Quickies
Skepchick Quickies 4.4
Hello all! Last night, I staged an elaborate hostile takeover at Skepchick HQ and am now TOTALLY IN CHARGE OF THE QUICKIES. Be nice and tell me how much you love me in the comments or you’ll NEVER SEE JEN AGAIN. MWAA HAAA HAAA HAA…
(I’m kidding. She’ll be back. I’m just covering for her. Don’t panic or send me hate mail. She’s fine. Really. I’ll post a photo of her holding up today’s newspaper.)
- The JREF has posted it’s annual Pigasus awards for the 5 Worst Promoters of Nonsense.
- Fast food and coffee combined make for a particularly bad combination. (from Madfishmonger) I might be in trouble.
- Pregnant woman suffering from a major depressive disorder, attempted to take her own life and was arrested, jailed, and charged with murder and attempted feticide.
- Richard Wiseman busts a ghost via Twitter. I love the crowdsourcing aspect of this bit of investigation.
- There’s a new anti-vax reporter in town. – “she pimps a truly horrible “review” of the evidence base regarding whether vaccines cause or predispose to autism.”
- The Military Atheists and Secular Humanist group (MASH) gets some great AP coverage and spreads the message that there *are* atheists in foxholes.
- And since I can’t post anything without a hat-tip to Tim Farley, here’s his latest article on the “Web of Trust” and its uses as a Skeptical tool.
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming!
RE: pregnant woman charged with murder after attempted suicide.
1) “Feticide” should not be a crime. Let’s hold off the witch hunts until the abortion issue is settled appropriately.
2) Suicidal actions while suffering major depressive disorder or other mental illnesses and episodes are not taken with rational thought, and such thoughts are often completely out of the person’s abilities to control. Even with medication and cognitive-behavior therapy, it takes 5 weeks to 6 months for a person suffering depression to fully exit the episode. Charges against persons suffering any severe mental disorder should be considered case by case, and mitigated as necessary.
3) Suicidal persons need appropriate psychiatric help and support—not imprisonment. This case does NOTHING to further society, does not bring justice to the deceased, and does not correct the behavior of the defendant.
IM not-so-HO.
RE: coffee and fast food
Don’t read the comments, folks. They’ll make you twitch. >.<
RE: There’s a new anti-vax reporter in town.
Sporting double barrels of ignorance & hype.
A related horrifying fact: In 17 states, women lose the right to die the moment they become pregnant, no matter what – advance directives have no effect.
In total, 35 states place some degree of limitation on a pregnant woman’s right to die.
Source: Journal of Health Care Law & Policy: http://pol285.blog.gustavus.edu/files/2009/08/Sperling_Do_Pregnant_Women_Have_Living_Will.pdf
But then… why does it taste good?
I’m confused.
But, but, but conservatives promised us that this wasn’t the point of the laws. They told us over and over that this would never happen. That everyone who pointed out that prosecutions like this could happen were just being paranoid alarmist. Conservatives claim an absolute hold on morality. Can it be they were lying?
In addition to being faked with an iphone app (the “ghost” is a stock image), the whole story seems to be fake. The story quotes Julie Walsh of Redhill, UK, who says her daughter Sarah took the photo of her grandson, but a commenter claiming to be Sarah Walsh of Redhill says she knows nothing of the photo, and another commenter says he’s her brother, lives with her, the first he heard of any of this was when the media contacted them, and what’s more, he and Sarah’s mother is not named Julie!
So who’s lying, the Metro or the commenters? Since there is already proof that the Metro published a fake picture, and the two commenters have consistent stories, I think the burden of proof is on the Metro. I’m not holding my breath for a response, though.
Here’s a hint for all you “journalists” out there: If you’re going to make up a story out of whole cloth, don’t use the names of real people.
” She’s fine. Really. I’ll post a photo of her holding up today’s newspaper”
One of her fingers in a box would be fine.
@Gabrielbrawley:
I believe you may be on to their little game.
This is the type of thing I point out when people say “what’s the harm of voting conservative?”