Bleeding from the Bunghole

[Southern]

As he is the Captain of the U.S.S. My Fucking House (and I'm the science officer or some shit), I think he's gonna pass on fireman as well :D

Today, after my second cup of coffee, I sat leaning Shatner-like in the captain's chair on the bridge of the Federation starship Downstairs Bathroom, where I fired some photon torpedoes.

Shh. My guy hears that and he'll be wanting a Kirk Captain's chair for a toilet.

Well, you could buy him Homer Simpson's Lazy Man Toilet Seat.

[Mykeru]

Down with the folks my father was having some trouble with the battery terminals on his old beater van. while we were working on it I noticed this outrageous piece of cis appropriation...

uploadfromtaptalk1385823047548.jpg

(43.72 KiB) Downloaded 340 times

[German LurkBoatsman]

Anyhoo, apparently "Sometimes it Works out Fine":

That situation’s sorted. We finally had the difficult talk a bit ago, wherein he displayed an understanding as to why all this feminism stuff is important, and he’ll trust me going forward, and won’t worry about the battles I choose to pick. Mind you – he’s understood the importance of said battles all along, which is one of the many reasons I like him lots. But he’s now willing to risk some collateral discomfort, and knows we can have equality without sacrificing fun. We’ll trust each other more in the future.

Of course, that talk would have happened a lot earlier if he’d known how to approach the conversation, poor soul. In trying not to pressure him, I think I went a bit too far in the opposite direction. Whoops.
And then we sorted out the other, more mundane, personal issues that had contributed to the bad situation between us. We committed to the necessary changes each of us needed to make in order to do better by each other. Then we purchased an excessive amount of alcohol and watched a very odd vampire flick, followed by a Wonder Woman episode, and it’s been fine since. Better than I expected. ...

B’s one of the best. Raise him a round and welcome him to the feminazi ranks.

Translation - she got lonely and mopey, realized that her work-situation might get pretty awkward if she gave her boss/beau the petulant silent-treatment until the end of time, threw her "principles" to the wind, had a conversation with him in which she interpreted whatever appeasing platitudes he mouthed as capitulation, and they got drunk and had make-up sex.

B and Boss are different people IIRC.
Anyway, that's the kind of shit prosa that normal people are too embarassed to scribble in their private diaries. Mentally unhinged, self-obsessed drama seekers, all of them.

[Ape+lust]

I'm sure everyone will be relieved to hear that Dana Hunter has apparently resolved her differences with her boss/boyfriend (?), "B."

You may recall that he told a story about, as a youngster, really really not wanting to lose his virginity to a penis-bodied prostitute that he originally thought was a woman, and, perhaps more egregiously, he wasn't giving Dana equal time choosing what she wanted to watch on the workplace TV (which was apparently The Notebook).

Dana therefore cobbled together a rather tall pedestal for herself, announced that she would be writing off B. forever because principles martyrdom sacrifice moral superiority, and banished herself to "Elmoland," which is I suppose a strange place ruled by a silly red muppet. My bad - she actually said "Emoland," which is a place where every feminist martyr, regardless of their sexual preferences, has sex with 72 virgin Suicide Girls with an endless loop of The Notebook playing on a big-screen projector in the background.

Anyhoo, apparently "Sometimes it Works out Fine":

blah, blah...

Translation - she got lonely and mopey, realized that her work-situation might get pretty awkward if she gave her boss/beau the petulant silent-treatment until the end of time, threw her "principles" to the wind, had a conversation with him in which she interpreted whatever appeasing platitudes he mouthed as capitulation, and they got drunk and had make-up sex.

And, most promising, she's made it clear she's realized her big whoopsie was failing to put enough pressure on him. I'm totes sure they will live happily ever after and her head will never explode again due to B.'s making "problematic" offhand comments or hogging the remote control.

And the world sighs with relief. He's a Shitlord, but he's her Shitlord. Tequila Love conquers all.

Until the next time she wants to make a spectacle of her fidelity to principle and publicly curb-kicks him.

[Really?]

I'm sure everyone will be relieved to hear that Dana Hunter has apparently resolved her differences with her boss/boyfriend (?), "B."

You may recall that he told a story about, as a youngster, really really not wanting to lose his virginity to a penis-bodied prostitute that he originally thought was a woman, and, perhaps more egregiously, he wasn't giving Dana equal time choosing what she wanted to watch on the workplace TV (which was apparently The Notebook).

Dana therefore cobbled together a rather tall pedestal for herself, announced that she would be writing off B. forever because principles martyrdom sacrifice moral superiority, and banished herself to "Elmoland," which is I suppose a strange place ruled by a silly red muppet. My bad - she actually said "Emoland," which is a place where every feminist martyr, regardless of their sexual preferences, has sex with 72 virgin Suicide Girls with an endless loop of The Notebook playing on a big-screen projector in the background.

Anyhoo, apparently "Sometimes it Works out Fine":

That situation’s sorted. We finally had the difficult talk a bit ago, wherein he displayed an understanding as to why all this feminism stuff is important, and he’ll trust me going forward, and won’t worry about the battles I choose to pick. Mind you – he’s understood the importance of said battles all along, which is one of the many reasons I like him lots. But he’s now willing to risk some collateral discomfort, and knows we can have equality without sacrificing fun. We’ll trust each other more in the future.

Of course, that talk would have happened a lot earlier if he’d known how to approach the conversation, poor soul. In trying not to pressure him, I think I went a bit too far in the opposite direction. Whoops.
And then we sorted out the other, more mundane, personal issues that had contributed to the bad situation between us. We committed to the necessary changes each of us needed to make in order to do better by each other. Then we purchased an excessive amount of alcohol and watched a very odd vampire flick, followed by a Wonder Woman episode, and it’s been fine since. Better than I expected. ...

B’s one of the best. Raise him a round and welcome him to the feminazi ranks.

Translation - she got lonely and mopey, realized that her work-situation might get pretty awkward if she gave her boss/beau the petulant silent-treatment until the end of time, threw her "principles" to the wind, had a conversation with him in which she interpreted whatever appeasing platitudes he mouthed as capitulation, and they got drunk and had make-up sex.

And, most promising, she's made it clear she's realized her big whoopsie was failing to put enough pressure on him. I'm totes sure they will live happily ever after and her head will never explode again due to B.'s making "problematic" offhand comments or hogging the remote control.

Your summary is well-written, but that is one confusing-ass situation. But you seem to have missed something key:

Then we purchased an excessive amount of alcohol

Was she "put into a position where she couldn't consent?"

[Gumby]

And here we go:

ST Capt Chair.jpg

Ha! That's what I get for not checking to the end of the thread. I ended up making my own.

http://i.imgur.com/S1xK8up.png

[Gumby]

Particularly so if the text quoted is the full content of the original message and links are provided for full context. Which is exactly what I've been seeing every time a pitter brings the subject up. fucking a, man. The rest of you are used to this bullshit, I'm sure, but this is all hitting me for the first time.

