Category Archives: Uncategorized

Interview on the Tucker Carlson Tonight Show scheduled for Thursday 4 April at 8 pm ET

Posted on April 3, 2019 | Comments Off on Interview on the Tucker Carlson Tonight Show scheduled for Thursday 4 April at 8 pm ET

Tomorrow I will be talking with Tucker Carlson at Fox News about my new book and the part polar bears play in the on-going climate change debate. The segment will be live at 8pm ET.

Carlson interview blog post header composite 3 April 2019

Carlson draws a huge audience and I’m looking forward to chatting with him.

UPDATE 6 April 2019: Unbeknownst to me, the clip aired last night and the feedback has been awesome. Unfortunately, the running banner at the bottom, although technically correct, was not the book we were talking about in the show (although Tucker got it right in his commentary), which you can see in the youtube podcast below (original on Fox News website here). I’ve requested a correction:

UPDATE 4 April 2019, 8:52pm PT: Just back from the studio. They decided to tape the interview rather than run it live, which means it may not have aired tonight at all. I’ll post an update if and when I hear what happened.

Note to readers who hate Amazon or don’t have a Kindle tablet: an ‘epub’ ebook version of The Polar Bear Catastrophe That Never Happened is now available at Smashwords and Barnes & Noble. I’ve updated my author page with the details. This version will be made available free to libraries.

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Polar bear lecture in Calgary coming up in April – book Friends of Science event now

Posted on February 3, 2019 | Comments Off on Polar bear lecture in Calgary coming up in April – book Friends of Science event now

On 10 April 2019, I am giving a polar bear lecture for Friends of Science in Calgary (“Polar Bears: Too Hot to Handle”) alongside astrophysicist Willie Soon (“The Sun Also Warms”) at their annual climate science event. Early bird ticket discounts are available now until February 28 only (but full price tickets can be purchased until April 2).

2019 Friends of Science lecture announcement April 10

If you can, do join us. A buffet dinner is included in the ticket price.

The launch event for my new book, The Polar Bear Catastrophe that Never Happened will take place earlier in the day (noon-ish) and you are welcome to attend that as well. The book will be available for purchase at the evening lecture event and I will be more than happy to autograph your copies. Copies of my novel (EATEN) and my polar bear science book for kids (Polar Bear Facts & Myths) will also be available for purchase and signing. Details below.
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May a polar bear not be something you are faced with in 2019

Posted on December 31, 2018 | Comments Off on May a polar bear not be something you are faced with in 2019

A polar bear can be too close: fat or thin, it can be deadly.

Walking bear_129029633_web size

Happy New Year.

And condolences to those whose lives were torn apart by a polar bear encounter in 2018.

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Brian Ladoon, saviour of Canadian Eskimo Dogs, has died in Churchill

Posted on August 9, 2018 | Comments Off on Brian Ladoon, saviour of Canadian Eskimo Dogs, has died in Churchill

Early on Sunday 5 August 2018, Brian Ladoon died at the age of 65 in Churchill, Manitoba — and so far, the media have said nothing. Brian dedicated his life to the preservation of the Canadian Eskimo Dog — which often attracted polar bears to his property — but he was also an accomplished artist.

Ladoon and husky_Norbert Rosing obituary 6 Aug 2018

In the early days, (Norbert Rosing photo.

As a lover of Arctic dogs, I remember hearing of Brian’s work decades ago but only that “someone” was working hard to save the breed. I never dreamed I’d come to know so much more about his work through my research on polar bear ecology and evolution.

I never met the man. But he has clearly been an icon of Churchill for decades and because of that, the place will not be the same without him. He is on the right in the photo below, for the TV series “Polar Bear Town” that ran in 2015 (some episodes below).

Polar Bear Town premiere Sept 22 2015

UPDATE 9 May 2019: A reader asked what happened to Brian’s dogs and because I wondered myself, I asked around. Kelsey Eliasson responded:

“Penny his ex-partner is taking care of them with a small team of helpers… they are trying to formalize a board/non-profit for long-term needs”

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Correction notice for Harvey et al. BioScience paper retracted due to error

Posted on April 3, 2018 | Comments Off on Correction notice for Harvey et al. BioScience paper retracted due to error

You just have to laugh: the promised miniscule changes were finally made to the embarrassing Harvey et al. 2018 BioScience paper last week but today were retracted.

