What fund facts did you learn today?

[VelociRapture]

Hello fellow Noobs!

I thought it might be entertaining to start a thread comparing and contrasting a random fun fact you learned from FJ today (or whatever day you stumble on this!)

Here's how it goes: Enter into a random thread. Any thread will do. Look around until you learn something you didn't know before, something you find amusing, or just something that sparked your interest. Come back here and share with the rest of the class! Post your finding using the format below or a similar format (and be sure to include the thread where you found your tidbit so we can all go and see what you learned!)

What I learned today:

- FJers have a long history of tormenting Doug Phillips is a Tool. It's actually rather phenomenal the amount of torment they've caused to everyone's favorite Anaconda Hunter. For instance,

A) FJ taking over the google image search for vision forum interns. Buzzard had an awesome pic up there for a while. Other avatars of FJers also graced its presence.

B) At various times, FJer have been known to go into Dougie's wikipedia page (which you so know he put up there himself) and do a little editing. I do believe someone got "tool" in there 9 times.

C) Buzzard filing out a VF application, in crayon non-the-less.

Source: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=15687

- On a related note, Buzzard has always been, and shall always be, fan-fucking-tastic! :lol:

[happy atheist]

This looks fun. I'll enjoy checking in to see what people learn. It's always interesting when other people discover stuff that's become my mental furniture, you know?

[blessalessi]

I didn't learn it today, but it was shamefully recently that I learned that Jill Rodriguez is not the same person as the maiden-named Jill Duggar. :D

I think I nearly worked it out when I was doing a rapture week quiz, but I have ADHD-inattentive and I often move on too quickly for my own good!! :mrgreen:

[VelociRapture]

Side note: I totally meant to type "fun" and not "fund" in the thread title. It seems rather appropriate though. :lol:

I didn't learn it today, but it was shamefully recently that I learned that Jill Rodriguez is not the same person as the maiden-named Jill Duggar. :D

I think I nearly worked it out when I was doing a rapture week quiz, but I have ADHD-inattentive and I often move on too quickly for my own good!! :mrgreen:

Is it bad that Jill Rodrigues (who I affectionately think of as Baby Cage Lady) is one of my favorites? I don't know if its the reckless negligence of her children or the fact that she looks like something straight out of the 1980s.

[happy atheist]

I can change it to Fun, or I can change it to Fundy.

[blessalessi]

"Fun Fundie Facts"?

[happy atheist]

"Fun Fundie Facts"?

Whatever man, I just need to know what VR wants.

[blessalessi]

Sorry, getting carried away!

I guess that's what happens when someone in "full-on beam mode" clashes with a "fun killer".... :lol:

[nausicaa]

I'm learning what a PICC is on the Rodrigues thread. That bridal showers AT department stores are a thing, and way more about pregnancy than I ever wanted to know.

[ofDany]

PP taught me how to properly whip my kids with a belt. My daughter had wide eyes when she saw me watching his demo on the YouTube link mentioned in the post.

I fell down the rabbit hole reading about Gothard's ideas in the post here and then again on the blog that was written by one of his employees who was fired when her brother laughed during a staff meeting.

I also learned that FJ readers probably caused Sarah Maxwell to have a #1 book on Amazon (thank goodness most of you got it for free!)

[violynn]

I've learned about AFE (Amniotic Fluid Embolism) and how frighteningly fast things can go wrong, even after having six kids of my own. I've learned on an even deeper level just how deluded and selfishly stupid fundies deep in the kool-aid will be about their bodies and their child's life. Somehow Carri and Mark's story just hit me hard, probably because I can directly relate to it since I have twins and this couple thought they were as well.

On a brighter note: got my new nifty avatar from that thread as well. And WOW, how awesome were all the early posters on FJ?! :clap:

[VelociRapture]

Whatever man, I just need to know what VR wants.

:lol:

Leave it as is. I find it hysterical that I made a typo like that in a thread title. Let my dishonor remain for all to snark on.

[VelociRapture]

I've learned about AFE (Amniotic Fluid Embolism) and how frighteningly fast things can go wrong, even after having six kids of my own. I've learned on an even deeper level just how deluded and selfishly stupid fundies deep in the kool-aid will be about their bodies and their child's life. Somehow Carri and Mark's story just hit me hard, probably because I can directly relate to it since I have twins and this couple thought they were as well.

On a brighter note: got my new nifty avatar from that thread as well. And WOW, how awesome were all the early posters on FJ?! :clap:

The snark was strong in those posters! :lol:

[VelociRapture]

What I Learned Today:

Today I took a cheerful stroll into the family summary thread created for Zsu and Stephen Anderson. They have 8 poor unfortunate children blessings and their Church is listed as a hate group a wonderful place for fellowshipping!

My favorite part may be the listing of all their favorite pastimes though:

- Most FJites know the family through Zsuzsanna’s blog, “Are They All Yours?!â€, which showcases her conspiracy theories, homophobic diatribes, and obsession with organic food.

- Zsu’s hobbies include taunting the parents of dead children (on several occasions), demonstrating her extreme superiority achieved through natural living, and planning really cool birthday parties.

