05 January 2012 by John Underhay
The Mayans have been in the news a lot over the past couple of years, particularly due to their (supposed) prediction that the world will end in December of this year. This has been so thoroughly debunked that I hardly need mention it here. Reminiscent of the response to Harold Camping, there are those who [...]
Posted in Featured, History, Social Sciences5 Comments
05 July 2011 by Ethan Clow
Despite the onset of summer and the melting ice in and around Hudson’s Bay, Henry Hudson must have felt particularly cold that day of June, 1611. Along with his son Jon, and six other crewmen, Hudson was bound by his former crew and left in a small shallop and set adrift in the bay that [...]
Posted in Canada, Environment, History, Science, Social Sciences, Territories1 Comment
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
25 March 2011 by Ethan Clow
I have a little game I play when I go into book stores. First I make a prediction, then I head over to the history section and see if my prediction is on the ball or not. My prediction will be how many books of pseudo-history, works of outright fiction, conspiracy theories and tirades on [...]
Posted in Conspiracy Theories, History, Media, Reviews, Social Sciences2 Comments
11 February 2011 by Scott Gavura
Familiar with Darwin Day? Darwin Day is an international celebration of Darwin’s life and his contributions to science. 2011 marks Saskatoon’s third annual celebration. This year, the celebration goes province-wide. Darwin Day has received official recognition from Donna Harpauer, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Education: Saskatoon’s Darwin Day celebrations started just two years ago as a project [...]
17 December 2010 by Ethan Clow
Over the last couple weeks controversy erupted in the world of anthropology. No, they didn’t find more Hobbits. The problem began when the American Anthropology Association altered their mandate removing science from their long range goals. When the organization met for its annual meeting a decision was reached to strip the words “science” from their [...]
Posted in Critical Thinking, History, Skepticism, Social Sciences19 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
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
21 July 2010 by Erik Davis
This weekend was my 20 year high school reunion, and for whatever reason — be it nostalgia or morbid curiosity — I decided to attend. Despite the long drive (I was raised near NYC), it was an interesting experience, even rewarding at times. And it gave me the impetus to finally file an article that [...]
Posted in Canada, Critical Thinking, Culture, History, Media, Paranormal, Pseudoscience, Science, Skepticism3 Comments
24 June 2010 by Erik Davis
Recently, I filed a post about food allergies in the schoolyard, which was driven by catching myself in several common logical fallacies. You see, before writing the article, I had a general sense that school policies designed to protect allergic kids from peanut exposure were getting out of hand. After all, back when I was [...]
Posted in Cognition, Critical Thinking, History, Logic and Fallacies, Probability and Statistics, Science, Skepticism12 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
