REALL News - Vol 14 No 01 - 2006

Magazine Overview

Title: The REALL News
Issue: Volume 14, Number 1
Date: January/February 2006
Publisher: Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land
Theme: Promoting Science and Reason

Branching Out: Promoting Science and Reason at the Center for Inquiry-West by Bob Ladendorf

This article details Bob Ladendorf's transition from a career in Illinois state government and freelance writing to becoming the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Center for Inquiry-West (CFI-West) in Hollywood. Ladendorf discovered the opportunity while researching Intelligent Design online and was offered the job on the spot. He and his wife, Jean, decided to accept the position, despite the 'long commute' from Illinois to California. He describes his initial experiences, including attending a CFI council meeting and meeting key figures like Barry Karr and Paul Kurtz. Ladendorf's background includes a Master's degree in film and prior work as a writer for 'On Location,' a Hollywood trade publication.

CFI-West is a major branch of the Center for Inquiry, located in East Hollywood. It operates out of a renovated AAA building that houses offices, a 99-seat theater named the Steve Allen Theater, a lobby, bookstore, library, and kitchen facilities. The theater hosts academic lectures, musical performances, comedy shows, and plays. Steve Allen's widow, Jayne Meadows, approved the use of his name. Amit Itelman, the creative director, schedules a variety of productions. The Center also hosts academic lectures featuring authors like Margaret Wertheim and Reza Aslan.

Ladendorf's role as COO involves managing the business operations, including financial and personnel issues, scheduling, and assisting with publications like the newsletter for 7,500 Southern California skeptics and humanists. The Center has a small staff, including an executive director, chief operating officer, theater director, and others. It also houses offices for Atheists United and the L.A. Press Club, and hosts various groups like Freethinkers Toastmasters and the Independent Investigations Group (IIG).

The article mentions an IIG test of a psychic who failed to receive messages, losing a $10,000 prize. Ladendorf also reflects on his personal experiences in L.A., including surviving earthquakes, mudslides, and wildfires, and notes the 'delightful' weather despite the lack of distinct seasons. He spends much of his time at the Center, limiting his visits to beaches.

He also recounts attending the second annual CFI cruise to the Mexican Riviera with speakers like Daniel Dennett and Sue Blackmore, where he gave a presentation on promoting skepticism. He notes that many people are unaware of the Center's location and purpose, sometimes mistaking it for Scientology. The Center aims to increase its exposure through media and theater productions. Upcoming events include a day-long reading of 'On the Origin of Species' for Darwin Day and a lecture by Paul Kurtz on secular humanism.

The Lost UFO Abduction of Geneseo, Illinois by Martin S. Kottmeyer

This article investigates a UFO abduction case reportedly occurring in Geneseo, Illinois, in 1940, as detailed in Joe Lewis's encyclopedia 'UFOs and Popular Culture' and John Keel's 'The Mothman Prophecies.' The original source is identified as Frank Martin Chase's rare 1968 book, 'Document 96.' The case involves a man named Rex Ball, who, while driving, encounters a steam-draped locomotive and three small, powerful beings who lift him. He then sees a circular UFO hovering with a man in aviation garments observing with binoculars, described as a 'pygmy Japanese, perhaps.'

Ball experiences a lapse in memory and finds himself in a U.S. Army uniform, led through a concrete and rock chamber resembling officers' quarters, and witnesses a Filipino mess-boy giving a massage. He is then taken outside, alone. The narrative suggests a connection to a U.S. Army facility, possibly Fort Knox, despite the geographical impossibility. The article notes the presence of short, oriental-looking individuals and flight outfits, and a glass case with sci-fi-like weapons.

Kottmeyer analyzes the case, pointing out anachronisms, such as the concept of a flying saucer originating in 1947, making the 1940 date questionable. He suggests the 'pygmy' description of the pilots aligns with earlier UFO literature conventions. The entities walking on the rim of the saucer is noted as unusual but with some precedents in other cases. The blue flame exhaust suggests terrestrial rocket technology rather than alien anti-gravity.

The author critically examines the narrative, comparing elements to James Bond films and spy thrillers. He suggests the story might be a conflation of dreams and reality, possibly influenced by Betty Hill's experiences. The case is seen as mixing UFO lore with the theory that saucers were American secret weapons, a dominant theory in the 1960s. The article concludes that the story, despite borrowing from UFO authors, ultimately prioritizes a terrestrial explanation, possibly a fabricated account or a 'singular little false memory of ufo abduction.'

Gleanings by Clark Olson

This section provides a collection of news items and brief reports related to skepticism, science, and the intelligent design (ID) movement.

