Thread by @center4inquiry

Good morning, heretics. Shall we begin this thread of news and links? We shall.

Today's Morning Heresy episode, "I’ve Just Sucked One Year of Your Life Away." Ominous!

centerforinquiry.org/blog/ive-just-…

The big thing, which should appeal to us skeptic-secular types as well as normals, is that @NASAPersevere has persevered, landing safely on Mars and snapping photos. LOOK HOW HAPPY THESE PEOPLE ARE.
cnn.com/2021/02/18/wor…

.@SusanGerbic has a new takedown of a fake psychic at @SkeptInquirer. One James Higgins, part of a kind of lineage of phony mediums.

skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/mess…

(Yes, I know they’re all *fake* psychics, but if I don’t say “fake” someone will skepti-splain to me that “actually, they’re not really psychics,” and then I’ll lose my will to live.)

That light at the end of the tunnel? Don’t go toward it. Life expectancy in the U.S. dropped by one year, according to the CDC.
cnn.com/2021/02/18/hea…

Our COVID response is now like Count Rugen’s machine in The Princess Bride.

Fauci says weather delays mean that the U.S. needs to work “double time” to get the vaccines out to people. I’d say triple time, given that we’re all expected to be dead sooner.
cnn.com/2021/02/18/hea…

.@corystieg at NBC News has tips on how to figure out if the N95 masks you bought are fake. Because of course there’s a lot of fakes. cnbc.com/2021/02/18/how…

Health care workers in Africa are being treated, as Falstaff might put it, as food for powder; unprotected from COVID and dying at dizzying rates. @kakape at @ScienceMagazine reports, “not a single country in sub-Saharan Africa has started immunizations.”

sciencemag.org/news/2021/02/u…

Bill Gates (who was obviously in the middle of some Fred Rogers cosplay when interviewed for this article by @kkOttesen) reflects on being the center of conspiracy theories with Dr. Fauci.

washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/…

Check out this new take on a 2D map of Earth from Princeton University: It’s like a vinyl record. Now I bet there will be arguments about which is the B-side.

princeton.edu/news/2021/02/1…

"Prophetess" Kat Kerr says if someone comes after her for her support of Trump she will be protected by her phalanx of bodyguards made up of 150-ft angels. friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2021/02/18/chr…

Whatever, let’s see what they can do up against MC 900 Ft. Jesus.

Finally, @MisterABK presents every episode of Popular Science Show™. “I’m at a weird angle!”

https://twitter.com/MisterABK/status/1362711400041353219

The end for today. Have a good Friday, a good weekend, and try your best to make up for that year of life we all just lost.

(Get all the news relevant to the secular, skeptic, and reality-based communities delivered to your inbox every weekday at centerforinquiry.org/newsletter/?ut…)