September 2012 – Page 2

Why aren’t there more women at STEM conferences?: This time, it’s statistical.

UC-Davis professor and perennial noticer of gender imbalance at conferences Jonathan Eisen received an e-mail invitation and call for submissions to the 2013 Winter Q-Bio Meeting: Quantitative Biology on the Hawaii Islands. Nice, right? Sun, science, slate of speakers almost exclusively composed of dudes. (On the plus side, Dr. Lahav, at least you’ll never have to wait in line for the bathroom.)

U.S. faces the largest pertussis outbreak in “modern times”

Way to go, parents who refuse to vaccinate your kids.

Should blasphemy be criminalized under international law?

Finally, a question about God that has a super-easy answer: NO.

The Moral Case for Sex Before Marriage

I’m in the Guardian today writing about how sex before marriage is, for almost everyone, the best choice.

Shameless Self-Promotion Sunday

Do it do it.

Men are “going Galt”

Now that women control the world, every man haz a sad. And so men everywhere are going Galt: Not getting married, not going to college, and taking low-wage jobs. Haha, TAKE THAT, WOMEN!

So for the record, I do not support the use of violence to solve problems.

However, I will maintain that this is brave and awesome.

Your drunken slut-wedding was worthless, you harlot.

Is there anything wrong with delaying sexual activity? Certainly not. There are plenty of reasons to do that. If your reason is that “Jesus will think I’m a slut,” of course, that’s problematic. Or is it? Take Fox News abstinence columnist (yes, that’s a thing) Steven Crowder–who is himself abstinent no more. Having patiently and virtuously saved himself for marriage, Crowder now has become an honest-to-God husband, complete with a beautiful, meaningful wedding night full of the best sex he’s had in his entire life. And that makes him better than you.

Wherein I get to live out my lifelong dream of playing advice columnist

The lovely Kate Carraway let me weigh in on her advice column this week in response to a question about workplace sex-talk — that is, someone wrote in to complain that they feel their co-workers are judging their sex life. You can read Kate’s response, with a few thoughts from yours truly, here. The summary: Have whatever kind of sex you want, but STFU about sex when you’re at work. Even if your workplace is cool.

ElevenSixTwelve: Mobilizing to Re-elect President Obama in 2012

Almost four years ago, President Barack Obama achieved something monumental: he inspired people who had never voted to vote in droves. He motivated college students across the country to organize rallies and voting drives in support of his campaign. And he encouraged millions across the nation – across racial lines – with his message of hope and change.