Fernapple's Profile

It is SO sad that the majority of Americans were not able to hear and accept the opinion of hundreds...

Fernapple comments on Nov 17, 2020:

This is in quotation marks, who are you citing please ?

Fernapple replies on Nov 17, 2020:

@mischl Thank you.

How about a vote on these two pieces? Is this a Rorschach test?

Fernapple comments on Nov 17, 2020:

Number two I think. What is the band round the middle ?

Fernapple replies on Nov 17, 2020:

@PondartIncbendog No, have not tried it, how does it work ?

Is trump our Henry the VIII.

Fernapple comments on Nov 15, 2020:

It would seem that he may have a very similar path, especially an unexpected lucky rise, (Henry was second born and never was to be king.) and a very bad end, with a shambolic legacy. But Henry is thought to have died of sepsis, possibly made worse by obesity and scurvy, that he had syphilis is ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 15, 2020:

@t1nick Yes it is also said that his sepsis, came from a wood splinter, which got into his leg while jousting, and which festered away over many years.

The every popular dolphins, being very smart. [youtube.com]

Wisterious comments on Nov 15, 2020:

Hmmph. I've never heard of this. Dolphins are brilliant. Any idea of location?

Fernapple replies on Nov 15, 2020:

Not really a certainty of location, but I seem to remember that it is part of a BBC document, which I have seen before, and that it was somewhere in South America.

“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 15, 2020:

Trouble is, when you are stuck at home, under a travel ban....... What a good thing the inter-net is.

Fernapple replies on Nov 15, 2020:

@Marionville When you are stuck at home under a travel ban, it is much harder not to think of anything else but yourself.

6 Stops on the Hunt for the Holy Grail - Atlas Obscura

skado comments on Nov 15, 2020:

Theists and atheists alike are somehow committed to the idea that myths are to be taken literally, with the former believing they are true and the latter convinced they are not. But they equally miss the true meaning of the stories by refusing to consider a symbolic interpretation. The grail...

Fernapple replies on Nov 15, 2020:

It is also a mistake to think that the two are mutually exclusive.

THE GREAT TEACHER OR EDUCATOR,POST 2 Next, what are the elements of such an instructional ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2020:

Is there any more to come or have I missed it ?

Fernapple replies on Nov 15, 2020:

@wordywalt Sorry to hear that. I do hope it is nothing serious, best wishes for recovery.

Hey folks.

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2020:

Nice to hear that people return, but sorry the videos don't work, not in the UK anyway.

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2020:

@MyLiege That's right, just blank.

Today at the lake.

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2020:

Makes me wish I could be there with you. Great photos.

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2020:

@Gmak Yes sadly, we have a very high rate here in the UK , and a travel ban as well because of it. Getting out into nature on foot and by bike, has been one of the few chances to leave the house I have enjoyed. Though sadly for people like my friend who is elderly and infirm, it is virtually a prison sentence.

You may not agree with all of this, I don't.

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Nov 14, 2020:

Some good food for thought. I heard him speak of the blind self-delusion of patriotic arrogance and failure to self-reflect. Check. I heard him speak to processes that lead to totalitarianism and fascism. Check. And I heard him speak of the dangr of unfettered capitalism, which ultimately ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2020:

@MikeInBatonRouge You were very lucky, my own education is almost completely self won, as far as it goes. Very few get such a wide ranging and liberal education as you had. Fortunately in the UK we do not have to pay quite so much, in my day it was all free, but the deep influence of the state church, did, and does still render a lot of it worthless.

You may not agree with all of this, I don't.

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Nov 14, 2020:

Some good food for thought. I heard him speak of the blind self-delusion of patriotic arrogance and failure to self-reflect. Check. I heard him speak to processes that lead to totalitarianism and fascism. Check. And I heard him speak of the dangr of unfettered capitalism, which ultimately ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2020:

That was my take on it exactly. I guess that it is impossible for anyone still trapped in the religious mindset, to acknowledge any secular route to fulfilment. Even though he sees so well through the failings of other systems. Though I differ with you in that, I do not think that there is no hope for the whole human race, these issues are not that difficult. I think that even the least intelligent can be provided with an understanding, and an escape via good education, but that is in part why I suspect, governments and commerce are so opposed to education. Because they understand perhaps openly, perhaps subliminally, the dangers to them, of the self reliance that education brings. So that the poor in intellect, cooperation and wealth, are only educated to the point where they are good consumers. While the more pliant, are then educated to university level, where they are required to specialise, to make them good servants. A good general education, intended to make them better and happier humans is not given to anyone.

