Shadow of a Doubt - 2005 03

Magazine Overview

Title: SHADOW OF A DOUBT
Issue: MARCH 2005
Publisher: National Capital Area Skeptics (NCAS)
Document Type: Magazine Issue (Monthly Calendar)

Content Summary

This issue of "Shadow of a Doubt," the monthly calendar for the National Capital Area Skeptics, covers events and discussions relevant to critical thinking and skepticism. The cover prominently features two upcoming events. The first, a "University of Maryland Honors Presentation" by Sonia Belasco, is titled "Look like NEW? More Than Skin Deep: How Advertisers Use Science to Sell Cosmetics to Teens." This presentation was scheduled for Saturday, March 12, from 2-4 pm at the Montgomery County Library, Bethesda Branch.

The second featured event is a panel discussion titled "Looks like NEWS? Panel discussion of the Peter Jennings/ABC special 'UFOs - Seeing is Believing'." This discussion, involving NCAS Board members Marv Zelkowitz and Scott Snell, reviews the primetime broadcast that attracted nearly 12 million viewers and reportedly frustrated both proponents and opponents of UFO theories.

The calendar section details the "April Anti-Fools!" event presented by the National Capital Area Skeptics on Saturday, April 30, at the NOAA Auditorium in Silver Spring, Maryland. This event is divided into two parts:

Afternoon Symposium: Scams, Cons, Fakes, and Frauds and How to Avoid Getting Taken

• This symposium features several speakers:
• Jamy Ian Swiss: Magician and author, discussing street scams like the Three Card Monte and the Shell Game.
• James Taylor: Author of "Shocked and Amazed On and Off the Midway," focusing on the reality of carnival sideshows.
• Brian Morton: Baltimore City Paper columnist, examining how journalism can go bad with fakes and frauds.
• Todd Robbins: Sword swallower, fire and glass eater, and performer, discussing extreme acts that might appear fake but are not.
• The symposium also includes discussions on phishing, spoofing, and evaluating online information.

Evening Program: The Ultimate Fake - A special program that will fool your mind with the illusion of psychic powers

This evening event features Jamy Ian Swiss in a performance titled "Sleight of Mind." It promises an evening of "laughs, gasps, and inexplicable mystery," demonstrating how ordinary senses can be convinced of psychic phenomena through illusion and "sleight of mind."

Information regarding tickets for the April Anti-Fools event is provided, with advance registration encouraged. Afternoon symposium tickets are $5, and evening performance tickets are $20. A combined ticket for both is $20 for NCAS members. Tickets can be purchased by sending checks with name, address, and phone number specifying events to the NCAS P.O. Box in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The issue also includes a brief exchange about the word "gullible," initiated by a letter from David Manzi and followed up by a query from the Rainsville Public Library, highlighting the NCAS's interest in language and definitions.

Contact information for NCAS is provided, including a telephone number (301-587-3827), email address ([email protected]), a submission address for "Skeptical Eye," and the website (www.ncas.org).

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are skepticism, critical thinking, and the debunking of pseudoscience and deception. The NCAS positions itself as an organization promoting scientific understanding and awareness of scams, fakes, and illusions. The "April Anti-Fools" event directly embodies this stance by offering educational content on how to identify and avoid being taken in by fraudulent claims and manipulations, whether in the realm of advertising, media, or purported psychic phenomena.