tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43588519440319619682024-03-19T15:24:44.725-04:00Girl of the GapsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-39799030243017864882012-03-28T14:29:00.002-04:002012-03-28T14:30:49.691-04:00I'm a Movie Star!Well, not really. But I sure felt like one when I saw the latest <a href="http://www.bettybowers.com/">Mrs. Betty Bowers</a> video on YouTube! I feel so honored that America's Best Christian saw fit to include me in her invitation to join the GOP! Check me out at 0:19!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/oMp98aM-Svg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
To celebrate this momentous occasion, I'm releasing the <i>never-before-published</i> sister picture, without my lovely self in the frame! (Since a few people have told me that they're pretty sure I'm just covering up the word "heart" on that sign with my lovely self...)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiPsBc7-IsqdY1jEzu5cqg0XtdLdQoXu5UU2e-nakOuGBEPrFr7KsaYdokrVXYwM3zrYfGcIIoJ4-eaXAr6-QOdfvYFrKdFIw7C1eHY7y-nfG207KPhQq2IMi0M0rsHpvPcJntb4Hdrxd/s1600/abortion+stops+a+beating.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiPsBc7-IsqdY1jEzu5cqg0XtdLdQoXu5UU2e-nakOuGBEPrFr7KsaYdokrVXYwM3zrYfGcIIoJ4-eaXAr6-QOdfvYFrKdFIw7C1eHY7y-nfG207KPhQq2IMi0M0rsHpvPcJntb4Hdrxd/s320/abortion+stops+a+beating.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Seriously, I have no idea what was going through that designer's head when they made that billboard.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-10964970089193398312012-03-24T03:33:00.000-04:002012-03-24T03:33:36.621-04:00In Which I'm Jealous & SpitefulIf you're going to <a href="http://reasonrally.org/">the Reason Rally</a> today, I just want you to know: I hate you.<br />
<br />
Have fun.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-61732637188800365742012-03-22T15:27:00.004-04:002012-03-22T15:30:06.825-04:00Good On You, Stony BrookCongratulations, Stony Brook University. Good job on <a href="http://threevillage.patch.com/articles/your-university">discouraging preferential treatment</a> to specific religions. Obviously, Rush Limbaugh <a href="http://threevillage.patch.com/articles/rush-limbaugh-blasts-stony-brook-plan-to-hold-classes-on-religious-holidays">doesn't like it</a>, but, well, it's Rush Limbaugh. I don't think there's much of anything that he actually <i>does</i> like; the man's show is a putrid fountain of hatred and idiocy.<br>
<br>
But that's beside the point. In February, Stony Brook <a href="http://sbpress.com/2012/02/changes-to-stony-brooks-academic-calendar-inevitable/">made some changes</a> to their calendar for 2012, which will presumably apply to later years as well, provided no one has a big enough tantrum first. Religious holidays will no longer be holidays from classes <span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">–</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> specifically, Christian and Jewish holidays won't, since no other religion's holidays were recognized by the school calendar.</span><br>
<a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2012/03/good-on-you-stony-brook.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-7722128077124970232012-03-19T17:13:00.002-04:002012-03-19T17:15:57.157-04:00A-Week – Are You Shouting, Or Are You Just There?It's that time of year again... It's <a href="http://www.aweekonfacebook.com/">A-Week</a>!<br>
<br>
Last year, I didn't participate. I had <a href="http://girlofthegaps.blogspot.ca/2011/03/is-it-our-duty-to-come-out-as-atheists.html">my reasons</a>. But this year, I'm ramping it up with an 'A' as my profile pic! Nothing as gauche as last year's scarlet A, though. This year, it's a nice, sedate blue.<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqplFm8sEgQfl08xDB96sQBjwlPSA0hFqQjSOYJfHY86KW2d48x_NusddybW9OJrxxT8Rmd1B6bSZQ2XOk-A_c5f5PGfsscGGTqzOy8nqVMzRUIqitvsskO39WU3ls8C-bEiXoBMXGAZG/s1600/430921_10150568193044288_337279394287_8896850_1299794815_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqplFm8sEgQfl08xDB96sQBjwlPSA0hFqQjSOYJfHY86KW2d48x_NusddybW9OJrxxT8Rmd1B6bSZQ2XOk-A_c5f5PGfsscGGTqzOy8nqVMzRUIqitvsskO39WU3ls8C-bEiXoBMXGAZG/s320/430921_10150568193044288_337279394287_8896850_1299794815_n.jpg" width="320"></a></div><br>
Really, though, I have to wonder... Am I making a difference?<br>
<a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2012/03/week-are-you-shouting-or-are-you-just.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-85306660359854750842012-02-25T19:35:00.003-05:002012-02-25T19:36:44.873-05:00In Defense of Naughty WordsSo, I wanted to talk about words a little bit. As you may have noticed, I tend to use them a lot. In fact, you might have noticed that I even use words that are <span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">–</span><i>gasp</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">–</span> not really very fucking polite.<br>
