Holy Bishop Glass Ceiling, Britain!

Many Christians were disappointed today when the Church of England voted to keep Bishop a male-only position.  Female priests currently account for 1/3 of clergy members in England, but they are still barred from higher offices in the church, like Bishop, Cardinal and Pope.

"More than 70 percent of the 446 synod votes on Tuesday were in favor of opening the church’s episcopacy to women."  But because of the way the synod is divided into voting blocks, and each block requires a 2-thirds majority to pass the vote, 6 votes in the "laity house" block kept this vote from passing.  The "laity house" is made up of non-clergy churchgoers, voted as local representatives by their home church.

The Church clergy has not expressed much support for this vote outcome, stating "We have, as a result of yesterday, undoubtedly lost a measure of credibility in our society." So it may be that the churchgoers are more against women bishops than the church leaders.


In response, a petition has started circulating, asking for the governing seats that the Church Bishops hold in the British House of Lords to be removed.  If Bishops can only be men, they they have no place in government council seats, seems to be the idea behind this petition.
Well, at least the next time someone says, "we don't need feminism anymore, men and women are clearly equal!" you'll have a nice retort.

Obama "Thanks" His Supporters

So, having recently won a second term in the US Presidential office, Obama made a hearty speech today, thanking all the voters who supported him and promising to stand up for their values.  Given that our country has sunken into deeper economic decline during his first term, and important social programs like Medicare & Social Security are on the chopping block, while we continue to spend billions of $ expanding our wars abroad, it's good to know the President is ready to fight for the American people:

"The president, speaking from a White House phone, cautioned listeners to expect disappointments during his second term. As he has in the past, Obama warned that he was prepared to swallow some bitter pills during the negotiations, including some that would agitate the base."

Shortly after this "thank you" speech, Obama ran off to meet with "a cadre of corporate CEOs...to discuss their budget ideas."

Do you think he also told these CEOs to "expect disappointments" and "swallow some bitter pills?"  Somehow, I think not.

I guess Obama-voters should be glad they got at least 1 week after the election to feel fuzzy and good, before he crushed their hopes and dreams with brutal honesty.  "Thanks for your votes, guys, but now I'll be thanking my REAL supporters."

I mean, Obama just has his priorities straight.  Sure, votes are good, but he couldn't have possibly won that election without campaign financing.  There will always be American citizens wanting "change," but you can't convince them that you are the change they want without a really good PR campaign!

Master Debaters Arrest Jill Stein

Poor Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate who tried to get into the debates Tuesday night and was arrested for "blocking traffic."

I mean, a third party candidate should know better than to try to get any airtime. That is reserved for serious individuals only, who can talk about women in binders and how much to fund Sesame Street. Actually, it's a good thing Dr. Stein didn't get inside or Romney probably would have captured both her and her running mate, Cheri Honkala, to put them away in his binder where they would never be seen again. Maybe if she had a man on her team she would have had better luck.

Not only is Jill Stein foolish enough to get arrested, she actually thinks the government can create jobs, which thanks to Obama we know is a total falsehood. Her plan to "directly provide 25 million green jobs in sustainable energy, mass transit, sustainable organic agriculture, and clean manufacturing, as well as social work, teaching, and and other service jobs" is clearly some libtard dream that will only destroy our entire country, and turn us into socialist zombies and trigger the Mayan Apocalypse End of the World in 2013.

The only thing more offensive than this incident are the comments below the original article, "WoodworkerWill" who hates Jill Stein because her Jewish "name says it all" and she has too much "chuptza" or "Mohammad A Da," who hates Obama for being a secret Muslim. And these were just the first two comments I read.

Why is College so Expensive? (USA)

Davidson College has recently made waves in the USA by claiming its students gradute debt-free.

The truth is, only a small percentage of its students are given free tuition. Middle-class students still have to take out loans, and with tuition around $35,000 a year, this often results in significant debt. It's great that valedictorians with low income can attend Davidson for free, but why should middle-class students with the same achievements have to graduate with $60,000+ in debt? It's not like the degree is going to allow them to make back that kind of money anytime soon.

Davidson College has a much smaller endowment than most Ivy Leagues, and 45.1 % of its students are receiving free or discounted tuition right now. These tuition discounts are funded by its endowment, so there's no reason other schools with much more money couldn't follow suit.

Why don't elite universities make more room for students who can't afford $30,000 a year tuition? Why don't they just make tuition cheaper overall, and cut out this whole grant-giving process?

Well, college isn't really the stepping-stone that we pretend it is, in America. Admissions data at the richest colleges in the nation suggest that these schools are only increasing the income gap, not helping bright students make the best of themselves. Schools with the most money admit MORE underachieving students, but only if these students are rich and white. Back in 2008, "15 percent of freshmen enrolled at America's highly selective colleges are white teens who failed to meet their institutions' minimum admissions standards." So, the schools that could afford to admit the most students in need, are instead choosing to give those spots to privileged young people who have already squandered many of the advantages life has offered them.

Way to go, American dream.

Happy Labor Day, America!

To celebrate, let's read this comic from Questionable Content:

Damn. I'd better get back to reporting on this stuff. Or else that bird is going to steal my job from me, but he'll make it depressing instead of fun.