Trolls

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29
--In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or --off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, --chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into a --desired emotional response[1] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic --discussion.
--A concern troll is a false flag pseudonym created by a user whose actual point of --view is opposed to the one that the user claims to hold. The concern troll posts --in web forums devoted to its declared point of view and attempts to sway the --group's actions or opinions while claiming to share their goals, but with --professed "concerns". The goal is to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt within the --group.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=troll
--1b. Noun
--A person who, on a message forum of some type, attacks and flames other members --of the forum for any of a number of reasons such as rank, previous disagreements, --sex, status, ect.
--A troll usually flames threads without staying on topic, unlike a "Flamer" who --flames a thread because he/she disagrees with the content of the thread.

Other troll activities are frequent erasing of posts, "offence" trolling (claiming offence for others or topics for no reason other than causing disruption), and claiming to be the aggrieved party when in fact they were the very cause of their own being considered a troll.
Offence trolls often make their grand displays of being offended on behalf of other people or groups, generally ignoring any behaviour exhibited by those people or groups that is as bad or worse than those whom they take offence to. Quite often, they then turn around and claim to be misunderstood or "only" trying to rectify some wrong.
Very often, a user will set up a troll acct in order to have someone to be offended on behalf of. This person makes off-topic, rude, demeaning, and nonsense posts as a form of catharsis or simply to "let their hair down." This generally leads to the troll acct being insulted or people calling for others to not feed the troll which allows the other acct to step in and protest the terrible actions of others. I tend to agree with some that the troll acct shows signs of mental illness, but whether or not it has one is not something that is able to be diagnosed and people shouldn't have to post on eggshells "just in case."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twat
--Although sometimes used as a reference to the female genitalia, the word twat is --more often used in various other ways:
-- * As a derogatory insult, a pejorative meaning a fool, synonymous with the word --twit - 'You are a real twat and a half' (often used in the UK)

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=twat
--1) A derogatory term for a person whose behaviour is considered to be extremely --or intolerably ignorant, obnoxious, offensive or moronic.
--1.A vagina
--2.A cretinous person
--3.To strike someone(this definition is almost certainly of Northern English --origin)

I like the word twat when dealing with misogynists. It works well because it not only means "fool" or "moron," but comparing a misogynist to any aspect of a woman is generally a good way to make them shut up and/or provide further evidence of their bigotry.
Just because YOU only use a word for it's most negative aspect, does not mean that everyone else does. Getting your own mind out of the gutter is a good place to start learning how to use language effectively and to recognise that your own base word usage is quite likely not what others intended.


I say this all because it is germane elsewhere at the moment. Two days ago I called someone a troll and a twat for some very demeaning and misogynistic statements, statements in a VERY long line of them I might add. This called another troll onto me and I've been undergoing constant trolling at the website since.
The frustrating part really comes about when others come in late to an argument or instance of trolling, after 20+ of the troll posts have been deleted by the troll, and then suggest that I have no right to defend myself or even blame me. This particular troll has done this for months.
Not long ago this trolls trick was swearing at someone, deleting the post, and then quoting the post as if I were the one that did the swearing. Everyone remembers seeing the notification and the words, but since it was deleted everyone simply assumes that the lying troll wasn't lying about who said it.
Then there was the ploy where he would post, delete the post, and then scream that I had deleted his posts.
Then there was the time that he was so vulgar and out of line that the site moderators felt the need to send him a warning message. The blame is still put on to others of course, even to the point of claiming that I had also been warned when I hadn't.

The best advice against trolls is ALWAYS to ignore them, but at times that means every post or reply you make will be followed by the troll and it is just easier to quit altogether. For this I suggest taking a break from the site in question. Sadly, most will take this as a sign that the troll was correct, but in the long run it won't matter.

It is always VERY nice to see that at least one person recognises what is going on AND says so.

Non literal literalists

It is something odd that one notices after a short time of associating or arguing with fundamentalists and literalists; the oppositions ability to apply literal interpretations to some parts of the bible and yet ignore the parts that are actually commands.

