Larry and Robert are married.
They live in a house on our street.
They’re wonderfully helpful as neighbors,
And as nice as you’re likely to meet.
Their son is a friend of our daughter’s
Their daughter, a friend of our son’s;
If you’re looking for light conversation,
Or for helpful advice, they’re the ones. (continues, after the jump:) [Read more…]
Oh, this again.
The Beeb is once more mulling over the possibility of opening up “Thought For The Day” to non-theists; it has traditionally been a three-minute atheist-free zone in a little corner of the three-hour “Today” show. I first wrote about this three years ago, noting that
Excluding the atheists—sure, that’s ok—
So long as it’s only three minutes a day
Or judging your worth based on how much you weigh
So long as it’s only three minutes a day
Get out, if you’re black! Or you’re white! Or you’re gray!
So long as it’s only three minutes a day
And keep your mouth shut if you chance to be gay
So long as it’s only three minutes a day
(More at the link)
One of the utterly predictable, yet still annoying, reactions to the current mulling is Guy Stagg’s claim that the move “will expose the loneliness of atheism” (oh, the comments at that one!). Coming, as it does, so soon on the heels of the Reason Rally, I wondered what he might mean by that.
Mr. Stagg might well be lonely if he lost belief in god,
So he’ll keep believing, staunchly, till the end.
Cos let’s face it, he may only (though the concept does seem odd)
Have imaginary entities as friends.
Actually, Mr. Stagg claims no faith, himself, but doesn’t see atheism as offering a compelling alternative to religion. At Reason Rally, one of the t-shirts might have given him an idea: “Atheism isn’t a religion, it’s a personal relationship with reality.” That alternative certainly sounds compelling to me.
So… my atheist readers: are you lonely? My believing readers: are you?
You could gather information
You could spend a lot of time
Could exert a lot of effort
Even write it all in rhyme
And it’s gonna take some money—
Every copy costs a dime—
If you want to get your paper truly right.
You could show the lack of morals
In the atheistic creed
Their inferior position
Both in motive and in deed
Here’s the argument you’re seeking;
It’s got everything you need…
It’s for purchase, at a paper-writing site.
Oh, you are going to love this–after the jump: [Read more…]
My new not-to-be-missed stop, thrice weekly:
(click to embiggen)
Once again, art mirrors life.
Well, in the US, at least. Poets.org lists 30 ways to celebrate, including: [Read more…]
So yesterday was my biggest day (in terms of hits) since I have been here at Freethought Blogs.
Because I wrote a particularly moving verse? No. Because my satire poked a hole in the festering blister that is politics? No. Because the pope finally noticed me and sent his minions to… nope. Because Gilbert & Sullivan fans the world over have united in… nope.
Because I showed a video from Bill O’Reilly.
lots more, and Tim Minchin video, following the jump: [Read more…]
It’s not that I didn’t expect this–it’s just that I didn’t expect it so soon! See… I bought a new mic, thinking I might want to get into podcasting. But I know nothing about podcasting, nor how I might stretch my silly verses into something worth actually saying out loud and at length. So… I asked my best friend Kylie, who already does that sort of thing. She offers to show me the ropes, and we do an interview. I expected it to come out sometime in a couple of weeks; I was thinking of how quickly *I* get things done, not how quickly Kylie gets things done. So it’s up already. But it was easier than I thought, so maybe I’ll start posting some of my verses with audio versions as well. In the meantime, you can hear me over at her place.
So I walk the Cuttledogs, return home, turn on the idiot-box, and am transformed.
By stroke of luck, it just so happens to be Maine’s 2012 Competition Finals of Poetry Out Loud. My goodness, what a wonderful thing.
When I write my piddling little verses, I hope that the best of them are, above all, fun to recite out loud. My favorite poems are those that I cannot read just once–I am compelled to repeat them, aloud, no matter how much it annoys the cats. Poetry–real poetry–is meant to be spoken, to be felt, both in the speaking and in the hearing.
A couple of years ago, a reader asked to read one of my verses for Poetry Out Loud (or some local variant). Maybe some year, I’ll hear one of my poor verses on a state or national stage. For now, I’ll be satisfied knowing that someone thought my verse was worthy of the effort.
After the jump, the finals: [Read more…]
(video below the fold, so as not to screw up RSS readers…)
“These were hard-core activists; when they withdraw money from the ATM, they said they take the bill and they take a pen and they cross out ‘In God We Trust’…”
Damn, that’s hard-core. Right up there with suicide bombers and Westboro Baptist Church.
It’s actually a fun piece. But listen, after their video–they laugh through a list of the things we are up against (e.g., the poll showing few would vote for an atheist candidate for president), and I have to remind myself, these are the same people whose forehead veins nearly pop at the sound of “happy holidays!”
Watch and enjoy, after the jump! [Read more…]
If you can–if you are within a day or so of Fort Bragg–pack up a suitcase, duffel bag, backpack, double-ply heavy duty trash bag, or your 1978 AMC Pacer (hey, I’m not judging you) and go to Rock Beyond Belief this Saturday. They need you there, and you want to be there. Y’know how so many people are saying “I wish I had gone to Reason Rally”, and others are saying “I’m so glad I went to Reason Rally”….yeah, well, this is your chance. Go.
If you can’t–because some of us really can’t–I want something else from you. See, the thing is, no matter how many people show up, I guarantee you there will be people who call Rock Beyond Belief a failure. If only because not all of the speakers were able to walk on water (but they will be able to walk on non-Newtonian fluids at Camp Quest!). If a million people show up, the question will be why such a small percentage of the planet was willing…
I want a million people to show up. That won’t happen. But if a million people show up, I want more than a million people who could not show up to show their support in another way. If you can’t show up, please, donate to the homeless veteran food drive (the button 3/4 down the page). If you can’t spare a lot of money, please donate a buck or two; I want numbers of donors. When someone points to “how few people showed up” (no matter how many show up, that will happen–it happened for the Reason Rally), I want to be able to point to the donations and say “yeah, but the people who couldn’t make it did this instead.” Clearly, the more you donate, the more can be done to help those who need it, so please, if you can give more, give more. But if you can’t give a bunch… give a little. And show your support in numbers. Because even if you give just one dollar, you’ve given infinitely more than someone who just gave a prayer.
Please. I am asking you. Specifically, you. You can help. You can make a real difference. You can be a hero. Or, at least, my hero.
Thank you. Go donate. Edit–don’t use this bottom link. Use the one just above, beginning with “donate…”, and look for the donation button. Sorry, but this last one is a bum link.