Women's Suffrage

The Nineteenth amendment became law 88 years ago today. Here's a website with some information on the movement. Here's a small excerpt from that site:


"Opposed by a well-organized and well-funded anti-suffrage movement which argued that most women really didn't want the vote, and they were probably not qualified to exercise it anyway, women also used humor as a tactic. In 1915, writer Alice Duer Miller wrote,

Why We Don't Want Men to Vote
o Because man's place is in the army.
o Because no really manly man wants to settle any question otherwise than by fighting about it.
o Because if men should adopt peaceable methods women will no longer look up to them.
o Because men will lose their charm if they step out of their natural sphere and interest themselves in other matters than feats of arms, uniforms, and drums.
o Because men are too emotional to vote. Their conduct at baseball games and political conventions shows this, while their innate tendency to appeal to force renders them unfit for government."

Go Alice!! Celebrate the day by learning about some of the heroic women who helped advance women's rights.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Lucretia Mott

Susan B Anthony

There are many more than this...this list is just to get you started :)

Captain Disillusion

I recently discovered Captain Disillusionwhile listening to one of my favorite podcasts The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. The interview was great and I decided to check out his youtube videos. I haven't had a chance to watch all of them, but so far I've liked what I've seen.

I'm Outta Here

Well, it looks like I will not have time to write a post before we leave for vacation:( I do have a couple of little posts scheduled while I'm gone, but not many. Also, comments will be allowed, but will not be posted until I get a chance to look them over. I'm not sure how often I will have internet access, so I may not post any of them until I get home. Have a great week and a great Labor Day weekend!

**I just added a blog list at the top of my page that shows the most recent posts and their titles. You should definitely check them out.

What would happen if we taught all the controversies?

I haven't seen this one before. I want to get some t-shirts made with all of the scientific theories and their "alternative" *wink*wink* theories. We are already behind other countries in regards to education...imagine if we actually did teach all of the controversies!

Gravity? Nope, angels hold our feet and keep us from floating away.
Germs? Nope, we's get sick when (place the name of your favorite deity here) is mad at us.
And hey, I'm sure those flat-earthers and Holocaust deniers would like their fair share of classroom time too. Gosh, we might need to extend the school day to fit in all of these "controversies" so our kids will be good and ederkated.

Changes

Some of you may have noticed a few minor changes I've made to my blog. I've added a feature where people can subscribe to my posts and to comments. I also added labels to my posts so people can find posts about specific topics. I still haven't labeled all of my posts yet, but I'll keep working on it. You can also e-mail my posts to people by clicking on the envelope at the bottom of each post.

The other changes I've made are changes that have been made out of necessity. First, the content of my blog will be somewhat different than it has been. In the past I've blogged about my experiences with my extended family. However, their church recently found my blog and felt it was more important to know who I am than to address the content in my blog. This has presented some issues for my extended family and I have decided that I will not write posts that specifically deal with them so as not to cause problems for them with their church. I'll still write about my personal experiences with other people, my opinions on different things, and secular parenting, and other fun stuff :)

Also, I received a comment on a couple of my previous posts today where the commenter used my initials. When I first started this blog, I was not as careful at protecting my identity. However, considering situations that other atheist bloggers have been through recently, I have decided that I must stay as anonymous as possible to protect my kids. I know that this is a little too late, but I'm going to do the best I can. So, I have a new commenting rule: You may NOT use any identifying information when addressing me in your comments. If you do, I will edit those things out. If it becomes a habit with a certain commenter, I will not allow comments from that person anymore. I would hope that any parent would understand and respect my wishes in regards to this. I cannot control who will read my blog, but I can control how much information about me is released.

I'm still trying to decide how to deal with comments while I'm on vacation. I'm hoping to schedule a few posts while we're gone. But, I won't always have internet access to view comments as they're made. So, at this point, I'm thinking that I will either need to disable comments or set them up for moderation. I'm thinking about it...and will be sure to write a post before we leave letting everyone know what I decide. I'm still open to suggestions, so if you have any let me know :)

Sorry this is such a boring post, I just wanted to acknowledge the changes being made and the reasons behind them. Here's an optical illusion to make this a little more interesting :)





"Co-op"

Circles appear to rotate. An op effect (scintillating lustre) is also include

Catching up

I'm so excited...I had two finals today and now I get a month off from school! Then, I only have one more quarter to go and I'll be a Registered Nurse :) But that month is going to be busy. We need to finish up school shopping, get haircuts, go to the Oregon Coast for vacation, and then the kids head back to school. So, I'm using this post to catch up on a few things. (If anyone has any good camping recipes, could you send them my way? I'm trying to make a menu for our trip and I'm always up for fun new things to try ;) You can leave a comment or send me an e-mail: humanistmama@gmail.com)

First, I usually try to respond to people's comments quickly, and I've done a terrible job at that lately. So, here are some quick responses:

@ vjack: Thank you for the resources you've directed me to! I have had so much fun with StumbleUpon and I will definitely check out the Atheist Blogroll. I rarely have time to sit down and find these things on my own so I appreciate it when someone points them out :)

@ Karen: You're not alone in voting Republican at one point. Unfortunately, I was raised in a family of Republicans and didn't snap out before I turned 18. I'm happy to say that I have fully recovered and am appalled that I ever voted without understanding the issues and researching the candidates.

