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Quickies
Global Quickies: Halloween in China, Ghosts in India, and Ebola Paranoia in Italy
Daniela is taking a short break from the Global Quickies–but she will be back! In the meantime, here is the news of the world from the past week. WORLDWIDE Check out In Focus‘s Photos of the Week, which includes scenes from Hungary, China, India, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka. CHINA Beijing Police Clamp Down on Halloween Costumes in the Subway…
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Quickies
Quickies: Athlete Class Scandal at UNC, Amy Poehler’s Memoir is Awesome, and Ken Ham Has a Religion Problem
The UNC fake class investigation and the ‘myth’ of the student-athlete – The numbers alone are surprising. At the University of North Carolina, more than 3,100 students, many of whom were athletes, took phantom classes in a ‘shadow curriculum,’ netting high marks despite the fact that the classes never met and there wasn’t any work beyond a final paper no one…
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Quickies
Quickies: Report Reveals Bad Treatment of Monica Lewinsky, Flu Vaccine Myths Debunked, and Blackface in Hollywood
Talking While Female – NPR does a segment on the top complaints that women hear about their voices (from too much uptalk to tone of voice). From Jac. Every Single Flu Vaccine Myth, Debunked – “Here for sharing far and wide is a collection of the most common myths and misconceptions surrounding flu vaccines, debunked point-by-point with lucid, thoroughly referenced…
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Book Club
Skepchick Book Club: What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Note: Information about next month’s book pick are at the bottom of this post. Welcome back to the Skepchick Book Club! This month, we read What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe. I’m, of course, a fan of xkcd, but I haven’t really kept up with Munroe’s “What If” blog, so all of the content of this book…
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Featured
Cross-Post: Truly Scary Costumes for Modern Kids
Note: The original post can be found over at Grounded Parents, where you can also leave a comment. ***** If you’re still scrambling for costume ideas, fret no more! This Halloween, your kid can be the spoOoOoOOOkiest kid on the block, with these unique, DIY costumes! I’ve done some digging, using mostly “natural” parenting blogs as inspiration, to come up…
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Guest Bloggers
Guest Post: My Confidence in Planned Parenthood Waned but Then Returned Stronger
Editor’s Note: Today’s Guest Post is by Kavin Senapathy, who also blogs over at Grounded Parents. This is a great example of how speaking out about an issue can end up in real change. Good job, Kavin! ****** If you read Grounded Parents, you may have shared in my aversion to a recent mailer sent by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin…
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Quickies
Quickies: More Gamergate, the Pentagon has a Transgender Ban, and Class Issues
Why #Gamergaters Piss Me The F*** Off – “Chris Kluwe played in the NFL for eight years, but he’s been a gamer for 26 — and he’s sick and tired of the misogynistic culture in today’s gaming community.” Read on for some creative swearing! From Radium. Yes to LGB, No to T: The Pentagon Still Has a Transgender Ban –…
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Quickies
Quickies: GamerGate and Disco Demolition, Women Coders, and Cosmetic Pseudoscience
Of Gamers, Gates, and Disco Demolition: The Roots of Reactionary Rage – “How are YouTube videos criticizing sexist video games important enough to threaten a school shooting? Read the #GamerGate tag and realize that underneath the anger is fear.” From Amy. Planet Money: When Women Stopped Coding – “Mark Zuckerberg. Bill Gates. Steve Jobs. Most of the big names in…
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