“The chain of marriage is so heavy that it takes two to bear it; sometimes three.

whiskywoman comments on Mar 24, 2021:

testosterone makes men think they can handle more than one woman most cant handle one

Fernapple replies on Mar 24, 2021:

Oh, I can handle several. The trouble is, most women don't seem to like my style of handling.

Suppose I told you that buying a bottle of wine, could help preserve wildlife, create jobs and ...

Marionville comments on Mar 23, 2021:

It is increasingly rare to find any bottles of averagely priced wine which has a cork stopper. The more expensive ones still seem to use cork, but not all by any means. I must admit I enjoy the convenience of the metal screw top bottles because of ease of opening and screwing the top back for ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 24, 2021:

The intro is a bit of a joke. The point is that there are a lot of new cork products out there worth searching for.

Suppose I told you that buying a bottle of wine, could help preserve wildlife, create jobs and ...

JackPedigo comments on Mar 23, 2021:

So what about the processing of the wine - energy, human power, the production of bottles, delivery costs and on? Seems a bit round about to me. Besides, there are others uses of cork besides stoppers. Why must something be preserved simply for human use? They should be preserved because they are a ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 24, 2021:

The intro was intended as a bit of a joke. Of course buying any product has a environmental cost. There are however a lot of other cork products out there, and you can be reasonable certain that if you buy those, rather than the plastic equivalent, you are probably doing less harm.

Gosh, I do love spring!

Willow_Wisp comments on Mar 23, 2021:

Nice plant genitalia.

Fernapple replies on Mar 24, 2021:

Why do we love to see plant genitalia everwhere, but if an animals are on display, people say. " I wish they had longer fur ?"

“You’ll never decide what you want until you’ve decided who you are”.

Fernapple comments on Mar 24, 2021:

That's even harder than, what you want.

Fernapple replies on Mar 24, 2021:

@Marionville Wisdom.

“The chain of marriage is so heavy that it takes two to bear it; sometimes three.

Marionville comments on Mar 23, 2021:

Rather a depressing view of marriage, but I expect there was some experience behind his words.

Fernapple replies on Mar 24, 2021:

He was French, are they not supposed to have four ?

In alphabetic order, there is a religious method and a scientific method to acquire knowledge.

Cyklone comments on Mar 22, 2021:

The philosophical method is the science method. Where do you think science originated? Regardless of what science you study, at the end you are awarded a PhD, that is, a doctorate of philosophy. The only other doctorate is a ThD, that is, a doctorate in Theology. If you need to ask why, you're on...

Fernapple replies on Mar 22, 2021:

That's right. In fact science is a new word, less than a couple of centuries old, in real terms, it was always known before that as 'Natural Philosophy'. Science is just a more rigourous philosophy with stronger working methods, which can be used in some areas. Good philosophy respects the findings of science therefore, and good science does not break out of the rules of logic established by philosophy.

In alphabetic order, there is a religious method and a scientific method to acquire knowledge.

LiterateHiker comments on Mar 21, 2021:

Your question doesn't make sense. Try again.

Fernapple replies on Mar 22, 2021:

@LiterateHiker It does not preclude it but it does often attempt to supress it.

Mormon church indoctrinatIon [youtu.be]

Julie808 comments on Mar 22, 2021:

I feel so sorry for the kids born into mormonism and are not happy about it after growing up and learning better. I've talked with lots of ex-mormons who have struggled out of the faith. I understand how they indoctrinate the youth upwards, and how it's so hard to leave, but I still wonder ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 22, 2021:

Sorry but when you said, " marry the lady friend " I thought, there really is no mystery. You have to understand, we men are very simple. Nature fitted us with a handy handle down between the legs, with which we can be led about like a dog on a lead, and it totally overrides any rational thinking, or even common sense. It really is not complicated.

Even animals can be

Fernapple comments on Mar 18, 2021:

Sometimes Brown Bears get together with Polar Bears and you get mixed species cubs. ( Not relevant just interesting. )

Fernapple replies on Mar 21, 2021:

@yvilletom Cream it seems really good story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyX7HH0omIU

Just posted my first signs of spring here in the UK, in Nature and thought they would go well here.

Mooolah comments on Mar 21, 2021:

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yfp-t&ei=UTF-8&p=winter+aconite+flowers#id=3=5bb70a3d9b7e8cadcb7104891ac29bc5=view all over my woodland

Fernapple replies on Mar 21, 2021:

The Aconites have finished with us now, we are probably about three weeks ahead of you.

I think I found the oldest story of them all, though it is almost not a story.

Robecology comments on Mar 21, 2021:

What I've read/heard/observed is that these early cyano-bacterial mounds were the key contributors to the build-up of Oxygen in the environment. "Early cyanobacteria in stromatolites are thought to be largely responsible for increasing the amount of oxygen in the primaeval Earth's atmosphere ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 21, 2021:

Yes and the oxygen of course paved the way for animals, who used it to respire at a faster rate, and power things like movement.

Probably the most important story ever told, and no it is not the one about Jesus. [youtube.com]

DenoPenno comments on Mar 21, 2021:

The two cells could have been Adam and Eve. A sperm and egg type thing.

Fernapple replies on Mar 21, 2021:

They certainly were.

Probably the most important story ever told, and no it is not the one about Jesus. [youtube.com]

Word comments on Mar 21, 2021:

Sounds possible that not everything evolved from one specific cell. If there were millions of one type cell and millions of the other type of cell, then the 2 cells combination could of occured millions of times. Or, what if this combination is still going on that may lead to something else ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 21, 2021:

All sort of things are possible. Though it is generally thought that they were a couple of very rare one off events, since genetics seems to point to a single common origin of complex cells. But in the future who knows.

