Hello, Freethought Blogs!

Hi, I’m Zinnia Jones, and I’m very excited to be one of the newest members of the Freethought Blogs network. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m an atheist from Chicago, now living in Florida with my partner Heather and our two awesome kids. I’ve been producing videos on YouTube since 2008, mainly focusing on religion, atheism, LGBT rights, politics, ethics, and common errors in thought. Generally, I take an interest in anything that seems to need a strong dose of clarity in reasoning, whether the topic is political, religious, moral or philosophical. I’ve recently contributed to TheNewCivilRightsMovement.com, the Huffington Post, and The Fight magazine, and I’ll now be joining my fellow YouTubers ZOMGitsCriss, Thunderf00t and Ashley Miller on Freethought Blogs.

For those who already follow my channel, videos will continue to be posted as usual. They’ll just be mirrored on my blog, along with a transcript and additional commentary on a daily basis. You might also see some pictures of our pet rats, and maybe even the occasional post from Heather. In the coming days, I’ll be posting a selection of my past videos so that newcomers can get a sense of my style and approach. As for the all-important commenting policy, I strongly encourage you to call me out and correct me when I’m wrong – with the caveat that trolls and other dishonest people may have their comments highlighted, mocked, and used as a jumping-off point for further discussion.

Finally, I’d like to thank Ed Brayton, Natalie Reed, PZ Myers, and all of my viewers for helping to make this possible. This is an incredible honor, and I’m elated to be writing alongside some of the greatest skeptics and atheists in the movement. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Let’s do this!

{advertisement}
Hello, Freethought Blogs!
{advertisement}

56 thoughts on “Hello, Freethought Blogs!

  1. 1

    > I’ll now be joining my fellow YouTubers ZOMGitsCriss,
    > Thunderf00t and Ashley Miller on Freethought Blogs.

    Didn’t the FTB mission statement forbid leaking names like ZOMGitsCriss and Thunderf00t joining the network 😀

    Welcome! I see you managed to bring your old posts here.

  2. 2

    Hello Zinnia! It’s so exciting to have you here – and I have a feeling you’ll have a slightly better calibre of commenters here at FTB than those I tend to encounter over on YouTube. (At least, I hope so!)

  3. 3

    What a nice surprise- subtitled videos! I need them so that’s hugely appreciated- thank you so much.

    Welcome to FTB, will be viewing your previous videos.

    1. 3.1

      My partner is hard of hearing, which made it clear how necessary this is for accessibility. If you find any that are still missing their subtitles, let me know and I’ll fix them.

      1. My hearing is pretty poor* too – thankyou for the transcripts -much appreciated. 🙂

        * As is my typing, I’m afraid, especially given I’m often tired and in the process of getting inebriated when I post on FTB and elsewhere.

  4. 4

    I’m a long time (2 maybe 3 years) watcher of your YouTube videos. It was a nice surprise when I saw Greta’s post on her on blog about you being on FTB. I’ve always thought you had a good head on your shoulders; glad to see that you’re moving up in the world 🙂

  5. 5

    I’ve really enjoyed your videos over the past year and didn’t realise you had two kids (you look so young). Looking forward to following you over here at FTB.

  6. 6

    Welcome! Only just discovered your excellent videos recently (via Natalie Reed’s blog I think) and now you’re here! In fact all the writers and bloggers that I enjoy seem sooner or later to move to Freethought Blogs, which is great, but is making me very lazy, as I so rarely have to go out into the rest of the big bad internet to find new ones. Looking forward to reading/watching more of your work.

    1. 8.1

      +1 to this. Freethought Blogs, the opinions of its writers and the reasonable discussion of a lot of the commenters, is what made me see value in being part of an atheist movement.

  7. 13

    Hello Zinnia, I’ve followed you for a few years and love what you do. I’m really delighted to see you here at freethought blogs. Well done and best wishes in your new home 😉

  8. 17

    Welcome, Zinna. I look forward to getting to know your material better. I started watching some of your videos and was amazed to notice how much time had flown by. You’ve got some novel takes on current issues and I know your voice will blend nicely with all of the other dissenting/hiveminded voices here at FtBs.