<br>
So I'm going to tell you how I feel about words, and the words I use.<br>
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Now, words are tricksy things sometimes. For example, I have no fucking problem being a little obscene here <span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">– I mean, it <i>is</i> my personal goddamn blog, after all. But there are some places that naughty words like "fuck" and "damn" and "shit" and what-have-you just <i>shouldn't</i> be used. Such places include things like:</span><br>
<ul><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Telling stories to young children,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">School and professional papers and correspondence, and </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Talking to one's grandparents (This varies, I understand, but I wouldn't be caught dead swearing around mine!)</span></li>
</ul><div><span style="color: #171717; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">But in the end, there are reasons why <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profanity#Research_into_swearing">every human language has some form of obscenity</a> in it.</span></span><br>
</div><a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2012/02/in-defense-of-naughty-words.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-79761178702737924382012-02-21T20:27:00.005-05:002012-02-21T20:33:47.316-05:00Small GovernmentNot a full post today (stay tuned, though; more this week!), but I thought that you might... appreciate... this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mattbors.com/archives/849.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HjoqEteS6vGSDH4rlGqMNssKzzc-XR7uUqj_Hoib_yN124qT6D10uCo0RT081FcfGSJIYpl4BFEYg9SD13Vorfc_sqfANXfZvSa1CrpeDeztJbLFsIYiA3cDTYUV9mO3SfiBF6a7MVlf/s1600/santorum.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Click through for full comic!)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-65472335353610868322012-02-20T15:02:00.001-05:002012-02-20T15:04:03.203-05:00Dear Virginia, I'm AshamedDear Virginia,<br>
<br>
Recently, your government has been looking at a few bills that, if passed, would be an abominable injustice to women in your domain. I know, I know, everyone and their mother's been talking about this for the past few days. But I'm not sure that you've really thought this through. I mean, Virginia, you do realize that these bills would be hugely harmful, right? Both to the women whose rights would be infringed upon... and to the cause you're presumably trying to serve here.<br>
<br>
At the end of the day, Virginia, restrictions on abortions only lead to more <i>illegal</i> abortions. There aren't any fewer "dead babies" in the end, but there are more injured, maimed, and dead women. I realize that maybe you don't find women as cuddly and cute as zygotes and fetuses, Virginia, but they're people too. In fact, they're much more people than any clump of cells with no personality, no memories, no independence. When you pass bills such as the <a href="http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121+sum+HB1">Personhood </a>and <a href="http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?121+sum+SB484">Informed Consent</a> bills currently in the state Senate, the primary effect of your action doesn't protect those clumps of cells. The primary effect of such bills is to put women – women with personalities, women with memories, women who would have a good measure of independence if only the government would stay out of their bodies – in a situation where they <i>will</i> put themselves in serious danger to do something that should be easy. Not to mention legal.<br>
<a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2012/02/dear-virginia-im-ashamed.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-33048636951161180372012-02-16T16:06:00.001-05:002012-02-20T15:05:09.691-05:00Hello, World (Redux)So... I'm ashamed to say that I never actually updated after the SSA Conference last summer. I could make excuses and promises to keep updating now, but frankly, it doesn't seem like it would make much of a difference. I <i>do</i> think I'll actually start updating again now; my schedule's a lot less hectic these days.<br />
<br />
But first, here's what's been going on in my life over the last half a year! (I know, it's <i>kind of</i> like excuses, but hey, cut me some slack...)<br />
<ul><li>The <a href="http://www.freeatvt.org/">Freethinkers</a> had an awesome fall semester, which I am proud to have been a part of. Meeting attendance and general interest have skyrocketed over the past year, and I'm sure that I've only seen the very beginning of the great things the group will do.</li>