Can anybody inform me as to why posts to the "Conservative Atheists" group never appear on the main...

Fernapple comments on Nov 13, 2020:

The creators of a page, get to decide where the content appears, to a degree.

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2020:

@PBuck0145 I think that the way posts are spread though the site may have changed, in the last week or two. My group Natural History, did seem to have a fairly good profile, and got quite a bit of use then suddenly a few weeks ago, it just sort of disappeared into Limbo, without anything within the group changing.

Question: How do you start an argument, on a social media site.

of-the-mountain comments on Nov 12, 2020:

Depends on how stupid and moronic they are!!!

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2020:

Great memes. I especially like 2 and 3.

39 comments on a post of a believer?

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2020:

Yes but the poster only made one post on a lot of different groups, so that may have attracted a lot of attention. But they got fed up with the replies and left anyway. Plus why should we not talk to believers, they are human, and if there is a chance they will learn something, why not. I do not ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 12, 2020:

@creative51 True, so I just had fun with him/her while it lasted. Gone now anyway.

Lets talk about christmas.

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2020:

We celebrate the fact that in the northern hemisphere, the shortest days are passed, and we can start to look for spring. That's the origin of it, anything else is smoke and mirrors. Personally. I like to bring some real live evergreens into the house for decoration, greet friends, take a walk in...

Fernapple replies on Nov 12, 2020:

@James121 Yes I can do all of those things any time, but I do it at Yule, to celebrate the return of the sun.

Are we becoming a Banana Republic and getting set up for a coup? [cnn.com]

Sticks48 comments on Nov 11, 2020:

It is would be almost impossible to pull off a coup in this country. Even if you had the military behind you, that in itself would be impossible, we are so large and diverse I don't see how it could be done.

Fernapple replies on Nov 11, 2020:

Yes but being large and diverse, also means that the opposition is divided. Many dictators are there because they played, literally, divide and rule. Personally I thgink that the one uniting force in America is your respect for democracy and that that will win in the end. But you are very close to a major upset.

Portrait of a village.

Robecology comments on Nov 10, 2020:

Wow; strikingly beautiful...I give a vote for best pic to the tall green mossy trees lining the road. What is that....just moss - or a small leafy vine?

Fernapple replies on Nov 10, 2020:

Just moss, its very damp in the UK. If you look at 2, you will see it there too, and it is on the path in 3.

Portrait of a village.

Boomtarat03 comments on Nov 10, 2020:

1️⃣, 5️⃣ & 7️⃣ for me ☺ I like the shots of these.

Fernapple replies on Nov 10, 2020:

Yes 5 is a favourite with me.

Amazing post borrowed from Facebook.

CuddyCruiser comments on Nov 10, 2020:

Very well put........but you should publish this on religious sites also.

Fernapple replies on Nov 10, 2020:

It comes from a religious site, but I don't think it will get spread very far.

Deer Republican atheists,if you received an email requesting donations for a defense fund for Donald...

David1955 comments on Nov 9, 2020:

Surely no atheist would be that stupid? (Still an idealist, I guess).

Fernapple replies on Nov 9, 2020:

Deer are not noted for being the brightest animals, though generally they are flight rather than fight creatures.

Shall we start a pool bet on how long it's going to take Melania to file for divorce?

Pralina1 comments on Nov 7, 2020:

She ain’t going anywhere . She will put him in the grave b4 she gets a divorce , she did the math long ago , aint gonna be that long of a wait . Her son is the ticket to security as well , And she will stay exactly where she is w a huge smile on her face too . Husband will be medicated and let ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 8, 2020:

@phoenixone1 My, "he is broke," information did come from the fairly credible source of Sky News. Who said that his assets did not equal his debts, and that a lot of debtors would real him in as soon as he was out of the White House. Also adding that he is considered a, flight risk, in some legal quarters, in part because of the debts.

Shall we start a pool bet on how long it's going to take Melania to file for divorce?

Pralina1 comments on Nov 7, 2020:

She ain’t going anywhere . She will put him in the grave b4 she gets a divorce , she did the math long ago , aint gonna be that long of a wait . Her son is the ticket to security as well , And she will stay exactly where she is w a huge smile on her face too . Husband will be medicated and let ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 8, 2020:

@Marionville Maybe its because of her, that he has hidden it in overseas banks.

We R - Creature Creators - in - Time & Space - Eternal Beings - Divinely being - a Person - thru ...

Rufus_Maximus comments on Nov 8, 2020:

This looks like computer generated text.

Fernapple replies on Nov 8, 2020:

No. Most random text gererators write far better than that. (Could be a very old one, but who still uses Windows-95 ? )

We R - Creature Creators - in - Time & Space - Eternal Beings - Divinely being - a Person - thru ...