Retraction Watch headline 3 April 2018

The corrigendum was erroneously published 28 March 2018 at the journal Neurosurgery. And that blunder attracted the attention of the folks at Retraction Watch.

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My Polar Bear Facts & Myths book for kids is being translated into Dutch & Norwegian

Posted on February 25, 2018 | Comments Off on My Polar Bear Facts & Myths book for kids is being translated into Dutch & Norwegian

In celebration of International Polar Bear Day on Tuesday 27 February, I’m pleased to announce the up-coming publication of Dutch and Norwegian translations of my popular childrens’ science book Polar Bear Facts & Myths.

Lying bear shutterstock_244419640_Cropped_web size

Ijsberen Feiten en Mythen

Isbjørn Fakta og Myter

This means my powerful little book that provides the straight goods for kids on polar bear science will soon be available in five languages: English, French, German, Dutch and Norwegian.

Watch for them!

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Did Harvey et al. authors aim to help Google censor polar bear information?

Posted on January 7, 2018 | Comments Off on Did Harvey et al. authors aim to help Google censor polar bear information?

A recent New Time Times article about Google’s practice of generating ad revenue via ‘promoted’ search results (“How Climate Change Deniers Rise to the Top in Google Searches” 29 December 2017) had a surprising and disquieting ending about the prospect of internet censorship.

PBI Google ad_7 Jan 2018 why are they threatened

It was a quote from Jeff Harvey of “Internet Blogs, Polar Bears, and Climate-Change Denial by Proxy” (Bioscience, 29 November 2017) fame:
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Stock up on polar bear gift books and summer reading about the Arctic

Posted on June 12, 2017 | Comments Off on Stock up on polar bear gift books and summer reading about the Arctic

Here are some suggestions, by myself and others. See the sidebar for my offerings, not forgetting “Polar Bears Have Big Feet” for the toddlers in your life, so they don’t feel left out when older kids get polar bear books to read over the summer: Facts & Myths for middle school ages, and Outstanding Survivors and/or EATEN (the polar bear attack thriller) for teens and adults. PBs have Big Feet Front small

Titles from other authors that have a few mentions of polar bears amid great descriptions of life in the Arctic or Arctic exploration that would make good summer reading as well. Continue reading

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Just when I wasn’t paying attention: 1 million views surpassed

Posted on May 26, 2017 | Comments Off on Just when I wasn’t paying attention: 1 million views surpassed

I knew it was coming up and then forgot to check, but sometime about 2 weeks ago blog views here at PolarBearScience passed the one million mark — more than two months ahead of my 5th anniversary.

Stats at 26 May 2017 total_PolarBearScience

Over 1 million views, four polar bear books (including my first novel, the polar bear attack thriller EATEN), several white-paper type publications (here, here, and here), several magazine articles (one here), two videos (see below), and a scientific paper on polar bear conservation that was peer reviewed before it’s publication at PeerJ Preprints.

Not bad for a five year stint on a blog with a single species focus. Continue reading

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Newfoundland conservation officers right to kill polar bear in hunting mode

Posted on April 10, 2017 | Comments Off on Newfoundland conservation officers right to kill polar bear in hunting mode

Apparently, some locals were upset that a polar bear that refused to be scared away from a Newfoundland community over the weekend was shot as it advanced on conservation officers and a crowd of onlookers who refused to disperse (see updated report here on recent Newfoundland polar bear sightings, with annotated map).

Catalina map and bear shot location Nfld

“Polar bear shot by wildlife officers near Catalina after being deemed public safety risk” (CBC 10 April 2017)

What these animal lovers may not realize is that Newfoundland in March and April is not a Churchill-like situation: polar bears are in strong hunting mode right now.

Polar bears in late winter and spring have an immense drive to kill and eat as much as possible. Even bears that look well fed will continue to kill and eat. Enticing smells attract them onshore as they investigate any food possibility (see list below).

Seriously, you don’t want that food possibility to be you.

Polar bears can go from watching to charging, in the blink of an eye. You can’t outrun one. Killing quickly is what they do and they are immensely strong. Polar bears generally go for a killing bite to the head. Things to think about when a polar bear is prowling your community…
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