Shadow of a Doubt - 1995 12

Magazine Overview

Title: Shadow of a Doubt
Issue: December 1995
Publisher: National Capital Area Skeptics

This issue of "Shadow of a Doubt" focuses on the ongoing debate surrounding the teaching of evolution and creationism in schools, alongside announcements for the National Capital Area Skeptics (NCAS) and a humorous, satirical piece.

The Creationist Challenge to Teaching Scientific Evolution in the Schools

The lead article details an upcoming panel discussion jointly presented by the National Capital Area Skeptics and Washington Area Secular Humanists. The event aims to foster an exchange of ideas on the contentious issue of teaching creationism versus scientific evolution in schools, with participation from the audience. The panelists represent a diverse range of perspectives, including:

• Doug Barylski: An engineer and recent candidate for the Fairfax County School Board, who raises questions about how avoidance of creationist ideas might leave students with incomplete understanding and confusion.
• Richard Laterell: A retired professor of biology, who asserts that the "theories" of evolution and creationism are not scientifically equivalent, and that evolution explains observable phenomena while creationism does not.
• Jim Giglio: A former science teacher, who will address how science teachers can navigate the religious controversy surrounding this topic.
• Doug McNeil: A computer engineer and political activist, who will explore whether creationists are attempting to achieve their goals through the political process what they cannot through scientific means.

The panel discussion was scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 2, at 2pm at the Bethesda Library, located at 7400 Arlington Road, Bethesda, Maryland. Admission was free, and everyone was welcome. For further information, attendees were encouraged to call the NCAS Skeptic Line at 301-587-3827.

NCAS Announcements and Future Meetings

The newsletter also provides information on the NCAS BBS (Bulletin Board System), which is accessible via "capaccess" and the WWW. However, it notes that the NCAS BBS server at 703-280-1446 will be discontinued in the near future.

Future meetings for NCAS are announced: the January meeting is scheduled for the 27th of the month at the Bethesda Library. On February 17th, a regular meeting will be held at the Davis Library. Instead of a weekend event, NCAS is planning a special all-day program for a Saturday later in the spring of 1996.

NCAS Jokes of the Month

This section features a humorous look at the origins of Yiddish vocabulary, with statistics presented as follows:

• German: 72%
• Hebrew: 18%
• Slavic tongues: 16%
• Romance languages (Latin, French, Italian): 5.60%
• English: 3.55%

Following these statistics, a quote from Leo Rosten is presented: "The fact that these numbers add up to more than 100% demonstrates the limitations of statistics. I know the figures are to be trusted; I made them up myself." This serves as a humorous commentary on the potential for misleading data.

Satirical Excerpt on UFOs

The issue includes a brief excerpt, attributed to the introduction of "Flying saucers are everywhere" by Tom McHugh (published by Prometheus Books), which offers a satirical perspective on UFO beliefs. The excerpt defines:

• A UFOlogist as someone who studies UFOs.
• A non-believer in UFOs as a spy potentially involved in a government cover-up.
• Someone who buys the book and believes everything in it as naive.

The excerpt is noted as being from the introduction to a book that presents a satirical view of UFOs throughout history.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around skepticism towards pseudoscientific claims, particularly creationism, and the importance of scientific education. The NCAS, as the publisher, clearly advocates for a rational, evidence-based approach to understanding the world, as evidenced by the panel discussion topic and the satirical take on UFO beliefs. The editorial stance promotes critical thinking and open discussion of controversial topics, while also injecting humor and lightheartedness through the "Jokes of the Month" section.