Category: News

God’s Approval Rating

Jul. 27 News 3 comments

A new survey conducted by Public Policy Polling on July  21, 2011 found that American voters tend to give God a pass on performance.

Though not the most popular figure PPP has polled, if God exists, voters are prepared to give it good marks. Voters approve of God’s performance by 52-9 margin, making God about as popular as [Rupert] Murdock [sic] is unpopular [12-49].

God’s best rating was on creating the universe where he/she got a 71% approval rating.  The rating for the handling of the animal kingdom is also relatively high at 56%, while the approval rating on natural disasters dipped to 50%.

The survey was conducted via phone and had 928 registered voters respond.  PPP also found that those who consider themselves very conservative gave God a 61% approval rating versus 40% for those who considered themselves fairly liberal.  The trend continued when it came to God’s handling of the animal kingdom where ultra-conservatives rated God at 69% versus 41% for those who are somewhat liberal.

To read the full Public Policy Polling survey click here.

Image courtesy of couboo.

30k People Dumped for Being Too Ugly

Jun. 20 News 2 comments

The online dating site BeautifulPeople.com has come under fire for a controversial move to dump over 30,000 people that it considered too ugly.

The 30K+ people that are being dropped from their membership roster came about as a result of the Shrek virus that infected their site and allowed anyone to register.  Normally, in order to gain membership an applicant must submit their picture and be “voted in” by members of the opposite sex.

The site promises that by joining their dating service you will be able to be a part of the most beautiful online community where you can “meet REAL beautiful people who actually look in real life as they do online.” It is their desire to adhere to their rules and guidelines that has prompted Beautiful People to make such a move:

“We have to stick to our founding principles of only accepting beautiful people – that’s what our members have paid for,” Greg Hodge, managing director of BeautifulPeople.com told the Guardian. “We can’t just sweep 30,000 ugly people under the carpet.”

Hodge said he felt “very sorry” for the “unfortunate people who were wrongly admitted to the site and believed, albeit for a short time, that they were beautiful”. In order to help deal with the emotional distress at being booted off the site, Beautiful People has offered counseling services.

 

To read the original article at the Guardian go here.

To visit the Beautiful People website go here.

 

Objectum Sexuals: Married to Inanimate Objects

Jun. 20 News no comments


 

We’re living in a world where humans are increasingly given the right and freedom to choose whom they choose to love and marry — but are we ready to accept those who prefer the coldness of stone and steel to the warmth of a human body?

Meet Erika Eiffel, better known as Naisho.  She is a world-class archer who has had a passionate love affair with the Golden Gate Bridge, used to be in love with Lance, an archery bow, and is now officially married to the Eiffel Tower.  Naisho is a polyamorous objectum sexual — a person who prefers having loving and intimate relationships with inanimate objects rather than people.

“I am a woman and this is a bridge and despite our vast differences we are very much in love.  And our love in itself is no different from any other love that exists between two beings.  One of the most difficult parts of being in love with a public object is that he and I can never be truly intimate.  Whereas objects I’ve loved in the past have never been an issue.  I feel very very blessed to have a piece of my sweet Golden Gate Bridge.  And I just hope that when I make love with this piece of him, that he can sense and feel how much I really really love him.  Because I am in love with the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge is very much in love with me.”

Most people might not understand their relationships and can often ridicule objectum sexuals.  However, it is important to note that objectum sexuals go through the same feelings of love, passion, admiration and respect that most people feel for their significant others.  They go through the same tears and parting sorrow that we all do.  The pain is real.  The emotions are real.

Sweden is the birthplace of objectum sexuality.  Eija-Riitta Eklof Berliner-Mauer (Mrs. Wall) coined the term when she married the Berlin Wall in the 1970′s.  She also has had a love affair with a fence she keeps in her room as well as a guillotine.  There are approximately 40 known objectum sexuals in the world and thanks to the internet, they can connect with each other and share their stories. For example, Eija Riitta makes models of her lovers and has shared her abilities with Naisho.

Objectum sexuals often find that public displays of affection are hard.  And having sex with their lovers is difficult when they can’t bring the object of their affection home. The sexual needs are there but they have to resort to models and other means to satisfy their carnal needs.  Naisho describes the sexual act as  being “a transfer of energy. It’s like feeling like the object is an extension of my own being and we’re becoming one.” When answering a question regarding having sex with the Berlin Wall, Eija-Riitta states, “We made love, yes. And that’s private.”

Amy is also part of Eija Riitta’s and Naisho’s group.  She’s in love with a fair ride called 1001 Nacht as well as a banister called Lou that she keeps in her room.  Amy finds that when she holds Lou she feels “comfort, peace, warmth, a feeling of being loved, happiness.” Amy likes glass, steel and aluminum.  The Empire State Building in New York is one of her regular lovers.  Amy still cries over the loss of the Twin Towers whom she collectively describes as a “he”.