[youtube.com] Scotty, the donkey,

Fernapple comments on Mar 19, 2021:

We met this wild one in the nature reserve on North Cyprus. My friend had been told they would beg food of tourists, so she took some best quality apples from the hotel breakfast bar, to feed them. This one wanted to get in the car and come home with us.

Fernapple replies on Mar 19, 2021:

@whiskywoman Yes but she would have to buy second best, she took a bag down to breakfast and filled it while the buffet staff were not looking. She is eighty eight, and thinks she's entitled now. Besides which, you perhaps wont know, but she comes from Yorkshire, county motto. "Money its not for spending tha' know's. "

Every last bit.

gigihein comments on Mar 19, 2021:

I look feral this morning

Fernapple replies on Mar 19, 2021:

Oh. I do love a wild lady.

Perhaps, if you think about it, the most important story ever told, and no it does not have a god in...

phxbillcee comments on Mar 18, 2021:

@Fernapple, don't forget my "Science,..." Group!

Fernapple replies on Mar 19, 2021:

No I do not forget that, will find you something soon. Though if you would like this too I can do, just don't like to repeat a post too much.

“Whereas in ancient agricultural societies human violence caused about 15% of all deaths, during ...

Lauren comments on Mar 16, 2021:

Sugar does not cause diabetes. About 10% of the diabetics have Type 1 diabetes which is entirely genetic. Type 2 diabetics have the gene, which is brought to fruition by poor diet and lack of exercise. Typically, it's the carbs and high fat/fried food diets that bring about diabetes for most of ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@Lauren That is not in line with the latest research, which says that it is frequent spikes which cause people to start with type two in the first place.

Massage Parlor shooter was all about guns and God [news.yahoo.com]

dermot235 comments on Mar 17, 2021:

Another Nut with God on his side

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@MikeInBatonRouge I don't think so.

Massage Parlor shooter was all about guns and God [news.yahoo.com]

dermot235 comments on Mar 17, 2021:

Another Nut with God on his side

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@dermot235 Certainly not. Just the reason only the imaginary god in your head, wants to be your friend.

Massage Parlor shooter was all about guns and God [news.yahoo.com]

dermot235 comments on Mar 17, 2021:

Another Nut with God on his side

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

When everyone else has rejected you.... where else can you turn ?

[npr.

LenHazell53 comments on Mar 17, 2021:

I've donated my body to the local medical school.

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@LenHazell53 Sorry, deleted a stray coma, think it makes more sense now.

“Whereas in ancient agricultural societies human violence caused about 15% of all deaths, during ...

Sticks48 comments on Mar 16, 2021:

Sugar does not cause diabetes. If you have diabetes it will affect your blood sugar.

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@Sticks48 Type 1 is certainly genetic, and there maybe, genetic precursors to type 2. Which being by far the most common is the type I was addressing. But the point is that not everone with the precursors for type two, will get it, and certainly diet is the main trigger. While most of the information which still lingers in the press and some medical sources, about foods other than refined sugar, is the result of a really evil disinformation campain by the sugar industry.

“Whereas in ancient agricultural societies human violence caused about 15% of all deaths, during ...

Lauren comments on Mar 16, 2021:

Sugar does not cause diabetes. About 10% of the diabetics have Type 1 diabetes which is entirely genetic. Type 2 diabetics have the gene, which is brought to fruition by poor diet and lack of exercise. Typically, it's the carbs and high fat/fried food diets that bring about diabetes for most of ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@Lauren Yes it is sugar more than the other carbs, (Though they can contribute.) because sugar is the most soluble, and the smallest molecule and the quickest to pass into the bloodstream. The damage to the pancreas is mainly caused by sudden high spikes, of such easily available carbs, slower to digest carbs which do not cause rapid rises in blood sugar, are much less harmful, especially when bonded to other food components.

“Whereas in ancient agricultural societies human violence caused about 15% of all deaths, during ...

Sticks48 comments on Mar 16, 2021:

Sugar does not cause diabetes. If you have diabetes it will affect your blood sugar.

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@Sticks48 Yes it is sugar more than the other carbs, (Though they can contribute.) because sugar is the most soluble, and the smallest molecule and the quickest to pass into the bloodstream. The damage to the pancreas is mainly caused by sudden high spikes, of such easily available carbs, slower to digest carbs which do not cause rapid rises in blood sugar, are much less harmful.

[npr.

LenHazell53 comments on Mar 17, 2021:

I've donated my body to the local medical school.

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

Perfect example of what ignoring all medical advice, can do to the human body ?

Mass shooting targeting Asians in Atlanta.

Fernapple comments on Mar 17, 2021:

Video says. "Not available in your country." I am sorry to say.

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@BufftonBeotch Always curious, because. "No man is an island." And nor is anyone powerless, every bit of information about the human condition, however tiny, may help you to refine the way you spend your days, just a little bit, towards making things better, in perhaps a very small way. But if everyone did that ? Besides which I am old enough and have seen enough, not to be shocked by much any longer.

Mass shooting targeting Asians in Atlanta.

Fernapple comments on Mar 17, 2021:

Video says. "Not available in your country." I am sorry to say.

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@BufftonBeotch Thanks, I will give it a go.

If this so called god actually exists.