@ enshoku: I'm glad you liked the video...it's funny how much of it is true. But, I wonder if some people might not realize that it is satire?

@ james tracy: I haven't posted a deconversion story yet, but I have had a few requests for one. So, I think I will start working on that during my break and I'll let you know when it's done :) I'm glad I found your website through Scoutle...I've enjoyed reading stories of other peoples' deconversions. It's interesting how many people come to atheism through similar routes.

@ whoever posted the Republican video on craigslist: That sent me quite a bit of traffic. At first, I wasn't sure why people were coming to my site from craigslist, but then I found the link. Thanks :)


I'll do my best to post a few things before we leave for vacation, but I can't make any promises. I'm ready to get away from Spokane for awhile and reelllaaaxxx. I have a HUGE list of books that I've been waiting to read, but school keeps getting in the way :) So, I'm planning on bringing:

Straight Into Gay America by Lars Clausen. My cousin knows the author and she gave me an autographed copy...I've been looking forward to reading it for a year!! The author is a pastor who unicycled 1000 miles over 5 weeks for LGBT equal rights. This book is a compilation of stories he heard on his journey.

How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker My sister gave me this book for Christmas, so my goal is to finish it before this coming Christmas :)

We also bought The Golden Compass audio book and The Subtle Knife audiobook to listen to on the long drive!

Voting Republican

This is pretty funny...I had to post it :)

I Stumbled Upon Ethical Atheist's Ten Commandments

Thanks to vjack at Atheist Revolution I found a new program called StumbleUpon. I've been having a lot of fun with it today :) It was really easy to get started with it...I entered my e-mail address and a password, then I checked my interests and downloaded the Firefox addon. Now, I have a Stumbleupon toolbar. When I come across a site I like, I give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. If I feel like browsing, I can hit Stumble! and it brings up different websites. It's really fun!

Anyway, in one of my stumble's today, I came across The Ten Commandments by Ethical Atheist. I'll list the commandments, but I encourage you to visit the site. It gives some explanations about each of the commandments or rather...suggestions:)

1.Thou SHALT NOT believe all thou art told.
2.Thou SHALT seek knowledge and truth constantly.
3.Thou SHALT educate thy fellow man in the Laws of Science.
4.Thou SHALT NOT forget the atrocities committed in the name of god.
5.Thou SHALT leave valuable contributions for future generations.
6.Thou SHALT live in peace with thy fellow man.
7.Thou SHALT live this one life thou hast to its fullest.
8.Thou SHALT follow a Personal Code of Ethics.
9.Thou SHALT maintain a strict separation between Church and State.
10.Thou SHALT support those who follow these commandments.


I think they sound pretty good. Hey, I think if everyone followed these Ten Commandments, we might find some peace in this world. Quick...without looking can you name the Bible's Ten Commandments? Just curious :)


To close out this post, I'll post a quote I stumbled upon:

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Benjamin Franklin
Pennsylvania Assembly: Reply to the Governor, November 11, 1755.—The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, ed. Leonard W. Labaree, vol. 6, p. 242 (1963).

Very fitting for the current administration.

Donate Stuffed Animals to the MJ Foundation

One of my best friends has a daughter who was born with spina bifida. Her daughter has been through a lot, but has defied the odds. In honor of her, my friend has started a charity called The MJ Foundation. The goal of the foundation is to provide educational information as well as financial help to families who have children with neural tube defects. Right now, it is a baby charity :)....it was just started a year ago and is trying to get a good start.

One of the foundation's projects is to collect stuffed animals for the hospital where my friend's daughter had her surgeries, Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, OR. When Mattea had her surgeries one thing that was really special to the family was that she received a stuffed animal. However, the hospital doesn't always have enough stuffed animals for all of the children it sees each year.

So, the MJ Foundation is asking for donations of new stuffed animals that will be donated to the hospital. The animals have to be new because many of these kids are immunocompromised...gently used is not OK. You can also send a monetary donation to the Foundation and ask for the money to be used to buy stuffed animals.

The MJ Foundation is asking that all stuffed animals and monetary donations for this project be received by September 20, 2008. I have decided to add stuffed animals to my school shopping list...each of my kids are going to pick out some stuffed animals to send.

