Thirteen years ago I moved to Portland from San Francisco. I told myself that I would wait at least ten years before I started venturing into writing about local politics and for the most part I have done so. But dammit, Oregon, it’s about time that we follow the example of 12 other states and legalize marriage equality. Look, we already know that the world isn’t going to end. We already know that... »
Meet Skepchicks, Freethought Bloggers, and tons of special guests at SkepchickCon, the science and skepticism track of CONvergence, a sci-fi/fantasy conference held July 4-7 in the Minneapolis area. If you register by May 15, you pay only $60. That’s it. Sixty bucks gets you access to four freaking days of panels, cosplay, multiple nightly themed parties, interactive workshops, and more. A t... »
Ah, the wisdom of crowds! Two heads are better than one, so hundreds of heads must be super friggin’ smart. As we know from experience, people getting together always results in really smart things being done. Er, most of the time. Sometimes. Once in a while? Anyway, we’ve seen before that crowdfunding has the potential to do great stuff, like fund scientific research and awesome art, among other ... »
Our second guest blog today is from my friend and personal hero, Sarah Moglia, talking about invisible disability and how not to be a huge jerk friend to your newly disabled friends. ——— Disability. It’s one of those big, scary words that you think you know the meaning to. It’s one of those things that happens to other people, but not you. Well, until it does. My disability isn’t... »
What is it about food that turns people into horrible assholes? Like, you’re hanging out, drinking beers, playing Jenga and one person in your group is like “Hey! I’m hungry! Who wants to get some food?” And then the discussion begins about where everyone wants to go. And then one person pipes up, “I don’t care I just want to make sure there’s something th... »
When it comes to stem cell research and treatments, consumers are often considered to be the group most likely to be taken advantage of by snakeoil salesmen. However, having your MD or PhD does not guarantee immunity to the tricks of scam artists, especially in the competitive, financially-motivated world of research publishing. Thankfully, a few organizations and companies are coming up with ways... »
In Portland we are currently being treated to a three-ring circus of anti-fluoridation woo. In the first full week of May we will be voting on whether or not to fluoridate the public water supply. The debate about it seems to have been plucked almost directly from the John Birch Society circa 1961. There are shadowy conspiracies of doctors, dentists, corporations, the government and peop... »
Apparently, it’s that time of year again! You know. That time of year where your friends annoy the crap out of you by participating in some silly social media prank disguised as awareness. And lucky us! It’s about breast cancer AGAIN! Because as you know, there are so MANY people on FB still unaware that it exists and we have to raise consciousness because there are not enough pink bal... »
