March 2024
YouTube Live Event with Q and A
This month, NCAS presents a different kind of event. We invite you to watch The UFO Movie THEY Don't Want You to See BEFORE March 9, 2024 (see below for how to watch). Then join us on Saturday, March 9 at 1:30 PM ET for an online Q & A with Executive Producer / Writer / Presenter Brian Dunning.
Science writer Brian Dunning is a documentary filmmaker and the host of Skeptoid, the award-winning weekly science podcast. Since 2006, Skeptoid has been revealing the true science behind popular misinformation and urban legends. Dunning's recent movies include the educational film Principles of Curiosity (2017) and the feature documentary Science Friction (2022) revealing the deceptive editing that sometimes happens to science experts on mainstream television programs. He is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
To watch the film for free (with ads), use this link:
https://www.ncas.org/2024/02/a-discussion-of-ufo-movie-they-dont.html
NCAS
Public Lecture Series
A Discussion of "The UFO Movie THEY Don't Want You to See"
YouTube Live Event with Q and A
Brian Dunning
Executive Producer / Writer / Presenter, The UFO
Movie THEY Don't Want You to See
Saturday, March 9, 1:30pm US/Eastern (UTC-05:00)
NCASVideo
YouTube Channel:
This month, NCAS presents a different kind of event. We invite you to watch The UFO Movie THEY Don't Want You to See BEFORE March 9, 2024 (see below for how to watch). Then join us on Saturday, March 9 at 1:30 PM ET for an online Q & A with Executive Producer / Writer / Presenter Brian Dunning.
From the film's
website:
"In an age when misinformation, alternative facts, and conspiracy theories have become mainstream, UFOs have risen to become one of the most-talked about pop culture phenomena. With all of this noise, how can we expect anyone to know how much of this is true? What is in our skies? What do we know, and how do we know it? And most importantly: Are we being visited?
"In an age when misinformation, alternative facts, and conspiracy theories have become mainstream, UFOs have risen to become one of the most-talked about pop culture phenomena. With all of this noise, how can we expect anyone to know how much of this is true? What is in our skies? What do we know, and how do we know it? And most importantly: Are we being visited?
Science does have
most of these answers, and we're working on answering
the rest of them. Featuring experts in cosmology,
physics, and image analysis, The UFO Movie THEY
Don't Want You to See will lay out for you
exactly what we know and how we know it."
Science writer Brian Dunning is a documentary filmmaker and the host of Skeptoid, the award-winning weekly science podcast. Since 2006, Skeptoid has been revealing the true science behind popular misinformation and urban legends. Dunning's recent movies include the educational film Principles of Curiosity (2017) and the feature documentary Science Friction (2022) revealing the deceptive editing that sometimes happens to science experts on mainstream television programs. He is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
Full information about this documentary,
including streaming services that carry it, can be
found at https://theufo.movie
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/1SKKYgY9P88
3) The live stream
begins shortly before 1:30pm
US/Eastern (UTC-05:00) on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
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.
How to Watch and Participate in an Online
Viewing Event:
Of course, you can
watch the movie on your own. Or, if you prefer a
shared experience, there will be an online viewing
event on Wednesday, March 6 at 7:30 PM ET.
1) Check your email
inbox (the same one that's receiving this Shadow of
a Doubt) at 6:45 PM ET on Wednesday, March 6.
2) Click on the "Watch2Gether"
link in the email. Your browser will display our "room"
to watch the movie on YouTube together.3) Start typing in the
chat window at the right of the screen. The
documentary will start at 7:30 PM sharp, but
anyone who wants to hang out there before showtime is
welcome. At 7 PM, the main feature will be preceded
by a short "documentary" (one of the 1970s fake
documentaries that we can laugh at).
4) Webcams and microphones won't be active, just the chat
window. Get ready to type!Eldritch Investigations and a Discount for NCAS
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!
"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've continued into their 4th year with an all-new story in December 2023.
Rorschach often incorporates elements of fantasy, horror, and/or supernatural. This coming season the Eldritch 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.
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've continued into their 4th year with an all-new story in December 2023.
Rorschach often incorporates elements of fantasy, horror, and/or supernatural. This coming season the Eldritch 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.
The adventure has
already begun, so new subscribers will receive all
previous chapters in the first shipment.
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!
April NCAS Event
Edward Calabrese,
Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public
Health and Health Science, will discuss the "linear
no-threshold" (LNT) model, an ionizing radiation
dose-response model used in radiation protection. How
accurate is the model for estimating cancer risk at low
doses? Saturday, April 13 at 1:30 PM ET, live on the
NCASVideo YouTube channel.
Ahead of his
presentation, Professor Calabrese recommends watching
videos describing the historical foundations of cancer
risk assessment, hosted on the Health Physics Society
YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@healthphysicssociety5037/videos
Note: the 22 episodes
total several hours, but can be expedited by adjusting
the playback speed to 1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75x, or 2x.
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 16 at 2 PM ET. Paleontologist Ted Daeschler, PhD will present "Explorations into the Age of Fishes and the Origin of Limbed Vertebrates," describing three decades of paleontological exploration and research on Late Devonian (385-365 million years ago) fossils from Pennsylvania, the high Canadian Arctic and Antarctica. Event details at http://www.phact.org/meetings.php.