<li>I kept volunteering! I think I can safely say that volunteering with the Raft Crisis Hotline is one of the things I'm most proud of doing in my life so far. I really felt like I was making a positive difference in the community, and I hugely encourage anyone who has considered a similar kind of volunteering to go for it!</li>
<li>I was sick for half of the semester. Recurring tonsillitis that coincided with a lapse in my health insurance gave me an even stronger conviction that health care should be a right, not a privilege. If I could barely drag myself to class (even with my low-cost medications through the university!), how can we as a society expect people working low-wage jobs to survive?</li>
<li>I got engaged the day after Thanksgiving! I mean, it wasn't really a surprise, since we planned it all out beforehand for the most part, but it's still really exciting.</li>
<li>I graduated! I'm really happy to be done (at least for now!), but I'm also sad to leave that part of my life behind.</li>
<li>Speaking of leaving things behind, I'm not in Virginia anymore! I'm currently in Vancouver, B.C., living with my fiancé for a few months while I try to sort out a summer internship or a job, and also all the details for our wedding!</li>
</ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-15205850946068186082011-08-01T21:35:00.001-04:002011-08-01T21:37:08.736-04:00Just Another Tiny PostI got in late last night, and I had to work all day today, and I need to clean and pack everything I own tomorrow for the first of two moves in two(ish) weeks....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div>So here's a picture from this weekend as my apology for not writing about all the fabulousness that was this weekend!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ol_me9j_M8xDsj2cOEoGAsrEG4kDhJThUba-YFw6c-NULYDjyhFJkB2oV126JikbidX2uAtAEK1Oap5DPUVe9lzNCKYwIXsskOmdss3famNy-qKdm-8MTLeBCZ9TEkkC12bZMw7lBUQe/s1600/Nicole+stops+a+beating.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ol_me9j_M8xDsj2cOEoGAsrEG4kDhJThUba-YFw6c-NULYDjyhFJkB2oV126JikbidX2uAtAEK1Oap5DPUVe9lzNCKYwIXsskOmdss3famNy-qKdm-8MTLeBCZ9TEkkC12bZMw7lBUQe/s320/Nicole+stops+a+beating.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whaaaaaaatt?!??</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We actually pulled a u-turn on the highway so that we could get a picture of this ridiculousness.<br />
<br />
Abortion... stops a beating.<br />
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Somehow I don't think this is what they meant to say. Anyways, more on this, and everything else, later. Sometime. Seriously, I don't know how I manage to be so busy; it's exhausting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-36080928087312560982011-07-29T07:36:00.001-04:002011-07-29T07:36:55.992-04:00SSA Conference!Just a short post, as I'm leaving soonish and still need to pack (curse you, procrastination!), but I'm heading off to the <a href="http://www.secularstudents.org/2011con">Secular Student Alliance's annual conference</a> in Columbus, Ohio today, and I am <i>excited!</i><br />
<br />
As far as what I hope to get out of this, I'd really like to learn more about how to make a group female-friendly... but not in a way that's just targeting females. I'd also like to hear any opinions on making to whole "ladies' issues" engaging to guys without resorting to "it might get you laid." Quite frankly, I'm of the opinion that most problems are "human issues," rather than men's or women's specifically, but there I don't run into a whole lot of agreement on this.<br />
<br />
To put it frankly, how the hell do I get a (mostly male) group to talk about something like the proposed requirement for health insurance providers to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/birth-control-coverage-proposed-for-all-health-insurance-plans/2011/07/19/gIQAcqS7NI_story.html">provide birth control free of charge</a> without having them think that the only reason it's important is because they're less likely to knock someone up if it's put into effect?<br />
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Also, how to run better events. How to strike the right balance between what some people want and what others disagree with. How to forge good relations with faith-based groups. How to figure out whether something's a rumor or not, and how to keep it from spreading while we find out (more on this later). And whether anyone knows if <a href="http://rockbeyondbelief.com/">Rock Beyond Belief</a> is actually going to happen (seriously, I want to go)! <br />
<br />
