New Record or Not, the Arctic Sea Ice Alarm Bells Keep Ringing
N_daily_extent_hires.png Last week, the National Snow and Ice Data Center came out with the estimate that we did not quite set a record for the minimum extent of Arctic sea…
science
Sliding into Fall
Oops, it did it again…. The Fall term 2011 has managed to sneak up on me, like its 2010 predecessor. All of a sudden, it’s all back. I am facing…
"Doubt" Video On Fossil Fuel Industry’s Tobacco PR Tactics To Undermine Science
doubt.jpg In case you didn't manage to catch all 24 hours of the Climate Reality Project (I mean, what the heck else were you doing?), I wanted to flag this…
What We Don’t Know Will Hurt Us
So, apparently the Conservative government’s deep cuts to Environment Canada are leading to the cancellation of an important monitoring project on the ozone layer over the Arctic. The British journal…
Want to Sway Climate Change Skeptics? Ask About Their Personal Strengths (And Show Pictures!)
509983main_adjusted_annual_temperature_anomalies_final.gif Readers of my posts over the last half year will be familiar with the phenomenon of motivated reasoning, in which people’s subcons...
The schizoid nature of the Western world: Overcoming the root paradox of Western civilization – and our own minds
The Western world is still trapped in a paradox and a self-contradiction of our own making: we are schizoid with regards to the body, the material world and to our…
Presenting Mount Allison’s Year of Science and Discovery President’s Speakers Series
Every year, Mount Allison decides on a theme for its speaker's series. This year's speakers are among the most renowned scholars in their fields. This year's list is below along…
Memo to Rick Perry: Galileo Was a Liberal
472px-Justus_Sustermans_-_Portrait_of_Galileo_Galilei,_1636.jpg Ever since the Republican presidential debate last week, science watchers have been shaking their heads over Rick Perry’s rid...
On Global Warming, the Tea Party is Worse than the GOP
dont-tread-on-me.jpg There’s a fascinating new public opinion analysis out today from Anthony Leiserowitz and the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. It looks at political divides...
Why Questionable "Science" Gets Published, Pounced On in the Media, Retracted, Causes Resignations…Rinse and Repeat
scientific journals.JPG An editor resigns after a journal publishes a paper that seems to trash the scientific consensus on climate change—but is heavily criticized by top scientists. Where...
Exams never end
(Title of famous play by Italian playwright Eduardo De Filippo. To my knowledge, it was not inspired by his own PhD defence) Dear fellow Committee Members, as the appointed Chair…
John Stossel Tells EPA To Pack Up Shop
john stossel.jpg Fox News host John Stossel says that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has passed its prime, and is no longer useful. After the Obama Administration last week overruled…
Atheists are Differently Religious – and No, Atheism is not the/a Religion
A main focus of this blog is to consider and compare different political and ethical philosophies so as to promote better understanding of one’s own worldview and those of others.…
Capitalism Is Killing The Advance Of Healthcare
The scientific advances of the last century - and even of that last ten years - have been dizzying. The ability to turn ordinary skin cells into stem cells that…
Communication Fail: Why the IPCC Must Do a Heck of a Lot Better in 2013
IPCC-Logo.jpg Regular readers know I’m pretty critical of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change--particularly when it comes to how this expert body communicate...
The Darkness Strikes Back
I've begun a series of video-essays on YouTube (my channel is here) titled "Welcome to our Semi-Dark Age". The first episode is now up (in three parts, due to time…
New Rule: Only People With PhDs May Give Opinions.
This appears to be the premise of an unduly dismissive commenter. For your enjoyment, here is what he/she had to say: Hi Ron, I hope you will forgive me for…
Number One Lesson *Not* To Take Away from Hurricane Irene
800px-Atlantic_hurricane_tracks.jpg I was watching CNN this morning. I don’t know why—except that it was on in the gym at the hotel where I’m staying. Pretty soon, I was arguing...
Homeopathy Under Fire in the US, UK, Italy, Israel and Australia
Skeptic North, a well-written Canadian team blog advocating for science, skepticism and rationalism, has been a great source of information on the ongoing scientific, intellectual and moral train-wreck that is…
Endorsing Justin Trottier, Green Party of Ontario Candidate, Parkdale-High Park
I am proud to throw my out-of-riding support behind Justin Trottier, Green Party of Ontario, whom is seeking to represent the Parkdale – High Park riding. Justin Trottier is a…