January 21 - Discuss the film "Science Friction"

This January, NCAS presents a different kind of event. We invite you to watch the documentary "Science Friction" BEFORE January 21, 2023 (see below for ways to watch). Then join us that Saturday, January 21 at 1:30 PM EST for an online Q & A with Executive Producer Brian Dunning.

From the film's website:

"Finally, a documentary about scientists who get misrepresented by the media.

Those TV documentaries you see, and the science experts they feature? Did you know that producers often edit them out of context, and twist their words, to make it seem like they promoted some pop sensationalism instead of the real facts?

'Science Friction' exposes this practice and gives the scientists a chance to clear the record."

Executive Producer Brian Dunning is 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.

Full information about this documentary can be found at https://sciencefriction.tv

Streaming services that carry "Science Friction" can be found at https://sciencefriction.tv/watch

To watch the film for free (with ads), use this link:

https://tubitv.com/movies/661210/science-friction

The link for the online Q & A will be https://youtu.be/AVtDXLxa8aU

Questions will posted in live chat and relayed to Brian by NCAS president Scott Snell. 

Shadow of a Doubt - December 2022

 

• December 3 -  NCAS lecture - The "Science" of the Paranormal by Bryan Bonner and Bob Lewis, Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society
  
• Teller on the Mend
• Peter wood Returns to "Penn & Teller: Fool Us"
• Solar Power Beaming Experiment Returns to Earth
• Follow-Up: Wyoming Prison Freethinker
  
• Prez Sez
  
• AmazonSmile
  
• Shadow Lite
• Time to Renew? 

Read Shadow here

Shadow of a Doubt - December 2022

 

December 2022

NCAS Public Lecture Series

The "Science" of the Paranormal

Bryan Bonner and Bob Lewis
Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society

Saturday, December 3, 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Central Library
Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium
1015 North Quincy Street
Arlington, VA [map] [directions]
(Virginia Square-GMU Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

  Also a YouTube Live Event with Q and A 

NCASVideo YouTube Channel:

https://youtu.be/QPqu82HVwqo

For over two decades, the Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society has examined a wide range of reported paranormal phenomena, including ghosts, poltergeists, psychics, UFOs, cryptids, and much more.

Unlike others in the field, they have made sure not to run around cemeteries, screaming and scaring the group with over‐active imaginations.  From the field to the lab, they test bizarre beliefs and practices, conduct experiments and on‐site investigations, and re-create unusual events.

With extensive experience and training, using a collection of equipment and the most important tool--critical thinking--they utilize stage magic, mentalism, history, and science to seek the evidence to solve the mysteries and close the cases.

Their work has earned the respect of believers and skeptics alike, and earned the fear of fraudsters and charlatans.

Bob Lewis and Bryan Bonner will be joining us remotely via Zoom.

Refreshments will be available.

https://www.ncas.org/2022/11/december-3-science-of-paranormal.html

Teller on the Mend

As many of you may already know, Teller of Penn & Teller (and 2012 NCAS Philip J. Klass Award co-laureate) underwent quadruple bypass surgery on September 29.  He's been posting updates on Twitter, starting with

https://twitter.com/MrTeller/status/1578887304751378432
and recently
https://twitter.com/MrTeller/status/1595197669055483904

The Penn & Teller show scheduled for MGM National Harbor on December 10 has been rescheduled for July 30, 2023.

Meanwhile, "The Tempest" has opened to rave reviews at Round House Theatre in Bethesda.  Teller is credited for co-directing/co-adapting and magic.

https://dctheaterarts.org/2022/11/29/the-tempest-at-round-house-is-big-bold-and-magical/

https://www.metroweekly.com/2022/11/editors-pick-the-tempest-by-round-house-folger/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/theater-dance/2022/11/29/round-house-the-tempest/

A conversation with co-director/co-adapter Aaron Posner and actor Nate Dendy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR6F2DD_BvA

Peter Wood Returns to "Penn & Teller: Fool Us"

Speaking of Penn & Teller, "Collector of the Impossible" Peter Wood returned to "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" on May 3, less than a week after entertaining NCAS members and guests at the Klass Award event on April 27!

Here's his segment from the episode that was broadcast on November 11:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nDAMZ6OL5s

See also Peter's videos discussing his return to the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fPyHHKRr7I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxE5igZtSVQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgzNI2WHL1Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfDHaMtzXl0

Plus...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDTcJ4cia_Q

Solar Power Beaming Experiment Returns to Earth
On November 12, the US Space Force announced that its X-37B space plane had landed safely that morning at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility.  Among the many experiments onboard during the 908-day orbital flight was the Naval Research Laboratory's Photovoltaic Radiofrequency Antenna Module (PRAM). This experiment successfully harnessed solar rays outside of Earth's atmosphere and aimed to transmit power to the ground in the form of radio frequency microwave energy.

Dr. Paul Jaffe, the PRAM Principal Investigator, described the experiment in this NRL video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTrGFDQPHV8

See also

https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/2220998/nrl-conducts-first-test-of-solar-power-satellite-hardware-in-orbit/

https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/2652805/nrl-pram-mission-one-year-and-still-going/

In addition to his career as an electronics engineer, researcher, and integration and testing section head at the Naval Center for Space Technology at NRL, Dr. Jaffe is a lifetime member of NCAS and served as its president from 1998 to 2003.

https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article/3217077/x-37b-orbital-test-vehicle-concludes-sixth-successful-mission/

Dr. Jaffe's March 2014 lecture, available on the NCAS YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTPgZwAa_1g

Follow-Up: The Wyoming Prison Freethinker

The March and April 2019 editions of Shadow of a Doubt included the following item:

Donate Skeptical Books/DVDs to a Prison Library
A Wyoming prison inmate recently [January 2019] wrote to NCAS (and presumably other skeptics groups) to request science/skeptics books/DVDs for donation to his prison's library.  A librarian confirmed the details: the books must be softcover only, and can only be donated by an organization, not by an individual.  If you'd like to participate, bring a new or used DVD or softcover book to an NCAS event, or mail NCAS a check to cover the cost of a new book or DVD.  We'll collect donations at the April 6 lecture and ship the items to the prison library.  Some of the prisoners have low reading levels, so having some science/skeptics books aimed at younger readers could be appropriate.

Recently I Googled the inmate who wrote to NCAS.  Turns out he was released from prison about a year ago and has a new book:

https://www.thesheridanpress.com/arts-entertainment/local-entertainment/former-wyoming-prisoner-releases-critical-thinking-book/article_ebbe3222-2b0f-11ed-a6ee-0748331ff05c.html

http://prometheusbooks.com/books/9781633887985

Prez (Re-)Sez
By Scott Snell

I don't have much more to say this month, other than correcting/updating what I said last month!  See below.

I want to thank everyone who contributed to the two membership meetings following the September and October NCAS lectures.  The resulting list of ideas for NCAS to re-activate itself following the pandemic is a good start and a work in progress.

 I'll focus here on only one aspect: though ideally all of our monthly lectures would be livestreamed for maximum participation, we do have technical limitations.  We can livestream a speaker who is in our meeting room.  But if our speaker is joining us remotely, only the audience in the meeting room can participate or even watch.

 That was the case for our October 8 talk about fake news (Professor Andie Tucher, who joined us from New York), and it will also be the case for our November 12 event with Ben Radford, joining us from New Mexico.

Our program producer, J. D. Mack, is now using additional equipment to allow live-streaming of remote speakers, starting with the November 12 Ben Radford event.

 Almost all of our speakers allow their talks to be posted later on the NCAS YouTube channel.  But skepticism can be much more than a spectator sport.  I suppose if you think of a question or a missed point after watching a video, you might contact the speaker directly, or at least post below the video.  I think the best situation is to be able to pose your question to the speaker during the event, so the question and answer will be part of the posted video.  And your question may spark other interesting questions and remarks during the event.

The absence of some of our members and guests is keenly felt during our events now.  Before the pandemic, we would get 30 to 40 attendees, sometimes more.  Now we get about 20.

I realize it's an investment of time and energy, and involves some risk.  But in return, as always, we have refreshments and camaraderie awaiting you.  And we offer an opportunity to directly interact with authors and other speakers.  In comparison with the Smithsonian Resident Associates program or events at Politics and Prose, or "Profs and Pints," ours is a competitive service due to it being free of charge, and due to J. D. Mack's technical capabilities of bringing remote speakers into the room with us.

Do you have an idea for a speaker or topic?  Don't let geography limit your ideas...we'll try to get that speaker!

And we'll be generally accessible again when our lectures will be livestreamed online only (no meeting room) during the winter months to avoid inclement weather and a possible resurgence of COVID-19.

As an aside, I was disappointed and somewhat concerned to hear that CSICon 2022 had no Q and A.  Yes, that would allow more speakers to participate, but first and foremost, we skeptics are questioners.  The irony of the Center for Inquiry not allowing time for inquiry at its conference is amusing but unfortunate.

Chip Denman told me that there were opportunities at CSICon "to interact with speakers in a more meaningful way than from a microphone in the audience."

It's true that there are sometimes poor-quality questions, or the questioner may be nervous and having trouble forming a concise question.  Or that an interesting concept for the speaker to consider may be difficult to convey succinctly.  And there are the inevitable pontificators.  But damn it, are we really supposed to just watch people present and then applaud?  Even the better presentations may have interesting gaps, or an audience member has important information unavailable to the speaker.  Just on principle, I think it's the right thing to do to allow time for good and bad questions instead of stacking speakers to fill the time.  (Though of course, some speakers may decide not to take questions.)  Imitating scientific conferences, which almost always have Q and A segments unless the session runs long, is probably the best model for skeptical conferences.  On those occasions when a presentation is so thorough (or inert) that no questions emerge, the next speaker can begin early.

So yes...I hope we will see you on Saturday and we'll hear your questions!

AmazonSmile: Thanks to our members who are supporting NCAS!

When shopping at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that a portion of the purchase price (0.5%) goes to NCAS! It's simple and automatic, and it doesn't cost you anything!

AmazonSmile's disbursements to NCAS in the second quarter of 2022 came to $41.83, meaning that over $8000 of purchases were designated in support of NCAS.  (As an example of how NCAS can put that money to good use, it's more than enough to cover two hours of a Montgomery County lecture room rental.)

Thanks again to our members who have chosen to support NCAS!

For more information:

https://smile.amazon.com/about
https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-launches-amazonsmile-simple-automatic-way-customers

Shadow Light
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

December 3 - The 'Science' of the Paranormal

Presented by Bryan Bonner and Bob Lewis from Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society for a look into researching claims of the paranormal. They will be presenting their lecture virtually.