All that said, I'm mostly excited to meet everyone else there. I mean, c'mon, it's a conference which, if I extrapolate based on previous experiences with the <a href="http://www.freeatvt.org/">Freethinkers</a>, will be <i>full of awesome people.</i> Also, the <i><a href="http://www.secularstudents.org/2011con/speakers">awesome speaker list</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">And I can't lie; I really just want to hug PZ Myers.... he just looks so huggable!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-58196771380238403332011-07-20T23:22:00.004-04:002011-07-20T23:26:42.406-04:00Lipstick Feminism, or Why Dressing Like a Prostitute Still Promotes SexismI'm sure by now everyone and their mother has heard about the whole "Elevatorgate" thing, and the ensuing blogoshpere explosion over... well, everything involved (if you didn't – and I'll admit, I was in the dark for a while myself on this one – you can learn more about the whole controversy via <a href="http://www.blaghag.com/2011/06/context-matters.html">Jen McCreight's blogpost</a> on the matter or <a href="http://gretachristina.typepad.com/greta_christinas_weblog/2011/07/why-we-have-to-talk-about-this.html">Greta Christina's great piece</a> on why it's important, or really, just about any blog with any kind of opinions on atheism/feminism). Maybe you also saw Matt Dillahunty's awesome first (and probably only) go at drag this week on <a href="http://www.atheist-experience.com/">Atheist Experience</a>.<br>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br>
With all that as a lead-in (and also because <i>I feel like it</i>), I figured now would be a great time to talk about how pissed it makes me when people either claim that feminists are manhating ugly women who need to get laid, or make the seemingly opposite claim that women embracing the culturally-prescribed social norm of looking hot will magically make misogyny a thing of the past.<br>
<br>
Actually, now that I think about it, I really don't have to talk much about that first thing other than to say, "That's wrong, as well as stupid." Feminism opposes misogyny, but this is not the same as hating men; wanting to take privilege out of the equation doesn't mean feminists think males are inferior, but rather that we'd all like to be equal, thank you very much. Feminists aren't uglier than non-feminists any more than atheists are uglier than theists (though <a href="http://www.conservapedia.com/Atheism_and_obesity">Conservapedia would have you think we're all fatties</a>). Feminism is not restricted to females, just as advocating for gay rights isn't restricted to people who identify as LGBTetc. As regards to getting laid, well, I doubt we need it any more desperately than anyone else, and certainly less than some!<br>
</div><a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2011/07/lipstick-feminism-or-why-dressing-like.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-87945462072240897082011-07-18T20:03:00.003-04:002012-02-16T15:48:15.230-05:00I'm Still Alive, I SwearWell, I am apparently ill-suited to regular updates in the summer. I suspect it's the lack of structure in my schedule; I feel like I have more time than I really do, so I keep putting things off. This is clearly something I need to work on.<br>
<br>
Basically, this is post is just an update on my personal life combined with a promise of actual posts to come. I promise! I'll write something! Maybe even this week!<br>
<br>
All in all, this summer has been completely awesome. It's also been busier than any summer except, perhaps, for the one prior to my senior year of high school. This summer, I have done the following:<br>
<a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2011/07/im-still-alive-i-swear.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-78962465701778550062011-06-08T22:39:00.010-04:002011-06-10T15:25:02.578-04:00Giles County's Unconstitutional Ten Commandments Decision<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I know everyone thought I'd been raptured, since I've been terribly neglectful of this blog for the last month, but I promise, I'm still here, and still in Blacksburg, even.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br>
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In fact, I'm still meeting up with the <a href="http://www.freeatvt.org/">Freethinkers</a>, and we are doing <i>epic things</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> this summer! Yesterday's epic adventure was our trip out to the Giles County School Board Meeting to show our support for keeping the “historical documents” display – the one that includes the Ten Commandments – out of public schools. This has apparently <a href="http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-honors-virginia-woman-for-contesting-school-religion/">been an issue since at least 2004</a>, and probably much longer.</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br>
