Hochfest for reptile and amphibian enthusiasts at Toronto Zoo
Toronto Zoo is the central hub for nature conservancy in Ontario. On Saturday, 3 November, the Zoo invited people who are active in its Turtle Tally and FrogWatch programmes for a day of fellowship and information. Toronto Zoo is not just a minor two-hour Sunday afternoon attraction for people with young children, far from it. [...]
Mitt Romney – Iran’s way to the sea is Syria. On what planet?
During the 3rd presidential debate on Monday, 22 October 2012, Mitt Romney told the viewers that Syria is Iran’s way to the sea. That claim is wrong. Presidential debates are held to enable the viewer to make up her/his mind about which candidate to vote for. They are an opportunity to asses the candidates’ knowledge [...]
editorial: Mitt Romney’s ‘binders full of women’ were not what he claims
Bart B. Van Bockstaele -Toronto: Mitt Romney’s story about “binders full of women” has had quite an impact on the Internet. There is a slight problem with it however: it is not true. A nice example of why evidence matters. The first thing I had to think of when Mitt Romney told the story about [...]
Shocking display demonstrates runners’ nasty side
Last Saturday, A Midsummer Night’s Run was held in Toronto. It passed through Tommy Thompson Park, a unique urban wilderness and nature sanctuary. Runners provided a sad and shameful display of disrespect for the beautiful surroundings. I don’t understand runners, and I probably never will. Running is a useless, utterly boring activity that accomplishes absolutely [...]
13th International Migratory Bird Day at Toronto Zoo
Bart B. Van Bockstaele-Toronto: Toronto Zoo held its 13th International Migratory Bird Day last Saturday, 12 May 2012. As has become something of a tradition, I joined the party by tagging along on the birding walk in the closed-off sections of the zoo. The walk started at 8 am, and I boarded the first Red [...]
Injured beaver in Toronto
Toronto is a cosmopolitan city where people from numberless countries and cultures and persuasions live peacefully together. This successful multiculturalism is one of its main attractions for tourists, as made abundantly clear in tourist brochures and coffee table publications. Far and between, however, are tourists that come here to marvel at the city’s natural heritage. [...]
Coyote in Toronto
Although Canada has a rich history, people do not usually come here to admire its historic cities, as they often do in other parts of the world, from Great Britain over Iraq to Japan. Instead, Canada is known all over the world for its large expanses and breathtakingly beautiful nature. That should not come as [...]
Richard Dawkins: I am an agnostic
Richard Dawkins Evolutionary biologist and zoologist Richard Dawkins is renowned as one of the world’s leading public atheists. Religionists often call him arrogant, shrill, intolerant and aggressive in his defense of atheism. Many religionists claim that Richard Dawkins’ atheism is nothing but another form of religion, that he is an ignorant clown who doesn’t know [...]
Why William Lane Craig cannot be trusted
William Lane Craig [04] In case you are not familiar with him, William Lane Craig [01] is an individual who works as a Jesus shill for Biola University [02], an institution of questionable academic integrity that requires all its staff to accept an intellectually untenable doctrinal statement [03]. This is a text, full of unproven [...]
When common sense is senseless: the Monty Hall Solution
In the previous article, I presented the Monty Hall Problem, a famous problem in elementary probability, based on “Let’s make a deal”, a television game show of years gone by. If you haven’t read that article, what follows is likely to make little sense. It would therefore probably be better to read that article before continuing [...]