Rebecca Watson in Edmonton
Sep 19th
Skeptically Speaking and GESS are hosting Rebecca Watson’s talk, “Women’s Intuition and Other Fairytales” on the Edmonton campus of the University of Alberta, at 18:00 Sept. 21 in Telus 150.
Rebecca has been a valuable, vocal member of the skeptic community for years. She is one of the hosts of the Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe podcast and a member of Skepchick.org.
We are very excited to hear her talk, which will cover the fascinating world of pseudoscience marketed specifically to women.
Please join us at the U of A on Friday night (tickets at the door) for this excellent event!
Naturopathic regulation bad news for Albertans’ health
Jul 27th
EDMONTON (AB) — Regulation to ensure safety is a good goal, but Albertans should be concerned by the recent announcement by the Alberta Government regarding naturopathy. The July 25 release about the regulation and recognition of states, “… Albertans can be assured they are receiving safe, effective services from qualified professionals,” yet they refer to treatments that have been shown to be unsafe and ineffectual.
“The government is legitimizing forms of medicine that, after repeated studies, have not been shown to work — grounds to consider it ineffective medicine,” says Greater Edmonton Skeptics Society spokesperson Marc-Julien Objois.
Naturopathy largely consists of treatments that have not demonstrated efficacy in scientific trials. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a US government agency, has spent more than $2.5 billion researching these treatments, with only ginger showing efficacy — an expense not worth the return — yet treatments continue worldwide.
http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/cam-research-much-ado-about-nothing/
Moreover, while some treatments are outright harmful, even those not directly harmful often cause patients to forgo seeking proper treatment — potentially leading to serious harm or death.
http://whatstheharm.net/naturopathy.html
Lending legitimacy to ineffective forms of treatment is not the right move for our government, and is bad for average Albertans trying to navigate the vast, often complicated field of healthcare. While true that many swear by these treatments, the impression that they work can be more psychological than physical. The placebo effect, combined with cognitive biases in both practitioners and patients, can all-too-easily lead people to the wrong conclusions. Our government has a duty to assist Albertans seeking care by promoting the right treatments. This announcement displays a concerning lack of judgement for the future of our healthcare.
“This could be a stepping stone to tax money going toward ineffective treatment.” Objois says. “It also increases the likelihood that Albertans will seek out ineffective treatments over effective ones.”
One aspect in particular that should be alarming is the naturopathic use of chelation therapy. The FDA’s research on the naturopathic / alternative use of chelation therapy is a chilling read when considered in the light of the Alberta Government’s apparent stance.
“There are serious safety issues associated with chelation products, which can alter the levels of certain substances in the blood,” the FDA says. “Even when used under medical supervision, these products can cause serious harm, including dehydration, kidney failure, and death.”
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm229320.htm
To help keep Albertans on the right track when it comes to healthcare, our government should take a more realistic, unbiased look at naturopathy and reconsider this action.
“We as a group hope to bring this to the attention of Albertans so they can inform themselves and contact their government officials.” Objois says, “The mere fact that the government of Alberta is legitimizing practices that seem ineffective should be of concern to Albertans. Citizens should be free to choose even ineffective medical practices, but our governing bodies should act in the best interest of the public.”
Snowed In: A Skeptic and Secular Holiday Party
Nov 8th
Get your skeptic and secular holiday spirit on at Snowed In, the official joint winter social hosted by the Greater Edmonton Skeptic Society, the Society of Edmonton Atheists, CFI Edmonton, and the University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics.
Swing by Accent Lounge on Friday, November 25, 2011 anytime after 8pm to mix and mingle with science enthusiasts, skeptical thinkers and atheists from all across Edmonton and the surrounding areas. Accent Lounge is providing us with food, wine and draft beer specials for the evening, and while there is no door charge to get into the event, we do encourage all attendees to bring Edmonton Food Bank items.
There will be a “photo booth” at Accent all night long with a box full of seasonal props, so come and get your holiday photo taken as a souvenir of the festivities for a loonie a photo. The premier entertainment for the evening will be the Trivializing Christmas Trivia Contest, the winner of which will earn the reward of picking a charity to receive all proceeds from the photo booth. We encourage all attendees to bring a cash donation at the door, and come ready to win for their charity of choice!
