I’m sure this is a case where someone thought it was a good idea at the time. Unfortunately, it’s not. It’s an astoundingly bad idea:
The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation is bringing McCarthy to town March 2 to headline its annual Bust a Move fundraiser as a guest fitness instructor. But the actress, author and former Playboy playmate is perhaps best known these days for her unconventional views on autism, specifically her anti-vaccination writings. Her son Evan Joseph was diagnosed with autism in 2005, but McCarthy says now her son is in “recovery” and is doing much better.
McCarthy has claimed in interviews that her son was healed by experimental and unproven biomedical treatments, and she blamed the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine for giving her son autism.
Yet despite her views, for which scientists have labelled her a menace to vaccination efforts, McCarthy was the choice of the cancer foundation for the fundraiser, to be held at the Ottawa Athletic Club. Funds raised from the event will go to the foundation to support breast cancer programs throughout Eastern Ontario.
One has to wonder what the people at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Center were smoking that made them think that it would be a good idea to bring a celebrity who is as anti-science and anti-vaccine as Jenny McCarthy to be the face of its fundraiser. It would be one thing if she were a crank in an area unrelated to cancer care, but being antivaccine directly endangers cancer patients. If, for example, a cancer patient gets the flu because an employee of the cancer center or other person with whom they came into contact didn’t get vaccinated because Jenny McCarthy or one of her fellow anti-vaccine travelers said the vaccine’s full of “toxins,” doesn’t work, will give you Alzheimer’s disease, and turn you into a newt in such a way that you won’t get better, that’s a problem for cancer care. The flu can be deadly in immunosuppressed cancer patients. Ditto a lot of other vaccine-preventable diseases. Jenny McCarthy’s message is not good for cancer patients, and I don’t care how great it is that she’s managed to reinvent herself as a fitness maven selling exercise tapes. On the one hand, she’s doing a bit to help fight obesity and the health problems to which a sedentary lifestyle contributes. On the other hand, she’s preaching a message that, if people take it seriously enough that vaccination rates fall below the level needed for herd immunity, will lead to the return of vaccine-preventable diseases with all the morbidity and mortality they can cause.
Score one for my alma mater, as a pediatrician there tells it like it is:
Dr. Gary Freed, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan and former chair of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee of the United States, said inviting McCarthy to the event, even if it’s not to lecture on her views and even if it’s for a good cause, is a bad idea.
“It’s disappointing that someone who peddles in pseudo science and has had such a negative impact on the health and well-being of so many children would ever be invited to participate in any type of legitimate health care program,” Freed said Tuesday night. “It, unfortunately, could be viewed as a sign of legitimacy of her dangerous, damaging and totally inaccurate pronouncements regarding the importance of vaccines.
“Her actions have potentially caused innocent children to be unprotected from potentially life-threatening illnesses. That is inexcusable and should never be given a public forum.”
I wouldn’t go quite that far. I’d qualify the statement to say that she should never be given a public forum associated with health care in any capacity. Even if she just smiles, tells jokes, and does her schtick for the Bust A Move fundraiser, her views not only cloud the event and risk a backlash in which people who are aware of her antivaccine moves will be less likely to donate, but the message being sent by the Ottawa Regional Cancer Center is that it’s OK, that McCarthy’s antivaccine views aren’t so bad, and that the leadership there is completely unconcerned with whether or not their institution associates itself with someone promoting dangerous misinformation about health. Their lack of concern amounts to either a tacit endorsement or a strong message that McCarthy’s views just aren’t that important when it comes to cancer patients. They are dead wrong, their rationalizations notwithstanding:
Bernice Rachkowski, chair of the event, said McCarthy was not chosen for her views.
“We chose her because she’s funny, she’s very much a people person, she’s vivacious and full of life. That’s what we look for in a celebrity,” Rachkowski said.
“She also appeals to our target demographic because we want to engage younger women in being aware of breast cancer, how to prevent it and to be aware of all the help that is available if they, their aunt or mom are going through it,” she said.