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Just to be clear, in my personal opinion, the Ten Commandments has no place in a display of historical documents that were instrumental in the formation of American law. In fact, 70% of the Ten Commandments aren't addressed at all in American law codes. Last I checked, we were still allowed to disrespect whomever we pleased, have whatever deities or idols (or lack thereof!) we care to have (in whatever order we want), party all day on Sundays, swear however we like, covet anything we damn well want, and, in many states, </span><span style="font-style: normal;">have sex with anyone willing and of age and sound mind (at any rate, there's no federal law governing adultery)</span><span style="font-style: normal;">; only murder, theft, and bearing false witness are illegal on a federal level. Beyond that, I think I can go out on a limb and say that most – if not all – legal codes have always and still do include admonishments against murder, theft, and lying to get other people in trouble and/or cover your own ass. </span><i>There is no real evidence or support for the claim that the Ten Commandments are historically significant in the codification of United States law.</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br>
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">On a related note, I'd like to put forth that if they wanted to put up something really old that influenced United States legal tradition (and probably legal traditions in much of the modern world), they need look no further than the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi">Code of Hammurabi</a><i>. </i>It is the oldest recorded legal code ever discovered, after all, and it even covers <a href="http://public.wsu.edu/%7Edee/MESO/CODE.HTM">murder, theft, and false witness</a>.<i><br>
</i></div><div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2011/06/giles-countys-unconstitutional-ten.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-41406275095848484282011-05-05T22:45:00.001-04:002011-05-05T22:51:02.888-04:00National Day of... Really, Guys?So, I can't pretend I've actually been paying a whole lot of attention (what with studying for exams and writing end-of-term papers taking precedence over even my blog-reading addiction), but even I know that today was the <a href="http://nationaldayofprayer.org/">National Day of Prayer</a>.<br />
<br />
A friend of mine put forth the opinion that given that today is Cinco de Mayo, the National Day of Prayer probably should've come afterward, so that folks could easily repent for their tequila-fueled transgressions.<br />
<br />
Of course, I opined that the whole thing was planned on the fifth on purpose so as to try to offset some of the terribly unamerican partying that goes on. I mean, what's less American than celebrating a <i>Mexican</i> holiday?? We'll only encourage illegal immigrants like that! Clearly we should all get down on our knees and pray for those damn dirty Mexicans to get out of our country and stop doing the jobs no one else wants to do. Like construction. Or farm work. You know, all those unnecessary things that we couldn't possibly pay a fair wage for.<br />
<br />
To be quite serious, though, government sponsorship of this kind of event is unconstitutional and divisive. I'd also suggest that the people in charge of this nonsense bone up on classics like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Tripoli">Treaty of Tripoli</a>. Not that they'd actually give a damn about anything that didn't support their desire to push their beliefs on others.<br />
<br />
And it's not that I've really got much hope left for politicians, especially any in the "moral" majority, but somehow my opinion of the government just keeps sinking and sinking. Oh well, I'm surely getting old and jaded.<br />
<br />
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the little protest at the Planned Parenthood here in Blacksburg. Because just praying for all the poor little bunches of cells isn't enough.<br />
<br />
Sigh.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-28240964690036348622011-04-22T17:01:00.002-04:002011-04-22T17:01:40.491-04:00Temporary Leave of AbsenceHey, sorry for all the lack of posting that's going on.<br />
<br />
And for the fact that it's going to continue until I've finished writing the billion papers I need to turn in, and studying for and taking finals. And acquiring a job.<br />
<br />
I'm just really busy at the moment. I'll be posting again once the semester's over, and maybe I'll sneak something short in between then and now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-30168685300513998242011-04-16T13:25:00.001-04:002011-04-16T13:26:27.212-04:00More Information<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As more information comes to light, I would like to restate that Mr. Alex Huppert needs help and support, not judgment and condemnation. <a href="http://www.freeatvt.org/">Free@VT</a> has extended our support to his family and friends, should they need it, and we hope for the best for Mr. Huppert as he faces a difficult period in his life.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">At present, it appears that Alex's behavior may have been due to his taking a drug that he believed to be Paxil -- for which he had a prescription -- but wasn't. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">More information is available in this <a href="http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/17407/updated-signs-of-mental-illness-noted-before-stabbing">follow-up article</a> in the Virginia Tech Collegiate Times.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-71440123405433790392011-04-13T22:43:00.002-04:002011-04-13T22:44:34.599-04:00Today's Events: the Awesome and the TerrifyingToday was National (or International, depending on who you ask) Ask an Atheist Day. I planned and ran the <a href="http://www.freeatvt.org/">Free@VT</a>-sponsored booth here at Virginia Tech, and as one of my fellow participants said, the day was "99% totally awesome open dialogue, and 1% horrible obscene worst-case-scenario."<br>
<br>
First, the awesome stuff. While the day started off slowly, we had a definite increase in interest and traffic as the day went on. By noon, we had a pretty much constant group of students around the booth, and several atheists who hadn't known about Free@VT had dropped by to pick up a meeting schedule or sign up for our listserv (including a student in the Corps of Cadets, who was feeling a bit out outcast in the military setting and was excited to hear of an atheist-friendly group on campus!). Even more delightful was the number of people who were actually asking us questions.<br>
<br>
We had a veritable flood of students from some of the on-campus Christian organizations, most notably from Campus Crusade for Christ. Both sides of the discussion -- and, surprised as I was, it was, in all cases, a <i>discussion</i>, not an argument -- were very polite, and genuinely interested in having an open dialogue. Questions ranged from wondering whether we celebrated Christmas, to where we got our morals, to our thoughts on the origin of life and the universe, to whether we believed if Jesus ever existed, and beyond.<br>
<br>
Perhaps a measure of the respect we were treated with was due to the fact that many of our volunteers were grad students, but I don't really think that's what it was. At Virginia Tech, there seems to be a high expectation from <i>everyone</i>, not just from the establishment, that others be treated with respect until they've done something showing that they're not worthy of that. Hokies, as a whole, are a family, and while we may disagree on some things, we try our utmost to be, at least, civil.<br>
<br>
As I said, however, there was that 1% of the day that was heinously awful.<br>
<a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2011/04/todays-events-awesome-and-terrifying.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-9059151380566285452011-04-06T22:32:00.005-04:002011-04-06T22:43:40.162-04:00The "Problem" of Gay MarriageJust to be clear, I <i><b>fully support</b></i> the legalization of gay marriage.<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hanlonsrazor.org/2011/04/06/graph-of-the-day/trackback/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnF8tEpotCEeMCwSQjYNFB-9FCPYcmuGnjZ4eNEGCioV4A4EJPXUSMtiSrGw8-0HR3r5Lvva1Tz_RSzry7pc6J2j63drgLf62WlxBNyDbFjwY1ePpXO-aoU_Yuvd1P8D-Tsw-TTjDVKugp/s1600/lNqfI.png"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hanlonsrazor.org/">Reposted from Hanlon's Razor</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2011/04/problem-of-gay-marriage.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-21393187876477615962011-04-02T20:30:00.002-04:002011-04-06T22:44:41.929-04:00It's My Birthday, Have A Present!So, I just turned 21! Fear not, I'm safely in a bar somewhere having my parents buy me alcohol in a strange attempt at parent-daughter bonding, and this is being published automatically! (Assuming I do this right and it works...)<br>
<br>
Because I'm awesome (and also because I wanted an excuse to post this up), here's an excellent Flash game, <a href="http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/544332">Tower of Heaven</a>, as a backwards birthday present:<br>
