My passion in the garden is for ferns, or pteridophytes.

Lavergne comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Beautiful pics.....I love all the wild ferns that grow everywhere on this property.

Fernapple replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Great photos.

My passion in the garden is for ferns, or pteridophytes.

Heidi68 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Love them & love your beautiful collection. I am always impressed where you can find them growing (which is everywhere). This was one on my hike through the Grayson Highlands Park yesterday. It was like it was growing right hout of the rock.

Fernapple replies on Oct 25, 2020:

They are special to the tough places where nothing that flowers will grow, the shade, the rock etc.

My passion in the garden is for ferns, or pteridophytes.

Cutiebeauty comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Photo seven looks like furry babies ☺

Fernapple replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Yes, it is a type sometimes called Golden Scaled Fern, you can see why.

My passion in the garden is for ferns, or pteridophytes.

FrayedBear comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Maidenhair fern is very popular in gardens here. 50 klms north of Sydney NSW on the coast it used to grow prolifically in my garden under the gum trees. Down here (W.Victoria) the extreme heat and drought necessitates daily watering.

Fernapple replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Most of the Maidenhairs like moist soil, except Adiantum venustum, which is more of an alpine.

I hadn't seen this for a while.

Moravian comments on Oct 25, 2020:

I think one passage was misinterpreted, If a man should lie with another man as with a woman he should be stoned. Leviticus 20/13

Fernapple replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Yes it seems that is not nearly as bad as wearing clothes made of two different threads. LOL

My passion in the garden is for ferns, or pteridophytes.

Besalbub comments on Oct 25, 2020:

My Mom had ferns in her gardens ,and I have a wooded lot that have several areas bedded in ferns ,

Fernapple replies on Oct 25, 2020:

That's lucky. Do you know what species they are ?

I needed a new sign for the garden.

Lorajay comments on Oct 24, 2020:

An artist and a gardener what a wonderful combination. I need to see pictures of your ferns. I love ferns.

Fernapple replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Here you go, I put some in the gardening group for you. https://agnostic.com/group/HorticulturePermaculture/discussion/546560/my-passion-in-the-garden-is-for-ferns-or-pteridophytes-which-for-those-who-dont-know-them-are-an

A recent visit for a haircut at my favorite local Snipit place had me discovering that it is under ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Does she know that the O.T. bans tattoos ?

Fernapple replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@Paul4747 One sabath I am going out in a polyester/cotton shirt to collect some sticks, to restart the fire which I let go out the night before, and cook myself a nice chowder by boiling some meat in milk and adding some shellfish. Then I will just help dispose of my wifes sanitary towel, while I watch her take a shower. That should be me fixed.

Lost n ' Found.

Willow_Wisp comments on Oct 24, 2020:

It’s an old joke...

Fernapple replies on Oct 25, 2020:

That takes it one stage further. Of course he is hiding from 'them'.

I needed a new sign for the garden.

AnneWimsey comments on Oct 24, 2020:

I especially like the 2-tones softening the arrow!

Fernapple replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Yes thank you. Though the arrow was the easy bit, as I could outline that with masking tape.

I recall that the humane disposal of male chickens was to mince them live through an industrial ...

prometheus comments on Oct 25, 2020:

So why is it that male chickens can't be eaten?

Fernapple replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Male chicks can be eaten eventually, but they are not as cheap, quick and easy to rear and fatten.

Millennials Are Leaving Religion And Not Coming Back : atheism

jlynn37 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

I've said before here, just because people are leaving religion does not necessarily mean they are leaving god.

Fernapple replies on Oct 24, 2020:

Yes but deism, is nothing like as harmful as theism, by any measure.

The vast majority of us want to be good, productive persons.

Varn comments on Oct 24, 2020:

After 30 years of marriage, then 3 years that felt like thirty.. I’m beginning to view relationships as more codependent than positive. Allowing ‘the other’ to enhance your abilities can weaken your abilities. Living alone, though active, and far from lonely ..feels lovely in comparison ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 24, 2020:

@wordywalt Seconds often are.

I needed a new sign for the garden.

Lorajay comments on Oct 24, 2020:

An artist and a gardener what a wonderful combination. I need to see pictures of your ferns. I love ferns.

Fernapple replies on Oct 24, 2020:

Will do.

I just found out why I have never known of an atheist eating dijon mustard.

Fernapple comments on Oct 24, 2020:

I get a big trill out of Nun's Farts. Get your head round that. The nuns don't seem to mind, and its not illegal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nun%27s_puffs

Fernapple replies on Oct 24, 2020:

@actofdog Great story thank you. I did not know if they were just a French thing.

I needed a new sign for the garden.

Zoohome comments on Oct 24, 2020:

The fern looks very pretty. It has a soft and flow aspect as a fern should have. However, I would make it a lot bigger on the left side and kind of have that arrow pointing towards it. But that would be me. Where is this sign going? Is it directing traffic?