I know numerous fundies, some of them work in the healthcare industry. How do they reconcile the fact that the bible states demon possession and lack of faith are the cause of disease? They deny science and it's theories that are proven out time and again while claiming that the bible is inerrant, yet their jobs require them to use scientific equipment and they apply germ theory to successfully cure the patients. No credible nurse or healthcare professional says that "germ theory is only a theory." Yet they do say this about evolution, even though evolution is a conclusive theory that has allowed healthcare to be what it is today. Why is this?

I think that it derives from the general lack of rational thought and scepticism.

The obviously allegorical creation myth is held up as a truth by people that desire an absolute truth. What these people fail to recognise is that there are NO absolute truths. Often, they even recognise that the book which they like to claim as an absolute truth, isn't. The belief that the Earth is held up on four pillars or that the sky is some form of material (aether) in which the stars are "placed" into for our edification are also in the bible, yet these are dismissed by most of those that claim Genesis is the "word of god."

Another popular claim is one that marginalises an important and worthwhile segment of society, homosexuals. The most often heard claim is that the bible calls the act an "abomination." There are other abominations in the bible, however; rare indeed is the fundamentalist christian that abstains from pork or shellfish.
Some abominations that christians enjoy and pretend that jesus allowed:

-Wearing anything that is considered men's clothing or accessory. No wristwatches, pants, or short sleeved t-shirts are allowed to be worn by women.
Deuteronomy 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

-No dogs, prostitutes, or gays are allowed in church. This gives lie to the "love the sinner" catchphrase.
Deuteronomy 23:17 There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
23:18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

-Eating shellfish is an abomination, and so is pork.
Leviticus 11:7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. (11:7) "The swine ... is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch."
11:8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
11:9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
11:10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:
11:11 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.
11:12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
-Killing something for god that has a birthmark. This might seem to be inconsequential, but there are people that still do this and many people "bless" the meat, taking no care that the meat is free of markings.
Deutoronomy 17:1 Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

These people also like to push for public prayer even though jesus expressly ordered that private prayer is good but public prayer is exceedingly bad and hypocritical.
Matthew 6:5-6 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

They like to promote the gaining of wealth as a christian value, when actually christ commands them to relinquish all wealth and to become vagrant.
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
6:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
6:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.


So for all of you fundamentalists and literalists:
When you begin living day to day with no thought of tomorrow, when you actually obey the laws of the book you preach, when you stop forcing your prayer on others, when you dress according to scripture, when you obey ALL of the rules; then you can start demanding that society at large recognise some point you'd like to make. The point will still be wrong, but at least you won't be inviting us to call you a hypocrite when you do so.

Daylight Savings changeover again...

I really dislike changing my clocks twice per year. I've yet to be convinced that there is even a need for it. Various groups insist that it saves lives and energy while various others insist that it does the opposite. Since it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon, I suppose it is pointless to complain... but complain I shall anyway.

NAI Workshop Without Walls on Molecular Paleontology and Resurrection: Rewinding the Tape of Life

The Workshop Without Walls on November 8-10, 2010 will be conducted with NAI collaborative tools, shown in use by scientists in the above images


A three-day workshop using NAI remote communications tools will be held on November 8, 9 & 10, 2010. Participants will discuss ‘top down’ origin of life research, which will ultimately allow us to rewind the evolutionary record of biochemical processes and assemblies.

Organized by John Peters and Loren Williams, PIs of the NAI’s Montana State University and Georgia Tech teams, a primary goal of the workshop is to foster new interdisciplinary collaborations across the community.

Session topics will include

* Phylogenetic Studies on Key Enzymes Involved in Information Pathways and Metabolism
* The Evolutionary History of Protein Synthesis
* Minerals to Enzymes – Bridging the Gap Between Metal Based Abiotic and Biological Chemistry
* Phylogenetic Reconstruction/Resurrection – A Glimpse into Extinct Biochemistry
* What can Modern Biological Energy Transformation Systems Tell Us About Conditions on the Early Earth?
* Linking the Evolutionary Record to the Geological Record

The workshop will consist of talks and discussion. Each presentation will allow ample time for questions and answers afterwards. Although talks will be recorded and posted online, we encourage researchers to attend in real time to engage in what we expect will be a lively exchange of ideas during the workshop.

