Author Archives: Blair

More on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Environment

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Blair

As many of my blog readers know, I have a regular blog at the Huffington Post Canada. On that blog I post shorter versions/updates of my A Chemist in Langley posts and post “short takes” on recent issues in the … Continue reading →

Posted in General Politics | 3 Comments

Why the West Coast’s gas prices are so high and who is to blame

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Blair

Early in my blogging career I wrote a blog piece discussing factors that affect gasoline and diesel prices on the West Coast. The post was called A Primer: Why Cheap Oil Doesn’t Mean Cheap Gasoline or Diesel and dealt mostly … Continue reading →

Posted in Pipelines | 6 Comments

Debunking the Leap Manifesto – Demand #9: Local agriculture is not always better

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Blair

I have been asked numerous times in the last couple days what I have against the “The Leap Manifesto”? My answer is simple: The Leap Manifesto is of particular interest to me because it touches so close to my intellectual … Continue reading →

Posted in Leap Manifesto | 7 Comments

A Chemist looks at the Leap Manifesto and finds it wanting

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Blair

This morning as I was enjoying a well-earned coffee break a fascinating announcement lit up my Twitter feed. It was about “The Leap Manifesto”. By the breathless tweets I expected a highly-researched document full of insight and new ideas, maybe … Continue reading →

Posted in Leap Manifesto | 11 Comments

On Wi-Fi, Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity and the Nocebo Effect

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Blair

One of my fears when I wrote my previous post about Wi-Fi was that I was opening a Pandora’s Box on the whole field of electromagnetic fields and health. As I expected, shortly after I posted that blog a number … Continue reading →

Posted in Wi-Fi | Leave a comment

On Wi-Fi in Schools and the Precautionary Principle

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Blair

I knew this day was coming. I wasn’t sure when, but I knew that at some point as a promoter of evidence-based decision-making I would have to take on the topic of Wi-Fi in schools at this blog. Well the … Continue reading →

Posted in Wi-Fi | 4 Comments

Lessons learned from the BC Wind Storm

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Blair

Like many of my readers I spent much of the weekend dealing with the consequences of the big windstorm that hit the west coast on the weekend. For those of you not aware, what was supposed to be a pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

On the misleading use of toxicology in discussions about fracking chemicals?

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Blair

Last night I was forwarded a tweet that absolutely demanded a response. It was from that friend of science Robert F Kennedy Jr. and said “New Study: CA frak chemicals are linked to cancer, mutations and hormone disruption”. The study … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemistry and Toxicology | 9 Comments

On Linda McQuaig’s comments, Carbon budgets, and keeping oil sands “in the ground”

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Blair

NDP candidate Linda McQuaig has been taking a lot of flack in the last couple days for a quotation on CBC’s Power and Politics where she suggested that “a lot of the oil sands oil may have to stay in … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Climate Change, Oil Sands | 6 Comments

More on "Professionalism" in the Climate Change debate

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Blair

I am back from a brief blogging hiatus as I took some time off-line to have a holiday with my family. During my holiday I was mostly out of electronic contact except for a brief period last week, when I … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change Politics | 9 Comments