My sister-in-law (we’ll call her Martha) has been dating this guy who we’ll call Steve. I met him the night that she and Steve were reacquainted at the high school reunion last year. It was one of those big affairs where 10 years of classes were invited. Anyway she and Steve have basically been dating ever since. She hasn’t had the best luck with guys in the past but she’s head over heels in love with him and is very happy, which is good.

The night I met Steve, I mentioned to him that I was reading a great book called Microcosm: E. Coli and the New Science of Life. It’s a fantastic book that I highly recommend. Butch was there and chimed in that it’s all about evolution, which it is, in a very cool, observable way. Steve rolled his eyes and scoffed. Scoffed! I didn’t want to get into it since we were heading home but I immediately found myself feeling cold toward him.

So, when Martha brought Steve to a family BBQ the next day I was polite but really didn’t have anything to say to him. He seemed nice enough though.

Time went on and I learned from him that he likes Sarah Palin. He thinks she’s got some good ideas. (I think I just threw up a little in my mouth there) Martha told me he’s a full on conservative republican but that they don’t talk about politics. As I do with most people, I was also refraining from political  – or religious – talk with him as well.

To this day we’ve stayed clear of those two topics. But we’ve gone out to dinner quite a few times, hung out at family gatherings, and he even invited us over to watch some MMA on a channel we don’t get next month (Woot!) He’s a genuinely nice guy. He’s not stupid by any means, can hold a conversation, has a good sense of humor, and seems to be making Martha extremely happy.

Why am I talking about this? Well, to me, Sarah Palin is a stupid, vapid pentecostal nutcase with only enough brain cells to rub together to help her wink and flap her mouth when someone pulls her puppet strings. The fact that people give her 2 seconds of their time, combined with her views on Armageddon and the end times, makes her extremely dangerous. Usually when confronted with someone who likes Palin, I run the other way.

But this time, because I wanted Martha to be happy, I got to know Steve and found that I genuinely like him. I don’t want to talk about politics or religion with him, but I like the guy.

It leads me to wonder, are the vast majority of republicans and christians more like Steve? Are they relatively nice people who are not stupid, or even smart? Good, honest people who are just misguided in politics because of how they were raised or values they got from church?

Have the vocal minority that I see on tv or the interwebs overshadowed the quiet majority that encompasses Steve? Do the vocal minority give people like him a bad name? Or is that bad reputation well earned even for Steve?

And does it matter? I mean, if people like Steve would happily vote for Palin because of her “good ideas and folksy charm” doesn’t that make him a serious part of the problem, even if he’s a relatively nice guy?

Here’s another question. Are Steve and I going about this the right way? By eschewing political and religious debates and arguments, are we missing an opportunity? I don’t think so.

Sometimes the best way is to lead by example. We each know where the other is coming from, and he’s shown me that there are nice republican christians out there, something I wasn’t too sure of before. Maybe he has learned that atheists aren’t so bad by hanging out with Butch and I. Maybe that’s better than a bunch of heated arguments pitting reason against dogma, or republican conservatism against whatever the hell I am. Those arguments would never change the other’s mind, but would certainly strain or break the friendship we’ve developed.

Your thoughts?

Related posts

• Separation of church and State Benefits Everyone (26)
• How To Talk To A True Believer About Atheism And Religion (32)
• Here We Go Again… (125)
• Getting Sick of Militant christians In My Family (15)
• A Thought Experiment With Your Religious Friends (11)

Here’s the experiment as explained in the book:

You have a serious conversation with a deeply christian friend. Your friend is intelligent, well educated and knowledgeable. You agree to record the session. The topic is islam. During the session, you discuss that mohammed was a self-appointed prophet and that he claimed he talked to allah and the angels. He wrote a book that he claimed was infallible, and he flew from Jerusalem to heaven on a horse.

During the conversation, you agree that mohammed was probably delusional to think he could talk to god. You agree that the koran was clearly written by mohammed and not allah. It is ludicrous for him to claim that he is the last prophet and that all others are false. Neither you nor your friend can believe that he flew to heaven, let alone on a horse. It all sounds too crazy, and you both agree it is difficult to see how someone could believe such a religion. At the end of the conversation, you say that muslims did not choose their religion; they were born into it. Anyone who was exposed to both christianity and islam would see that christianity is the true religion.