Fernapple replies on Oct 24, 2020:

Thank you, that may be correctable yes. I did think of adding corner motifs, but though that would over complicate it. And it is directing trafic, I wanted to say what is there, and the direction, yet still keep it simple and impactful to catch the eye.

Religious zealots on this site.

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2020:

Bring them on, I love to watch and sometimes take part in the debate. Sadly they usually give up far too easily.

Fernapple replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@David1955 I understand. Personally I like that fact that the site offers many different things.

Did you know that the expression "The cherry on top of the cake has an Icelandic equivalent?

Marionville comments on Oct 23, 2020:

I think there must be something lost in the translation in this one Petter. You do put cherries on cakes as a finishing touch...but never in my experience would you finish a sausage by adding a raisin!

Fernapple replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@Petter Lovely link.

Religious zealots on this site.

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2020:

Bring them on, I love to watch and sometimes take part in the debate. Sadly they usually give up far too easily.

Fernapple replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@David1955 Firstly. I live in the UK so that I meet an openly religious person, about once every two years, so that there is, in fact, little oppotunity to do that in real life. And a lot of our religious are closeted, which means they are more dangerous to society, in some ways, while less likely to have the chance to be expossed to skeptical culture, which is also below the surface. Secondly. Everyone, however stupid, has the right to be expossed to the best that their culture can offer, and all the oppotunities to to grow in understanding that it can make available. I have never despised anyone for being stupid, because, if they are, ( And we all, including me, are in some respects. ) then they are either a victim of their genetics, or a failing of their education system, and as such deserve, perhaps even more care and trouble from everyone, than most. Being stupid does not make a person bad, merely uneducated or mislead, and some of the kindest and most valuable people I ever met were also among the least educated. Thirdly. Anyone who does not enjoy good, and admittedly, civil, debate, has surely lost the will to live.

The Atheist organizations like FFRF need to get involved in Politics just the Christian Churches are...

Sgt_Spanky comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Amen to that.

Fernapple replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@SeaRay215ex Never really thought otherwise, assuming that the buy-bull accout is even half true. He lives in a time when the Jewish anti- homosexual tradition was being challenged by the classical Greek world , which glorified it, and he gathers male followers, who he tells to leave their families and follow him. LOL

As a corrections officer, this scares the crap out of me

Cyklone comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Seems to me that putting time limits on contact like 5 or 15 minutes is like tbe 10 second rule in dropped food. Bullshit. Contamination occurs immediately.

Fernapple replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@Paul4747 There will be no absolutes. The time it takes to become infected is bound to follow a bell curve, perhaps centred on 15 mins. but some people will get unlucky and be at the front of the bell curve, and the more times you are expossed the worse your odds.

Should this man be supported or educated?

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2020:

Nice little song, whats wrong with that, why would he need education ? Why would he need support?

Fernapple replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@FrayedBear Interesting story, thank you, that is a lot better than your short comment on the original.

Should this man be supported or educated?

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2020:

Nice little song, whats wrong with that, why would he need education ? Why would he need support?

Fernapple replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@FrayedBear No indication of that from the song, and I still like the sound of Christian plain song, even though I do not believe a word of what it says. And if he does believe, then shamanic beliefs are far less of a threat and menace to the world than theists. It can in fact be part of the route from theism, through paganism, spiritualism, deism, etc. to agnostic that many people take. First step on the ladder.

Can we choose a responder or group of responders for religious zealots who try and annoy us by ...

LenHazell53 comments on Oct 21, 2020:

How about ignoring them?

Fernapple replies on Oct 22, 2020:

@LenHazell53 Wonderful story, thank you.

Anyone else getting the new Homo sapiens: a graphic history?

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2020:

No, do share a link please.

Fernapple replies on Oct 22, 2020:

@Ajc333 Ah. Yes I read the original, I do not think that I would bother to read it again, whatever the pictures. But thank you for the eyes up and welcome to the site.

Notable Atheist Books (501 books)

MrDragon comments on Oct 21, 2020:

Thanks for the link, never counted how many books that I had read, but from the looks of the titles I've read quite a few. I have a lot of books, the problem that I had ran into was even though some were very interesting however, some were rather dull and I never finished them, but out of them all ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 22, 2020:

@MrDragon No. The 'you' was refering to the authors, not you yourself. Sorry misunderstanding, my fault for writing quickly.

Can we choose a responder or group of responders for religious zealots who try and annoy us by ...

LenHazell53 comments on Oct 21, 2020:

How about ignoring them?

Fernapple replies on Oct 22, 2020:

@girlwithsmiles Thank you that is lovely.

Notable Atheist Books (501 books)

MrDragon comments on Oct 21, 2020:

Thanks for the link, never counted how many books that I had read, but from the looks of the titles I've read quite a few. I have a lot of books, the problem that I had ran into was even though some were very interesting however, some were rather dull and I never finished them, but out of them all ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 22, 2020:

There is nothing wrong with dropping a book, if you don't find it interesting, reading is not a competetive sport. And if you find a book dull then that is just as often the authors fault, the fact that you take the time to write it down does not mean that you have anything worth writing.