DenoPenno comments on Nov 7, 2020:

Maybe it is because I am older now but I have a hard time understanding this. Sorry.

Fernapple replies on Nov 8, 2020:

Don't book yourself into the nursing home yet, get a second oppinion first.

Shall we start a pool bet on how long it's going to take Melania to file for divorce?

Pralina1 comments on Nov 7, 2020:

She ain’t going anywhere . She will put him in the grave b4 she gets a divorce , she did the math long ago , aint gonna be that long of a wait . Her son is the ticket to security as well , And she will stay exactly where she is w a huge smile on her face too . Husband will be medicated and let ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 8, 2020:

No he is broke, she would be much better off grabbing a share, before all the other debt owners strip him of everything.

What were the consequences of the religious upheavals of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries

linxminx comments on Nov 7, 2020:

Sounds like you're trying to find the answer to an essay question on a test you're taking. Lol.

Fernapple replies on Nov 7, 2020:

Hey, ten out of ten for imagination though. She could have just gone to Wikipedia like all the other students.

Dreadful puns again. Why can't Trump get in the White House anymore ? Because its FOR-BIDEN.

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Nov 7, 2020:

Where is the proper groan emoji that a pun deserves?

Fernapple replies on Nov 7, 2020:

Sorry no the emoji list is not great and you would need several for that I think anyway. LOL

Why was the popular vote so close in the US presidential election?

Fernapple comments on Nov 6, 2020:

All democracies become split down the middle. Because each side coming from one direction, tries to grab as much of the demographic as it can, by appealing to the centre but starts to loose support from its loud outer fringe as it moves into the centre. Forcing a state of balanced halves, with no ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 7, 2020:

@itsmedammit Yes, that is mainly what I meant by "damages institutions". Though trying to keep it short, I had to use that difficult phrase and could not put it so well as you do.

@SiteSupport When I edit a post that is "Show on my profile only," the category "Show on my profile...

FrayedBear comments on Nov 6, 2020:

I've always been curious why people would want posts to only show on their profiles. Can others please enlighten my sleep enshrouded brain on this grey Saturday morning?

Fernapple replies on Nov 7, 2020:

No I have not the foggiest either.

lets be Friday silly

girlwithsmiles comments on Nov 6, 2020:

Wow, I didn’t know about the buffaloes, that’s awful 🙁 but some good funnies 😊 Happy Friday!

Fernapple replies on Nov 6, 2020:

I am told that they would send out trains full of riflemen. Which they would park across the buffaloes migration paths, so that they could cut them all down before they reached the native hunting grounds. Creating vast piles of corpes, and so destroying any market for meat and hide, that they were just left to rot.

Often, I'll write a post, and find later that some numbers have been removed, and I have to edit ...

Krish55 comments on Nov 4, 2020:

Can the folks who are doing that remove some numbers from my age?

Fernapple replies on Nov 5, 2020:

No sorry. They are carved in stones: kidney stones, bladder stones, pancreatic stones, etc.

Top 10 Controversial Quran Verses - YouTube

Fernapple comments on Nov 3, 2020:

Video says blocked in my country, by Channel 4. Interesting, what's behind that I wonder ?

Fernapple replies on Nov 3, 2020:

@Hages Thank you.

Lindsey Graham Says Young Women Can 'Go Anywhere' If They're Pro-Life and Embrace Religion, Points ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 2, 2020:

Nice to know that totalitarian restrictions on travel, both social and geographical, are not in place in the USA. ( Sorry I wrote that sentence wrong, I meant to add 'YET' on the end.)

Fernapple replies on Nov 3, 2020:

@dermot235 Yes I forgot that. OK add 'was not' and 'are now' instead.

How Humans Domesticated Themselves [npr.org] .

ZantiMisfit comments on Nov 2, 2020:

Good article. There's a lot to think about. "humans are far more cooperative than most other species"- Makes me wonder if we're devolving.

Fernapple replies on Nov 3, 2020:

It could be so, though we will not see the effects for centuries. In the last hundred years or so, a new factor, effective modern medicine, has entered into the equations, removing a lot of the personal costs and dangers of violence, and therefore possibly upsetting the balance once more, in favour of greater violence. Especially as many females still have more babies with aggressive males.

How many of you curse like a sailor?

Fernapple comments on Nov 2, 2020:

You could say 'fart', since that is a synonym for 'Trump' in England, or the other way round. But maybe that is a bit strong in the US right now.

