All entries by this author

A skeptic does the Dr Phil show *

Jun 2nd, 2012 | Filed by

The show gives the appearance of a serious look at a question, “Do psychic powers really exist?”, but it isn’t one.… Read the rest



Words, actions, or attitudes

Jun 1st, 2012 4:15 pm | By

They’re on the story in the UK, too.

The skeptical community is aflame once again over the issue of sexual harassment following the remarks of JREF president DJ Grothe in response to a 50% reduction in female attendance at TAM 2012.

Remarks remarking that the angry feminazis scared off the women who should be registering for TAM because TAM is totally entitled to those women and the angry feminazis have a hell of a nerve scaring them off.

There is not really room to pretend there is not a real problem with sexism and harassment in our community, as this data from the American Secular Census shows, women are 26% more likely to feel unwelcome, discriminated against, or harmed

Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Wait – that was last year…

Jun 1st, 2012 11:22 am | By

Ok there’s another thing…

I was re-reading Chris Hallquist’s post, trying to figure out what there is about what DJ said that he finds worth agreeing with, and I noticed something I overlooked before. From the much-quoted bit of the comment that DJ posted on more than one blog (two? more than two? I forget) -

Last year we had 40% women attendees, something I’m really happy about. But this year only about 18% of TAM registrants so far are women, a significant and alarming decrease…

Last year was very soon after The Great Eruption (of misogynist bile in response to elevator item). This year is in the wake of The Great Eruption. That could be part of the … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Rick Warren was only joking *

Jun 1st, 2012 | Filed by

When he tweeted “If they’re cute, it’s flirting. If they’re ugly, it’s harassment.” Amen.… Read the rest



Woman sentenced to death by stoning in Sudan *

Jun 1st, 2012 | Filed by

Intisar Sharif Abdalla is being held near Khartoum, shackled in prison with her baby son.… Read the rest



Rebecca explains

Jun 1st, 2012 8:17 am | By

Rebecca Watson explains why she won’t be at TAM this year.

During my visit to Germany last week, I was asked by a conference attendee how I thought we could get more women to attend skeptic and atheist conferences. I gave the answer I nearly always give: when we increase the number of women on stage, we increase the number of women in the audience. As usual, I gave this example: The Amaz!ng Meeting (TAM) run by the James Randi Educational Foundation. I pointed out that when I first started attending (TAM 3), there were very few women on stage and the audience was only about 20% women. I explained that last year (TAM 9) an effort had been

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(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Good bye DOMA

May 31st, 2012 4:48 pm | By

On the other hand!

A  federal appeals court has ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional because it denies equal rights for legally married same-sex couples. Booyah!

Now it will go to the Supreme Court, which will overrule the appeals court. Or not  – I say those things out of settled pessimism about this Supreme Court, but then Rieux comes along to explain why actually the Supremes are quite unlikely to overturn.

Anyway in the meantime – DOMA has been thrown out. Very good.… Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



A disgrace to the good name of Seneca

May 31st, 2012 4:32 pm | By

Curtis Knapp, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Seneca, Kansas, says the government should kill homosexuals. (Whatever happened to small government? What about governs best that governs least? Inquiring minds want to know.) He said it in a sermon.

In the sermon, Knapp cites Scripture to back up his point and said among other things: “They should be put to death. That’s what happened in Israel. That’s why homosexuality wouldn’t have grown in Israel. It tends to limit conversations. It tends to limit people coming out of the closet.

“So, you’re saying we should go out and start killing them? No. I’m saying the government should. They won’t, but they should.”

And why? Oh you know – because … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



At the Café Racer

May 31st, 2012 3:38 pm | By

I went to visit Café Racer this afternoon. I felt a little self-disgust or self-doubt that I wanted to – prurience? Murder porn? What are you doing? – but that went away as soon as I got there, and I’m glad I went. I now think one should make a point of visiting murder scenes.

There were a lot of people there. There were a lot of flowers, and a lot of lit candles. There was a slightly goddy message painted on the window, but not too bad, and anyway, none of my biz. It was very, very, very quiet. It was a mourning ritual. Nothing prurient about it.

