i did not pay attention to the last post, I mean the title.

Druvius comments on Aug 31, 2018:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zecharia_Sitchin This appears to have been the source of his contentions about Sumerian astronomy. Just a Von Daniken clone.

Boston Doesn’t Have to Fly a Christian Flag at City Hall, Judge Tells Activist | Hemant Mehta

Druvius comments on Aug 31, 2018:

These extremists get really tiresome. And what a waste of the court's time.

11-year-old girl dies after mom finds her in scorching hot car in family's driveway - ABC News

Druvius comments on Aug 31, 2018:

As child hot car deaths go, this is highly unusual. Tragic. Will be curious to see more details.

Read John McCain's Final Letter to America - The Atlantic

Druvius comments on Aug 30, 2018:

Goes off the rails in the third paragragh. He was a war criminal in Vietnam, and clearly was in denial about it to the end. Damn shame, he could have helped American shed its imperialistic nature. Instead he was an apologist for our national crimes to the end. Lt Calley eventullaly owned and apologized for his crimes. Not McCain. I hope he rots in hell.

Aliens are they for real or...

Druvius comments on Aug 29, 2018:

Aliens on Earth now or in the past, mythical. Aliens elaewhere in the Universe, possible because we are here, but as yet no evidence for.

Would you (knowingly) date a Trump supporter?

Druvius comments on Aug 29, 2018:

Why wouldn't I? I don't understand the question.

COPACETIC: co-pa-cet-ic.

Druvius comments on Aug 29, 2018:

Origin unknown last I heard, one of the true mystery words in the English language. There are a number of theories, most unsatisfying and none proven.

Thoughts??,,?? [youtu.be]

Druvius comments on Aug 29, 2018:

As far as the Antikythera mechanism goes, a calculator is a more accurate analogy than a computer. And yes, far more advanced than was thought possible ... a 100 yrars ago. Now there is far more evidence that Greek engineers in Rhodes built a number of sophisticated mechanical devices. Pieces and gears from such devices have been found unclassified in old museum collections because no one knew what they were when originally discovered. It's been shown that Greek understanding of geometry was adequate to create all the toothed gears in the antikythera device. Naked eye astronomy was amazingly accurate. The Mayans calculated the length of the Venusian orbit to within a reasonable approximation of its length to within a few hours. Pretty damn amazing considering how many years of observation that took. My point us thst ancient people were just as smart as modern humans, and once they had writing and math, their scholars and engineers could produce amazing things through patient observation and experiment. No ancient aliens or Atlanteans required.

Thoughts??,,?? [youtu.be]

Druvius comments on Aug 29, 2018:

Generally when one hears some ancient artifact is so advanced they shouldn't exist, ergo aliens, best to roll one's eyes and walk away. There's two huge problems with such claims. A. The items do exist. B. The aliens somehow managed to avoid leaving obvious and irrefutable evidence of their visitation: Periodic table of the elements, maps of the Solar System, galaxy, or the far side of the Moon, artifacts, etc. If the Antikithera Mechanism plotted the movement of Neptune for example, yeah, aliens. Alas, no. While both examples in the video are fascinating and show there is lost knowledge and history, the video does make a number of, well, unsupported claims to bolster its case. Neither artifact "shouldn't exist." They both exist and will continue to be studied to yield new insight into lost knowledge, no aliens required.

Thoughts??,,?? [youtu.be]

Druvius comments on Aug 29, 2018:

The Voynich Manuscript contains numerous corrections and overwritings in both its text and illustrations.

Come check out &anthropologyandarchaeology and &paleontology and join us for some interesting ...

Druvius comments on Aug 28, 2018:

I think I was in that group, a lot of woo was being posted, still the case?

In case you are worried about Mike Pence, don't. [dctribune.org]

Druvius comments on Aug 23, 2018:

Yeah, the MSM is no better than Faux News now, they print what their target audience wants to hear. Great example of same.

These are the 2 felines I am fanatical about. Skates and Bailey :)

Druvius comments on Aug 23, 2018:

A formal cat and a practical cat, you have it all. (The stripes make orange cats more aerodynamic so they can run faster.)

So my optimistic liberal friends seem to think that yesterday's Cohen/Manafort legal developments ...

