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SuperFemme · 09-10-2010, 01:41 PM

Racist Harvard Law student emailer

Well if you haven't yet heard about the Harvard Law School student, Stephanie Grace, who had a conversation about race at a dinner and then sent out the racist email basically trying to prove that African Americans are not as intelligent than whites, here's the info and links to other sites who have talked about this incident.

Here's a copy of the email she sent (I found this on feministe.us blog):

.. I just hate leaving things where I feel I misstated my position.

I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African Americans are, on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent. I could also obviously be convinced that by controlling for the right variables, we would see that they are, in fact, as intelligent as white people under the same circumstances. The fact is, some things are genetic. African Americans tend to have darker skin. Irish people are more likely to have red hair. (Now on to the more controversial Women tend to perform less well in math due at least in part to prenatal levels of testosterone, which also account for variations in mathematics performance within genders. This suggests to me that some part of intelligence is genetic, just like identical twins raised apart tend to have very similar IQs and just like I think my babies will be geniuses and beautiful individuals whether I raise them or give them to an orphanage in Nigeria. I don’t think it is that controversial of an opinion to say I think it is at least possible that African Americans are less intelligent on a genetic level, and I didn't mean to shy away from that opinion at dinner.

I also don’t think that there are no cultural differences or that cultural differences are not likely the most important sources of disparate test scores (statistically, the measurable ones like income do account for some raw differences). I would just like some scientific data to disprove the genetic position, and it is often hard given difficult to quantify cultural aspects. One example (courtesy of Randall Kennedy) is that some people, based on crime statistics, might think African Americans are genetically more likely to be violent, since income and other statistics cannot close the racial gap. In the slavery era, however, the stereotype was of a docile, childlike, African American, and they were, in fact, responsible for very little violence (which was why the handful of rebellions seriously shook white people up). Obviously group wide rates of violence could not fluctuate so dramatically in ten generations if the cause was genetic, and so although there are no quantifiable data currently available to "explain" away the racial discrepancy in violent crimes, it must be some nongenetic cultural shift. Of course, there are pro-genetic counterarguments, but if we assume we can control for all variables in the given time periods, the form of the argument is compelling.

In conclusion, I think it is bad science to disagree with a conclusion in your heart, and then try (unsuccessfully, so far at least) to find data that will confirm what you want to be true. Everyone wants someone to take 100 white infants and 100 African American ones and raise them in Disney utopia and prove once and for all that we are all equal on every dimension, or at least the really important ones like intelligence. I am merely not 100% convinced that this is the case.

Please don't pull a Larry Summers on me,

Stephanie Grace

Other sites have talked about it with more detail than I'm going to:

I am in agreement with feministe.us Jill's blog post about this incident. It seems her post was closed for comments. If anyone has views on this incident feel free to post a comment here. It's pretty sad that a person who may be a lawyer or working with the law in some way in the future has these views but I bet there are many more.

http://racismtoday.blogspot.com/

dark_crystal · 09-10-2010, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperFemme

Racist Harvard Law student emailer

Well if you haven't yet heard about the Harvard Law School student, Stephanie Grace, who had a conversation about race at a dinner and then sent out the racist email basically trying to prove that African Americans are not as intelligent than whites, here's the info and links to other sites who have talked about this incident.

Here's a copy of the email she sent (I found this on feministe.us blog):

.. I just hate leaving things where I feel I misstated my position.

I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African Americans are, on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent. I could also obviously be convinced that by controlling for the right variables, we would see that they are, in fact, as intelligent as white people under the same circumstances. The fact is, some things are genetic. African Americans tend to have darker skin. Irish people are more likely to have red hair. (Now on to the more controversial Women tend to perform less well in math due at least in part to prenatal levels of testosterone, which also account for variations in mathematics performance within genders.

cheese and rice...

also- is that smiley original to the email? cuz it really adds something IMO

SuperFemme · 09-10-2010, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dark_crystal

cheese and rice...

also- is that smiley original to the email? cuz it really adds something IMO

yes, the smiley was original to the email but was in the form of a colon and right side parentheses. our forum translated that into the graphic version of the smiley face.

either way? the smiley face was there and intentional.

things like this ladys email make me want to scream, cry, punch something, or at the very least sit down with her and tell her how outrageous she is.

grrrrr.

dreadgeek · 09-10-2010, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperFemme

yes, the smiley was original to the email but was in the form of a colon and right side parentheses. our forum translated that into the graphic version of the smiley face.

either way? the smiley face was there and intentional.

things like this ladys email make me want to scream, cry, punch something, or at the very least sit down with her and tell her how outrageous she is.

grrrrr.

Oh, how I WISH I could meet this woman. She is the kind of person I love to meet and have a nice casual conversation with along the lines of the following:

Racist: "So, what do you do, Aj?"
Me: "Well, by day I'm a mild-mannered IT worker doing UNIX/Linux support of a version control system. By night, I'm in an accelerated M.S. program in bioinformatics."
Racist: "What's bioinformatics?"
Me: "It's using computer science problem-solving methods to deal with issues in biology, particularly things like gene sequencing, protein folding and population modeling. I'm not sure which one I want to do but I think protein folding."
Racist: "Oh? What do you mean?"
Me: "Well, right now we can determine what a gene codes for but we can't predict the shape of the protein except by brute force."
Racist: "So what kinds of things do you have to study?"
Me: "It's mostly calculus, statistics, genetics, organic chemistry and molecular biology."
Racist: "Oh."
Me: "So, about that 'blacks are less intelligent thing..."