Rachkowski said she’d be surprised if people were upset by the choice of McCarthy as a charity headliner. She said McCarthy was booked as a celebrity spokesperson for the event and not because of her beliefs on autism.
“We hope people understand that we’re bringing Jenny here as an entertainer and not for her personal views,” said Rachkowski.
In other words, we don’t care. She could be shilling for Stanislaw Burzynski or Tullio Simoncini, for all we care, as long as she brings in the bodies and the money. For shame M.s Rachkowski, for shame!
89 replies on “We’ll take the money you can bring us, even if you’re antivaccine”
You mean they couldn’t find breast cancer survivors who are physically-fit, people-persons, vivacious and full of life? I’d think they’d hold a lot more sway than some saline-filled, scientifically-illiterate bimbo.
There is always another possibility: that they tried to find someone else, but struck out and had to settle for Jenny. It’s a stretch, I know, but we must keep open that, even though vanishingly small in probability, it’s still possible.
Always gets the day going in the right direction when there’s reference to my favorite Holy Grail scene.
Maybe they can get her to express her views on Gardasil.
– as opposed to those kids who have died from vaccine-preventable diseases, I suppose.
What, horny teenage boys?
I’m surprised that anyone so stupid could be the chair of anything.
Cynicism? Complete lack of honour? I understand that all too well.
Seriously, aren’t there women who sell exercise tapes who are well-known and don’t carry the anti-vax baggage?
Here is the story from the Ottawa Citizen along with a few dozen comments. Most of the comments express outrage, although some people were upset they didn’t invite a prominent Canadian or a woman without implants. There are two loonies who rant about vaccines, flouride, autism, etc. One commenter even gets in a reference to Burzynski, another mentions alkaline diets.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Anti+vaccine+crusader+Jenny+McCarthy+headline+Bust+Move+Ottawa/7887768/story.html
Here is a copy of an email I have sent to the CEO of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation:
I hope it has some effect.
Here’s the Ottawa Centre’s contact page if anyone else is interested:
http://www.ottawacancer.ca/en/contact/contact-us.aspx
I have a great idea: why not have Michael Richards? He’s funny and I’m sure he’s a people person. They won’t, of course, because his past comments on race make him highly “radioactive”, but they could always justify it as bringing him in for his value as an entertainer and not for his personal views.
Then we can have Mel Gibson play Elie Wiesel – “we hired him for his acting ability (sic), and not for his anti-Semitism”.
TBruce,
In the comments section of the Ottawa Citizen piece I just posted, someone listed direct e-mail addresses of two key people at the Cancer Center to whom complaints can be sent. My experience with those “Contact Us” pages is that nobody ever reads them or responds.
I do applaud your efforts and hope there is a backlash that makes them reconsider this decision.
MSII:
The Contact Us page did in fact have the email address of the CEO, so that is where I sent the message. Thanks for your tip, anyway.
Sorry, I should have checked that page myself.
In fact I think I will send a message myself, speaking not as a health care professional but a citizen. I did live in Ottawa for a few years and did donate to the ORCC, so it’s not inconceivable that other donors might divert their money to other worthy cancer charities to show their displeasure.
Hey Orac did you catch Mercola’s latest screed at the “wretched hive of scum and quackery?”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/fluoride_b_2479833.html
Funny enough I was thinking of putting this in the comments of the last vaccine-related post when I heard about it yesterday.
Time to email the ORCF.
Thanks Librarian Sarah. I just posted at the Ho-Po, with links to the EPA website and Mercola’s $ 3,000 tanning bed.
Visit Twitter and #dropjenny to watch how this unfolds. So far, the Ottawa Region for Cancer Foundation has remained silent, I would guess they’re hoping that it blows over.
CFI Canada, CFI Ottawa, the Committee for the Advancement of Scientific Skepticism, and the Ottawa Skeptics sent a joint letter today asking for this invitation to be reconsidered: http://bit.ly/12cjIvc
As an Ottawa citizen and cancer supporter (also in their target demographic and vocal in our community) I am seriously disappointed in the selection of McCarthy. She’s pretty much the woman I WOULDN’T relate with and one of the last people I’d be interested in taking any advice or guidance from. To the tweet deck!!!!