Druvius comments on Aug 23, 2018:

A lot of people don't understand it's all Faux News now. Their chosen media is going to tell them what they want to hear, in this case that "This is it, this time Trump is done for!" Sigh. I don't know what's going to happen, but Trump is right about one thing, all mainstream news outlets are fake news now.

Is religion the cause of all (or most) wars?

Druvius comments on Aug 23, 2018:

No, only about 8% of wars in history were caused by religion.

It's a damn shame that poor Molly Tibbets was slaughtered by an illegal MALE immigrant.

Druvius comments on Aug 22, 2018:

It's a shame the GOP exploits this tragedy to score political points, but hey, that's Washington for you.

Rejecting Progress in the Name of "Cultural Appropriation"

Druvius comments on Aug 22, 2018:

Ohhhh, another meandering cherry picked dripping-with-condescension article so that privileged people can continue to dismiss concerns of oppressed peoples.

What do you know now that you wish you knew at 20?

Druvius comments on Aug 21, 2018:

That I was a fool at 20.

Well my cat Spike just caught a mouse, in the house! He's been sitting by and peering under the door...

Druvius comments on Aug 21, 2018:

I always praised my boys when they caught mice. They got punished for birds and quickly learned to leave them alone. My calico, well, she was a decorative cat, she left the hunting to her dad and brother.

‘Silent Sam is down’: Crowd topples Confederate statue at UNC - The Washington Post

Druvius comments on Aug 21, 2018:

Every freaking Confederate memorial should be torn down and replaced with a Union memorial. Some people just don't seem to have gotten the message. The Confederacy was the biggest crime in US history, and they LOST. Their memorials are as appropriate as Hitler memorials would be in Nazi occupied Europe.

Hey.

Druvius comments on Aug 21, 2018:

Canard?

There's thousands of evidence to prove global warming oceanic currents up 12 degrees , 100k square ...

Druvius comments on Aug 20, 2018:

We are literally facing a planetary emergency that will destroy civilization as we know it unless drastic global measures are taken. And yet we are effectively doing little to nothing so the fossil fuel industry can continue to reap profits from the Earth. We're not really an intelligient species.

It often feels like these people whom claim to be of a 'non-binary' gender are using this as a ...

Druvius comments on Aug 19, 2018:

Male female dichotomy is a religious trope, period. Reality is much more complicated.

Suddenly, the possibility of a nuclear war seems much more "real":

Druvius comments on Aug 19, 2018:

Lol, seen this before, it's perfect. Exactly the expression a cat gets before bapping something.

Remember when words had a different connotation, and now are not considered proper to use, or their ...

Druvius comments on Aug 18, 2018:

Girl originally meant a child of either sex. It slowly turned into the modern meaning. One even finds examples of boy girl in old literature.

Are we alone in the universe?

Druvius comments on Aug 17, 2018:

Maybe. SETI has investigated a number of promising avenues, if anyone is out there they are laying really low. I suspect that intelligience like ours is an evolutionary dead end.

Is anyone thinking of the 2018 elections?

Druvius comments on Aug 14, 2018:

Not really. The reality s--t show democracy in America has turned into isn't worth getting worked up over.

I was reading a piece on snipers, and you aren't going to believe this, record for the longest kill ...

Druvius comments on Aug 14, 2018:

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Civil War general Sedgewick's last words.

JUXTAPOSE: jux-ta-pose.

Druvius comments on Aug 13, 2018:

I've been told if you want to pass at a hoity toity art opening: Wear a black turtleneck sweater, Buddy Holly glasses, and use the word juxtaposed in a sentence. :)

High-Energy Whodunit: The Origins of the 'OMG Particle' [space.com]

Druvius comments on Aug 13, 2018:

Still amazed that something the size of a proton can have the impact energy of a baseball. Wow.

They're not all harmless.

Druvius comments on Aug 11, 2018:

A golden oldie. :)

Playing hide and seek with this cutie.

Druvius comments on Aug 10, 2018:

I used to play hide and seek with my Fung Kitty, he always won. Good times.

Is it strange, considering I am an atheist, that one of my favorite songs is “My Sweet Lord”?

Druvius comments on Aug 10, 2018:

Not at all, in matters of taste anything goes. This is one of my favorite songs: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gx1Pv02w3Q

JESUS NEEDS TO DIE FOR OUR SINS AGAIN.

