Adventures in Christianist Earth Science Education XXIV: Wherein We Are Told Tall Tales

Should you read Earth Science Fourth Edition’s Chapter 5 for your own selves, you’ll discover we just spent a whole post on a few scattered paragraphs about mammoths. That probably seems a bit excessive, even in light of the copious amount of glaring wrong. And then you’ll look at the next few paragraphs, and, depending on your temperament and the sort of day you’ve had, you’ll either a) scream “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” b) begin sobbing uncontrollably, c) develop a semi-permanent nervous tic, d) laugh until you’re in danger of a rupture, or e) all of the above, followed by moving to your own desert island, where all mention of creationism is strictly forbidden by Article I, Section I of your constitution.

Yep. The BJU folks are about to tell us the story of Earth. The effect is rather like having a snide and supremely smug young-in-years-but-ancient-in-ignorance young earth creationist person reciting their version of “the facts” to you in the auditory equivalent of a funhouse mirror showroom.

First, let us begin with our Section Objectives. We will, at the end of this bit, be able to: Continue reading “Adventures in Christianist Earth Science Education XXIV: Wherein We Are Told Tall Tales”

Adventures in Christianist Earth Science Education XXIV: Wherein We Are Told Tall Tales
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How It’s Done: Dana’s Non-Fiction Creative Process Exposed!

Ready for an inside look into my non-fiction creative process? Don’t laugh. I’ve spent decades trying one method and another, and this turned out to be the only thing that works for me. Continue reading “How It’s Done: Dana’s Non-Fiction Creative Process Exposed!”

How It’s Done: Dana’s Non-Fiction Creative Process Exposed!

Love ETEV? Please Help Dana and Misha Keep It Running!

Thanks to our wonderful and generous readers, Misha and I have managed to keep ETEV going so far, but it’s tough out there for freelancers. Until I manage to wrangle a day job with a steady paycheck, we’ll still need your help to keep ourselves housed and fed. If you like what you read here and can spare a bit, please donate today.




If you can’t afford to help out, no worries – we’ve all been there! But you can still help us by sharing my posts, and pointing people towards my other income streams: Continue reading “Love ETEV? Please Help Dana and Misha Keep It Running!”

Love ETEV? Please Help Dana and Misha Keep It Running!

“You Should Know I Will Fight Back” – Escape Chapter 15: Hawaii

After all the drama of the past several days of Carolyn’s Hawaii vacation, we finally get a moment that doesn’t completely suck. Enjoy it while it lasts: it’s going to be about the only one.

Content note for verbal, emotional, and religious abuse.

The family flies to Kauai, which Carolyn thinks looks like the Garden of Eden. She’s always lived in a desert, so all this greenery is incredible. I know those feels well, having lived in the desert Southwest for nearly the entire first three decades of my life. I used to think Flagstaff, Arizona was lush and magnificently green. Then I moved to Seattle and encountered places where you literally cannot see the ground for all the plants, and was awestruck. Also intimidated. Temperate rainforests have a way of looming at a person.

Carolyn is free to enjoy her first day in this paradise, as Merril decides to take a nap and Tammy and Cathleen stay with him. She and her other mother Rosie have a lovely walk on the beach, where Carolyn enjoys the waves washing over her toes. However, this is an FLDS vacay, so you know there has to be some fucked-up shit going on. Continue reading ““You Should Know I Will Fight Back” – Escape Chapter 15: Hawaii”

“You Should Know I Will Fight Back” – Escape Chapter 15: Hawaii

Really Terrible Bible Stories vol. 3: Leviticus Excerpt: God Hates Mothers

VI

God Hates Mothers

(Leviticus 12)

Most of us are aware by now that the LORD’s not too fond of women. He’s fine with them being used as sex slaves, or sold to their rapists, or stoned to death for getting pregnant out of wedlock. But this is the chapter where we’re going to see just how much of a misogynistic asshole he actually is.

See, we know from our Biblical readings so far that a woman’s only worth is in her ability to squirt out babies (or convince her husband to fuck her handmaid pregnant if she herself is sterile). There’s pretty much no other value assigned to womenfolk. And we know that ritual purity is a Big Fucking Deal.

So what does God do? Continue reading “Really Terrible Bible Stories vol. 3: Leviticus Excerpt: God Hates Mothers”

Really Terrible Bible Stories vol. 3: Leviticus Excerpt: God Hates Mothers

Music at Rosetta Stones, Plus Mount St. Helens Eruption Photos

Happy Friday, my darlings! We’re taking it easy today. Well, I mean, sorta easy – I’m spending my day going through the USGS database for yummy Mount St. Helens images to illustrate our upcoming posts. You will love what I’m finding! For a sneak peek, check out my Facebook feed, where I’m posting some of the ones that have tickled my fancy the most.

Once you’re done there, head on over to Rosetta Stones where I have some geology-themed songs for your listening pleasure.

Enjoy your Friday!

Image shows the remains of Mount St. Helens's summit. The volcano is covered in nearly-black ash. There is a notch in the crater wall where the lateral blast occurred. Steam rises from the vent and spills over the south rim, which is toward the back left of the photo.
Aerial view of Mount St. Helens and amphitheater; degassing. Skamania County, Washington. May 31, 1980. Image and caption courtesy USGS.
Music at Rosetta Stones, Plus Mount St. Helens Eruption Photos

Strawberries on the Edge of the Abyss

Newcomers to ETEV probably haven’t spelunked the archives, so it may come as a bit of a surprise to learn that I’ve got clinical depression and anxiety. They’re both kicking up one hell of a fuss at the moment. You might not know it from a few recent blog posts and my Facebook feed, especially not since my feed has been full of my comments on the Supernatural marathon I’m currently running and precious little else. I’m pretty good at covering the worst bits up. That’s such a weird thing about these disorders: if I haven’t hit absolute rock bottom, I can look pretty bubbly and bouncy. I might even appear to have my shit together.

I don’t. But I’ve been dealing with this for a long time, and I know how to put the mask on so I can function in the outside world. And I know what to do when I’m no longer going to be able to fake it to make it.

So. I’m going to tell you a truth: the reason I’ve been mainlining Supernatural is not just because it’s an entertaining show, but because I’m using it to stave off a major depressive episode. Tell you what, teetering on the edge of the abyss is about the most unpleasant sensation a mind can feel. There’s a reason why we turn to things and cling to them, whether they be drugs, alcohol, a teevee show, or whatever. When you’re going over the edge, you’ll grab at anything that appears to give you a chance of not going over.

And sometimes, all you’ve got is a strawberry. Continue reading “Strawberries on the Edge of the Abyss”

Strawberries on the Edge of the Abyss

“One Official Document”

This article on transitioning and surgery. Go read it. If you haven’t got time to read it just now, read this paragraph (CN: Mention of suicide):

The latest research shows that it’s discrimination and stigma, not surgery itself, that causes the high suicide and attempted suicide rates. A study published in Ontario in 2015 revealed that those who have a supportive social environment (the most important social support being parents) were far less likely to seriously consider suicide. Other factors, like having one official document properly identifying your sex, also correlated with lower suicide attempts and rates. [emphasis added]

We have such a long way to go in making the world a better plans for trans people. And it kills me that it’s just simple things that can mean the difference between life and death. One document. Just one. Why can’t we manage just one? Continue reading ““One Official Document””

“One Official Document”

“Competing for a Man None of Us Loved” – Escape Chapter 15: Honeymoon

Do you think it’s impossible to despise Merril Jessop more? After all he’s done, you’re pretty sure your opinion of him can’t sink any lower? Well, my darlings, as we continue this ill-conceived Hawaiian vacation with Merril and three of his wives, I do believe you’ll find your opinion grabbing a drilling rig and heading for the Earth’s core. (By the end of the book, you’ll be wishing you could drop him down the hole, trust me.)

On the flight, Tammy and Carolyn shag the seats beside Merril, leaving Cathleen the odd woman out. She sits on Tammy’s other side, upset and not hiding it. Merril could have done the decent thing and assured her he loved her and promised her a seat beside him on the flight home. Alas, Merril doesn’t have a decent bone in his body. So instead, he says something shitty that causes Cathleen to head for the back of the plane, where she sobs loudly enough for them to all hear.

Tammy, wanting Merril to herself for reasons probably having much more to do with power plays than affection, starts berating Carolyn for not going to take care of Cathleen. She keeps it up until Carolyn, pregnant and ill, loses her temper and snaps at her. Pretty hard to keep sweet in these conditions.

And what does Merril do? Continue reading ““Competing for a Man None of Us Loved” – Escape Chapter 15: Honeymoon”

“Competing for a Man None of Us Loved” – Escape Chapter 15: Honeymoon