Here’s a copy of the email I sent. I don’t usually send letters, but this incenses me.
Dear Ms. Eagen,
As a breast cancer survivor, an evidence-based health communicator, and a Canadian who was born in Ottawa, I am writing to strongly protest your selection of Jenny McCarthy as a guest at your Bust a Move fundraiser.
I truly cannot imagine what was going through your minds when you made this choice. Ms McCarthy is not Canadian, and has no obvious connection to the Ottawa area. Based on her history of cosmetic surgery and career choices, she does not appear to be a woman who has a healthy body image, and there is nothing in her personal biography that suggests she has any interest in breast cancer prevention, research, or treatment.
Most egregiously, she has vigorously promoted an anti-science and anti-medicine stance on vaccination. You should not forget that the demographic you hope to reach–young women–are the target of education campaigns to encourage uptake of the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.
The recommendations for this vaccine come from numerous medical authorities and organizations in Canada, including Health Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, the Ontario Ministry of Health, Cancer Care Ontario, the Canadian Cancer Society, and many other provincial and regional Health Authorities across the country.
Having a prominent anti-vaccinationist as a celebrity guest at your fundraiser sends a mixed and confusing message to women that directly contradicts the efforts of the evidence-based medical community in cancer. To those who are working to promote HPV vaccination to lower the rates of cervical cancer in Canada, this is a more than a slight–it’s a slap in the face.
Please reconsider your selection, and explain to your funders why you are doing so. Choose somebody who has some connection to breast cancer, Canada, and common sense.
Woke up yesterday morning thinking it was a bad joke. Doing all I can in town to help them change their minds… http://www.fitforakid.net/?p=4813
[off-topic]
[Hmm. Disappeared. Only one link so I’m surprised it has been held up. Posting again without the link in the meantime.]
Remember Lucija Tomlijenovic, colleague of Dr. Shaw?*
She has published a 45 page piece at the The British Society for Ecological Medicine that Liberty Beacon and others have picked up, titled there as “30 Years of Secret, Official Transcripts Prove Vaccine Schedules in US and UK are Based on Government Lies”:
[link deleted]
The BSEM paper is linked from the article as a PDF file. The original context looks to be a September 16, 2011 meeting
“THE HEALTH HAZARDS OF DISEASE PREVENTION”. An introduction to the meeting starts,
“It seems to me that the ethical background to vaccination – giving potentially harmful medications to healthy individuals in the hope of keeping them that way – has never been clearly addressed… Who gave us the right (a) to invade the bodies of healthy people who never asked us to, and (b) to do it not only without explanation of the possible risks, but in some countries even applying coercive pressures, denying the existence of the risks, and suppressing relevant information?”
—
* Drs. Shaw and Lee were represented at the Coroner’s Court inquiry into Jasmine Renata’s death at the parents’ request/demand. Orac has covered aspects of the work of these two several times over the last half year.
I was a patient of dr. Burzynskis and enrolled in a clinical trial for lupus, so I know personally all of his cancer patients. I went to a 25 th reunion for the cancer patients and it had saved many lives. I took AS2-1 and it put lupus in remission. No side effects. I saw many brain cancers of children cured when they were told here they would die. So what harm is doing. The drug does work for some brain cancers and most doctors here do not give it. No one died from too high of sodium. We saw patients cured and stayed cured 5 yrs. later.my friend was opened up at Barnes in St. Louis and full of prostate cancer that had spread. He went to Burzynski clinic and is alive today. That was in 1990. Everyone can stand back and criticize but have you seem results like I have? They misused his drug at the other trials by not giving the high dose h to.d them to give. I sent a friend of mine for treatment and she went to the other hospital that was doing the trials instead of him, so it would be covered by insurance and so they gave her the lower dose and she died.
Believe me, I and my husband saw this with our own eyes.