Fernapple comments on Mar 16, 2021:

Never try to use logic on religion, if you can do logic, religion is not for you, so don't go where you are not wanted. LOL

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@Word I was using virus and cells metaphorically.

If this so called god actually exists.

Fernapple comments on Mar 16, 2021:

Never try to use logic on religion, if you can do logic, religion is not for you, so don't go where you are not wanted. LOL

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@Word My cells and a virus, go together but that does not make me a virus.

Not too sure about this one?

BitFlipper comments on Mar 16, 2021:

What alternative reality is this?

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

Its called the UK , that really is the way a lot of English culture at least sees religion.

If this so called god actually exists.

Fernapple comments on Mar 16, 2021:

Never try to use logic on religion, if you can do logic, religion is not for you, so don't go where you are not wanted. LOL

Fernapple replies on Mar 17, 2021:

@Word All religion.

Mnemonics I tried posting about a science-related mnemonic in this group and the "Uncommon Words"...

Fernapple comments on Mar 16, 2021:

The planets. Is I think is your answer, the first letters match. Try this one which I invented myself. They work best if you invent your own is a good tip. It is about a company from Cambridge responding to reports of a new supper efficient engine, being sold by a simple minded inheritor, at an...

Fernapple replies on Mar 16, 2021:

@Behind-the-dog Well done. I keep thinking I must have another go and make it more detailed. Hobby for retirement perhaps.

How would the existence of a god confer meaning on our lives?

Moravian comments on Mar 16, 2021:

My question is, what is the point of these hypothetical questions ?

Fernapple replies on Mar 16, 2021:

@Moravian Perfect example of witty banter, well done. You see it works.. The Greeks and other pagans of their time believed, that all gods were expressions of an all prevading holyness, therefore envy, of one god for another would be silly. But that changes with Abraham and a god of ultra-nationalism, then things get really nasty.

How would the existence of a god confer meaning on our lives?

Moravian comments on Mar 16, 2021:

My question is, what is the point of these hypothetical questions ?

Fernapple replies on Mar 16, 2021:

Fishing for witty banter.

Trump’s pandemic Day of Prayer: Nothing fails like prayer - Freedom From Religion Foundation

AmyTheBruce comments on Mar 16, 2021:

Prayer is a great way to pass the buck: "It's in God's hands now." It's also useful as a way to look like you're helping, when you have no intention of doing anything helpful: "I'll pray for you." I don't know which use Trump was putting prayer to; it could easily have been both.

Fernapple replies on Mar 16, 2021:

I suppose that you could say. "I will pray for you." Translates as. "I don't give a s##t and am not going to do anything, so you can p##s off."

Just one of those small encounters, that happen every day.

Mark013 comments on Mar 15, 2021:

Have a lot of turkeys in this area and always keep an eye out while driving for any animal on the road. A few miles away there is a main road that goes through the marsh of the Horicon Wildlife Refuge where thousands of geese migrate through each year. They post signs to watch for geese crossing or ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 15, 2021:

Pheasants are the worst here, always decide to bolt across the road, with the chicks behind, just at the last second as the car gets near. And some people don't even slow down.

Religious people tend to begin with their conclusions, then work backwards looking for arguments ...

Fernapple comments on Mar 15, 2021:

Of all the spheres of human thought, religion is the only one which does not require any justification of ideas, evidence, logic, or even majority opinion. So it is the only one, which will support anything however silly. I think that is why it is so popular.

Fernapple replies on Mar 15, 2021:

@anglophone Quite.

[theconversation.com] small discoveries can lead to big ones in actuality

barjoe comments on Mar 15, 2021:

Does it make me immature I laugh at the fact that Charles The Simple was the son of Louis The Stammerer who was the son of Charles The Bald?

Fernapple replies on Mar 15, 2021:

I am sure that the humour was intended by the political commentators of the day.

Will social pressure and perks work to get folks vaccinated?

Heavykevy1985 comments on Mar 13, 2021:

When it comes to abortion, my body, my choice. When comes to forcing people to wear masks or be injected with a vaccine, crickets. Definitely a double standard here

Fernapple replies on Mar 15, 2021:

@Heavykevy1985 Of course they involve choice, but choice is best if based on good information. And choosing to allow yourself to be manipulated, by people who spread disinformation, while making yourself look a fool in public, does not a seem a good choice. But if you are happy with it, then I am pleased for you..

Rules are rules...

GeorgeRocheleau comments on Mar 13, 2021:

Poor doomed orphan.

Fernapple replies on Mar 14, 2021:

Don't say that. You will get a six page lecture from WORD. lol

Is science undermining religion ?

Fernapple comments on Mar 14, 2021:

Truth undermines religion, wherever it comes from. The BBC's need to be inclusive undermines it remit to be balanced, but it tries its best.

Fernapple replies on Mar 14, 2021:

@Mcflewster It does, I have a lot of respect for the BBC, though I do think that in resent times, it has started to lose its way in a lot of domestic trivia, and low brow popular culture, loosing therefore, its once good global vision. The current dramatic events in S. America for example went unmentioned by the BBC, though they were well covered by Sky, Aljezera, and RT. PS. can't remember how you spell Aljezera, but you know who I mean.

Will social pressure and perks work to get folks vaccinated?

