The life of Chrysoprase the troll

Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel, by far the richest and loudest voice in the new campaign to debunk the power of a college degree, has announced exactly which precious twentysomethings he’ll be incentivizing not to go to college. The early Facebook backer and staunch Libertarian, who received both a B.A. and a law degree from Stanford, is paying 24 promising American youths $100,000 apiece for two years from the Thiel Foundation to get to work on their business ideas rather than bone up on Chaucer. Of Thiel’s personal lottery winners, only three are women. Others include Faheem Zaman, who aced all five SAT tests he’s taken and wants to build a mobile payment system to decentralize banks to help the global poor save, and Christopher Rueth, who as a high schooler built a website to stop his school district from snooping on student e-mails.

The bubblicious interest in start-ups has underscored the American entrepreneurial dream:dropping out to build a billion-dollar company. But Thiel’s sudden urgency comes as the job market continues to look sluggish and student debt seems to far outweigh the graduates’ earning potential. It’ll be awhile before anyone knows whether these kids — or other tech hopefuls — will join Thiel on the Forbes richest billionaire’s list or build lasting companies. But in the meantime, they can enjoy knowing they’ll have an easier time paying off student loans than the president of the United States.

I’d have an easier time getting on board with this if he’d been successful without having gone to college himself. But he did, and got a graduate degree on top of that, so who’s to say he would have ended up where he is today without it. - Comment left by creaturecomfort.

I whole heartedly agree with the comfort. This endeavour proves nothing about the effects of a college education and the benefits.

Woke up this morning and it appears there has been no rapture, yet. What does that tell us about religion?

Are you there God? It’s me Margaret.

No not really God, it’s me again and yes this is the same one-sided conversation that we’ve had for the past 20 years. But this time I’m serious. We really need to talk.

You see, I just read this article about this guy and his giant “dong” and how it causes him “problems”. Not the “Is that it? No seriously .. is there more?” type of problem that was my first (and last sexual experience) I have but the “Hey, I can spare a few feet” type of problem that really seems unfuckingfair at this point.

Sure. You blessed me with an oversized intellect and abs that would make Baby Jesus cry but you coupled those gifts with a joke of a penis that would make the Virgin Mary point and laugh and cry and laugh some more.

I mean, I don’t even know if it’s fair to call what I have a penis (let alone a “dong”). It looks like a lightswitch in rural India. God - if you’re still paying attention, THERE ARE NO FUCKING LIGHTSWITCHES IN RURAL INDIA. You should know. You built the place. Or forsook it. At this point, who really fucking knows what goes through your head.

God, all I’m saying is you’ve really got your priorities all fucked up. King Dong above may be the greatest guy in the world but can HE ADD like I can? Probably fucking not. Which means that his giant dingaling genes may be passed on but what else? Me? I could sire a thousand accountants and actuaries and engineers and PEOPLE OF VALUE if and only if I find someone willing to stop LAUGHING AT ME long enough for us to share 15 seconds of carnel bliss.

Oh yeah, and that’s another thing! Not ONLY did you give me a shrinky dink for a penis but you decided that wasn’t cruel enough. Oh no! You also decided that I should have the sexual stamina of … fuck I don’t know … I’m so distraught that I can’t even think up a good analogy at this point.

Come May 21st, or whatever, you’ve got some explaining to do. Oh, and if you decide my fervent yet shaken faith doesn’t warrant an immediate Get Out of Jail Free card later this month, I’m totally switching sides.

http://m.jezebel.com//5801059/comment-of-the-day-the-inadequately-hung-dudes-letter-to-god

helvetebrann:

The delegate representing the International Humanist and Ethical Union at the 49 ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, Leo Igwe, has said that the existence of blasphemy laws in the penal codes of state parties to the African Charter poses a threat to the protection and promotion of human rights in the region.

“Blasphemy laws criminalize any act that is interpreted as an insult to a religion. The punishment for blasphemy is long imprisonment and, in some states, death. Blasphemy laws are incompatible with basic human rights including freedom of religious belief, freedom of expression, the right of minorities and the right to life,” he stated.

He maintained that blasphemy laws appear to protect religion from insult, they actually constitute the greatest obstacle to freedom of expression or belief. These laws, he said, do not define what ‘insult to religion’ means, which subjects it to so many interpretations and abuse.

He said that blasphemy is often taken to mean insult to dominant religions which constitutes discrimination against those who profess other religions or beliefs.

“Freedom of religion entails freedom to profess a religion, to change one’s religion or to hold non-religious views. But blasphemy laws often target religious dissenters. They are used to clamp down on apostates, atheists, agnostics and free thinkers and those who hold views that are critical of a religion. Blasphemy laws give legitimacy to religious extremism and criminal actions of fanatics, who attack, torture, kill and maim anyone really or imagined to have insulted the religion.”

He further revealed that blasphemy laws also undermine freedom of expression especially expressions that are critical of a religion or religions. They have been used, in his words, to persecute and prosecute religious critics and skeptics including those who try to expose the absurdities of religion, the terror and oppressive nature of religious dogmas and the hypocrisy, excesses, abuses, failures and shortcomings of religious authorities.

More good news today!

It saddens me that a number of African countries ascribe such blasphemy laws. While I can sympathise with the comfort that religion brings to people, particular those in poverty, I sincerely believe that economic and social progress can not be attained without allowing dissent and debate. Many African countries in a state of poor development, are in serious need of the dissent and debate that is stimulated by a functioning democracy.