17 September 2010 by Mitchell Gerskup
Blogs attract commenters. This is perfectly normal and shouldn’t be cause for concern. Usually. The comment section on blog posts can be a place where discussion flourishes and lively debates frolic in the sun. Or it could be a desolate post-apocalyptic mutant-riddled wasteland of rage and ad hominems. Sometimes, your commenters will be smart, funny, [...]
Posted in Skepticism5 Comments
02 September 2010 by Mitchell Gerskup
Phil Plait’s Bad Universe is perhaps best summed up in two words: Holy Haleakala! This show will dispel any notion you may have had about the tranquil and friendly nature of our universe. The truth is, the universe we live in is a dangerous place. Fortunately, we can identify what those dangers are and (hopefully) [...]
Posted in Astronomy, Canada, Skepticism5 Comments
26 August 2010 by Mitchell Gerskup
Economics: it’s really complicated and difficult to write about from a skeptical perspective. It inhabits a weird no man’s land between the “real” sciences and the social sciences. On the one hand, economists study very real social phenomena, using detailed and complex mathematical models. On the other hand, the field is still rife with opinion [...]
Posted in Critical Thinking, Economics4 Comments
13 August 2010 by Mitchell Gerskup
Happy Friday the 13th, everyone! Growing up, I always knew that Friday the 13th was an unlucky day. I don’t know where I heard it first, but I’ve known that for as long as I can remember. It’s a belief that seems to be ubiquitous, at least in North American culture, although one that’s not [...]
Posted in Critical Thinking, Culture, History, Skepticism4 Comments
12 August 2010 by Mitchell Gerskup
This article from The Moscow Times website tells the story of a startlingly accurate psychic prediction: A man was jailed by a Kemerovo region court on Thursday for assaulting a Gypsy fortune teller who predicted that he would be jailed, the Investigative Committee said. Gennady Osipovich tried to kill the unidentified female fortune teller, who [...]
Posted in Skepticism0 Comments
09 August 2010 by Mitchell Gerskup
This is potentially the most brain-meltingly stupid thing that you will ever see. Seemingly not content with the burgeoning topics of global warming denialism and evolution denialism, the good folks over at Conservapedia have put together an article about why relativity is wrong. This article features some real gems, like: 9. The action-at-a-distance by Jesus, [...]
Posted in Evolution, Science, Skepticism14 Comments
23 July 2010 by Mitchell Gerskup
Update: It turns out that the School of Continuing Studies aren’t the only ones at the University of Toronto who have drunk the naturopathic (or perhaps homeopathic) Kool-Aid. It turns out that the Department of Human Biology is also offering a course entitled HMB434H – Complementary and Alternative Medicine. You can check out the syllabus [...]
Posted in Health, Ontario, Pseudoscience, Skepticism5 Comments
13 July 2010 by Mitchell Gerskup
This week’s XKCD is, to put it mildly, a skeptical win: “Dear editors of Homeopathy Monthly: I have two small corrections for your July issue. One, it’s spelled “echinacea”, and two, homeopathic medicines are no better than placebos and your entire magazine is a sham.” Being denizens of the internet, I assume you’re all familiar [...]
Posted in Skepticism2 Comments
11 June 2010 by Mitchell Gerskup
Update: Due to the University of Toronto deciding to close its campus for the duration of the G20 conference in Toronto, the Deepak Chopra lecture, which was to be held at convocation hall, has been canceled — seemingly indefinitely. Nevertheless, I think it’s still important to explain why this event is troubling to the scientific [...]
Posted in Critical Thinking, Ontario, Pseudoscience, Skepticism3 Comments
21 May 2010 by Mitchell Gerskup
The Centre for Inquiry Canada’s Committee for the Advancement of Scientific Skepticism (CASS) is putting together an open letter to the director of the Royal Ontario Museum. This is in light of their recent announcement that they would be sponsoring a talk by world-renowned pseudo-scientist Deepak Chopra. The CASS is looking for people to support/sign [...]
Posted in Ontario, Science, Skepticism7 Comments
Mitchell Gerskup recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Economics and Philosophy. An avid atheist and skeptic, he has served as the President of the University of Toronto Secular Alliance, helping to promote science, reason and critical thinking around Toronto. He also volunteers with the Centre for Inquiry’s Ontario branch, and currently sits on the CFI’s Committee for the Advancement of Scientific Skepticism. Mitchell is also an accomplished competitive debater, having debated all across Canada. In addition to issues of economics and philosophy, Mitchell is interested in the fields of science and technology.