Our skeptical neighbors to the north, the Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking (PhACT), will host their next online event on Saturday, March 16 at 2 PM ET. Paleontologist Ted Daeschler, PhD will present "Explorations into the Age of Fishes and the Origin of Limbed Vertebrates," describing three decades of paleontological exploration and research on Late Devonian (385-365 million years ago) fossils from Pennsylvania, the high Canadian Arctic and Antarctica. Event details at http://www.phact.org/meetings.php.
March Bay Area
Skeptics Lecture
The [San Francisco] Bay Area Skeptics will host
their next online event on Thursday, March 14 at 9 PM
ET. Paul A. Offit, MD, Director of the
Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia as well as the Maurice R. Hilleman
Professor of Vaccinology and a Professor of Pediatrics
at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University
of Pennsylvania, will present "COVID Myths: And the
Hits Just Keep on Comin'." The continued onslaught of
myths and misinformation surrounding COVID and COVID
vaccines has been unrelenting and contributes to the
low uptake of this vaccine. Dr. Offit will try to
debunk some of these myths and put them in context.
This will be livestreamed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXDorVfW9Kk
Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic Response
Dr. Offit recently discussed his new book Tell Me When It's Over (National Geographic, 2024) with Michael Shermer. In his book, Dr. Offit presents a "lessons learned" perspective on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, based on his experience as a member of the FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee and a former member of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices to the CDC. His discussion with Dr. Shermer is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by67kv1_VnA
Later, Dr. Offit also responded to the following two questions/comments from NCAS President Scott Snell:
So much of the mask debate was the claim that one cannot adequately protect oneself by wearing a mask; others must also wear masks to protect oneself.
Was that true after
N95 masks became generally available to the public? I
assume there was excellent data about COVID history of
health care workers (presumably using the best masks
and trained to use them properly). The workers had to
take care of very sick/contagious unmasked patients
indoors for long periods of time. How sick did the
workers get?
If (as I assume)
they did not often get sick, did that suggest that all
of us "civilians" could essentially imitate the
success of health care workers? Moreover, this
could've been an excellent "panpartisan" meme. Nurses
and many other health care workers were seen (and
still are) as heroes. "Let's imitate the health care
heroes, wear your mask to protect yourself! Here's
how to wear your mask correctly [etc]." This would, I
think, largely avoid the "you've got to wear a mask to
protect me" meme that caused so much (unnecessary?)
controversy. What are your thoughts about this?
In conversation (paraphrased and printed here with his permission), Dr. Offit responded that this might've been a worthwhile approach to depolarizing the masking issue. Unfortunately the N95 masks (generally upper 90s percent effective at blocking virus-laden droplets), KN95 (lower 90s percent effective), and surgical masks (80s percent effective) were not available to the public in the early months of the pandemic. But once these better masks were available, anyone with proper training could adequately protect themselves without insisting that others wear masks too.
Regarding achieving COVID herd immunity via vaccination, what was the percentage required? If it was, say, 80%, was one societal possibility to offer a "lottery" for anyone who didn't want the vaccine? That way, perhaps many if not all objectors could be exempted from vaccination, if they won the lottery. (The number of lottery victors could be as many as 20% of the community in my example.)
Dr. Offit's response, described in more detail in his book, is that the vaccination mandates caused a backlash that probably reduced COVID vaccination rates and now have spilled over to a push back against all vaccine mandates, including school vaccine mandates. Rather than using mandates (or the suggested exemption lottery), educating the public is the best way to maximize vaccination rates.
In conversation (paraphrased and printed here with his permission), Dr. Offit responded that this might've been a worthwhile approach to depolarizing the masking issue. Unfortunately the N95 masks (generally upper 90s percent effective at blocking virus-laden droplets), KN95 (lower 90s percent effective), and surgical masks (80s percent effective) were not available to the public in the early months of the pandemic. But once these better masks were available, anyone with proper training could adequately protect themselves without insisting that others wear masks too.
Regarding achieving COVID herd immunity via vaccination, what was the percentage required? If it was, say, 80%, was one societal possibility to offer a "lottery" for anyone who didn't want the vaccine? That way, perhaps many if not all objectors could be exempted from vaccination, if they won the lottery. (The number of lottery victors could be as many as 20% of the community in my example.)
Dr. Offit's response, described in more detail in his book, is that the vaccination mandates caused a backlash that probably reduced COVID vaccination rates and now have spilled over to a push back against all vaccine mandates, including school vaccine mandates. Rather than using mandates (or the suggested exemption lottery), educating the public is the best way to maximize vaccination rates.
Videos from CSICon
2023
Center for Inquiry has
recently posted the Richard Dawkins lecture, "Science,
the Poetry of Reality, Jewel in Humanity’s Crown" on its
YouTube site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubsmu2jN-4E
Writing in the November
2023 Shadow of a Doubt, NCAS Board Member Curtis
Haymore called it "really wonderful, deeply thoughtful,
filled with his well-crafted language."
Also recently added was
a conversation between Dawkins and Bill Nye, who
received the 2023 Richard Dawkins Award for proclaiming
"the values of secularism and rationalism, upholding
scientific truth wherever it may lead." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I3dbf6N7FE
"Spring Forward"
On Sunday, March 10,
most of the United States and Canada will make the
customary change from Standard Time to Daylight Saving
Time. Three weeks later, most of Europe will follow
suit.
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? See "The Times They Are(n't) a-Changin'" on
the NCASVideo YouTube site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J6QEYSxMjs
NCAS Membership
At its September 20, 2023 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.
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
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