Cheers
Aj

AtLast · 09-10-2010, 03:01 PM

OK, please tell me that government funds are not allowing this piece of crap student to do research!! Even in private universities, public funding of research happens and there are regulations concerning bigoted use of research funds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperFemme

Racist Harvard Law student emailer

Well if you haven't yet heard about the Harvard Law School student, Stephanie Grace, who had a conversation about race at a dinner and then sent out the racist email basically trying to prove that African Americans are not as intelligent than whites, here's the info and links to other sites who have talked about this incident.

Here's a copy of the email she sent (I found this on feministe.us blog):

.. I just hate leaving things where I feel I misstated my position.

I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African Americans are, on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent. I could also obviously be convinced that by controlling for the right variables, we would see that they are, in fact, as intelligent as white people under the same circumstances. The fact is, some things are genetic. African Americans tend to have darker skin. Irish people are more likely to have red hair. (Now on to the more controversial Women tend to perform less well in math due at least in part to prenatal levels of testosterone, which also account for variations in mathematics performance within genders. This suggests to me that some part of intelligence is genetic, just like identical twins raised apart tend to have very similar IQs and just like I think my babies will be geniuses and beautiful individuals whether I raise them or give them to an orphanage in Nigeria. I don’t think it is that controversial of an opinion to say I think it is at least possible that African Americans are less intelligent on a genetic level, and I didn't mean to shy away from that opinion at dinner.

I also don’t think that there are no cultural differences or that cultural differences are not likely the most important sources of disparate test scores (statistically, the measurable ones like income do account for some raw differences). I would just like some scientific data to disprove the genetic position, and it is often hard given difficult to quantify cultural aspects. One example (courtesy of Randall Kennedy) is that some people, based on crime statistics, might think African Americans are genetically more likely to be violent, since income and other statistics cannot close the racial gap. In the slavery era, however, the stereotype was of a docile, childlike, African American, and they were, in fact, responsible for very little violence (which was why the handful of rebellions seriously shook white people up). Obviously group wide rates of violence could not fluctuate so dramatically in ten generations if the cause was genetic, and so although there are no quantifiable data currently available to "explain" away the racial discrepancy in violent crimes, it must be some nongenetic cultural shift. Of course, there are pro-genetic counterarguments, but if we assume we can control for all variables in the given time periods, the form of the argument is compelling.

In conclusion, I think it is bad science to disagree with a conclusion in your heart, and then try (unsuccessfully, so far at least) to find data that will confirm what you want to be true. Everyone wants someone to take 100 white infants and 100 African American ones and raise them in Disney utopia and prove once and for all that we are all equal on every dimension, or at least the really important ones like intelligence. I am merely not 100% convinced that this is the case.

Please don't pull a Larry Summers on me,

Stephanie Grace

Other sites have talked about it with more detail than I'm going to:

I am in agreement with feministe.us Jill's blog post about this incident. It seems her post was closed for comments. If anyone has views on this incident feel free to post a comment here. It's pretty sad that a person who may be a lawyer or working with the law in some way in the future has these views but I bet there are many more.

http://racismtoday.blogspot.com/

Legendryder · 09-10-2010, 03:07 PM

Wow. Bout all I can say about that. What is that woman thinking?

In other news, we have a Klan rally in my town tomorrow. Not kidding either. I am planning on wearing my "Killing Doctors Does Not Make You Pro-Life" t-shirt and bringing my camera. It is a great camera, shoots video in HD and everything. I plan on posting the result on youtube and stills on FB, MySpace and PhotoBucket. Lets see how many people we can embarrass. *snicker*

Nat · 09-10-2010, 07:12 PM

GOP Candidate Allen West: People With ‘Coexist’ Bumper Stickers Want To ‘Give Away Our Country’

AtLast · 09-10-2010, 07:51 PM

Do you know where your gas main line is and have an emergency turn-off wrench near it? Check on elderly or disabled people living alone near you to make sure that they do. Please, thank you. Be a good neighbor!

Explosions causing deaths and injury were in the San Bruno suburb of San Francisco.

Deadly Explosion Brings Maintenance Issues Into Focus

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...379122562.html

By REBECCA SMITH And CASSANDRA SWEET
The explosion of a natural-gas line owned by PG&E Corp. that ripped through four city blocks of a San Francisco suburb Thursday echoes previous pipeline accidents in the company's history.

This time, however, the explosion caused more loss of life and property destruction than any earlier incident.

PG&E shares lost more than 8%, or nearly $1.18 billion in market capitalization, Friday as the fire in San Bruno, Calif., continued to burn and investors grew nervous about liability. PG&E, based in San Francisco, is one of the nation's largest utilities, providing electric and gas service to about 15 million people in Northern California.

The company had another serious pipeline explosion in Rancho Cordova, Calif., in late 2008, leading to one death. A major contributing factor in that incident was the inability of workers to quickly identify the source of the leak and the utility's failure to evacuate the neighborhood, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigated that accident and issued a report in May. Following that accident, the utility pledged to make changes in its safety program.

Two people were killed and three injured in a 1992 blast in Santa Rosa, Calif., that occurred after a PG&E gas line separated, likely as a result of street improvements. An investigation determined that gas leaked out of the pipe and migrated into an apartment building, where it exploded.

Investigators of the most-recent explosion likely will explore what role the utility's maintenance practices may have played and whether there are equipment issues that could affect other pipelines. In the case of the Rancho Cordova accident, the leak came from a pipeline that was repaired incorrectly.

PG&E says it will investigate reports that neighbors in the vicinity of the San Bruno blast smelled gas before the blast, as was the case in the 2008 blast. A PG&E spokesman declined to comment on whether it received complaints about possible leaks.

