Reimagined and Revamped. Fighting the spread of nonsense often feels like a Sisyphean task. However, the joy is in making the information available, not the hope of conversion.

Asshole

I dont usually have a lot of crude language on this blog. But sometimes there is simply no other word that fits someone.

In case you haven't been following the Shorty Awards (I never even heard of this thing). Both Dr. (cough) Mercola and Mark Adams from Natural News were ahead in the health section. The skeptic community got together and moved Dr. Rachie ahead. She is now winning both from this push but also from the fact that a huge number of the votes for both Mercola and Adams were fraudulent, i.e. Twitter accounts created to vote for them.

So Adams, loses first place, in fact got disqualified for this, and start whining, threatening lawsuit (please do), and finally launching the most uninformed and just plain old stupid post about the skeptic community.

I was going to take apart his post, but I have to admit that not only did Tom Foss beat me to it, but he wrote essentially what I would have.

Well I guess I could alway shoot at second worst with his utterly whiny facebook entry.

This overweight non-physician has arrogantly bashed nearly every alternative therapy and encourages reliance on drugs

Really now. Its virtually the same thing as Adams Rant. The skeptic position is simple, it doesn't matter what you are claiming, chemotherapy or Aloe Vera:


Present evidence that it works






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Shoveling Snow

I like shoveling snow.

Well, I don't really like th actual act of shoveling, especially since the sidewalk in front of my building is so uneven. But I do like the opportunities shoveling snow affords me. Snow shoveling is a cheap, easy way to help out and maybe show you care.

For example, the building next to be is vacant. So no one really shovels there. When I am out there shoveling in front of my building I just look over to the next one and I imagine a little old lady or kid coming down the sidewalk there, slipping and falling and hurting themselves. I can't stand the idea, so, I shovel that building.

I don't get any extra credit. The owner isn't there to thank me. The little old lady who didn't fall down isn't going to thank me and leave me with her estate after she passes. Nope, I just like the feeling I get when I have done something nice.

Some days, if the storm is real bad, I'll go around and help two or three people dig out their cars. I get offered money, I get asked what I want. I tell them I don't want anything, I just want them to help someone else out some time. Yeah, I saw the movie "Pay It Forward". I think its a pretty good idea, even if the reality is that almost no one pays it forward.

Today, perhaps I went a little overboard. I shoveled my place, then I walked one block to the YWCA one block over and salted the icy patches. Then I walked another block over to clear out the sidewalk in front of a friend of mine who happens to be christian who is going through a tough time. I cleared out her sidewalk, salted it and built two snow heads (they sort of look like Sesame Street character heads) for the kids. I'm waiting to see if she claims that God gave her a gift.

The point is that you are already out there with a snow shovel. You are already bundled up. A little extra work goes a long way. It's a great feeling to help someone out who really needed it.

Go forth and shovel.



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