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Is sunscreen bad for you?
Article by: Lisa Johnson @ 11:54 pm | July 16, 2010
Filed under: Newsletter Articles

Recently the Environmental Working Group released a report on sunscreen, recommending only 39 of 500 sunscreens investigated. The report has been picked up by media outlets and now sunscreen is being touted as cancer-causing and hormone-disrupting. Let’s examine some of the issues and concerns the report raises.

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Book review
Article by: shadeydave @ 12:02 am | June 10, 2010
Filed under: Newsletter Articles

The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice (1995), by
Christopher Hitchens

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The beauty in television snow
Article by: shadeydave @ 12:14 am | May 5, 2010
Filed under: Newsletter Articles

I’ve been looking at different complex systems lately; I’m becoming more and more fascinated with a term called “Emergence.” It’s when you perceive a complex and beautiful pattern from a huge amount of individual, simple objects guided by simple rules.

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Come on (or out!), skeptics—we need you
Article by: Lisa Johnson @ 12:08 am |
Filed under: Newsletter Articles

James Randi came out of the closet last month and I speak for the Association for Science and Reason when I say, “Congratulations, Randi!”

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Let’s get some movement in the movement
Article by: Lisa Johnson @ 2:43 pm | April 7, 2010
Filed under: Newsletter Articles,Skepticism

I love that there is a skeptical ‘movement.’ I love knowing that there are like-minded people out there, compatriots with whom I can bitch and moan, hash out ideas, learn something, debate, and have some laughs. I love that here in Toronto we meet once a month at our Skeptics in the Pub event to do exactly these things. Having a movement provides a sense of belonging, of community — some might even say family.

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Science: It’s the law!
Article by: Dave Bailey @ 2:41 pm |
Filed under: Newsletter Articles,Science,Skepticism

I recently overheard something that no doubt many of us have heard in one form or another — that you can pay a heavy price for breaking the laws of nature. Since I wasn’t party to the conversation I resisted the urge to butt in, but there was definitely some squirming on my part.

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Religion was not born of fear
Article by: Dave Bailey @ 12:19 am | March 5, 2010
Filed under: Newsletter Articles

“Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other.”
- Francis Bacon, Of Death

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Killing for religion
Article by: Dave Bailey @ 12:18 am | December 20, 2009
Filed under: Religion

(This article is based on a presentation the author gave to CFI Toronto in 2008.)

On December 10, 2007, 16-year-old Aqsa Parvez was found strangled, and succumbed to the assault within hours. Her father, Muhammad Parvez, and her brother Waqas were charged with her murder.

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What the Bible says about Christmas trees
Article by: Dave Bailey @ 12:11 am |
Filed under: Religion

It’s that time of year again: there’s a chill in the air, malls are playing the same music over and over, and the whining about the alleged attempts to expunge Christmas has begun.

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I’m dreaming of a secular Christmas
Article by: Lisa Johnson @ 11:08 pm | December 19, 2009
Filed under: Religion

Every year since I’ve become politically cognizant it seems I’ve had to endure people bickering about the ‘controversy’ over Christmas. Is it a war on Christmas, as the American right-wing TV and radio hosts purport? Is it offensive to say “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” as opposed to “Merry Christmas?” Is being inclusive and saying “Happy Hanukkah,” “Happy Kwanzaa,” etc. a slippery slope? Is it hypocritical at best, politically or ethically untenable at worst, for atheists to celebrate Christmas? Some non-theists don’t celebrate Christmas because of its religious connotations, and some theists think that non-Christians shouldn’t celebrate Christmas.

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