Source: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=15260

They seem like nice, rational, completely normal people, right? :lol:

[thoughtful]

What I Learned Today:

Today I took a cheerful stroll into the family summary thread created for Zsu and Stephen Anderson. They have 8 poor unfortunate children blessings and their Church is listed as a hate group a wonderful place for fellowshipping!

My favorite part may be the listing of all their favorite pastimes though:

They seem like nice, rational, completely normal people, right? :lol:

Have you seen the "pisseth against the wall" sermon yet? Now that's entertainment!

[VelociRapture]

Have you seen the "pisseth against the wall" sermon yet? Now that's entertainment!

Not yet. I'll have to watch it later tonight though - I feel like I'm becoming invested in these assholes characters and their completely fucked up lives storylines.

[FundieFarmer]

Well, I learned that "mental furniture" is my new favorite phrase, thanks to HA. And I've learned a remarkable lot about PICC lines, all things considered.

Can I now be considered an expert in everything? :lol:

[thoughtful]

Not yet. I'll have to watch it later tonight though - I feel like I'm becoming invested in these assholes characters and their completely fucked up lives storylines.

I forgot to say -- it's not his full, long, interminable sermon. Some wonderful person made a very short (about 4.5 minutes) video of just the pissing stuff.

I highly recommend it to all, newbies and old FJers who haven't followed the Anderson weirdness, as entertainment, and as an insight into the fact that Steven Anderson can be a deluded goofy asshole, as well as a deluded hateful asshole.

[bBvideo 560,340:2i1yw6cv]

[/bBvideo]

[DowntownAbbey]

This was my first time actually seeing the legendary PP video. I was more distracted by young(er) PP than anything else in that video. :lol: I don't think "pissingeth against the wall" is meant to be a complement if every time it's mentioned, the people it referred to are killed. But that involves being able to have a nuanced and thought-provoking view of the Bible.

I wonder what he thinks about the Go Girl and other new female urination devices... I already know the answer, but I'd love to see his head explode.

[VelociRapture]

What I Learned Today:

I ventured forth into the Lori and Ken Alexander thread today - because I enjoy getting my hopes up and having them dashed (I'll explain shortly). Lori and Ken are educated, only have four children, and all their children appear to have gone on to receive a Higher education. The women also wear modest, yet tasteful clothing that includes sleeveless tops and jeans.

This is the part where my hopes started to be dashed:

Lori is also against modern medicine and spends her days pondering where the sperm goes after a vasectomy and believes ice dipping can heal a broken bone.

And here is where it really gets horrific:

Lori is an unapologetic follower of Michael and Debi Pearl.

And all hope is gone. The illusion is shattered. They are, in fact, just your average Fundie assholes:

She mentions the books Created to Be a Helpmeet and To Train up a Child quite often and discusses her son and daughter-in-law using similar methods to “train†her granddaughter, Emma. This includes a post where she proudly discusses her son force-feeding Emma twenty bites of oatmeal while she screamed and cried and making her sit on a rug while they ate dinner and punishing her if she wanted to try their food.

Source for all quotes: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=15353

I weep bitter tears for humanity - and for little Emma.

[Fascinated]

The snark was strong in those posters! :lol:

Well, just this second I learned that sometimes 'snark' means 'bitch'. I don't think I'd have had the cojones to stick around in the early days. Some of that early stuff was, um, strong. Fun as hell to read, though!

[VelociRapture]

Today, I begin the herculean task of attempting to learn more about Alecto-gate and the events associated with it. This is not going to be a quick and easy thing - I'm likely going to have to take breaks between reading threads in order to learn about other topics as well. Forgive me if this all jumbled and a mess - I'm reading through old threads with posters reacting in real time. Because of the potential multi-part posting that could result, this one shall be named.

Without further ado...

What I Learned Today: A Prehistoric Adventure in Shady Dealings

Alecto-Gate refers to a period of time in early 2013 when FJ was under different ownership. Alecto, the owner at the time, wrote a series of posts admitting to (among other things) taking part in a Secret Facebook group that may or may not have occasionally discussed FJ users - I'm still not exactly clear since there was allegedly another group at the same time. She wrote a post concerning the state of FJ admitting to the Facebook group.

Soon after, another post was made - this time by Austin who was an Admin. Austin alleged that Alecto was also, apparently, pocketing money that FJers submitted as donations or she was pocketing ad revenue without being transparent about it - it appears Alecto claimed these donations would help fund the website. These possible financial discrepancies were discovered by concerned members of the Admin and Mod Team.

A quote from our very own FluffyBunny:

Based on our research, we believe it's 800-2000 per month. The donations that were made prior to Sept 7, 2012 have covered the server costs up until this point.

We do not know how much has been donated since the "new" paypal was put in place on Sept. 7, 2012, because those went presumably to Alecto directly. They did not go to Dreamhost. We do know that between $330 and $400 was donated toward the Apps during that fundraiser. We've been told both numbers.

You can view the documentation we have put together at the link in Austin's post. If you can't find something there, please let us know and we will try to help. It's a lot of information to digest, we realize.

