27 June 2011 by Erik Davis
There’s a viral video doing the rounds — an edit, set to music, of footage from a documentary about a stone-age tribe in Papua New Guinea making contact with modern humans for the first time. It’s an astounding thing to watch. The Toulambis, as they are known, trepidatiously approach the modern man on the [...]
Posted in Cognition, Critical Thinking, Culture, Environment, History, Skepticism, Social Sciences13 Comments
16 June 2011 by Erik Davis
It must be true. A little bird told me. That little bird of course was Cosmo the Amazon Parrot of the Vancouver Aquarium, who went on CBC and Global a few weeks back to predict a quick win by Vancouver. Watch: A Strong Track Record? At the time, it seemed reasonable to trust Cosmo – [...]
Posted in Canada, Cognition, Critical Thinking, Culture, Logic and Fallacies, Media, Probability and Statistics, Skepticism1 Comment
09 June 2011 by Michael Kruse
Peter Popoff, the American evangelical preacher, is one of the classic unsinkable rubber ducks of woo. The skeptical icon James “The Amazing” Randi exposed Popoff in 1987 on the Johnny Carson show by sneaking in a radio receiver and recording equipment and recording the sometimes foul and revealing conversation beween Popoff’s wife Elizabeth and Popoff [...]
Posted in Culture, Media, Skepticism1 Comment
04 June 2011 by Jeff Orchard
I just attended a debate between Christopher Hitchens and Prof. Barry Brummett at the university of Waterloo. The topic, “Religion has been a positive force in culture.” It was moderated by Jian Ghomeshi. So, why am I calling it the “un-debate”? One of my hobbies is to listen to debates between religious folks and science [...]
Posted in Culture, Reviews, Skepticism26 Comments
04 February 2011 by Darren McKee
Today’s guest post is from Darren McKee, an contributor to the Ottawa Skeptics podcast. Want to contribute a review? Contact us. I predict that you will find this review informative. If you do, you will congratulate my foresight. If you don’t, you’ll forget I was wrong. My playful intro summarizes the main thesis of Gardner’s [...]
Posted in Critical Thinking, Culture, Probability and Statistics, Reviews, Skepticism5 Comments
14 January 2011 by Mitchell Gerskup
Tonight at 8pm, CBC Marketplace will air a review of homeopathic medicine entitled “Cure or Con?”. This hotly anticipated episode is expected to critically examine the practice of homeopathic medicine, in the name of consumer protection. As a skeptic, I know it can be dangerous to get my hopes up over stories of this nature [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada, Culture, Health Policy, Media, Pseudoscience, Skepticism15 Comments
06 December 2010 by Marion Kilgour
On December 6, 1989, Marc Lépin walked into the École Polytechnique in Montréal with a rifle. He shot one woman in the hallway, walked into a classroom full of engineering students, ordered the men to leave, and killed 6 of the 10 women remaining. He then continued through the school, shooting women, and men if [...]
Posted in Canada, Culture, History, Quebec, Social Sciences2 Comments
15 October 2010 by Steve Thoms
I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the way in which music is somehow different. This is not something I’m claiming to be a unique trait that only I have, because I think we all, in our own ways, set our love of music apart from everything else in our lives. We don’t always try [...]
Posted in Cognition, Critical Thinking, Culture, Evolution, Reviews, Science5 Comments
17 August 2010 by Jonathan Abrams
Phil Plait‘s much blogged about talk at The Amazing Meeting 8 (aka TAM8) in Vegas called “Don’t Be a Duck”, I mean, “Don’t Be a Dick” has been made available for viewing online. I recommend you check it out. Even though what he’s saying isn’t new (I blogged similar thoughts) he does present the argument [...]
Posted in Culture, Skepticism2 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
Can Coconut Oil Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease?
Toronto Aetherius Society: His Master’s Voice, stuff that goes boom, and a lack of proof (Part 2)
Toronto Aetherius Society: Jesus, Venusians, and some bad astronomy (Part 1)
Skeptical Fails and Wins This Week
Acupuncturist claims cervical cancer is for prostitutes
