Happy Atheist Forum

So, I've put up some lenses on Squidoo, mostly pointing to my other web content.  Every view earns me a small amount of money so take a look if any of these topics seem interesting.  Many thanks for your support!

An Atheist View (http://www.squidoo.com/Atheist-Issues)
What Evolution Isn't (http://www.squidoo.com/What-Evolution-Isn-t)
Kylyssa's Fondant Birthday Cakes (http://www.squidoo.com/Kylyssas-Amazing-Cakes)
Saltwater Aquarium DIY Projects (http://www.squidoo.com/Reef-Aquarium-How-To)
Florist Tips On Buying, Ordering, Arranging, and Caring For Flowers (http://www.squidoo.com/fresh-flowers)
What I Learned While Being Homeless (http://www.squidoo.com/Homeless-Experiences)

I just added more cakes to my Fondant Cake (http://www.squidoo.com/Kylyssas-Amazing-Cakes) page.  The beer can cake pretty much looks like I was drunk when I made it, but really, it was just a series of FUBARs combined with a shaky hand.

Wow, Kylyssa... your cakes are amazing!  LOVE the pizza one... do you deliver?  

I also really like the pizza cake.

Quote from: "Kylyssa"I just added more cakes to my Fondant Cake (http://www.squidoo.com/Kylyssas-Amazing-Cakes) page.  The beer can cake pretty much looks like I was drunk when I made it, but really, it was just a series of FUBARs combined with a shaky hand.

What if you cut out circles and stacked them (perhaps with a support bar in the middle like they use on the Food Network cake shows)?  I thought the lettering looked good.

Quote from: "Whitney"I also really like the pizza cake.

Quote from: "Kylyssa"I just added more cakes to my Fondant Cake (http://www.squidoo.com/Kylyssas-Amazing-Cakes) page.  The beer can cake pretty much looks like I was drunk when I made it, but really, it was just a series of FUBARs combined with a shaky hand.

What if you cut out circles and stacked them (perhaps with a support bar in the middle like they use on the Food Network cake shows)?  I thought the lettering looked good.

I considered it but I was having a very shaky hand day and was daunted by the prospect of applying fondant onto a vertical surface in that state.  The recipient liked it and it was one of the most tasty cakes I've ever made.  I used a lot of butter and home made vanilla extract.  I am thinking of posting the pictures of the process on that one and titling them - "How NOT to Make a Beer Can Cake."  I was laughing at myself the whole time on that one.  The picture of the cake bursting out of the aluminum foil form is priceless.

The Miller High Life cake was for my sort of sister-in-law's kind of husband.

Thanks for all your views and support!  I have added a new one to the list:
How To Make Decorating Fondant for Cakes (http://www.squidoo.com/how_to_make_cake_fondant)

And here's my latest - Writing from a Homeless Heart (http://www.squidoo.com/inspired_by_homelessness) - fiction and poetry inspired by my time spent homeless.  If you aren't looking for flowers and fuzzy bunnies, you might enjoy some of this work.

Update:
I've added some new lenses and updated and overhauled some old ones.

An Atheist View (http://www.squidoo.com/Atheist-Issues) - Seriously overhauled 4-29-09.
What Evolution Isn't (http://www.squidoo.com/What-Evolution-Isn-t)
Kylyssa's Fondant Birthday Cakes (http://www.squidoo.com/Kylyssas-Amazing-Cakes) - Added a cake and overhauled 4-26-09
How To Make Decorating Fondant for Cakes (http://www.squidoo.com/how_to_make_cake_fondant) - New on 4-19-09, updated 4-29-09.
Saltwater Aquarium DIY Projects (http://www.squidoo.com/Reef-Aquarium-How-To)
Florist Tips On Buying, Ordering, Arranging, and Caring For Flowers (http://www.squidoo.com/fresh-flowers)
What I Learned While Being Homeless (http://www.squidoo.com/Homeless-Experiences)
Do It Yourself Tulip Wedding Flowers (http://www.squidoo.com/tulipwedding) - New on 4-27-09.
The Ten Most Popular Wedding Flowers and What You Should Know Before Choosing Them (http://www.squidoo.com/Ten_Most_Popular_Wedding_Flowers) - New on 4-27-09.
Writing From a Homeless Heart (http://www.squidoo.com/inspired_by_homelessness) - New on 4-21-09, updated on 4-28-09.

