Several Self-Aggrandizing Notes

1) Today marks Daddy Dialectic's 200th post. What does that mean? We still have much to write.

2) My essay on Christian Right parenting, originally published in Public Eye, was recently reprinted on AlterNet. It is now one of AlterNet's most read and emailed pieces, and hands-down the one that has received the most comments since it appeared Friday--about 300, at this writing, 100 more than the next-most-commented-upon piece. I don't mean to appear ungracious, but, unfortunately, many of the comments are stupid. I don't mean that they are stupid because the commentators disagree with me. They are stupid because some commentators chose to read the essay as anti-religious, which it is not. Some of them, both pro and con, don't appear to have to read it at all. What's the point of commenting on something if you haven't actually read the thing?

3) At some point in early May, Mothering magazine will launch a new blog by me entitled "Fathering." Stay tuned for details.

4) On May 6th, 6:00-7:30 pm, I'll host a discussion with Harvard Medical School researcher Lawrence Kutner on new research into the effects of violent video games on teenagers. This free event will be held at the Journalism School Library at North Gate Hall on the northern edge of the UC Berkeley campus. For map, additional directions, and information on parking, click here. This event celebrates the release of Greater Good magazine's new issue on play. It's not yet available online, but soon.

5) Greater Good is a finalist for this year's prestigious Maggie Award, "Best Quarterly." If you know what a Maggie is, you probably work for a magazine.

6) Late last year, I hosted a panel discussion on "The 21st Century Family" with family historian Stephanie Coontz, UC Berkeley psychologists Philip and Carolyn Cowan, and author and therapist Joshua Coleman. You can now watch the panel here, if you have absolutely nothing else to do.