Thursday's explosion focuses attention on potential dangers of underground natural-gas pipes. Thousands of miles of pipelines crisscross cities, but residents usually are unaware of them. Federal officials have worried, in recent years, that rights-of-way are becoming congested with utility equipment and that maintenance spending may not be keeping up with deterioration.

U.S. gas transmission pipelines cause an average of six serious incidents a year, or incidents that result in a fatality or injury requiring hospitalization, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which regulates pipelines but does not investigate accidents. The agency said most pipeline explosions are caused by accidental damage from crews working nearby or equipment failures. Leaks usually are caused by equipment problems or corrosion.

The 2008 explosion in Rancho Cordova, Calif., unfolded over several hours. Residents reported a gas smell shortly after 9 a.m. on Christmas Eve, but utility employees didn't locate the source of the leak until more than four hours later. They had problems with gas-detection equipment. Nearby homes were not evacuated and the leak eventually found an ignition source at around 1:35 p.m., producing the explosion that destroyed one home and killed the occupant. Five other people were injured including a utility worker and firefighter, according to the NTSB report.

Investigators said the utility was warned, earlier in the year, that is emergency plans did not meet federal standards. State regulators warned the utility, in August 2008, that poor handling of leak complaints "has the real potential to prevent or delay qualified personnel from...correcting what can be very hazardous conditions."

In November 2008, the month before the Rancho Cordova accident, the utility pledged to define "hazardous leak," a term that would trigger a more-urgent response including the notification of local fire officials, and provide better training and leak-detection equipment to workers.

Cause Sought in Fatal California Blast
.California state Assemblyman Jerry Hill, whose district includes San Bruno, said Friday he was "concerned about reports that residents had been complaining to Pacific Gas & Electric Co. officials for up to three weeks about a potential gas leak" before the explosion Thursday. If the pipe had been leaking, the explosion may have occurred when the combustible gas encountered a spark, flame or static electricity.

Utilities are responsible for maintaining the safety of their gas and electric systems. That includes conducting regular inspections of equipment and making sure repairs conform to industry standards.

PG&E said it carries nearly $1 billion of insurance. Morgan Stanley estimated Friday said the disaster could cost "hundreds of millions" and the company could face "a challenging regulatory environment."

Write to Rebecca Smith at rebecca.smith@wsj.com and Cassandra Sweet at cassandra.sweet@dowjones.com

Luckily, I was not in SF when this blew! If you have friends in this area, you might want to text or call them to see if they are OK. I am.. whew!

SuperFemme · 09-10-2010, 09:06 PM

i have an alarm thingy in my house that goes off when there are gas fumes and/or a huge jump in carbon monoxide. i got it for free because part of my brain injury is that i cannot smell or taste anything. the last time it went off i was irritated until the gas co. showed up and found that the oven was on a slow, continuous leak and that the levels were close to enough to kill us.

i then found the same device for all my fellow brain injury students, all the elderly and disabled people i know....

lives are saved by this kind of equipment.

Toughy · 09-10-2010, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Luckily, I was not in SF when this blew! If you have friends in this area, you might want to text or call them to see if they are OK. I am.. whew!

It was in San Bruno, in a residential area that is a canyon. It was not in San Francisco. San Bruno is closer to the SF Airport than it is to the City.

If anyone who lives in that part of San Bruno has not checked in with the Red Cross.............please do so now. The phone numbers or evac centers are available on the Red Cross website or any of the local TV stations websites.

edited to add: this is an infrastructure problem...........it's gas, water pipelines failing. We must rebuild this countries infrastructure. It is the responsibility of the government in conjunction with untility companies to do this NOW..........otherwise..........this shit is gonna keep happening.

It shall be interesting to see how PG&E acts around this awful explosion. They may be another BP or they may be a forward thinking responsible company.

Nat · 09-10-2010, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperFemme

i have an alarm thingy in my house that goes off when there are gas fumes and/or a huge jump in carbon monoxide. i got it for free because part of my brain injury is that i cannot smell or taste anything. the last time it went off i was irritated until the gas co. showed up and found that the oven was on a slow, continuous leak and that the levels were close to enough to kill us.

i then found the same device for all my fellow brain injury students, all the elderly and disabled people i know....

lives are saved by this kind of equipment.

That's one of the things I have found most disturbing about losing my sense of smell. At first I was busy missing all the good smells and now I am mostly concerned with the inability to smell the alarming/warning smells. It's cool you got a detector for free - the local lowes people looked at me weird when I asked about a natural gas detector. I used to very much prefer natural gas stoves, but now I wish my home were totally electric.

AtLast · 09-10-2010, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperFemme

i have an alarm thingy in my house that goes off when there are gas fumes and/or a huge jump in carbon monoxide. i got it for free because part of my brain injury is that i cannot smell or taste anything. the last time it went off i was irritated until the gas co. showed up and found that the oven was on a slow, continuous leak and that the levels were close to enough to kill us.

i then found the same device for all my fellow brain injury students, all the elderly and disabled people i know....

lives are saved by this kind of equipment.

These are great to have and not hard to install or expensive. Last year, my furnace had a leak and other problems that were very dangerous. This let me know to get it taken care of! Also, know where you can turn gas off at your house--- when the Big One hits us in CA again, turn off the gas!! Tell apt/condo people to make sure their supers/ whoever is in charge of such things to make sure they know what the hell to do! Get the damn gas off right away- stop the flow from the street main into your home.

