A chance for Putin to paint his opponents as obscene, disrespectful, rabble-rousing liberal urbanites backed by the West.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Pussy Riot sentenced to two years in prison
Aug 17th, 2012 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“The girls’ actions were sacrilegious, blasphemous and broke the church’s
rules,” Judge Marina Syrova told the court.… Read the rest
Seven years and seven minutes
Aug 16th, 2012 5:14 pm | By Ophelia BensonOne of the 3000 creators of Curiosity Mars Rover, who spent seven years working on it, put together a video about that night. “Touchdown confirmed, we’re safe on Mars.”
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
No Gynopolis after all
Aug 16th, 2012 4:50 pm | By Ophelia BensonCorrection time. Al Arabiya says the “Saudis planning to build a city for women only” was a dud. Says it ain’t true.
Mind you, the real story isn’t very attractive either – the city will be for men and women but there will be lots of segregated facilities, so women will have more job opportunities.
Still separate but equal, in other words. Good that they don’t actually have to go live in WomenOnlyWorld in order to have a job, but bad that they have to work there, since separate is not equal.
… Read the restIt all started with a press release by MODON, the Saudi Industrial Property Authority. The title of this press release reads: “’MODON’ begins Planning and Development for
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Trolls call me things
Aug 16th, 2012 2:48 pm | By Ophelia BensonSomeone that calls itself @ikonographer and describes itself as
atheist. provacateur. all around asshole. (get it? ‘all a round’ asshole). Hey, fuck you, I’ve seen square ones. not pretty.
Someone I don’t know, by the way; someone I’m not aware of ever having had any interaction with, tweeted me
@opheliabenson i always figured you didn’t have scruples. hard to do if you’re not really human. don’t bother. blocked bitch.
People are strange. Strange strange strange strange.
(I know. This is “drama.” Yes, no doubt, but it’s also political. Because it’s political, we have to talk about it. Drama or no drama.)… Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
“Almost comatose” woman forcibly married
Aug 16th, 2012 | Filed by Ophelia BensonJudge says the forced marriage of a Bangladeshi woman with learning difficulties should be annulled.… Read the rest
An unequivocal evil
Aug 16th, 2012 12:28 pm | By Ophelia BensonRaymond Tallis in the next issue of The New Humanist makes the case for assisted dying.
The case for a law to legalise the choice of physician-assisted dying for mentally competent people with terminal illness, who have expressed a settled wish to die, is very easily stated. Unbearable suffering, prolonged by medical care, and inflicted on a dying patient against their will, is an unequivocal evil. What’s more, the right to have your choices supported by others, to determine your own best interest, when you are of sound mind, is sovereign. And this is accepted by a steady 80-plus per cent of the UK population in successive surveys.
But the UK population still can’t have it, because god. But … Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Raymond Tallis on the case for assisted dying
Aug 16th, 2012 | Filed by Ophelia BensonUnbearable suffering, prolonged by medical care, and inflicted on a dying patient against their will, is an unequivocal evil.… Read the rest
UK: action plan on child abuse linked to witchcraft
Aug 16th, 2012 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“We must never forget this is about child cruelty not culture and we cannot afford to wait until another child is murdered before decisive action is taken.”… Read the rest
You’re back!
Aug 16th, 2012 10:11 am | By Ophelia BensonAwwww department. Two gorilla brothers are re-united after the older one, silverback Kesho, had been taken away for stud duties. The Beeb has a slide show. Awww. Those faces they’re making – those are “play-faces.” The lips cover the teeth.
Awww.
H/t Bernard Hurley… Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
A city in a ditch
Aug 15th, 2012 5:48 pm | By Ophelia BensonTaslima’s very pissed off at Saudi Arabia, and rightly so. It’s planning to build women-only cities, Caroline Davies reports.
A women-only industrial city dedicated to female workers is to be constructed in Saudi Arabia to provide a working environment that is in line with the kingdom’s strict customs.