Notable Atheist Books (501 books)

LiterateHiker comments on Oct 21, 2020:

As a non-believer since birth, I don't need convincing that gods are imaginary.

Fernapple replies on Oct 22, 2020:

It does not have to be about changing or reinforcing beliefs. I have read several of the books on the first page, and they were just very good entertaining reads. From which I learned a lot of interesting things, often beyond the edge of the main subject.

Can we choose a responder or group of responders for religious zealots who try and annoy us by ...

TheMiddleWay comments on Oct 21, 2020:

Couple of options missing Option 3: self-control and simply don't feed the troll Option 4: allow free discussion of all topics, including ones you don't agree with

Fernapple replies on Oct 22, 2020:

@girlwithsmiles Part of the point of having the site, is to raise awareness of the agnostic/atheist view point, and its community , in the wider world, without preaching to those who do not want to listen. If they do not want to listen they either do not come here, or they go very quickly. If they do want to listen then why should they not be allowed to do so. Yes that does perhaps conflict with the other probable role of the site, as a safe space for the agnostic community, but if you do not like them you can just ignore them.

Can we choose a responder or group of responders for religious zealots who try and annoy us by ...

LenHazell53 comments on Oct 21, 2020:

How about ignoring them?

Fernapple replies on Oct 22, 2020:

@girlwithsmiles No that's 'trawl'.

I had to make a delivery last week, it took me over our local landmark, the Humber Bridge.

Wisterious comments on Oct 21, 2020:

Oh how I long to discover the roads less traveled. Thanks for sharing. Nice pics.

Fernapple replies on Oct 21, 2020:

I know, my big passion is travel, both local and far distant. What a year for a traveler.

Alright.

OldMetalHead comments on Oct 20, 2020:

I'm fond of saying I swing between humanist and misanthrope. Not karma, but what ever happens to humanity will be entirely our own faults. I don't believe we will be living in this solar system when the sun goes supernova.

Fernapple replies on Oct 21, 2020:

Wow. That is one big swing ! LOL

Okay everyone, here it is, the question you've all been waiting for... Who's the best?

barjoe comments on Oct 21, 2020:

No fair dissing Dolly for her religious views? That's what I do.

Fernapple replies on Oct 21, 2020:

Really. That seems a bit speciallised, have you ever thought of dissing someone else? Just for a change like.

If you were raised religious as a child, what is your worst religious memory?

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2020:

In the UK the law used to say that every school should have a daily religious service. My school was a very bad one, and had a lot of bullying as well. ( We all did it, I claim no exemption, because the one thing that bullying teaches you is how to bully yourself.) One of the boys however was ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 21, 2020:

@Wildgreens Thank you for sharing yours.

THIS......LOVELY!

yvilletom comments on Oct 20, 2020:

How long before someone combines the two? Musical art, or artful music.

Fernapple replies on Oct 21, 2020:

@yvilletom It is always better to be able to watch as well as listen. There used to be a free weekly concert in our town, in a very small room, you could sit just feet from the performers if you were on the front row. Loved it. Closed now though of course.

For people who believe what FoxNews, CNN and MSNBC say

t1nick comments on Oct 19, 2020:

Doesn't work if the populace is educated, taught to discern and discriminate, and check credibility of their sources.

Fernapple replies on Oct 20, 2020:

@t1nick I am sure you do. And it sounds like things are very different in the states. Here in the UK we have a one size fits all education system which does not vary across the regions, and which was designed to a large extent by the church, which had a lot of control over government here in the past, and still has some.

THIS......LOVELY!

yvilletom comments on Oct 20, 2020:

How long before someone combines the two? Musical art, or artful music.

Fernapple replies on Oct 20, 2020:

It has been done in a kind of way, with commputer aid of course. I love these. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj8_wufhE28

In the UK you will find that we have a colour, called Pillar Box Red.

Coffeo comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Is there any way to distinguish between a George V (1910-1936) and a George VI (1936-1952) letterbox? Were there any letterboxes at all made during the very short reign of Edvard VIII (1936)?

Fernapple replies on Oct 20, 2020:

@Coffeo It was not too difficult. It seems that there are a number of enthusiasts sites about them, easy to find on google.

For people who believe what FoxNews, CNN and MSNBC say

t1nick comments on Oct 19, 2020:

Doesn't work if the populace is educated, taught to discern and discriminate, and check credibility of their sources.

Fernapple replies on Oct 20, 2020:

@t1nick Things may be a little better in the US it seems. But you still do not teach evolutionary theory until high school/college which I would agree with Dawkins is far too late.

What If the Government Ran a Social Network ?

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2020:

Why would they have to fund it. Let it carry adds and turn a profit.

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

@FearlessFly I try not to believe in any absolutes or ideals. If It works well to everyones greatest benefit then that is the best thing. And certainly there is a lot to be said for having the government share a social media with outside partners, if only because some degree of autonomy would prevent it becoming a government propaganda echo chamber. And who said anything about capital anyway, why can't it be a collective?