This will be the second Workshop Without Walls organized by NAI scientists. As with the first workshop, we will be experimenting with best use of the virtual communications capabilities of NAI. The workshop is open to the worldwide science community and will be accessible via internet browser—no special software or equipment is required. Once again we look forward to a productive conference with a low carbon footprint and without registration fees, the hassle of travel, and time away from family.

Workshop Organizing Committee

* Betul Kacar Arslan (Georgia Tech, betul@gatech.edu)
* Eric Boyd (Montana State University, eboyd@montana.edu)
* John Peters (Montana State University, john.peters@chemistry.montana.edu)
* Loren Williams (Georgia Tech, loren.williams@chemistry.gatech.edu)

Agenda

Click here to view the agenda
http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/ool-www/program

To accommodate all US time zones, the workshop will run from 1pm-5pm EST each day.

Please, everyone who is straight, consider this project.

http://weareallies.tumblr.com/


WeAreAllies: Be the anti-bully, Be an ALLY

People with love in their hearts for the GLBT community- enough with the bullies, this is a place where you can meet your allies.

If you consider yourself an ally, please submit your post (video or written) to weareallies@gmail.com or click "Declare Yourself An Ally" in the header section of the blog, then scroll down for the submission form. You will be notified when your post is up on our site. Please let us know if we can publish your name, age, geographic location; be sure to include that information if you want it to be published. We claim all rights to your submission once we have posted it.

If you are seeking more support please visit http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

DADT is back! Thnx Obummer!

So Obama did direct his lawyers to protest the perfectly legal and thoughtful judges ruling that momentarily cast DADT into the wastebin of bad laws built on bigotry. Along with the 3/5 rule, Jim Crow, Separate but Equal, etc., DADT could have collected dust with other laws that do nothing but marginalise important segments of our society.

A primary argument seems to be that the judge overstepped his bounds or that congress needs to remove the law. TRIPE! It is well within (and even describes) the judges JOB of measuring the constitutionality of laws to prevent the trampling of the minority by the majority or by political idiocies. Of course, Obama wants a few bigots to vote for his party, so he's selling out the LGBT community.

Just to add a little more insult, there is the "too much, too soon" crowd.
"Military officers have argued that if the change is made too quickly, it will place the military on a collision course with federal statutes. Families and spouses of soldiers have access to benefits like housing, health care and education through marriage, which the federal government does not recognize for same-sex couples."

OH NOES!
The government may have to allow other measures of equality if they allow this one! Quick! Run for the hills! Gay people might be full citizens soon!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/us/21recruit.html?ref=us

NO ATHEISTS IN [CHILEAN] MINES

Bill Donahue
October 15, 2010
The miraculous rescue of all 33 Chilean miners is difficult to understand from a purely secular perspective. In this day and age of militant atheism, coupled with relentless assaults on Roman Catholicism, it is refreshing to read about the central role that Catholicism played in helping these courageous men survive, and of their enormous gratitude to God.
To those who cling to the superstition that there is no meaning to life beyond sheer material existence, we ask them to reflect on the following testimonials. Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, there are no atheists in trapped mines.
http://www.catholicleague.org/release.php?id=2005
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This twaddle is so ridiculous that it barely deserves recognition, but it mentions a couple incredibly common misconceptions that I'll take a few minutes to address. Funnily enough, the entire piece is one misconception trailed by another. From any other source I would be upset or indignant, but one does not expect Donahue to think before typing. I'm fairly certain that his next reasoned thought will be his first.

a) "The miraculous rescue of all 33 Chilean miners is difficult to understand from a purely secular perspective."

I'm not entirely certain what miraculous event occurred during the rescue. I know that I saw equipment and men, I know that many serious calculations were being done for weeks, and I witnessed a government step in and work hard to get these men out alive. Perhaps I missed something, but I'm not sure that christ was the one drilling the rescue tunnel or passing down food, water, and cots.