Heavykevy1985 comments on Mar 13, 2021:

When it comes to abortion, my body, my choice. When comes to forcing people to wear masks or be injected with a vaccine, crickets. Definitely a double standard here

Fernapple replies on Mar 14, 2021:

@Moravian, @Heavykevy1985 Perhaps 70% of the people who got corvid did report wearing a mask. But how many times does this have to be repeated. YOU WEAR THE MASK TO STOP YOU PASSING ON THE VIRUS TO OTHER PEOPLE. The protection you get, is accepted as low, though it is still there, too.

Will social pressure and perks work to get folks vaccinated?

Heavykevy1985 comments on Mar 13, 2021:

When it comes to abortion, my body, my choice. When comes to forcing people to wear masks or be injected with a vaccine, crickets. Definitely a double standard here

Fernapple replies on Mar 14, 2021:

@Moravian Not only that, but he is claiming that if he is pregnant, he will make other people pregnant too. LOL

Spring and toads have something to look forward to, and humans too.

barjoe comments on Mar 13, 2021:

Is the human race coming out of hibernation?

Fernapple replies on Mar 14, 2021:

Perhaps, but as usual, I think that they will be leaving their brains behind.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of The Dunblane massacre which took place at Dunblane Primary ...

Fernapple comments on Mar 13, 2021:

In the UK you may still own a gun if you really need one though, it is just that you have to go though the sort of procedures, that you would if you wanted to own any other dangerous machine, such as a car for example. So most people don't bother because they don't really need one, but farmers and ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 14, 2021:

@LenHazell53 And of course, when the "right to carry arms" was written into the American constitution, that was exactly what they were reffering to. The arms mentioned in the constitution are not the same thing as the arms carried today.

From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them, and that is eternity.

Fernapple comments on Mar 13, 2021:

You can not destroy matter only transform it. Is actually a basic law of physics. Emergent properties like human mind may vanish when the structures which support them fall apart, but the basic substance of the universe is immortal, and can be reused by life again and again. I always liked that, ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 13, 2021:

@henthabox Billions of bits, some of them are bound to end up somewhere good. I am told that there are three atoms of Oliver Cromwell in every one of us.

The first Racist was the pseudo god of Abraham because of all the people it choose the Jews as the ...

brentan comments on Mar 13, 2021:

The Hebrew scriptures show that Jehovah's choice had nothing to do with racism but came about through the friendship he developed with Abraham. The Hebrews were to become the instrument used to bring about salvation through the Messiah that would come from Abraham's seed. When it came to the ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 13, 2021:

Yes but the story was probably invented as an indirect way to justify racism. Johovah after all, does not make choices, he does not do anything, because he does not exist. But those who thought of themselves as Abrahams children did, and inventing a story about 'our' predecesseor is a way of defining a pseudo-race into existence.

And you know what that means!

Fernapple comments on Mar 11, 2021:

No ?

Fernapple replies on Mar 12, 2021:

@Holysocks Oh thank you, I get it now, sometimes i struggle with the depths of American culture. LOL

Saying your "religion" is the only true religion is like saying your language is the only true ...

Word comments on Mar 11, 2021:

What religion are you talking about? You say,"Every religion is a fable and is inherently fictional in nature." Religion ... pure and faultless is this: to help widows and orphans in need and avoiding worldly corruption. James 1:27 How is it a fable and fictional to help widows and ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 11, 2021:

So if an atheist gives up a night out drinking, and instead goes to help out at a homeless childs shelter, is she being religious ?

I got to inspect my bees yesterday for the first time since last fall.

Fernapple comments on Mar 11, 2021:

Wonderful. I used to keep bees many years ago as a boy, but had to give it up when I started work, I miss it. But I retire soon. Swarms can be a pain , but doing it the natural way is by far the best way to make more colonies. We always used to catch them the old fashioned way, in an empty box, ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 11, 2021:

@Behind-the-dog Have you ever though of trying a swarm catcher or swarm bob, it is like a swarm shaped lump, which you hang up in the shade near the hives. You can hang it from a stick, so that you can move the swarm. Never tried one myself, but it is said to lure them to an easy to see and easy to catch point. I am told that you can prime it with pheramone by snipping twigs of a branch where a swarm settled in an earlier year.

‘Moderna Arm’: Some People Develop Reaction To Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine – CBS Pittsburgh

Joanne comments on Mar 10, 2021:

My 87 year old dad, who is on blood thinning medication, and my 80 year old mom, had no reactions to their Covid Vaccines. No rash, no sore arms... They both had the Moderna one.

Fernapple replies on Mar 11, 2021:

Older people with weaker immune systems , may not get such bad reactions.

What was God?

Fernapple comments on Mar 9, 2021:

One thing worth remembering, is that generating a word, is a nearly cost free exercise and can be fun. It was especially one of the few amusements available in the past, when there were no modern media, organized sports or government arts departments. Look at how much Shakespeare and other ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 11, 2021:

@skado Yes I would be one of those who contend that we don't need one, and that it was a harmful one from the beginning, whether take literally or not. Moreover that our religious culture today, and from the Neolithic, is so completely different from the original religious culture, which we used to understand nature, that it can not be considered the same thing, and that it was developed and is kept not to address problems with modeling nature, but rather to address only, problems which it itself created.

What was God?