Druvius comments on Aug 9, 2018:

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2008-11-24

Wrong side of history

Druvius comments on Aug 9, 2018:

Several. I'm the same way around them I always was, they're friends and family. Not sure what's to handle?

Parallels between what the one percent are doing now and what those did at the end of the Roman ...

Druvius comments on Aug 8, 2018:

Long been a student of Roman history, and can only agree. The parallels between the Roman Empire and the American Empire run deep. Trump is the Didius Julianus of our time. It's not going to end well.

Trump is, beyond any external factors that contributed to his win, the result of a common delusion ...

Druvius comments on Aug 7, 2018:

Let me get this straight, after decades of electing experienced politicians as POTUS ... each and every one of whom betrayed their voters and did the bidding of the bankers, the rich, and the pentagon ... it's crazy to think an outsider might do different?

Mondegreen.

Druvius comments on Aug 7, 2018:

From a hymn: "Gladly, the cross eyed bear."

Well..... [youtu.be]

Druvius comments on Aug 7, 2018:

This is posted in the wrong group. This is pseudoarchelogy and should be posted in that sort of group. It's also of interest to people who study conspiracy ideation, false arguments, and psychology. The lie density in this one is particularly stunning, several per minute at least of this that are just plain untrue. Short version: What a stunning load of hogswallow.

Eggcorn: Aside from being one of my two favorite words, the dictionary definition is "a word or ...

Druvius comments on Aug 7, 2018:

"It's a doggie dog world."

MEGALOMANIACAL: meg-a-lo-ma-ni-a-cal.

Druvius comments on Aug 6, 2018:

Trump is another reason the aliens fly right on by.

Ocasio-Cortez “Evolves” Her Position on Palestine to Please Zionist Democratic Mega-Donors ...

Druvius comments on Aug 6, 2018:

It's amazing to me that after decades of Dems making liberal promises and then walking back on them after elected that millions of Dems still fall for it every time.

Would you run a background check on a potential boyfriend or girlfriend?

Druvius comments on Aug 4, 2018:

No. No. My last gf did in fact have a check made on me ... by a psychic. Yeah, knew then it wouldn't last. Fun while it did though.

What would you say your biggest accomplishment in life has been so far?

Druvius comments on Aug 4, 2018:

I'm in print in physical books and magazines. So thousands of years from now the occaisional person might wonder about me and who I was. It's as close to immortality that I know of.

BEER! Happy International Beer Day!

Druvius comments on Aug 3, 2018:

Any good IPA. Skol!

Good Kitty.

Druvius comments on Aug 3, 2018:

Yeah, had a whole damn yard perfect for their business ... I'd come home and all three would be waiting on the deck with their paws crossed waiting to rush in and use the litter box. Sigh.

Apologies if this is a repost (I did look back a ways) but it makes me giggle every time. :-)

Druvius comments on Aug 3, 2018:

Lol. Reminded me of this.

The Bermuda Triangle: A Breeding Ground for Rogue Waves or a Pit of Human Mistakes?

Druvius comments on Aug 3, 2018:

I find it annoying that a completely made up "mystery" is given any sort of serious attention.

This was a few years back, another amazing metal detector find in the UK.

Druvius comments on Aug 2, 2018:

Yeah, one could get lucky in the US and find gold jewelry. 2 millenia old jewelry or coins, damned unlikely. A few silver coins, a silver ring, and the odd old bullet, tool, or toy. My coolest find to date is the sideplate/hammer from an early 19th century caplock rifle.

I get so excited when finds like this surface.

Druvius comments on Aug 2, 2018:

Wonderful find. And the UK has treasure trove laws, unlike the US, so wonderful finds like this get shared with the world instead of being sold on the black market.

Cats really are clever you know! The man in this video is deaf and he has taught his cat the sign ...

Druvius comments on Aug 1, 2018:

They are apex predators, one of the most highly evolved animals, and by some measures second only to humans as the most sucessful animal ever. Plus they have the closest to a human brain among non primates. The ultimate ambush predator. Go cats.

Why do tv aerials not attract lightning strikes?

Druvius comments on Jul 30, 2018:

They do, a properly installed one is grounded for lightning strike.