There's a reason the Pit exists, and it's not to hang out and be woman-degrading misogynistic pigs like the FtBers pretend we are.

Seems to me you were straddling the fence a bit when you first came here - what say you now?

[ERV]

Screen Shot 2013-11-30 at 10.20.30 AM.png

(63.8 KiB) Downloaded 355 times

[Gumby]

So if Dawkins - the victim - chooses to forgive his abuser, he is somehow understating other people's abuse. But when the baboons wish to forgive the abuser (real or imagined, it doesn't really matter) then that's OK and the victims who "experienced" the abuse aren't being ignored, or having their abuse understated at all. Of course.

Because to err is human, but to forgive is divine, and it's pretty clear which lot thinks they are god's fekkin' word on Earth.

Maybe they think the "god delusion" was about them?

I see it's time to repeat the FreethoughtBlogs motto.

IT'S OKAY WHEN WE DO IT

[Really?]

Screen Shot 2013-11-30 at 10.20.30 AM.png

HAHAHAHA LOL. She just committed about 25 FTB sins.

[justinvacula]

Blood alcohol of point nine three
Allergic to work and sobriety
Will do one-on-one chat for a small fee
'Cause it'll soon be time for a boozing spree

My pleasure.

The Slymepit AKA's first single. Now, who wants to do the video?

:lol: Haha! You guys are unbelievable! This is a thing of beauty

What happened to Rocko who produced great musical numbers? :(

[Gumby]

Speaking of Amanda Marcotte (well, some of us were!), I found out something about the John Edwards incident that I hadn't known.
Marcotte is famous for being the blogger who was hired by John Edwards to coordinate his 2007/8 Presidential nomination campaign - and who was later fired after complaints were made about her published statements, in particular statements that were claimed to be anti-Catholic (the complainant was Bill Donahue, so it could have been almost anything critical of Catholic teaching that prompted the complaint.)
The thing I hadn't realised was the fact that two bloggers working on the Edwards team had faced complaints from Donohue and both were quickly canned by Edwards. The other blogger was, in fact, Melissa McEwan of Shakesville.
The idea that Marcotte and McEwan could have worked on a political campaign, and, if successful, become influencial on a national political level is, frankly, horrifying.

It sucks that the Edwards campaign didn't vet those two crazies properly before bringing them on - it seems that there is a human tendency to only look superficially at others and prematurely embrace them when that superficial once-over reveals they agree with you on some things - but I take comfort in knowing that when the crazy is finally seen, these types are usually dropped like hot potatoes.

[Jan Steen]

<snip>

I have great confidence that you aren’t having us on, that these experiences are genuine and reflect your genuine history. I also have great confidence that we don’t know quite a lot that you consider significant in your assessment of yourself. That’s okay. We don’t have to know everything.

But don’t think for a second that it’s only so long as you are overwhelmed with grief, remorse, and inward rage that we hold you to be a good person. Don’t think that because this is the part you can share – indeed, this is the part you **must** share – that this is the part that is most significant in our assessments of you.

We see how you behave here, amongst your Horde. How you act when you aren’t hyperconscious of others’ observations of you is more telling than these overwhelming feelings you have shared, conscious of others’ scrutiny.

No matter how many callous, indifferent, even lying others insist that you are harming our Horde, no matter how uncomfortable their scrutiny,

I will remain, holding your hand,

looking back into the light,

loving you.

“I have great confidence that you aren’t having us on, that these experiences are genuine and reflect your genuine history.”

If this needs saying then the confidence is probably not as great as the writer wants Oggie to believe.

But this is not the main reason why I highlight this comment. It’s the blatant cult-like mentality that’s on display here. The Horde has now officially graduated to the status of a cult. While the outside world is evil (with the Slymepit acting as synecdoche for the outside world), its ingroup members can do no wrong, or rather, if they do wrong then that can be absolved by confession and remorse*. Just like in a cult.

These people should be kicked out of the atheist/skeptic community if they hadn’t already removed themselves from it. Good riddance.

*Just read the following comment. They’re godbots without gods.

Ogvorbis

I know. The people I’ve hurt didn’t ask to be hurt. I’m so sorry.

And that’s what makes you a wonderful human being. Not the things you did, but how you sincerely regret them now.

*hugs*

Did something wrong? That’s okay, as long as you confess and deplore it afterwards. All will be forgiven to members of the Horde cult.

And their stupid *hugs* or {safe hugs if you need them} remind me of masonic handshakes. These idiots should all be strangled with their SurlyRamics. [Inflammatory and hyperbolic statement added as quote-mine bait.]

http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... ent-721680

[Søren Lilholt]

What a fucking broken bunch of psychos.

That is just scary.

[Pogsurf]

Ok, now i'm seriously considering attending the 2014 Humanist con in Oxford. Round trip would be 100£, plus the con fee. My brother-in-law can host me, and is only 30 minutes away from Oxford by train. Maybe I could start a donation campain? :p

On a more serious note: if I go, I'd like to get Dawkins to sign my Jerry Coyne WEIT edition. Is this bad form? :D

I went to the Dublin conference this year, and my life is richer for the experience. Oxford is a bus ride away from where I live, so I might join you there. The conference fees are quite steep though, I gather.

Dawkins does recommend WEIT so I don't think he would be offended as such, but I don't really know the form here. I went to a cringeworthy Christening a few years back, for friends' twin boys. I made a pledge of getting them signed copies of the God Delusion for their eighteenth birthdays, maybe this will be my chance to see it through.

[jet_lagg]

Particularly so if the text quoted is the full content of the original message and links are provided for full context. Which is exactly what I've been seeing every time a pitter brings the subject up. fucking a, man. The rest of you are used to this bullshit, I'm sure, but this is all hitting me for the first time.

There's a reason the Pit exists, and it's not to hang out and be woman-degrading misogynistic pigs like the FtBers pretend we are.

Seems to me you were straddling the fence a bit when you first came here - what say you now?

It would be hard to summarize. General impressions:

The regulars at Myers blog are bunch of emotionally unstable emos with delusions of cosmic imortance (if my recent crawl through the muck there is any example). Myers is a hypocritical, abrasive, ass who contributes nothing to the atheist community. RW appears to troll for her daily bread (someone predicted she would go Christian once the drama money dried up, and I'm beginning to wonder if that might not be an unreasonable guess). Benson quotes other people's work instead of blogging and doesn't seem interested in communication with dissenters. Svan... better to not even get me started. Carrier is a dick, but I already knew that and I still like his work on history. Others, I haven't seen enough to really form an opinion. FTB and A+ as a whole are looking a little bit crazier every day, though I try to remind myself of the dangers of categorizing and relying on stereotypes.

The pit I generally like, even if the occasional joke can go too far for my tastes. The culture around here is one I find comfortable. Like a lot of the other users, I'm not so emotionally invested in the drama war but find it amusing. I'm also morbidly curious about the eventual fate of A+. As someone who supported the concept as it was first presented, and then gradually became aware of its catastrophic implosion, I'd like to see just how everything plays out (the slow, withering, gasping death of the A+ forums are particularly interesting to me).

[Huehuehue]

Screen Shot 2013-11-30 at 10.20.30 AM.png

Absolutely fucking brilliant. To be fair, when you know the "true" lesson of the story, before you've even read the story, you don't need to read the story! That wastes time which could be spent being a noble social justice warrior by writing dumbass posts like that fb post.

[katamari Damassi]

Speaking of Amanda Marcotte (well, some of us were!), I found out something about the John Edwards incident that I hadn't known.
Marcotte is famous for being the blogger who was hired by John Edwards to coordinate his 2007/8 Presidential nomination campaign - and who was later fired after complaints were made about her published statements, in particular statements that were claimed to be anti-Catholic (the complainant was Bill Donahue, so it could have been almost anything critical of Catholic teaching that prompted the complaint.)
The thing I hadn't realised was the fact that two bloggers working on the Edwards team had faced complaints from Donohue and both were quickly canned by Edwards. The other blogger was, in fact, Melissa McEwan of Shakesville.
The idea that Marcotte and McEwan could have worked on a political campaign, and, if successful, become influencial on a national political level is, frankly, horrifying.

Even if the Edwards campaign hadn't imploded Marcotte and McEwen wouldn't have lasted. It would only have been a matter of time before McEwen turned on them-because she's batshit-and Marcotte once criticized, would escalate because that's what she does. It would've been a lulz bonanza.

[Tigzy]

Screen Shot 2013-11-30 at 10.20.30 AM.png

I'm thinking that if you were to blow across Carrie Poppy's ear, you'd get a musical note.

And it wouldn't be a sharp one, either.

[Pogsurf]

Myers is chortling along today that one of his blog posts has been cited by the Daily Mail.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... e-morning/

Myers happiness may be slightly misplaced. Skim reading the Mail article I found this:

Finally, he suggests rather impudently that Dr McCarthy do the experimental work himself and try mating with a pig to see how far he gets.

Er, pig fucking may be common practice in Morris, I don't know, but in England and Wales it's a crime.

Part 2 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 covers the incitement to a crime, and the actual pig fucking is dealt with in Section 69 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

I know what question I shall be asking him if I just happen to be in the Oxford audience next year.

[welch]

Myers gets a typically er.."impudent" quote in the Daily Mail Online and linked to a ScienceBlogs post from July.

'Humans evolved after a female chimpanzee mated with a pig': Extraordinary claim made by American geneticist
Dr Eugene McCarthy points to features that distinguish us from primates
He says that the only animals which also have these features are pigs
Controversial hypothesis has been met by significant opposition

Unsurprisingly, Dr McCarthy's hypothesis has come in for substantial criticism from orthodox evolutionary biologists and their Creationist opponents alike.

One important criticism, which dubs his theory the 'Monkey-F******-A-Pig hypothesis', is that there is little chance that pigs and chimps could be interfertile. The two orders of creatures, according to evolutionary theory, diverged roughly

80million years ago, a ScienceBlogs post points out.

'[J]ust the gradual accumulation of molecular differences in sperm and egg recognition proteins would mean that pig sperm wouldn’t recognize a chimpanzee egg as a reasonable target for fusion,' PZ Myers writes.

Furthermore, the blogger explains, while chimps have 48 chromosomes, pigs have just 38.

He adds: 'Hybridizing a pig and a chimp is like taking half the dancers from a performance of Swan Lake and the other half from a performance of Giselle and throwing them together on stage to assemble something. It’s going to be a catastrophe.'

Finally, he suggests rather impudently that Dr McCarthy do the experimental work himself and try mating with a pig to see how far he gets.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... icist.html

What a stupid example. I'd have gone with half the dancers from swan lake and a pod of Orcas, to better highlight the degree of difference. Two sets of ballet dancers could probably do a good job.

Once again, if only PZ Myers could think or write worth a crap.

[Gefan]

Not exactly Jean Baptiste Mondino, I will concede.

Anyway, over to you Ms Nectar...

[youtube]-kmTxupsj-8[/youtube]

[Really?]

Myers is chortling along today that one of his blog posts has been cited by the Daily Mail.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... e-morning/

Myers happiness may be slightly misplaced. Skim reading the Mail article I found this:

Finally, he suggests rather impudently that Dr McCarthy do the experimental work himself and try mating with a pig to see how far he gets.

Er, pig fucking may be common practice in Morris, I don't know, but in England and Wales it's a crime.

Part 2 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 covers the incitement to a crime, and the actual pig fucking is dealt with in Section 69 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

I know what question I shall be asking him if I just happen to be in the Oxford audience next year.

I can't wait until he complains that his Freeze Peach has been taken away.

[Cliché Guevara]

At the time, Bush-watching was a crowded field and I was more interested in the likes of Digby, Billmon, Atrios, Drum, and crazy old Bartcop. Marcotte and McEwan weren't bad, just also-rans I didn't have much time for.

Same here. I wonder if I ever saw you in the comments at any of those sites? I eventually got sick of the partisan tribalism in the progosphere. Little did I know what a recurring pattern that would be...

Atrios, though, now there's a motherfucker who makes Ophelia look like Proust.

[Jan Steen]

Nowadays I'm only reading Pharyngula from time to time for the entertainment value of the comments. The antics of the Horde can be as amusing as a play by Oscar Wilde.

Here is the commenter who was kryptonite to Chris Clarke, so it's a given she's toxic.

I’m bored. I could work, but I really don’t want to right now so I’ll just write to myself for a bit.

I’ve almost given up on hoping I’ll ever be able to be in relationship with someone. Or even start dating someone. I mean, I had one boyfriend, when I was in high school (gad, that was ten years ago). The more time passes, the more I realize that I just don’t understand people. I just don’t understand all these unwritten rules and how someone is supposed to behave.

For example, I don’t think I know how to flirt. Or rather, I have no idea what flirting is. I have been told on occasions that when I talked with some man I was also flirting with him. Beats me, I had no idea. I was just chatting.

Joking around with a woman, and it’s just nudge nudge wink wink joking. Doing the same with a man, and suddenly it’s flirting*. Except when it’s not. Huh?

<snip>

Even if I skipped all the bullshit and, for example, just asked someone for coffee, I still have no idea how I’m supposed to behave.

<snip>

Well, dear, as long as you don’t ask it in an elevator at 4 am...

[paddybrown]

Not exactly Jean Baptiste Mondino, I will concede.

Anyway, over to you Ms Nectar...

[youtube]-kmTxupsj-8[/youtube]

Nice. Bloody quick, too. Love the bits of Mandela dancing.

[Tigzy]

@Jan Steen

Blimey - no wonder she says she feels lonely:

And that’s before we’ve even come to the actual relationship.

You’re suddenly supposed to start neglecting friends because you have to show your love and devotion to the partner by putting that kind of relationship on a pedestal? Yeah… no.

Eh? No, you're not supposed to start neglecting friends at all. You may find you have a little less time to spare for your friends, but then the same would apply if you found an engaging new hobby. Or spent a shitload of time writing nonsense over at pharyngula, for example.

You’re supposed to start acting differently with people of your partner’s gender (heteronormativity is usually assumed here too), at least in the beginning, so that partner wouldn’t fear of losing you? Yeah…. no.

Eh? Really, if you have an exclusive relationship, then all your really need to do is not date other people. It's not that difficult.

It's weird - the impression I get from that post is that Beatrice has enough ego to presume that other people are going to be so invested in her relationship that she needs to go to great pains to accomodate them.

Seriously luv - get over yourself. Other people ain't gonna be all that bothered, trust me.

I’m completely confuzzled. And a bit lonely.

I actually feel a bit sorry for her here. But honestly - if she wants a relationship, then she's just gonna have to do less moping about it, less over-analysing to the point of absurdity, lose the ego and just go out and find one. Do something, and something will happen. Do nothing, Beattie, and - well, I'm sure even you get the picture.

[ReneeHendricks]

And here we go:

ST Capt Chair.jpg

Ha! That's what I get for not checking to the end of the thread. I ended up making my own.

http://i.imgur.com/S1xK8up.png

Brilliant! I've gotta show my guy that (knowing he'll see if we can buy/make it).

[welch]

What a fucking broken bunch of psychos.

That is just scary.

Pfeh. They're about as scary as a baby orangutan that's got no arms or legs.

This is what they live for: yet another one of them to reveal themselves as being "broken" so they can all be broken together and never have to actually do anything. I swear, if they weren't too stupid to get on welfare, they'd never leave the house.

[welch]

Nowadays I'm only reading Pharyngula from time to time for the entertainment value of the comments. The antics of the Horde can be as amusing as a play by Oscar Wilde.

Here is the commenter who was kryptonite to Chris Clarke, so it's a given she's toxic.

I’m bored. I could work, but I really don’t want to right now so I’ll just write to myself for a bit.

I’ve almost given up on hoping I’ll ever be able to be in relationship with someone. Or even start dating someone. I mean, I had one boyfriend, when I was in high school (gad, that was ten years ago). The more time passes, the more I realize that I just don’t understand people. I just don’t understand all these unwritten rules and how someone is supposed to behave.

For example, I don’t think I know how to flirt. Or rather, I have no idea what flirting is. I have been told on occasions that when I talked with some man I was also flirting with him. Beats me, I had no idea. I was just chatting.

Joking around with a woman, and it’s just nudge nudge wink wink joking. Doing the same with a man, and suddenly it’s flirting*. Except when it’s not. Huh?

<snip>

Even if I skipped all the bullshit and, for example, just asked someone for coffee, I still have no idea how I’m supposed to behave.

<snip>

Well, dear, as long as you don’t ask it in an elevator at 4 am...

tl;dr:

I don't want to do any of the work to get a relationship any more than I want to do any of the work to get anything.

[Jan Steen]

I wonder what will happen if I connect this green wire to the red w

[Really?]

What a fucking broken bunch of psychos.

That is just scary.

Pfeh. They're about as scary as a baby orangutan that's got no arms or legs.

This is what they live for: yet another one of them to reveal themselves as being "broken" so they can all be broken together and never have to actually do anything. I swear, if they weren't too stupid to get on welfare, they'd never leave the house.

What FTB/A+/SJL thinks they are:

http://viz.cwrl.utexas.edu/files/champi ... reason.jpg

What they are:
http://www.thereason4hope.com/wp-conten ... 6df1f6.jpg

Bonus: I was not aware of this manufactroversy: http://viz.dwrl.utexas.edu/content/poni ... patriarchy

http://viz.cwrl.utexas.edu/files/horsewomen-ophelia.jpg

[Clarence]

Speaking of Amanda Marcotte (well, some of us were!), I found out something about the John Edwards incident that I hadn't known.
Marcotte is famous for being the blogger who was hired by John Edwards to coordinate his 2007/8 Presidential nomination campaign - and who was later fired after complaints were made about her published statements, in particular statements that were claimed to be anti-Catholic (the complainant was Bill Donahue, so it could have been almost anything critical of Catholic teaching that prompted the complaint.)
The thing I hadn't realised was the fact that two bloggers working on the Edwards team had faced complaints from Donohue and both were quickly canned by Edwards. The other blogger was, in fact, Melissa McEwan of Shakesville.
The idea that Marcotte and McEwan could have worked on a political campaign, and, if successful, become influencial on a national political level is, frankly, horrifying.

I knew about them, but neither was especially memorable at the time. Marcotte was already abrasive, but her writings were largely about national politics, as was McEwan's. Like PZ, both spent most of their time whupping on Dubya.

What's remarkable to me is that Edwards, who turned out to be little more than appetite and ambition, found women who later became two of the worst people on the internet. It's like there was some kind of shit magnetism that drew them all together.

I first had the 'pleasure' of learning about Ms. Amanda Marcotte in early 2006, about a year before her Edwards Campaign implosion. I was an every day (almost) follower of the blogs Durham in Wonderland and Liestoppers.
Anyway, what was disconcertaning and maddening to me was that the only reason that Amanda was kicked off the Edwards campaign was the influence of the offended Catholics, not the fact that she had spent the better part of a year lying about and demonizing high profile criminal defendants.

As far as Shakespeare's Sister, I am assured by people that used to go there and post alot that at the time it was much more open blog. Basically Shakesville evolved into an A+ clone before there was an A+, and it was definitely Melissa McEwan that pushed it in that direction. Why is anyone's guess.

[Mykeru]

What a fucking broken bunch of psychos.

That is just scary.

Pfeh. They're about as scary as a baby orangutan that's got no arms or legs.

This is what they live for: yet another one of them to reveal themselves as being "broken" so they can all be broken together and never have to actually do anything. I swear, if they weren't too stupid to get on welfare, they'd never leave the house.

What FTB/A+/SJL thinks they are:

http://viz.cwrl.utexas.edu/files/champi ... reason.jpg

What they are:
http://bbsimg.ngfiles.com/1/14964000/ng ... f0a306.jpg
Bonus: I was not aware of this manufactroversy: http://viz.dwrl.utexas.edu/content/poni ... patriarchy

http://viz.cwrl.utexas.edu/files/horsewomen-ophelia.jpg

Fixed that for you

[Clarence]

What a fucking broken bunch of psychos.

That is just scary.

Pfeh. They're about as scary as a baby orangutan that's got no arms or legs.

This is what they live for: yet another one of them to reveal themselves as being "broken" so they can all be broken together and never have to actually do anything. I swear, if they weren't too stupid to get on welfare, they'd never leave the house.

What FTB/A+/SJL thinks they are:

http://viz.cwrl.utexas.edu/files/champi ... reason.jpg

What they are:
http://www.thereason4hope.com/wp-conten ... 6df1f6.jpg

Bonus: I was not aware of this manufactroversy: http://viz.dwrl.utexas.edu/content/poni ... patriarchy

http://viz.cwrl.utexas.edu/files/horsewomen-ophelia.jpg

It's true they as individuals or even as a group are far from scary. However, they tie into the Zeitgeist (please forgive me for being pretentious, I can't think of a better word) of this time, and it is the times we live in that give them their voice and what power they do possess with that voice.

[Guestus Aurelius]

Dana Hunter complained that sports but not movies were allowed on the television at work. But movies have continuous narratives that demand sustained focus from viewers, whereas sports more easily lend themselves to viewing of the glance-up-momentarily-and-then-look-away variety, which strikes me as more appropriate for a workplace. (Shouldn't she be thankful that TV is allowed at all? Where the hell does she work?)


Re: Carrie Poopy... I noticed that she used the ableist term lame. http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/12 ... ofile-lame

Out of curiosity, I ran a Google search for that word on FTB. Here are some results from November alone, sorted by date:

Raging Bee: http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/ ... ent-284436

Commenter on Pharyngula: http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... ent-720260

Commenter on Zingularity: http://freethoughtblogs.com/zingularity ... ment-46637

Raging Bee again: http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/ ... ent-282865

Ed Brayton (title of post): http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/ ... is-father/

Commenter on Dispatches: http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/ ... ent-280039

Avicenna: http://freethoughtblogs.com/amilliongod ... y-an-idea/

Commenter on Dispatches: http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/ ... ent-279981

Two commenters on Singham suggesting that the term is unproblematic: http://freethoughtblogs.com/singham/201 ... ent-520334 and http://freethoughtblogs.com/singham/201 ... ent-522289

Raging Bee AGAIN: http://freethoughtblogs.com/lousycanuck ... ent-191285


And from earlier in the year (I limited this search to Pharyngula):

Ogvorbis: http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... ent-643208

Commenter in the Lounge problematizes lame and is ignored: http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... ent-563823

Sastra: http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... ent-552186

Peezus Himself: http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... ews-first/


As far as I can tell, none of these instances were called out as ableism. Of course, I think getting upset over the use of lame is ridiculous, but it's no more ridiculous than getting upset over many of the other terms that get FTB panties in a bunch.

[Tony Parsehole]

Particularly so if the text quoted is the full content of the original message and links are provided for full context. Which is exactly what I've been seeing every time a pitter brings the subject up. fucking a, man. The rest of you are used to this bullshit, I'm sure, but this is all hitting me for the first time.

I keep forgetting that you're new to all this. If we seem a bit apathetic sometimes it's because we've seen this all before 1000 times over so it does get a bit boring and predictable after a while.
Mind you, if you think the Ogvorbis thing is a shocker you should have been here when a particularly lunatic FTB blogger was saying people with HIV shouldn't tell their sexual partners about their condition and then calling people bigots when they pointed out what a psychotic cunt he was being. That was a right laugh.

[Really?]

Dana Hunter complained that sports but not movies were allowed on the television at work. But movies have continuous narratives that demand sustained focus from viewers, whereas sports more easily lend themselves to viewing of the glance-up-momentarily-and-then-look-away variety, which strikes me as more appropriate for a workplace. (Shouldn't she be thankful that TV is allowed at all? Where the hell does she work?)

Isn't it sexist to label sports a "boy" thing? Millions of women love sports. Women such as Venus and Serena Williams and Michelle Wie are at the top of their fields. Isn't she being presumptuous to assume that the women around her don't like sports? Isn't she attempting to stamp that sexist presumption onto those around her?

[Guestus Aurelius]

Dana Hunter complained that sports but not movies were allowed on the television at work. But movies have continuous narratives that demand sustained focus from viewers, whereas sports more easily lend themselves to viewing of the glance-up-momentarily-and-then-look-away variety, which strikes me as more appropriate for a workplace. (Shouldn't she be thankful that TV is allowed at all? Where the hell does she work?)

Isn't it sexist to label sports a "boy" thing? Millions of women love sports. Women such as Venus and Serena Williams and Michelle Wie are at the top of their fields. Isn't she being presumptuous to assume that the women around her don't like sports? Isn't she attempting to stamp that sexist presumption onto those around her?

Yes.

[welch]

Dana Hunter complained that sports but not movies were allowed on the television at work. But movies have continuous narratives that demand sustained focus from viewers, whereas sports more easily lend themselves to viewing of the glance-up-momentarily-and-then-look-away variety, which strikes me as more appropriate for a workplace. (Shouldn't she be thankful that TV is allowed at all? Where the hell does she work?)

Isn't it sexist to label sports a "boy" thing? Millions of women love sports. Women such as Venus and Serena Williams and Michelle Wie are at the top of their fields. Isn't she being presumptuous to assume that the women around her don't like sports? Isn't she attempting to stamp that sexist presumption onto those around her?

I'm spending the holiday with melissa's folks. Her mother and sister are hardcore FSU/UF fans respectively. I can tell you, you change the channel on either team for some fucking rom-com or vampire flick, you're pulling back a bloody stump.

[Really?]

Isn't it sexist to label sports a "boy" thing? Millions of women love sports. Women such as Venus and Serena Williams and Michelle Wie are at the top of their fields. Isn't she being presumptuous to assume that the women around her don't like sports? Isn't she attempting to stamp that sexist presumption onto those around her?

Yes.

And if she's dating a co-worker or a boss, has she followed the proper corporate procedures to ensure the company bears no liability should she make a sexual harassment claim? As you know, office relationships are fraught with danger. They're full of power imbalances. She could be forcing herself to date this guy without even knowing it. (But she will figure it out after he comes to his senses, of course.)

[John Greg]

NB: This post, being about Ophie, is done OphieStyleeâ„¢.

Ophie, the renowned and exemplary intellectual literary critic is now bragging about her inability to get Dickens (http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterflies ... g-dickens/):

I’ve started reading Little Dorrit for the third or fourth time…skim-reading it in places, because I long ago decided that the only way to read Dickens is to jump when you start to get bored, because there’s no denying he gave a wealth of detail and sometimes it’s about something you just don’t need a wealth of detail about. That prison in Marseilles at the beginning for instance – I never will know what that’s there for, because I invariably get bored before I find out so I skip it.

But don’t go thinking it’s inherently boring, or that all of it’s boring, or that it’s boring in proportion to its quantity, or anything like that. The truth is that he was a god damn genius, and he really is doing something with all those words. It’s not slack, it’s not verbiage for the sake of verbiage. It’s detail.

Like, there’s the bit in chapter 3 where Affery takes Arthur up to the garret room where he’ll sleep for the night, and there’s a very detailed description of what’s in the room and what the room is like. I skipped some, because there was a lot, but I knew if I’d read it it would have been good stuff. That’s how Dickens is. You sort of have to skip in order to keep going, but you know you’re skipping rich writing. But I didn’t skip it all and I was rewarded with a real yell of laughter because at the end of the list of furniture was

... a washing-stand that looked as if it had stood for ages in a hail of dirty soapsuds, and a bedstead with four bare atomies of posts, each terminating in a spike, as if for the dismal accommodation of lodgers who might prefer to impale themselves.

That’s Dickens for you.

Anybody read it? Anybody want to read it along with me?

(my emphasis)

I mean, WTF? I don't even....

[welch]

Isn't it sexist to label sports a "boy" thing? Millions of women love sports. Women such as Venus and Serena Williams and Michelle Wie are at the top of their fields. Isn't she being presumptuous to assume that the women around her don't like sports? Isn't she attempting to stamp that sexist presumption onto those around her?

Yes.

And if she's dating a co-worker or a boss, has she followed the proper corporate procedures to ensure the company bears no liability should she make a sexual harassment claim? As you know, office relationships are fraught with danger. They're full of power imbalances. She could be forcing herself to date this guy without even knowing it. (But she will figure it out after he comes to his senses, of course.)

Aside from that, is he in her direct chain of command? Is he writing her review? Is he her direct or upper level supervisor? If the answer to any of those is "yes" then someone at that company is a complete idiot.

[Matt Cavanaugh]

Only a dickweed who wants you to think they're sophisticated would mention Giselle. A true fan of dance might make an analogy ' like Twyla Tharpe crashing a line dance.'

[another lurker]

Interesting article from The Guardian:

A couple of years ago, a Canadian psychologist, Tracy Vaillancourt, published the results of an experiment that she claimed showed that "slut-shaming" is hard-wired into the female brain. No one appreciated her efforts much. But her findings, backed by further research, have now been published by the Royal Society, in its peer-reviewed journal The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (Biological Sciences). They're worth taking note of.

Vaillancourt's experiment was pretty basic. Eighty-six women aged between 20 and 25 were secretly videotaped after being told that they were taking part in a study about female friendship, and paired with another woman. As they were waiting for proceedings to start, a third women went into the room, dressed for half of her visits in casual clothes with her hair tied back and the other half in plunging top, short skirt and long blonde tresses. No one commented on the casually dressed woman at all. But almost all of them were actively critical and hostile towards the same woman when she turned up looking "sexy". I suppose women could simply deny that they'd ever encountered such behaviour, let alone indulged in it. But that would be a shame, because people can't change what they don't acknowledge.

Vaillancourt calls this behaviour "intra-sexual competition strategy" and says that it is most conspicuously present between the ages of 11 and 25. Vaillancourt says the behaviour is rooted in the fact that women are the "higher value gender". It's more important for women to stay alive than men, so that they can have and care for children. So women avoid physical aggression and "have had to evolve less risky strategies to compete for preferred mates and devalue their competitors … We exclude females from our peer group, we spread rumours about that person, we suggest they're promiscuous; that kind of thing."

Vaillancourt's ideas suggest instead that women have historically colluded because it served their own evolutionary advantage. I always suspected that men couldn't possibly be capable of such universal success in subjugating women all by themselves.

And this last part here is great:

Of course, Vaillancourt, and those who find her ideas useful, will continue to be regarded as the enemy by "victim feminists", who wish to simply blame men for all of women's problems, without spotting the irony in that position.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... n-our-eyes

[spiffigt]

This is of course bull. We all know that evolution stops at the blood-brain barrier. Rebecca Watson made a whole speech about it.

[Pagancat]

What I find most interesting about the comments on Michael Nugents post is the "celebrity as property" narrative. Because Dawkins is a public figure he should give his opinion on this or that. Bollocks. The guy does not owe you a favour. Also the idea of Dawkins, Harris or any of the others being leaders of atheism? Is this some generational thing I'm missing? I never needed or sought leaders.

[Matt Cavanaugh]

Does Dana Hunter work in a firehouse? Cuz I'm hard-pressed to think of another profession where it's ok to sit around watching tv while on the clock.

[Gumby]

NB: This post, being about Ophie, is done OphieStyleeâ„¢.

Ophie, the renowned and exemplary intellectual literary critic is now bragging about her inability to get Dickens (http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterflies ... g-dickens/):

I’ve started reading Little Dorrit for the third or fourth time…skim-reading it in places, because I long ago decided that the only way to read Dickens is to jump when you start to get bored, because there’s no denying he gave a wealth of detail and sometimes it’s about something you just don’t need a wealth of detail about. That prison in Marseilles at the beginning for instance – I never will know what that’s there for, because I invariably get bored before I find out so I skip it.

But don’t go thinking it’s inherently boring, or that all of it’s boring, or that it’s boring in proportion to its quantity, or anything like that. The truth is that he was a god damn genius, and he really is doing something with all those words. It’s not slack, it’s not verbiage for the sake of verbiage. It’s detail.

Like, there’s the bit in chapter 3 where Affery takes Arthur up to the garret room where he’ll sleep for the night, and there’s a very detailed description of what’s in the room and what the room is like. I skipped some, because there was a lot, but I knew if I’d read it it would have been good stuff. That’s how Dickens is. You sort of have to skip in order to keep going, but you know you’re skipping rich writing. But I didn’t skip it all and I was rewarded with a real yell of laughter because at the end of the list of furniture was

... a washing-stand that looked as if it had stood for ages in a hail of dirty soapsuds, and a bedstead with four bare atomies of posts, each terminating in a spike, as if for the dismal accommodation of lodgers who might prefer to impale themselves.

That’s Dickens for you.

Anybody read it? Anybody want to read it along with me?

(my emphasis)

I mean, WTF? I don't even....

She sounds like she got through school with Cliffs Notes.

http://i.imgur.com/IvYq6JM.png

[Dick Strawkins]

Does Dana Hunter work in a firehouse? Cuz I'm hard-pressed to think of another profession where it's ok to sit around watching tv while on the clock.

I think she's written before about working in some kind of call-center.

[Tony Parsehole]

NB: This post, being about Ophie, is done OphieStyleeâ„¢.

Ophie, the renowned and exemplary intellectual literary critic is now bragging about her inability to get Dickens (http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterflies ... g-dickens/):

I’ve started reading Little Dorrit for the third or fourth time…skim-reading it in places, because I long ago decided that the only way to read Dickens is to jump when you start to get bored, because there’s no denying he gave a wealth of detail and sometimes it’s about something you just don’t need a wealth of detail about. That prison in Marseilles at the beginning for instance – I never will know what that’s there for, because I invariably get bored before I find out so I skip it.

But don’t go thinking it’s inherently boring, or that all of it’s boring, or that it’s boring in proportion to its quantity, or anything like that. The truth is that he was a god damn genius, and he really is doing something with all those words. It’s not slack, it’s not verbiage for the sake of verbiage. It’s detail.

Like, there’s the bit in chapter 3 where Affery takes Arthur up to the garret room where he’ll sleep for the night, and there’s a very detailed description of what’s in the room and what the room is like. I skipped some, because there was a lot, but I knew if I’d read it it would have been good stuff. That’s how Dickens is. You sort of have to skip in order to keep going, but you know you’re skipping rich writing. But I didn’t skip it all and I was rewarded with a real yell of laughter because at the end of the list of furniture was

... a washing-stand that looked as if it had stood for ages in a hail of dirty soapsuds, and a bedstead with four bare atomies of posts, each terminating in a spike, as if for the dismal accommodation of lodgers who might prefer to impale themselves.

That’s Dickens for you.

Anybody read it? Anybody want to read it along with me?

(my emphasis)

I mean, WTF? I don't even....

What the hell? "Dickens was such a genius. Even the bits I didn't bother to read were excellent!"

Anyway,I think it's funny that she's admitted skipping parts of a book that comes with pictures in every chapter.

[Skep tickle]

I've been following this thread at A+ forum: Creating an official A+ group to one day be a nonprofit

It's...sweet. Well-meaning but very naive. Grimalkin started the thread & idea, and seems the most engaged in the idea, and has been nominated president, and doesn't know what he's doing. And is getting some very reasonable reality-check advice in the thread, and is trying to get other people to take on more of the work. Grimalkin is eager to get an EIN through the IRS, and to get bigger names on board, and to get a website up, without yet knowing what the group will be called, or do, or how it will be organized. (The ideas mentioned so far seem to point to: "The Atheism Plus Society", will sell etsy crafts to bring in money, might use give those funds "to get more women and minority speakers at atheist/skeptical conferences" by giving the money directly to the women & minority speakers..? But they really seem to have no idea what the group would do.)

Now, if your question was "What kind of entity would this be" which makes more sense now that I think about it, the bank that I went to for guidance told me what it would be... and... hahaha. I forgot. ... It was something like Social Benefit Corporation which may be what Delaware's thing is. I think this is a really good thing to discuss, though, because we obviously want to pick the right entity-type, and so I'm glad you brought it up. ...

That is really good advice, though, as far as contacting the office who would do the paperwork and a lawyer. They could tell us what we are/want to be. ... And I'm thinking Delaware really seems like a good choice, especially if we bank there.

Grimalkin contacted a state office in Delaware asking for advice on what type of corporation to form & for advice on a lawyer that could help them; someone else pointed out the office wouldn't be giving this type of advice.

They're also discussing which FtBers could help them. Initial mention was Christina, Carrier, and maybe PZ even though he's been distancing himself from A+. Then someone reminded that Carrier thought the girls having virginity checks were essentially undergoing a gynecologic exam instead of being raped, so he's right out. So Grimalkin's list of groups/people possibly sympathetic to the effort are:

Any FTB bloggers who... there aren't very good reasons not to work with (obvious bad ones are obvious)
Skepchicks
Secular Woman maybe?

But then

...so far my suggestions forvpeople to contact have been prefominatelt Whitey mcWhitersons- and if we want to be A+ consistent (also you know decent by basic standards) we can't have some homogenous milky white board. So I'm going to throw out there that among the ideas we have for people to contact we make a specific point of asking for help by the people of color among them. ...

If anyone can think of diversity points we're failing at, do say. We've got age and gender identity (except what about the menz) and orientation (...well actually some traditionally straight folks wouldn't hurt :p ) and ability (at least mentally, so neurodiversity too) and if we follow through with this we'll have race and I feel like I'm playing diversity bingo but dammit this is important.

Later

Specifically, if Rebecca Watson (to be shared with all of Skepchick), Heina, PZ myers (on behalf of all of FTB- maybe email Ed Brayton too? ) Crommunist, and Hemant Mehta couls be contacted, plus anyone we can think of, that would be AWESOME.

Another thought- isn't Justin Thibeault (or Greg Laden? Aaah white men all look the same) responsible for FTB's layout? If so we should contact him specifically for help on webby stuff.

(I was immersed in non-profit board governance earlier this year for a board I'm on, particularly issues around incorporation as a nonprofit & maintaining tax-exempt status w/ the IRS, but I was banned from A+ forum more than a year ago so won't be weighing in.)

[Tony Parsehole]

I remember reading James Joyce's Ulysses. What an amazing book and a testimony to the genius of the man...... I gave up after 100 pages because I didn't have a clue what was going on but I can guarantee the 80% of the book I didn't bother to read was excellent. That's how it is with Joyce.

[Dick Strawkins]

I remember reading James Joyce's Ulysses. What an amazing book and a testimony to the genius of the man...... I gave up after 100 pages because I didn't have a clue what was going on but I can guarantee the 80% of the book I didn't bother to read was excellent. That's how it is with Joyce.

It is tough going to read it all but it transfers well to audio - I've listened to an old RTE (Irish national broadcasting company) version of the book years ago and found it to be excellent.

[Skep tickle]

Here's the vaccine marketing research study from "Women Thinking, Inc", done on grant from JREF:
http://womenthinking.org/Vax_Survey_Report21.pdf

Found it linked here: http://womenthinking.org/

It was apparently posted in 9/2013 (per the group's twitter feed).

This is the group previously called "WTF" (Women Thinking Free Foundation) that is called a non-profit spun off from Skepchick. Doesn't look like they've managed to get tax-exempt status yet.

Could I just add that I'm offended by the group's name, "Women Thinking", as if women don't think otherwise.

Oh, and in the report they commented on how adults hadn't been getting pertussis vaccine boosters regularly, every 10 yrs, but missed the fact that pertussis vaccine wasn't FDA-approved for adults until 2005 (when 2 brands of Tdap vaccine were approved).

[Barael]

Specifically, if Rebecca Watson (to be shared with all of Skepchick), Heina, PZ myers (on behalf of all of FTB- maybe email Ed Brayton too? ) Crommunist, and Hemant Mehta couls be contacted, plus anyone we can think of, that would be AWESOME.

Grimalkin seems rather delusional if he thinks he can recruit Hemant to further the toxic shit that is A+.

[spiffigt]

Specifically, if Rebecca Watson (to be shared with all of Skepchick), Heina, PZ myers (on behalf of all of FTB- maybe email Ed Brayton too? ) Crommunist, and Hemant Mehta couls be contacted, plus anyone we can think of, that would be AWESOME.

Grimalkin seems rather delusional if he thinks he can recruit Hemant to further the toxic shit that is A+.

Has he ever made any public statements about A+ and the like?

[Really?]

I've been following this thread at A+ forum: Creating an official A+ group to one day be a nonprofit

It's...sweet. Well-meaning but very naive. Grimalkin started the thread & idea, and seems the most engaged in the idea, and has been nominated president, and doesn't know what he's doing. And is getting some very reasonable reality-check advice in the thread, and is trying to get other people to take on more of the work. Grimalkin is eager to get an EIN through the IRS, and to get bigger names on board, and to get a website up, without yet knowing what the group will be called, or do, or how it will be organized. (The ideas mentioned so far seem to point to: "The Atheism Plus Society", will sell etsy crafts to bring in money, might use give those funds "to get more women and minority speakers at atheist/skeptical conferences" by giving the money directly to the women & minority speakers..? But they really seem to have no idea what the group would do.)

Now, if your question was "What kind of entity would this be" which makes more sense now that I think about it, the bank that I went to for guidance told me what it would be... and... hahaha. I forgot. ... It was something like Social Benefit Corporation which may be what Delaware's thing is. I think this is a really good thing to discuss, though, because we obviously want to pick the right entity-type, and so I'm glad you brought it up. ...

That is really good advice, though, as far as contacting the office who would do the paperwork and a lawyer. They could tell us what we are/want to be. ... And I'm thinking Delaware really seems like a good choice, especially if we bank there.

Grimalkin contacted a state office in Delaware asking for advice on what type of corporation to form & for advice on a lawyer that could help them; someone else pointed out the office wouldn't be giving this type of advice.

They're also discussing which FtBers could help them. Initial mention was Christina, Carrier, and maybe PZ even though he's been distancing himself from A+. Then someone reminded that Carrier thought the girls having virginity checks were essentially undergoing a gynecologic exam instead of being raped, so he's right out. So Grimalkin's list of groups/people possibly sympathetic to the effort are:

Any FTB bloggers who... there aren't very good reasons not to work with (obvious bad ones are obvious)
Skepchicks
Secular Woman maybe?

But then

...so far my suggestions forvpeople to contact have been prefominatelt Whitey mcWhitersons- and if we want to be A+ consistent (also you know decent by basic standards) we can't have some homogenous milky white board. So I'm going to throw out there that among the ideas we have for people to contact we make a specific point of asking for help by the people of color among them. ...

If anyone can think of diversity points we're failing at, do say. We've got age and gender identity (except what about the menz) and orientation (...well actually some traditionally straight folks wouldn't hurt :p ) and ability (at least mentally, so neurodiversity too) and if we follow through with this we'll have race and I feel like I'm playing diversity bingo but dammit this is important.

Later

Specifically, if Rebecca Watson (to be shared with all of Skepchick), Heina, PZ myers (on behalf of all of FTB- maybe email Ed Brayton too? ) Crommunist, and Hemant Mehta couls be contacted, plus anyone we can think of, that would be AWESOME.

Another thought- isn't Justin Thibeault (or Greg Laden? Aaah white men all look the same) responsible for FTB's layout? If so we should contact him specifically for help on webby stuff.

(I was immersed in non-profit board governance earlier this year for a board I'm on, particularly issues around incorporation as a nonprofit & maintaining tax-exempt status w/ the IRS, but I was banned from A+ forum more than a year ago so won't be weighing in.)

That's hilarious.

"I don't know how to start a non-profit organization dedicated to equality between all races and gender identifications, so I need help from anyone who isn't white or male. I mean, I guess I want these advisors to be qualified, but the most important thing is that we have each of the following:

A black male
An Asian female
A transman who is currently transitioning back to womanhood
A divorced hermaprodite from one of the Balkan states

Thanks!"

[Skep tickle]

Gumby, good one w/ the Cliff Notes.

Ms Benson posted about neuroscientist James Fallon having discovered his brain PET scan matched that of psychopaths. She links a BBC interview posted recently.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterflies ... tched-off/

Turns out it's not a new story; here's NPR from 6/2010:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... =127888976

The NPR version goes into much more detail. First of all, his interest in studying his family wasn't out of the blue:

One of his direct great-grandfathers, Thomas Cornell, was hanged in 1667 for murdering his mother. That line of Cornells produced seven other alleged murderers, including Lizzy Borden. "Cousin Lizzy," as Fallon wryly calls her, was accused (and controversially acquitted) of killing her father and stepmother with an ax in Fall River, Mass., in 1882.

A little spooked by his ancestry, Fallon set out to see whether anyone in his family possesses the brain of a serial killer. Because he has studied the brains of dozens of psychopaths, he knew precisely what to look for.

It goes into more detail about what part of the brain shows different activity, and how that might be linked to certain behaviors.

And it describes further testing he did:

Along with brain scans, Fallon also tested each family member's DNA for genes that are associated with violence. He looked at 12 genes related to aggression and violence and zeroed in on the MAO-A gene (monoamine oxidase A).

Ms Benson quotes Fallon from the BBC interview posted in 11/2013 as saying his wife told him, on hearing the news about his scan, "I'm not surprised." Actually, in the BBC interview Fallon says his wife said (lightheartedly, it seems): "It doesn't surprise me".

According to the 2010 interview:

I asked his wife, Diane, what she thought of the result.

"I wasn't too concerned," she says, laughing. "I mean, I've known him since I was 12."

But that's okay because it fits Ms Benson's narrative. She closes her blogpost with:

But murder isn’t all there is, for cryin out loud. There’s cruelty, there’s bullying, there’s manipulation, there’s chronic lying. Professor Fallon isn’t a murderer, good, splendid, but it would have been interesting if the BBC person had asked him why his wife said that, or if he himself in fact thought he was deficient in the empathy department. ...

and in the comments, she ties it back to her ongoing theme about the horrors of the internet:

And the internet is just a paradise for psychopaths, because they can lie and bully with complete impunity. A new era in human history!

[Matt Cavanaugh]

Creating a non-profit is quite easy; it's the running of them where people usually screw up. But those A+ basket cases couldn't navigate their way out of a paper bag, so their adventures setting up alplus.org should make for lusty lulz.