Global Quickies: 23/11/2013
PHILIPPINES
Take a look at the relief operations that the Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society (PATAS) have set up after the devastating Typhoon Haiyan swept the country. Oh, yeah, and some Catholics are donating rosaries.
ISRAEL
Rabbi says women should not operate the horseless carriage because in the past only men drove horse-drawn vehicles, and that Rabbis who permit women drivers were “fourth- or fifth-rate” populists.
EGYPT
Atheism in Egypt might be on the rise, but they still face difficulties.
GHANA
Leo Igwe urges the United Nations to use the visit of a Special Rapporteur going to Ghana to ‘assess the situation on the ground with regard to slavery-like practices’ to look into witch hunting and “witch camps” in the region.
THE VATICAN (From @ospiNation)
Pope Francis says the Virgin Mary is “not a postmaster of the post office sending out messages every day.”
CANADA
A woman faces charges of criminal negligence for the death of her 7-year-old son. The boy had a strep infection that could have been treated with medication, but the mother instead gave him holistic remedies.
COLOMBIA (From @ospiNation)
The Constitutional Court will soon make a ruling on a same-sex adoption case that, if favorable, may turn into law. The Catholic Church urges the court to rule against.
VIETNAM
An enormous sea-monster carcass showed up on the Vietnamese shore, triggering wild speculation on what the creature that looks just like a beached whale could be. Loch Ness monster and Alien are among the other possibilities.
Featured image: Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office
Wow, I didn’t know strep could kill.
Scary to think about, but even the “simplest” infection can kill if not treated.
Scarlet fever and rheumatic fever are caused by strep and can sometimes kill. According to the Wikipedia article, scarlet fever was a major cause of childhood death before antibiotics. (Science FTW!) Rheumatic fever can cause fatal heart complications.