• ID Ruling: A Federal District judge in Harrisburg ruled on December 20, 2005, that Intelligent Design (ID) could not be presented in schools because it is religious in nature. The Discovery Institute criticized the judge, but the ruling is expected to carry weight nationally, despite the local school board's likely lack of appeal.
• Georgia Appellate Court: There is troubling news from Georgia, where an appellate court appears to be opposing a district court judgment against anti-evolution book stickers.
• Letters to the Editor: The State Journal-Register featured 13 letters concerning evolution and anti-evolution debates, split evenly between proponents and opponents, with one equivocal letter. Topics included the nature of science and the origin of life.
• Discovery Institute: Bruce Chapman, president of the Discovery Institute, reported on a meeting in Europe attended by 700 people, including scientists. The Institute claims to have a list of over 470 scientists supporting ID, while the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) has more organizations and scientists supporting evolution.
• Evolution Education: A Fordham University group published findings on state education standards, with Illinois receiving top grades for evolution education. The Darwin exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History is noted, with plans to move to the Field Museum in Chicago.
• Book Review: A review of Susan H. Clancy's book 'Abducted: How People Come to Believe They Were Kidnapped by Aliens' is mentioned. The book explores the psychological mechanisms behind alien abduction beliefs.
• Vatican on ID: Reports indicate that the Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romani, published an editorial calling ID 'non-science' and reaffirming the science of evolution. The Discovery Institute reportedly attempted to downplay this opinion.
• Classroom Issues: Despite national and state-level positive news, the classroom level situation is described as 'bad,' particularly in Texas and Arkansas, where creationist teachers and administrative pressures against evolution teaching are reported. A review of the TV program 'Frontline' also highlighted a teacher dismissing evolution in class.
• Letters to the Editor (SJ-R): Fifteen letters to the editor in the SJ-R discussed ID and the Dover PA decision, with most referring to ID. Eddie Bratton, an anti-evolution voice, affirmed that life comes from life but his reasoning on biological continuity and DNA evidence was unclear.
• Syndicated Columns: Molly Ivins and Eugene Robinson wrote columns favorable to evolution, while cartoons like 'Opus' lampooned ID, and 'Mallard Fillmore' seemed favorable to evolution.
• California Court Case: An article discusses a lawsuit in California concerning the approval of courses for admission to the University of California system, with disapproved courses including non-science and evolution. This suit is backed by a national association of religious schools.
• NYT Articles: The New York Times published articles on evolution and creationism, as well as a review of a non-evolution book titled 'Amazing Stories of Coincidence and the Mystery and Mathematics Behind Them.'
• Illinois Times: The Illinois Times featured a short letter and cartoon related to 'intelligent design' using a fish symbol.
• UIS Newspaper: The UIS newspaper 'the Journal' published a letter critiquing ID from a scientific perspective by new evolution teacher Jim Bonacum.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The REALL News consistently promotes scientific rationalism and critical thinking, actively countering pseudoscience and creationist arguments. The publication serves as a platform for disseminating information about the Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land (REALL) and its mission to apply the scientific method to paranormal and fringe-science claims. The editorial stance is clearly pro-science, pro-evolution, and critical of Intelligent Design, which it frequently labels as religious rather than scientific. The magazine also covers UFO phenomena from a skeptical perspective, analyzing cases for logical inconsistencies and potential terrestrial explanations, as seen in the 'Rex Ball UFO Case' article. The publication advocates for secular humanism and the separation of church and state, as indicated by the mention of the Springfield Area Freethinkers Meetup Group.

Title: The REALL News
Issue Date: January/February 2006
Publisher: Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land (REALL)
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of The REALL News features articles on UFO mythology, a specific abduction case, and an announcement for an upcoming organizational meeting.

The Lost UFO Abduction of Geneseo, Illinois

The lead article delves into the "Geneseo abduction," a case described as unique and irrational, setting it apart from other UFO abduction narratives in literature. The author notes the absence of similar stories involving underground military complexes in the Midwest or groups of "hairy Ainu pilots" in American military history or UFO literature. The case is considered by some to be a transitional phase in the evolution of UFO mythos, bridging secret weapon beliefs of the 1950s with later abduction narratives like those from Dulce Base in the 1980s. However, the author expresses doubt about this classification, referring to the Geneseo tale as an "obscurity" and a "sterile hybrid" that merges UFO lore with spy fiction, producing a product that has not spawned further cases. While acknowledging shared elements with other abduction narratives such as missing time, oriental facial features, and pygmy-sized beings, the article posits that these are common tropes and not necessarily indicative of the Geneseo story originating the Dulce Base tales.

Jim Underdown, executive director of the Center for Inquiry-West, is quoted suggesting that UFO abductions, when viewed as a psychosocial phenomenon, are a product of "Sixties paranoia" and possess an "unexpected pedigree."

Gleanings

This section appears to be a collection of shorter items or news briefs, though specific content is not detailed in the provided scan beyond the table of contents.

Owen Twiddle

A comic strip by Owen Twiddle titled "CHIP & DIP" is included. The comic humorously depicts a character finding a potato chip on eBay that is shaped like the Pope's hat. The character expresses delight at acquiring this "miraculous manifestation" for over a thousand dollars, adding it to his "religious relic collection."

Our Next Meeting

The magazine announces an upcoming meeting for REALL, which will serve as a Darwin Day Celebration and REALL's 13th Anniversary. The event is scheduled for Saturday, February 11, 2006, at 2:00 PM at Shakey's Pizza & Buffet in Springfield, Illinois. The meeting will include food, fun, trivia, a birthday cake, and a "Primordial Soup" tradition. Information about Darwin Day celebrations worldwide is available at www.DarwinDay.org.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue touches upon the nature of UFO mythology, particularly abduction cases, and frames them within broader cultural and psychological contexts. The editorial stance seems to lean towards skepticism regarding the extraterrestrial origins of such phenomena, favoring psychosocial explanations and historical influences like Cold War paranoia. The inclusion of a meeting focused on Darwin Day suggests an alignment with scientific and rationalist perspectives. The publication appears to be a newsletter or magazine for an organization dedicated to rational examination, as indicated by its name and the content's critical yet curious approach to unexplained phenomena. The humor in the Owen Twiddle comic provides a lighter, more eclectic element to the publication.