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Some Good News: Catherine Ford defends modern medicine in the Herald

July 15, 2010 in Health & Medicine, Skeptic News by askeptic | 1 comment

I spend a good deal of my time criticizing the media and particularly The Calgary Herald in this blog.  However, every so often, The Herald throws me a curve ball and actually prints a responsible article. Such is the case with the Sunday, July 11, 2010 edition.

In Lessons from my brush with polio, former Calgary Herald writer Catherine Ford gets it right in describing the advances in modern medicine and the snake-oil salesman of the alternative medicine industry. Some highlights of note: Read the rest of this entry »

We’re Back!

February 21, 2010 in Skeptic News, Uncategorized by askeptic | No comments

Okay, this may not be as big as news as Tiger’s apology (it was an apology, right?) but ASkepticRTN is back in operation.

Visitors to www.askepticrtn.com may have noticed a host of troubles with our little website over the past few weeks. It turns out we were the target of some  hackers that planted malicious code throughout our site. Visitors to ASkepticRTN were treated to all sorts of nastiness.

I’m not very techie and it took the help of some friends to track down and eliminate the code. The cost of openness I suppose. Evidently, the ease with which people can post comments etc. also makes it easy to hack the site. We are not going to change.

Anyway, we are back.

Just in time too, as things are beginning to get interesting. It turns out some of the world’s greatest flakes and hucksters are descending on my little home town of Calgary to peddle healing and spiritualism by thoroughly engaging people in new age gobbledygook. At upwards of $100 per seat.

Stay tuned.

ScienceDaily reports British Medical Journal editorial calls for a crackdown on alternative therapies

December 17, 2009 in Health & Medicine, Skeptic News by askeptic | No comments

The medical establishment and politicians must do more to crack down on alternative medicine, argues a senior scientist on the British Medical Journal website.  Thank goodness some medical associations are looking in the mirror and taking on the complimentary and alternative medicine crackpots. <read more ScienceDaily>

Chicago Tribune shows us what real journalism is like

November 23, 2009 in Health & Medicine, Skeptic News by askeptic | No comments

An article in published in the Chicago Tribune November 23 entitled Autism treatment: Science hijacked to support alternative therapies, is just too good to miss.  Click on the link to read it now.

Authors Trine Tsouderos and Patricia Callahan, provide a detailed account of how alternative and complimentary medicine practitioners and promoters, including groups such as Defeat Autism Now!, hijack and misuse legitimate scientific findings.  In so doing, they not only provide a good lesson  on the difference between real science, and the pseudo-science of hucksters, but they also give a lesson on what real journalism looks like.

God I wish we had a real newspaper in this city.

With Friends Like These . . .

October 27, 2009 in General Science, Health & Medicine, Skeptic News by askeptic | No comments

The king of quackery promotion comes out against pseudo science!  Meanwhile Alberta Health Services leadership proves it can’t use a calculator (no surprise there).

It was a great day for me. One of those days where everything just comes together.  I sank  in my favorite easy chair, poured myself a very nice Bordeaux that had been hiding in my cellar, and opened up the paper to take in the latest stories of the day. News stories always go better with Bordeaux. But even the wine couldn’t prepare me for what I read on page A13 of today’s Herald.

The king of quackery promotion rails against junk science.

In an opinion piece entitled, Beware of junk science, Gwyn Morgan, former CEO of Encana Corp. rails against junk science. In the article, Mr. Morgan argues persuasively against pesticide paranoia, fears surrounding chemical fertilizer, organic food worship and the borderline hysteria, especially in Europe, of genetically modified foods. Now normally, I would applaud such an effort. Not here though. Read the rest of this entry »

Speaking of Grades, Bishop Henry . . .

May 6, 2009 in Education, Evolution, Religion, Skeptic News by askeptic | No comments

Bill 44 has been producing quite a stir here in Alberta.

This is the bill that will either allow parents to remove their children from such controversial subjects as evolution or will not permit parents to remove their children from such subjects as evolution — depending upon who in the government you talk to. The Premier says parents will have that right, the Minister responsible says parents won’t. Half the Conservative caucus is speaking out in favour of the Government’s position (although they are split on which government position), while the other half of caucus is running for cover. The opposition is against it, although here again, just what ‘it’ is, isn’t clear. Read the rest of this entry »

Latest Update: Monkeys Are Back In Alberta Education

May 6, 2009 in Education, Evolution, Religion, Skeptic News by askeptic | No comments

Did ASkepticRTN cause the Alberta government’s turnaround?

It was on the weekend that AskepticRTN delivered its critique of the Alberta Government’s Bill 44  (see AskepticRTN, Education in Alberta: No Monkeys Please). Copies were sent to the politicians involved, as well as all the newspaper columnists mentioned in the post.

I guess we had an impact. First, we got flooded with e-mail. I love e-mail. It lets me know I actually have some readers out there and I like that. One regular reader, Ian, actually submitted a comment. That’s great too. Ian always gives me constructive criticism. Read the rest of this entry »

Education in Alberta: No Monkeys Please.

May 2, 2009 in Education, Evolution, Religion, Skeptic News by admin | 2 comments

You think the Alberta media is dumb about science? Just wait to you get a load of our politicians!

It’s called Bill 44. Last year the Alberta Provincial Government promised a review of human rights legislation in the province. Much of this review was driven by the actions of The Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship (AHRC) Commission with respect to Ezra Levant. A publisher of a local Alberta magazine, Mr. Levant, reproduced those infamous Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammad. A complaint was lodged and Mr. Lavant was hauled in front of the Commission for promoting hate or something like it.  Read the rest of this entry »

More Bus Ad Nonsense

March 6, 2009 in Religion, Skeptic News by admin | No comments

Ottawa Denies Offending Ads

The City of Ottawa is the latest in Canada to deny bus ad’s carrying the message: There’s Probably No God: Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life sponsored by the The Freethought Association of Canada. My source of all that is true in the world, The Calgary Herald, reported that the reason given by City officials in Ottawa was that the ad’s were offensive.

I am not sure what offensive means anymore. It strikes me that people, especially in Ottawa, have become very easily offended. Is there a difference between not liking something and being offended? There are plenty of ads I don’t like but I am not really all that offended by what I see on TV, hear on the radio or read in print. It strikes me that anyone can be offended by virtually anything if they set their mind to it. Read the rest of this entry »

More religious prejudice in Halifax

February 26, 2009 in Religion, Skeptic News by admin | 1 comment

We told you so.

Okay, I am feeling prophetic. Hey Randi, I want the $1.0 million prize.

It was only a few weeks ago, I wrote about Halifax Regional Municipality Council conducting prayers as part of the Council meeting (see ASkepticRTN Praying in Halifax Council Meetings). Councillor Jerry Blumenthal and Deputy Mayor David Hendsbee stated that if atheists didn’t like it they could basically leave or shut up. I likened this to telling people they could just sit at the back of the bus. I also stated this meant that atheists could never get a fair shake within the Halifax Regional Municipality as prejudice against atheists had become institutionalized within the municipality. Read the rest of this entry »

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