Canberra Skeptics Argos: May 2003

 

N.B. Keep the evening of Monday next (26th May) free (see below)

 

A test for true skeptics − the fifth/sixth functions for 2003

Those attempting to access the Tidbinbilla Tracking Station on March 24th via the Cotter Road were confronted by a “Road Closed” sign just after the river crossing.  Having been advised by the Hon Pres the previous Friday that the road was open, true believers and dyed in the wool skeptics ignored the sign and proceeded in search of the evidence.  There was none.  The road was perfectly open. Although none was forecast, the authorities were in no doubt that a heavy fall of rain was imminent and would precipitate a landslip and so had closed the road the previous Friday. Three carloads got through via the Cotter, the rest via the southern route. Apologies to any who gave up and turned back. We enjoyed an excellent value for money meal at the Moonrock Café and a most entertaining and informative talk by Glen Nagle.

 

Wig and Pen nights − the seventh/eighth functions for 2003

Monday 14th  April was clearly an off night for all but the Committee, but the Hon Sec’s reminder about the Wig and Pen night on 12th May prompted some local skeptics to test whether the establishment actually existed: they were rewarded to find it does – and that the home brew there is not without its merits.  The next Wig and Pen night is Monday 9th June.

 

The next function: Monday 26th May  

 

You should have already received a notice about a talk by our Vice President, Peter Barrett. This will be at 7.30 for coffee/tea and bicccies (with the talk starting at 8.00pm) at the CSIRO Discovery Centre, Clunies Ross Drive, Acton (near the corner of Barry Drive).  His talk Astro-nots and Apollo-gists (How do we know whether Apollo 11 happened?) will explore the strange reasoning of those proposing that the moon landings were a gigantic hoax.

 

News from the Committee

The Committee meets fortnightly and organization of the 2003 National Skeptics Convention (!) is the main item on its agenda.  The Convention will be 22nd to 24th August - so, write these dates in your (and/or your friends’) diaries now. The main themes are

Friday (22nd) afternoon   Seeking the evidence for young Skeptics.

Friday evening. Open forum on alternative remedies

Saturday (23rd).  It’s all in the mind you know!

Sunday (24th) morning.  Getting the message across.

Sunday afternoon.  The Planet and beyond.


Several individuals have offered to speak at the Convention and some may be disappointed as available slots are at a premium.  The draft Programme will be posted on the Convention Website shortly (via the top right hand corner of the www.skeptics.com.au website home page).

Andrew Young was to have talked about evidence-based conservation in late April but this has been held over as he is up to his ears, in a manner of speaking, with the wheat diseases crises at CSIRO.

The next meeting of the Committee will be on 26 May. Please contact me by email, or phone me or Vicki on 6296 4555 if there are any issues you want raised at the meeting, if you wish to be deleted from our mailing list or if you know of someone who might wish to be added to it.

                                                                                  

Ramblings from the President −-April Fool’s/Fools’ Day

 

Since the last edition of the Argos, April Fool’s/’ day has been and gone and I have finished “The Museum of Hoaxes” by Alex Boese (Penguin Books Australia 2003; ISBN 0 14 3001 18 3) − a splendid read.  Dick Smith’s Sydney harbour “iceberg” (April 1, 1978) scores an entry and even a photo.  The book discusses the origins of April Fools’ Day and describes a number of other April 1 hoaxes.  For those interested in learning more about the Day’s origins see www.museumofhoaxes.com/aprilframe.html

 

Those at Glen Nagle’s talk will have heard my story about one of the late Ray Crawford’s hoaxes − the one involving NASA and the moon rock samples.  Ray was a mature age PhD student at the ANU in the late 60’s.  He was an avid collector of letterhead notepaper and had come across a piece of NASA stationery in some way.  Shortly after the first moon landing Dr John Lovering at the ANU received a piece of moon rock to analyse.  Ray wrote a letter purporting to be from NASA to Dr Lovering requesting he present a sample of his urine at the US embassy at 3.00pm on a certain day; this was to be sent to NASA for analysis in case John had become infected by some alien life form.  Dr Lovering consulted Dr Harry Rosenberg (a biochemist at the JCSMR) about the best way to collect the said specimen. As urine samples are best collected as “early morning samples” Harry smelled a rat, so the US embassy staff were contacted. Of course they knew nothing about this and, after a lot of coming and going with NASA, the urine sample went down the drain so to speak. The Yanks were not amused and tried their hardest to find out who was behind the letter. But, as with the weapons of mass destruction, the CIA just could not get its act together on this one either.

 

Ray also concocted an April fool’s jape − in 1966 I think.  He had found a chunk of marble with an iron stake imbedded in it in the basement of the Geosciences Department.  He and Mike Vernon welded together a modern sculpture from bits of scrap iron and Ray had a brass plate inscribed with “Marasmus” made and mounted on the marble base. We planted this in the pond at University House in the early hours of April 1st.  Ray had persuaded the Art Critic of the Canberra Times to write a spoof appraisal about this magnificent work of art to be published in the paper that day.  The Editor was apparently worried about this, so it did appear − on the front-page − but with a note about the date. The Master of Uni House (Dale Trendall) went along with the joke for a while but eventually had the sculpture removed.  It is probably still around Canberra someplace − does anyone know where?

 

Ray perpetrated other hoaxes and constantly wrote hilarious letters to the Editor signed Colonel Muffington-Smee, Major Clapshaw-Cleeve etc.  It was no wonder when he was a prime mover in starting a new political party (The Australian Party) nobody took it seriously − although the party has evolved, through various guises, to become the Democrats.

                                                                                                                                                                                         

Pete Griffith

President, Canberra Skeptics

22 May 2003

igriffit@bigpond.net.au

6296 4555

 

Canberra Skeptics Inc

Committee 2002-2003

Pete Griffith (President)

Peter Barrett (Vice President)

Vicki Moss (Secretary)

David Wilson (Treasurer)

Arno Mikli

Michael O'Rourke

Jennie Louise