<a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2011/04/its-my-birthday-have-present.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-1152052893375509852011-03-31T16:31:00.001-04:002011-03-31T16:57:38.842-04:00Is it Our Duty to Come Out as Atheists?I'm sure many of you know it, but just to set the stage for my discussion of this topic, last week was <a href="http://www.aweek.biz/">'A' Week</a>. Atheists have been encouraged to set their Facebook (and other social profile, I suppose) picture to the scarlet 'A' -- or, in a twist on the concept that I personally prefer, to <a href="http://www.blaghag.com/2011/03/this-is-what-atheist-looks-like.html">take a picture of themselves</a> smiling with a small sign saying that they are an atheist, and use that for their profile picture.<br>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://fast1.onesite.com/community.beliefnet.com/user/wiscidea/5cdb46be950ec945e85afdefcb31ab53.png?v=56640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://fast1.onesite.com/community.beliefnet.com/user/wiscidea/5cdb46be950ec945e85afdefcb31ab53.png?v=56640"></a></div><br>
'A' Week is a strategy which I highly support.<br>
<br>
'A' Week is an event in which I do not participate.<br>
<br>
What gives?<br>
<a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2011/03/is-it-our-duty-to-come-out-as-atheists.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-41768203126170485772011-03-30T23:36:00.003-04:002011-03-31T18:14:16.130-04:00Apologies for My Lack of PostsI know there are a few people who actually check here, and I do seem to have some traffic on this blog, so I'd like to apologize for my apparent inability to post the last two weeks or so. It's not quite the end of the semester panic time yet, but it just dawned on me that all of my classes require an end-of-term paper, with length requirements ranging from four to ten-plus pages. Between that, my 21st birthday coming up this weekend, planning the <a href="http://www.freeatvt.org/">Free@VT</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112830612129882&ref=mf">Ask an Atheist Day</a> booth, and a mega-birthday bash to plan two weeks down the road, I've been a little swamped.<br />
<br />
Please accept this <a href="http://www.xkcd.com/">xkcd </a>strip, which you've probably already seen, but which is probably-maybe my absolute favorite of Randall Munroe's comics thus far, as my apologetic offering:<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.xkcd.com/877/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/beauty.png" width="600" /></a><br />
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I used to ascribe to that sort of belief that everything is somehow less beautiful and mysterious once you understand it... and then I realized, when I learned about astronomy as a kid, I <i>wanted</i> to learn more, not just because I was thirsty for knowledge, but because knowing more about something made it <i>more</i> interesting, and <i>more </i>beautiful, and even <i>more mysterious</i>, because now I knew more questions to ask, and more topics about which to ask them.<br />
<br />
And, of course, xkcd manages to put the idea succinctly into four panels of stick figures.<br />
<br />
PS: I should have a post up for you sometime tomorrow, with any luck.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-64648416187288463142011-03-17T21:59:00.006-04:002011-03-17T22:06:07.633-04:00Response to a YouTube Evangalist<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Today I received a message on my YouTube account from a Muslim evangelist. Here is the part of the message that wasn't a big long list of poor justifications for his faith:<br>
<blockquote>“Hard questions for an atheist!</blockquote></div><blockquote><ol><li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">were you created by nothing or did you create yourself? </div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">whats purpose of life? </div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Apart from scientific evidence, what else would make you acknowledge the existence of God Almighty?” (<i>sic</i><span style="font-style: normal;">)</span></div></li>
</ol></blockquote><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div></blockquote><ol></ol><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Furthermore, the video featured on his profile read as follows:</div><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Questions an atheist avoids to answer correctly!</div><ol><li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Were you created by nothing or did you create yourself?</div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Define the God you are rejecting?</div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Do you believe in natural instinct? If so, how do they relate to Evolution?</div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Are suffering from a God complex?</div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Man is a worshipper by nature! Who do you worship?</div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Everything we see around us has a purpose! Whats your purpose in life?</div></li>