When: Friday, November 25, 2011
Where: Accent Lounge, 8223 – 104 Street
What Time: 8:00pm to Midnight
LogiCON 2011: Thoughts and Thanks
May 31st
This spring on Saturday, April 9 the Greater Edmonton Skeptic Society partnered with the Telus World of Science – Edmonton to organize LogiCON 2011, a day long, all-ages conference promoting science and critical thinking.
Featuring a keynote from author/illustrator Daniel Loxton, the lineup included presentations from over 20 speakers both local and international on topics ranging from cognitive bias and correlation versus causation to vaccination and climate change. Attended by over 150 people, LogiCON’s inaugural event was declared a success by all who participated: the feedback we’ve received has been wonderful, and GESS is already thinking about how to make LogiCON 2012 bigger and better!
Daniel Loxton, Photo by Rodrigo de la Jara
Inspired by our tag line “Critical Thinking for Everyone”, LogiCON was split into three simultaneous but separate tracks: an advanced track, a beginner track, and a kids’ track. By providing content that spanned these three tracks, we hoped to engage a wider and more diverse audience.
Presentations during the day included lectures, panels and workshops. Our speakers and panelists came from diverse backgrounds, including several university professors, a science journalist, science communicators, healthcare professionals, a radio host, a photographer, and two magicians among others. For a complete list of speakers and topics, visit the LogiCON Schedule and Sessions page, and stay tuned for the videos of select presentations over the next few weeks and months.
The highlight of the day was Daniel Loxton’s Keynote presentation titled “The Reasonableness of Weird Things”, given in the Telus World of Science’s Star Dome space. Augmented by a backdrop of his beautifully constructed slideshow projected against the star dome above the audience, Daniel reminded us how much skeptic and science enthusiasts have in common with people who believe in strange things. In the end the search for the truth drives us both: it is our methods — not our intentions — that differ. Daniel used his own personal narrative to enrich his talk, taking us through his own transition from believer to skeptic.
Daniel Loxton, Photo by Marc-Julien Objois
The kids track took place in various public spaces around the Telus World of Science and was designed to engage the families visiting that day. Michael Snyder created two walk-up demonstrations: the first, a demo on brains with real brains on display; second, an interactive water taste test where participants discovered how easily our minds and opinions can be fooled.
Paul Hinman brought a geiger counter and gave fantastic walk-up demos on radiation, helping kids understand the difference behind good and bad radiation.
Paul Hinman's Radiation Table, Photo by Rodrigo de la Jara
GESS photographer Marc-Julien Objois gave a presentation on how perfectly normal tricks of light can produce strange looking results in photographs, and then helped the kids create their very own ghost photos using a double exposure effect, with them as the “ghost”.
Later that afternoon, local magician Sheldon Casavant took the stage in the Telus World of Science Star Dome theatre to help kids understand some of the methods behind the apparently magical, and revealed the secret behind a magic trick they could use to astound their family and friends.
GESS would like to extend our thanks to everyone who presented and participated in panel discussions: without your enthusiasm, LogiCON would not have been nearly as successful.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to all those who volunteered and were instrumental in putting LogiCON together: from day-of registration volunteers to the committee who took on coordinating the event back in September, everyone came together to create a five-star event.
LogiCON 2011 Volunteers, Photo by Marc-Julien Objois
Thank you to our sponsors for this event, including the James Randi Educational Foundation, which came through with financial support that allowed us to create a truly excellent event.
GESS also wishes to thank those who supported us by lending their expertise, meeting space, and airwaves. A very special thank you to Desiree Schell and K.O. Myers of local Edmonton science radio show Skeptically Speaking, and to the University of Alberta Business and Beyond Toastmasters Club.
Stay tuned for news of LogiCON 2012 and a brand new website rollout in the coming weeks. The LogiCON committee is already hard at work creating plans for next year, and we hope to see you all there.
Read more news, responses and recaps to LogiCON:
- Daniel Loxton’s recap and thoughts on LogiCON at Skeptiblog.
- Logical Monsters: conference hopes to teach scientific method from Edmonton newspaper Vue Weekly.
- Edmonton LogiCON One Day Skeptic and Science Conference from the Saskatchewan Skeptics Blog.
- Park-raised magician speaks to skeptics from the Sherwood Park News.
- Sheldon Casavant Speaking at LogiCON from the Canada’s Magic Blog.