Darlene
I’m amazed I saw that post with my own eyes. #hilarious
Dar,
It’s too bad that Stan has never published the details of your case in medical journals so others could learn from it and help others.
It seems to me that the ethical background to vaccination […] has never been clearly addressed
Ever since the time of Jenner people have freaked out about every possible implication of cowpox vaccination — up to and including the new race of human / cow hybrids that will result from transgressing the laws of nature — but Tomlijenovic does not think there has been adequate discussion? Does she mean, perhaps, that the discussion has not arrived at her preferred conclusion?
@Dar: “I know personally all of his cancer patients.”
How many? I estimate 6,000 or so, but it would be good to have an exact count. How many died of cancer, how many died of other causes?
Jenny McCarthy isn’t “anti-science” at all. She may be anti- poorly done studies to do with autism but that would be about it. Please keep your biased, creepy Skeptic (“Die in a fire”, horrific pornographic mutilation pictures…) opinions out of our Canadian cancer fundraiser. Really, why would Ottawa care about what some U. Michigan guy says? Orac stated a few days ago that flu vaccine efficacy was at 60-70%. Just a couple weeks ago on Canadian news I heard 45-50%. We really don’t need your creepy input. Why don’t you worry about Bill Gates, PATH and NPAFP and Menafrivac concerns? I know I broke my own rule about posting to creepy Skeptic places.
@Jen, is that how you approach all groups? If any person claiming to be a member of a group does something bad, every single person who might be sympathetic to that group instantly becomes personally culpable for the bad act?
hdb,
“up to and including the new race of human / cow hybrids that will result from transgressing the laws of nature”
A wonderfully mad illustration of that features in one of my posts, a colour cartoon showing every pustule as a little cow.
I can’t help thinking that UBC could put the money she’s using to better use. (She’s putting UBC’s name to these things.)
You know, you’re right Jen; that would imply that the dumbass bint would actually know what science is.
A wonderfully mad illustration of that features in one of my posts, a colour cartoon showing every pustule as a little cow.
Something tells me that we’ve seen the same print.
“Why don’t you worry about Bill Gates, PATH and NPAFP and Menafrivac concerns?”
http://lizditz.typepad.com/files/2nd-statement-moh-chad_21jan2013.pdf
“I know I broke my own rule about posting to creepy Skeptic places.”
Do try and stick the flounce, Jen.
hdb,
“Something tells me that we’ve seen the same print.”
Yup. Must nick the other one in your post sometime 😉
A few weeks ago I saw a book someone had donated to the local public library (complete with donor’s name!) which was basically a reprint of the treatises of two germ denialists from around the 1930s. On one hand very strange stuff; on the other hand not all the different to the data and graphs a “risk analyst” used to show here. It’s remarkable how little some of it has changed despite the huge volume of research that has been done. (Must get that book out again one day and do a post on it: quoting excerpts from it might be fun.)
Ms. Nichols, given what “antineoplastons” are touted to be, the only way that your story makes sense is if they do have side effects, and apparently bizarrely unpredictable ones. Now, you state at the Burzynski Patient Group that you are still taking them. Might I inquire as to how much this rather simple chemical mixture is running you?
Oh, look, Jen learned a new trick, repeating the word “creepy.” Why don’t you take up this issue with your freakishly creepy pals at AoA?
Still, I’m sure that if you asked nicely, you could be permanently excluded from posting to preempt such lapses in self-control going forward.
Offtopic, new blog post:
http://www.securivm.ca/2013/01/a-mentor-among-many-others.html
Alain
p.s. Orac, regarding the ip address change, I’m testing the tor browser which hook to different router on the net.
Another stool sample from ORAC.
Dear Dar, glad your Lupus is on the run! That said, posts written in pigeon English are hard to take seriously because I always imagine them as being read by Borat. Try getting someone who is fluent in English to write your fanciful, passion-filled defenses of quackery. We’ll still roll our eyes and not believe your anecdotes, but we won’t laugh as hard.
And Jen. Smug, self-righteous, easily-creeped-out Jen. How lovely of you to drop by. Your posts, on the other hand, are crafted with the kind of loving attention to the intricacies of our mother tongue that would make Mrs. Lash (4th period English dragon) swoon with delight. However, I always hear them as read by Cartman’s mom . . . and you’re still not even wrong.
Oh, look what we have here on page 5:
Nice work, Lucija.
I also wrote in to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, and posted the letter online as well: http://composer99.blogspot.ca/2013/02/open-letter-to-ottawa-regional-cancer.html
Mr. Coe, you have returned!
Will you now finally answer my question? Gosh, it has been almsot two years since I asked it. Surely you have figured out the answer.
Please, Mr. Coe, tell us why Roald Dahl’s oldest child, Olivia, is unable to tell us about her experience with measles. Explain to us why she cannot say “I had measles and I am okay.”
Folks, do click on the link and see how Mr. Ross Coe associates what happened to Mr. Dahl’s little girl to autism.
His reply is just awesome. It is like he wishes the same fate to every child with autism or developmental disabilities. Oh, and this is not sarcasm on my part, it is anger. The same anger I get when someone tells me that if a kid does not survive a disease it is just “natural selection.”
Chris, Which link?
Alain
Alain, the one in blue letters that says “almost two years” (only spelled “almsot”). It should bring you to:
http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2008/02/measles-outbrea.html?cid=6a00d83451b6fc69e2014e60120f24970c#comment-6a00d83451b6fc69e2014e60120f24970c
(there is a reason I used an embedded URL)
Got it, thanks. Lack of focus (or concentration) tonight so I didn’t notice your embedded link.
Alain
Living in a remote corner of Western Australia, a looong way from Canada, the only thing I know Jenny McCarthy for IS her anti-vax propaganda. I’m aware of her past as a bunny (only because it is mentioned with respect to her anti-vax rants) but was unaware of her new-found gig selling exercise videos (What? For profit?).
But breast cancer awareness? Seriously? Aren’t her breasts fake? Is that a positive message to send to young women?
If I might be allowed one small Godwin, can I say it’s lucky Hitler isn’t still alive. I hear he was a terrific motivator.
As a regular lurker, I must say I find the posts here anything but creepy. That is a strange choice of adjective, but I suppose when you can’t prove that something is wrong you could go with creepy.
Grant@20: I’ve seen that PDF. It’s just a listing of cherry-picked, out-of-context quotes from the published minutes of various UK health body meetings over the last 40-odd years. A real barrel-scraping job.
Jen@26:
If “some U. Michigan guy” doesn’t meet your standards, how about a few Canadians?
http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/02/01/how-did-anti-vaccine-campaigner-jenny-mccarthy-earn-a-platform-at-an-fundraiser-for-cancer-care/
Incidentally, as a fellow Canadian, I don’t want some Californian ignoramus furthering her career by sabotaging the health of Canadian cancer patients.
Dar, are you telling us you have been receiving antineoplastons from the Burzynski clinic for treatment of lupus erythematosus, not for an advanced cancer?
I thought the terms of Burzynski’s consent decree were that he could only administer AN’s as part of clinical trials, and try as I might I can’t find any clinical trials targeting lupus registered by Burzynski on the FDA’s website. Wonder if they’re aware he appears to be violating the terms of the agreement…
@ross coe
Then pray do tell what you find wrong with Orac’s article? I doubt you’ll answer, but considering how you condone child murder and your lack of ethics, I wouldn’t be surprised.
“Jen” is back at AoA with a post urging her pals to send letters in support of Jenny McCarthy…
http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/12/from-the-editor-happy-new-year.html#comments
“Please support the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centres choice of Jenny McCarthy to speak at their ‘Bust a Move’ fundraiser event. The creepy Skeptics have organized efforts in the opposite direction. Thanks.
http://ottawacancer.ca/en/contact-us.aspx
Posted by: Jen | February 01, 2013 at 09:58 AM”
Thanks for the heads up, Orac. I’ll be sending a nastygram to the foundation and spreading the word.
MESSAGE BEGINS———————
Shills and Minions,
In my day I have been called:
“Scaly.”
“Old Dragonpants” (I turn to you Miss Flinders)
A “Monster.”
“Inhuman” (flattery will get you everywhere)
“Cold Blooded”
and a host of other colorful monikers meant to register the displeasure of the nattering monkey that hurled it in my direction like so much fecal matter.
I shall now proudly add “creepy” to this august list. I am deeply grateful to the Rebel Jen and her wretched hive mates for this honour.
Miss Flinders suggested the following entertainments . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlZydtG3xqI
Creepily,
Lord Draconis Zeneca, VH7ihL
Forward Mavoon of the Great Fleet, Pharmaca Magna of Terra, Creep First Class with Sparkle Clutsers
Assault Squadron VII
0101111010101111111010001010110010
————————–MESSAGE ENDS
Another “Jen Gem”. Seriously Jen STFU; you don’t know diddly about ADHD nor autism. With your attitude, it’s frightening that you are allowed around children in a professional capacity. I’m sure their parents would be delighted to know that you think of them as “brain damaged”. No wonder you feel so at home at AoA.
There’s been lots of activity protesting Jenny McCarthy’s invitation on the Bust a Move Facebook page.
Obviously, anyone here who uses Facebook (and in particular is from Ottawa) may want to go and add their disapproval.
@Composer99
There’s also a Twitter hashtag (#dropjenny) that is gaining momentum.
@lilady – wouldn’t it be counterproductive for the anti-vax loons to submit letters of support, since the event organizers have chosen to ignore that part of Jenny’s public persona?
The more they raise the issue, the more likely it will be that the organizers will be forced to drop Jenny just because of her “now more prominent” anti-vaccine views…..
@Pareidolius…… that would be “pidgin” english.
sophia8,
I agree. Not happy seeing UBC associated with it. (Among other things, I’d rather see research money/time/resources spent on better things.)
2GPAS: “Creep First Class with Sparkle Clusters”*
🙂
—-
* edited.
@ Lawrence:
“wouldn’t it be counterproductive for the anti-vax loons to submit letters of support, since the event organizers have chosen to ignore that part of Jenny’s public persona?”
Shhhhh, the teacher’s aide and the AoA gang are our secret weapons. 🙂
Just heard on CBC that they’ve cancelled her!!!
I noted a couple of hours ago that I couldn’t find any mention of her on the Web site for the event, but I hadn’t seen it before.
Confirmed by CTV.
Definitely appears that #dropjenny was a huge success!
https://twitter.com/OttawaCancer/status/297463681762066433
Just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside 🙂
Yup!! Front page of the Ottawa Citizen!!Take THAT, loonie anti-vaxxers!
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/index.html
Can’t wait to read the spin.
Heh, heh…here…
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/search/Bust+Move+drops+Jenny+MCCarthy/7906939/story.html
The fellow they replaced her with seems like an improvment in any event.
I was wrong. Spectacularly so. GrammarFail combined with SnarkFail is agony piled on top of ignominy. Then to be struck with the dreaded Public Correction. SIWOTI Syndrome strikes again. The Heartbreak of SIWOTI Syndrome can touch anyone. There is no cure, only constant vigilance. I know the suffering all too well, the bitten lips, rolled eyes, the muttered recriminations. I battle this hideous affliction daily. Remember the SIWOTI Syndrome sufferer’s aphorism: “Do I want to be right, or do I want to be invited out for tea?”
Wonderful news! McCarthy’s been dumped!
Thank you, Orac, for bringing this fiasco to our attention. Sometimes the good guys and girls do win.
BTW, an excerpt from the CBC story about this:
I see flaming pants.
This is a truly amazing crock of shıt. That program premieres on February 8. There is no way she didn’t know the taping schedule in advance.
This, however, is truly hilarious. Yes, two lucky winners will win a depilation laser device signed by McCarthy.