Central Library
Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium
1015 North Quincy Street
Arlington, VA [map] [directions]
(Virginia Square-GMU Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members 

  Also a YouTube Live Event with Q and A 

NCASVideo YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/QPqu82HVwqo

 

 

Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society is a group that has served the general public nationwide. On a daily basis, their professional team is contacted by real people who are frightened by weird and sometimes terrifying occurrences that happen in their businesses and homes. It is their mission to help these people, and to educate the public. This is achieved through humor, creativity and compassion. For over two decades Rocky Mountain Paranormal has examined a wide range of reported paranormal phenomena, including ghosts, poltergeists, psychics, UFOs, conspiracy theories, urban legends, cryptids, and much more. Unlike others in the field, they have made sure not to run around cemeteries, screaming and scaring the group with over‐active imaginations. From the field to the lab, they test bizarre beliefs and practices, conduct experiments and on‐site investigations, and recreate unusual events. They have confronted hauntings, Ouija board activity, levitation, psychic readings, alien abductions, and telephones that try to talk to the dead. With extensive experience and training, using a collection of equipment and the most important tool--critical thinking--they utilize stage magic, mentalism, history, and science to seek the evidence to solve the mysteries and close the cases. Their work has earned the respect of believers and skeptics alike, and earned the fear of fraudsters and charlatans.

 

Shadow of a Doubt - November 2022

 

• November 12 -  NCAS lecture -America the fearful: Media and Marketing of National Panics - Presented by Benjamin Radford, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
  
• Skeptics return to the desert after 3 plague years
  
• Prez Sez
  
• AmazonSmile
  
• Shadow Lite
• Time to Renew? 

Read Shadow here

Shadow of a Doubt - November 2022

 

NCAS Public Lecture Series

America the Fearful:
Media and the Marketing of National Panics

Benjamin Radford
Research Fellow, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

Saturday, November 12, 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
2nd Floor (West Room)
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

Benjamin Radford will be talking about his new book, America the Fearful: Media and the Marketing of National Panics.

National panics about crime, immigrants, police, and societal degradation have been pervasive in the United States of the 21st century. Many of these fears begin as mere phantom fears, but are systematically amplified by social media, news media, bad actors and even well-intentioned activists. There are numerous challenges facing the U.S., but Americans must sort through which fears are legitimate threats and which are amplified exaggerations. In America the Fearful, Benjamin Radford examines the role of fear in national panics and addresses why many Americans believe the country is in horrible shape and will continue to deteriorate (despite contradictory evidence). Political polarization, racism, sexism, economic inequality, and other social issues are examined. Combining media literacy, folklore, investigative journalism, psychology, neuroscience, and critical thinking approaches, this book reveals the powerful role that fear plays in clouding perceptions about the U.S. It not only records the repercussions of this toxic phenomenon, but also offers evidence-based solutions.

Benjamin Radford is longtime deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine, and a Research Fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, a non-profit educational organization. Over the past twenty years he has investigated dozens of mysterious and unexplained phenomena. He is author of a dozen books and thousands of articles on media and science literacy and co-host of the Squaring the Strange podcast.

Mr. Radford will be joining us remotely via Zoom.  Unfortunately, due to technical limitations, this NCAS lecture will not be livestreamed.

If there is no way you can attend, feel free to email ncas@ncas.org with your questions and comments...they'll be conveyed to our speaker during the event.

https://www.ncas.org/2022/11/november-12-america-fearful.html

Skeptics Return to the Desert After 3 Plague Years
By Grace and Chip Denman

A flock of seagulls. A murder of crows. A flamboyance of flamingos.
 
But what do you call more than 600 skeptics at the Las Vegas Flamingo at the end of October? CSICon 2022!

Robyn Blumner, Center for Inquiry president and CEO, welcomed us to the first CSICon since 2019, pointing out that we were likely the most vaccinated and boosted conference attendees anywhere. The room was full of people happy to be in each other’s company. There were many familiar faces and a few forgotten names.

Neil deGrasse Tyson was the gravitational force in the room as he delivered the keynote Thursday evening, sharing thoughts and ideas from his new book Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization. No one in the audience minded at all that he ran overtime. A surprise bonus for attendees was that we each received an autographed copy of Neil’s book.

First thing Friday morning, psychologist and magician Richard Wiseman made sure we were awake as he shared his work “Investigating the Impossible.” Lee McIntyre’s presentation “How to Talk to a Science Denier” echoed many of the themes we presented in our pre-conference workshop “Asking Good Questions”—first and foremost, be a good listener. There were talks on the public understanding of science, the science of human improvement, and science and pseudoscience in health and wellness. The highlight of the day was the presentation of the Richard Dawkins Award by Richard Dawkins to Neil deGrasse Tyson. The respect, admiration, and affection between the two men were evident in their conversation.

Saturday morning Richard Wiseman hosted a panel of friends, colleagues, and loved ones associated with the documentary James Randi: An Honest Liar. Tyler Measom (filmmaker), Banachek (mentalist supreme and one of Randi’s Project Alpha kids), Massimo Polidoro (protégé and biographer), and Randi’s spouse, artist Deyvi Orangel Peña Arteaga (aka José Alvarez, aka “channeler” Carlos) shared memories and stories. It was heartening to have Randi remembered so fondly two years after his death.

Saturday evening, Penn Jillette was in conversation with Julia Sweeney, two very funny people discussing Penn’s latest novel, Random, as well as life, skepticism, and family.