What’s in a Name: Skepticamp vs LogiCON
Apr 12th
We were happy to hear that Logicon was discussed on a recent episode of Rational Alchemy. As the organizers of the event, we’d like to send you a few clarifications. It was mentioned that we in Edmonton chose “LogiCON” because we weren’t comfortable using the word “skeptic,” but there’s a little more to the story.
When we held our Skepticamp, something we noticed was that, to our surprise, we ended up with a fairly general audience. We had a lot of people turn up who weren’t necessarily skeptics, but were nevertheless interested. We don’t know what the typical demographics of a Skepticamp is, but this was something that really got us thinking.
We had a meeting soon after the event in which we broke down what worked, what didn’t, and what we thought we could accomplish next time. One thing that we wanted to build on was getting more “outsiders” to attend, and so increasing the number of newcomers became our primary goal.
With months of planning and a smooth execution on April 9th, the event now barely resembles the Skepticamp that it grew out of—perhaps most significantly, yes, we’re curating speakers. The Telus World of Science agreed to host us, we got Daniel Loxton as the keynote speaker, were fortunate to include among our speakers K.O. Myers and Barbara Drescher, and we had many local experts from the University of Alberta and the Edmonton community. We had workshops for kids and advanced and beginner talks. Attendees did have to pay the admission cost of the Telus World of Science, but were allowed free reign of the facility, and most excitingly for us, we’ll were open to drop-in traffic from the everyday World of Science crowd.
Question 6 on IndieSkeptics’ “Top 7 reasons SkeptiCamp sucks” page asks what the value of an event not focused on outreach is. The answer given is that not all events have to be focused on outreach. While true, it’s our feeling that outreach is something that skepticism is sorely lacking. Here in Edmonton we have a fantastic team, a strong skeptical community, and a wider community that appears quite happy to show up and learn a little something about science. We saw the opportunity to make the outreach event that we wished already existed elsewhere, so we got to work.
Once we knew that we were no longer making a Skepticamp, we had a discussion about the word “skeptic.” Ultimately, we did decide to shy away from it. Whether or not it should, it does have some negative connotations. It also suffers from being routinely used in many different contexts, meaning that we have to explain it to outsiders every time. It’s rampant in philosophy, it’s commonly used in everyday life, then we have things like climate change skeptics, and our skepticism. As much as we may wish we could exclusively own the word, each of these uses is entirely legitimate.
We could argue on this topic all we wanted, but what matters is that this isn’t a battle we need to fight. If this were an event for rallying people already identified as skeptics, then we would of course use the word. But this wasn’t an event made by skeptics, for skeptics (which is not to say that those events aren’t important). They were welcome to attend, of course. Many did, and they enjoyed the talks as much as anyone. We chose topics that we felt were accessible for everyone, and we felt the name should reflect that.
We don’t want to compete with Skepticamp. We remain big fans of the model, and wish anyone wanting to try one the very best of luck. We certainly value what we learned, and we’ve been able to take those skills to try something that we’re really excited about. Now that it’s over, we’ll be doing the same breakdown of the event that we did the first time, but the general feeling so far is that we achieved what we set out to do.
If dropping the word “skeptic” worries anybody, then I suppose all I can say at this point is to look at what we did, and decide if LogiCON, on its own merits, was a worthwhile endeavour. We’re certain that it was, and look forward to making the next one even better.
LogiCON 2011
Mar 11th
If you liked our SkeptiCamp, you’ll love LogiCON: a day-long all-ages event celebrating science and logic including presentations on alternative medicine, vaccinations, psychic abilities and other pseudosciences. Think critically about everyday life in workshops and discussions. LogiCON will take place on April 9th, 2011 at the Telus World of Science.
This event will feature a variety of speakers, with a keynote from Daniel Loxton, editor of Junior Skeptic.
LogiCON will be targeted to skeptics, kids, and the general public, and will feature workshops as well as talks. Check the LogiCON schedule for more information and a list of speakers / topics.
The event will be free to attend, but you must pay admission to the Telus World of Science. Register for LogiCON to reserve your free lunch before it fills up.
