Meeting Program

Does the Shroud challenge science? Is it a remarkable relic of the creation of a cunning 14th century artist? Steve's been a player in this matter for many years and brings a wealth of information and expertise to the topic. Join us for his slide presentation -- should be a great start to the new season!

Got a ghost that needs busting? A haunting that needs handling? Perhaps a poltergeist that needs perusal?

Well, help is on the way! We are delighted to present Robert A. Baker, PhD and the program "Ghosts, Goblins and Gaslighting".

A professor emeritus of psychology from the University of Kentucky, Dr. Baker became interested in ghostbusting in his twenties. As his experience investigating mysterious events accumulated and his reputation grew, he became a valued resource for Kentucky media whenever these stories made headlines. In this program, Dr. Baker will share tales from some of his most interesting cases and will review tips, tricks and techniques you can use to conduct your own investigations.

Update:Because of health problems, Dr. Baker was unable to give this talk. Joe Gastright filled in and gave an excellent talk on the same subject, despite very short notice.

Skeptics who follow magic closely may recognize Mr. Croskery as the local magician who filed suit against the "Masked Magician" -- the fellow whose Fox TV specials in '97 & '98 revealed the workings of tricks that are staples of many performers. In this program Bob will share with us his combined interests in law & magic. He'll review several consumer fraud lawsuits and incorporate a couple of magic tricks (the "honest form of deception"). And, he'll touch on several consumer lawsuits he's been involved in, including one with "Victoria's Secret" and the "Masked Magician" case.

The full title of this presentation is "The Intelligent Design Argument: It's Origin, Death, and Resurrection." The argument from design has a long history, from the early days of philosophy to the present. It also has political significance today, as creationists try to force their version of this argument into science classrooms. Steve will cover the history of this idea and how it is used by present-day creationists.

This meeting will be a moderated discussion of the first week of Y2K. Are the doomsayers right? How were they wrong? Will we still be able to even have this meeting? If you're not scrabbling to stay alive because of the collapse of the technological infrastructure, come to this meeting and share your opinions. (Provided you feel safe to leave your bunker.)

If you think that pseudoscience is a recent problem or that it is always the product of scientific outsiders dabbling in fields beyond their expertise, then think again. This talk will summarize Dr. Jensen's research on a classic case of pseudoscience that involved some of the most famous names in 19th century chemistry and physics and which shows some striking parallels with the more recent example of cold fusion.

Dr. William B. Jensen holds the Oesper Chair in the History of Chemistry and Chemical Education at the University of Cincinnati. He is also curator of the Oesper Collection of Rare Books and Portraits in the History of Chemistry and of the department of chemistry's apparatus museum.

In January 1999, ABC's 20/20 ran a John Stossel segment on hypnosis that took a look not just at familiar Vegas-like acts, but at the potential use for dental or even general anesthesia. Kathy Platoni was the patient featured undergoing laser skin resurfacing, using only hypnosis as "anesthesia." Come see this dramatic video and hear Kathy discuss her experience and reasons for choosing hypnosis.

Update: The speaker had to cancel, so this turned into a round-robin discussion. Our group discussions always seem to be so much fun that we have tentatively decided to schedule at least one per season.

Nominations for officers will be made at this meeting.

Officer elections will be held at this meeting.

When some people mention "science" they often seem to refer to the hard sciences alone, --physics, chemistry and biology. To these people "social science" is an oxymoron. If it's social it can't be science. Yet, the social sciences, -- economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, and perhaps geography, firmly insist they are "sciences" too.

So what gives? By what possible definition and in which improbable contortion of philosophy can "social science" be considered proper science? If that one flies, next we'll consider Christian Science, psychic science, and parapsychology as sciences, or as Esmeralda von Loewenzahn-Dentdelion would say, also bio-astrology.

But, hey, Roder is serious, he's going to defend the social sciences as science. He claims there exists a social science, and it is a "science" in the same sense as the natural, physical, and biological sciences.