SuperFemme · 09-10-2010, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nat

That's one of the things I have found most disturbing about losing my sense of smell. At first I was busy missing all the good smells and now I am mostly concerned with the inability to smell the alarming/warning smells. It's cool you got a detector for free - the local lowes people looked at me weird when I asked about a natural gas detector. I used to very much prefer natural gas stoves, but now I wish my home were totally electric.

if you contact your city and/or your utility company they can get you one for free to small cost.

are you in TX?

if so here is a link, it feels geared towards the elderly but it also includes the disabled. you qualify.

http://www.elderoptionsoftexas.com/texas_triads.htm

Nat · 09-10-2010, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperFemme

if you contact your city and/or your utility company they can get you one for free to small cost.

are you in TX?

if so here is a link, it feels geared towards the elderly but it also includes the disabled. you qualify.

http://www.elderoptionsoftexas.com/texas_triads.htm

Yes, in Texas. I will look into it. Thank you!

Nat · 09-11-2010, 05:08 PM

Principal apologizes after teen's suspension

FORT WORTH, Texas — A high school principal has apologized to a teen suspended after he came to school with red, watery eyes.

Kyler Robertson's father had been fatally stabbed two days earlier, and his mother told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that she e-mailed teachers about the death.

But Tuesday, when Kyler arrived at Byron Nelson High School, officials said he smelled of marijuana, along with having the other symptoms. He was suspended three days and assigned to an alternative school.

Wednesday, a urine test showing no evidence of drugs, and administrators canceled the alternative education placement. The suspension was lifted the next day.

Principal Linda Parker apologized on Friday.

A 53-year-old man faces a murder charge in Richard Robertson's death.

The_Lady_Snow · 09-12-2010, 09:36 PM

Gay Soldiers Escort Gaga to VMAs

By Andrew Harmon

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_N..._Gaga_to_VMAs/

Nat · 09-13-2010, 06:38 AM

Texan saves Quran from Burning

AMARILLO, Texas — A skateboard-toting man grabbed a Quran from an evangelist who planned to burn the scripture at an event in an Amarillo park.

Twenty-three-year-old Jacob Isom grabbed the book from Repent Amarillo director David Grisham and delivered it to a leader from the Islamic Center of Amarillo.

According to the Amarillo Globe-News, about 200 people had gathered at Sam Houston Park in Saturday to show either support or opposition to Grisham's plans.

Witnesses say Grisham was arguing with opponents of the book-burning when Isom grabbed the Quran. Amid jeers from the crowd, Grisham got into a car and left without burning any copies of the Islamic scripture. Grisham told the newspaper that he "kind of expected the reaction."

princessbelle · 09-13-2010, 09:38 AM

Lesbian couple's Vonore home burns; arson suspected
By Chloé Morrison
chloem@thedailytimes.com
Originally published: September 11. 2010 3:01AM
Last modified: September 10. 2010 11:05PM

VONORE — Carol Ann Stutte and her partner, Laura Stutte, are afraid to return alone to what is left of their Vonore home in Monroe County.

After being victims of an arson and having the word “queers” spray painted on their garage, the lesbian couple is fearful for their safety.

“We would love to stay (in the area),” Carol Stutte said Friday. “But we will never, never rebuild (on that property) again. I take someone with me constantly — one or two people to make sure I'm OK while I'm up there.”

Detective Travis Jones, with the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, said authorities aren't releasing many details about the fire — which happened Sept. 4 at about 10 p.m.

“It is an arson and we are continuing the investigation,” he said Friday. “There are people of interest in the case,” and authorities, including the state Bomb and Arson Squad, are still conducting interviews.

The Stuttes' home was a complete loss. “There is nothing left,” Carol Stutte said. “They are calling it a black hole,”

The couple, who have been together for more than 16 years, were in Nashville celebrating the five-year anniversary of moving into their Vonore home, the night it was burned to the ground.

Carol Stutte's daughter from a previous marriage would have been at the home at the time, but decided to go with the couple to Nashville.

“She would've been trapped,” Carol Stutte said.

Carol Stutte said she and Laura have been being harassed and threatened, specifically by one neighbor, on and off for about five years.

“The last in-depth threats were several weeks ago,” Carol Stutte said.

The couple tried to ignore the threats, but eventually decided to file a report with the Sheriff's Office.

“We tried to turn the other cheek and overlook it,” Carol Stutte said. “When (the latest threats) finally happened we thought we better go file a police report. (The threats) have really been scaring us for some time.”

Carol Stutte said that, despite the arson, she has been blessed with support from people in the area, who want to help.

Local support
Becky Lucas, president of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Maryville, said she is outraged by the Vonore arson.

“We are hopeful that the authorities will investigate it fully and that this couple will get justice,” she said Friday. “I think this happens every day to people in this community and many times they don't speak up because they are afraid. Everybody deserves basic human rights.”

She also said she wants the Stuttes to know they have support in the area.

“We want to send a message to this couple and other couples like them — you do have many allies in this area,” Lucas said. “Many people in the community are just as outraged as I am.”

Daily Times Assistant Managing Editor Amanda Greever contributed to this story.

__________________________________________________ _____________

My heart goes out to this couple and everyone that has been in the middle of hate crimes. *sighs....just makes me sick. More than that...scares me to death. Vonore is less than 10 miles from my home.

My thoughts....
I live alone.
I am perceived as being straight....I hate that assumption.
I've been considering lately to stand up for who I am.
I want to fly a rainbow flag in my front yard. I want a sticker for my car. I have that right. It is so hard, for me, living here to honor who I am and to support my community. And at the same time, I don't want to be abused by hate crimes or worse.

I struggle with this....daily and there is no great answer or not one that I can find.

I'm sick of hiding however I don't want to stand out like a sore thumb and draw bad attention. I just have a right to be who i am...don't i? Moving is out of the question...at least right now.

Similar situations out there with this delima? Thoughts anyone?

