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National Capital Area SKEPTICAL EYE • encouraging critical thinking and scientific understanding • serving as an information resource on extraordinary claims • providing extraordinary evidence that skeptics are cool Vol. 20, No. 1 2008/2009 James Randi & Bob Park Receive Philip J. Klass Awards NCAS honored James Randi and Prof. Robert L. Park with the 2007 and 2008 Philip J. Klass Awards for outstanding contributions in promoting critical thinking and scientific understanding. stories on pages 10 and 12 current events 2 prez sez 3 20 Years Ago 4 20th Greetings 9 photo by J. D. Mack Park Receives Klass Award 10 Skeptic on the Loose! 12 Brunch at Jackie’s 14 Randi Receives Klass Award 14 ESP 16 Sir Isaac Newton 18 “Expelled” 20 From the Copy- right Office 22 about NCAS 24 photo by Helen Hester-Ossa A publication of the National Capital Area Skeptics (NCAS) current & coming events That’s nice... Election Results Prove it! wo new board members were elected in Morton, Eugene W. Ossa, National Capital Area Skeptics Tthe recent voting: Nelson Davis, Jr. and and Jamy Ian Swiss. Of- 20/20 since 1987 Melissa Pollak. Reelected and incumbent ficers are: Scott Snell, members are: Chip Denman, Grace Denman, president; Gary Stone, vice Mike Epstein, Herb M. Federhen, Bing Gar- president; Walter F. Rowe, secretary; thright, Curtis Haymore, J. D. Mack, Brian and Marv Zelkowitz, treasurer. Join Us For Drinking Skeptically ome to Jackie’s Restaurant at 8081 Geor- sphere. We discuss the issues of the day and Cgia Avenue in Silver Spring on the 2nd whatever else is on our minds. But most of all, Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. we have fun while promoting skepticism, sci- to join fellow NCASers for their DC- ence, and rationality. area Drinking Skeptically event. What Don’t drink? Don’t let that stop you from is Drinking Skeptically, you may ask? joining us! Some of the world’s most famous (You are a skeptic after all; questions skeptics are teetotalers, and you are welcome! are expected.) Drinking Skeptically is an http://www.jackiesrestaurant.com informal social event designed to promote http://www.drinkingskeptically.org fellowship and networking among skeptics, Remember that drinking skeptically means critical thinkers, and like-minded individuals. drinking responsibly. If there’s one thing sci- It gives skeptics a chance to talk, share ideas ence has taught us, it’s the effects of alcohol (and yes, drink) in a casual, relaxed atmo- on the human body. Monthly Meeting Times & Places 2009 February 2009: Saturday, Feb 14, 1:30 pm— National Science Foundation, Room 110 Public & FREE 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA Darwin At 200 Years, Human Nature At A Few Million Years, And A Socio-Legal Myth April 2009: Friday, Apr 10, 11:30 a.m.— Undermined At 40 Years NCAS 2009 Philip J. Klass Award Presenta- Dennis K. McBride, Ph.D., Potomac Institute tion to CFI’s Paul Kurtz, Ph.D., at the Center for Policy Studies, Georgetown University For Inquiry’s 12th World Congress, Bethesda, Medical School, & GU Public Policy Institute, MD (details to be announced) National Science Foundation, Room 110 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA May 2009: Saturday, May 9, 1:30 pm— Public & FREE (program to be announced) March 2009: Saturday, Mar 14, 1:30 pm— Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Rd., Public & FREE (program to be announced) Bethesda, MD (near Bethesda Metro) National Capital Area Skeptical Eye (ISSN 1063-2077) NCAS Board of Directors Editor/Designer/ is published by the National Capital Area Skeptics, PO Executive Committee Photographer Box 8428 , Silver Spring, MD 20907. Scott Snell, president Helen E. Hester-Ossa Copyright © 2009 National Capital Area Skeptics. Signed Gary Stone, vice president articles are the opinions of the authors. Opinions ex- Walter F. Rowe, secretary pressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position of Marv Zelkowitz, treasurer the editors, the Board of Directors, or the National Capital Chip Denman, spokesperson Area Skeptics. Other Board members 24-hour phone number: 301-587-3827 Nelson Davis, Jr. Bing Garthright Eugene W. Ossa e-mail: [email protected] Grace Denman Curtis Haymore Melissa Pollak Skeptical Eye input: [email protected] Mike Epstein J. D. Mack Jamy Ian Swiss Internet: www.ncas.org Herb M. Federhen Brian Morton 2 Skeptical Eye Vol. 20, No. 1 2008/9 prez sez by Scott Snell Dear NCAS Members: have an idea for a project that would further NCAS’s objectives, contact us (ncas@ncas. ’m Scott Snell, NCAS president for the org, or 301-587-3827). We’ll match you up 2008-2009 term. I’ve been an NCAS with one or more of our 16 board members to member since its founding in 1987, served see your idea through. I A simple case of this occurred a few months on its board of directors since 1998, and been vice president for the previous few years. ago. One of our members learned that The In taking the reins from my predecessor, George Washington University’s Lisner Audi- Gary Stone, I see NCAS continuing on the torium would be the site of an upcoming per- course set during his tenure. As always, we formance by “clairvoyant” Lisa Williams. In remain focused on our chartered objectives: response, some of our board members collabo- promoting critical thinking and scientific un- rated with another member to compose a letter derstanding, serving as an information resource to GW, suggesting that the university post a regarding extraordinary claims, and providing disclaimer that would prevent the public from extraordinary evidence that skeptics are cool. mistakenly assuming it was endorsing Wil- NCAS activities are also aligned with the liams’ claims. Shortly afterward, our suggested four goals that the board of directors laid out disclaimer appeared, verbatim*, at the Lisner website advertising the Williams event. This during our October 2006 strategy session. Re- Scott Snell is a cent examples are shown below: was a small but genuine victory in the battle to charter member 1. Expand and prioritize the demographic inform consumers and, we hope, prevent them of NCAS and groups reached by NCAS from throwing away their hard-earned money. serves as Holding some of our monthly public lec- The disclaimer also helped GW safeguard its president for the tures at National Science Foundation in Ar- reputation by dissociating itself from Wil- 2008-2009 term. He received lington has helped us connect with its diverse liams’ claims. Often our members suggest particular topics his Bachelor of workforce Science degree or speakers for our free public monthly lecture 2. Increase community and networking in physics from among NCAS members series. Please keep your ideas coming—we the University of NCAS has started a monthly Drinking still have a few unfilled slots for the remainder Maryland. He is Skeptically event at Jackie’s Restaurant in Sil- of the current season. employed as a ver Spring We also appreciate members’ help in publi- flight software cizing our events. If you’re willing to post our engineer by 3. Increase collaboration between NCAS Computer and external organizations event flyers, especially at local universities or scientific institutions, please contact us. Sciences NCAS will present its 2009 Philip J. Klass Corporation at Award to Paul Kurtz during the Center for In- Of special note is the aforementioned NASA’s Goddard quiry’s World Congress in Bethesda this April Center for Inquiry (CFI) World Congress, Space Flight 4. Expand and prioritize the relevant topics “Science, Public Policy, and the Planetary Center, tending addressed by NCAS Community,” which will be held at the Hyatt the onboard computers Sex/gender definitions and race-based urban Regency Bethesda, April 9-12, 2009. We en- of several legends were recent lecture topics. courage our members to attend, where they’ll see outstanding presentations by James Randi, astronomical and Another notable accomplishment is the Earth-observation new NCAS Channel on YouTube. Our pre- Joe Nickell, Paul Kurtz, Christopher Hitchens, satellites. miere video is November’s excellent lecture, Elizabeth Loftus, and others. Register “Autism and Vaccines: How Bad Science online at http://www.centerforinquiry. Confuses the Press and Harms the Public,” by net/worldcongress or by calling Steven Salzberg, Ph.D., of the University of 1-800-458-1366. Maryland. Other past and future NCAS pro- During the Friday (April 10) lun- grams will soon be posted. Visit YouTube.com/ cheon, NCAS will bestow its 2009 NCASVideo. Philip J. Klass Award on Paul Kurtz, As a membership organization, NCAS can founder and chairman of the Com- derive energy and ideas from any of you. The process is relatively straightforward. If you continued on page 4 Skeptical Eye Vol. 20, No. 1 2008/9 3 prez sez continued from page 3 mittee for Skeptical Inquiry and Prometheus bulletins. (Those of you who aren’t online, or Books. Admission for NCAS members is prefer to receive hardcopy, will still be able to free (or $35 to include lunch). More details to have it delivered to your mailbox from ongo- come in our monthly Shadow of a Doubt bul- ing limited production runs.) letins. In closing, I note that this is the final issue Scott Snell of the Skeptical Eye that will be distributed President in hardcopy to all our members. NCAS will National Capital Area Skeptics begin primarily providing an electronic (PDF) version, to reduce the time and cost of produc- tion and distribution. Instructions for obtaining *”The views expressed by the presenters of this event do not necessarily reflect the views of Lisner Auditorium nor The the e-Eye will appear in upcoming Shadow George Washington University.” It Was 20 Years Ago Today . by Scott Snell o begins one of my favorite albums, journalist who’d written the eye-opening book the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely UFOs Explained, would be there, so I brought Hearts Club Band, which was celebrat- my copy in hopes of an autograph.
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