Because of the suposed Rapture, a woman tried to kill her two daughters and herself. And a man in Nairobi killed himself.

Shit. That's what's been giving me Rapture anxiety - not the thing itself, but what the fear or disappointment might make unstable people do to themselves and their children. I'm just old enough to remember Jonestown, and the piles of dead families, appearing on the TV at my grandparents' house before my mom had time to lunge at the TV and switch it off.

This is what religion encourages: fear based on imaginary terrors.

OTOH, PZ Meyers, suck my cock.

If we could look at a baby and coo, "oh, isn't ** cute!" without having to say he or she or IT, knowing the baby's gender might not seem quite so important.

I usually dodge around this by just talking right to the baby: "Aren't you cute! You are such a little muffin! What a smiley-puss!" and any other non-gender-dependent endearment that comes to mind.

I'm just old enough to remember Jonestown

I picked up a first person account of Jonestown (and a thorough biography), written by one of Ryan's staff, in the library last week.

I couldn't put it down, despite really, really wanting to. It finally occurred to me that my fascination resulted from watching the television accounts at the time. I had no idea how deeply it had effected me.

Remarkably, I can remember Powers Booth's portrayal in the inevitable made-for-tv movie as if it was aired today. Creepy.

Then again, I can also remember Yaphet Kotto as Idi Amin too.

Didn't people (at some point in the past) dress small children v. similarly up until an ages (not sure what age it would be) - i.e., long hair, clothing more like gowns?

Yep. Check out Ernest Hemingway: [link]

Man, I had no idea this was a thing. I'm irritated, but not irrationally so. It makes me want to slap people, but I do know to not actually do it.

Did anyone watch the GA finale? How do you feel about Cristina? I think her reaction to absolutely not want to carry a pregnancy to term or be a parent...well, it's perfectly reasonable for that to be non-negotiable, isn't it? I can see Owen having difficulty because her idea of future is not his idea of a future, but in the end although "having a child" is something a couple does, "being pregnant and giving birth" is a one person job, and it's really dicky to want to force someone to do that. And sometimes you know all the talking in the world isn't going to change your mind. I'm quite dramatically on her side here.

As for Meredith, she's getting away with a lot. She should totally be more severely punished. I can't believe no name chick got chief resident.

Didn't people (at some point in the past) dress small children v. similarly up until an ages (not sure what age it would be) - i.e., long hair, clothing more like gowns?

Pretty much until they were out of diapers, iirc. Not much in the way of velcro or snaps bitd.

This is what religion encourages: fear based on imaginary terrors.

Well, and one or two other things. Honestly? It's not the religious experience I grew up with in any way.

I can understand thinking religion is just evil bullshit if that's ones entire experience of it -- but, seriously, time to crack a book or talk to a few folks. You don't have to buy into it, but at a certain point a refusal to glance around and notice, oh, hospitals and universities and one or two other things ammounts to just another flavor of willful ignorance.

So, Iceland's most active volcano has started erupting. 50 earthquakes have resulted from the volanco eruption.

Maybe the predictions were a day late.

It's not the religious experience I grew up with in any way.

No, nor me. I am mostly a cultural Catholic nowadays: I'm not entirely sure what I believe a lot of the time. Which puts me at outs with both the strongly-religious and the atheist community. When your spokespeople are folks as full of hate and self-righteousness as Christopher Hitchens, I'm not going to stand with you--even if I agree with some of what you want.

When your spokespeople are folks as full of hate and self-righteousness as Christopher Hitchens, I'm not going to stand with you--even if I agree with some of what you want.

"Your" spokespeople is putting it strongly. It's not like there was a vote.

Breaking in to say that Sarah Silverman spoke at my school's graduation today, and I was so impressed. Funny yes, but seriously good advice (including "pay attention to yourself" and "don't buy into the idea that women have to compete with each other--there's room for all of us").

Some people scoff at agnostics as fence-sitters.

I prefer to think of myself as laid-back, practical and curious.

There's more under Heaven and Earth, Horatio...and I don't know what the fuck it is.

Whatever is or is not, I can do nothing about it, so I prefer to read a lot and try to be a decent person, by the standards I set for myself. Whatever you believe in: okey, that's fine. Religion and atheism can be a cool thing or an evil thing. Mostly, I think it's in between, like most things.

I'll sit on my damn fence and watch the birds, find holiness in a well-crafted sentence and sanctity in kind acts and laughter.