And just what was the "secular perspective?" Humans worked hard to save humans. No religious perspective needed.

b) "In this day and age of militant atheism, coupled with relentless assaults on Roman Catholicism, it is refreshing to read about the central role that Catholicism played in helping these courageous men survive, and of their enormous gratitude to God."

I love the term militant atheist. It is one of those few terms that shows, up front and immediately, just how ignorant and often false the next words will be. Relentless assaults? I think those have been done BY the church, not to it. This lying, disingenuous pope and the culture of paedophile protection that he supported and enforced before he became pope is why the church is facing criticism, and rightly so. The murders of millions of Africans by forbidding condoms, or withholding aid unless the government stood with them on the topic, is why the church is facing criticism, and rightly so. The misogyny and prejudices of the church is why it is facing criticism, and rightly so. It's stand on gay rights is a reason that the church is facing criticism, and rightly so.

All of that said, could someone tell me what role the church played in the rescue? Distracting the families with prayer while people worked hard to get the men out is the only act that seems to have been undertaken by "Catholicism" at the rescue. The majority of priests there claimed to be the only one talking to god and, unsurprisingly, the messages were quite different from one another. One even claimed that the miners were rescued because he sung them out with gods help. To all of these I can only respond with the thought that they should all be sealed in the mine. The priest that prays(or sings) himself out or has a divine intervention gets credit for the miners rescue.

Why do so many people think that, in the extremely small chance that a god exists, this sadistic freak would be worth worshipping? Let me do something I rarely do; lets pretend that god exists and this is all him working. HE TRAPPED 33 MEN IN A MINE FOR OVER TWO MONTHS. Not as a punishment mind, just so that he could get credit for being nice and rescuing them. In America we punish people that injure others wantonly, even those rare psychotic nurses and doctors that do it in order to mend them. We punish firefighters that light fires to maintain employment. Why then do you want to praise a god that is doing nothing more?

c) "To those who cling to the superstition that there is no meaning to life beyond sheer material existence, we ask them to reflect on the following testimonials."

Superstition? Does billy even know the definition of the word?
Superstition:
1. An irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.
2.
1. A belief, practice, or rite irrationally maintained by ignorance of the laws of nature or by faith in magic or chance.
2. A fearful or abject state of mind resulting from such ignorance or irrationality.
3. Idolatry.
http://www.answers.com/topic/superstition

He feels that a magical fairy godfather had part in this rescue, reasoning people know that it was science and mechanics, wielded by men, and used in accordance with the laws of nature that rescued the miners. Considering that catholics worship idols, pray for god to influence the world around them, and purposely maintain "A fearful or abject state of mind..." in order to gain favour from this god; how the hell can he call people that don't do these things superstitious? By not knowing what the word means.

Reflect on testimonials? What the hell good are testimonials? People give testimonials that they hear voices, are visited by aliens, saw bigfoot, know that lizardmen have infiltrated the government, etc. . Keep the testimonials and provide evidence.

d) "Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, there are no atheists in trapped mines. "

Ah yes, the old, tired fallacy that morons love so much. There are indeed atheists in foxholes. The military has a higher rate of atheism/agnosticism than American society at large. This isn't because they don't understand killing is wrong due to non-belief in fairies, it is due to the fact that most people in the military know that they need to protect themselves and each other while relying on the weaponry and defences that were made for them by their fellow countrymen. It is also because reconciling the horrors and brutalities of war with a loving god is very difficult. http://maaf.info/

Is the mine thing because god likes killing any atheist that enters one? There are thousands and thousands of mining deaths worldwide every year. Perhaps billy thinks that the miracle there is that god could identify and justly murder each one for their unbelief?
Humans work damn hard to rescue humans using science and every available resource and all these twats can do is claim "godunnit." Bullshit. For more on this visit here: http://friendlyatheist.com/2010/10/18/there-are-no-atheists-in-trapped-mines-says-bill-donohue/
(as always, read the comments)