Press Release: Paranormal Investigator Benjamin Radford to Speak In Alberta
Oct 5th
(RSVP to see Paranormal Investigator Ben Radford here!)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Paranormal Investigator Benjamin Radford to Speak In Alberta
9/23/2010: The Center for Inquiry, CFI Calgary and the Greater Edmonton Skeptics are pleased to announce three appearances by writer and scientific paranormal investigator Benjamin Radford. Radford is one of only a few investigators in the world who approaches paranormal claims from a skeptical, scientific perspective.
On Thursday, October 21st, Radford will present “Reflections on a Decade of Paranormal Investigation” at the University of Calgary. Radford will draw from dozens of case studies over a decade of personal investigations as he discusses the nature of “unexplained mysteries” such as ghosts, Bigfoot, crop circles, and psychic powers. What does science say about the evidence for these topics? What is the nature of the “unexplained?” Why is there still debate about these issues?
The presentation will take place at 7:30 pm in room CHC 119 on the University of Calgary campus. Skeptics and believers alike will enjoy this interesting and informative talk, which features plenty of time for audience questions.
Radford will reprise his presentation in Edmonton on Friday, October 22nd, at 7 pm in room CAB 243 on the campus of the University of Alberta. Admission for either session is $7.00 for the public and $4.00 for students. Friends of the Center can attend at no cost.
On Saturday, October 23rd, Radford returns to the University of Calgary for “The Real X-Files: a Scientific Paranormal Investigations Workshop.” In the movies and on television, investigating a haunted house, a Bigfoot sighting, or a crop circle looks easy. How do real-life paranormal investigators go about separating
truth from myth?
In this unique, intensive workshop, Radford will explain the step-by-step process he has employed in over a decade of investigations, including thinking critically, evaluating unusual claims, interviewing eyewitnesses, and conducting field experiments. Rather than attempting to prove or disprove the existence of these phenomena, attendees will learn Radford’s methods for understand and explaining these mysteries using science and evidence.
The workshop will be held at 3:30 pm in room ICT 114 on the University campus. The class size is limited, and you must register to guarantee a space. Admission is $25 for the public, $20 for students, and $10 for Friends of the Center.
Benjamin Radford is the managing editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine, columnist for LiveScience.com, and author of five books and hundreds of articles on science literacy, investigation, and the paranormal.
The Center for Inquiry is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, recognized as a 501(c)(3) charity in the United States. The mission of the Center for Inquiry is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. Learn more at http://www.centerforinquiry.net/
Contact:
Calgary: Nathan Phelps, Executive Director, CFI Calgary
403-808-5781 or nphelps@cficanada.ca
Edmonton: Desiree Schell, Greater Edmonton Skeptics Press Secretary
780-318-3363 or desiree@skepticallyspeaking.com
Canadian Scientists Muzzled
Sep 22nd
Local Edmonton Skeptic Ryan Bromsgrove wrote a great opinion piece for the University of Alberta newspaper The Gateway about how scientists at Natural Resources Canada have to get approval from lawyers before speaking to the media about the research they’re doing.
From the article:
Privately funded science, of course, isn’t affected by any government gag order. It’s notorious for being biased, flawed, and misleading, because often, the person or group supplying the money for these studies is hoping for a specific conclusion. What this means is not necessarily that all privately funded studies are untrustworthy, but that extra care when reading, and reading about, these kinds of studies is necessary. Historically, tobacco companies spent decades trying to manipulate the evidence that cigarette caused lung cancer, funding studies to research alternate explanations for the disease, such as pollution or asbestos.
But surely, if there were some way that scientists could get paid for their hard work without the pressure of arriving at a predetermined conclusion, more valuable scientific research would be done.
Government-funded science should offer that opportunity. Scientists employed by the government generally submit their papers to journals for peer review, the process whereby other experts in a specific field review a scientific paper, looking for holes in their method or errors in their analysis, and give feedback to the authors, as well as approve of a new paper’s legitimacy before a journal publishes it.
SkeptiCamp Alberta 2010: Thoughts and Thanks
Aug 12th
SkeptiCamp Alberta attendees and the SkeptiCamp banners.
The first SkeptiCamp Alberta took place at the University of Alberta on July 24. Organized by a volunteer committee of the Greater Edmonton Skeptics Society, the inaugural SkeptiCamp Alberta was attended by over 50 local skeptics and critical thinkers who spent the day listening to talks presented by their peers on science and skeptical topics ranging from skeptical activism to myths about cell phone radiation. It was great to see both familiar and new faces in attendance.
Presenter Marc MacKenzie.
One of the talks was from local University of Alberta professor Marc MacKenzie, who spoke about the myths and misunderstandings of cell phone and power line radiation. He shared the facts about how these pieces of technology work, what kinds of radiation they emit, how much, and cut through the media hype and misinformation to explain what the actual effects of these transmitters and receivers are.
Presenter Hans Machel.
Hans Machel, a geologist professor at the University of Alberta, used his expertise to deconstruct Young Earth Creationist claims such as the age of the Earth. He extended the talk to include another Biblical story which is sometimes taken to be literally true: Noah’s Ark. Dr. Machel also applied geology to claims made by proponents of crystal power.
Presenters Trevor Zimmerman and Desiree Schell
Local Skeptically Speaking host Desiree Schell teamed up with Trevor Zimmerman to talk about skeptical activism and how to go about getting our voices heard and our points across in media and in politics. One of the more controversial topics that arose throughout the day was the idea of buying homeopathic remedies from local pharmacies or stores, and then returning them opened and demanding a refund when they don’t work. Some people thought this was a great way of pressuring businesses to remove ineffective cures from their shelves, but others questioned the integrity of such acts and thought it was unfair to target owners in the pocketbook.
There was also a panel conversation in response to Bad Astronomer Phil Plait’s controversial “don’t be a dick” TAM 8 talk on tone including local skeptics Brent Kelly, Marc-Julien Objois and Sean Ouimet which was led by Ryan Bromsgrove. Several points were brought up during this panel on attitude and tone that speak to both sides of the argument. How do you deal with hard-nosed believers who will interpret any tone — including genuinely polite ones — as attacks? Aren’t there some believers whose brains are impossible to logic our way into, and thus impossible to win over? How does peer-pressure work when it comes to believer versus skeptical thought, and how best should be use this to our advantage to change minds?
We would like to thank all of our excellent speakers who came prepared to present at SkeptiCamp: without your willingness to share your passion about science and critical thinking, this event couldn’t have been a success. Speakers included Mark MacKenzie, John Woolley, Hans Machel, Twyla Gill, Brian Dupuis, Brent Kelly, Michael Harrison, SkepDad Brad Salomons, Desiree Schell, Trevor Zimmerman, Ryan Bromsgrove, Marc-Julien Objois and Sean Ouimet.
We would also like to thank Reed Esau for creating and sharing the SkeptiCamp model, and Joe Anderson for sending us the SkeptiCamp banners. Their great SkeptiCamp Wiki resource that should be a first-stop for any skeptical group looking to organize a SkeptiCamp of their own.
A special thank you to those who donated money to fund SkeptiCamp Alberta, including Gordon Wolters and another local skeptic who prefers to remain anonymous: without your generous donation, we would not have been able to provide lunch free of charge, which allowed us to keep everyone on location and encourage networking and conversation.
A very special thank you goes out to the University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics, our partner for this event.
Thank you as well to all those who provided various pieces of equipment used throughout the day, including projectors and camera equipment from Redman Technologies and our ever talented photographer and videographer Marc-Julien Objois.
And finally, thank you to all who attended and made SkeptiCamp Alberta a success: without your interest, we wouldn’t have an event at all.
The second SkeptiCamp Alberta is tentatively being planned for March 2011, so stay tuned and start thinking about what you might want to talk about!
Posters for Skepticamp Alberta 2010
Jul 16th
With Skepticamp Alberta nearly a week away we’re putting the final touches on some of our marketing and communication efforts. Please check back in the next few days for news regarding confirmed topics and speakers, presentation tips and revised details within our schedule, including the free lunch. Attendance is capped at 150, so please remember to RSVP.
Want to help us get the word out about Skepticamp? If so please feel free to print out the PDFs of any of the posters below for distribution around your office, school, local pharmacy, etc. We also suggest inviting friends, family, and your best-Twitter-or-Facebook-friends; this event is broad in focus and will appeal to anybody with an interest in science, critical thinking, or with any sort of skeptical inklings (even if they aren’t always so skeptical about some other things.)
*Speaking of helping out: the Skepticamp organizing team would like to thank Rachelle Saunders for putting together these fantastic posters.
