Tor House

I have been surfing lately and came across the blog, Daylight Atheism at www.daylightatheism.org. That site has a "Poetry Sunday" series and for some reason this poem by Robinson Jeffers really spoke to me today.

I hope you like it.

Tor House

If you should look for this place after a handful of lifetimes:
Perhaps of my planted forest a few
May stand yet, dark-leaved Australians or the coast cypress, haggard
With storm-drift; but fire and the axe are devils.
Look for foundations of sea-worn granite, my fingers had the art
To make stone love stone, you will find some remnant.
But if you should look in your idleness after ten thousand years:
It is the granite knoll on the granite
And lava tongue in the midst of the bay, by the mouth of the Carmel
River-valley, these four will remain
In the change of names. You will know it by the wild sea-fragrance of wind
Though the ocean may have climbed or retired a little;
You will know it by the valley inland that our sun and our moon were born from
Before the poles changed; and Orion in December
Evenings was strung in the throat of the valley like a lamp-lighted bridge.
Come in the morning you will see white gulls
Weaving a dance over blue water, the wane of the moon
Their dance-companion, a ghost walking
By daylight, but wider and whiter than any bird in the world.
My ghost you needn't look for; it is probably
Here, but a dark one, deep in the granite, not dancing on wind
With the mad wings and the day moon.

Save the Date - Texas Freethought Convention

Save the Date - Saturday, November 14

The 2nd Annual Texas Freethought Convention is being planned for Saturday November 14th, Noon 'til 8:00 pm, in San Antonio, Texas. Go to www.texasfreethoughtconvention.com for details.

I missed the first convention, but it sounded like a great time was had by all. I won't be missing this one...hope to see you there too!

Change the Texas State Board of Education

The Texas State Board of Education has immense power, and has several members right now who are fundamentalist christian and trying to implement programs in our education system that reflect their limited world view.

Would you like to make a difference on this issue?

The Texas Freedom Network is hosting training for State Board of Education candidates. The training will occur on July 22 in Austin, TX.

If you have time, please consider it...we need people who value science and reason making decisions regarding Texas childrens' education.

More details are at www.tfn.org

The Reason Project

A recent e-mail from SAMHARRIS.ORG announces the launching of the Reason Project website.

Quoting from the masthead "The Reason Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. The foundation draws on the talents of prominent and creative thinkers in a wide range of disciplines to encourage critical thinking and erode the influence of dogmatism, superstition, and bigotry in our world."

Click the link www.reasonproject.org to browse, or join/make a donation if you're so inclined.

More Atheists Shout it from the Rooftops

Front-page article in the NY Times about atheists "coming out".

http://tinyurl.com/d7q4oy

We are always surprised that there are other people who think like we do, aren't we?

Volunteer Opportunity

I received this e-mail and wanted to pass on the news.

The SECULAR Center would like to invite you to our April volunteer partnership event - volunteering at the Houston Food Bank! We will be assisting the food bank with their needs, most likely either sorting donated food items or packing boxes with donated food. The Houston Food Bank is a secular organization whose purpose is to collect food items and monetary donations and distribute those items to local organizations that help the hungry. Some of the local organizations are churches and religious groups but the Houston Food Bank itself is not affiliated with any religious group.

Children over 8 years old are welcome to volunteer as well!

When: Tuesday April 28th, 5:30-8:30 pm
Where: Houston Food Bank near N 59 and 610 Freeways - registration, address, and carpool details to follow for those who RSVP

Please RSVP by Tuesday, April 21st at 10:00 am to secularcenterusa@gmail.com.

Please include the following in your e-mail:
# of people over 16 years old
# of people under 16 years old but over 8 years old



Thanks for your activism and support of secular charities!

Letter to the Members

Dear HOH Members,

I am writing to inform you that I will be resigning as President of HOH, effective immediately. I have enjoyed serving as President and I am proud of the many things we've accomplished together since I came into the position, in my last term, at the beginning of 2007. I regret not being able to complete the remainder of this year's term, but unfortunately, a number of career, personal, and other issues have made it difficult for me to continue in this role. However, I would like to assure you that the transition will be handled with great care, and that an excellent group of volunteers will be continuing with their efforts to ensure that HOH is running smoothly and continues to thrive as it has been.

Roxie Deaton, our current Vice-President, will be serving as Interim President for the remainder of the term. She is a very intelligent woman with a lot of initiative, who has been a great asset to HOH and I'm sure will do a wonderful job. We have many other volunteers, directors, and club leaders who have been briefed and will be handling everything they have been. These folks are excellent additions to HOH and frankly, it is my hope that this will be an opportunity for them to take the initiative with their ideas. I would also like to invite each of you to contact us if you would like to lend a hand and help organize or contribute your time in some way. Lastly, I will remain on hand to ensure any questions will be answered.

I'd like to thank you all for having me as your President, and for the wonderful things that have been accomplished in HOH. The Humanists of Houston has been a beacon of reason here in Houston, and I'm sure even greater things will come in the future!


Sincerely,
Daniel Strain

First post!

Hey Everyone,

This is the first entry on a new News page we're establishing for HOH. With our news page being a blog, we can allow multiple officers and volunteers the ability to easily add things to the page without needing to know how to edit websites!