Transcript

• […]

  Prosecutor: In relation to Laura […] her cause of death was consistent with smothering?

• Prosecutor: And that she probably died from an acute catastrophic asphyxiating event of unknown causes?
• 746-48)
  Prosecutor: Are you able to say whether or not Caleb died from a catastrophic asphyxiating event of unknown causes?
• But there are good reasons for forensic medicine practitioners and advocates to rethink their understanding – and use – of these words.
• Read more:
  How 'witch-hunts' and 'Stockholm syndrome' became part of political language (and what it has to do with wrestling)

The semantic journey of asphyxia

• Predictably, this meaning “stoppage of pulse” then sprouted the meaning “stoppage of respiration” – a lack of breath is a salient sign of lifelessness.
• Subsequently, the path has been rocky, and it is now understood variously by forensic doctors around the world.
• What is agreed, however, is that “asphyxia” is not a diagnosis; it is not a condition that can be pointed at or diagnosed.

More murkiness

• As used by experts, this is synonymous with “may or may not mean”.
• Research shows, however, that people without expert knowledge hear the phrase as strong confirmation of the proposed connection.
• Clearly, we can’t assume people today would automatically understand “consistent with” as simply a way of saying what is proposed is possible.

Bad meanings drive out good

• The meanings we carry around in our heads seem so natural we fail to realise other people can have quite different understandings.
• And the more unusual a word is, the more its meanings will vary because we aren’t given the same opportunities to refine our hypotheses.
• All three meanings are out there, and different dictionaries favour different ones.

Asphyxia permeated Kathleen Folbigg’s trial

• (Two pinpoint scratches on Sarah’s lower lip were agreed to be of no significance).
• This was probably heard by the jury as indicating no injuries meant an “asphyxial event” had occurred – in other words, the children had been strangled or smothered.
• Known as Meadows Law, this inference stalked Kathleen Folbigg’s trial and her subsequent appeals relentlessly.
• All of this is medically incoherent and incapable of establishing anything of significance – but probably had a powerful effect on the jury.

'The wisdom of the crowd’

• In forensic pathology, it encompasses a number of concepts and is used variously by pathologists – and these uses are out of alignment with common lay usage.
• The jury system relies on “the wisdom of the crowd”.

Professor Cordner was an expert witness at both Commissions of Inquiry into the convictions of Kathleen Folbigg. Kate Burridge does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Yobi, the customer communication app for businesses designed to enhance customer relationship management (CRM) by unifying multiple communication channels, announced two new AI-powered features today.
• With the second feature, Call Sentiment Analysis, businesses can enhance the customer service experience by improving customer satisfaction, identifying areas for improvement in conversations and ultimately, gaining more business.
• Yobi Translation enables businesses to improve communications with international customers while Call Sentiment Analysis can help them make data-driven decisions to improve their products, services and overall customer experience.
• Added Ahmed Reza, CEO and founder of Yobi: “Our AI Call Sentiment Analysis feature allows business owners to improve customer experiences from the communications had during customer conversations.

• Parse Biosciences , a leading provider of accessible and scalable single cell sequencing solutions, announced today a significant performance update of its chemistry for the Evercode Whole Transcriptome products.
• Our Evercode products are empowering labs across the world with accessible and scalable single cell sequencing, said Alex Rosenberg, CEO and cofounder of Parse Biosciences.
• With the release of our new Evercode Whole Transcriptome v2 chemistry, we continue to deliver on that promise - providing unmatched performance to single-cell researchers.
• For additional information about Parse Biosciences newest version, visit https://www.parsebiosciences.com/products/evercode-whole-transcriptome
  Parse Biosciences is a Seattle-based company with the mission of accelerating progress in human health and scientific research.

• That's where Darrell Kelley continues to step in, making sure the world remembers the victims and the underlying causes of their suspicious senseless deaths.
• Inspired by a quote by Al Sharpton, Darrell on "Get Your Knees Off Our Necks!!!"
• Though Darrell had planned all along to release a compilation of new and previously released songs devoted to racial justice called Get Your Knees Off Our Necks!!
• Darrell Kelley is making a pop-up appearance today at 3 PM at the Greenbrier Mall located at 2841 Greenbrier Parkway SW., Atlanta, GA 30331
  View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/darrell-kelley-releases-take-yo...