From PZ Myers’ address to the Australian Atheists in 2012

Science has the power to transform our sense of identity. Some of us are no longer people of the Word. We are no longer members of a special tribe bound together by the words in quaint old books. We are instead the people of reality. We are united by common knowledge, by our sense of universality, and by a commitment to evidence…. The words of my people, of our people, are written in the strands of DNA I find in every cell of my body and the story they tell is clear and inspiring. We are all products of the natural world. Stars died to create the elements we are made of and four billion years of churning life struggled and was born and died to shape us. We are close kin to every human being on this planet, without exception. There is no tribe outside our family and, even deeper, we are related to every living thing on earth. You simply cannot get any more universal than the scientific story of life.

I transcribed this from the video.  Wording is close but not guaranteed to be exactly as he spoke it.

Sunday sundae

Taught myself a dodge for the Em chord so I can now play Uplift, which blew Paul away when I played it for him.  Also taught myself (not that it was hard) the Sublime version of By the Rivers of Babylon.  In the morning, going to pick up Carol for church (her family no longer has access to a car), being publicly humiliated in church and shrugging it off, breaking down in tears lighting a candle for Voyager which is currently on the edge of the heliopause.  Then the new minister’s sermon, which totally included the kids in a useful and intelligent way (wow, for that!!) Then the father’s day picnic, which took place indoors and I’m just as happy about that because I brought no chairs.  Then I remembered to grab something so it isn’t left in the church over the summer.  Then Paul volunteered to drive Carol home and Kathleen volunteered to close (Sue opened) and THAT’S IT FOR THE SUMMER.  Woot.  Then made some food and allowed Paul to bbq some salmon, which was just about perfect, and then met Katie’s beau. I had seen a pic but in person he is strikingly handsome (also unstupid, manners, you know the little things – and brave like hell for facing down our collection of wackos all in one go).  Enough said about all that; let’s just say that he proved to be very food positive and has a large capacity to eat salmon. Then called D. to ask about commercial kitchens – I’ll be setting up a meet with somebody this week.

Now to boring matters like my to do list.  Vacation’s over…..