Author Archives: Ampersand

Boy Scouts Vote To Admit Gay Boys, But Not Adults

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Ampersand

Ron writes: So National Council passed – 62:38 – a resolution stating that a youth who openly proclaims themselves as homosexual cannot be denied membership in a unit solely on that ground. 1) This actually goes beyond “local option”. Regardless … Continue reading →

Link Farm and Open Thread: Stars And Glasses Edition

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Ampersand

If the above video isn’t showing, it’s because the heirs of David Foster Wallace have used a copyright claim to have it taken down. Read more about it, and sign the petition asking them to reconsider, here. Rob Tish at … Continue reading →

Posted in Link farms | 12 Comments

The Media Double Standard Regarding Muslims And/Or Christians

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Ampersand

Scott Alexander: Whenever the media says something negative about Christians, comments and blogs and forums immediately fill up with claims that the media loves picking on Christians and that no one would ever publish a similar story about Muslims for … Continue reading →

Posted in Whatever | 1 Comment

Star Trek: Into Darkness. It’s a White Man’s Universe, Spock.

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Ampersand

I’m seeing a lot about the sexism in Star Trek, Into Darkness. Mostly about the gratuitous scene of Carol Marcus stripping. And I agree, that was annoying and sexist and just plain cheesy and really badly written, to boot. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, Popular (and unpopular) culture | 13 Comments

Non-Consensual Sex Is Evil, Not Non-Conventional Sex

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Ampersand

Public Disgrace is an online pornography series that advertises itself as “women bound, stripped, and punished in public.” It is the creation of a 30-year-old San Francisco–based porn director and dominatrix named Princess Donna Dolore. Princess Donna conceived of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Prostitution, Porn and Sex Work | 61 Comments

Same Sex Marriage Legalized In Delaware, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and France

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Ampersand

Delaware legalizes gay marriage Minnesota governor signs same-sex marriage bill [Rhode Island governor] Chafee signs gay marriage into law French gay marriage law gets constitutional all-clear In all three US states, gay marriage was passed thought the legislature. What I … Continue reading →

Posted in Same-Sex Marriage | 5 Comments

Another Red State Protects Car Dealerships From Competition

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Ampersand

In North Carolina, a senate committee has unanimously passed a law which would prevent Tesla, a manufacturer of high-end electric autos, from selling to any North Carolina resident. The bill still has to pass the full Senate and the House, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like, In the news | 34 Comments

Over a hundred thousand sign petition against Disney’s Merida Makeover

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Ampersand

To celebrate Merida of the Pixar film Brave “officially” joining the Disney Princess line, Disney released some new illustrations of her. In the new illustrations, Merida is even thinner than her already-thin movie version (as Alyssa put it, “what appears … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, Gender and the Body, Popular (and unpopular) culture | 22 Comments

How I’m Voting In The May Oregon Special Election

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Ampersand

Multnomah Education Service District Patrick Lasswell versus Nels Johnson. I voted for Johnson. I read both of the candidates’ official statements (pdf file), and wasn’t all that impressed with what either one wrote. But Lasswell seems to be a sky-is-falling … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections and politics | 37 Comments

The minimum wage and teenagers

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Ampersand

In another thread, JutGory writes: What often gets left out of this discussion are the minimum wage workers who don’t need to pay for rent: unskilled teenagers with no work history. As some have suggested, there are people whose labor … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like | 21 Comments