What If the Government Ran a Social Network ?

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2020:

Why would they have to fund it. Let it carry adds and turn a profit.

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

@FearlessFly No. Though thanks to M. Thatcher we have had that. I said forestry, historically worked well in this country, and added social media, you have to treat each case on its individual merits, do not please strawman me, that is not the level of debate I have come to expect on this site.

To be the messiah, Jesus had to have descended from israel, right?

genessa comments on Oct 19, 2020:

assuming there ever was a jesus, which is an assumption i won't make. also christ and messiah are not conceptually synonymous. i have not read matthew, and have never been christian, but the assumption within christianity, in my understanding, is that a christ is a savior, a divine being whose ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

He did promise to be the messiah though, and to come back and rule on earth, within the lifetime of his living followers. So either there are some very old deciples about, or he failed on that one. LOL

What If the Government Ran a Social Network ?

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2020:

Why would they have to fund it. Let it carry adds and turn a profit.

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

@FearlessFly Yes but profit could buy you more and better government. In this country a number of quangos, such as forestry and once the post office were able to make profits. It does not have to be run by government as such , having funded it once it could then be independant, and repay its loan.

For people who believe what FoxNews, CNN and MSNBC say

t1nick comments on Oct 19, 2020:

Doesn't work if the populace is educated, taught to discern and discriminate, and check credibility of their sources.

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

@t1nick There are certainly educator who do. But most of them are trapped into systems, politically designed, which prevent, and are to a large extent intended to prevent the growth of real education. Even where they themselves are not victims of bad education, unable to impart the real thing, because their own education was failed, and they have no concept of what an education could be. For example I can only talk about here in the UK, but the system is designed so that science, for example ( I perhaps cherry pick the best example.) is taught only as a practical subject, with no mention of its philosophy or social meaning, or its history. And that is only for the most part taught in any meaningful way, as an elective subject in the later years of schooling. While religious education is taught from day one. No points for guessing who is behind that. Not only that but to use R. Dawkins example, most children never recieve any explaination of even such a basic thing as evolutionary theory, because that is taught only at the higher levels to those children who elect to take biology at the 'advanced' levels. While very young children are taught , both, plant and animal anatomy, to a fairly advanced level, despite the fact that they are both much more difficult for the very young, not of any real practical value to all but a tiny number, instantly forgetable, and of no value in enhancing understanding. While evolutionary theory which is simple, can inspire, promotes understanding of the world, and makes the science of biology both understandable and interesting is left out, until too late. History suffers the same treatment, while morallity, philosophy, art history, logic, science history, and social history, can go all but unmentioned. So that it is perfectly possible to go through the whole school system, and then through university, where you specialise, without ever having had a single meaningful lesson in any meaningful subject which would help you understand the world.

Last night I had a nightmare that I think will haunt me for a long time.

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2020:

It sounds very like a condition called Sleep Paralysis. It is frightening but harmless to a large extent. You will find more on the web. Here is a start. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

@actofdog Never saw a ghost, but once saw a UFO, which it turned out were car lights, in a valley bottom where I did not think there was a road for a car to be on, but I was wrong.

For people who believe what FoxNews, CNN and MSNBC say

t1nick comments on Oct 19, 2020:

Doesn't work if the populace is educated, taught to discern and discriminate, and check credibility of their sources.

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

That's why education systems are careful to only teach those things to a chosen few, of the ruling classes.

Last night I had a nightmare that I think will haunt me for a long time.

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2020:

It sounds very like a condition called Sleep Paralysis. It is frightening but harmless to a large extent. You will find more on the web. Here is a start. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

@actofdog Interestingly. Many years ago, I saw a TV program which claimed to offer evidence for ghosts. One of its star witnesses, was a young woman, who claimed to have woken up one morning, with a heavy, but invisible 'ghost' sitting on her chest an stopping her from rising. Go figure.

So WORD has indeed inspired me.

TheMiddleWay comments on Oct 19, 2020:

PS: You've mentioned he is HARMING people several times. What is the nature of this harm? Is he promoting hate? Is he denigrating you or personally attacking you or your loved ones? Has he physically threatened you or others? These are examples of what I would consider harmful.

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

The worst I have had from him is being called 'Illogical Atheist' a few times, which does me no harm. I have however heard people say that he has been very rude and treatening to them, usually before he gets kicked off the site, but they were never specific, beyond saying rude and threatening. Which may mean that sometimes he has lost it, and really said bad things, or it could be that the people in question are just snowflakes who regard statements like illogical atheist as rude and threatening. Until I get more certain evidence, who can tell. Personally I would find the site a lot duller without him, but maybe I have only seen the good and fun side.

Last night I had a nightmare that I think will haunt me for a long time.

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2020:

It sounds very like a condition called Sleep Paralysis. It is frightening but harmless to a large extent. You will find more on the web. Here is a start. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

@actofdog That's right, I had forgoten that it used to be called the night hag.

