Jan 19 - Jim Lippard - The Decline (and Probable Fall) of the Scientology Empire

Saturday, Jan 19, 2013, 1:30pm
Bethesda Regional Library
7400 Arlington Rd Bethesda, MD [map]

Jim Lippard will be speaking on the history of the Church of Scientology, how it has collided with the Internet and lost control of its secrets and its membership, and is now seeing an accelerating decline as its top members leave for new alternatives.

Jim Lippard founded the Phoenix Skeptics in 1985, and co-founded the Phoenix Area Skeptics Society in 2011. He’s written articles and book chapters on skeptical topics, including two articles in Skeptic magazine on Scientology, “Scientology vs. the Internet” in 1995 (co-authored with Jeff Jacobsen) and “The Decline (and Probable Fall) of the Scientology Empire” in 2012. He also contributed to Gordon Stein’s Encyclopedia of the Paranormal and Joe Nickell’s Psychic Sleuths.

FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members. Refreshments and socializing after the talk.

Free limited parking is available. The Bethesda Library is Metro accessible.

Shadow of a Doubt - January 2013

The Monthly Calendar of the National Capital Area Skeptics

• NCAS Public Lecture Series: The Decline (and Probable Fall) of the Scientology Empire - Jim Lippard
• Prez Sez
• Torn From Today's Headlines By Scott Snell: Coincidences and the Search for Meaning
• Eugene Ossa at Library of Congress on January 29

Dec 8 - Walter F. Rowe, PhD - It Came From the Genetics Lab: DNA, the Monster That Ate Forensic Science

Saturday, Dec 8, 2012, 1:30 pm
National Science Foundation
Room 110
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA [map]

In the 1980s all was serene in the field of forensic science. Fingerprinting and dental records were the accepted methods of personal identification. Forensic serologists could identify a number of genetic markers in dried blood and body fluids. The identification sciences (questioned documents, firearm and tool mark identification, shoe and tire track identification) were readily accepted by courts. Few scientists envisioned that it would be possible to isolate human DNA from dried stains that were months or years old. However, within less than a quarter of a century forensic DNA profiling had become the gold standard against which all

other forensic disciplines are measured (and not always to their benefit).

This talk will examine the current state of forensic DNA profiling and ongoing research in this area. It will also explore the profound impact of DNA profiling on the criminal justice system, crime scene processing, the criminal investigative process and other branches of forensic science. The talk will also address some myths about DNA profiling and the personal information that it supposedly discloses.

FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members.

Refreshments and socializing after the talk.

Shadow of a Doubt - December 2012

The Monthly Calendar of the National Capital Area Skeptics

• NCAS Public Lecture Series - It Came From the Genetics Lab: DNA, the Monster That Ate Forensic Science - Walter F. Rowe, PhD
• Paul Kurtz (1925-2012)
• January NCAS Lecture
• Torn From Today's Headlines by Scott Snell - The End is Near...
• ...and a Year-End Roundup
• "World Won't End in 2012" Lifetime Membership!
• Artpocalypse 2012

Nov 10 - Marc Kaufman - Life Beyond Earth: The Search is On, and the Results are Tantalizing

Saturday, Nov 10, 2012, 1:30 pm
National Science Foundation
Room 110
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA [map]

Since the earliest days, humans have looked up to the skies and thought they saw life. It may have been in the form of gods and angels, djinns and flying saucers, but virtually all societies have projected life onto the heavens.

Those understandings were grounded in belief, but now science is taking the search for extraterrestrial life to a new level. The science of astrobiology is booming, and scientists from disciplines ranging from microbiology to chemistry, astronomy to cosmology are involved in what some have called the biggest scientific prize (and challenge) of the century.

Marc Kaufman, a science writer for The Washington Post, will explore the many ways that researchers are trying to understand what life beyond Earth might be like, where it might be found, how it might be found, and whether intelligent life is even possible (likely?).

Kaufman is currently researching his upcoming National Geographic book, covering the first year and a half of the travels of the Mars rover Curiosity. His most recent book, First Contact: Scientific Breakthroughs in the Hunt for Life Beyond Earth, will be available for sale and signing after the lecture.


FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members.
Refreshments and socializing after the talk.