Facts and science be damned! We have Jebus on our side… (and there was rejoicing). Well, at least the anti-woman crowd still has icky-graphical signs to wave around because they have lost yet another scientific leg to stand on. Thanks to the Guttmacher institute for advancing the rights of women,
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DeSmogBlog: Is James Inhofe Shilling For God, or Oil? The Correct Answer is “Both”
hoaxbook.jpg Last week, we were treated to one of those facepalm moments that make those of us who care about the future of planet intensely frustrated. Or worse. Senator James Inhofe, climate conspiracy theorist, was on a Christian radio program talking about his new book The Greatest Hoax: How the Global
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: ThunderF00t – Why make a fuss about religion?
The title of the video is actually called “Thunderf00t Unmasked” as it deals with some of the nasty things zealots have and continue to do. It is a little slice of youtube drama, but at the same time the argument Thunderf00t makes against religion is remarkably cogent and clear and
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Canadian Conservative – The Anti-Science Crusade Continues…
Hey, you in the lab coat. Stop your filthy science right now, I have policy to fabricate! If Steven Harper was a puppy, he would be getting a firm “NO” and a being ignored right now when it comes to his views on science and the dissemination of scientific knowledge
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Fox News’s Attacks on Climate Science Now Include The Denial of Basic Physics
varneybastardi.jpg There was a time, believe it or not, when Fox New’s Shepard Smith openly mocked global warming deniers—seriously comparing them to a man who got stuck in a portable toilet. (Hat tip to D.R. Tucker for showing me this clip.) But since then, Fox has become a veritable misinformation machine
Continue reading350 or bust: The Harper Government’s Approach To Scientists: Control The Pests
* Although Rick Mercer treats the current situation regarding control of scientists and their tax-payer funded research in Canada with humour, unfortunately it is no laughing matter when the government of a democracy goes to great lengths to suppress information that doesn’t line up with its agenda. In fact, it
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Can Geeks Defeat Lies? Thoughts on a Fresh New Approach to Dealing With Online Errors, Misrepresentations, and Quackery
fact check universe.png This afternoon, I’ll be at MIT for this conference, sponsored by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard and the MIT Center for Civic Media and entitled “Truthiness in Digital Media: A symposium that seeks to address propaganda and misinformation in the new media ecosystem.”
Continue readingConservative war on truth escalates
The Conservative government made another assault on the gathering of facts with its announcement that it is closing the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Lab (PEARL) in Canada’s High Arctic. Its timing was impeccable. A climate scientist, Dr. Richard Peltier, has just been announced this year’s winner of the Gerhard Herzberg
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Don’t Blame the Victims: Why Public Outreach By Climate Scientists is More Vital Than Ever
speakout.jpg In the last few years—and especially in the wake of the ClimateGate pseudo-scandal—climate researchers have become much more politically engaged. They’ve sought to become better at communication, and to have a greater influence on public policy. They’ve tried to establish rapid response capabilities, and also, better ways of protecting
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: New Data: 81 Percent of Climate Deniers Think Scientists Are In It “For Their Own Interests"
logo_brookings.gif The Brookings Institution has a new report out on the public's views about global warming, and most commentators are going for the predictable headline. It's this: Following the post-ClimateGate decline in belief that global warming is happening, we're now seeing a bit of a rebound. More people believe the
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Divide and Profit
Everett: You can’t take the tar sands out of the climate equation – The Globe and Mail #cdnpoli #tarsands If the world is an unchanging variable, constant, then the latest scientific finding regarding the tar sands would be what many want the results to mean. The latest study says if
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: A Call to Support Michael Mann
hockeybookmann.jpg I've been a great ally of my latest Point of Inquiry guest Michael Mann, and even called him a climate hero. I've blurbed his new book, saying the following: "Although not initially of his own choosing, Michael Mann has been the most important, resilient, and outspoken warrior in the climate battle—responding to
Continue reading350 or bust: We’ve Been Messin’ Where We Shouldn’t Have Been A-Messin’
Climate change, You Scary: In which Hank Green details the five scariest things that will likely happen because of climate change. * Find the Sci Show: Where the science goes on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. Want to know what to do? Go to: Citizens Climate Lobby to join
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: James Inhofe Takes the Climate Conspiracy Theory to New Heights—While His Home State Reels from Record Heat
hoaxbook.jpg James Inhofe, Republican Senator from Oklahoma, has a new book out. It is entitled The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future. I have not read it yet. So I cannot say much about its contents, but I can say this: The title suggests that Inhofe, like
Continue readingTerahertz: Teach safe sex
I was sent this neat info-graphic that discusses the need for comprehensive sex ed in the USA. We can be a bit more smug here in Canada, but we must remain eternally vigilant that our education system relies on the best available information. Created by: PublicHealthDegree.com
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Want to Improve Science Communication? Start with Bad PowerPoint Habits
bad powerpoint.jpg In the past three months, I’ve spoken on panels at two scientific mega-conferences—the American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting in San Francisco, which draws tens of thousands of scientists, and the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting, which this year was held in Vancouver (and
Continue reading350 or bust: I’m A Climate Scientist
After the last week’s revelations and counter-revelations regarding the Heartland Institute’s campaign against climate science and climate scientists, here’s an appropriate reminder (language warning!) * Don’t forget to go to the “I Heart Climate Scientists” Facebook page and show these folks some love, for all the work they are doing
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Science and the Conservative Party of Canada? Yeah Right…
This is a repost from askepticrtn.com it is important concisely written work that needs to be shared and amplified in the Canadian Blogosphere. Another Resignation at Statistics Canada February 12, 2012 in General Science by askeptic On February 01, Philip Cross, Chief Economic Adviser at Statistics Canada announced his leaving the agency. He
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Rick Santorum, Attacking Scientists, Claims He’s not Anti-Science
Rick-Santorum3-460×307.jpg Rick Santorum is becoming the anti-science gift that keeps on giving. Yesterday, while speaking in his home state, the former Pennsylvania senator once again tilted at the idea of human caused global warming, saying that it is based on “phony studies,” and really a case of “political science.” This is, you
Continue reading350 or bust: More Light Shed On Origin And Veracity Of Heartland Documents
Dr. Peter Gleick is the co-founder and president of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California. His bio states that he is a hydroclimatologist by training, with a B.S. from Yale University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley from the Energy and Resources Group. His research
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