Bizarrely, it turns out many of my friends-and-relations may be on Facebook. Why in the world they would choose a service like that I don't know, but there it is. I'm severely resistant to joining it because..... I stopped right there, because I didn't know that I wanted any thing with them; I just wanted to find out whether I wanted to join, which I could only do by joining, and that's too stupid for words

Dear John Lennon, How did you manage to stay so hopeful and optimistic about human nature and the people who live in this world? How did you pen the lyrics to 'Imagine' with a straight face? Was it just...themselves? Is there any choice other than joining a commune of like-minded folk and eventually drinking kool-aid? Dear John, I'm feeling pretty cynical right now. Dear John, how did you stay sweet

http://www.alternet.org/media/145451/why_atheists_don%27t_turn_to_religion_when_faced_with_death_or_disaster/?page=1 "This is one of the most common accusations that gets leveled against atheists....companion, naturalism -- means that death is forever. As soon as the harsh reality of what atheism means gets shoved in our faces, we'll drop it like a hot potato. " This article made my friggin day