139 House Democrats Join GOP to Approve $717 Billion in Military Spending [commondreams.

Druvius comments on Jul 29, 2018:

I'd say attacking Iran is so brain dead stupid it won't happen. But "smart" Obama attacked Syria and Libya, turning them into terrorist recruiting grounds for decades, so all bets are off with Trump.

This is a conversation I would look forward to if they knocked on my door. Ha ha

Druvius comments on Jul 28, 2018:

Lol, stealing.

Knock Knock !!!

Druvius comments on Jul 27, 2018:

Yerp, kitty knows how to deal with that .... ;)

Oh yesssss ... indeed. Sad?

Druvius comments on Jul 26, 2018:

The imperial presidency has been growing in power since Nixon, Obama was a genius at normalizing many of the most horrible aspects of it. Trump is a symptom, not a cause.

Our chat room is now open 24/7.

Druvius comments on Jul 26, 2018:

And eschew obsfucation. ;)

Studies reveal cell phones.. [youtu.be]

Druvius comments on Jul 26, 2018:

She neglects to mention that the effects found were miniscule, there's been no increase in human cancers correlating with the enormous increase in cell phone use the past few decades, and no one has yet even found a mechanism by which non-ionizing radiation could damage living tissue. Basically the risk of cancer from your cell phone is negligible. The comparison to tobacco is where one knows she is going to go off the rails. While the tobacco industry denied the health effects, the massive rise in lung cancer and emphysema caused by cigarettes was raising alarm bells in the medical community by the thirties. Decades after the explosion in cell phone use there has been no corresponding spike in any health effect possibly caused by them.

Radioactive Traces from the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Found in California Wine [livescience.com]

Druvius comments on Jul 24, 2018:

Modern science is amazing, they are detecting miniscule amounts. Sadly some people will be freaking about this.

Antepenultimate - the third-from-last in a series.

Druvius comments on Jul 23, 2018:

Preantipenultimate is even better. :)

A nice take on an annoying bit of Christian glurge:

Druvius comments on Jul 23, 2018:

1500 tours of duty, still laughing.

Selective gun excision.

Druvius comments on Jul 23, 2018:

Drones firing x-ray lasers. The technology isn't here yet, but maybe someday. Pretty much a mechanical problem, the guns chamber has to be physically compromised.

What If You Detonated a Nuclear Bomb In The Marianas Trench?

Druvius comments on Jul 22, 2018:

Not surprised, it's basically the equivalent of an underground test. Unless you are too close, no big deal.

Is Putin’s Rule a Dictatorship?

Druvius comments on Jul 22, 2018:

Even absolute dictators need bases of support, in some ways they have to be more concerned about popularity than leaders who only have to be concerned near elections. Unfortunately most people don't understand that.

Roman hot tub found: [bbc.com]

Druvius comments on Jul 21, 2018:

Upper class Romans lived well indeed. Ordinary Roman citizens, well, still pretty good compared to mostvof the world at the time. The slaves, well, not so good.

Pictures related to the Moon landing!

Druvius comments on Jul 21, 2018:

49 years ago, I remember it.

This likely would have avoided the shit storm we're in.

Druvius comments on Jul 20, 2018:

And we're in the mess were in because Clinton ran an arrogant uninspired campaign and was unable to lead her party to victory over Trump and his clown car campaign. If she had climbed down from her entitled high horse and reached out to Sander's supporters after she had the nomination, she'd be the one picking out White House silverware patterns now. Instead she haughtily insisted they vote for her or else.

This likely would have avoided the shit storm we're in.

Druvius comments on Jul 20, 2018:

The reasonable argument against this is that it's prima facie unconstitutional.

If you were given 1,000 acres of land that you didn't have to pay taxes on but couldn't sell, what ...

Druvius comments on Jul 20, 2018:

Cat sanctuary.

God, guns, and gays: Russia's road map to conquering the Republican Party

Druvius comments on Jul 19, 2018:

I'm not enjoying living in a new McCarthyism era. I hope it blows over soon.

Russiagate Is Like 9/11, Except It’s Made Of Pure Narrative [caitlinjohnstone.com]

Druvius comments on Jul 18, 2018:

Yerp, Trump has been harder on Russia than Obama. Wouldn't know that watching CNN.

Day care provider who hanged toddler sentenced to probation - CBS News 8 - San Diego, CA News ...

Druvius comments on Jul 18, 2018:

There was no murder, and the woman clearly had serious mental issues.

Just found this.

Druvius comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Yeah, it's becoming clear that people were doing clever things long before they started building cities. Not terribly surprising, they were modern humans just as smart as anyone today.

This is very interesting.

Druvius comments on Jul 16, 2018:

This guy isn't an archeologist. He's just another Von Danikan clone laughing all the way to the bank.

Do you consider Barack Obama a Super Hero?

Druvius comments on Jul 15, 2018:

And then he bailed out the people who caused the crash with taxpayer dollars, the largest upwards transfer of wealth in history. A reverse Robin Hood, some super hero.

Woman Dies After Trusting "Black Salve" Fake Cancer Cure Over Real Medicine

Druvius comments on Jul 15, 2018:

Agree. There is no such thing as alternative medicine. There's modern medical science, and there's people selling snake oil and worthless treatments.

Archaeologist please form analysis and argument. [youtube.com]

Druvius comments on Jul 14, 2018:

Well, the problem is that there is nothing about the pyramid's construction that archeologists see any need to ascribe to anything other than human ingenuity and engineering. There's other logical problems with the ancient aliens hypothesis too. They managed to do all this without leaving a single artifact? And there are all sorts of knowledge they could have imparted that would have left unmistakeable evidence, but they didn't. Basically to buy into the alien hypothesis requires all sorts of confirmation bias and special pleading. If any new evidence ever comes to light, I will gladly examine it when the time comes. Also, as a codicil, ancient aliens is at the core a racist theory. The implication is these brown people couldn't have figured all this out on their own. It's the modern version of the Atlantis theory, which was blatantly racist.

5,300 Years Ago, Ötzi the Iceman Died. Now We Know His Last Meal.

Druvius comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Hmm, or he got into an argument during his last meal. :)

Just read 2 boys on Thai soccer team have been rescued.

Druvius comments on Jul 8, 2018:

Yeah, nice to see good news for a change.

I felt these needed to be shared here. Meow.

Druvius comments on Jul 5, 2018:

:) http://fatcatart.com/gallery/?lang=en

‘Father of Global Warming’ Scientist Finally Admits Theory Is Wrong [yournewswire.com]

Druvius comments on Jul 5, 2018:

Presumably this was posted as a joke.

To catch a predator The policeman who was arrested! This kind of thing pisses me off more than ...

Druvius comments on Jul 4, 2018:

Nope, ten years probation and lifetime registered sex offender.

Former US Envoy to Moscow Calls Intelligence Report on Alleged Interference ‘Politically ...

Druvius comments on Jul 4, 2018:

The "Russia interfered in the election" never passed the laugh test, but believed without question by tens of millions. Proof we have reached full Fox News saturation where the entire mainstream media is simply a propaganda organ. In the USSR they had to shoot reporters to get them to do this, and most Russians knew what was on the news was propaganda. In the USA now the mainstream media enthusiastically toes the line, and the population eats it up. Scary times.

It Would Take 200,000 Years at Light Speed to Cross the Milky Way [space.com]

Druvius comments on Jul 3, 2018:

Well, to observers outside the ship 200,000 years would pass at near light speed, travel at light speed is impossible. Only fractions of a second would pass on the ship though.

Meatier shower

Druvius comments on Jul 3, 2018:

Lol. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/406309197613648978/

Aliens: Are we alone?

Druvius comments on Jul 3, 2018:

I suspect intelligence such as our is an evolutionary dead end, or so extremely unlikely that we may be alone. SETI has explored a number of promising avenues for decades and come up with less than nothing. At what point does absence of evidence become evidence of absence? I suspect we're getting close.

Depraved Sociopath Bill Kristol Very Excited About Recent Iran Developments ...

Druvius comments on Jul 1, 2018:

Bad link posted, but found it here. https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2018/07/01/depraved-sociopath-bill-kristol-very-excited-about-recent-iran-developments/

Medical board puts infamous doc on probation for toddler vaccine exemption | Ars Technica

Druvius comments on Jun 30, 2018:

There's a special place in hell for anti-vaxxers.

I'm truly ashamed of what is taking place in this country right now.

Druvius comments on Jun 29, 2018:

Anyone who was shocked at Trump's win needed to re-examine their own assumptions and perspectives. That so few did pretty much is the root of why Clinton lost. And why Trump may get re-elected. :(

How $1.

Druvius comments on Jun 29, 2018:

The focus on insignificant foreign spending is to distract us from the massive influence wielded by domestic actors.

You may; Hate. Despise. Ridicule. Mock. But he's doing what he said he'd do if elected:

Druvius comments on Jun 27, 2018:

He has broken all six populist promises: 1. Negotiate prescription prices for Medicare saving Americans $300 billion a year. Nope. 2. Raise taxes on the rich, including himself. Nope. 3. Renegotiate NAFTA. Nope. 4. Replace Obamacare with something better. Nope. 5. Infrastructure spending. Nope. 6. Drain the swamp. Nope, biggest swamp filler since Reagan. Not sure what promises you are talking about, but the promises that would actually help the working class ... big fat screw you from Trump.

Did you know that in Islamic law, a parent who kills a child suffers no penalty?

Druvius comments on Jun 26, 2018:

Some Muslims might argue that I suppose, but even a modest googling shows that killing your children is absolutely forbidden under most interpretations of Islamic law.

[cracked.com] Interesting article. Still processing. I've read it twice. I'm reading it again.

Druvius comments on Jun 26, 2018:

I would largely agree. I moved from Berkeley to rural Iowa partly because of how dismissive coastal liberals have become about the flyover states. Most of my current town are Trump voters, they are just normal human beings who voted for Trump because they know they've been getting screwed for decades, and Clinton promised more of the same. It still surprises me (it shouldn't) how often I meet a coastal liberal who insists anyone who voted for Trump is a knuckle-dragging racist idiot. Yes, there are those, but most Trump voters are just hard working decent people.

UK Conservative government proposes tax increases on workers to fund National Health Service ...

Druvius comments on Jun 26, 2018:

Yeah, our current system where health care is a profit generator for big corporations us a disaster. All they want to do is maximize costs and minimize care. If you get rid of them and go to single payer the profits go back to the doctors and hospitals. And the ones that provide the best care will get more customers ... and profit. But to do that the big corporations who are just acting as uneeded middle men need to be cut out. Hard to see that happining while the big coporations basically own Washington. It's a national disgrace.

I'm the next Jesus, not in a deity sense, but like the evolutionary progression of humanity.

Druvius comments on Jun 25, 2018:

Me first! lol.

Jared Kushner, who doesn’t like reading history books, says he has a new Middle East peace plan ...

Druvius comments on Jun 24, 2018:

The sad thing is it wouldn't really take much. If the Palestinians were offered a viable independent state on the West Bank, an apology of some sort for the Nakba, and guaranteed access (Like an international zone) to the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, it would do the trick. Would it end terrorism overnight, of course not. But it would give the vast majority of Palestinians more than they ever dreamed of, and every incentive to forge peace with Israel. Alas Israel has never offered anything resembling that, and is unlikely to do so as long as the US gives them unqualified support.

Jared Kushner, who doesn’t like reading history books, says he has a new Middle East peace plan ...

Druvius comments on Jun 24, 2018:

Well, until we hear the details, I will reserve judgment. I would be surprised if it was anything the Palestinians would support though.

UFO’s, science, and religion

Druvius comments on Jun 24, 2018:

If we do ever find hard proof of an alien intelligence, it will depend on the religious leader. Most religions won't have any trouble with the idea. The Holy Rollers and such will ascribe them to Satan I guess. Then there's this: https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2008-11-24

Do you think that one day humans will travel to another galaxy ?

Druvius comments on Jun 23, 2018:

If civilization survives and technology continues to advance, it's entirely possible. If one can build a spaceship capable of constant 1g acceleration, and that's just an engineering problem, humans could explore the universe in a human lifetime. The catch is ... a lifetime for people on the ship. Relativity means that billions of years will pass outside the ship, so if the travelers returned to Earth billions of years will have passed. One way trip basically.

Koko the gorilla that used sign language has died, she was 46 and died in her sleep.

Druvius comments on Jun 23, 2018:

A little, but not much. 35-40 in wild, 50 or more in captivity. And while she was great for gorilla publicity, the idea that she "mastered" sign language is misleading at best. She knew a lot of symbols and was adept at communicating with them, but she, nor any animal has ever shown any ability to comprehend grammar, IE string words together to make sentences. Why humans quickly master this and nothing else does is still not understood.