Skepchick Quickies, 3.8
- Top home-school texts dismiss Darwin. (From Joel, Ooxman and James.)
- Self-proclaimed psychic Sean David Morton is charged with securities fraud. (From Zoltan and Displaced Northerner.)
- Gut bacteria cause overeating in mice. (From Steve.)
- Will Canada’s national anthem be changed to make it gender-neutral? (From Lindsay.)
- Cops ordered a New Jersey family to cover up their topless snowlady. (From Izzy.)
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28 Comments
Zoltan
03.08.2010
You’re late on the Canadian National Anthem story – it’s already been decided that there will be no change.
http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100305/edm_ocanada_100305/20100305/
Sunioc
03.08.2010
Seriously? They had to cover that up? It’s got the exact same amount of detail as any department store mannequin. Fucking prudes.
Jo
03.08.2010
I’m still trying to figure out who among us Canadian women genuinely (or even remotely) found that line to be offensive or non-inclusive. And I’m tired of the papers and the politicians griping about how ‘Next, TEH ATHEISTS will want us to remove the ‘God’ line!’
Because I couldn’t care less about that one, either.
Secularism and equality are awesome, but we’re not insane.
Steve
03.08.2010
The anthem thing keeps coming up. When I was a kid, they wanted to change the “sons” line as well as “native land” (under the premise that it discriminated against immigrants). Nothing ever came of it, though.
The only changes that seem to have been implemented since I was a kid were changing “and stand on guard” to “from far and wide” and changing one of the “O Canada”s to “God keep our land”. I think they just like to screw with the lyrics every few years to confuse people.
James Fox
03.08.2010
FYI, some repeat quickies this morning from 3.5.
Sam Ogden
03.08.2010
@James Fox:
And I thought I was having some killer deja vu.
Displaced Northerner
03.08.2010
@Sam Ogden: There’s a glitch in the Matrix.
And Re: the wall street psychic, anyone who says this: “I have called ALL the highs and lows of the market giving EXACT DATES for rises and crashes over the last 14 years,†Mr. Morton claimed at one point, according to the documents filed in connection with the case.
If I hear that coming from my broker, I’m running for the hills- quickly and with all of my money.
Jen
03.08.2010
I’m sorry about the repeating links. Thinking back all the way to Friday is hard. I’m going to start keeping a spreadsheet so I don’t get confused anymore.
JOHNEA13
03.08.2010
Naked snowwoman was causing snowmen’s snowballs to heat up and melt.
Some Canadian Skeptic
03.08.2010
Yeah, I thought there was a glitch in the matrix, instead of my usual being slobberingly drunk.
Slobberingly.
Sean
03.08.2010
God damn it Sean David Morton is so close to my full name I started panicking. Thanks a lot, Skepchick.
loudlyquiet
03.08.2010
The Under the Microscope site that was pimped earlier on a quickies has started to post letters.
http://www.underthemicroscope.com/blog/announcing-march-event-message-2-a-younger-me
lexicakes
03.08.2010
I just have a rant about the homeschool text book thing.
My husband’s younger sister is homeschooled, and she needed a little extra help with her Chemistry, so I offered to help. I knew they used the Apologia textbooks, but I thought, “Well, it isn’t Biology. They can’t insert creationism into Chemistry, can they?” Oh, yes, they CAN!
While helping my sister-in-law go over the laws of Thermodynamics, I noticed a passage in the book about Evolution. It was the old trope about Evolution violating the 2nd law of Thermodynamics, an argument which has been debunked by multiple scientists. This isn’t the worst part, though. The textbook authors KNOW their argument has been debunked, and thy admit that in the text. At the end of the passage, they say something like (I’m paraphrasing here), “Well, we know this argument is completely false, but it sure makes you think, doesn’t it?”
So they know that they’re teaching these kids lies. They even know that adding that sentence at the end will allow them to claim that they aren’t teaching lies. And I’d be willing to bet that they also understand that most kids who read that whole passage will remember the nonsense about the laws of Thermodynamics, and forget the one sentence disclaimer.
This isn’t just willful ignorance; it is shameless lying.
Bjornar
03.08.2010
@lexicakes: That article was already making me angry. Now you’ve gone and made me furious. And there’s no-one I can take it out on.
Also, that was a really well made snow sculpture.
Sam Ogden
03.08.2010
@Jen:
It’s all good, Jen. You’re just keeping us on our toes.
Jen
03.08.2010
@Sam Ogden: This is the third week in a row I’ve done it. I have a variety of excuses, mostly being sick and distracted and recovering from being around so much awesome at Skepchicamp. You know, the usual.
Sam Ogden
03.08.2010
@Jen:
Great excuses all.
And from what I gather, it might take you a while to recover from Skepchicamp . . . . You bunch o’ sinners.
QuestionAuthority
03.08.2010
@lexicakes: I’m not surprised at all. And no, it if it makes you think, you’ll think the author of the textbook is an idiot.
James Fox
03.08.2010
@Sam Ogden: The only real sin was our absence.
Rebel 16
03.08.2010
It’s not like that snowgirl had any salacious details explicitly displayed. They should have responded with something along the lines of, “Naked woman? No, it’s a model of a woman’s short-sleeved wetsuit. Man, some people have dirty minds, huh?” I agree with the comment in the article that putting the clothing on made it more suggestive.
Elyse
03.08.2010
@James Fox:
It’s true. Your penance is to attend next year!
Though, if I’m expected to raise the bar next year, cramming that much awesome into one room over one weekend very well might kill us all.
James Fox
03.08.2010
@Elyse: It’s looking good for TAM this summer but I know you’ll be otherwise occupied.
Skept-artist
03.08.2010
@Elyse: It’ll be a great way to die. The headline: “Drunk, naked, intelligent smart-asses cause sin-gularity that engulfs entire city”.
Ashley.Ele
03.08.2010
@Elyse: I remain skeptical of pants. Can this topic be covered at next year’s skepchicamp?
Elyse
03.08.2010
@Skept-artist:
change it to Midwest and you’ve got yourself an exclusive!
@Ashley.Ele:
I will put you down as a speaker. Should we get a t-shirt gun and make “Down with Pants” tees for the crowd?
James Fox
03.08.2010
@Ashley.Ele: Uncovered?
Ashley.Ele
03.08.2010
@Elyse: @James Fox: Sounds like a win-win.
Skept-artist
03.08.2010
@Elyse: @James Fox: @Ashley.Ele: Looks like I need to start saving up.
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