That’s the Way the Banana Crumbles

Is Wi-Fi Making People Sick?

Mitchell Gerskup — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:49:36 +0000

No, obviously.

But that’s not going to stop a bunch of parents in Barrie from raising a ruckus with their local school board. Nor will it stop the CBC from picking up the article and credulously running with it. To show how patently ridiculous this issue is, I’m not even going to comment directly on any of the things said or people quoted — I’m just going to quote word-for-word a bunch of things said in the article, with my own emphasis added at some points:

They believe the Wi-Fi setup in their kids’ elementary schools may be the problem.

The parents complain they can’t get the Simcoe County school board or anyone else to take their concerns seriously, even though the children’s symptoms all disappear on weekends when they aren’t in school.

…

“I’m not saying it’s because of the Wi-Fi because we don’t know yet, but I’ve pretty much eliminated every other possible source.”

…

“They are culpable and … they have the gall to go on the record and say they haven’t had any doctor’s notes. Well what doctor has been schooled about the rate of microwave infections?“

…

Wireless technology also wastes energy, is less secure than wired connections, could be violating a student’s right to a safe environment and should be turned off in schools, Clarke added.

“The simple solution is plug back in the wired, ported system that’s already there and unplug the wireless,” she said. “It’s real easy and it costs nothing. In fact, it will save money.”

…

“Within a few months of Wi-Fi being installed, stories start coming forward with kids complaining about headaches, neurological effects, loss of balance and problems with fine motor skills,” said NDP health critic France Gelinas.

“There is enough anecdotal evidence from parents that this is worth looking into.”

Lastly, shame on you, CBC, for your irresponsible journalism. You could have looked for an opinion outside of the one scientist in the world who seems to be on a crusade against all EM radiation.

Impaired Driving?

Mitchell Gerskup — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:53:15 +0000

Ontario just introduced a new piece of legislation that makes it illegal for drivers under the age of 22 to drive after drinking any amount of alcohol. The merits of the law are certainly open for debate, but that’s not what this post is about.

I have legitimate questions about this law. Not questions as in the “this law is complete bullshit” sense, but legitimate questions that I feel weren’t adequately answered based on what I’ve read about this law. I’m not saying the answers aren’t out there (in fact, they almost certainly are) — I’m just saying that I’m too lazy to go out and find them. And really, I feel like the politicians proposing the law should have answered these questions.

Is this law actually solving a problem?
It’s already illegal to drink and drive, so this issue isn’t about drunk driving. New drivers (non-fully licensed drivers) in Ontario also aren’t allowed to have a BAC above 0, so this isn’t an issue about new and inexperienced drivers. So is there a real problem with 19-25 year olds, driving around with a BAC of less than 0.05, causing accidents? I have no reason to doubt the claim that young drivers are involved in more accidents involving alcohol (it makes sense, to me), but are these accidents being caused by people who are under the (old) legal limit? I don’t know, but I’m sure there’s statistical data that could answer this question.
What’s the average relatively level of impairment caused by a BAC of 0.05 or under?
How impaired are you if your BAC is between 0 and 0.05? I have no doubt that there’s a measurable effect, but is it more serious than any number of other factors that can affect/impair a driver? (Drowsiness, distractions, medications, etc.) Or, basically, should we be sending out the message that having a beer or glass of wine with dinner significantly impairs your ability to drive?
Are drunk driving laws effective?
Maybe the goal of this law isn’t what I assumed in the previous question. Maybe the goal is to normalize the idea in young people that you shouldn’t drink and drive. In that case, I’d like to know what the effectiveness of laws against drinking and driving actually are. How do harsher punishments and more strict regulations correlate to instances of impaired driving and related injuries and fatalities?

Those are my thoughts on the issue.

It’s Been Awhile

Mitchell Gerskup — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:29:39 +0000

It’s been a while since my last post. But work eats up a lot of time, etc. And, to be quite honest, there hasn’t been much for me to rant against, lately. Here are some photos I took around the city, lately:

Maybe I’ll rant about the G20 at a later date. Probably not, though.

Done

Mitchell Gerskup — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:16:10 +0000

I’m done school. I’m done my exams. I’ve written all of my essays. There is no more. Nothing. It’s just starting to sink in, and it’s a wonderful feeling. I wonder how long it takes for the sense of urgency … Continue reading →

Meat Party 2.0

Mitchell Gerskup — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:21:53 +0000

Last night was the second iteration of the aptly-named “meat party”. The goal: eat as many different exotic animals (or animal parts) in a single meal. Here are the results:

Pictured: Chicken Hearts

Meats Consumed

Boar Pâté
Quail Pâté
Duck Pâté
Prosciutto
Escargot
Duck Salami
Spicy Bison Curry
Chicken Hearts
Rabbit Stew
Venison Stew
Horse Sirloin

Total: 11 Meats Consumed

Animals Consumed:

Boar
Quail
Duck
Pig
Snail
Bison
Chicken
Rabbit
Deer
Horse

Total: 10 Animals Consumed

Pictured: Horse Sirloin

Better quality (and more detailed) photos will be posted later.

St. George Street at Night

Mitchell Gerskup — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:47:16 +0000

I have always loved the University of Toronto’s campus at night. The later, the better. The buildings, the lighting, and the emptiness of what is usually such a busy place, makes for some beautiful scenery.

Of course, being somewhat inconveniently located in the middle of Canada’s biggest city, the main campus thoroughfares are never too empty.

Occasionally, even the stars can be seen over the city’s light pollution.

I love the city at night.

Moon Over Toronto

Mitchell Gerskup — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:12:03 +0000

The moon was out over the city last night:

Indoor Photography

Mitchell Gerskup — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:30:12 +0000

I decided to take some photos around the apartment last night:

2010: The New Year

Mitchell Gerskup — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:31:53 +0000

The blogging hasn’t been going too well, lately. There’s too much stuff going on in my life, I guess, to find the time to sit down and write about it. In continuing with this trend, I’ll post a few of the pictures I took on January 1, 2010. My first photos of the new year:

Hopefully, 2010 is as good as 2009 was.

Whole Life Expo 2009

Mitchell Gerskup — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:02:03 +0000

Today, I went with Steve Thoms and Scott Gavura of Skeptic North to the 2009 Whole Life Expo at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Aside from the rare booth featuring delicious aged Miso or fresh Canadian cheeses, the place was packed wall-to-wall with every type of woo imaginable. You could get a chiropractic reading, a photograph of your aura, ear candling and a Reiki massage all within a few meters of each other. I took some photographs to document the event:

Some things of particular interest:

It amused me to no end that this salesman casually handed Scott a glass of water that (he believed) had a pH of 9.0, without any hesitation.

Steve “vaccinated” himself against all bacterial and viral diseases* with this mixture containing colloidal silver. Much safer and more effective than vaccination, we were assured.

This woman thought that we might have been Chinese spies, taking pictures so we could send the ideas back to the motherland… for nefarious purposes, no doubt.

Ear candling is illegal in Canada**. That didn’t stop this lady.

All things considered, this was a fun outing. At the very least, with all of the samples I consumed throughout the day, my body should be free of toxins, and I’ll never get sick again.

*Except HIV.
**”Health Canada’s Medical Devices Regulations state that certain types of medical devices, including ear candles, require a licence from Health Canada before anyone can sell them for therapeutic purposes.

Health Canada has not issued any licences for ear candles. Therefore, the sale of this product for therapeutic purposes in Canada is illegal. As well, both Canada and the United States have issued directives that ban the importing of ear candles.”