SuperFemme · 09-13-2010, 09:38 AM

Kern's People Get Personal

By Michelle Garcia

Supporters of Oklahoma Republican state representative Sally Kern have launched personal attacks against her Democratic opponent, transgender lawyer Brittany Novotny.

An e-mail from the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee to its members on September 7 called Novotny a "confused it" and accused her of having "hatred toward God," according to Novotny's campaign.

“If Rep. Kern and her allies spent as much time focusing on Oklahoma’s future as they seem to spend worrying about my past, maybe we could keep teachers in the classroom and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure,” Novotny said. “This type of personal attack is what Oklahomans are tired of, and it shows why Kern and her political allies continue to be out of touch with mainstream Oklahoma values.”

Novotny has posted the full letter on her website here.
In March, Novotny told The Advocate that Kern had said she would focus only on the political differences between them without hitting below the belt.

"Certainly there are third parties out there who may not listen to me and may go ahead and personally attack her, just like she may have supporters that don't take the lead from her and personally attack me," Novotny said. "It happens. I hope that those voices are kept to a minimum and they don't overshadow the campaign, because I really do think there are some serious differences in how we see the future of Oklahoma and what we think will be best for our economic development."

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_N..._Get_Personal/

SuperFemme · 09-13-2010, 09:49 AM

CNN Removes Online Poll Asking If Gay TV Characters Are ‘Bad For Society’

With some obvious exceptions, asking whether something is “good for society” will more likely than not get you in hot water, especially when the object of discussion is an entire group of people and their representation in pop culture. CNN learned this the hard way this week when they received a request from GLAAD to remove an offensive online poll asking: “Is the surge in gay TV characters ‘bad for society’?”

The poll was an online bonus to a feature on Headline News’ Showbiz Tonight about the “surge” in gay and gay-friendly characters on TV, and the impact they would have on culture. GLAAD took some issue with the segment because, according to its website, of its “war language” against the gay community, but the poll itself was significantly more offensive. On their blog, the organization explains:

“But CNN’s offensive poll and its attempts to manufacture controversy by granting a platform to so-called experts like [Media Research Center's Dan] Gainor follows an alarming trend of media outlets creating simplistic, predictable ‘pro-gay’/'anti-gay’ dualisms that do a great disservice to viewers who are seeking information on the diversity of opinion and experience within our community.”

CNN responded accordingly and quickly removed the poll, though the segment that inspired it has not been revoked. They have also not commented on the media figures they use to discuss such issues, but those at GLAAD protesting the poll thanked CNN for their swiftness in correcting the issue.

09-10-2010, 01:41 PM	#561
SuperFemme Timed Out How Do You Identify?: Permanently Banned 10/24/2010 Preferred Pronoun?: She. Relationship Status: Married (one of 18,000) Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Atascadero, CA Posts: 4,933 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,309 Thanked 7,108 Times in 2,327 Posts Rep Power: 0	just f-ing WOW Racist Harvard Law student emailer Well if you haven't yet heard about the Harvard Law School student, Stephanie Grace, who had a conversation about race at a dinner and then sent out the racist email basically trying to prove that African Americans are not as intelligent than whites, here's the info and links to other sites who have talked about this incident. Here's a copy of the email she sent (I found this on feministe.us blog): .. I just hate leaving things where I feel I misstated my position. I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African Americans are, on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent. I could also obviously be convinced that by controlling for the right variables, we would see that they are, in fact, as intelligent as white people under the same circumstances. The fact is, some things are genetic. African Americans tend to have darker skin. Irish people are more likely to have red hair. (Now on to the more controversial Women tend to perform less well in math due at least in part to prenatal levels of testosterone, which also account for variations in mathematics performance within genders. This suggests to me that some part of intelligence is genetic, just like identical twins raised apart tend to have very similar IQs and just like I think my babies will be geniuses and beautiful individuals whether I raise them or give them to an orphanage in Nigeria. I don’t think it is that controversial of an opinion to say I think it is at least possible that African Americans are less intelligent on a genetic level, and I didn't mean to shy away from that opinion at dinner. I also don’t think that there are no cultural differences or that cultural differences are not likely the most important sources of disparate test scores (statistically, the measurable ones like income do account for some raw differences). I would just like some scientific data to disprove the genetic position, and it is often hard given difficult to quantify cultural aspects. One example (courtesy of Randall Kennedy) is that some people, based on crime statistics, might think African Americans are genetically more likely to be violent, since income and other statistics cannot close the racial gap. In the slavery era, however, the stereotype was of a docile, childlike, African American, and they were, in fact, responsible for very little violence (which was why the handful of rebellions seriously shook white people up). Obviously group wide rates of violence could not fluctuate so dramatically in ten generations if the cause was genetic, and so although there are no quantifiable data currently available to "explain" away the racial discrepancy in violent crimes, it must be some nongenetic cultural shift. Of course, there are pro-genetic counterarguments, but if we assume we can control for all variables in the given time periods, the form of the argument is compelling. In conclusion, I think it is bad science to disagree with a conclusion in your heart, and then try (unsuccessfully, so far at least) to find data that will confirm what you want to be true. Everyone wants someone to take 100 white infants and 100 African American ones and raise them in Disney utopia and prove once and for all that we are all equal on every dimension, or at least the really important ones like intelligence. I am merely not 100% convinced that this is the case. Please don't pull a Larry Summers on me, Stephanie Grace Other sites have talked about it with more detail than I'm going to: Harvard Law School 3L's Racist Email Goes National The Harvard Law School 'Racist' Email Controversy: Corrections and More Commentary CRIMSON DNA Apologizes, But Gawker Outs Her Stephanie Grace, racist Harvard emailer Meet Harvard's Racist Email Antagonist, Stephanie Grace I am in agreement with feministe.us Jill's blog post about this incident. It seems her post was closed for comments. If anyone has views on this incident feel free to post a comment here. It's pretty sad that a person who may be a lawyer or working with the law in some way in the future has these views but I bet there are many more. http://racismtoday.blogspot.com/