    1. 17.1

      Thanks! I’m so glad to be here. I have something like 300+ videos now, so I imagine that’s quite a backlog for anyone who wanted to go through them.

  9. 18

    So excited to see you here alongside Myers, Brayton, McCreight, and all the other blogs I just can’t help but check every few hours. Your wonderful videos on the Book of Job, Pascal’s Wager, “Gay and Christian? Why Bother?” and so many others helped my atheism take root, and I’m grateful.

  10. 24

    I’m disappointed in myself I never ran into your vlog/blogging before! I can see why you’ve come here.

    I’m looking forwards to reading more of you on FtB.

  11. 27

    Welcome to the hoard! We’ve got Baby Sammiches over on the table there, and for entertainment we drop creationists into PZ’s Mutant Cephalopod Tank.

    Watch out for Carl’s Invisible Dragon; it usually hangs out in the garage, but every now and then it’ll pop in and do absolutely nothing that can be scientifically verified.

  12. 28

    On behalf of myself and the rest of us grouchy old (well,oldish) white guys… Welcome!
    Be warned, though; Greta Christina is on a “Kitten a day for June” campaign. I’m afraid these images of vicious predators may be upsetting to a rodentiaphile such as yourself.
    Again; Welcome!

  13. 30

    Hi there, welcome!

    I’m sort of a sideways fan – I occasionally watch when other blogs I like post your videos, but personally I’m not big on the whole vlog/youtube medium. So I’m especially excited to read that you’ll be providing transcripts. (Have you been doing this all along and I’ve been missing out?)

  14. 31

    This is completely unrelated to anything, but when I looked at your picture on the right side of the screen, I thought you had an enormous mole on your right cheek. Then I looked at your video and wondered where the mole had gone. Then I realized the “mole” was a speck on my screen. And then I felt silly.

  15. 34

    Welcome Zinnia Jones and thanks for your blog here.

    A new reader, I’ve had a quick skim through some of your entries and I’m enjoying them and looking forward to reading more. 🙂

    Like the header with its stars too – notice you’ve got a lot of reddish (well pinkish red) M or perhaps K type* stars and one blue one (Spectral type O-B & possibly in some cases very early spectral class A eg. Vega albeit we see that one pole on and thus bluer than if we saw its equator which is cooler due to rotational factors.)

    So I’m wondering – is there any astronomical motif here and are these five red and one blue stars supposed to symbolise specific stars or would that just be my own astronomically-obsessed take on things? 😉

    PS. If you have any astronomy questions, please feel free to ask and I’ll try not to drown you in info!

    * Or perhaps even “brown” dwarf stars (L, T, Y classes) which are apparently in some cases magenta in colour!

