The 2014 Balles Prize in Critical Thinking, an award for excellence in the promotion of science and reason, was given this year to the creators, producers, and writers of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, and to Dr. Joe Schwarcz for his book Is That a Fact? The Balles Prize is given annually by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), publisher of the magazine Skeptical Inquirer.
Vani Hari, who goes by the alias “The Food Babe” has become a real social phenomenon. She blogs, appears on TV and has just come out with a book that quickly made it to the New York Times best seller list. She has lots of followers and lots of critics, including myself. I don’t disagree with her goal of improving people’s eating habits. I just disagree with the methods used. Irrational fear-mongering is not the way to go. "There is just no acceptable level of any chemical to ingest, ever," she says.
Don't forget to join us October 6 and 7 for the 2014 Lorne Trottier Public Science Symposium "ARE WE ALONE?"
I spent quite some time talking with the reporter who wrote this story about the Food Babe. She did quote me correctly but as far as having lots of fans and "some" critics goes...well those "some" consist of members of the scientific community who know a lot more about food science than the "fans."
Read More: Charlotte’s Food Babe has lots of fans – and some critics
Posted by Harriet Hall on April 29, 2014 (49 Comments)
"Hey, aren't you somebody?" the teenager queried as I got into the elevator.
Just received the first copies of my 14th book "Is That a Fact." Should be in the stores within a couple of weeks. Official launch is May 8 at 5 PM, Atwater Public Library in Montreal.
First advance review is in:
Is That a Fact?: Frauds, Quacks, and the Real Science of Everyday Life.
Schwarcz, Joe (Author)
May 2014. 280 p. ECW, paperback, $17.95. (9781770411906). 500.
You’ve seen the stories: There’s Lead in Your Lipstick! Pthalates in Your Shampoo! Parabens in Everything!
Our cosmetics are awash in toxic chemicals, or so it seems. Are we in imminent danger? Should we throw them all out and go au naturelle? Or slather away in a fool’s paradise, only to develop cancer – or worse, pass on our toxic habits to our children as birth defects? Why are there toxins in our products at all? And if these toxins are so dangerous, why isn’t anything being done?
A Scientific Opinion
The McGill Reporter
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What is it like to teach a class of more than 20,000 students? I don’t know, but I’m about to find out. Colleagues David Harpp and Ariel Fenster and I have been selected to offer McGill’s first “massive open online course,” known in the trade as a MOOC.