One woman knelt down on the sidewalk and put two wine … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Irresponsible messaging

May 31st, 2012 12:22 pm | By

So yesterday D. J. Grothe was worried about women not registering for TAM. He said people have been emailing him with wild claims such as “JREF is purported to condone child-sex-trafficking” along with other less wild claims. He thinks the source of this is

irresponsible messaging coming from a small number of prominent and well-meaning women skeptics who, in trying to help correct real problems of sexism in skepticism, actually and rather clumsily themselves help create a climate where women — who otherwise wouldn’t — end up feeling unwelcome and unsafe, and I find that unfortunate.

I think the source of at least claims like ”JREF is purported to condone child-sex-trafficking” are much more likely to come from sock puppets … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Dolan authorized payments to rapist priests *

May 31st, 2012 | Filed by

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of NY authorized payments of up to $20k to sexually abusive priests as an incentive to leave priesthood when he was archbish of Milwaukee.… Read the rest



Tarek Fatah and Irshad Manji talk about multiculturalism *

May 31st, 2012 | Filed by

The two authors discuss culture and racism, what values Western society has allowed for modern society, and the practice of democracy.… Read the rest



Shooting the messenger

May 30th, 2012 6:11 pm | By

So DJ Grothe says the women who are talking about sexism among the skeptics are scaring away women.

…this year only about 18% of TAM registrants so far are women, a significant and alarming decrease, and judging from dozens of emails we have received from women on our lists, this may be due to the messaging that some women receive from various quarters that going to TAM or other similar conferences means they will be accosted or harassed…I think this misinformation results from irresponsible messaging coming from a small number of prominent and well-meaning women skeptics who, in trying to help correct real problems of sexism in skepticism, actually and rather clumsily themselves help create a climate where women —

Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Homicide: life in Seattle

May 30th, 2012 3:15 pm | By

Holy shit.

I just walked into the aftermath of a mass shooting.

I took the dog for a frolic in a park, as is my wont, and on this occasion we chose little Ravenna park, on the northern edge of the University District.

(We didn’t frolic in that kind of fragile area, but in a flat grassy area at the top of the ravine.)

I drove up pretty Ravenna Boulevard toward Green Lake to take the scenic route home, but was stymied by a big roadblock full of people and cop cars and tv trucks with the huge towers. Wussup, I thought, and seeing people wandering around, I parked and let the dog out and wandered around myself. I thought … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Do you at least agree with the principle?

May 30th, 2012 2:55 pm | By

Guest post by Daniel Fincke of Camels With Hammers, replying to a comment on It was a joke, huh huh huh.

May 30, 2012 at 6:49 am  (Edit)

1. It’s not okay to assume that any woman (or non-woman) is at a conference to be your plaything.

(I fail to see such an assumption)

First: this is a general principle Ophelia is laying down. Do you at least agree with the principle?

Second, let’s not get distracted by the semantics of whether literally the couple just looked at Elyse and said, “wow, is that a talking sex doll here at the conference simply for our amusement?? Holy crap, I think it is! Let’s go give her our card … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



The girls complained of headaches, dizziness and vomiting

May 30th, 2012 10:29 am | By

And another thing that’s actually like the actual Taliban. Poisoning 160 schoolgirls in their school is more like the Taliban than a policy against “booth babes” at atheist and skeptic conventions is. Much more.

Don’t go thinking you already know about this, as I did when I first saw it, because this isn’t that one, this is a new one. That’s right: this is a second poisoning of schoolgirls in their school in Afghanistan.

A hospital in northern Afghanistan admitted 160 schoolgirls Tuesday after they were poisoned, a Takhar province police official said.

Their classrooms might have been sprayed with a toxic material before the girls entered, police spokesman Khalilullah Aseer said. He blamed the Taliban.

The incident, the second

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(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



160 girls poisoned at Afghan school *

May 30th, 2012 | Filed by

Last week, more than 120 girls and three teachers were admitted to a hospital after a similar suspected poisoning.… Read the rest



Witch-hunts: The darkness that won’t go away *

May 30th, 2012 | Filed by

Children who are accused of being witches by their families are often chased out of their homes. These abandoned children can fall prey to child trafficking and abuse.… Read the rest



The angel Jibril speaks *

May 30th, 2012 | Filed by

And Jesus doesn’t get to choose what’s for dinner.… Read the rest



Sentenced to death for singing and dancing at a wedding *

May 30th, 2012 | Filed by

“The local clerics issued a decree to kill all four women and two men shown in  the video,” district police officer Abdul Majeed Afridi said.… Read the rest