Terry Firma, though born and Journalism-school-educated in Europe, has lived in the U.S. for the past 20-odd years. Stateside, his feature articles have been published in the New York Times, Reason, Rolling Stone, Playboy, and Wired. Terry was the founder and Main Mischief Maker of Moral Compass, a now-dormant site that pokes fun at the delusional claim by people of faith that a belief in God equips them with superior moral standards. He was the Editor-in-Chief of two Manhattan-based magazines until he decided to give up commercial publishing for professional photography... with a lot of blogging on the side. These days, he lives in an old seaside farmhouse in Maine with his wife, three kids, and two big dogs.
A United Church minister in Ontario, Canada, accused of criminal negligence in the manslaughter death of his wife, was sentenced to three years in jail yesterday. The judge left no doubt as to the intention of the verdict. [T]he message to the public has to be loud and clear: In this type of case, the sentence must be denunciatory and exemplary and reflect society’s abhorrence in letting someone die in such a horrific manner. The reverend Nico Vanderstoel had pleaded guilty to the charge, which came after his wife of 44 years, Heather, became bedridden with the effects of multiple sclerosis. Vanderstoel soon stopped providing adequate care, neither requesting medical nor social help for his wife. By the time the state intervened, Heather Vanderstoel’s fate was sealed. She died of complications from decubitis ulceration, or bedsores. The facts of the case require a seriously strong stomach. On March 15, 2011, a For Seniors Only employee arrived at the home to do paperwork for the provision of homecare help for Heather and “the smell of rotting flesh was overwhelming,” said assistant Crown attorney Karen Lische. The employee talked to Heather, but could only see her face as the rest of her body was covered by blankets. The next day, For Seniors Only employees arrived to start providing homecare services and found Heather immobile, “living in a state of squalor and filth” and her body covered with infected bedsores. Read more
In 2012, Jaber Mejeri (pictured below) was convicted to seven years in prison for posting cartoons critical of Islam that a Tunisian court deemed “disturbing [to] public order and public morals.” Now, he’s out of jail, but not out of danger: The lawyer for a Tunisian blogger sentenced to seven years in prison for posting cartoons deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad says her client was freed late Tuesday. Read more
I’ve been to a number of wakes and funerals, and — so far so good — have never stolen anything from the deceased. For some odd reason, that urge never came over me. Now, were the recently departed friend or relative to clutch an object that I wanted, I don’t think I’d have the chutzpah to ask the family if I could have it, but I would still consider asking preferable to taking. Of course, being an atheist (one who’s… Read more
Was Satan, that jokester, up to his wily ways again — by burning churchgoers’ foreheads? Father Eugene Baker said he first became aware of the problem when a parishioner told him during Holy Communion they were “experiencing a burning sensation.” About 30 parishioners had received ashes to mark the beginning of Lent at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Newtownshandrum, County Cork. “I stopped the service and alerted people that there was a problem with the ash. They went to wash it off in the sacristy,” he said. Some people did get quite a nasty burn from the ash, whatever’s in it.” Read more