09-10-2010, 07:12 PM	#567
Nat Senior Member How Do You Identify?: bigender (DID System) Preferred Pronoun?: he/him or alter-specific Relationship Status: Unavailable Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Central TX Posts: 3,537 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 11,046 Thanked 13,969 Times in 2,591 Posts Rep Power: 21474855	GOP Candidate Allen West: People With ‘Coexist’ Bumper Stickers Want To ‘Give Away Our Country’ __________________ I'm a fountain of blood. In the shape of a girl. - Bjork What is to give light must endure burning. -Viktor Frankl

09-10-2010, 07:51 PM	#568
AtLast Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Woman Preferred Pronoun?: HER - SHE Relationship Status: Relating Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: CA & AZ I'm a Snowbird Posts: 5,408 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 11,826 Thanked 10,827 Times in 3,199 Posts Rep Power: 21474857	Do you know where your gas main line is and have an emergency turn-off wrench near it? Check on elderly or disabled people living alone near you to make sure that they do. Please, thank you. Be a good neighbor! Explosions causing deaths and injury were in the San Bruno suburb of San Francisco. Deadly Explosion Brings Maintenance Issues Into Focus http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...379122562.html By REBECCA SMITH And CASSANDRA SWEET The explosion of a natural-gas line owned by PG&E Corp. that ripped through four city blocks of a San Francisco suburb Thursday echoes previous pipeline accidents in the company's history. This time, however, the explosion caused more loss of life and property destruction than any earlier incident. PG&E shares lost more than 8%, or nearly $1.18 billion in market capitalization, Friday as the fire in San Bruno, Calif., continued to burn and investors grew nervous about liability. PG&E, based in San Francisco, is one of the nation's largest utilities, providing electric and gas service to about 15 million people in Northern California. The company had another serious pipeline explosion in Rancho Cordova, Calif., in late 2008, leading to one death. A major contributing factor in that incident was the inability of workers to quickly identify the source of the leak and the utility's failure to evacuate the neighborhood, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigated that accident and issued a report in May. Following that accident, the utility pledged to make changes in its safety program. Two people were killed and three injured in a 1992 blast in Santa Rosa, Calif., that occurred after a PG&E gas line separated, likely as a result of street improvements. An investigation determined that gas leaked out of the pipe and migrated into an apartment building, where it exploded. Investigators of the most-recent explosion likely will explore what role the utility's maintenance practices may have played and whether there are equipment issues that could affect other pipelines. In the case of the Rancho Cordova accident, the leak came from a pipeline that was repaired incorrectly. PG&E says it will investigate reports that neighbors in the vicinity of the San Bruno blast smelled gas before the blast, as was the case in the 2008 blast. A PG&E spokesman declined to comment on whether it received complaints about possible leaks. Thursday's explosion focuses attention on potential dangers of underground natural-gas pipes. Thousands of miles of pipelines crisscross cities, but residents usually are unaware of them. Federal officials have worried, in recent years, that rights-of-way are becoming congested with utility equipment and that maintenance spending may not be keeping up with deterioration. U.S. gas transmission pipelines cause an average of six serious incidents a year, or incidents that result in a fatality or injury requiring hospitalization, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which regulates pipelines but does not investigate accidents. The agency said most pipeline explosions are caused by accidental damage from crews working nearby or equipment failures. Leaks usually are caused by equipment problems or corrosion. The 2008 explosion in Rancho Cordova, Calif., unfolded over several hours. Residents reported a gas smell shortly after 9 a.m. on Christmas Eve, but utility employees didn't locate the source of the leak until more than four hours later. They had problems with gas-detection equipment. Nearby homes were not evacuated and the leak eventually found an ignition source at around 1:35 p.m., producing the explosion that destroyed one home and killed the occupant. Five other people were injured including a utility worker and firefighter, according to the NTSB report. Investigators said the utility was warned, earlier in the year, that is emergency plans did not meet federal standards. State regulators warned the utility, in August 2008, that poor handling of leak complaints "has the real potential to prevent or delay qualified personnel from...correcting what can be very hazardous conditions." In November 2008, the month before the Rancho Cordova accident, the utility pledged to define "hazardous leak," a term that would trigger a more-urgent response including the notification of local fire officials, and provide better training and leak-detection equipment to workers. Cause Sought in Fatal California Blast .California state Assemblyman Jerry Hill, whose district includes San Bruno, said Friday he was "concerned about reports that residents had been complaining to Pacific Gas & Electric Co. officials for up to three weeks about a potential gas leak" before the explosion Thursday. If the pipe had been leaking, the explosion may have occurred when the combustible gas encountered a spark, flame or static electricity. Utilities are responsible for maintaining the safety of their gas and electric systems. That includes conducting regular inspections of equipment and making sure repairs conform to industry standards. PG&E said it carries nearly $1 billion of insurance. Morgan Stanley estimated Friday said the disaster could cost "hundreds of millions" and the company could face "a challenging regulatory environment." Write to Rebecca Smith at rebecca.smith@wsj.com and Cassandra Sweet at cassandra.sweet@dowjones.com Luckily, I was not in SF when this blew! If you have friends in this area, you might want to text or call them to see if they are OK. I am.. whew! Last edited by AtLast; 09-10-2010 at 08:03 PM. Reason: added info

09-11-2010, 05:08 PM	#575
Nat Senior Member How Do You Identify?: bigender (DID System) Preferred Pronoun?: he/him or alter-specific Relationship Status: Unavailable Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Central TX Posts: 3,537 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 11,046 Thanked 13,969 Times in 2,591 Posts Rep Power: 21474855	Principal apologizes after teen's suspension FORT WORTH, Texas — A high school principal has apologized to a teen suspended after he came to school with red, watery eyes. Kyler Robertson's father had been fatally stabbed two days earlier, and his mother told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that she e-mailed teachers about the death. But Tuesday, when Kyler arrived at Byron Nelson High School, officials said he smelled of marijuana, along with having the other symptoms. He was suspended three days and assigned to an alternative school. Wednesday, a urine test showing no evidence of drugs, and administrators canceled the alternative education placement. The suspension was lifted the next day. Principal Linda Parker apologized on Friday. A 53-year-old man faces a murder charge in Richard Robertson's death. __________________ I'm a fountain of blood. In the shape of a girl. - Bjork What is to give light must endure burning. -Viktor Frankl

09-12-2010, 09:36 PM	#576
The_Lady_Snow MILLION $$$ PUSSY How Do You Identify?: Kinky, Raw, Perverted, Uber Queer Alpha Femme Preferred Pronoun?: Iconic Ms. Relationship Status: Keeper of 3, only one has the map to my freckles Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: La Reina del Sur Posts: 22,488 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 32,231 Thanked 80,079 Times in 15,669 Posts Rep Power: 21474874	Gay Soldiers Escort Gaga to VMAs By Andrew Harmon http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_N..._Gaga_to_VMAs/ __________________ "If you’re going to play these dirty games of ours, then you might as well indulge completely. It’s all about turning back into an animal and that’s the beauty of it. Place your guilt on the sidewalk and take a blow torch to it (guilt is usually worthless anyway). Be perverted, be filthy, do things that mannered people shouldn’t do. If you’re going to be gross then go for it and don’t wimp out."---Master Aiden

09-10-2010, 03:07 PM	#566
Legendryder Member How Do You Identify?: Butch Relationship Status: Single Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Queen City, MO Posts: 420 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 14 Thanked 969 Times in 261 Posts Rep Power: 7270131	Wow. Bout all I can say about that. What is that woman thinking? In other news, we have a Klan rally in my town tomorrow. Not kidding either. I am planning on wearing my "Killing Doctors Does Not Make You Pro-Life" t-shirt and bringing my camera. It is a great camera, shoots video in HD and everything. I plan on posting the result on youtube and stills on FB, MySpace and PhotoBucket. Lets see how many people we can embarrass. snicker

09-10-2010, 09:06 PM	#569
SuperFemme Timed Out How Do You Identify?: Permanently Banned 10/24/2010 Preferred Pronoun?: She. Relationship Status: Married (one of 18,000) Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Atascadero, CA Posts: 4,933 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,309 Thanked 7,108 Times in 2,327 Posts Rep Power: 0	i have an alarm thingy in my house that goes off when there are gas fumes and/or a huge jump in carbon monoxide. i got it for free because part of my brain injury is that i cannot smell or taste anything. the last time it went off i was irritated until the gas co. showed up and found that the oven was on a slow, continuous leak and that the levels were close to enough to kill us. i then found the same device for all my fellow brain injury students, all the elderly and disabled people i know.... lives are saved by this kind of equipment.

09-13-2010, 06:38 AM	#577
Nat Senior Member How Do You Identify?: bigender (DID System) Preferred Pronoun?: he/him or alter-specific Relationship Status: Unavailable Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Central TX Posts: 3,537 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 11,046 Thanked 13,969 Times in 2,591 Posts Rep Power: 21474855	Texan saves Quran from Burning AMARILLO, Texas — A skateboard-toting man grabbed a Quran from an evangelist who planned to burn the scripture at an event in an Amarillo park. Twenty-three-year-old Jacob Isom grabbed the book from Repent Amarillo director David Grisham and delivered it to a leader from the Islamic Center of Amarillo. According to the Amarillo Globe-News, about 200 people had gathered at Sam Houston Park in Saturday to show either support or opposition to Grisham's plans. Witnesses say Grisham was arguing with opponents of the book-burning when Isom grabbed the Quran. Amid jeers from the crowd, Grisham got into a car and left without burning any copies of the Islamic scripture. Grisham told the newspaper that he "kind of expected the reaction." __________________ I'm a fountain of blood. In the shape of a girl. - Bjork What is to give light must endure burning. -Viktor Frankl