  16. 38

    {
    {I have|I’ve} been {surfing|browsing} online more than {three|3|2|4} hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. {It’s|It is} pretty worth
    enough for me. {In my opinion|Personally|In my view}, if all {webmasters|site owners|website owners|web owners}
    and bloggers made good content as you did, the {internet|net|web} will be {much more|a lot more} useful than ever before.
    |
    I {couldn’t|could not} {resist|refrain from} commenting. {Very well|Perfectly|Well|Exceptionally well} written!|
    {I will|I’ll} {right away|immediately} {take hold of|grab|clutch|grasp|seize|snatch} your {rss|rss feed} as I {can not|can’t} {in finding|find|to find} your {email|e-mail} subscription {link|hyperlink} or {newsletter|e-newsletter} service. Do {you have|you’ve} any?
    {Please|Kindly} {allow|permit|let} me {realize|recognize|understand|recognise|know} {so that|in order that} I {may just|may|could} subscribe.
    Thanks.|
    {It is|It’s} {appropriate|perfect|the best} time to make some plans for the future and {it is|it’s}
    time to be happy. {I have|I’ve} read this post and if I could I {want to|wish to|desire to} suggest you {few|some} interesting things or {advice|suggestions|tips}. {Perhaps|Maybe} you {could|can} write next articles referring to this article. I {want to|wish to|desire to} read {more|even more} things about it!|
    {It is|It’s} {appropriate|perfect|the best} time to
    make {a few|some} plans for {the future|the longer term|the long run}
    and {it is|it’s} time to be happy. {I have|I’ve} {read|learn} this {post|submit|publish|put up} and if I {may just|may|could} I
    {want to|wish to|desire to} {suggest|recommend|counsel}
    you {few|some} {interesting|fascinating|attention-grabbing} {things|issues} or {advice|suggestions|tips}.
    {Perhaps|Maybe} you {could|can} write {next|subsequent} articles {relating to|referring to|regarding} this article.
    I {want to|wish to|desire to} {read|learn} {more|even more} {things|issues}
    {approximately|about} it!|
    {I have|I’ve} been {surfing|browsing} {online|on-line} {more than|greater than} {three|3} hours {these days|nowadays|today|lately|as of late}, {yet|but} I {never|by no means} {found|discovered} any {interesting|fascinating|attention-grabbing} article like yours. {It’s|It is} {lovely|pretty|beautiful} {worth|value|price} {enough|sufficient} for me.
    {In my opinion|Personally|In my view}, if all {webmasters|site owners|website owners|web owners} and
    bloggers made {just right|good|excellent} {content|content material} as {you did|you probably did}, the
    {internet|net|web} {will be|shall be|might be|will probably be|can be|will likely be} {much more|a lot more} {useful|helpful} than ever before.
    |
    Ahaa, its {nice|pleasant|good|fastidious} {discussion|conversation|dialogue} {regarding|concerning|about|on the topic of} this
    {article|post|piece of writing|paragraph}
    {here|at this place} at this {blog|weblog|webpage|website|web site}, I have read all that, so {now|at this time}
    me also commenting {here|at this place}.|
    I am sure this {article|post|piece of writing|paragraph} has touched all the internet {users|people|viewers|visitors}, its really really {nice|pleasant|good|fastidious} {article|post|piece of writing|paragraph}
    on building up new {blog|weblog|webpage|website|web site}.