In the UK you will find that we have a colour, called Pillar Box Red.

Coffeo comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Is there any way to distinguish between a George V (1910-1936) and a George VI (1936-1952) letterbox? Were there any letterboxes at all made during the very short reign of Edvard VIII (1936)?

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

Yes it seems there were Edward post boxes. And the way to tell the Georges apart, is that fives are just GR., where six has a small V1, usually between the G. and the R.

Who believes in the Scientific Big Bang myth?

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Belief is not a word relevant to a science., especially to a scientific hypothesis or even theory. You either choose to accept it, as a practical basis for assumptions to base further research on, which may or may not support it, or you reject it in favour of another tentative assumption, there are ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

@genessa Good to see you about again, being missing you for a while.

In the UK you will find that we have a colour, called Pillar Box Red.

Coffeo comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Is there any way to distinguish between a George V (1910-1936) and a George VI (1936-1952) letterbox? Were there any letterboxes at all made during the very short reign of Edvard VIII (1936)?

Fernapple replies on Oct 19, 2020:

That is an interesting question, and I do not know the answer yet. Will try to find out.

In the UK you will find that we have a colour, called Pillar Box Red.

BitFlipper comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Here in the US we have a color called National School Bus Yellow. You can imagine what it looks like.

Fernapple replies on Oct 18, 2020:

I don't have to imagine, as it happens, sitting on my bookshelf !

In the UK you will find that we have a colour, called Pillar Box Red.

altschmerz comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Why is the TARDIS blue then?

Fernapple replies on Oct 18, 2020:

It was a police box, for use by the police only.

In the UK you will find that we have a colour, called Pillar Box Red.

HumanistJohn comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Great colection- great piece of history & great work!

Fernapple replies on Oct 18, 2020:

Thank you.

In the UK you will find that we have a colour, called Pillar Box Red.

fishline79 comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Or, in one case, "Pillar box pink"! Or should I say pillar box fuchsia?

Fernapple replies on Oct 18, 2020:

Yes I think that that is very faded. They don't always get new paint jobs that often, but some of the old ones show tens of coats of pealing paint.

Who believes in the Scientific Big Bang myth?

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Belief is not a word relevant to a science., especially to a scientific hypothesis or even theory. You either choose to accept it, as a practical basis for assumptions to base further research on, which may or may not support it, or you reject it in favour of another tentative assumption, there are ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 18, 2020:

@Green_Soldier71 I perhaps think better of the last three, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter, than the first three. Since they are what I would describe as honest fictions. In other words, not pretending to be anything but fiction, like the difference between conjuring tricks and so called paranormal performances.

Along with the birds and squirrels I see out my back sliding door, I usually get a large spider that...

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Maybe you will get another one, if the vacant site is a good one, it may still be attractive to the same or like species. I love to see them in the winter with dew or ice on them.

Fernapple replies on Oct 18, 2020:

@Mark013 I see. In our mild winters there is some spider activety all year round. If I get chance I will post some photos of webs in winter.

Who believes in the Scientific Big Bang myth?

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Belief is not a word relevant to a science., especially to a scientific hypothesis or even theory. You either choose to accept it, as a practical basis for assumptions to base further research on, which may or may not support it, or you reject it in favour of another tentative assumption, there are ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 18, 2020:

@Word Yes but that is the point of science as a philosophy, that it is wrong to have confidence in the existence of anything. You may accept that the big bang as scientifically proven, but scientific proof is not the same thing as true. There is no place for absolute truth in science. Outside of science it is possible to accept some things proven by science, as in practice true, but doing so is not part of science. And for the record, I do not make any claims to having enough knowledge of cosmology to know if the big bang is true or not. I just take it that most cosmologists seem to go with that. Though there are a considerable number who still think there may be value in the constant state hypothesis, and several other models. So that I have to remain open minded.

Donald Trump knows hat he is abominable excuse for a human being.

Omnedon comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Naturally, it's difficult to determine what people really know deep down, but I'm not sure that he knows he's a bad person. I'm not sure most "bad people" think of themselves that way. I'm afraid the persona we see is the real him. As for changing behavior, it's really hard to do for anyone. It ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 18, 2020:

Especially when he spends his life surrounded by people who earn money, by telling him how good he is.

[yahoo.com] Longest set of prehistoric footprints

Charlene comments on Oct 16, 2020:

Wow, I wonder what happened to the child, amazing find though..thanks!

Fernapple replies on Oct 17, 2020:

Could be one of your distant ancestors.

As a Child and Youth Crisis Counselor I have some truly hard, heart-breaking cases in my years doing...

Fernapple comments on Oct 14, 2020:

Well done. The only trouble I can see, is that it took you, and several other people who are obviously both determined and experienced, to get 'B' the help needed. What happens to all the 'Bs' who don't get lucky enough to meet a team like you ?

Fernapple replies on Oct 15, 2020:

@Triphid Brilliant.

Good Morning America! As you rise, bleary eyed, on Columbus day you might like to check out these ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 12, 2020:

He offered a money prize to the first sailor to spot land. Then when one did, he claimed to have seen a dim light on the horizon the night before, and so kept the money for himself. A#####e And spent the rest of his life arguing with everyone that America did not exist, because he thought that ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 13, 2020:

@t1nick There is also some evidence that, sailors from Northern Europe, epecially fishermen, continued to visit the Grand Banks and Newfoundland, through the Middle Ages, but they kept it secret of course. And there are also some Chinese records, worth taking into account. I also think that Amerigo Vespucci should/does rightly get more credit than Columbus, since the understanding of it as a continent and its importance, is really much more important than just crashing into a reef on your way to Asia, and then totally failing to understand what had happened.

Why are there so many christians posting on this site? Ya'll aint reportin' them enough!

Desertcactus comments on Oct 9, 2020:

Heres an example

Fernapple replies on Oct 10, 2020:

Oh you mean Word, AKA, Fred and several other names. He has been kicked off several times, and just keeps coming back with a new name. Generally he is quite harmless and most members just treat him like the families mad uncle in the attic. Sometimes though he does get a bit rude, and that is when he gets kicked off. Resently he has been homeless and 'themiddleway' started a group to try and help him. Here you go. https://agnostic.com/group/homelesshelp

"I always have the feeling there is no myth, there can be no myth anymore.

Fernapple comments on Oct 9, 2020:

In the age of the conspiracy theory, I do not think that we are short of myths. A myth may require. "homogeneous population, a group of people within a horizon who will have had equivalent experiences for whom certain specific images will continue to have, independently, the same sense, the same...

Fernapple replies on Oct 10, 2020:

@skado And sorry I did not have time to read the article, so I was not commenting on J. Campbell's specific meaning of myth.

"I always have the feeling there is no myth, there can be no myth anymore.

Fernapple comments on Oct 9, 2020:

In the age of the conspiracy theory, I do not think that we are short of myths. A myth may require. "homogeneous population, a group of people within a horizon who will have had equivalent experiences for whom certain specific images will continue to have, independently, the same sense, the same...

Fernapple replies on Oct 10, 2020:

@skado We have a myth, what about human rights.

Nietzsche on philosophy

LenHazell53 comments on Oct 8, 2020:

You are quoting from the much disputed 1968 translation by Walter Kaufmann of The Case of Wagner A Musicians' Problem. 1888. The passage is not even part of the essay it is taken from an *epilogue* to a *commentary* on The Case of Wagner A Musicians' Problem. Written some time later and refering ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 8, 2020:

Thank you, I have no French or German, so that explains a lot, since it just did not sound right for Nietzsche.

Common Sense Atheism on Quora "What is it that keeps atheists going on in their life?

Fernapple comments on Oct 7, 2020:

No there is I think nothing in the Bible about suicide, I think, (could be wrong). But it does forbid killing. "Thou shalt not kill." Which the church has always interpreted as including, 'self murder', which was always seen as the worst sin, which barred a suicide from heaven forever. Almost ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 8, 2020:

@LenHazell53 Yes well of course that is the great gift, of the O. T. especially, to the churches, since they can cherry pick what they want from the O.T. drop what they don't want, and use the difference between Jews and Gentiles to explain the cherry picking. It is the old case of, make it up as you go along to suit yourself, but still claim that your beliefs are given to you with the absolute authority of an all seeing god. ( Which the original Jews did not believe in anyway.)

Can anyone relate?

Fernapple comments on Oct 7, 2020:

No. That is just the same logic as conspiracy theory, seeing agencies to explain, where there is only complexity beyond understanding. And the belief in good and evil is itself a personalization, there is only, I like and I don't like, which may differ from one observer to the next. Human ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 7, 2020:

@Desertcactus In the sense of alien species most probably, but its a big universe, a lot of space for them to hide. In the sense of supernatural beings, I honestly doubt it.

Here’s a zinger in the sense that you can tell somebody that we know more now than Jesus did or ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 7, 2020:

I think we are a lot closer to a universal truth than they were, if only by doubting there is a universal truth at all. Knowing at least the negative, that it is more difficult and complicated to find a universal truth, and therefore not being fulfilled by easy fake answers, is a big step towards ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 7, 2020:

@LenHazell53 Yes, but science and the distinction between absolute and universal truth, did not exist in those days at least as a concept in human culture.

France plans punishment for 'virginity tests' [bbc.com]

Mvtt comments on Oct 6, 2020:

Why would they be testing for virginity in the first place? Which Islamic requirement is that?!

Fernapple replies on Oct 7, 2020:

The holy book says that any woman not a virgin on her wedding day, is to be killed.

Today's hike was disrupted by guys blaring music.

Robert_2001 comments on Oct 7, 2020:

I think saying something to the rude guy was appropriate, but confronting or yelling may not be safe. Sorry to hear you had a bad ending to an otherwise nice hike. I went for a fun hike in the Olympics today and it was very peaceful.