09-13-2010, 09:38 AM	#578
princessbelle Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: femme Preferred Pronoun?: femme ones Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Tennessee Posts: 6,100 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 29,380 Thanked 30,496 Times in 5,198 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	Lesbian couple's Vonore home burns; arson suspected By Chloé Morrison chloem@thedailytimes.com Originally published: September 11. 2010 3:01AM Last modified: September 10. 2010 11:05PM VONORE — Carol Ann Stutte and her partner, Laura Stutte, are afraid to return alone to what is left of their Vonore home in Monroe County. After being victims of an arson and having the word “queers” spray painted on their garage, the lesbian couple is fearful for their safety. “We would love to stay (in the area),” Carol Stutte said Friday. “But we will never, never rebuild (on that property) again. I take someone with me constantly — one or two people to make sure I'm OK while I'm up there.” Detective Travis Jones, with the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, said authorities aren't releasing many details about the fire — which happened Sept. 4 at about 10 p.m. “It is an arson and we are continuing the investigation,” he said Friday. “There are people of interest in the case,” and authorities, including the state Bomb and Arson Squad, are still conducting interviews. The Stuttes' home was a complete loss. “There is nothing left,” Carol Stutte said. “They are calling it a black hole,” The couple, who have been together for more than 16 years, were in Nashville celebrating the five-year anniversary of moving into their Vonore home, the night it was burned to the ground. Carol Stutte's daughter from a previous marriage would have been at the home at the time, but decided to go with the couple to Nashville. “She would've been trapped,” Carol Stutte said. Carol Stutte said she and Laura have been being harassed and threatened, specifically by one neighbor, on and off for about five years. “The last in-depth threats were several weeks ago,” Carol Stutte said. The couple tried to ignore the threats, but eventually decided to file a report with the Sheriff's Office. “We tried to turn the other cheek and overlook it,” Carol Stutte said. “When (the latest threats) finally happened we thought we better go file a police report. (The threats) have really been scaring us for some time.” Carol Stutte said that, despite the arson, she has been blessed with support from people in the area, who want to help. Local support Becky Lucas, president of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Maryville, said she is outraged by the Vonore arson. “We are hopeful that the authorities will investigate it fully and that this couple will get justice,” she said Friday. “I think this happens every day to people in this community and many times they don't speak up because they are afraid. Everybody deserves basic human rights.” She also said she wants the Stuttes to know they have support in the area. “We want to send a message to this couple and other couples like them — you do have many allies in this area,” Lucas said. “Many people in the community are just as outraged as I am.” Daily Times Assistant Managing Editor Amanda Greever contributed to this story. __________________________________________________ _____________ My heart goes out to this couple and everyone that has been in the middle of hate crimes. sighs....just makes me sick. More than that...scares me to death. Vonore is less than 10 miles from my home. My thoughts.... I live alone. I am perceived as being straight....I hate that assumption. I've been considering lately to stand up for who I am. I want to fly a rainbow flag in my front yard. I want a sticker for my car. I have that right. It is so hard, for me, living here to honor who I am and to support my community. And at the same time, I don't want to be abused by hate crimes or worse. I struggle with this....daily and there is no great answer or not one that I can find. I'm sick of hiding however I don't want to stand out like a sore thumb and draw bad attention. I just have a right to be who i am...don't i? Moving is out of the question...at least right now. Similar situations out there with this delima? Thoughts anyone? __________________ ~ I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~ Maya Angelou Last edited by princessbelle; 09-13-2010 at 09:43 AM. Reason: I have decided to move this to a thread of it's own to maybe start a discussion of opinions......*

09-13-2010, 09:38 AM	#579
SuperFemme Timed Out How Do You Identify?: Permanently Banned 10/24/2010 Preferred Pronoun?: She. Relationship Status: Married (one of 18,000) Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Atascadero, CA Posts: 4,933 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,309 Thanked 7,108 Times in 2,327 Posts Rep Power: 0	Kern's People Get Personal By Michelle Garcia Supporters of Oklahoma Republican state representative Sally Kern have launched personal attacks against her Democratic opponent, transgender lawyer Brittany Novotny. An e-mail from the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee to its members on September 7 called Novotny a "confused it" and accused her of having "hatred toward God," according to Novotny's campaign. “If Rep. Kern and her allies spent as much time focusing on Oklahoma’s future as they seem to spend worrying about my past, maybe we could keep teachers in the classroom and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure,” Novotny said. “This type of personal attack is what Oklahomans are tired of, and it shows why Kern and her political allies continue to be out of touch with mainstream Oklahoma values.” Novotny has posted the full letter on her website here. In March, Novotny told The Advocate that Kern had said she would focus only on the political differences between them without hitting below the belt. "Certainly there are third parties out there who may not listen to me and may go ahead and personally attack her, just like she may have supporters that don't take the lead from her and personally attack me," Novotny said. "It happens. I hope that those voices are kept to a minimum and they don't overshadow the campaign, because I really do think there are some serious differences in how we see the future of Oklahoma and what we think will be best for our economic development." http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_N..._Get_Personal/

09-13-2010, 09:49 AM	#580
SuperFemme Timed Out How Do You Identify?: Permanently Banned 10/24/2010 Preferred Pronoun?: She. Relationship Status: Married (one of 18,000) Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Atascadero, CA Posts: 4,933 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,309 Thanked 7,108 Times in 2,327 Posts Rep Power: 0	CNN Removes Online Poll Asking If Gay TV Characters Are ‘Bad For Society’ With some obvious exceptions, asking whether something is “good for society” will more likely than not get you in hot water, especially when the object of discussion is an entire group of people and their representation in pop culture. CNN learned this the hard way this week when they received a request from GLAAD to remove an offensive online poll asking: “Is the surge in gay TV characters ‘bad for society’?” The poll was an online bonus to a feature on Headline News’ Showbiz Tonight about the “surge” in gay and gay-friendly characters on TV, and the impact they would have on culture. GLAAD took some issue with the segment because, according to its website, of its “war language” against the gay community, but the poll itself was significantly more offensive. On their blog, the organization explains: “But CNN’s offensive poll and its attempts to manufacture controversy by granting a platform to so-called experts like [Media Research Center's Dan] Gainor follows an alarming trend of media outlets creating simplistic, predictable ‘pro-gay’/'anti-gay’ dualisms that do a great disservice to viewers who are seeking information on the diversity of opinion and experience within our community.” CNN responded accordingly and quickly removed the poll, though the segment that inspired it has not been revoked. They have also not commented on the media figures they use to discuss such issues, but those at GLAAD protesting the poll thanked CNN for their swiftness in correcting the issue.