    |
    Wow, this {article|post|piece of writing|paragraph} is {nice|pleasant|good|fastidious},
    my {sister|younger sister} is analyzing {such|these|these
    kinds of} things, {so|thus|therefore} I am going to
    {tell|inform|let know|convey} her.|
    {Saved as a favorite|bookmarked!!}, {I really like|I like|I
    love} {your blog|your site|your web site|your website}!
    |
    Way cool! Some {very|extremely} valid points! I appreciate you {writing this|penning this} {article|post|write-up} {and the|and
    also the|plus the} rest of the {site is|website is} {also very|extremely|very|also
    really|really} good.|
    Hi, {I do believe|I do think} {this is an excellent|this is a great} {blog|website|web site|site}.
    I stumbledupon it 😉 {I will|I am going to|I’m going to|I may} {come back|return|revisit} {once again|yet again} {since I|since i have} {bookmarked|book marked|book-marked|saved as a favorite} it. Money and freedom {is the best|is the greatest} way to change, may you be rich and continue to {help|guide} {other people|others}.|
    Woah! I’m really {loving|enjoying|digging} the template/theme
    of this {site|website|blog}. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s {very hard|very difficult|challenging|tough|difficult|hard} to get that “perfect balance” between {superb
    usability|user friendliness|usability} and {visual appearance|visual appeal|appearance}.
    I must say {that you’ve|you have|you’ve} done a {awesome|amazing|very good|superb|fantastic|excellent|great} job with this.
    {In addition|Additionally|Also}, the blog loads {very|extremely|super} {fast|quick} for me
    on {Safari|Internet explorer|Chrome|Opera|Firefox}.
    {Superb|Exceptional|Outstanding|Excellent} Blog!|
    These are {really|actually|in fact|truly|genuinely} {great|enormous|impressive|wonderful|fantastic} ideas in {regarding|concerning|about|on the topic of} blogging.
    You have touched some {nice|pleasant|good|fastidious} {points|factors|things} here.
    Any way keep up wrinting.|
    {I love|I really like|I enjoy|I like|Everyone loves} what you guys {are|are usually|tend to be} up too.
    {This sort of|This type of|Such|This kind of} clever work and {exposure|coverage|reporting}!
    Keep up the {superb|terrific|very good|great|good|awesome|fantastic|excellent|amazing|wonderful} works guys I’ve {incorporated||added|included} you guys to {|my|our||my personal|my own} blogroll.|
    {Howdy|Hi there|Hey there|Hi|Hello|Hey}! Someone in my {Myspace|Facebook} group shared this {site|website} with us so I came to {give it a look|look it over|take a look|check it out}. I’m definitely {enjoying|loving} the
    information. I’m {book-marking|bookmarking} and will be tweeting this to my followers! {Terrific|Wonderful|Great|Fantastic|Outstanding|Exceptional|Superb|Excellent} blog and {wonderful|terrific|brilliant|amazing|great|excellent|fantastic|outstanding|superb} {style and design|design and style|design}.|
    {I love|I really like|I enjoy|I like|Everyone loves} what you guys {are|are usually|tend to be} up too. {This sort of|This type of|Such|This kind of} clever work and {exposure|coverage|reporting}! Keep up the {superb|terrific|very good|great|good|awesome|fantastic|excellent|amazing|wonderful} works guys I’ve {incorporated|added|included} you
    guys to {|my|our|my personal|my own} blogroll.
    |
    {Howdy|Hi there|Hey there|Hi|Hello|Hey} would you mind {stating|sharing} which blog platform you’re {working with|using}? I’m
    {looking|planning|going} to start my own blog {in the near future|soon} but I’m having a {tough|difficult|hard} time {making a decision|selecting|choosing|deciding} between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your {design and style|design|layout} seems different then most blogs and I’m
    looking for something {completely unique|unique}.
    P.S {My apologies|Apologies|Sorry} for {getting|being} off-topic but I had to ask!
    |
    {Howdy|Hi there|Hi|Hey there|Hello|Hey} would you mind letting me know which {webhost|hosting company|web host} you’re {utilizing|working with|using}? I’ve
    loaded your blog in 3 {completely different|different} {internet
    browsers|web browsers|browsers} and I must say this blog loads a lot
    {quicker|faster} then most. Can you {suggest|recommend} a good {internet hosting|web hosting|hosting} provider at a {honest|reasonable|fair} price?
    {Thanks a lot|Kudos|Cheers|Thank you|Many thanks|Thanks}, I appreciate it!
    |
    {I love|I really like|I like|Everyone loves} it {when people|when individuals|when folks|whenever
    people} {come together|get together} and share {opinions|thoughts|views|ideas}.

    Great {blog|website|site}, {keep it up|continue the good work|stick with it}!
    |
    Thank you for the {auspicious|good} writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.
    Look advanced to {far|more} added agreeable from you! {By the way|However}, how {can|could} we communicate?
    |
    {Howdy|Hi there|Hey there|Hello|Hey} just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
    The {text|words} in your {content|post|article} seem to be running off the screen in {Ie|Internet explorer|Chrome|Firefox|Safari|Opera}.
    I’m not sure if this is a {format|formatting} issue or something to do with {web browser|internet browser|browser} compatibility but I {thought|figured} I’d post to let you know.
    The {style and design|design and style|layout|design} look great though!

    Hope you get the {problem|issue} {solved|resolved|fixed} soon.
    {Kudos|Cheers|Many thanks|Thanks}|
    This is a topic {that is|that’s|which is} {close to|near to} my heart… {Cheers|Many thanks|Best wishes|Take care|Thank you}! {Where|Exactly where} are your contact details though?|
    It’s very {easy|simple|trouble-free|straightforward|effortless} to find out any {topic|matter} on {net|web} as
    compared to {books|textbooks}, as I found this {article|post|piece of writing|paragraph} at this {website|web site|site|web page}.
    |
    Does your {site|website|blog} have a contact page? I’m having {a tough time|problems|trouble} locating it but, I’d like to {send|shoot} you an {e-mail|email}.