 

If you would like to learn more about objectum sexuality you can go to www.objectum-sexuality.org, a website started by Eija-Riitta and a wealth  of information on the subject.

 

Dianetics Movie Receives Indie Fest Award

Jun. 15 News 2 comments

On June 1st, Indie Fest recognized Golden Era Productions’ four-and-a-half hour documentary, How to Use Dianetics, for exceptional achievement in craft and creativity in the category of educational and instructional films.

The film is a four-and-a-half hour book on film of L. Ron Hubbard’s seminal work, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, a book about that explores the existence of a mind with three parts: the conscious “analytical mind,” the subconscious “reactive mind”, and the somatic mind.

Produced by Golden Era productions, central dissemination center of the Scientology religion, How to Use Dianetics contains more than 10,000 computer-generated special effects graphics.

“The film is a tour de force, graphically illustrating every component of Dianetics. It enables the viewer to see each of the concepts presented in the book,” says Catherine Fraser, Director of Public Affairs for Golden Era Productions. “The step-by-step presentation makes it possible to master every Dianetics principle, one at a time. The film has already been translated into 16 languages, and we ultimately plan to expand this to more than 70 languages in all. Great care was taken to stay true to the book and bring the bestseller to life, making it as realistic as possible, even down to filming a real black panther to illustrate one of the key concepts in the book.”

Judged by highly qualified film industry professionals, the Indie Fest recognizes filmmakers who produce fresh, standout entertainment, animation and compelling documentaries.

 

To visit the official Dianetics site go here.

To learn more about the How to Use Dianetics documentary and Golden Era Productions, go here.

 

 

Show Your Love – Wave at the School Bus

Jun. 04 News 2 comments

Rain Price’s dad showed his love for his son by waving him off to school every day of his sophomore year in high school.  The kicker – Mr. Price did it by wearing a different costume every day of the school year.

His dad admits it took a lot of effort to keep it up, but said it was “a way of letting him know that we really care about him, but do something a little different.” He described it as “a father’s way” of saying I love you.

Mr. Dale Price used various kinds of costumes every morning. He dressed up as Michael Jackson, a bride, a chicken, a mermaid, a magician, bat girl, Harry Potter, a clown, Princess Leia, and a ninja.  Mr. Price even took out a toilet seat and sat on it while reading a newspaper and waving at the school bus.

While 16-year old Rain was embarrassed by his father’s actions, the rest of the kids on the school bus waved right back.  Encouraged by the school bus kids, Mr. Price continued without repeating any costume during the entire year.  The family even documented the entire process in a blog called Wave at the Bus.

The end result:  an embarrassed Rain, an unforgettable year for the family, and one unconventional but memorable way of proving a parent’s love for his child.

 

To check out the pictures from Mr. Price’s loving adventure, go here.

To read the original Deseret News article go here.

Few Americans See Natural Disasters as Sign from God

Jun. 02 News no comments

Most Americans believe in a personal God who is in control of everything that happens in the world, but a new national poll finds few believe that God sometimes punishes nations for the sins of some of its citizens or that earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters are a sign from God.

The new PRRI/RNS Religion News Survey was conducted by Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with Religion News Service following the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

“Americans have more natural than supernatural views of disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or hurricanes,” said Dr. Robert P. Jones, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute. “Americans overall resist drawing a straight line from theological beliefs about a personal God to God’s direct role or judgment in particular natural disasters.”

The new survey also finds that Americans are more likely to attribute the increased severity of natural disasters to global climate change than to signs of apocalyptic biblical prophecy. “A solid majority of Americans say that the severity of recent natural disasters is evidence of global climate change, including most religious groups,” said Daniel Cox, PRRI Research Director. “However white evangelical Protestants and Republicans are much more likely to believe that natural disasters are evidence of what the Bible calls the ‘end times’ rather than evidence of global climate change.”

Among the Findings

  • 7-in-10 Americans see God as a person with whom one can have a relationship, and a majority (56%) say God is in control of everything that happens in the world.
  • However, less than 4-in-10 (38%) believe earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters are a sign from God; and even fewer (29%) believe that God sometimes punishes nations for the sins of some of its citizens.
  • White evangelical Protestants are the exception to this pattern. Among evangelicals, about 6-in-10 (59%) believe natural disasters are a sign from God, and a smaller majority (53%) believe that God judges nations for the sins of some of their citizens. Only one-in-five white mainline Protestants or Catholics believe God punishes nations for the sins of some.
  • Nearly 6-in-10 (58%) Americans say that the severity of recent natural disasters is evidence of global climate change, compared to 44% who say that the severity of recent natural disasters is evidence of what the Bible calls the ‘end times.’
  • More than 8-in-10 also say that providing financial assistance to Japan is very important (42%) of somewhat important (41%) despite economic challenges at home. Support is high across political and religious groups.

