humor
oracknows | January 12, 2011Clearly, once the allegations of Andrew Wakefield's fraud, conflicts of interest, and business plans to profit off of his demonization of the MMR came to light, it was only a matter of time before this arrived:
NOTE: Apparently the creator of this parody has removed it. I've sent an e-mail asking to reconsider.
oracknows | January 7, 2011Just so you know, I claim the title of Mopey. Either that, or Sleepy, even though I'm not a trauma surgeon or OB/GYN.
oracknows | January 5, 2011Hmmmm. Somehow I didn't think this was what one normally thinks of when one hears the term "coming out":
You know. Sometimes tolerance is not called for.
pharyngula | January 5, 2011He's really going to be upset at the wild rumor-mongering about the affair with a Palestinian teenager named Mary.
pharyngula | January 4, 2011Science finally enters the 21st century with ZOMGSCIENCE.NET. Got a short attention span? Are you conditioned by blipverts to need your information jazzed up loud with big bold all-caps headlines and profanity? Is this article too long and subdued for you? Then you should read ZOMGSCIENCE.
pharyngula | January 3, 2011A few people have noted in the comments that Conservapædia's hot new front page topic is "Atheism and Obesity" — we're all supposed to be humongous wobbling lardasses, as if that is some kind of rational argument against an intellectual position ("you're fat!" kind of shot its bolt in grade school, and really doesn't weigh heavily in a debate beyond that). The poster boy for stupid atheist fatsos, unfortunately, is me.
Poor, poor pitiful me. I'm crying tears of self-pity right now.
Rebecca Watson has a reply to that nonsense, and she noticed that I've lost a few pounds lately (so…Rebecca was…
oracknows | January 2, 2011You know, I think I agree with ZDoggMD. The anti-vaccine movement has become so successful that perhaps it needs its own movie franchise to show its heroic resistance against vaccines:
It's round about time we in the medical community recognized the heroic efforts of those who would warn us against the horrible dangers of vaccinations. I mean, these are unsung superheroes, bravely facing down mountains of evidence and decades of public health outcomes data in favor of a more trustworthy source: the Internets. They are tireless advocates, working to ensure that a child's behind is left behind…
oracknows | December 31, 2010As hard as it is to believe, today is the last day of 2010. An old year has flown by once again, and, almost before I realized it, a new year will arrive where I live in mere hours. It's been a truly weird year, even more so than the average level of weirdness. That's why I can't think of a better way to close it out than to post something that is just as weird as 2010 has been. Ever since I saw this on Bioephemera nearly three weeks ago, I've been looking for an excuse to post this video. Given that I'm going to spend the last day of 2010 working on a grant, leaving little time for finishing…
pharyngula | December 29, 2010Don't ask me why, I just found this little story hilarious, and I didn't want to wait until Christmas eve 2011 to post it.
While we're throwing around Christmas hilarity, this story is so ironic it made me giggle: The Next Person Who Says Happy Holidays Shall Be Punched In The Throat. It's not a humor piece, it's from an angry Christian who has simply taken the irrational obsession with Christmas being Christian to the unsurprising conclusion that saying something nice that does not promote his sectarian faith warrants physical abuse. Merry Christmas, crazy Christian…and I say it not…
sa smith | December 28, 2010
The outfit I ordered for Antarctica was supposed to replicate Vinces 'Human Coke Can' perfectly, but apparently to Columbia, 'cherry'=hot pink. 'Cherry' is RED, Columbia, not PINK. 'Strawberry' is PINK.
So now Im more like a human fanta can.
STRAWBERRY fanta.
sa smith | December 25, 2010Mom to Friends: Abbie is going to Antarctica!
Friends: OMFG! When???
Mom: The end of December!
Friends: **GASP!** SHELL BE GONE OVER CHRISTMAS!!
Mom: *blink*
We dont really do Christmas in my house. I mean, we would put up a tree when us kids were little, and we would get some gifts, but thats it. It wasnt even really ever a 'Santa' thing, cause Bro told me about the 'Santa' gig when I was really little (he didnt want his little sister to get scammed). That, and the whole 'Moms Jewish' thing.
Soooo I never went to church, and never sang in a choir. Didnt sing the really religious…
pharyngula | December 24, 2010The cartoonists are having fun with it. Jesus won't be bringing them any presents tonight!
sa smith | December 23, 2010Yes, Antarctica is known for its penguins and seals and whales and such.
But I know thats just sunny PR BS from the fascist Antarctic government.
You bet your ass Im going to be on the lookout for the Cookie Monsters:
oracknows | December 21, 2010When it comes to "alternative" medical practices from Asia (or from anywhere else, for that matter), I've ceased to be surprised by anything I hear. After all, if somehow, some way, people can justify just about any strange health that can be imagined. If you don't believe me, I have two words for you: Coffee enemas. If you still don't believe me, I have two more words for you: black salve (i.e., burning skin lesions off). Still don't believe me? I have three more words for you:
Vaginal steam baths.
Yep. I learned about it in a news story in the L.A. Times yesterday entitled Vaginal steam…
sa smith | December 20, 2010You know why all those fancy 'scientists' cant find the Yetis? Cause those Abominable Snowmen arent hanging out in the clubs in NYC or LA or Tibet. I bet theyre hanging out here in Antarctica.
But dont you worry about me. Im a shaman. My minds like a fortress.
pharyngula | December 20, 2010I love xkcd despite the fact of the creator's obvious physics bias, but it looks like he's finally learning to appreciate the power of biology, too.
Science is the tool that defines our culture, like flint handaxes or pottery beakers defined previous cultures, and it's a generalized tool that cuts across disciplines and ought to shape our minds…and it does, even among the people who try to reject it.
oracknows | December 15, 2010It's times like these that I'm glad I'm a clinician-scientist:
Or maybe not.
The reason is that the same conversation in a clinician-scientist's review would be asking why he's only produced X number of RVUs last year and suggesting pointedly that he needs to double his RVU output. Oh, and, by the way, he needs to get grants, publish clinical trials, and teach residents and medical students, too, all while taking more call. And don't forget that it's the very rare clinician-scientist who can bring in more money to a department in indirect costs from federal grants than he or she could bring…
omnibrain | December 14, 2010Just in case you're looking for something to write on your course evaluations. Or perhaps you are the instructor and you hope you don't get something like this (especially if you are young!)
Via Texts From Last Night:
I had to do a class evaluation today & the girl beside me didn't fill in any bubbles she just wrote in huge letters RETIRE across the whole sheet