    I’ve got some {creative ideas|recommendations|suggestions|ideas} for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great {site|website|blog} and I look forward to seeing it {develop|improve|expand|grow} over time.|
    {Hola|Hey there|Hi|Hello|Greetings}! I’ve been {following|reading} your {site|web site|website|weblog|blog} for {a long time|a while|some time} now and finally got the {bravery|courage} to go ahead and give you a shout out from
    {New Caney|Kingwood|Huffman|Porter|Houston|Dallas|Austin|Lubbock|Humble|Atascocita} {Tx|Texas}!
    Just wanted to {tell you|mention|say} keep up the {fantastic|excellent|great|good}
    {job|work}!|
    Greetings from {Idaho|Carolina|Ohio|Colorado|Florida|Los angeles|California}!
    I’m {bored to tears|bored to death|bored} at work so I decided to {check out|browse} your {site|website|blog} on my iphone during lunch break. I {enjoy|really like|love} the {knowledge|info|information} you {present|provide} here and can’t wait to take
    a look when I get home. I’m {shocked|amazed|surprised} at how {quick|fast} your blog loaded on my {mobile|cell phone|phone} .. I’m not even using
    WIFI, just 3G .. {Anyhow|Anyways}, {awesome|amazing|very good|superb|good|wonderful|fantastic|excellent|great} {site|blog}!
    |
    Its {like you|such as you} {read|learn} my {mind|thoughts}!
    You {seem|appear} {to understand|to know|to grasp} {so much|a lot} {approximately|about} this, {like you|such as you} wrote the {book|e-book|guide|ebook|e book} in it or something.
    {I think|I feel|I believe} {that you|that you simply|that
    you just} {could|can} do with {some|a few}
    {%|p.c.|percent} to {force|pressure|drive|power} the message {house|home} {a bit|a little bit}, {however|but} {other than|instead of} that, {this is|that is} {great|wonderful|fantastic|magnificent|excellent} blog. {A great|An excellent|A fantastic} read. {I’ll|I will} {definitely|certainly} be back.|
    I visited {multiple|many|several|various} {websites|sites|web sites|web pages|blogs} {but|except|however} the audio {quality|feature} for audio songs {current|present|existing} at this {website|web site|site|web page} is {really|actually|in fact|truly|genuinely} {marvelous|wonderful|excellent|fabulous|superb}.|
    {Howdy|Hi there|Hi|Hello}, i read your blog {occasionally|from time to time} and i own a similar one and i was just {wondering|curious} if you get a lot of spam {comments|responses|feedback|remarks}? If so how do you {prevent|reduce|stop|protect against} it, any plugin or anything you can {advise|suggest|recommend}? I get so much lately it’s driving me {mad|insane|crazy} so any {assistance|help|support} is very much appreciated.|
    Greetings! {Very helpful|Very useful} advice {within this|in this particular} {article|post}! {It is the|It’s the} little changes {that make|which will make|that produce|that will make} {the biggest|the largest|the greatest|the most important|the most significant} changes. {Thanks a lot|Thanks|Many thanks} for sharing!|
    {I really|I truly|I seriously|I absolutely} love {your blog|your site|your website}.. {Very nice|Excellent|Pleasant|Great} colors & theme. Did you {create|develop|make|build} {this website|this site|this web site|this amazing site} yourself? Please reply back as I’m {looking to|trying to|planning to|wanting to|hoping to|attempting to} create {my own|my very own|my own personal} {blog|website|site} and {would like to|want to|would love to} {know|learn|find out} where you got this from or {what the|exactly what the|just what the} theme {is called|is named}. {Thanks|Many thanks|Thank you|Cheers|Appreciate it|Kudos}!|
    {Hi there|Hello there|Howdy}! This {post|article|blog post} {couldn’t|could not} be written {any better|much better}! {Reading through|Looking at|Going through|Looking through} this {post|article} reminds me of my previous roommate! He {always|constantly|continually} kept {talking about|preaching about} this. {I will|I’ll|I am going to|I most certainly will} {forward|send} {this article|this information|this post} to him. {Pretty sure|Fairly certain} {he will|he’ll|he’s going to} {have a good|have a very good|have a great} read. {Thank you for|Thanks for|Many thanks for|I appreciate you for} sharing!|
