It was fun last night. PZ was there, Cam and Josh were there, and about thirty other interesting people were there. We bayed for blood, we cooked little children into soup, we tore up holy books, we made plans for world domination. The usual.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
UK: agencies tackling “faith-based abuse” 
Jul 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Progress has been made, but some churches decline “help”; they still abuse children as “witches.”… Read the rest
Ashtiani’s cellmate was there when she was sentenced
Jul 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“She just cried and I didn’t see her without crying until the last day I spent time with her in prison.”… Read the rest
Multiculturalism and its discontents
Jul 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Little boys treating women like sources of contamination; racism; female genital mutilation.… Read the rest
Counterproductive Online Journalism
Jul 27th, 2010 | By Carl AndersIt is said that rejection is just the things you say to yourself everyday, except said by someone else. To a failed writer, this balance of rejection is firmly in the court of the rejecting editors encountered to date at this stage, but the maxim is similar in the world of Web 2.0. Blogs, comments, forums, social networking, it’s the stuff you say in your head, except communicated as text, but the difference is it’s unlikely you would say them to anyone’s face (at least not sober).
However, this caveat is often used to somehow dampen the impact of the internet. It’s just the internet; no one takes it seriously do they? Well, do they? As the print media will … Read the rest
Faith-healing in Oregon
Jul 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Take a look at Alayna Wyland, age 8 months, and the untreated hemangioma over her eye.… Read the rest
The worst thing to be is an Afghan woman
Jul 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Stories abound of young women betrothed as toddlers, exchanged for fighting dogs or to pay debts, beaten and raped by their husbands.… Read the rest
Arundhati Roy the reactionary
Jul 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Roy has chosen to make progress—along with democracy—her bête noire.… Read the rest
Gail Dines on porn and the degradation of women
Jul 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Pornography today is not your father’s Playboy. It’s hard-core, cruel, and brutal.”… Read the rest
Tory MP faces arrest if he refuses to meet women in niqab
Jul 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Lawyers for Liberty told Philip Hollobone his “threat” to refuse to meet constituents wearing the niqab is unlawful.… Read the rest
The horrors of female genital mutilation
Jul 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Up to 2,000 British schoolgirls will suffer FGM during the holidays, but there have been no prosecutions to date.… Read the rest
The picture in Wikileaks docs is bleak
Jul 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The docs sketch a war hamstrung by an Afghan government, police force and army of questionable loyalty and competence.… Read the rest
Wikileaks documents indicate Pakistan aids Taliban
Jul 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Officials say portrait of ISI collaboration with Afghan insurgency is broadly consistent with other classified intelligence.… Read the rest
Tuesday around 6ish
Jul 25th, 2010 4:21 pm | By Ophelia BensonIt seems unlikely that there is anyone in the Seattle area who reads me but doesn’t read Pharyngula, but just in case there is, PZ is in town (in Auburn actually) and we’re going to meet up at the Pike Place Brewery so that Pharyngulites can buy us a beer. Cam and Josh will be there I think. Come along.… Read the rest
Stop that woman!
Jul 25th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Wajiha Al-Huwaidar’s husband gets an automated SMS text message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whenever she leaves the country.… Read the rest
Barbara Forrest on Louisiana Science Education Act
Jul 25th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Louisiana Family Forum wrote the bill, assisted by the Discovery Institute.… Read the rest
No blasphemy for Russia
Jul 25th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Two Russian museum curators were found guilty of “inciting religious hatred” for displaying a painting of Jesus with Mickey Mouse’s head.… Read the rest
Some solid information at last
Jul 25th, 2010 11:52 am | By Ophelia BensonJerry Coyne has done a post on “Tom Johnson” and “Exhibit A” and the mythical rudeness and savagery and tendency to spit and kick of the mythical “New Atheists.”
The upshot is, Exhibit A never happened. It was a story. The guy who played the part of “Tom Johnson” made it up. He has apologized to Jerry via email, and says he will apologize to other people soon.
So that’s that. The “new atheists are evil and Exhibit A may have happened” crowd are wrong, and we can stop arguing about it.
There’s another thing.
… Read the rest“Tom Johnson” (hereafter “TJ”) remains anonymous, though his identity is apparently known by Mooney, Jean Kazez, and others. For a few weeks I have known
Jerry Coyne on “Tom Johnson” and “Exhibit A”
Jul 25th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Actual information at last, from people who actually know. It never happened. The monster spitting atheists don’t exist.… Read the rest
Universities and the fight for reason and capitalism
Jul 24th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A major bank donates millions to universities, conditional on the teaching of Ayn Rand’s novels in special courses extolling capitalism and self-interest.… Read the rest
