Peter,

you could also take an Apollo photo with diverging shadows and then tell the audience that the HBs claim that this is caused by more than one light source - and since the Sun is the only light source on the Moon ....

Then you pause and look at the audience. A few heads will probably be nodding. "Yeah, that IS strange".

Then you continue: "But of course the HBs have forgotten one tiny, tiny detail. If there´s more than one light source, then each object (rock/astronaut) would also have more than one shadow. Now take a look at that picture. How many shadows does the rock/astronaut have ? Just one single shadow. One shadow, one light source."

It´s pure common sense and the audience will go: "AAAHHH, of course !"

You can also bring a candle to illustrate your point about the Van Allen belts.

Warren Ockrassa writes (http://www.the-indigestible.com/specials/moon.htm):

"Others point out the Van Allen radiation belt surrounding Earth, saying it should have cooked the astronauts.

It surely would have -- if they had not been traveling very fast in a metal-lined, gold-foiled ship, through the thinnest edge of these belts, rather than within them for days.

Just as passing your fingeertip quickly through a candle flame will not burn you, it is possible to pass through Earth's Van Allen belts in safety."

Present your point like this:

Tell about the HBs claim that you would be killed passing through the Van Allen Belts. "The Van Allen Belts are indeed dangerous. Do you wanna know HOW the Apollo astronauts did the trick ? I´ll show you. Right here in this room."

Then you light the candle. "Imagine that the flame is the Van Allen Belts and my finger tip is the Apollo spaceship."

And then you pass the finger tip quickly through the flame.

(Do NOT illustrate what would happen if one stayed within the Van Allen Belts for days and days ! [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] ...... But after passing your finger tip quickly through the flame, you could of course leave the candle burning and then ask the audience if they want you to show what would happen if one stayed within the belts for days and days. They´d begin laughing - and they´d be even more on your side.)

What I mean with the above is ...

FIRST - present the HB claim as if it was a magic trick.

THEN - leave the audience to wonder for a few seconds.

And finally you reveal the "trick": "There´s nothing weird about this or that. THIS is how it was done."



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Look Ma, No Hands ! Oops ... on 2002-05-20 10:15 ]</font>