Barry Beyerstein Died June 26, 2007

Barry Beyerstein -- psychologist, educator, skeptic and friend -- died suddenly last week. The news left us all stunned; Barry was not often here in the DC area -- he was a professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. But just this April he dined with NCAS friends, while he was in town for a Center For Inquiry meeting, and we looked forward to many future visits.

If you are a regular reader of Skeptical Inquirer, you may remember his articles on graphology or mechanisms of belief or alternative medicine or near death experiences -- or that pesky myth about how we use only 10% of our brains. If you had met him -- perhaps at a CSICOP conference -- you would remember his charm, his humor and his gentle wisdom. We can hardly believe that we have lost his voice.

On behalf of NCAS, we extend our deepest condolences to his wife Suzi, children Lindsey and Loren, and the rest of the family.

His daughter Lindsey posted a personal remembrance on her blog, where you can leave condolences.

Please also see this tribute currently on the CSICOP.org home page:

Barry L. Beyerstein (1947 - 2007)
A Great Man. A Great Teacher. A Great Skeptic. An Extraordinary Human Being.

A Small Selection of Barry's Contributions:
Selected Articles & Book Chapters
Lectures & Presentations
Why Bogus Therapies Seem to Work
The Disappearing Writing Guru, Sweetwater, and Chicken McNugget
Traditional Medicine & Pseudoscience in China
2004 World Skeptics Congress

And a note from CSI Executive Director Barry Karr

Don Herbert; Mr. Wizard Of Children's Television

Let it not go without mention ...

"Don Herbert, 89, who as television's Mr. Wizard was for many years one of the nation's foremost popularizers of science, particularly noted for his ability to attract, inspire and hold the interest of children, died June 11 at his home in the Los Angeles area." Full obituary and photo in Washington Post June 13, 2007
Thank you, Mr. Wizard, for many an inspiring Saturday morning.

To reminisce, see the Wikipedia article Don Herbert, and visit Mr. Wizard Studios

Skeptical Eye, Volume 19-1 2007

• Michael Shermer Given First Klass Award Oct 12, 2006
• Coming Events:
• March 18 NCAS 20th Anniversary Meeting, with Speaker James Randi
• Monthly Meeting Dates and Locations
• Prez Sez: NCAS Purpose, Goals and Projects, Gary Stone
• Why Darwin Matters, Neil Inglis Reviews Michael Shermer's Book
• A Neurobiology of Sensitivity? Michael Jawar
• Della Porta, Richard Dengrove
• Germ Frenzy, Karl Roberts, Ph.D.
• Where Is The Line Between Researchers & Revolutionaries?, by Ye. D. Eydel’man, translated by Gary Goldberg
• The Write Stuff: Sorting Fact From Garbage, Fred Kourmadas

Download PDF

NCAS 20th Anniversary

As we approached the 20th anniversary of NCAS on March 29, 2007, we invited you to join us in our celebrations. We looked back at our experiences and achievements, as well as forward toward ever more effectively promoting critical thinking and scientific understanding among NCAS members and in society.

The Founding of NCAS

On a very pleasant Sunday March 29, 1987, at the outdoor amphitheater of the Edmund Burke School in northwest Washington, D.C., more than 100 very enthusiastic people attended the inaugural meeting to found the National Capital Area Skeptics. NCAS became a new and independent membership organization to objectively examine claims of paranormal phenomena and fringe science, and more generally to promote critical thinking and scientific understanding. That event is described in the first issue of the NCAS newsletter, Volume 1 Number 1, a precursor to our current, more mature Skeptical Eye newsletters. A special 20th Anniversary reprint of that very first NCAS Skeptical Eye newsletter was made available free to everyone at each NCAS event during our 20th anniversary celebration year.

NCAS 20th Anniversary Year Events

Each NCAS event through June 2007 featured some aspect celebrating our 20th Anniversary. See Shadow of a Doubt for details. Anyone may subscribe to our monthly NCAS-Announce email list to receive the montly Shadow of a Doubt bulletin of events and announcements.

NCAS 20th Anniversary Year Memorabilia

The following are the NCAS memorabilia that were available free at our events throughout the 20th Anniversary celebration September 2006 through June 2007. They are still available free at our events while supplies last.

• Special 20th Anniversary reprint of NCAS Skeptical Eye volume 1 number 1
• NCAS button "That's Nice, Prove It!"
  
  

NCAS Member Discussions

Throughout that anniversary year, NCAS Members were invited to participate in casual discussions about past personal experiences as a Skeptic and as an NCAS member in a "demon-haunted world". There were also focused discussions about how NCAS can become ever more relevant and effective in the future in promoting critical thinking and scientific understanding.

June 14 - The Comprehensible Cosmos: Where Do the Laws of Physics Come From?

Victor J. Stenger, PhD (Details)
Thursday, June 14, 7:30 pm Note special time
Bethesda Library

Dr. Stenger will discuss and sign his book, which will be purchasable at this event for $20 (29% off).