If you want to help, you can send donations to:

The MJ Foundation
8002 NE HWY 99
Suite 552
Vancouver, WA 98665

It is a great cause and a great way to brighten a child's day! :)

Evolve

I had meant to post this information last week, but I was too busy. The History Channel is airing a series called Evolve. Last week the focus was on eyes...it was very interesting. I admit I was skeptical at first because the History Channel does not always provide accurate programming, but I was pleasantly surprised. Here's a brief description from the site for Evolve: Eyes

"They are one of evolution's most useful and prevalent inventions. Ninety five percent of living species are equipped with eyes and they exist in many different forms. Learn how the ancestors of jellyfish may have been the first to evolve light-sensitive cells. Discover how dinosaur's evolved eyes that helped them become successful hunters. Finally, learn how primates evolved unique adaptations to their eyes that allowed them to better exploit their new habitat, and how the ability to see colors helped them find food."

In case you missed it, they are airing it again (at least in my area) tonight at 11pm. It will follow the next show in the series Evolve: Guts.(airing at 10pm in my area).

"It doesn't just take willpower to survive. It takes guts--in the form of a digestive system that turns food into fuel. Look closely at the role guts have played in shaping some of Earth's most successful animals: tyrannosaurs, snakes, cows, humans and others. Take a 575-million year journey that begins with the planet's first multi-cellular organisms and ends at our dinner tables. Watch as live-action natural history sequences, CGI, epic docudrama, and experimental science help to illustrate our and our fellow species' eternal struggle for survival on earth."

I'm hoping this will be as interesting as the previous episode...I'm planning on recording them all for my kids. I'm pretty sure they'll enjoy the episode on eyes. If the series wasn't airing so late in my area, I'd let them stay up to watch it :)

I know I have many new readers, so I thought I'd also post some good sources for accurate information on evolution. The Evolve series looks like it will be good, but if someone is unfamiliar with the theory of evolution, or knows very little about it, the series may not provide answers to questions you might have. So, here are some of my favorite websites and videos about the subject :)

Talk Origins is "a Usenet newsgroup devoted to the discussion and debate of biological and physical origins. Most discussions in the newsgroup center on the creation/evolution controversy, but other topics of discussion include the origin of life, geology, biology, catastrophism, cosmology and theology." There are many articles here...fun to explore!

PBS Evolution This site not only contains information and activities about evolution, it also has some basic information about how science works. It was originally developed to accompany the TV series that PBS aired on Evolution. That series no longer airs, but you can get it on DVD. I own it and LOVE it. (I just did a search at Netflix and found the PBS Evolution series there. )

Panda's Thumb is another great site that has plenty of good information on the theory of evolution.

Understanding Evolution is an educational site sponsored by UC Berkeley. Not only does this site offer good information, it also has lesson plans for teachers and parents and you can subscribe to a newsletter with updates. I look forward to my updates and I have used their lesson plans in the past with my kids.

So, there's a start. There is so much information...it's impossible to cover it all in a short period of time. But, it's fun and all of the sites are good introductions for anyone who is interested in furthering their science education :)

Belief-O-Matic: Discover similarities you have with other belief systems

It seems that there are a lot of people who want to focus on the differences between their religion and others. It is a way for people to feel superior to others....I'm better than you because I believe A,B,C, and you don't. But, it's not often that we look for similarities....or even realize that there are similarities between different belief systems.

I just took this quiz over at Belief-Net. I personally identify myself as a secular humanist, but I think that I have a few Christian friends who would be surprised to find that there are some things we agree on. It looks like I am likely to agree with my liberal Christian friends on about 59% of the items and with my conservative Christian friends we might agree about 17% of the time. It's a fun little quiz...head on over and take it and if anyone would like, we can start a discussion about it in the comment section.


Here are my results:


1. Secular Humanism (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (91%)
3. Liberal Quakers (75%)
4. Nontheist (73%)
5. Theravada Buddhism (70%)
6. Neo-Pagan (64%)
7. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (59%)
8. New Age (49%)
9. Taoism (47%)
10. Orthodox Quaker (40%)
11. Reform Judaism (40%)
12. Mahayana Buddhism (40%)
13. Bah�'� Faith (29%)
14. Sikhism (29%)
15. Scientology (28%)
16. Jainism (27%)
17. New Thought (26%)
18. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (23%)
19. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (20%)
20. Seventh Day Adventist (18%)
21. Hinduism (17%)
22. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (17%)
23. Eastern Orthodox (15%)
24. Islam (15%)
25. Orthodox Judaism (15%)
26. Roman Catholic (15%)
27. Jehovah's Witness (11%)