Samantha Pierce

The first time I caught a glimpse of Verizon's "Inspire Her Mind" ad I thought to myself, good grief.    If this ad is to believed fathers are participants in a conspiracy to drive their daughters away from science and into the stuff that the ad portrays as girly. I'm going to have to call shenanigans on that, both on the idea that girls are discouraged from pursuing the sciences and the portrayal of stereotypically girl oriented interests and styles of play are undesirable. My parents had no problems with my interest in science when I was growing up, so long as I did my chores, and didn't do anything to endanger myself, my siblings, or the structural integrity of our house. As a mother one of my greatest joys is sharing my interest in science with my sons and daughters, with the same limitations my parents set on me of course. (I have no desire to have the house burn down or have to rush anyone to the hospital, again.) The fact of the matter is that women ...

Today I am thankful for/that: Faithful friends. Divine wisdom. God's grace. God's mercy. I know who I truly am. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thakful for/that: "Mom I want to help!" Bird song. Sunshine. Flowers in bloom. Paychecks. What are you thankful for?

Eleven days to go in the funding campaign. Here are some topics to be covered in Parenting Autism: prevalence rates and what they mean for the future; protecting parent and child mental health; dealing with problem behavior; the search for the causes of autism and what that means for the parent-child relationship; the idea of recovery from autism and its influence on the lives of autistic people. If you've got any thoughts on these issues or have other issues that you think important to parenting autism please share.

Today I am thankful for/that: Fifteen years and counting with hubby. Sunshine! Did I mention I like sunshine? Big ideas. Freedom. Opportunity. The people who protect my freedom with their lives. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: Winter is over! Spring is here! Sunshine. Green leaves on the trees. Flowers in bloom. Birds singing. "Come on lets go play outside!" What are you thankful for?

Ellen Galinsky wrote this about parenthood in the 1980s. Do you think it's still true today? "The studies of life-span psychology, like those of adult development, have also minimized the place of parenthood. Parenthood, when stressed in adult development at all, as in Women of a Certain Age , by Lillian Rubin, and In Her Time , by Iris Sanguiliano, was more likely to be cast as something for women to be freed from in order to search for and find their own sense of identity."  Galinsky writing about how parenthood was treated at the time she began working on her book  The Six Stages of Parenthood. Don't forget to check out Parenting Autism project, donate, facebook or tweet about it, email you friends about it, follow my campaign, leave me a comment.

I've been busy researching and writing my first book about autism. Please consider lending your support by donating and'or spreading the word. Thanks!

Apparently communicating with the people you were elected to represent is a "non-essential" government function. The following are the messages I got when went to email my senators. So not impressed. As of midnight on Tuesday, October 1, 2013, the federal government is no longer funded to operate. Due to this government shutdown, we are sorry to inform you that Senator Schumer's office will no longer be able to perform non-essential functions. Below, is a list of information on how the government shutdown will affect the services that Senator Schumer's office normally provides.   Will I be able to call or fax Senator Schumer's office? During the government shutdown, Senator Schumer's offices, both in Washington D.C. and across New York State will be unable to receive phone calls or faxes.   What will happen with the letter I sent to Senator Schumer? Mail delivery in the United States Senate has stopped. If you have sent Senator Schumer a letter prior ...

This is something that I've been wanting to do for a while now. I'm finally step out to see what happens. Come join me in this new endeavor. Hope, Faith, Love: Faith based support for friends and families living with mental illness Sunday, September 15, 2013 5-6pm Westcott Community Center 826 Euclid Ave, Syracuse, NY 13210 Sponosored by NeuroDiversity Consulting LLC 315-436-2145 info@neurodiversityconsulting.org

The kids have ears.

Evangelical Christian blogger and psychiatrist Adrian Warnock has been doing a series of blog posts about mental illness since news broke in April about the the death of Rick Warren's son . The young man had suffered with mental illness for many years and took his own life as a result. I've finally gotten around to reading the work that Warnock has posted thus far and I find myself very moved by it. The first post asks a question that I think has a pretty obvious answer but that nonetheless gives Christians endless grief, Can a Christian get depressed? The answer is obviously yes. But as is pointed out in the post we get wrapped up in arguing about whether Christians should get depressed. That focus then warps what Christians think they are supposed to do about depression. I've been told that I should have been able to pray myself out of my depression. Given after I had my gotten my depression under control such advice was merely a nuisance. Had I received it at any time...

You know, it occurs to me that if the leadership of this agency can't figure out how to give employees one day off each week without completely screwing up the functioning of their agency maybe it's time to replace such obviously incompetent leadership with people who know what they are doing. Flight Delays Increasing as FAA Announces Sequester Furloughs House Republicans grill FAA chief on air traffic furloughs, flight delays

Today I am thankful for/that: Friends who stop in with coffee, donuts, and meds when I'm sick. The internet. I can do all sorts of research in my pjs from my sickie camp out spot on the couch. What are you thankful for?

I wonder if the folks protesting hydrofracking in New York State know, or care, about this. COVERUP FAILS :  Fracking Safe in NY State, Says Leaked Report.  “Thanks to a leak from an anonymous insider, we learned Thursday that a report commissioned by the State of New York has given fracking a clean bill of health. The insider ‘did not think it should be kept secret’ and released the document, which is now nearly one year old, to the New York Times.” Gas Drilling Is Called Safe in New York (bit of an awkward headline but okay I can work with it). " ALBANY — The state’s Health Department found in an analysis it prepared early last year that the much-debated drilling technology known as hydrofracking could be conducted safely in New York, according to a copy obtained by The New York Times from an expert who did not believe it should be kept secret." NY State Health Department Report Says Fracking Could Be Done Safely " A document from Governor Cuomo’s Administra...

So we'll see if I make a blog come back in 2013 for now I am thankful for/that: Warm wool socks. They kept my toes nice and toasty on this frigid day. The Horde is fully outfitted with scarves, hats, gloves, mittens, and boots so I can say yes when they beg to play in the snow. Inspiration. Friends! One more day to live my life. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: A visit from one of my favorite sisters. She helps me keep it real. A really good visit with my adviser. Spring graduation is on the horizon. No snow yet, my sympathies to those of you who got buried this week. God is in control and in it for the long haul. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: Syracuse dodged a major bullet, or the bullet dodged us, with super storm Sandy. We have the resources to help those now in need. Election season is almost over. I found my ASL class DVD! Now to catch up to the rest of the class. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful that there was enough change in the bottom of my school bag to get a cup of coffee. Mmmmmm coffee... What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: An extended visit from one of my sisters. My sisters are neat freaks compared to me. Sisterhood. Being able to have conversation without using words. What are you thankful for?