</ol>Answer honestly, please!” (<i>sic</i><span style="font-style: normal;">)</span></blockquote><a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2011/03/response-to-youtube-evangalist.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-32011248535728513812011-03-16T18:29:00.000-04:002011-03-16T18:29:25.689-04:00It's Women's History Month... So Get Back in the KitchenAs I'm sure you all know, since International Women's Day was just last week, March is Women's History Month. Now, deny it as some might, gender equality is still not as widespread as it ought to be, and I wholeheartedly applaud those who are bringing that fact further into the public spotlight.<br>
<br>
I appreciate the free self-defense classes that are offered to women (and men) on campus here at Virginia Tech. While in a perfect world, we wouldn't have to worry about having to defend ourselves, being able to do so is definitely an empowering skill.<br>
<br>
When I saw that the weight room in the gym was being cleared for a women-only session, I was totally jazzed. It's intimidating to walk into a room of sweaty dudes and try to figure out how to use some obscure piece of equipment. I think it's great that the gym took a day to make sure that the ladies on campus had a chance to learn how to use that stuff.<br>
<br>
I'm having a hard time, however, with how our cafeterias decided to celebrate Women's History Month. Don't get me wrong -- I'm glad they're acknowledging it. But... <i>cupcakes?</i><br>
<i></i><a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2011/03/its-womens-history-month-so-get-back-in.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-57045821018801838442011-03-15T01:05:00.003-04:002011-03-15T11:41:11.060-04:00To GodBlock, or to Educate?As a college student, I spend a lot of time <strike>studying</strike> on StumbleUpon. Recently, I came across this site for a <a href="http://www.godblock.com/">religion-blocking web filter</a> to protect little atheist kids from the terrible thing that is religious content on the internet.<br>
<br>
At first, I kind of laughed at it. Then I wondered whether anyone actually used it. <i>Then</i> I considered whether I would ever use it as a parent.<br>
<br>
The long and short of it is, "NO."<br>
<br>
As an atheist, I don't like the idea of indoctrinating children. I personally find the fact that many (if not most) children are brought up in a faith, believing that that faith is the capital-t Truth, and that to question that faith is to reserve oneself a spot in hell to be utterly repulsive. I am still angry about my own religious upbringing and the horrible guilt that I went through (and, in some cases, am still fighting through) as I left the Catholic faith. Indoctrination is a Bad Thing, capital letters and all.<br>
<a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2011/03/to-godblock-or-to-educate.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358851944031961968.post-38679086958890674282011-03-04T01:09:00.003-05:002011-03-16T21:35:14.027-04:00So They Tell Me God is GoodThis is something that I'm sure many people struggle with, and it probably doesn't need my rant about it in addition to everyone else's, but it's been driving me up the wall lately, so here it is.<br>
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Recently, a relative of mine suffered a terrible accident. I shan't be going into any specifics, but I do assure you, it was quite serious. Thankfully, they lived. They are now going through the traumas of understanding their prognoses and comprehending all the horrible consequences of what has happened. Again, I assure you, what they are going through is not anything that would be taken lightly by anyone.<br>
<br>
Through all this, the family has been receiving periodic reports of the process from my grandmother. These letters are basically outlines of the details of the dire situation. And they all end with the same tagline: "God is good."<br>
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And with each and every correspondence, I wish to reply, "What the fucking hell do you mean by that? If your god were 'good,' they wouldn't be in this situation to begin with! Your god would have altered the course of events, or the laws of physics! This would have never happened! Where the fuck do you get off in proclaiming this situation <i>'good'?!</i>"<br>
<a href="https://girlofthegaps.blogspot.com/2011/03/so-they-tell-me-god-is-good.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9