Fernapple comments on Mar 9, 2021:

One thing worth remembering, is that generating a word, is a nearly cost free exercise and can be fun. It was especially one of the few amusements available in the past, when there were no modern media, organized sports or government arts departments. Look at how much Shakespeare and other ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 10, 2021:

@skado Yes of course I overstate my case for the sake of jest, but I still stand by the basic idea. That the origins of the god/gods idea is to be found in the trite, shallow, banal and probably also, the fashionably modern. Firstly because the god idea is in fact a very new one, so new and resent an invention, that it could be said, that it was practically thought up yesterday. Your own, “god and good have the same root", statement, indicates that the time was linguistically, at least, not long ago. Indeed nearly throughout, that whole period when, as you say. “collective forces of nature were never a joke to early humans. And their ignorance-driven fears were never idle playthings the way ours can be when we are accustomed to secure food sources, tornado warnings two days in advance, and housing that excludes not only venomous reptiles but even bloodsucking mosquitoes.” Gods did not exist. And were not felt to be needed. Indeed they were probably a luxury which could not be afforded by those engaged in the earnest struggle for survival. Archaeology provides no evidence for gods before the Neolithic, and anthropology tells the same story. Which is that, for the vast majority of human history and prehistory, religions based on Animism, ancestors and shamanism filled all of human needs. Gods only really begin, at about the time of the Neolithic revolution, perhaps ten thousand years ago in a few places, twenty thousand at most. And of course for the many Mesolithic, and the couple of Palaeolithic cultures, which survived into the twentieth century, Animism was, and is, still the norm, save where they were influenced by outsiders. (Some cultures even avoided gods into the iron age.) Yet religion as a whole, can be traced back at least two million years, which means that, religion was godless yet served humans with all their needs, for at least ninety nine percent of its history, probably more. To live with insecure food sources, you need to understand the animating sprit of the creatures you hunt, ( not literaly ) and to deal with poison and disease you need to understand the spirits of the venomous snakes, disease and the plants and animals which may offer you real help and mutual aid. There are simply no resources to develop pseudo heroic humans, with imagined fake histories. They are the creations of cultures with disposable wealth. Secondly. While I am happy to go along, with the heroic struggle for survival argument to a degree. I do think that it tells only a fraction of the truth, and may in many ways be, very much be just a modern misunderstanding of prehistory. While the lives of prehistoric people may have been brutal sometimes, those moments of brutality would have been just that, moments and no longer, or they would not have ...

How We Survived Growing Up in Apocalyptic Cults.

dermot235 comments on Mar 8, 2021:

The damage done to people who were in Cults like this must be severe. An apocalyptic cult full of pedophiles can't be good for your mental health. I think we can all agree on that. The line between Religion and a cult is not that clear to me. Cults do differ from most religions in that they demand ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 9, 2021:

@Cyklone My thought exactly. Though it has to be said that, to use a metaphor, diseases with violent symptoms, which kill quickly a high percentage of victims, usually burn out quickly, however infectious they are and however fast they spread. But diseases with only mild symptoms can often spread across the whole population. In other words extremism spreads quickly but moderation brings persistence.

No lamps either?

LenHazell53 comments on Mar 8, 2021:

My son still refuses to believe I could have lived in a time when there were only three TV channels.

Fernapple replies on Mar 8, 2021:

I can remember when there were two. When we used to think the third one when it came along was a waste of time, and colour TV was a laughable idea, that would never happen.

Applied Agnosticism 101

David1955 comments on Mar 8, 2021:

First, I'm an atheist. Second, I don't like Tacos, so, what else is there to say?

Fernapple replies on Mar 8, 2021:

@silverotter11 No beer, no Vegemite, no tacos, perhaps it is best to become a christian afterall, and hope for a better life hereafter.

Quran or Bible?? What book is worse?

Surfpirate comments on Mar 7, 2021:

The Quran is a marginally better read and it has half as many pages so you can get through it faster.

Fernapple replies on Mar 8, 2021:

Yes but does that make it better or worse ? LOL

What’s the greatest thing about life itself ?

Deb57 comments on Mar 7, 2021:

As the Barbarian.

Fernapple replies on Mar 8, 2021:

I think the author of Conan may have plagiarized Gengis Khan, I seem to remember an almost identical quote attributed to him. Interesting.

Applied Agnosticism 101

David1955 comments on Mar 8, 2021:

First, I'm an atheist. Second, I don't like Tacos, so, what else is there to say?

Fernapple replies on Mar 8, 2021:

Beer.

Shooting in a newly classified world heritage site to document what are possibly the most pristine ...

girlwithsmiles comments on Mar 7, 2021:

Unfortunately looking quite bleached like the rest if it 😞 I do tend to think of the colour coral when it comes to healthy reefs.

Fernapple replies on Mar 8, 2021:

@Redneckliberal Yes, I was meaning that girlwithsmiles photos were perhaps a bit enhanced, not yours. Sorry not being plain.

Mt. Stuart, 9,420', from Tronsen Ridge, WA

Fernapple comments on Mar 7, 2021:

Always a good idea to include some foreground in landscape shots, to give depth and contrast, plus chromatic perspective, note how the dark shades on the trees are much stronger than the shadows on the mountains.

Fernapple replies on Mar 7, 2021:

@LiterateHiker It still looks really lovely though, great shot. Here is one with a lot of foreground I took in Turkey.

Shooting in a newly classified world heritage site to document what are possibly the most pristine ...

girlwithsmiles comments on Mar 7, 2021:

Unfortunately looking quite bleached like the rest if it 😞 I do tend to think of the colour coral when it comes to healthy reefs.

Fernapple replies on Mar 7, 2021:

His may be a bit bleached, and coral can be very colourful, but I think that there is a bit of photoshop colour enhancement there.

Survey: Atheists Are More Likely to Get Vaccinated Than Any Religious Group | Hemant Mehta | ...