The city, to be built in the Eastern Province city of Hofuf, is set to be the first of several planned for the Gulf kingdom. The aim is to allow more women to work and achieve greater financial independence, but to maintain the gender segregation, according to reports.
Sweet and thoughtful, isn’t it.
Homa Khaleeli doesn’t think so.
… Read the restThe female half of the adult population of Saudi Arabia is
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
On ‘A Plea in Law for Equal Marriage’
Aug 15th, 2012 3:41 pm | By Ophelia BensonHelen Dale won the 2012 Law Society of Scotland Essay Award for a piece entitled ‘A Plea in Law for Equal Marriage’. The Journal of the Law Society of Scotland has published that piece.
Helen explains at Skepticlawyer why she wrote the piece. It’s because the arguments in play were crap.
… Read the restI suspect that this is why the arguments both groups used (and continue to use, alas) were very, very bad.
Now, I agreed with the LGBT ‘side’; that’s why I wrote the essay I did. But their arguments were crap. And the Catholic Church’s were similarly awful. Sometimes it really is a case of ‘play to your strengths’, lads (even when the batsman in question, like Kevin Pietersen,
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
To combat a nefarious “other”
Aug 15th, 2012 11:43 am | By Ophelia BensonPaul Fidalgo has a great contribution to Amy’s series. (That’s Amy Davis Roth, Surlyramics Amy. Just in case you’ve forgotten.)
There’s this movement, the skeptical/atheist movement. Why are we in it? Various reasons.
Some are moved by social justice and civil rights, some by a devotion to reality and truth, some who simply want a community of intelligent, creative folks, and of course there will be some who want a faction to join in order to combat a nefarious “other.”
Ah yes that nefarious other. I try to make the nefarious other be a thing rather than a set of people, but do I always succeed? Of course not.
… Read the restBut for some folks, that kind of factioning isn’t enough. It
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
A one-way trip to hell and that lifelong bunsen burner
Aug 15th, 2012 10:29 am | By Ophelia BensonThe Heresy Club is great value, as you probably know.
Siana Bangura has a great post on “Black Atheism and why it’s something to talk about.”
… Read the restFor me, the biggest battle I face is dealing with the confusion and pity that my lack of belief often stirs in some. I remember an episode at school one lunchtime when I was surrounded by ‘The God Squad’ who chanted and prayed *AT* me with their Bibles and Rosary Beads. They said my ‘soul’ needed ‘saving’ and that I was on a one-way trip to hell and that lifelong bunsen burner if I didn’t ‘repent’. It was truly terrifying and also extremely laughable all at once. They simply didn’t understand me. I didn’t
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Underwear on toast
Aug 15th, 2012 10:11 am | By Ophelia BensonAmerican Atheists is putting up two billboards for the presidential nominating conventions.
c
[Courtesy of American Atheists]
God the space alien in magic Mormon underwear. Jesus on toast.… Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Atheist billboards target candidates’ religions
Aug 15th, 2012 | Filed by Ophelia BensonYou get Romney’s god as a space alien in magic underwear, and Obama’s sadistic god who promotes hate and calls it love.… Read the rest
Somalia: new constitution bans FGM
Aug 15th, 2012 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe provisional constitution says FGM is “a cruel and degrading customary practice, and is tantamount to torture. The circumcision of girls is prohibited.”… Read the rest
Make us do the math
Aug 14th, 2012 | Filed by Ophelia BensonJennifer Ouellette says why just giving up on teaching algebra is a very bad (and anti-democratic) idea.… Read the rest
Turkey: violence leading cause of death for women 15-44
Aug 14th, 2012 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe number of women between 15 and 44 who lose their lives to gender-based violence outstrips deaths due to traffic accidents, malaria, cancer and war… Read the rest
Parents who believe in miracles ‘torturing’ dying children
Aug 14th, 2012 | Filed by Ophelia BensonParents who trust in divine intervention, even after doctors say there is no hope of survival, put their children through aggressive but futile treatments, they said.… Read the rest