George Hrab brought his guitar and sense of humor each day to keep us on time, introduce the speakers, and ensure the audience was aware of what was next up on the agenda. The Q&A after each speaker was eliminated this year. I was happy to have that time given to the speakers, but I did miss George’s oft repeated reminder to “Make sure your question is in the form of a question.”

Prez Sez
By Scott Snell

I want to thank everyone who contributed to the two membership meetings following the September and October NCAS lectures.  The resulting list of ideas for NCAS to re-activate itself following the pandemic is a good start and a work in progress.

I'll focus here on only one aspect: though ideally all of our monthly lectures would be livestreamed for maximum participation, we do have technical limitations.  We can livestream a speaker who is in our meeting room.  But if our speaker is joining us remotely, only the audience in the meeting room can participate or even watch.

That was the case for our October 8 talk about fake news (Professor Andie Tucher, who joined us from New York), and it will also be the case for our November 12 event with Ben Radford, joining us from New Mexico.

Almost all of our speakers allow their talks to be posted later on the NCAS YouTube channel.  But skepticism can be much more than a spectator sport.  I suppose if you think of a question or a missed point after watching a video, you might contact the speaker directly, or at least post below the video.  I think the best situation is to be able to pose your question to the speaker during the event, so the question and answer will be part of the posted video.  And your question may spark other interesting questions and remarks during the event.

The absence of some of our members and guests is keenly felt during our events now.  Before the pandemic, we would get 30 to 40 attendees, sometimes more.  Now we get about 20.

I realize it's an investment of time and energy, and involves some risk.  But in return, as always, we have refreshments and camaraderie awaiting you.  And we offer an opportunity to directly interact with authors and other speakers.  In comparison with the Smithsonian Resident Associates program or events at Politics and Prose, or "Profs and Pints," ours is a competitive service due to it being free of charge, and due to J. D. Mack's technical capabilities of bringing remote speakers into the room with us.

Do you have an idea for a speaker or topic?  Don't let geography limit your ideas...we'll try to get that speaker!

And we'll be generally accessible again when our lectures will be livestreamed online only (no meeting room) during the winter months to avoid inclement weather and a possible resurgence of COVID-19.

As an aside, I was disappointed and somewhat concerned to hear that CSICon 2022 had no Q and A.  Yes, that would allow more speakers to participate, but first and foremost, we skeptics are questioners.  The irony of the Center for Inquiry not allowing time for inquiry at its conference is amusing but unfortunate.

It's true that there are sometimes poor-quality questions, or the questioner may be nervous and having trouble forming a concise question.  Or that an interesting concept for the speaker to consider may be difficult to convey succinctly.  And there are the inevitable pontificators.  But damn it, are we really supposed to just watch people present and then applaud?  Even the better presentations may have interesting gaps, or an audience member has important information unavailable to the speaker.  Just on principle, I think it's the right thing to do to allow time for good and bad questions instead of stacking speakers to fill the time.  (Though of course, some speakers may decide not to take questions.)  Imitating scientific conferences, which almost always have Q and A segments unless the session runs long, is probably the best model for skeptical conferences.  On those occasions when a presentation is so thorough (or inert) that no questions emerge, the next speaker can begin early.

So yes...I hope we will see you on Saturday and we'll hear your questions!

AmazonSmile: Thanks to our members who are supporting NCAS!

When shopping at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that a portion of the purchase price (0.5%) goes to NCAS! It's simple and automatic, and it doesn't cost you anything!

AmazonSmile's disbursements to NCAS in the second quarter of 2022 came to $41.83, meaning that over $8000 of purchases were designated in support of NCAS.  (As an example of how NCAS can put that money to good use, it's more than enough to cover two hours of a Montgomery County lecture room rental.)

Thanks again to our members who have chosen to support NCAS!

For more information:

https://smile.amazon.com/about
https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-launches-amazonsmile-simple-automatic-way-customers

Shadow Light
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

November 12 - America the Fearful

Presented by Benjamin Radford
Research Fellow, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry 
Saturday, November 12, 1:30pm - 4:00pm US/Eastern

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
2nd Floor (West Room)
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)

FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

 

National panics about crime, immigrants, police, and societal degradation have been pervasive in the United States of the 21st century. Many of these fears begin as mere phantom fears, but are systematically amplified by social media, news media, bad actors and even well-intentioned activists. There are numerous challenges facing the U.S., but Americans must sort through which fears are legitimate threats and which are amplified exaggerations. In his latest book, America the Fearful, Benjamin Radford examines the role of fear in national panics and addresses why many Americans believe the country is in horrible shape and will continue to deteriorate (despite contradictory evidence). Political polarization, racism, sexism, economic inequality, and other social issues are examined. Combining media literacy, folklore, investigative journalism, psychology, neuroscience, and critical thinking approaches, this book reveals the powerful role that fear plays in clouding perceptions about the U.S. It not only records the repercussions of this toxic phenomenon, but also offers evidence-based solutions.

Benjamin Radford is longtime deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine, and a Research Fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, a non-profit educational organization. Over the past twenty years he has investigated dozens of mysterious and unexplained phenomena. He is author of a dozen books and thousands of articles on media and science literacy and co-host of the Squaring the Strange podcast.

Mr. Radford will be joining us remotely via Zoom.