Moravian comments on Mar 7, 2021:

So what is the problem with the 10% of atheists who refuse the vaccine ?

Fernapple replies on Mar 7, 2021:

Some really stupid theists ticked the atheist box by mistake ? LOL Joke yes, but really you do get things like that happening in surveys.

[eurekalert.

GeorgeRocheleau comments on Mar 7, 2021:

How do you go about fermenting wool?

Fernapple replies on Mar 7, 2021:

@GeorgeRocheleau It is the wool, the method raises the nap on the fibres it seems, to help the dye bond better to the wool. Folllow the link, the article is really intersting and quite short.

It's starting to make sense now...

barjoe comments on Mar 6, 2021:

God being a woman is no more a fallacy than God being a man.

Fernapple replies on Mar 7, 2021:

God is a dog, just spell it backwards. It is a secret code, made by the ancients, to conceal the secret knowledge of the holy Tailwaggers, that god transformed itself into a multipart body so that it could enter peoples homes and keep watch on them, especially when they were on the toilet. And if you think that is crazy. Let me tell you about this religion, which worships a zombie with three bodies, who was born out of a virgin.

[eurekalert.

GeorgeRocheleau comments on Mar 7, 2021:

How do you go about fermenting wool?

Fernapple replies on Mar 7, 2021:

The article says, that you let the animals in your barn pee, shit, and trample on it for a few days, then soak it in a stream.

Pizza outlawed in Georgia To Suppress the Vote I can’t make this up.

barjoe comments on Mar 6, 2021:

It goes back to the old free lunch laws, but it's really meant to punish black voters who have the fortitude to wait in intentionally long lines.

Fernapple replies on Mar 7, 2021:

@Paganlyl We have the option of either.

Pizza outlawed in Georgia To Suppress the Vote I can’t make this up.

barjoe comments on Mar 6, 2021:

It goes back to the old free lunch laws, but it's really meant to punish black voters who have the fortitude to wait in intentionally long lines.

Fernapple replies on Mar 6, 2021:

In Britain it is hard to imagine having to wait in line to vote. Generally there are enough booths and stations provided, so that everyone can walk in and cast their vote with no wait. If we, and a lot of other countries, can manage that, how come the country which likes to think of itself as the worlds leading democracy can not. In the UK it would be regarded as showing a shameful lack of commitment to democracy if that situation arose.

An Unfortunate truth The best lack all conviction, while the worst, Are full of passionate ...

Fernapple comments on Mar 6, 2021:

Ironically though. Yates was probably referring to Christians as the best, and sceptics as the worst.

Fernapple replies on Mar 6, 2021:

@LenHazell53 Thank you, did not know that.

“The plain fact is that education is itself a form of propaganda - a deliberate scheme to outfit ...

Marionville comments on Mar 5, 2021:

Depends on your definition of the word education...I believe education is equipping children how to think, but not what to think. Propaganda is instructing children in what to think and is certainly bad, but it isn’t education, it’s indoctrination.

Fernapple replies on Mar 5, 2021:

There is a third thing between propaganda and education, which is pseudo-education, that is to say, things which are not untrue and therefore falsifiable, like propaganda. But which are of little use and value, and therefore do not dispute the ground with education like propaganda and falsehoods, but which still prevent it by blocking it with bulk. Pseudo-education can, and is, therefore much used by those who would prevent real learning, because it is much safer and harder to counter than direct propaganda, and being willing to learn it proves that the student's passive compliance perhaps even better than being willing to accept falsehoods.

and for all the mask addicts USA is on a good path to finally get rid of a non working method to ...

Fernapple comments on Mar 5, 2021:

( This has been said so many times before it is getting really boring. ) The main purpose of masks is to prevent you infecting others, if they do not prevent you getting infected, that is besides the point. Though it is hard to see how they would not at least help a little bit, even with ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 5, 2021:

@LovinLarge Yes I know, I was putting a heavy spin on it.

Best country?

Fernapple comments on Mar 4, 2021:

There is nothing that breeds complacency more quickly, than the belief that you are the best at something. So you make no effort and then one day you turn round and find that the world has left you behind. Hubris is the parent of apathy.

Fernapple replies on Mar 4, 2021:

@lerlo I am sixty four. And I remember the so called happy days of the sixties and seventies, and the fact that most people lived in misery, and that the glories of those times only existed for the white middle class, at the expence of everyone else, both sides of the Atlantic.

So damn pathetic.

Druvius comments on Mar 4, 2021:

What's pathetic is people get their knickers in a twist over this. How, EXACTLY, is this harming anyone? Times change, deal with it, sheesh.

Fernapple replies on Mar 4, 2021:

@Druvius Yes that is the point, it is just one hospital trying it, and maybe not going to stick with it.

So damn pathetic.

girlwithsmiles comments on Mar 4, 2021:

Well they must have more experience than most if they’re finding the need to adjust. Language adapts and changes to meet the need of current society. Life goes on.

Fernapple replies on Mar 4, 2021:

Its fake news anyway.

So damn pathetic.

Druvius comments on Mar 4, 2021:

What's pathetic is people get their knickers in a twist over this. How, EXACTLY, is this harming anyone? Times change, deal with it, sheesh.

Fernapple replies on Mar 4, 2021:

Its fake news anyway.

Best country?

Fernapple comments on Mar 4, 2021:

There is nothing that breeds complacency more quickly, than the belief that you are the best at something. So you make no effort and then one day you turn round and find that the world has left you behind. Hubris is the parent of apathy.

Fernapple replies on Mar 4, 2021:

@lerlo I think that mass shootings and the decline in education are very much the symptoms of the unhappiness which went before , and I do not recall that the US was ever number one in education.

Best country?

Fernapple comments on Mar 4, 2021:

There is nothing that breeds complacency more quickly, than the belief that you are the best at something. So you make no effort and then one day you turn round and find that the world has left you behind. Hubris is the parent of apathy.

Fernapple replies on Mar 4, 2021:

@lerlo For education perhaps Switzerland, for human happiness maybe Denmark. But always keep in mind the wisdom of Oliver Goldsmith. "How wide the limits stand Between a splendid and a happy land.” By which he means that the greatness of countries, is built on the misery of their peoples, and that it is impossible for a country to be a 'world leader' and have a happy people.

Can physics prove if God exists? [bbc.com]

Petter comments on Mar 3, 2021:

IF something exists, its existence can be demonstrated by suitable tests, using instruments and interactions, once intelligent beings have created them. IF something does not exist, then no test of its existence will ever succeed. This latter is the rationale behind religion and the existence of...

Fernapple replies on Mar 3, 2021:

And if it does not exist, then you can make it do or say anything you like, and that is the rational behind using your invisible colegue to justify every form of abuse.

I just received the second shot. That's a big relief.

barjoe comments on Mar 2, 2021:

That's great! When my turn comes, ill get mine. I'm getting impatient.

Fernapple replies on Mar 3, 2021:

You and me both.

[youtu.be] A few top scienist and top reporters. This blows my mind, a must watch.

EarnestEccentric comments on Mar 2, 2021:

Somebody dusted his water/coffee with a bit of mescaline I'm afraid... he'll be all right in a few day if someone doesn't dust him again... 😜

Fernapple replies on Mar 2, 2021:

Nah, high up on a mountain in Peru, typical effects of altitude sickness, very common and a prefect clinical example.

The 50 most ridiculous lines from Trump's CPAC speech.

bobwjr comments on Mar 2, 2021:

Only 50 ?

Fernapple replies on Mar 2, 2021:

He must be trying to up his game.

Canadian Atheist Group: Churches Breaking COVID Rules Must Lose Tax-Exempt Status | Val Wilde | ...

LenHazell53 comments on Feb 28, 2021:

That's fair, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's,"

Fernapple replies on Mar 1, 2021:

Unfortunately God never turns up to collect his share, so the chuches get to keep it.

Research Suggests Proper Fit of COVID Face Masks Is More Important Than Material

AnneWimsey comments on Feb 28, 2021:

I find that pinching the little tab inside closely around the top of my nose also cuts "glasses fogging" by almost 100% except on the most humid days

Fernapple replies on Mar 1, 2021:

Glasses fogging would be a good sign that it is not working well.

Lack of evidence for something is most definitely evidence that the thing in question may not exist.

t1nick comments on Feb 28, 2021:

I am with you. My strong feelings regarding theism and agnosticism have been frequently espoused on this website. Both,IMO, are variances of Pascal's wager.

Fernapple replies on Feb 28, 2021:

@nogod4me He liked to call people gnostic as and insult word, yet he pedaled a very gnostic form of humanism himself. In the end he said that he had collected enough on gnostic atheists, for the book about them he is going to write. Bet that will be and entertaining read. ( That's gnostic irony. )

Lack of evidence for something is most definitely evidence that the thing in question may not exist.

t1nick comments on Feb 28, 2021:

I am with you. My strong feelings regarding theism and agnosticism have been frequently espoused on this website. Both,IMO, are variances of Pascal's wager.

Fernapple replies on Feb 28, 2021:

@barjoe Don't worry DangerDave called everyone that.

Some Catholics Are Eating Plant-Based Burgers to Avoid Eating “Meat” on Fridays | Hemant Mehta |...

Apunzelle comments on Feb 27, 2021:

What’s the question? If it’s vegetarian, it’s not meat even if it’s called a burger.

Fernapple replies on Feb 28, 2021:

I suppose the question is, not if you are losing the meat from your diet, but if you are losing the abstinance and hardship from your lifestyle.

FonelessFools

AnonySchmoose comments on Feb 27, 2021:

That fool might be me. Because I refuse to pay monthly charges for a smart phone, the world continually expects me to use a smart phone. I'm in a prison of my own making, the world contends, yet I don't agree. Stubborn fool.

Fernapple replies on Feb 28, 2021:

The great thing about being landline only, is that people can only bother me when I am at home or in the office. The rest of the time I am free.

Yes it is a joke, and a video, but the punch line at the very end is very quotable.

Robecology comments on Feb 27, 2021:

Love Penn; here's a couple of memes I have for him; Penn does ramble a bit...but his point is clear...just because we don't accept that there is a "god" doesn't imply that we shouldn't love and reach out, and offer solace to the religious. I've often felt this...they're just delusional...but ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 28, 2021:

Like the second one especially, it fits my thoughts too. Deserves a posting on its own.

I have noticed that from time to time, a debate will ensue on line here, about whether Jesus was a ...

barjoe comments on Feb 26, 2021:

Jesus is a fictitious character. There were no Xtians until late 2nd century.

Fernapple replies on Feb 27, 2021:

@Word Yes but, as you say, Mat. Mark and John are only pruported to be aposteles, as you say, and only purported to be so in the bible again, so this is just another case of using the bible to prove itself. And did you not read what I pased on, the official church theology, and the known history says, that Mat. Mark Luke and John did not write any of it, those names are 'known' to have been added in a quite deliberate and recorded act of faking much later, even the churches who did it admit that.

I have noticed that from time to time, a debate will ensue on line here, about whether Jesus was a ...

barjoe comments on Feb 26, 2021:

Jesus is a fictitious character. There were no Xtians until late 2nd century.

Fernapple replies on Feb 27, 2021:

@Word Yes I have seen this man before and it is very bad apologetics, he only addresses if the bible has been corrupted, since its history began, which ignores whether the original sourse text was any good in the first place, and whether that was already corrupted before the historical bible. It may be that anyone saying that the bible is fiction has a burden of proof, but I would never say that, all I would say is that there is no good reason to believe it is fact, and a lot more evidence that it may be fiction rather than fact. Also the fiction or fact is a false dichotomy anyway, since no book ever published was ever completely one or the other. Even the telephone directory contains some errors, and out of date matter, while even a fantasy like Harry Potter contains a few real places and perhaps some generalized and metaphorical truth.

I have noticed that from time to time, a debate will ensue on line here, about whether Jesus was a ...

barjoe comments on Feb 26, 2021:

Jesus is a fictitious character. There were no Xtians until late 2nd century.

Fernapple replies on Feb 27, 2021:

@Word Its first establishment is fiction. But that is no help with the gosples since we do not know if they were first written as fiction or nonfiction, or even if the first of them or the book from which they were copied was written at all, there is a good argument to be made that it was assembled scrap book fashion from different bits. The usual history accepted by the mainstrem churches like the R. C. and the Anglican is. The four canonical gospels were probably written between AD 66 and 110. All four were anonymous (the modern names were added in the 2nd century), almost certainly none were by eyewitnesses, and all are the end-products of long oral and written transmission. Mark was the first to be written, using a variety of sources; the authors of Matthew and Luke, acting independently, used Mark for their narrative of Jesus's career, supplementing it with the collection of sayings called the Q document and additional material unique to each, John was the last and probably pragerized the others.

I have noticed that from time to time, a debate will ensue on line here, about whether Jesus was a ...

barjoe comments on Feb 26, 2021:

Jesus is a fictitious character. There were no Xtians until late 2nd century.

Fernapple replies on Feb 27, 2021:

@Word Irrelevant if A.C. D. published as fiction or none fiction. But I believe that it was fiction, some authors are honest, some are not.

Seagulls driving worms to the surface, by paddling, you can see one make a catch. [youtube.com]

Behind-the-dog comments on Feb 27, 2021:

I had no idea they did this. I wonder if it's a learned behavior, and if so, could it be an example of culture among gulls (the way variations in learned behaviors are among different groups of [chimps](https://janegoodall.ca/our-stories/chimpanzees-and-culture/)).

Fernapple replies on Feb 27, 2021:

Yes I am sure that it is a cultural learned device. I do not know if you remember, but in the UK Blue Tits, (American Chickades I think.) learned how to open milk bottles that were delivered to peoples doorsteps in those days, and drink the cream of the top. One or two started to do it in one city, (Bristol) and it rapidly spread over the whole country. And milk bottles of course have not been arround long enough to be subjects of evolution.

I have noticed that from time to time, a debate will ensue on line here, about whether Jesus was a ...

barjoe comments on Feb 26, 2021:

Jesus is a fictitious character. There were no Xtians until late 2nd century.

Fernapple replies on Feb 27, 2021:

@Word The fact that a book contains facts, does not make it a work of nonfiction. A. Conan-Doyle wrote a work of fiction about a detective called Sherlock Holmes, who lived at 221b Baker Street. Bakers Street exists, that is a fact, but the Sherlock Holmes stories are still fiction. New York exists that is a fact, but Spiderman is still fiction.

I have noticed that from time to time, a debate will ensue on line here, about whether Jesus was a ...

barjoe comments on Feb 26, 2021:

Jesus is a fictitious character. There were no Xtians until late 2nd century.

Fernapple replies on Feb 27, 2021:

@Word No, I did not say that to because it has contraditions proves that it is fiction. I said that because it has contraditions does not prove it is fact.

What religion began, nationalism has completed, with the nation as the secular substitute for God.

Canndue comments on Feb 27, 2021:

Yes, no, no, yes , yes

Fernapple replies on Feb 27, 2021:

Good answer, but sorry Krish55 is even better.

I have noticed that from time to time, a debate will ensue on line here, about whether Jesus was a ...

barjoe comments on Feb 26, 2021:

Jesus is a fictitious character. There were no Xtians until late 2nd century.

Fernapple replies on Feb 27, 2021:

@Word Yes but. A. You can not use the Bible to prove the Bible. B. I am not in charge of the churches.

@Admin Hey there! I'm sorry to say but is there any reason as to why i can't write back to ...

Fernapple comments on Feb 27, 2021:

Will try a test mail.

Fernapple replies on Feb 27, 2021:

@Lizzyambs No I have not got a reply. Will look into it.

[youtube.com] Billie Jean

Fernapple comments on Feb 27, 2021:

Paddling to fetch worms to the surface perhaps ? Nice if someone gives you a soundtrack to help you work.

Fernapple replies on Feb 27, 2021:

@PondartIncbendog Its not just the soft ground, it annoys the worms and suffocates them driving them to the surface. Here are some seagulls and you can see what happens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QsqeHtRmHI