Over the next few days, you transcribe the recording onto paper. Then you change all references to mohammed and make them jesus. Now the document reads something like this:

During the conversation, you both agree that jesus was probably delusional to think he could talk to jehovah. The bible was clearly written by men and not jehovah. You both agree it is ludicrous for jesus to claim that he is the last prophet and that all later ones are false. Neither of you can believe that he rose from the dead, nor flew to heaven. It all sounds too crazy, and it is difficult to see how someone could believe such a religion. At the end of the conversation, you both agree that christians did not choose their religion; they were born into it. Anyone who was exposed to both christianity and islam would see that islam is the true religion.

Now, tell your friend, “I made a transcript of our conversation about islam and would like to go over it with you.” As you read it, watch her reaction. How does she respond to each statement? How soon does she get defensive? How quickly does she start making elaborate arguments that have no more factual basis than the first conversation? If you persist in this line of parallel reasoning, how long before she gets angry or breaks off the conversation? Could this conversation damage your friendship?

You can do this experiment with other prophetic religions. For example, substitute Joseph Smith for mormonism or moses for judaism.

Have you ever tried an experiment like this? Have you ever questioned your friend’s religion? Did it damage your friendship? Or a family member? Does that person still talk to you? How far did your religious friend go to make excuses and explain away his religion in the face of reality?

Related posts

• Conversations With Ash: 1 – Answering Questions (9)
• Young Earth Invasion (6)
• Unexpected Friendship With A Palin Lover (14)
• Getting Sick of Militant christians In My Family (15)
• Belief, Unbelief and The Scientific Method (24)

ANYHOO… where was I? Oh, yeah. Facebook and family. What’s the deal with everyone being so god this, jesus that lately? And they’re so in-my-face about it. I am pretty sure they all know I’m an atheist. Where’s the respect? Why can’t they tone it down? It’s incredibly – dare I say it – offensive to me to have to be bombarded with this sheeple thinking every day. My friends are all atheists (how interesting, don’t you think? LOL), but the family… they’re unbearable. In the last week, every conversation with them has involved their invocation of their holy lord and savior, all to my irritation.

Now, I know you will probably disagree with me, but I haven’t said a word to any of them. I’ve politely ignored the pleas that I pray for them or the requests for a miracle to save them from their bad situations (which they got themselves into … sans god). Being on Facebook really has it in my face even more. They want to chat with me all day and it seems that the invocations to god come fast and furious. It’s maddening. Or the stuff they leave on their pages – it’s like swimming in a pool of religious hallmark cards, and all the papercuts that would cause.

I know that this is my fault. I’ve kept my mouth shut all these years and now they just walk all over me. One of them actually gets really frustrated and snippy with me when I say happy holidays instead of merry christmas. She goes on and on about putting the christ back in christmas all through december. Unbearable. Oh, I should mention, 98% of these family members are in-laws. Yeah, that’s probably important, isn’t it?

So, I feel like I’ve reached a crossroads. Granted, it’s my fault for indulging them for so long. But how do I restore my sanity now? Do I say, ‘HEY, you are all idiots! There’s no invisible sky daddy!” Ok, that’s a bit harsh. Um, do I post pro-atheist stuff all over my facebook page? Hmm, that’s so passive aggressive, and easy for them to ignore, which would leave me where I am now.

I want to be nice and respectful. But no one is respecting me. I’m so sick of their god being thrown in my face all the time. I have a feeling that most of them will be offended by any little thing I do or say, then will pointedly ignore that it was said, and just shout jesus-isms from the rooftops even louder.

So I’m asking for your help. Like I said, I am pretty sure most of them already know I’m an atheist. I give them respect but get none in return. How do I get some sanity back? Is it even possible? Or do I have to just become a hermit in a shack in the woods, and get myself a nice old typewriter? I’m so frustrated!

Related posts

• Let’s Stop Pussyfooting Around (46)
• Why I Am Not A Christian (0)
• Oh Lordy, Kill My Oppressors, Please! (12)
• Here We Go Again… (125)
• Conversations with Roger The christian 1 – The Basics (20)

Oh… at the end of the technical bits, I need to rant a bit, in case you’re interested.

OK! The slides arrived. I’ve looked up Optical Microscopes and I know more than I did already. Don’t think you’re off the hook though. I still need you.

• The eyepiece is removable and is 16x.
• There are 4 objective lenses:
  • Red: 4/0.1  160/0.17
  • Yellow: 10/0.25  160/0.17
  • Blue: 40//0.65  160/0.17
  • Creme: Oil 100/1.25  160/0.17

So I’m guessing that the first number is the magnification. 4x, 10x, 40x and the oil immersion is 100x. I assume I need special immersion oil for that. What is the next number though? The /0.1, /0.25 etc. And what is the 160/0.17 part?

The light source is supposed to be powered and has a condenser. The cover is broken and there is nothing to hold a light bulb of any type that I can make sense of. It’s made in China, which is immensely helpful in a not helpful way.

So, any ideas on a temporary or permanent lighting solution? I was thinking LEDs would be best because they don’t get so hot. But they can be expensive. I came up with that when I was looking at new microscopes for sale, because all the new ones seem to have LEDs. But a regular bulb of some sort would be good too. I’m not sure of the bulb to get though. So suggestions are most welcome.

Ooh, I love Wikipedia. I found some links to some neat sites. These links really aren’t for you unless you’re a microscope geek wannabe like me. They’re more for me so I can find them easily.

• University of Cambridge information on Optical Microscopy and Specimen Preparation
• Microscopy Information

If you have any resources, please feel free to comment with them because I want to learn as much as I can.

Well, I was about to wrap up, when Butch got up. He noticed some things that I hadn’t yet. Namely the number on the back which seemed unhelpful. It’s the model number: xsz-106. Damn, Google is amazing, because the second link down gave me a helpful page. It seems that it’s the xsz-106bn, Biological Microscope. The bulb was a halogen. Also there’s a dimmer switch on the side. Cool, if I can get it to work!

And now for my RANT: I have been very excited about getting this microscope. I understand that not everyone is interested in microbiology. But isn’t the pursuit of science and learning understandable in and of itself? So far, about 75% of the people I’ve told have replied with the same comment. “Why would you want a microscope?”

Why? Why not! The tiny world around us is amazing, complex and wonderful. It still holds secrets we have yet to unlock. It affects us in ways we take for granted, and is beautiful and fantastic. The total apathy and lack of interest is so disheartening. When someone I know expresses an interest in learning, even if the topic is not my favorite, I am delighted and encouraging. Know what I mean? Ok, so microbiology doesn’t interest you. That’s fine. But wanting to learn should always be encouraged. Don’t you think? Are we that apathetic these days, that people think it’s silly to want to educate themselves?

Ok, I’m done ranting. I have the tiny world around me to discover. Once I figure out how to illuminate it! Have a great day, my friends!

Related posts

• OHMYGOSH It’s Going To Be SO COOL! (10)
• Let’s Stop Coddling The Ignorant (3)
• A Solar Revolution In Our Future (0)
• We Are Lions! (4)
• The Men In My Life (2)

It’s that time of year, my friends. The Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year for us in the Northern Hemisphere, has arrived.

Of course, that other usurper holiday is just around the corner now. I speak of the dreaded consumer nightmare, christmas. My husband and I are boycotting xmas this year, and hopefully for many more to come.

That’s not to say I will snub the eggnog if it comes around, or miss a meal on xmas eve with the family.

But no obligatory gift or card exchange, no tree, no decorations, nothing. It’s been great so far, not being forced into false frivolity and frenzied shopping with everyone else. It’s just another season.

But I do like the changing of the seasons, so the Winter Solstice is as good a time as any to say hello and have a happy winter. It’s been cold here lately, with weird warm days in between that really throw everything off. We’ve already had more snow so far this year than all of last year.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to share some happy lolcats with you today. Every day is a good day to smile. Whatever holiday you celebrate this season, be good to one another and have fun. If you are like me and don’t celebrate any of them, have a happy winter and be safe and have fun too!

And now for my favorites!

Related posts

• Happy New Year, Heathens! (5)
• Sick and Miserable, Needing To Share a LOL (4)
• More Lolcats To Make You Smile (4)
• Lolcats and Fun Stuff (0)
• A Happy Day For Lolcats (6)

First, my husband Butch, who happens to be awesomely smart (and pretty damned rogueishly handsome too! hee hee). He doesn’t blog often, but when he does, I just love to see what is bouncing around in his brain. Usually it’s a bit on the angry/ranting side of things. Ok, not usually, almost always.

The other day he wrote about Things Every American Needs To Know. It’s a bit on the “angry diatribe” kinda post, but it’s good stuff and I wanted to share it with you. Basically it’s the difference between rights and privileges. I hope you find it interesting.

Second, my bestest friend (besides my awesome husband, Butch of course!) is Gary. I introduced you to him the other day in the Out of the Blue Jesus Pitch. He was very nice to a bible thumper who randomly tried to convert him to the jesus cult. He wasn’t shaken in his atheism though. He stood firm and politely deflected the attack.

There is a small update on that. The bible thumper contacted him several more times. It’s so boring and repetitive that I won’t bother you with it. She never changed her pitch and refused to listen to anything he said. Of course. He finally told her to leave him alone or he’d block her. Case closed.

But the real reason I’m bringing him up today, is because I just spent the last couple of days reinstalling windows and therefore everything else. I had been having increasing issues with my computer. If you have windows, you’ll understand. It happens. Most IT people recommend reinstalling windows about once a year. That’s about how often I do it.

Of course, I backed up all my settings and stuff. But then windows refused to let me use them. It’s been a grind, as usual. So, that’s why I haven’t been around much.

Now, back to Gary. He is the saver of my bacon. Has been as long as we’ve been friends. He’s my IT guy. Recently he has started offering to help people through this neat program called Crossloop. I love Crossloop. It’s a very simple to use program that lets you access another computer, or let someone help you with yours. User friendly is its middle name. I’ve never helped anyone, but Gary has helped me many times since we both installed it (which takes about 2 minutes and works with your firewall without problems).

I’m telling you all this to pimp my buddy out. Like I mentioned, he started offering to help people through Crossloop a short while ago. You can find his profile here. So, if you need help with your computer, I highly recommend him. He’s saved my bacon many times.

Ok, that’s it, I’m done pimping now. You can go back to your regularly scheduled lives. Have a great day!

Related posts

• Getting Sick of Militant christians In My Family (15)
• Unexpected Friendship With A Palin Lover (14)
• Help Identify This Microscope! (4)
• A Thought Experiment With Your Religious Friends (11)
• WolframAlpha and Google “Fun” While Fixing Computers (11)

You know the type, I’m sure. They’re all flashy and fun in the beginning. Mildly entertaining, shiny and interesting. Then they start to sputter. You see that you’re just dealing with flash signifying nothing, but it only happens for a brief moment. The flash and sparkly goodness comes back and you go on with your new friend.

But then the sputtering happens more frequently. And finally their spark and interest dies completely. And you are left with a flimsy little stick in your hand, wondering, why the hell was I even amused by such trivia in the first place?

You’re not necessarily mad at the person for being a “flash in the pan” but you’re kind of irritated with yourself for falling for the sparkle, the glamour.

I know I can’t be alone in feeling this way. I just find that it happens a lot. Most people are sparklers in my life, it seems. Of course, I sometimes get a lot out of meeting a sparkler. I learn something about myself or the world that is a valuable lesson. That’s always a good thing.

My husband and I just went for our evening walk where we talked about sparkler people. He said something really neat. He suggested that the sparkler person benefits from the relationship, however brief, as well. Because you are probably the source of their illumination. You’re the spark that makes them sparkle. That’s a nice idea.

But I invariably feel like a fool for falling for that person and thinking that maybe there could be a real friendship budding when it was all just flash and excitement.

Maybe the lesson here is to learn to identify sparkler people while they are still burning brightly, when you first meet them. That way you know it’s just temporary, but you still get the fun and thrill while it lasts.

Related posts

• Help Identify This Microscope! (4)
• When And Where World Religions Began (4)
• We Are Lions! (4)
• Unexpected Friendship With A Palin Lover (14)
• The Truth About Atheism (5)