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2020:

@TheoryNumber3 Yes my mother always used to say. "I just trumped." Maybe its only in the north east.

Some words or phrases are nearly universal across a language, but some are used only by certain ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 1, 2020:

Lots in and around North East England and Yorkshire. I especially like nesh, meaning, over sensitive to the cold. Sometimes used judgmentally, and sometimes not, as in. "I was feeling nesh this morning, so I put on an extra coat." Often also used to describe a symptom of illness. And 'clarty'...

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2020:

@Omnedon I like them especially because, they are both really useful words, with no equivalents.

For those of you who went from being religious to atheist, have you noticed that philosophy has ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 1, 2020:

Yes perhaps. But you also have to put it against the law of diminishing returns. That each new advance in technology changes life slightly less for us, than the one before, until you reach a point where you can have massive technical advances, which have no practical value at all.

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2020:

@RoboGraham Good thought, yes. Though it could be that while they have effects on human life, they may not be beneficial effects always. Perhaps the biggest technical change ever, was the agricultural revolution, but many people would argue that it actually made people a lot less happy. I guess that technical advance can have negative results too. Who knows but that we may invent a technology which turns round and kills us, a doomsday machine whose ultimate effects can not be forseen until it is too late.

Anyone ever remember praying over your food and asking god to "use it for the nourishment of your ...

DenoPenno comments on Nov 1, 2020:

I believe that modern prayer over your food is an aberration of what original prayer of this type would have been. Place yourself in a world with no refrigeration. Praying over your food then takes on a whole new meaning. People in our modern times seem to let this go right over their heads.

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2020:

Perhaps, but I think that it may originally have been even more basic than that. Place yourself in a world where there could be, no food at all, refridgerated or otherwise.

WHAT’S ONE THING PEOPLE WOULD NEVER KNOW ABOUT YOU JUST BY LOOKING AT YOU?

dalefvictor comments on Nov 1, 2020:

I have almost died, bled to death, ran out of blood platelets. Have never bought illegal drugs. I am Dyslexic and have a mild form of Tourette's, one would have to look for a time to see this.

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2020:

That's odd. I could have writen that, and it would be true.

If we have learned nothing these last four years it that Republicans have proven we are not a ...

prometheus comments on Nov 1, 2020:

I live in a condominium - that may not be not familiar to people outside of the US but is basically a shared living situation where you are subject to some rules and regulations that determine how you may use your property and behave. For people who live in condos the rules and regulations it has ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2020:

That's very much the same all over the world, not just the USA. We don't have many condos here, but the law is used in much the same way. You also have to remember the old quote, from A.T. "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."

If you aren't an atheist would you be kind enough to explain your reasons?

PondartIncbendog comments on Nov 1, 2020:

I have a brain, not a book.

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2020:

Hello again. Have not seen you for a bit, hope you are still OK, I know things have not been good in your neck of the woods ?

My passion again and my working life.

RussRAB comments on Oct 31, 2020:

That is an interesting video. I recall seeing the process explained in biology classes but never with living plants. Do you propagate your ferns?

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2020:

Yes I do propagate my ferns. It is in fact how I make my living, as a fern grower. I do it on a slightly bigger scale than shown in the video, but basically the same method.

A small whisper that the Bible is just a badly written fairy-tale and the projections of its (very ...

barjoe comments on Oct 30, 2020:

The Bible is plagiarised from The Epic of Gilgamesh, which is of course bullshit as well.

Fernapple replies on Oct 31, 2020:

@Green_Soldier71 Many of the stories, persons, and gods, found in the Bible, such as Noah for example, are also found in far earlier accounts and writings, from all across the Middle East, and even before the Babylonians. One thing that the Bible is not, is original.

Interest in Englewood Atheist Community

Cinder comments on Oct 30, 2020:

I'm really bewildered as to why anyone who does not live in the area would bother to reply with that info and feel the need to tell me that this a far reaching platform. I have never felt the need to tell someone in New York that they are SOL because I happen to live in Colorado. Should have added ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 31, 2020:

I think the reason is, that this has always been a friendly site, but it has one or two elements, especially the dating feature, which do not work especially well. It has therefore become the custom, to try and inoculate new members against disappointment.

What do you feel about the news that Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended from the Labour Party, ...

Sofabeast comments on Oct 30, 2020:

The cult of Corbyn can and has had a terrible impact on Labour. Corbyn appears to have an uncompromising attitude which has rubbed off onto his followers. In essence, he can do no wrong and any act in his name carries that same connotation. In other words, any and all acts carried out in the holy ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 30, 2020:

In other words, you are saying that, he is to the left in the UK, what Trump is to the right in the US.