To read the full results and questionnaire from the Public Religion Research Institute go here.

Image courtesy of annadigiovanni.

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Free Porn at the Library

Jun. 01 News 1 comment

Raising children in the internet age is difficult.  Parents have to worry about a whole new set of issues: cyberbullying, predators, identity theft, health effects, and time spent away from the family, to name just a few.  However, one of the top concerns for a parent is ensuring that their children don’t have access to inappropriate material at an inappropriate age.  What would you do if you knew that your child was able to freely access porn sites at your local library?

A New York Post article released on May 9, 2011, states that a teen over the age of 13 can simply bypass the security question on the New York Library’s computers and gain access to any site they choose.

Children 13 and older can easily access hard-core porn in the city’s public libraries by simply claiming to be of age on the software and clicking off the filters that block XXX-rated content.  And library patrons say it happens all the time.  “You’ll see three or four kids, 13 or 14 years old, and they’re all gathered around a computer giggling,” said a regular at Brooklyn’s central library at Grand Army Plaza.

Having teens click off the adult-blocking filters isn’t the only danger.  Library officials claim that 5% of their website traffic is to porn sites.  And since the computers tend to be out in the open, if an adult is looking at a porn site and a child walks by, they can be inadvertently exposed to adult content.  When asked why public libraries allow access to x-rated sites, they state that they fully abide by the First Amendment.

If this is an area of concern for you, call your local library and ask them what their policy is on adult content sites, what they do to prevent unauthorized access, and what their policy is on informing users and parents about the possibility of misuse by minors.

To read the New York Post article go here.

Nature to Have Same Rights as Humans

May. 28 News no comments

Bolivia is a few steps away from giving nature the same rights and protection as human beings.  As of the date of this posting, The Law of Mother Earth has already passed through Bolivia’s senate but is stuck in it’s legislative assembly.

This historical and controversial law would give equal rights and protections to human being, animals, rivers, and mountains.  It redefines Bolivia’s mineral resources as blessings and proposes radical measures to prevent environmental contamination.

Nick Buxton from Yes! Magazine reports that the bill declares that Mother Earth “is a living, dynamic system made up of the undivided community of all living beings, who are all interconnected, interdependent and complementary, sharing a common destiny.”

If passed, Mother Earth’s rights will include:  the right to life and existence; the right to diversity; the right to have sufficient water of good quality for self sustenance; the right to clean air; the right to exist in a state of equilibrium; the right to have its living systems restored from the effects of humans; the right to have its cellular makeup left unaltered; and the right to live free of any and all contamination.

In addition, there are six basic principles that make up the law:

  • Human activity must achieve equilibrium with nature’s cycles and processes.
  • The common good shall prevail and nothing should be above the rights of Mother Earth.
  • While recognizing that living systems have a limited capacity to regenerate and humans also have a limited ability to change their actions, the State shall guarantee that conditions shall be met to ensure that the various living systems have a right to absorb damages, adapt to disruptions, and regenerate without altering their basic structure and functionality.
  • The State and all individuals must ensure that all residents respect the rights of Mother Earth.
  • Mother Nature cannot be privatized.
  • All human beings enjoy Mother Earth and must share in her protection.

The law is widely popular with the country’s indigenous population who holds Mother Earth very near to their heart and that humans and nature should co-exist.  However, skeptics think that this bill might not pass since it will mean that Bolivia will need to curve its mining and natural resource laws.  Complaints are already surfacing that lawmakers are passing this law in name only but will not do anything to ensure its enforcement.

Regardless of its passage, this law has the potential to become the precursor to future laws around the globe that will ensure humanities co-existence with earth.

 

To view the full text of the law in Spanish click here.

Photo courtesy of Ecologia Verde.

Same Self Marriage: Marrying Myself

May. 26 News 3 comments

These women married themselves out of an immense self love.  Although these stories appeared in the news awhile ago, they still bring up a good point.  Do we have enough self love to marry ourselves?

Glee’s Susan Sylvester

The cheerleeding coach in Fox’s musical comedy-drama television series married herself in a blue full-length tracksuit gown.  She also decided to officiate at her own wedding.  After trying her best at an online dating service, Susan decided that she was her own best match.

Susan is not alone.  Chen Wei-yih, Jennifer Hoes, and Aya de Leon also married themselves and even went on their own honeymoon.

