denialism, present in misinformation campaigns ranging from tobacco companies' denial in the 1950s that smoking causes lung cancer to today's anti-vaxxers. He describes attempts to use his persuasive powers as a philosopher to convert Flat Earthers; surprising discussions with coal miners; and conversations with a scientist friend about genetically modified organisms in food. McIntyre offers tools and techniques for communicating the truth and values of science, emphasizing that the most important way to reach science deniers is to talk to them calmly and respectfully—to put ourselves out there, and meet them face to face."

https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262545051/how-to-talk-to-a-science-denier/



How to Watch and Participate in this Online Discussion Event:

1) Use a supported browser... https://www.youtube.com/supported_browsers
2) Use the link https://youtu.be/NEiV9o6vwKk
3) The live stream begins shortly before 1:30pm US/Eastern (UTC-05:00) on Saturday, March 11, 2023.
4) To post questions, you must be signed in to a Google account.
5) Post your questions in the chat window to the right of the video player when the live stream is active.
6) Click into where it says "Say something..." and begin typing (up to 200 characters). Then click the send icon .

Along with your question, please post what city or town you're in.

April NCAS SkepTour at the Museum of Illusions!
Let's get fooled on April 1 at the Museum of Illusions.

The Museum of Illusions DC is newly opened in the heart of Washington, and NCAS has arranged a group visit with discounts for Saturday morning, April 1.

From the museum website (https://moiwashington.com/): 
Discover a brilliant collection of perspective-changing rooms, enthralling installations, and spellbinding images. Our exhibits will teach you that nothing is ever quite as it seems, especially in the Museum of Illusions. Get ready to be mesmerized!

The Museum of Illusions Washington is a 21st-century museum conceptualized to offer an interactive and unique experience that tricks the mind, challenges the vision and makes you question all your senses. The museum is a collection of more than 50 exhibits on over 6000 square feet. All exhibits are based on science, mathematics, psychology and art allowing you to learn a lot about vision, perception and the human brain, but in a fun and interactive way!

Location: CityCenterDC, 927 H Street NW, Washington DC
One block from the Gallery Place Metro (Red/Green Lines)

We will meet at the museum at 10:45 for our 11 AM entry time. The museum suggests that we can experience the exhibits in about 45 minutes, but guests are welcome to stay longer.

NCAS has 15 discounted tickets at $24 each, including processing fee and sales tax.  (Full price is $27, $25 for students, military and age 65+.)
Send an email to NCAS with your name and phone number to SkepTour@ncas.org.  We'll respond with the payment link.  We'll have the ticket(s) for you when you arrive at the museum.

Afterwards, please join us for lunch at Clyde's of Gallery Place.

"The Woman Who Saw All" Coming to Bethesda
"The Woman Who Saw All" is "An amazing evening with magician Andy Morgan as he tells the story of his grandmother, Psychic and Spiritualist, Mamie Bell Johnson."  The Writer's Center, 4508 Walsh Street, March 31 and April 1 at 8 PM.
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/andy-morgan-magic-16900728722

March PhACT Lecture
Our skeptical neighbors to the north, the Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking (PhACT), will host their next online event on Saturday, March 18 at 2 PM ET.  CSI Fellow (and NCAS Philip J. Klass Award laureate) Susan Gerbic will present "Science Activism does not stop during a world-wide pandemic: or How I spent my lockdown."  Event details at http://www.phact.org/meetings.php.

NCAS Board Elections: Call for Candidates
Are you an NCAS member who wants to take a leadership role in the skeptics movement?  The NCAS annual board of directors election is fast approaching.  As a board member, you can channel (non-psychically) your talent and energy (the non-woo kind) into educating the public, and pick up some fun skills along the way.  Send an email to ncas@ncas.org by March 15 for more information.

Stuart Vyse is Interim Editor of Skeptical Inquirer
Following the passing of longtime Skeptical Inquirer editor Kendrick Frazier, Stuart Vyse was named Interim Editor.  Coincidentally, both Dr. Vyse and Deputy Editor Benjamin Radford have recently given NCAS lectures.  Dr. Vyse discussed his book, The Uses of Delusion, last June (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1-1fof15U8), and Mr. Radford discussed his book, America the Fearful, last November (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOKmz9kk25s).

Shadow Light
Some members and contacts of NCAS receive a postal notification of this and every new monthly Shadow of a Doubt.  The Shadow Light postcard announces the monthly lecture and highlights of the electronic Shadow of a Doubt, which is available online at ncas.org/p/shadow.html.  NCAS thereby reduces Shadow production and postage costs.  To further reduce costs, members and contacts can opt out of postal notification altogether, while continuing to receive Shadow of a Doubt via e-mail.  To opt out, send us an e-mail at ncas@ncas.org.

Time to Renew?
Be sure to check your renewal date above your postal address on the Shadow Light postcard. Send any queries to ncas@ncas.org.  Use the online membership form to renew.
https://www.ncas.org/p/shadow.html