Shadow of a Doubt - October 2022

 

• October 8 -  NCAS lecture - Not exactly lying: Fake news and fake journalism in American History. Presented by Dr. Andie Tucher
  
• Annual Membership Meeting - Part 2
  
• Prez Sez
  
• 2022 NCAS Philip J. Klass Award to Susan Gerbic
  
• September PhACT Lecture
  
• AmazonSmile
  
• Shadow Lite
• Time to Renew? 

Read Shadow here

Shadow of a Doubt - October 2022

 

October 2022

NCAS Public Lecture Series

Not Exactly Lying:
Fake News and Fake Journalism in American History

Andie Tucher, Ph.D.
H. Gordon Garbedian Professor of Journalism
Director, Communications Ph.D. Program
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Saturday, October 8, 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
2nd Floor (West Room)
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

Andie Tucher will be talking about her new book, Not Exactly Lying: Fake News and Fake Journalism in American History.

Fake news has marked American journalism since Publick Occurrences hit the streets of Boston in 1690, but an even greater danger is posed by the more recent phenomenon of fake journalism: the exploitation of the outward forms of professionalized journalism in order to lend credibility to falsehood, propaganda, disinformation, and advocacy.  As the media have grown ever more massive and ever more deeply entwined in the political system, so has fake journalism, to the point where it has become an essential driver of the political polarization of public life.  What happens to democracy when fake journalism looks more and more like truth, and fake truth like journalism?

Andie Tucher, the H. Gordon Garbedian Professor and the director of the Communications PhD Program at the Columbia Journalism School, writes widely on the evolution of conventions of truth-telling in journalism, photography, personal narrative, and other nonfiction forms.  In addition to Not Exactly Lying, she is the author of Froth and Scum: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, and the Ax Murder in America’s First Mass Medium (The University of North Carolina Press, 1994) and Happily Sometimes After: Discovering Stories from Twelve Generations of an American Family (University of Massachusetts Press, 2014).  She previously worked in documentary production at ABC News and Public Affairs Television, Inc, and holds a Ph.D. in American Civilization from New York University.

Unfortunately, due to technical limitations, this NCAS lecture will not be livestreamed.

https://www.ncas.org/2022/10/october-8-not-exactly-lying.html

Annual Membership Meeting (Part 2)
Following the talk and the question-and-answer/discussion segment, Part 2 of the annual meeting of NCAS members will begin, resuming our September discussion of the future of skepticism and NCAS.

Prez Sez
By Scott Snell

Here's a recap of what was discussed at the September 10 NCAS membership meeting ("Part 1").  The topic was "Skeptics: The Next Generation."  How can we best educate the public, especially young (high school and college) people?

Some of our members are science professors (or emeritus) and other educators.  What opportunities exist, or can be created, to allow these professionals to continue their craft, but re-purposed: specifically teaching critical thinking skills to the public?  Are there opportunities at local colleges/universities, and/or community colleges, to offer a course of study?  (Not discussed at the meeting: Perhaps the Smithsonian Resident Associates could sponsor such a program.  Also not discussed: This could be presented in terms of "Consumer Education" or similar.)

A formal course of study could go a long way towards producing top-notch skeptics of the future.

However, have college campuses become unfriendly towards free and open inquiry?  If true, this hopefully will not always be so.

On campus or off, an "echo chamber" outsider is often perceived as a threat, rather than someone who may be bringing useful information or perspectives.

At the high school level, NCAS members have participated in judging science fair projects.  As prizes, we distribute skeptically-themed books such as Carl Sagan's "Demon-Haunted World."

There was discussion about whether young people would want to attend in-person events, or instead just watch from home.  Also, this age group may be very focused on digital entertainment.

There was a brief kudos for how far we skeptics have come.  During the 1970s and 80s, books, magazines, and TV shows often ignored evidence and viewpoints provided by skeptical investigators.  The public didn't have an opportunity to hear what we had to say.  Now, skeptics can usually get their findings to the public.  An important example is the "Guerrilla Skeptics of Wikipedia," founded by Susan Gerbic, who received the NCAS Philip J. Klass Award this year.

Regarding skeptical volunteerism, the "Pareto principle" was mentioned in the context of suggesting that 20% of skeptics are "getting 80% of the work done."

The online presentation style of NCAS productions was compared/contrasted favorably against those of other skeptical organizations.  Questions and comments during NCAS livestreams are visible to all online particpants, not hidden away at the discretion of the host (except for obvious "trolling," which is promptly dealt with).  This offers an excellent opportunity for participants to develop questions together, pooling their knowledge.  Visually, NCAS remote presentations show only the presenter and/or his/her slides.  There's no need to see the host on the other half of the screen ...all of us want to get a good look at our guest on the full screen!  The voiceover of the host is adequate (and probably preferable) during the Q/A segment.

With what organizations does NCAS interact?  National Science Foundation was one.  During a very productive several years, NCAS lectures were held at NSF's large meeting room in Arlington.  NSF scientists, many of whom temporarily relocate to the DC area, found NCAS, attended (and gave) presentations, and shared social time.  Unfortunately, NSF relocated, and its meeting facilities are no longer available for NCAS.  NCAS hopes to hold about half of its in-person events at Arlington Central Library, and to get the word out to current NSF scientists.

Balticon is another such organization, offering skeptical talk opportunities that NCAS has sponsored and/or recorded for our YouTube site.

There was affirmation of Barry Markovsky's method of storytelling of a personal experience that might be regarded as supernatural or mysteriously meaningful, followed by prosaic explanation, as a public outreach method.

NCAS is a long-lived (35+ years) community.  This is unusual for non-profits, and an advantage in many ways for getting attention and access to the public.

Later, Susan Gerbic watched the YouTube video of the discussion and commented:

There were many great statements said that I heard, but they were all over the place. You need to ask manageable questions. Something specific. For example, "How do we expand our membership?", "How do we attract POC, women and students?", "What are should our goals for 2023 be?", "How do we know we are being effective?"

My thoughts are to look at what NCAS's assets are. Who are your members now, how can you mine them for resources? Do you have people who work with students? Then liaison your way into their classrooms and give talks, invite the teachers to suggest student speakers, offer scholarships to students (to conferences), recruit students to help cover an event.

Do you have people who work in local (or bigger) media? Then liaison your way into that, NCAS can write a column for that media, become the expert on that station or however you can exploit the liaison.

Do you have people who are grant writers, or work in advertisement? Well use that to your advantage 

Do you have members that own/run a pub or restaurant or venue? Then start throwing "Skepticism on Tap" events, or one-time events in those venues, spread out the social events so that it keeps people engaged in areas closer to where they live. Get a volunteer within the group to handle that one thing. Don't assume that the same ole people will do all the work. You have to expand your team, grow your leadership.  [Prez note: pre-pandemic, NCAS had "Drinking Skeptically" events, occasional skeptics talks at the pub, and dinners/meetups before movies or talks.]

Do an event at a health fair, get a booth, come up with something interesting to talk about in the booth (a theme) and pull in membership to help. See William London's last two Skeptical Inquirer articles (on line) for ideas.

https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/health-street-smarts-fairs-created-by-university-students-to-promote-critical-thinking-on-campus-part-1/

https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/health-street-smarts-fairs-created-by-university-students-to-promote-critical-thinking-on-campus-part-2/

FIND people who are social butterflies! They are like diamonds and gold, precious personalities that make people want to continue showing up for talks and events. Several times in the discussion it sounded like you all were focusing on the PhD's. NO you want to find personalities that are people-persons. Let them use their skills, throw more social events. Hang-outs and small one time events. Everyone goes for pizza, How about getting a group to go on a ghost tour! Go see a psychic event. OMG pick fun things that involve DOING SOMETHING. Anyone can sit at home and watch YouTube videos. That isn't the solution, if it were to keep coming out with good talks, we wouldn't be having all the problems in the world.  [Prez note: NCAS has created, and will continue to create, SkepTours, which is similar to this set of ideas.] [PS: the discussion about PhDs was the idea of them educating the public and especially the next generation of skeptics in a college or Smithsonian setting.]

IN person events, people can hang out, share a beer or plate of fries with.

AND I seriously think your group should start building up for a skeptiCamp. Maybe at the sci-fi conference? Are you watching what DragonCon does with their Skeptic Track. That kind of thing, look at their old videos.  [Prez note: NCAS board members have organized SkeptiCamps, but it's been a while.  Balticon has been and is a good opportunity for us.]

The last thing, is to pick something that you want to be good at, known for. Again what is it that is unique to NCAS? Being in Washington DC is kinda unique. Maybe something related to the government? Maybe something else in the area that is unique you can liaison with? I love the idea of getting back to the science group you were doing talks with, they have the venue and people who are like-minded but need some reason to start attending your meetings. [Prez note: I think convenience/access to the NSF community, our offering an antidote to their general social isolation, and shared values is what helped us connect with them.  I doubt we can regain that type of access, but we can try.  This effort was in progress before the pandemic hit.]

But really what people like is achieving something together, being known for doing something. Like someone said "it's getting to be cool to be a skeptic, we are pushing the agenda, getting in faces, making change" (okay they didn't say all that, but you know what I mean) Pick one thing to make a difference on, what is it? Push that one thing, get in the media with that one thing, something unique to your area/group, push push push it and own it. Is there a specific person/activity that is really harmful that you can focus on? Make a difference with that one thing.

And thinking more about it, yes possibly that sci-fi conference could be one of the things you own, get a skeptic's track running. You were starting to do it before, bring in a few speakers that will draw people over to your track, if you have to fund them to come in, do so. You have Kenny Biddle a few hours away. Use him! Get him to organize a ghost adventure for your group. That will be a blast and encourage youth to want to go as well. A weekend event with ghost photography and stuff. How fun!

And find someone in your group (or maybe more) who will write up an article for Skeptical Inquirer online every couple months. Talk about what your group is doing and that will attract others.

So I know I'm writing from the other side of the USA, but if you can stand me giving my 5-cents (inflation) send me notice you are doing this again, a couple days in advance.

Hope to see you all again!

[Prez note: Thank you, Susan!  Alas, Part 2 will not be livestreamed.]

September PhACT Lecture
Our skeptical neighbors to the north, the Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking (PhACT), posted a video of their September lecture.  Behavioral scientist Stuart Vyse discussed his book, The Uses of Delusion: Why It’s Not Always Rational to be Rational, looking at the aspects of human nature that are not altogether rational but, nonetheless, help us achieve our social and personal goals.  As he did for his CFI and NCAS lectures, Dr. Vyse focused on yet another chapter of the book, rather than covering the same topics again.  See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DjFd0DHles

AmazonSmile: Thanks to our members who are supporting NCAS!

When shopping at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that a portion of the purchase price (0.5%) goes to NCAS! It's simple and automatic, and it doesn't cost you anything!

AmazonSmile's disbursements to NCAS in the first quarter of 2022 came to $24.35, meaning that nearly $5000 of purchases were designated in support of NCAS.  (As an example of how NCAS can put that money to good use, it's more than enough to cover an hour of a Montgomery County lecture room rental.)

Thanks again to our members who have chosen to support NCAS!

For more information:

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Shadow Light
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

October 8 - Not Exactly Lying: Fake News and Fake Journalism in American History

Presented by Andie Tucher, the H. Gordon Garbedian Professor and the director of the Communications PhD Program at the Columbia Journalism School  

Saturday, October 8, 1:30pm - 4:00pm US/Eastern 

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
2nd Floor (West Room)
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)

FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

Fake news has marked American journalism since Publick Occurrences hit the streets of Boston in 1690, but an even greater danger is posed by the more recent phenomenon of fake journalism: the exploitation of the outward forms of professionalized journalism in order to lend credibility to falsehood, propaganda, disinformation, and advocacy. As the media have grown ever more massive and ever more deeply entwined in the political system, so has fake journalism, to the point where it has become an essential driver of the political polarization of public life. What happens to democracy when fake journalism looks more and more like truth, and fake truth like journalism?

Professor Andie Tucher, the H. Gordon Garbedian Professor and the director of the Communications PhD Program at the Columbia Journalism School, writes widely on the evolution of conventions of truth-telling in journalism, photography, personal narrative, and other nonfiction forms. Her most recent book is Not Exactly Lying: Fake News and Fake Journalism in American History  (2022). She previously worked in documentary production at ABC News and Public Affairs Television, and holds a Ph.D. in American Civilization from New York University. 

Professor Tucher will be joining us remotely via Zoom.

Shadow of a Doubt - September 2022

 

• September 10 -  NCAS lecture - Ev: Inspiring critical thinking using paranormal claims, presented by Barry Markovskyeryday Extraordinary
  
• NCAS Board of Directors election results
  
• Annual Membership Meeting
  
• Prez Sez
  
• 2022 NCAS Philip J. Klass Award to Susan Gerbic
  
• September PhACT Lecture - September 17
• AmazonSmile
  
• Shadow Lite
• Time to Renew? 

Read Shadow here

Shadow of a Doubt - September 2022

 

June 2022

NCAS Public Lecture Series

Everyday Extraordinary:
Inspiring Critical Thinking Using Paranormal Claims

Barry Markovsky, PhD
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of South Carolina

Saturday, September 10, 1:30pm - 4:00pm US/Eastern (UTC-04:00)
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
2nd Floor (West Room)
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

 Also a YouTube Live Event with Q and A 

NCASVideo YouTube Channel:

https://youtu.be/__aYH03sNkE

The presentation will include readings from a book in progress, followed by an open discussion.

With this book, Barry hopes to reach a wider audience that normally wouldn't pick up a skeptical approach. Each chapter opens with a first-person "Front Stage" account of a true extraordinary experience. Then it goes "Back Stage" to show how perfectly normal events can deceive us into inferring something supernatural. Chapter topics are familiar to most NCAS members—ghosts, astrology, dowsing, ESP, UFOs, etc. What Barry hopes will differentiate this book from other skeptical works is its approach: Telling the stories with heart and humor, and explaining what really happened instead of leaping to paranormal conclusions.

"For the discussion, in addition to any feedback you'd like to offer, I'd like to brainstorm with you about strategies for maximizing the impact of this kind of endeavor. Given it's aimed at non-scientists, what's the optimal vocabulary level and pedagogical style? How 'sciency' should it get without the risk of losing too many readers? Is there even a market for it? These are questions I struggle with every day as I write, so your input will be much appreciated."
Barry Markovsky's research areas include group processes, social psychology, social networks, methods of theory construction, experimental research, and computer simulations. His most recent work has addressed social status, identity, fairness perceptions, cooperation, and influence in small group contexts, and he has developed online tools for building, evaluating, and disseminating sociological theories. He has taught courses in group processes, pseudoscience and paranormal beliefs, and theory construction. Prior to his position at the University of South Carolina, he was Sociology Program Director at the National Science Foundation, and Assistant, Associate and Full Professor at the University of Iowa.

https://www.ncas.org/2022/08/sepember-10-everyday-extraordinary.html

Board of Directors Election

Results of June's NCAS member vote on candidates for the board of directors have been tabulated. Re-elected and incumbent members are: Tom Bridgman, Nelson Davis Jr, Chip Denman, Grace Denman, Brian Gregory, Curtis Haymore, Beth Kingsley, J. D. Mack, Mary Pastel, Melissa Pollak, Walter F. Rowe, Scott Snell, and Marv Zelkowitz.

At its June 29 meeting, the NCAS board of directors selected its officers, who are: Scott Snell, president; Melissa Pollak, vice president; Walter F. Rowe, secretary; and Marv Zelkowitz, treasurer.

Annual Membership Meeting
Following the talk and the question-and-answer/discussion segment, the annual meeting of NCAS members will begin.  This will be limited to in-person participants.

Prez Sez
By Scott Snell

Our 2022-2023 lecture series begins with an in-person/online event.  However, in this case I urge you, if at all possible, to attend in person.  This won't simply be a talk followed by Q&A.  It will be much more of a discussion with the audience.  As the emcee, I'll do all I can to convey the questions and comments from our online participants, but I may not be able to actually "converse" on their behalf.  Our in-person audience will have access to the microphone and can speak at length.

There's another reason I hope you can be there.  We're holding our annual membership meeting because we're hoping to attract a participative, thoughtful audience for discussing Barry Markovsky's book-in-progress.  I think that frame of mind could come in handy for discussing the future of the skeptical movement and NCAS.  Our #1 priority is to support Barry as he develops his book to reach an audience of potential future skeptics.  But let's keep the ball rolling afterwards to sketch out our next steps in the months and years to come.

It's true that COVID-19 is still among us.  Wearing a well-fitted N95 mask will probably protect you.  I'm also relieved to see that community levels in Montgomery County, DC, and surrounding counties are currently low.  So your risk for attending in person is, at least for now, relatively small.

(Photo by Susan Gerbic)

As you may already know, prospects are good for having safe public gatherings in the months to come:  The FDA has authorized bivalent COVID-19 vaccines for use.  "The mRNA in these vaccines is a specific piece of genetic material that instructs cells in the body to make the distinctive 'spike' protein of the original virus strain and the omicron variant lineages BA.4 and BA.5. The spike proteins of BA.4 and BA.5 are identical."

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-moderna-pfizer-biontech-bivalent-covid-19-vaccines-use

This development presents at least a respite from the pandemic, likely to provide actual immunization instead of just minimizing the severity of infection.

Finally, I'll quote our 2022 Klass Award recipient, Susan Gerbic, who completed a cross-country tour of local skeptics groups a few months ago.  "Whatever the goals are for the group, the answer is always to find ways to get people to attend events, have some common experience, and allow people to form relationships."  (Read more about this in the next item.)

2022 NCAS Philip J. Klass Award Presentation Event and Lecture
On April 27, NCAS members and guests gathered at the Takoma Busboys and Poets in Northwest DC for the 2022 Philip J. Klass Award presentation dinner and show.  NCAS president Scott Snell presented the 2022 NCAS Philip J. Klass Award for outstanding contributions in promoting critical thinking and scientific understanding to Susan Gerbic, the foremost citizen skeptic, founder and leader of "Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia."

In his remarks, Mr. Snell noted the parallels between Ms. Gerbic and Paul Kurtz, to whom he had presented a Klass Award in 2009.  Kurtz, generally regarded as the father of the modern skeptical movement, was a leader, organizer, and publisher.  Kurtz's Prometheus Books and Skeptical Inquirer still exist, but what is the future of publishing?  Decades from now, Wikipedia may still exist, and the work that Ms. Gerbic and her colleagues began and continue may still be valuable for educating the public and protecting consumers.  Ms. Gerbic was recognized for "successful and ongoing efforts to ensure the accuracy of Wikipedia and for protecting the public from psychics who exploit the vulnerable."

The evening's entertainment was provided by Peter Wood, "Collector of the Impossible."  Susan and her guest (Adrienne Hill, a fellow member of the Monterey County Skeptics) and NCAS members witnessed a show that Penn Jillette had described as "beautiful, subtle"... a presentation of incredible, unique, and magical objects with unparalleled showmanship.

Susan and NCAS reconvened on April 30 at Arlington Central Library for her presentation, "Grief Vampires, Wikipedia and More."  Her talk is available on the NCAS YouTube Channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6_dVTsBcxA

 

In August, Susan told the tale of her cross-country skeptical journey, including her NCAS visit: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/susan-gerbic-back-on-tour/

 

 

NCAS president Scott Snell and Susan Gerbic.
(Photo by Adrienne Hill)

NCAS created the Philip J. Klass Award in 2006. Previous recipients were Michael Shermer, James Randi, Robert L. Park, Paul Kurtz, Ray Hyman, Joel Achenbach, Penn & Teller, Phil Plait, Steven Salzberg, and John Mather. The 2022 NCAS Philip J. Klass Award
 

 

(Photo by J. D. Mack)

September PhACT Lecture
Our skeptical neighbors to the north, the Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking (PhACT), will present their next event on Saturday, September 17 at 2 PM ET.  After two years of online-only presentations, they are resuming in-person events, but are working to continue their live YouTube stream.  Their speaker will be behavioral scientist Stuart Vyse, discussing his book, The Uses of Delusion: Why It’s Not Always Rational to be Rational, looking at the aspects of human nature that are not altogether rational but, nonetheless, help us achieve our social and personal goals.  As he did for his CFI and NCAS lectures, Dr. Vyse will focus on yet another chapter of the book, rather than covering the same topics again.  Event details at http://www.phact.org/meetings.php. Also see PhACT's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePhiladelphiaAssociationforCriticalThinking/videos

AmazonSmile: Thanks to our members who are supporting NCAS!

When shopping at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that a portion of the purchase price (0.5%) goes to NCAS! It's simple and automatic, and it doesn't cost you anything!

AmazonSmile's disbursements to NCAS in the first quarter of 2022 came to $24.35, meaning that nearly $5000 of purchases were designated in support of NCAS.  (As an example of how NCAS can put that money to good use, it's more than enough to cover an hour of a Montgomery County lecture room rental.)

Thanks again to our members who have chosen to support NCAS!

For more information:

https://smile.amazon.com/about
https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-launches-amazonsmile-simple-automatic-way-customers

Shadow Light
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