Fernapple replies on Oct 7, 2020:

Great photos it looks so peaceful.

Wisdom from Israeli historian Professor Yuval Noah Harari: ❝Culture is a kind of mental ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 6, 2020:

Very good. Have long read him with pleasure. R. Dawkins of course made the point that religion is an infection of the mind, but I have long thought that the idea should really be applied to all of human culture.

Fernapple replies on Oct 6, 2020:

@Mitch07102 You have to be very careful, it is important not to respect human culture, anymore than you do religion. As you say cultures/myths have a purpose, but that purpose is most often to delight and please us into buying more of them. In other words culture is like sugar, in food, alcohol, and smoking, the fact that culture is delightful, is all the more reason to be wary of it, and be always check that it is not killing you. There is little point in throwing out the sky fairy, and then making gods out of cultural phenomenon like arts, sports, literature, nationalism etc. .

Making a life, and a walk with Rose.

ReadyforaChange comments on Oct 5, 2020:

If you are going to write "professionally" for goddess sake, use spellcheck. It's 'losing it', not 'loosing it'. Sheesh.

Fernapple replies on Oct 6, 2020:

Thank you, I sometimes write in haste, but there is no excuse. Not intending to write professionally though.

The past may be far more complex than you thought.

Robecology comments on Oct 5, 2020:

Interesting...but the narration was muddled....not clear. I wish it was...this video was loaded with evolutionary evidence- but no "references" to the comments. The music was an unwise addition.

Fernapple replies on Oct 5, 2020:

Yes I found it so as well. Yet It was bound to be a little muddled being an overview of so much, perhaps worth watching twice.

I would really welcome comments from US members on this small part of their culture.

glennlab comments on Oct 4, 2020:

I knew families that ate it when I was growing up in SW Louisiana. A few years ago it started spreading in the city I live in. I have to cut it back and it still spreads. The plant has a large bulbous root that will send up new shoots for years. Even digging the root out only spreads the plant, ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 5, 2020:

Did not know it was such a bad weed. thank you for sharing.

I would really welcome comments from US members on this small part of their culture.

StarvingArtist comments on Oct 4, 2020:

Oh I know this plant. Some of the older local natives seem to like eating it in the spring and think of it as a spring ritual. When I was young many would stop by and ask to hunt polk on my grandfather’s place. He told me he thought they must be desperate, so he would never turned them away. But...

Fernapple replies on Oct 5, 2020:

Lovely story thank you.

I would really welcome comments from US members on this small part of their culture.

Besalbub comments on Oct 4, 2020:

I've see that plant all over never knew that you could eat it . If I ever get hungry enough I'll eat it along with the many other edible plants that are avallable .

Fernapple replies on Oct 4, 2020:

Don't forget the instruction to boil it in at least three changes of water, I don't want you poisoned.

I would really welcome comments from US members on this small part of their culture.

EyesThatSmile comments on Oct 4, 2020:

I have seen that plant, but didn’t know they ate it. On the other hand, in New England we often ate fiddleheads. (Wild ferns picked before the fern becomes uncurled.)

Fernapple replies on Oct 4, 2020:

Yes I know fiddleheads, ferns are my thing. They only come from Matteuccia I have heard, the British Fern society tried to import some for their centenary dinner back in the eighties, but they were held up in customs and did not arive untill after the dinner sadly. But I have some in the garden and one spring when there are a few more I will try them.

I would really welcome comments from US members on this small part of their culture.

Cast1es comments on Oct 4, 2020:

Although I do recall hearing the song , Poke Salad , Annie , and I've even seen the plant growing in the wild and was told it was poisonous , I never knew all that was contained in your post .

Fernapple replies on Oct 4, 2020:

Neither did I, I wondered how widespread in your culture it was.

An old story.

yvilletom comments on Oct 3, 2020:

In more of time’s fullness, elephants were thought to belong to the family Elephantidae within the order Proboscidea. Their closest extant relatives were the dugongs, the manatees, and the hyraxes. Two distinct types of elephants were recognized, the African elephant (Loxodonta) and the Asian ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 4, 2020:

Thank you. Great.

The president has been transferred to Walter Reed Hospital.

Fernapple comments on Oct 3, 2020:

He also, it seems, had himself tested, every day !!! After he widely derided testing.

Fernapple replies on Oct 3, 2020:

@Petter Empty tax returns folder ?

The president has been transferred to Walter Reed Hospital.

Fernapple comments on Oct 3, 2020:

He also, it seems, had himself tested, every day !!! After he widely derided testing.

Fernapple replies on Oct 3, 2020:

@Petter Poetic justice.

The Deep Anthropocene A revolution in archaeology has exposed the extraordinary extent of human ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 2, 2020:

Sorry, it says bad gateway, link not working.

Fernapple replies on Oct 3, 2020:

@skado Thank you.

Donny Dumb-Dumb and Melania tested positive for COVID-19.

