Today is a bad day for witches, apparently. On August 19, 1612, the Samlesbury Witches (in England) were put on trial (accused by someone with the last name “Sowerbutts.”) Coincidentally, on the same day in 1692, five people accused of witchcraft were executed during the Salem Witch Trials.
- I hate Strong Female Characters – “No one ever asks if a male character is ‘strong’. Nor if he’s ‘feisty,’ or ‘kick-ass’ come to that.” True that.
- Extraordinary Nonsense – “It’s time to address a few of the more spectacular claims that emerged from the anti-feminist crowd last week.” Preach! From Amy.
- Deadly Sea Lion Mystery Draws Biologists to Remote Island in Search of Clues.
- Interview with famed skeptic/trigger warning Michael Shermer – Ah, it’s good to start the day with a laugh. :) From Amy.
- In Disney’s Planes, the Guys Soar While the Girls Get Left in the Dust – And of course, the “girl plane” is pink.
- BioWare writer received death threats to family – Seriously? Haven’t death threats jumped the shark by now? Don’t the trolls have something else to do? From Moniqa.
- Even little kids have a wage gap – “Girls do more housework than boys — and they make less in allowance for what they do.” From Stephan.
This has nothing to do with today’s news stories, but I know of no other forum where I can ask this question. My girlfriend has been hearing the claim that “44 women have died from the HPV vaccine”, and is looking for debunking info. Has anyone else encountered this claim, and has anyone debunked it online yet?
You realise that this translates to about one (probably unrelated) death per million doses?
Meanwhile every year 4000 women die from cervical cancer.
It’s post hoc ergo propter hoc. 44 women have died at some point following taking the HPV vaccine.
Or maybe an allergic reaction to the medium the virus is cultured in? That is a thing, and one reason it’s so critical that everyone who can get a vaccine, gets one: If you’re less likely to get an infection, you’re less likely to get it to someone who can’t be immunized.
Jon, OG advocate of the HPV vaccine for everyone
Hey pciszek, I wrote up an entire post about where that “fact” comes from and how it should be interpreted. I’d been really wanting to write about the Vaccine Court and VAERS for awhile, but needed an excuse to bring it up. Thanks! http://skepchick.org/2013/09/anti-vax-hacks-abuse-fed-facts/
Wikipedia mentions the 44 deaths as coming from a CDC report which also says the correlation is by time only, there is no plausible causal connection.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HPV_vaccine
So it was just a coincidence that my cousin was hit by a bus less than a week after getting the HPV vaccine? That’s just what Big Pharma wants you to think!
I like that Michael Shermer is now himself a trigger warning. Yes, indeed, I can’t look at Michael Shermer without thinking of rape now. Though I loved this part especially:
Also in Canada now. It’s surprising that a group that started on /b/ has done more to shame rapists than supposedly enlightened adults do.