@Narad: are you saying that Jenny is ….uh….bending the truth? (grasps pearls and falls onto the fainting couch)
I don’t see any way she or her booking agent could have been ignorant of the supposed conflict. The guests for that program have to be scheduled in advance. (And I will further note that her claim to have modeled it after “Playboy after Dark,” a genuinely noteworthy musical variety program with fascinating set design in the later episodes, is simply obnoxious.)
Of course she’s lying. In an updated story in the Ottawa Citizen, the CEO of the ORCF said they had a signed contract with her, and it’s going to cost them money to break it.
If she signed a contract for that date, she knew it was available.
A tidbit from a local media blog:
^ Eh, the link still works.
So I assume she was going to get paid to do this charity gig, and will now get paid for not doing it?
How charitable of her.
@Dingo199
This leads one to wonder how much of the funds raised would have gone to breast cancer research and how much would have gone to to the breast cancer fund raising business and has been/never was celebrities?
dingo,
That’s a very good point–she wins either way, but at least now she won’t have all the attending publicity that a visit to Ottawa would provide. I’m sure if she had made it she would have had extensive fawning news coverage, interviews, hotel sightings, etc. Ottawa is a dull little town and a celebrity appearance generates major media coverage.
I’m glad she chose the “schedule conflict” excuse/lie to tweet rather than lash out at the ORCF for censorship. “Oh no, I’m being oppressed!”
I’m sure the nutbags over at AofA will have something to say about how Big Pharma conspired to have Jenny’s appearance scrubbed or some such nonsense.
dingo,
Forgot to mention: in my previous career I was involved in organizing several benefit events, and the artist always gets paid. It’s a myth that entertainers do charity gigs for free. They get pretty close to their full, regular fees, plus all the tour expenses. In some cases, if an artist believes in the cause, he will then kick back part of his fee as a donation in exchange for a tax receipt, but that’s not the rule. I know a few Canadian bands that keep busy for most of the year doing charity gigs. Their name sells tickets, they take their cut and the charity gets what’s left after expenses.
There were even rumblings a couple of bands at the Sandy benefit in NYC were sniffing around to get paid for their appearances.
This comment needs a standing ovation.
@Pareidolius
Around us science folks, can’t we try and do both? Oh, and your comment made me laugh 🙂
Science Mom: You tell her!
Jen: I know you’re still here, somewhere, so here’s a message:
ADD/ADHD ARE FUCKING GENETIC DISORDERS. NOT VACCINE DAMAGE. KIDS WITH ADD ARE FUCKING FINE.
signed an adult with ADD.
There is no try . . . only correct or correct not, tea is optional.
ADHD caused by vaccines? Seriously? Go back in your hole. By the way ADHD people are awesome.
See:
‘What Role do Toxins Play in ADHD?’ (PCB’s, lead, pesticides-)
and ‘What Brain Changes Occur in Children with ADHD?’
http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-causes
Also:
‘Brain injury (although not considered a major risk factor),particularly to frontal lobe is implicated’ (slide 9of 14)
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20441463_6,00.html
I have no interest in arguing the point further but it seems obvious that since vaccines can cause brain injuries (these being paid out for in vaccine court and listed as rare side effects in package inserts, may have a role as an environmental cause. Obviously there could be several causes, both environmental and genetic.
Rose- all kids are awesome.
FTFY.
I’m wondering if the teacher’s aide in a classroom for children with special needs also spreads her *knowledge* of developmental disabilities to her colleagues and to the parents of those children.
Still waiting for the teacher’s aide to link to Timmy Bolen’s site and Jake’s guest rant for her cronies at AoA.
#84, Rose, February 4, 2013:
So says my wife about me, and our ADD kids. 😉 (Said kids are in or nearing their fifties.)
Jen: all kids are awesome.
So why do you refer to kids with ADD/autism/ASD as ‘damaged?’ Why do you and your friends enthusiastically embrace dangerous cures like MMS, lupron and chelation, instead of enthusiastically embracing the kids you already have and getting them access to something that might actually work? I hope you’ll stick around long enough to answer.