Chen Wei-Yih on her wedding day

Chen Wei-yih

In 2010 Taiwanese Chen Wei-yih, whose name in English is Only, decided she would marry herself.  She was 30 years old and her personal life and career were going well, but she hadn’t found a life partner.  So she decided to take matters into her own hands and tie the knot with herself.  She wore three wedding gowns as Taiwanese tradition dictates, had a reception for 30 guests, and booked herself a honeymoon to Australia.  According to Reuters, she stated “It’s not that I’m anti-marriage. I just hope that I can express a different idea within the bounds of a tradition.”

 


Jennifer Hoes at her self wedding in 2003

Jennifer Hoes

In 2003 Jennifer Hoes did the same in the Netherlands.  She was also 30 years old when she decided to marry herself.  In interview with Karl Zipser, she gave her reasons:

“I married myself at the moment I was prepared to embrace my own life and agree on the responsibilities that come with that… My wedding ring says “I will return to my heart every time.” I read this every day. I think the values to an individual life are pretty much the same as in a marriage, it is about how you’ll behave, about taking responsibility, about being a loving person. The promises you make in the ceremony concern good intentions. The intention to do your best, be involved, be sincere, etc. and the ceremony is something you do for the moment later when you’re making a mistake in the relationship, to remind you of your promises and to make up for your mistake.”

She believes that when a person is loyal to themselves they have more to offer others.  And what better way to celebrate that self-loyalty than with a ceremony surrounded by your loved ones.

Aya de Leon

In 1997 African American Aya deLeon decided that self-marriage was the way to go for her.  She was in her late twenties and had practiced a year of celibacy after a bad breakup.  The year ended and a couple of years went by before she decided that no one met her expectations.  On her website she states: “I needed commitment in my life. So I decided, hey, I can’t wait for someone to notice how fabulous I am. I’m going to marry myself.  I bought a silver band and wore it on my ring finger to symbolize my growing self-love.”

These women decided to marry in an act of self-realization.  They had reached a point of maturity and self love which they decided to share with the world, even if they would be flying in the face of convention.   It’s an opportunity to show to the world that they are fulfilled just as they are.  It also serves as an example to other women who feel societal pressure to marry, that there is indeed another option.  Above all, it was a statement to the world that alone as they were, they were whole.

For a comedic look at what life would be like if same-self marriages caught on, watch this Youtube video by Gary Graham.

Baby Storm: Boy or Girl?

May. 24 News 3 comments

Storm’s parents aren’t disclosing whether he/she is a boy or a girl.  Canadians Kathy Witterick and David Stocker have decided not to state place limitations on who the child can be by not raising their child as either gender.  The only people outside the immediate family who know the truth are a close family friend and two midwives.  Not even the grandparents know the gender.  And in case you’re wondering, there’s nothing wrong with the baby’s genitalia.

The couple has decided to afford Storm the chance to be seen for his/her personality rather than what’s “between the legs”.  When Storm is able to share, it’ll be his/her decision to communicate it to the world.

When Storm was born, the couple sent an email to friends and family: “We’ve decided not to share Storm’s sex for now — a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation, a stand up to what the world could become in Storm’s lifetime (a more progressive place? …).”

Storm’s brothers, Jazz (5)and Kio (2), also get some of the liberties that the baby will grow up to enjoy.  They are both unschooled and get to decide what they do for the day.  They learn by asking questions and satisfying their curiosity.  They get to pick their own clothes and decide how to wear their hair.

The idea to not release the baby’s gender came partially from a book by Lois Gould that Stocker found called X: A Fabulous Child’s Story. The book, published in 1978, is about raising not a boy or a girl, but X. There’s a happy ending here. Little X — who loved to play football and weave baskets — faces the taunting head on, proving that X is the most well-adjusted child ever examined by “an impartial team of Xperts.”

The response to Witterick’s and Stocker’s decision has come with mixed results.  While the grandparents support their decision, they find it hard to describe Storm to their friends.  Others state that this behavior is setting up Storm for bullying and taunting.  Their longtime friend, Ayal Dinner, is supportive of their decision:

I think it’s amazing that they’re willing to take on challenging people in this way,” says Dinner. “While they are political and ideological about these things, they’re also really thinking about what it means and struggling with it as they go along. Although I can see the criticism of ‘This is going to be hard on my kid,’ it’s great to say, ‘I love my kid for whoever they are.’”

Responses from two experts, Diane Ehrennsaft and Dr. Ken Zucker, are a bit more cautious.  Ehrensaft agrees with parents supporting gender-creative children but is worried that baby Storm will be seen as “other than other”, that is neither a boy nor a girl nor in between but a “neither/or”?  Dr. Zucker thinks it’s a great experiment to see if Storm will decide on nature (the genitals he/she was born with), or choice.  His response to the question of whether or not Baby Storm could face psychological harm is “One will find out”.

 

To read the Parent Central article go here.

Photo courtesy of Yahoo! News.