Edit to add: We want to be clear that we do not take issue with Alecto making something for her time. It is the feeling of deception, inconsistency and the lack of transparency that we can no longer ignore.

Source: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=14741

Soon after, Alecto entered this second thread and began making posts that contradicted what Austin, Curious, and other concerned Team members had stated. She went so far as to imply another Admin, StarryEyedKat, had used her password to change records while Alecto was ill - Alecto was the sole person to accuse her of doing so and other members of the Team came forward in her defense.

Quote from luckylibrarian over why the Admin and Mod team decided to come forward:

We are not objecting to her being paid for her time. What we are objecting to is the lying and lack of transparency. Alecto repeatedly lied about the costs of the server - including in her latest State of Free Jinger post where she claimed it cost her $300 a month. She has stated numerous times that FJ was barely getting by, and that ad revenues were keeping us afloat. That clearly isn't the case. Some posters have donated their monthly entertainment budget or foregone several cups of coffee to donate, with the idea that they were keeping FJ afloat. Many posters may have chosen not to donate if they knew FJ was making that much money.

Source: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=14741&start=40

apple1 seems to have summed things up nicely:

- My perception is that a whole lot of deception has been going on.

- I really dislike that there apparently has been a FB undercurrent (multiple FB undercurrents??) that seems to dictate where the official FJ is on anything.

- I'm having a hard time sympathizing greatly with the board owner's difficult situation managing FJ while she has added the other sites onto her plate. What's with this??

Source: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=14741&start=60

I'll end with this quote from Curious:

Well AnnieC, I found out I was being handed the board from the post just like everyone else, so in the interest of trying to keep things running smoothly, yes I'm accepting the offer and that is about all I can tell you right now.

Source: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=14741&start=140

Seriously. She found out she was the new owner via a post on the forum. No PM, no email, no phone call - a freaking post!

I'll let that sink in for a bit. This shall be continued at another time.

[laPapessaGiovanna]

Today, I begin the herculean task of attempting to learn more about Alecto-gate and the events associated with it. This is not going to be a quick and easy thing - I'm likely going to have to take breaks between reading threads in order to learn about other topics as well. Forgive me if this all jumbled and a mess - I'm reading through old threads with posters reacting in real time. Because of the potential multi-part posting that could result, this one shall be named.

Without further ado...

What I Learned Today: A Prehistoric Adventure in Shady Dealings

Alecto-Gate refers to a period of time in early 2013 when FJ was under different ownership. Alecto, the owner at the time, wrote a series of posts admitting to (among other things) taking part in a Secret Facebook group that may or may not have occasionally discussed FJ users - I'm still not exactly clear since there was allegedly another group at the same time. She wrote a post concerning the state of FJ admitting to the Facebook group.

Soon after, another post was made - this time by Austin who was an Admin. Austin alleged that Alecto was also, apparently, pocketing money that FJers submitted as donations or she was pocketing ad revenue without being transparent about it - it appears Alecto claimed these donations would help fund the website. These possible financial discrepancies were discovered by concerned members of the Admin and Mod Team.

A quote from our very own FluffyBunny:

Soon after, Alecto entered this second thread and began making posts that contradicted what Austin, Curious, and other concerned Team members had stated. She went so far as to imply another Admin, StarryEyedKat, had used her password to change records while Alecto was ill - Alecto was the sole person to accuse her of doing so and other members of the Team came forward in her defense.

Quote from luckylibrarian over why the Admin and Mod team decided to come forward:

apple1 seems to have summed things up nicely:

I'll end with this quote from Curious:

Seriously. She found out she was the new owner via a post on the forum. No PM, no email, no phone call - a freaking post!

I'll let that sink in for a bit. This shall be continued at another time.

Thank you! !!! That is a rabbit hole that I tried to explore but I didn't have the time to dig every aspect of the matter. I also was shocked when I found out that Curious was handed FJ ownership with a post!

@Curious, I sincerely admire you.

[browncoatslytherin]

i was a member back in 2011-ish, left for a long time, then came back last year and was like...wtf is going on? lol

til i learned that josiah is no longer courting...and i rejoiced!

[VelociRapture]

Thank you! !!! That is a rabbit hole that I tried to explore but I didn't have the time to dig every aspect of the matter. I also was shocked when I found out that Curious was handed FJ ownership with a post!

@Curious, I sincerely admire you.

I'm going to try and post again about this. It's a huge amount of information though, so I may not be able to.

My basic summation, in case I can't follow-up, is as follows:

Rock fell. Shit flew. FJ lives on.

Ok, so that doesn't really count. Here's a slightly better version of what I've learned so far:

The basic story is that there was some shady stuff going on behind the scenes that members of the Team learned about. Alecto wound up leaving because of this and FJ went through a major crisis trying to deal with the fallout. There was a good amount of distrust and anger and no one was too certain what was going to happen for a period of time.

That's really as far as I've gotten so far. I'll attempt to do another post with a summation of other things, but I don't know how detailed it'll be - I'm always tired and that first post pretty much sapped all my energy from the reading and researching I did. :lol: