Nov 9 - Sharon Hill - The World of Weird News: Bigfoot, UFOs and Other Questionable Claims

Weird news is its own niche on the web and in print. The more sensational the story, the more eyeballs it gets. Topics include Bigfoot and UFO sightings, hauntings, exorcism, witchcraft, mysteries, miracles, psychic predictions and conspiracies. We are barraged with claims that are seriously questionable. While entertaining, many people actually believe this stuff.  This is a fun tour through weird and wonderful news stories and an examination of how we think about doubtful news and the impact it has on society.

Sharon Hill is a writer, researcher, and consultant specializing in Science and Society issues. As creator and editor of the unique news and commentary site, DoubtfulNews.com, she advocates for a genuine skeptical take on alternative medicine, the paranormal, anomalous natural phenomena, cryptozoology and other weird news as well as promoting a rational, scientific outlook on these topics. With the help of other prominent skeptics, she spearheaded the "Media Guide to Skepticism" to explain the core of the philosophy and method of skepticism. Her current focus is on the "sham inquiry" of amateur paranormal investigators and their use of scientific language and activities to appear credible to the public. She is a licensed geologist in Pennsylvania and has 20 years experience in environmental regulations and policy.

Saturday, November 9, 2013, 1:30 pm

National Science Foundation
Room 110
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA (Map)
(One block south of the Ballston-MU Metro stop)
Enter NSF from the corner of 9th St. N. & N. Stuart Streets.
www.nsf.gov/about/visit

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

For more information, call the 24-hour Skeptic Line, 240-670-NCAS (6227)
ncas@ncas.org
www.ncas.org

Shadow of a Doubt - October 2013

The Monthly Calendar of the National Capital Area Skeptics

• Oct 9 Drinking Skeptically in MD & VA
• Oct 12 NCAS Lecture: Mysterious Delusions of Satan: Witchcraft at Salem
• Nov 9 NCAS Lecture: The World of Weird News: Bigfoot, UFOs and other Questionable Claims
• Dec 14 NCAS Philip J. Klass Award presentation to Phil Plait
• Shadow Light
• New Skeptic Line Number

Oct 12 - Prof. Walter F. Rowe - Mysterious Delusions of Satan: Witchcraft at Salem

In keeping with the approach of Halloween, Professor Rowe’s talk will examine the best known outbreak of witchcraft in the United States. He will discuss the events in Massachusetts in 1692-1693 that resulted in nineteen executions and one pressing to death. He will also critically evaluate the various attempts to provide naturalistic explanations for this witchcraft outbreak (lying, ergotism, epidemica lethargica, village factionalism, ‘uppity women,’ and the stresses of protracted warfare). Professor Rowe will also present the impact of the Salem Witchcraft Trials on popular culture.

Professor Walter F. Rowe is a Professor of Forensic Sciences at The George Washington University, where he has been a member of the faculty of the Department of Forensic Sciences for more than 30 years. Professor Rowe has a B.S. in chemistry from Emory University and a Master’s and Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University.

He served two years in the U.S. Army crime laboratory system as a forensic drug chemist and a forensic serologist. During his military service Rowe was also a credentialed criminal investigator and participated in processing crime scenes (including the scene of the Fort Bragg murders, for which Dr. Jeffrey McDonald is now serving multiple life prison terms).

He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and a former member of the editorial board of the Journal of Forensic Sciences. Professor Rowe is also a member of ASTM Committee E30, which sets standards (including educational standards) for a variety of forensic science disciplines. He is also a member of the American Society of Trace Evidence Examiners. Professor Rowe is a member of the Council of Forensic Educators and is a past president of that organization.

He has been a consultant forensic scientist to law enforcement agencies, prosecutor’s offices and defense attorneys; Professor Rowe has worked closely with Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld of the Innocence Project.

He has contributed chapters to monographs and textbooks in forensic science, including one of the two main textbooks used for undergraduate instruction in the field of forensic science.

Saturday, October 12, 2013
1:30 pm
Bethesda Regional Library
7400 Arlington Rd
Bethesda, MD (map)

FREE admission.
Everyone welcome, members and non-members.
Refreshments and socializing after the talk.
Weekend parking at the library is free.

For more information, call the 24-hour Skeptic Line at 240-670-NCAS (6227).
ncas@ncas.org
www.ncas.org

Shadow of a Doubt - September 2013

The Monthly Calendar of the National Capital Area Skeptics

• Sep 21 NCAS Lecture: The Investigative Process: Solving a 1947 Mystery
• Oct 12 NCAS Lecture: Mysterious Delusions of Satan: Witchcraft at Salem
• Well Wishes to Bob Park
• Shadow Light
• Sep 13 Drinking Skeptically: Special Anti-Paraskevidekatriaphobia Edition
• New Skeptic Line Number

Sep 21 - The Investigative Process: Solving a 1947 Mystery Antonio Paris

In the summer of 1947, according to local lore, a spacecraft of extraterrestrial origin allegedly crashed near Horse Springs, NM. Legend has it that several witnesses, including a local official, found the crashed disk – along with four aliens scattered among the debris. For decades, an army of armchair UFO investigators have attempted to find the crash site and some have even claimed to have found it – along with debris that was allegedly “not from this world.” In an effort to put the legend to rest, in 2013 the Aerial Phenomenon Investigations Team (API) embarked on an expedition to find the crash site. After a successful expedition, coupled with a thorough investigative process, the API Team is strongly convinced they have finally solved the mystery.

Antonio Paris, the Founder and Director of the organization Aerial Phenomena, is a former US Army Counterintelligence Officer and Department of Defense Counterintelligence Special Agent. He was awarded a Bronze Star for combat operations in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today, Antonio works for the science, technology and engineering firm Science Applications International Corp. (ISR & Space Solutions Operation) in the Washington, DC area. He has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from The City University of New York and a Master of Science in Planetary Science from the American Public University. Antonio, moreover, is the Director and Founder of the Center for Planetary Science – an online science program bringing astronomy, planetary science, and astrophysics to the next generation of space explorers. 

Antonio is also a member of the Washington Academy of Sciences, the National Capital Astronomers, and is a certified STAR Team Field Investigator, Dive Team member, and Assistant State Director for MUFON. He has appeared in dozens of radio shows, webcasts, and cable TV interviews, including consulting work for the popular TV series Unsealed: The Alien Files. He is the author of Aerial Phenomena: Reviving Ufology for the 21st Century; and the director and producer for the popular documentary Area 51: A History of this Reclusive Base.

Saturday, September 21, 2013 (Note: This is the third Saturday)

1:30 pm

Bethesda Regional Library

7400 Arlington Rd

Bethesda, MD

FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

Weekend parking is free.

Refreshments and socializing after the talk.

For more information, call the 24-hour Skeptic Line at 240-670-NCAS (6227).

ncas@ncas.org

www.ncas.org