Members, please argue with me.

Fernapple comments on Oct 27, 2020:

There is no such thing a beer, in the USA. Prove me wrong, to earn points.

Fernapple replies on Oct 28, 2020:

@St-Sinner Next time you need more points, we can do cheese.

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution ...

Cutiebeauty comments on Oct 28, 2020:

Who doesn't want peace?

Fernapple replies on Oct 28, 2020:

@Cutiebeauty Because they think if they up the cost enough people wont bother. And if people don't bother they can keep on cheating and exploiting forever.

Members, please argue with me.

St-Sinner comments on Oct 27, 2020:

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! Members, thanks you very very much sincerely for chipping in your arguments. You argue and I get happy. That's how it has been this morning. Arguing is my new career here. We have achieved the goal here. Agnostic gave 8,315 more points when I was just aiming for 170. I ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 28, 2020:

Congratulations.

Members, please argue with me.

Fernapple comments on Oct 27, 2020:

There is no such thing a beer, in the USA. Prove me wrong, to earn points.

Fernapple replies on Oct 28, 2020:

@St-Sinner No, but you have enough points from me now. So you win, and if I am ever in the US, I owe you a can of beer substitute.

Members, please argue with me.

Fernapple comments on Oct 27, 2020:

There is no such thing a beer, in the USA. Prove me wrong, to earn points.

Fernapple replies on Oct 27, 2020:

@St-Sinner Yes but how is counterfeit (and not very good) German Lager beer ? If it is counterfeit it is fake, by definition. (Plus it tastes so bad, you have to drink it near frozen to kill the taste.)

I was raised in the restorationist church of christ from a baby and I took it all in deeply, ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 27, 2020:

No. I never really was in any group, or a belonging to groups type of person. I think that things like this site are the nearest I ever got to it.

Fernapple replies on Oct 27, 2020:

@Varn Oh. I do my share of moving stoves. The nature of the business I am in for one thing, means that I am in demand for all kinds of free advice etc. I have helped to run several gardening clubs, a village bowls club, and provide land for pensioners to grow veg gardens. Plus other village things. No shortage of stoves to move.

I was raised in the restorationist church of christ from a baby and I took it all in deeply, ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 27, 2020:

No. I never really was in any group, or a belonging to groups type of person. I think that things like this site are the nearest I ever got to it.

Fernapple replies on Oct 27, 2020:

@EarnestEccentric Yes uit is quite different here in the UK, those sort of church support networks are not as strong, and do not reach out so far. There is however a lot more community support of a secular type, and we are in many ways more sociallist in outlook, so that the state takes up many of those duties. But even so I have always thought that the chuch coffee shop, is a more important prop for religion than the pulpit or alter. That is in part why, though not regarding myself as really a humanist, I do support the Humanist idea, since providing ritual and social services, is much the most important function of the churches and the one which is most in need of replacement.

You know you are getting old.

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Is it bad that I was doing that back in my thirties? Anyway, smart phone notes app.....for everything. It is far more reliable than my brain.

Fernapple replies on Oct 27, 2020:

No, I think that it can happen at any age actually. It just seems more annoying now.

You know you are getting old.

LiterateHiker comments on Oct 26, 2020:

When I get low on an item, I add it to a grocery list. Then it's off my mind. But if I forget to bring the grocery list, I blank out at the grocery store.

Fernapple replies on Oct 26, 2020:

Been there, done that. And you remember just as you pull back into your drive on the way home.

You know you are getting old.

girlwithsmiles comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Notepad and pen.

Fernapple replies on Oct 26, 2020:

Nice idea but, then you have to sit up, switch the light on and write it down. There are too big problems with that, first you will have still forgoten half of them by the time you sit up, and second you would never get to sleep.

Why are words running out of text area?

Fernapple comments on Oct 26, 2020:

I don't know, it has happened to me a few times on this sit, especially when doing copy and paste. You could try copy and paste into a text editor like first, as a intermediate stage. Worked for me.

Fernapple replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@Word If you copy it into a simple text editor, (use sellect all,) like notepad, it will dump all their messed up formating, and just make it plain text, then you can edit it as you like. Works for me.

Why are words running out of text area?

Fernapple comments on Oct 26, 2020:

I don't know, it has happened to me a few times on this sit, especially when doing copy and paste. You could try copy and paste into a text editor like first, as a intermediate stage. Worked for me.

Fernapple replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@Word Yes I think that is the point. If you did not make it, you need to copy it first into your text editor and then copy again before posting into agnostic.com, that way it works like it was your making, and clears any formating not supported by agnostic .com.

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