March, 1997
FAKE!
Walter F. Rowe
Department of Forensic Sciences
George Washington University
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Seeing is believing? This talk will show how photographs can be
analyzed and identified as fakes. Photographs can be made in
various ways. What manipulations in front of
the lens (rather than computer manipulation later) are used to
create fake pictures.
The talk will discuss several famous examples of forgeries,
most of them you have seen in "historical" references,
including: the McMinnville--Oregon flying saucer photograph,
German soldiers attacking in 1944 in the Battle of the Bulge,
the Cottingley fairies, motion pictures during the Battle of the Somme in 1916
showing British soldiers advancing, and casualties at the Battle
of Gettysburg in 1863.
Saturday, March 22, 1997, 2:00pm -- 3:30pm
Bethesda Library,
7400 Arlington Road,
Bethesda, Maryland
Everyone Welcome -- Members and Non-members
No admission charge
Call the NCAS Skeptic
Line at 301-587-3827 for further info.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NCAS
March, 1997 represents a milestone for NCAS -- our tenth anniversary.
Stan Bigman, Sean O'Neill, Phil Klass, Grace Denman, Jamy Swiss and Chip
Denman were brought together by CSICOP. Stan and Sean arranged for a mailing
to the Skeptical Inquirer subscriber list for the Washington, DC area,
and about 120 showed up at the first public meeting.
Stan was the interim president and a number of people volunteered to serve on
an interim board until bylaws and elections could be organized.
COMING IN APRIL
NCAS, for its April 19 meeting, will present
Col. Richard Weaver, co-author of the Air Force's
Roswell report, to discuss his investigation of the purported flying
saucer crash at Roswell, New Mexico. He will show how many of the stories
now being circulated by UFO enthusiasts regarding this crash (such as
alien bodies and alien autopsies) have prosaic explanations in events
associated with Air Force research programs and routine Air Force flight
operations.
SKEPTICISM ON TV, MARCH 30
There will be a 2-hour A&E Special, "Scams, Schemes & Scoundrels" on
Easter Sunday, March 30th. James Randi hosts a program on famous hoaxes and
swindles.
PIGASUS AWARD NOMINATIONS SOUGHT
The James Randi Educational Foundation is soliciting nominations for the
Annual Pigasus Award. Submit items for the following categories:
1. The scientist who said or did the silliest thing related to the
supernatural, paranormal or occult, in 1996.
2. The funding organization that supported the most useless study of a
supernatural, paranormal or occult claim in 1996.
3. The media outlet that reported as fact the most outrageous supernatural,
paranormal or occult claim in 1996.
4. The "psychic" performer who fooled the greatest number of people with
the least effort in 1996.
Please respond with nominations
by e-mail (randi@randi.org), post (JREF, 201 SE Davie Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale FL
33316), or fax (954-467-1660). Results will be announced on April 1, 1997.
Last Change: March 10, 1997