Robecology comments on Oct 2, 2020:

I won't cheer that the sick, disturbed and poorly educated DJT got ill...and it's obvious that with good health care he'll recover quickly. But here's the memes I've saved that express how I feel...

Fernapple replies on Oct 2, 2020:

Three and five especially.

“Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 2, 2020:

That's bril.

Fernapple replies on Oct 2, 2020:

@Marionville No, that one is too easy. I am no mind reader but............

Donny Dumb-Dumb and Melania tested positive for COVID-19.

Petter comments on Oct 2, 2020:

Let's hope it isn't too mild, because then he would become insufferable. Also, has any medical source confirmed this. So far it is only a tweet by the twit.

Fernapple replies on Oct 2, 2020:

Yes if it is very mild, we will never hear the last of, "It was no problem, I beat it easy." along with jibes at so called "loosers" who did suffer badly.

The beginning of our socialism. [youtu.be]

skado comments on Oct 1, 2020:

I think the roots of socialism are a lot older than that. https://libcom.org/history/how-hunter-gatherers-maintained-their-egalitarian-ways-peter-gray

Fernapple replies on Oct 2, 2020:

Hunter gatherers enjoy the luxury of living in communities. It is only with the advent of civilization that the numbers of people grow so large, they can not form communities, and it becomes needful to heard them into pens, metaphorically, in order to make them manageable. And when you have things split into managable groups, then it becomes possible to exploit them as resourses.

The beginning of our socialism. [youtu.be]

skado comments on Oct 1, 2020:

I think the roots of socialism are a lot older than that. https://libcom.org/history/how-hunter-gatherers-maintained-their-egalitarian-ways-peter-gray

Fernapple replies on Oct 2, 2020:

Interesting link. But come on, Lorajays post is not to be taken literally.

Can someone explain to me the meaning behind the gray heart and the red heart on the profile?

Petter comments on Oct 1, 2020:

How come that when I look at my own profile there isn't a bright crimson, palpitating heart on it? 😅

Fernapple replies on Oct 2, 2020:

Maybe the sites programming is smarter than you think.

Go on.

Cutiebeauty comments on Oct 1, 2020:

Such absurdity 😂 I wonder what they would think of our fashion today...

Fernapple replies on Oct 1, 2020:

Well, high heals are pretty silly really, and dangerous in both short and long term.

Last night's debate has nudged me closer to something that would not have seriously crossed my mind ...

Fernapple comments on Sep 30, 2020:

Portugal. Wonderful climate, no nasty wildlife, good people, reasonably priced, nice history, culture, countryside (hills and coast), most people speak English but language not hard to learn, human sized country but good rail and road links to the rest of western Europe.

Fernapple replies on Oct 1, 2020:

@Omnedon Moderate. quite a lot of airports because of the tourist trade.

Lowes discards: Blue Spruce marked down from 99.

AnneWimsey comments on Sep 30, 2020:

beautiful color, but is it the variety that grows to the size of drump tower?

Fernapple replies on Oct 1, 2020:

Slow but big in the end. Mine makes about six to eight inches a year.

Nice one from Trevor Noah's, The Daily Show: [youtu.be] Insightful!

Fernapple comments on Sep 30, 2020:

Video not available, in your country.

Fernapple replies on Sep 30, 2020:

@TimeOutForMe Same result, but thank you for trying anyway.

So where do you get your morality from if you’re an atheist?

PondartIncbendog comments on Sep 29, 2020:

I get my "morals" from the response I get from society and contacts. I don't get them from a book. And if I did, it would be a magazine?

Fernapple replies on Sep 29, 2020:

'Playboy.' Right?

11 th commandment .

Petter comments on Sep 27, 2020:

He is quite literate. He can understand any long sentence. eg. 20 years, life, etc.

Fernapple replies on Sep 28, 2020:

@FrayedBear https://agnostic.com/discussion/538354/the-president-s-taxes-long-concealed-records-show-trump-s-chronic-losses-and-years-of-tax-avoida https://agnostic.com/discussion/538376/trump-didnt-pay-income-tax-for-10-of-15-years-before-2016-election-nyt-thehill

Heyy look whos shirt arrived just in time for her birthday! 😮😉 its my birthday y'all, ...

PondartIncbendog comments on Sep 28, 2020:

U have it on backwards.......

Fernapple replies on Sep 28, 2020:

Don't listen to him. He just wants you to take it off and turn round.

Hmmmmm Least Religious....most peaceful?

of-the-mountain comments on Sep 27, 2020:

All Anglo Saxon based nations???

Fernapple replies on Sep 28, 2020:

No, Portugal, Sweden Norway, Japan, Germany , Ireland.

Europe sees new coronavirus peaks, countries set all-time case records - Business Insider

Fernapple comments on Sep 26, 2020:

Yep its coming back.

Fernapple replies on Sep 28, 2020:

@Jacar Yep it is different in Europe, here it went down to a very low level, but is now climbing again.