Global Quickies: 07/12/13
This week’s links come with a little bit of everything. Check them out! POLAND A German newspaper reports the case of an atheist coma patient who was given the “extreme unction” by a priest, and, upon recovery and finding out about this, sued the hospital for disrespecting his freedom of conscience. The Supreme Court agreed with him and a lower court will now decide if he’ll get the 21,000 e... »
Skepchick Quickies 12.6
Learn about the physics of beer – If beer had been used for physics examples, I might’ve done better at it. TV message to tween girls, “Do anything, just be attractive” – Katie Couric promotes dangerous fear mongering with show on HPV vaccine – From Mary. And from Anna, an explanation of VAERS and why we don’t have any reliable evidence that the vaccine ha... »
My Tribute to Nelson Mandela
I’m sure everyone has heard by now, but Nelson Mandela, former South African president, has died at age 95. I lived in South Africa for half a year while studying at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. The program was entirely focused on human rights, and in every single class I took, he was talked about. My South African friends spoke about him with reverence. I mean, his n... »
Guest Post: Queen Christina, Anna Maria van Schurman, and the Not-Quite-Yetness of Seventeenth Century Feminism
Today’s guest post is by Dale DeBakcsy and combines an interesting story about independent women in history with a comic at the end. Basically, everything about this piece is wonderful, and you are missing something if you don’t take a minute to read through this. ——————- A former monarch seeking adventure. A brilliant polymath repenting of her world... »
Skepchick Quickies 12.5
Is Revlon filled with cancer-causing crap? – Fighting scary claims with science. (And I generally recommend the Brightest Bulb blog if you like to see this sort of article.) Twenty tips for interpreting scientific claims – Useful or non-scientists who want to evaluate the claims made by a study. From Markis. Woman-as-cat in anti-suffragette propaganda – “Cats and dogs are g... »
On Readings and Misreading: My First Psychic Experience
When I learned that my first experience with a psychic would occur at a work function, I got as uncomfortable––and incensed––as if we’d been asked to pray in the break room. I knew I wanted to write about it, and I was ready to talk HR policies, legal issues, skeptics’ rights in the workplace. I had a vision for this post, and it was the indignant skeptical blogger equivalent of a Van ... »
