Stephanie Briggs - Handmade Knitting My Way Through Chronic Pain

Knitting by hand, owned by three cats and a manbeast

Is Teaching Penmanship Still Relevant? (VIDEO)

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I’ve had a number of conversations (on the computer, haha!) about whether it’s still relevant to teach children handwriting. I have to strongly push for a “YES!” to that, and if you watch this video, you’ll see how I came to that conclusion.   I’ve learned three languages in addition to English. I started out […]

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Homebirth Mommy Dodges a Bullet, But the Gun is Pointed at Her Baby

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A fellow reader of the Skeptical OB kindly saved her screenshot of a mother’s homebirth experience of her first daughter’s birth. The blog post was first heavily edited, then eventually retracted altogether after Dr Amy Tuteur gave it a withering review on her own blog: “Consider doula Nacia Walsh’s story of the homebirth of her […]

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Do All Lives Matter? Yes and No.

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Please note: One of the reasons I chose to write this post is that it seems that Aboriginal issues in Canada get more attention if they are brought to the government’s attention by whites. This post has been written with good intentions and in no way am I trying to “whitesplain” the issues herein. This article talks […]

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Debunking “Grey’s Anatomy” – Neurocysticercosis

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Grey’s Anatomy is not known for its medical accuracy, but as a veteran ER watcher, I think they should do better. The “overlooked epidemic of tapeworms in the brain (neurocysticercosis)” was featured, incorrectly, in an episode: “Before and After” – SE05EP15. The reality, according to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, is much different. As […]

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Paris is Not Unique: How Belief in the Coming Apocalypse can Shape Murderers

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What happened in Paris on 13 November 2015 is not unique. I don’t mean in terms of terror attacks. I mean it in terms of people who are brainwashed to believing an ideology that makes them do things they never would have done before. Particular to ISIS and the example I will discuss are a […]

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Everything Doesn’t Happen for a Reason

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Have you ever been told, “Everything happens for a reason?” I have, and it hurts like hell. I think maybe they say it because they don’t know what else to say? There really isn’t anything anyone CAN say to make it better, don’t you feel? Maybe those people don’t feel comfortable staying silent. I hate […]

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Quality of Death Index – something to celebrate?

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I’ve written before about end-of-life issues. They’re never easy to make, either for the patient, or the patient’s loved ones. In the BBC today, I spotted this article entitled Quality of Death Index – something to celebrate?. It reminded me of an Introduction to Philosophy course I took during my first year at uni. My […]

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On the Myths and Realities of Capitalism and Communism

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In a discussion on Facebook about this op-ed article that describes Obama’s presidency and his legacy, I had a few thoughts. The only thing about the article that bothers me is this sentence: “Obama managed to open diplomatic relations with Cuba, which will put the communist nation on a path toward capitalism and democracy, by getting […]

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The Duggars vs the Dionne Quintuplets

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In 1997, the three surviving Dionne Quintuplets (b. 1934), Yvonne, Annette and Cecile, wrote an open letter to the parents of the McCaughey septuplets (born November 1997), warning against allowing too much publicity for the children. The letter read:   “Dear Bobbi and Kenny,   If we emerge momentarily from the privacy we have sought all […]

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