Rusted Pickup at the Senior Prom

I sort of keep this to myself, mostly, but I can’t tell you how often I look around at my fellow bloggers here on FreethoughtBlogs and wonder “What the hell am I doing here? What have I ever done to deserve  to be in this company?”

I even felt some of it at Reason Rally, as I watched person after person stand on the podium and say (or sing) fantastic things. When I walked around the corner that morning and first saw the Rally, I threw up my arms and said “My People!” I even know some of the people who spoke; I co-blog with a couple of them. But there were still moments when I felt unworthy. As if I hadn’t done enough  to deserve to be there. Continue reading “Rusted Pickup at the Senior Prom”

Reason Rally: Mainstream Media Blackout?

I’m collecting a list of major news media outlets that have not (so far) covered the Reason Rally. I’ve checked a few of them; if you find others, I’d appreciate knowing, so I can add them to the list. (There’s a list at the bottom for the news sites that DID cover the event, even if negatively.)

The point of this is twofold. In reverse order:

Second, to make the point that, all the times Christians cry about being discriminated against, the real story is exactly the opposite. Christian thought and action gets automatic coverage, automatic benefit of the doubt, and freethinkers have to fight for every scrap of progress. Continue reading “Reason Rally: Mainstream Media Blackout?”

Greta Christina has a new book!

What Ed said.

And DarkSyde.

And Greg Laden.

And Greta herself!

Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless, by Greta Christina, is out on Kindle!

Greta will also be publishing the Nook and Smashmouth versions in the near-future (think hours). The physical edition will be out in April.

There is a very good reason why every time I go to type (fellow FtB blogger) Greta Christina’s name, my fingers first insist on typing, instead of “Greta,”  “GREAT.”

I kid you not, this is something you’re gonna want to BUY and READ.

Oh, Kid, I Wish You The Best …

… I just wish your name was anything but “Palin.”

Because the spotlight that shines on you — because of your name — is the same one that shines on two-headed kittens, and Jessica Simpson. The spotlight that says “Oh, look, all you people sitting there with really nothing better to do, and no mind to figure out what you might be doing, here’s something SUUWEEET!!!!”

Bristol Palin is now a blogger.

Yes, THAT Bristol Palin. Continue reading “Oh, Kid, I Wish You The Best …”

A Study in Conflict Between Island Cultures

It doesn’t get much play in the publicly-available cultural anthropology literature, but there’s an island in the Pacific where an interesting conflict has played out over generations.

The island, which has an untranslatable name – generally rendered in English as  “Ryeezahn” –  is occupied by two tribes, the Kritsi and the Syenz, which have been at war for generations, a war temporarily restrained in an uneasy peace.

The root of the conflict, as visiting anthropologists have documented, is unequal resource distribution brought on by a drastic inequality in living space. The size of the Syenz territory is more than 20 times that of the Kritsi.   Continue reading “A Study in Conflict Between Island Cultures”