    {Wow|Whoa|Incredible|Amazing}! This blog looks {exactly|just} like my old one! It’s on a {completely|entirely|totally} different {topic|subject} but it has pretty much the same {layout|page layout} and design. {Excellent|Wonderful|Great|Outstanding|Superb} choice of colors!|
    {There is|There’s} {definately|certainly} {a lot to|a great deal to} {know about|learn about|find out about} this {subject|topic|issue}. {I like|I love|I really like} {all the|all of the} points {you made|you’ve made|you have made}.|
    {You made|You’ve made|You have made} some {decent|good|really good} points there. I {looked|checked} {on the internet|on the web|on the net} {for more info|for more information|to find out more|to learn more|for additional information} about the issue and found {most individuals|most people} will go along with your views on {this website|this site|this web site}.|
    {Hi|Hello|Hi there|What’s up}, I {log on to|check|read} your {new stuff|blogs|blog} {regularly|like every week|daily|on a regular basis}. Your {story-telling|writing|humoristic} style is {awesome|witty}, keep {doing what you’re doing|up the good work|it up}!|
    I {simply|just} {could not|couldn’t} {leave|depart|go away} your {site|web site|website} {prior to|before} suggesting that I {really|extremely|actually} {enjoyed|loved} {the standard|the usual} {information|info} {a person|an individual} {supply|provide} {for your|on your|in your|to your} {visitors|guests}? Is {going to|gonna} be {back|again} {frequently|regularly|incessantly|steadily|ceaselessly|often|continuously} {in order to|to} {check up on|check out|inspect|investigate cross-check} new posts|
    {I wanted|I needed|I want to|I need to} to thank you for this {great|excellent|fantastic|wonderful|good|very good} read!! I {definitely|certainly|absolutely} {enjoyed|loved} every {little bit of|bit of} it. {I have|I’ve got|I have got} you {bookmarked|book marked|book-marked|saved as a favorite} {to check out|to look at} new {stuff you|things you} post…|
    {Hi|Hello|Hi there|What’s up}, just wanted to {mention|say|tell you}, I {enjoyed|liked|loved} this {article|post|blog post}. It was {inspiring|funny|practical|helpful}. Keep on posting!|
    I {{leave|drop|{write|create}} a {comment|leave a response}|drop a {comment|leave a response}|{comment|leave a response}} {each time|when|whenever} I {appreciate|like|especially enjoy} a {post|article} on a {site|{blog|website}|site|website} or {I have|if I have} something to {add|contribute|valuable to contribute} {to the discussion|to the conversation}. {It is|Usually it is|Usually it’s|It’s} {a result of|triggered by|caused by} the {passion|fire|sincerness} {communicated|displayed} in the {post|article} I {read|looked at|browsed}. And {on|after} this {post|article} Hello, Freethought Blogs!

  17. 39

    Thank you for some other informative web site. The place else may just I get that kind of info written in such an ideal approach? I’ve a venture that I’m simply now working on, and I’ve been on the glance out for such information.

  18. 40

    I simply couldn’t leave your website prior to suggesting that I extremely enjoyed the standard information an individual provide in your guests? Is gonna be back steadily to check up on new posts

  19. man
    41

    I am not positive the place you are getting your info, but good topic. I must spend a while finding out much more or figuring out more. Thanks for wonderful information I was looking for this info for my mission.

  20. 42

    I used to be suggested this web site by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this put up is written via him as nobody else understand such targeted approximately my difficulty. You’re wonderful! Thanks!

  21. 44

    I like the valuable info you supply in your articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and take a look at once more right here regularly. I am moderately sure I will be informed lots of new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!

  22. 45

    Together with almost everything which seems to be building throughout this subject matter, many of your viewpoints are somewhat exciting. Having said that, I am sorry, but I can not give credence to your entire suggestion, all be it exciting none the less. It would seem to me that your comments are actually not entirely justified and in fact you are generally your self not really totally convinced of the assertion. In any case I did enjoy reading through it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *