So Douchebag Prager wrote “Part 2.” Hard as I’m trying not to contemplate him in even the remotest sexual fashion, I can’t help but wonder: is he really as terrible in the sack as this article makes him sound..? (Can anyone be? And if someone was, should he really be making it so publicly clear as this..?) Jesse’s blog on this is hilarious and definitely hits all the fine points, happily saving me from having to generate a detailed analysis of something that is genuinely grossing me out. Yep, it’s even worse than “Part 1″ was.
Disgust Wins.
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008This Christmas, why not give the gift of cultural imperialism?
Monday, December 29th, 2008
This was at Whole Foods.
Quoth someone who works there and shall remain nameless: “What the fuck? They put those out? I hid them in the back of the store room. I should have just thrown them away.”
Watching “Religulous” Over The Holidays: Part Two
Saturday, December 27th, 2008
“Cathedral,” live, by Crosby, Stills and Nash. I first heard it as a little girl–my dad loved this song. It seems appropos.
As I said in Part One, while I enjoyed the movie, I didn’t find that it rocked my world in a significant way for the most part. However, there were two statements that Bill Maher made, both near the end of the movie, that did perk up my “thought-inducing” antennae.
ONLY MILD SPOILERS BELOW THE FOLD.
Watching “Religulous” Over the Holidays: Part One
Friday, December 26th, 2008
We spent most of the past week in Atlantic City; sadly, though, as hard as one might try, one cannot spend every waking moment at the poker table–so, at around 3 am on Tuesday night, we headed back to our room to flip through the casino hotel’s pay-per-view channels. To our surprise (and mild delight) they were offering Religulous, Bill Maher’s recently released mockumentary on religion.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW THE FOLD
Color Me Completely Unsurprised
Friday, December 26th, 2008The Raving Atheist has decided to convert to Christinity. I think it was Amanda of Pandagon who called it a few years back, so she should give herself a cookie.
This is actually not terribly surprising to me, but a little discomforting. When I was a new atheist, and new to the blogsphere, the Raving Atheist was the first place that I found someone saying what was percolating in my brain. I soon found much better blogs; Daylight Atheism, Pharyngula, and Letters from a Broad, but I had a soft spot for Raving Atheist who sometimes could really make me laugh.
Then he started getting a little…off. Started talking more and more about atheists being to strident, and making apologies for some of his other posts. Started saying that atheists needed to be quiet; and that Christianity was still how people should act, even if they don’t believe in it. Stuff I didn’t agree with, but hey, there isn’t anyone I agree with 100% on the internet. But, it started getting a little repetitive, and I started checking every other day instead of every day.
Then, however, he started talking about how abortion was immoral, and trying to come up with non-theistic reason. When it started to boil down to “I wouldn’t wanted to have been aborted” and that women’s right to personal autonomy was just not as important as someone’s existential crisis was when I stopped going. I kept loose tabs on him; generally on Pandagon or at Shakesville when he said something incredibly insulting to women, or if he wrote something that didn’t resemble logic at all.
But, it seemed almost a matter of time for him to become Christian. He just seemed too enamored with a certain sort of Christianity that had guys on top, or and a built-in justification for his misgynony.
Oh well; I hope he’ll be happy in his new beliefs.
When Pity Is Warring With Disgust
Thursday, December 25th, 2008First of all, I would like to say that I don’t read Townhall. The only reason I even knew this article existed was because Jesse at Pandagon blogged about it. I may even leave a nastygram on his Facebook page in revenge, because this is about the most pathetic, icky article disguised as a holiday concern ooze that I have read all month.
Yes Man; Some Thoughts
Monday, December 22nd, 2008I watched the movie “Yes Man” last night, starring Jim Carrey. The story, for those who aren’t familiar, is about a man, Carl, who has been closed off and has purposely isolated himself from his friends and work ever since his wife Stephanie, divorced him. He blows of his friends, he is extremely conservative at work (he works as a loan officer in at a bank) and doesn’t go to any of the parties his boss throws. Then one day, an old friend shows up to him and tells him that his life would be a lot better if he comes to this “Yes” seminar.
At first, Carl is resistant to going, but after he misses his best friend’s engagement party, he realizes that he needs to start making some serious changes in his life. At the seminar, he is convinced into making a “covenant with himself” where he promises to say “Yes” to everything. He is warned that the universe would punish him if he said no to anything, but he’d find out then when he said “yes” to things, good things happened.
(Mild Spoilers After the Fold, but really, not anything you couldn’t have seen in the previews)
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A Cheery Hanukkah Present.
Monday, December 22nd, 2008A survivor of sexual abuse is suing the Vatican, and two courts in the U.S. are considering hearing the case.
“I was not truly mad at the right person,” he says. “I kept going up a ladder, and I was looking at cardinals and even the Pope knew, you know, that this was this bad. That’s what truly upset me.”
Now Turner is in court again — suing the Vatican.— Abuse Victims Seek Court Date
Apparently, it’s remarkable that the Vatican might be held to account for its systemic concealment of sexual abusers. Which rather highlights the utter stupidity of giving an already large and powerful religion its own country to play with. Let’s start with this fucked up, patriarchal institution with enormous wealth, resources, and devotees so brainwashed so as to make most generals salivate. Then, let’s give it sovereign immunity and treat it as an equal amongst nations. That’s going to work great.
It’s almost enough to make you think that all the Zionist conspiracy theories floating around are ultimately encouraged by the Church, to keep people from delving too deeply into what, exactly, all those funny old men in point hats are doing.
The Tightrope of Politics
Friday, December 19th, 2008I have very strong beliefs about politics. I am a feminist, progressive, for homosexual rights, and for minority rights. I try to live up to these beliefs as much as I can (though I’m not perfect at it).
Part of having these beliefs, I think, is standing up to people when they are degenerating people based on characteristics like race, sex, gender orientation or when they are misrepresenting people’s beliefs. Unfortunately, this means a good deal of the time my interpersonal relationships can be strained, or have many tense moments. This is also compounded by my not great ability to “pick my battles”.
I know that calling people on stuff is effective. My friends may make fun of me all the time for being a “liberal hippie” and occasionally say things only to get a rise out of me…but, they don’t use the word “gay” as a serious insult. And I once heard one of them tell someone else off for using it as an insult. And now they’re starting to see all the things that I keep babbling about women’s rights: how women get looked at and called at in public, how it’s expected that women do the clean-up and set-up at mixed gender events, how very few women there are in movies, and how they have even fewer “roles” to play in.
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Priceless
Friday, December 19th, 2008Those of you who peruse Pharyngula are doubtless already familiar with this episode; for those of you who are not, from PZ a few weeks ago:
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and the Creation Museum have made a joint marketing agreement and are selling “combo tickets” to get into both attractions for one price.
The Cincinnati Zoo is promoting an anti-science, anti-education con job run by ignorant creationists.
Unbelievable.
I believe the Cincinnati Zoo has betrayed its mission and its trust in a disgraceful way, by aligning themselves with a creationist institution that is a laughing stock to the rest of the world, and a mark of shame to the United States. I urge everyone to contact the zoo; write to their education and marketing and public relations departments in particular and point out the conflict between what they are doing and what their goal as an educational and research institution ought to be.
While you’re at it, it might be even more effective to contact the newsroom at the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Cincinnati weekly, City Beat. Let’s raise a stink and give these guys the bad PR they deserve.
The zoo did end up withdrawing their “combo ticket” offer, much to the anger and dismay of a certain subsection of upstanding American citizens, who have promptly written to inform PZ of their massive displeasure. It’s great readin’. 
Check out the priceless gems below!
You ought to be ashamed of yourself forcing your religion on others this is a free country and it should not happen. If your religion is so faultless and absolutely correct then debate with a professional from a creationalist Mr. Morris. Scientist thought the universe revolved around the earth about 1000 years ago,they thought the earth was flat 500 years ago and 200 years ago man couldn’t fly so as we progress we find science is very fallible. So as long as people like you think you are an infallible god and socialism is the way you chose to deal with unproven fact there are always people that won’t and can’t believe another false religion.
Let’s see. PZ is an atheist, socialism isn’t a religion, and what exactly is an “unproven fact?”
This nation is going crazy with left wing attacks on traditional America and the Christian principles on which it was founded (not the revisionist historian separation of church/state myth).
Always good to know that the separation of church and state as one of America’s founding principles is just a nasty, left wing myth!
Evolution is used now as a tool to promote the vulgar and disgusting homosexual movement that has recently become violent.
Vulgar AND disgusting! And how come I missed out on the news reports about the recent upsurge in heterosexual beatings at the hands of gangs of roving homosexuals? Maybe the writer’s getting confused by stories like this one–homosexuals, homophobes; they ARE very similar-looking words, I have to admit.
I just found out that you were one of the main reasons that the Cincinnati Zoo cancelled its partnership with the nearby Creation Museum. How dare you!!! And you should be ashamed of yourself, but since you are obviously an intolerant, left wing liberal, I can probably count on the fact you have no conscience, at least not one that would make you ashamed of something like this…You spout your speech about how people should be tolerant of others. Of course what you mean by this is that Christians should be tolerant. Well, sir (and I use that term extremely loosely), Christians are probably the most tolerant people on the planet. If we weren’t, and if we spoke up more, then asinine liberals like yourself wouldn’t be trashing this once great country…And I hope you have the courage to answer this e-mail, but then again I’m sure you don’t. You, just like so many other pea-brained, pinheaded liberals I know, just want to make your stupid little comments then go into hiding and not take any responsibility for what you say or do…Your actions have proven that you are..a pseudo-intellectual snob.
A veritable model of Christian tolerance!
Come on, I’m trying to escape from reality here…
Thursday, December 18th, 2008From the Blizzard forums, a plaintive little note:
Dear Blizzard,
I would like to complain. I got some new armor for my blood elf and I put it on, and then I put on my new chestpiece. When combined with my pants…I look like a stripper or like I belong on a corner rather than fighting for the Horde.
These aren’t contrived to make it look worse…Also, look at my armory and you will see that the pants and chest are close to my level.
Is it possible to maybe a get a review on at least the chest piece? I am not sure how this is supposed to protect me from anything.
The Daytrader Economy
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008C’mon Americans, the Fed dropped its rate to .25%! Let’s all ogle the stock market while it wanks off to this latest move that’s sure to be as awesomely effective as every other adorable widdle wate cut.
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