I give my many thanks for your continued support.  Your views have helped me earn enough through these venues to afford two doctor visits plus my monthly prescriptions.

New on Squidoo:

Keep Cool, Save Money, and Conserve Energy (http://www.squidoo.com/stay_cool_save_money_conserve_energy)
Pet Party Safety Tips (http://www.squidoo.com/Pet_Party_Safety)

I just added two new lens, one of which people are telling me is bizarre - guess which one!

What to Buy if You are Homeless (http://www.squidoo.com/what_to_buy_if_you_are_homeless)
What You Should Know Before Getting A Porcupine Puffer (http://www.squidoo.com/porcupine_puffer_basics)

I want a puffer fish now. Also, I hope those doctor visits helped you out.

They were very helpful.  I am now on a medication that is doing wonders for my chronic pain.  Now if only we can get these fevers under control, I'll be back in business!

I've added two more lenses on Squidoo, one of which I'm pretty excited about, the other of which is pretty damned adorable.

Ask an Atheist (http://www.squidoo.com/Ask_an_Atheist)

Rupert Does Cute, Silly Pictures of a Ginger Cat (http://www.squidoo.com/cute_ginger_kitty)

And for my latest addition - How to Make a Cute Skull Cake (http://www.squidoo.com/cute_skull_fondant_cake)

Quote from: "Kylyssa"And for my latest addition - How to Make a Cute Skull Cake (http://www.squidoo.com/cute_skull_fondant_cake)

Oh, that's adorable.

Um... it's not just for teen girls anymore, my sweetie's getting a Cute Skull Cake tomorrow!

Thank you!

And thank you once again to Chancy for posting an Ask an Atheist module to Reddit! (http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/8wsoe/a_few_good_examples_of_casual_antiatheist_bigotry/)

Writing about your homeless experience. I was moved.

I have some new Squidoo lenses.  Some are weird.  
Anyway, here they are for your viewing pleasure:
How to Make a Fondant Trilobite (http://www.squidoo.com/Fondant_Trilobite)
How to Make Fondant Seashells (http://www.squidoo.com/Fondant_Seashells)
How to Make Fondant Starfish (http://www.squidoo.com/fondant_starfish)
How to Make a Sandy Beach Cake (http://www.squidoo.com/Sandy_Beach_Cake)
Kylyssa's Love Poetry (http://www.squidoo.com/Kylyssa_Love_Poetry)
Atheist Spirituality (http://www.squidoo.com/Atheist_Spirituality)

A new lens about my struggle with American health care and government agencies - My Own Health Care Crisis. (http://www.squidoo.com/healthcareissues)

Let's see, I haven't updated this thread in a while and I have a bunch of new stuff and I've overhauled some older ones.

Some Reasons People Become Homeless, Including Religion (http://www.squidoo.com/Reasons_for_Homelessness)
Why Homeless People Don't Use Shelters (http://www.squidoo.com/why_homeless_people_avoid_shelters)
From Your Hand to the Homeless (http://www.squidoo.com/gifts-for-the-homeless) - Low cost gifts you can give to homeless people.
Some Solutions to the Problem of Homelessness (http://www.squidoo.com/homelessness_solutions)
How I've Coped with Asperger Syndrome (http://www.squidoo.com/coping_with_Aspergers)
Sometimes I Get A Little Short (http://www.squidoo.com/short_fiction) - Short-short fiction stories on assorted topics by yours truly.
Recipes for a Holiday Feast (http://www.squidoo.com/Holiday_Feast_Recipes) - Some of my favorite recipe creations including truffled mashed potatoes with hollandaise and Romano cheese and bourbon glazed sweet potatoes.

Quote from: "Kylyssa"From Your Hand to the Homeless (http://www.squidoo.com/gifts-for-the-homeless) - Low cost gifts you can give to homeless people.

I once gave a homeless guy a sandwich and a pint of milk, which caused him to start swearing at me and threatening violence, kind of destroyed my faith in the whole charity thing.

I found your Aspergers lens very informative because I have friends who have children with Aspergers.  I think I can understand what they are going through better now.   I also have had issues in social situations but not to the extent of not understanding emotions and found it interesting that others have had to study proper conduct too.

I think homeless outreach is something the North Texas Church of Freethought is wanting to add to their charitable outreach program.  However, we are not sure how to go about it.  As SSY, pointed out, I have also had more than one crazy homeless person randomly start yelling at me...but I also know at least some of them are just down on their luck.  Kylyssa, what is the best way to help aside from gathering helpful items.  We want to help those who need a leg up but not enable those who have gotten lazy.  I also think safety is a concern since homeless people get forced to have to stay in bad areas and some of them do have very severe mental health issues.  Anyway, if you could help us outline a program it would be great!

Quote from: "Whitney"As SSY, pointed out, I have also had more than one crazy homeless person randomly start yelling at me...

Crazy is exactly the word.  Perhaps that's a place to start because many, if not most, homeless people are mentally ill.  

I didn't start out mentally ill (Asperger's is considered a learning disability or developmental disorder, not a mental illness though arguably the molestation in childhood may have made me mentally ill but that's another story) but I certainly became mentally ill.  Just ponder how many assaults, rapes, and humiliations combined with chronic sleep deprivation, reasonable fearfulness and aches and pains from healing breaks it would take to knock you off your rocker.  Once I experienced almost complete dissociative disorder I was incapable of helping myself out of homelessness until I recovered to some degree.  I theorize that if I'd gotten treatment for my autism in the first place, I'd never have wound up homeless.  In hindsight, with a lot of education, treatment and experience behind me, I can think of a half dozen things I could have differently at different points in time which would have kept me off the street.

Mental health programs and educational programs might be the place to focus efforts.  There are few available low cost or free non-religious mental health services available.  This could be a letter writing campaign and activism project rather than a directly providing the services project.

Check your local ordinances about homeless people.  Some cities have laws making sleeping outside criminal and ticket homeless people or arrest them with the conviction or offense hampering or negating their ability to collect services or use government poverty assistance programs.  In some cities it's illegal to serve more than 20 homeless people at your facility.  Others have laws against services for the homeless being within a thousand yards (over half of a mile!) of each other.  Become outspoken against these laws and regulations.  

Here's another suggestion - you could try for specific intervention for homeless homosexual teens and young adults.  Most of them are on the street because their families disowned them for their homosexuality and either abused them into leaving or kicked them out directly.  I took in over a dozen of these kids over the years and they never gave me any serious problems.  If they get caught quick enough they can be pretty easy to help because they usually aren't mentally ill to start with, they just have shitty families.

Literacy programs and resume writing services/job application help are two good areas to help homeless people, too.  It serves as a sort of self-filter because people seeking those services are willing to help themselves and sane enough to comprehend that those things are valuable.  I've put up cards for free resume service and job application assistance at homeless shelters, food banks, and soup kitchens.  It's something even, I, as a disabled person, can do to help.

Other (low risk) things you can do include printing lists of local poverty services (food banks, job banks, human resources, free clinics, etc.) plus suggestions on where local homeless people can access the internet for free to access services and apply for jobs.  Some churches have been printing out a modified version of my page on what to buy if you're homeless to give to homeless people to give them a quick and dirty rough plan to escape homelessness.  It works well to give these lists out with a goody bag of some kind or even just a candy bar or granola.  

These are just my rough thoughts on the idea, based on things I've done.

How is your experience with Squidoo? Would you recommend it heartily (only heartily will do, haha)?; maybe I'll start an account eventually to do a serious blog to keep some balance with my humor blog.

I did some clicking for you, hope your endeavor goes well for you! I'll bookmark your blog and be sure to do more future clicking. I liked your article about being homeless, btw.

I would recommend Squidoo heartily.  It's easy to use and it's a neat platform for people who'd like to keep multiple blogs or who aren't great with HTML.  You can just write 500 - 2000 words on a subject, break it up in chunks using the provided modules and add photos using the provided tools and you're in business.

You can write formally or informally about almost any subject as long as it is not an "adult" topic.

Quote from: "Kylyssa"I would recommend Squidoo heartily.  It's easy to use and it's a neat platform for people who'd like to keep multiple blogs or who aren't great with HTML.  You can just write 500 - 2000 words on a subject, break it up in chunks using the provided modules and add photos using the provided tools and you're in business.

You can write formally or informally about almost any subject as long as it is not an "adult" topic.

And here are my two latest lenses:
How You Can Help the Homeless Without Spending a Dime (http://www.squidoo.com/help-the-homeless-for-free)
Homeless on Squidoo (http://www.squidoo.com/Homeless-on-Squidoo)[/url]

Hot off the press -
Why Don't Homeless People Just Get Jobs? (http://www.squidoo.com/why-homeless-people-dont-just-get-a-job)

New today - Answers to Questions about Homelessness. (http://www.squidoo.com/homelessness-answers)

Please help me out a bit folks and ask me some questions about homelessness.

Hot off the press on the Ever Project - The Best Ways to Help the Homeless (http://best.way-to-help-the-homeless.ever.com/) written in response to a reader question from McQ on my last lens.

Oops!  I didn't post my latest lenses yet.

Atheist Charities (http://www.squidoo.com/Atheist-Charities) - A lot will be added to this but unfortunately, paying work must come first at the moment.

20 Ways to Have Fun on a Budget (http://www.squidoo.com/cheap_or_free_fun) - This one may lose the number and become "How to Have Fun on a Budget" or something similar because I plan to add more ideas to it.

No more atheist relevant material at the moment but I added a few fluff pieces to build my library and go for "Giant Squid" in March.  I've been putting all of my atheist relevant creative juice into the book I'm writing so there may be an online atheist dry spell for some time.

So, the new "fluff" -
Help Your Cat Live Longer (http://www.squidoo.com/help-your-cat-live-longer)
Asparagus Potato Gratin (http://www.squidoo.com/make-up-yes-or-no)
Stretch Your Grocery Budget (http://www.squidoo.com/stretch-your-grocery-budget)
Should Women Be Required to Wear Make-Up? (http://www.squidoo.com/make-up-yes-or-no)
On Poetry Interpretation (http://www.squidoo.com/poetry-interpretation)
Free Poetry Contests (http://www.squidoo.com/free_poetry_contests)
How to Etch a Candy Tin (http://www.squidoo.com/etching-candy-tins)
A Florist's Thoughts on Valentine's Day (http://www.squidoo.com/Florist-Thoughts-on-Valentines-Day)
How to Stretch Your Wedding Flower Budget (http://www.squidoo.com/stretch-your-wedding-flower-budget)

Recycling Crafts (http://www.squidoo.com/Recycling-Crafts)
How to Plan a Frugal Funeral (http://www.squidoo.com/frugal-funerals)
Save Money with Silk Wedding Flowers (http://www.squidoo.com/silk-wedding-flowers-save-money)
How to Save Money on Your Prom Corsage (without looking like a cheapskate) (http://www.squidoo.com/save-on-prom-corsages)


So here are my latest fluff pieces.  Now I'm going back to polish up the 58 lenses I have written (http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/Kylyssa) and cross my fingers that I get accepted for Giant Squid.

Here are a few more.  They are shameless product plugs but they've made sales already and they are all products I already own or lust for.  Well, the last one isn't, it's just florist advice.

The Best Peoplewatching Book for Autistic Adults (http://www.squidoo.com/peoplewatching-book-for-autistic-adults)
10 Problem Solving Products for Under $20 Apiece (http://www.squidoo.com/problem-solving-products)
Fun Fondant Tools (http://www.squidoo.com/fondant-tools)
Advantages of Silk Wedding Flowers (http://www.squidoo.com/silk-wedding-flower-advantages)

I haven't updated this thread in quite some time and I've actually put up a few atheist relevant lenses:
An Atheist on Thanksgiving (http://www.squidoo.com/an-atheist-on-thanksgiving)
An Atheist on Christmas (http://www.squidoo.com/an-atheist-at-christmas)
Polls about Atheists and Atheism (http://www.squidoo.com/polls-about-atheists-and-atheism)
Does God Work People Like Puppets To Make Them Do Good? (http://www.squidoo.com/does-god-work-people-like-puppets-to-make-them-do-good-)

On the "not related to atheism" front, I have a few others put up recently, too:
Homelessness Myths, Misconceptions, and Stereotypes (http://www.squidoo.com/homelessness-myths-misconceptions)
Why Do People Stay Homeless? (http://www.squidoo.com/why-people-stay-homeless)