I was a Christian.

St-Sinner comments on Aug 9, 2020:

Christianity is alive and well. Jesus maybe dead but Christianity is alive. Trump was elected by them. But why do you stress yourself. Leave it behind and live the good life of a freethinker. Don't go back to that shit.

Fernapple replies on Aug 11, 2020:

@Green_Soldier71 My thought exactly. If there is any truth in the NT, then it is basically the story of a primitive moral philosopher in a backward country, who is killed at the request of a corrupt religious establishment for questioning it, and how the cult which follows is gradually absorbed into and redirected by the religious establishment to its own ends, probably loosing most, if not all, the original philosophy along the way.

Reminds me of the time my ex and I conspired to give my son a “naughty” Latin phrase to put in ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 10, 2020:

So what is the Maori for feather ?

Fernapple replies on Aug 11, 2020:

@MissKathleen Wonderful.

Bishop: Daughters Should Be Uneducated So They’re Not Smarter Than Husbands | Michael Stone

barjoe comments on Aug 10, 2020:

Even if they are uneducated, they're still smarter than him.

Fernapple replies on Aug 10, 2020:

Funny. That was exactly what I was going to write, but you beat me to it.

God's True Purpose The way I see it, God's only real use is as an escape from death.

Willow_Wisp comments on Aug 9, 2020:

Again with purpose, the most important use of God (God has no purpose) is to for men to claim authority over other people. It's nothing more than a tool for mans misrule over man. That's why Trump wanted a picture of him holding up the ultimate magic charm, the Bible, then the dolt claimed that ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 10, 2020:

Quite so. God is a none existent authority, who can be bought in by his human controllers to end any debate in their favour.

I was a Christian.

St-Sinner comments on Aug 9, 2020:

Christianity is alive and well. Jesus maybe dead but Christianity is alive. Trump was elected by them. But why do you stress yourself. Leave it behind and live the good life of a freethinker. Don't go back to that shit.

Fernapple replies on Aug 10, 2020:

Yes but was Jesus, if he existed, a Christian?

I was a Christian.

AmyTheBruce comments on Aug 9, 2020:

How recent was this crashing and burning? If this is a relatively new thing for you, take heart! It gets easier.

Fernapple replies on Aug 10, 2020:

@Green_Soldier71 Hindenburg, nice original metaphor.

I have purchased the web domain atheistscafe.

bingst comments on Aug 10, 2020:

So you have the domain, have you already gotten hosting? Hosting is the big expense.

Fernapple replies on Aug 10, 2020:

@LovinLarge You can off set some of the cost at least by taking adverts. You may even show a profit which you can use to extend and improve the site, if you get enough followers.

Is Belief in God Necessary for Good Values?

MissKathleen comments on Aug 9, 2020:

Good to see the survey. There has never been a doubt in my mind. I have met many immoral believers, but the majority of non-believers I have met, although few, have had higher morals than all the believers I have ever known.

Fernapple replies on Aug 10, 2020:

We all choose our morals, the difference is that having chosen, the religious then try to claim that their morals have or come from a higher authority. If you are prepared to make arogant and dishonest claims about even the origins of your morality, prehaps to bolster its weaknesses, what does that say about your morals and you as a person.

As you may have heard, I have built a number of different online communities each of which to bring ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 9, 2020:

I find that it is well possible to mainly ignore the political side of the site, and that there is a good, as you put it. "a harmonious group of Secular Humanists; a bastion for civil discourse and a support system for non-believers." Maybe it is easy to see what you are looking for and ignore the ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 9, 2020:

@MissKathleen It seems to me that there are two things here. Firstly, yes you do have to make a little allowance for Admin. If you do go to a lot of trouble to create a site, or anything, which you hope will be a happy place and benefit everyone who visits it. It can be crushing to find it used as a fighting ground where people are being hurt, like opening a shop and then finding it being used as a battle ground by street gangs. And I think that for that reason, a little sympathy should be extended, since I am sure that being a peace keeper was never part of his plan for his future when he started. Secondly, Admin may find himself to be politically to the right of the mainstream members here, and if he feels that he can not continue with that, then it is sad, but a fact of life. So the best thing that members can do, is offer their loyalty and gratitude for what he has done in the past, and then either help him to move on and find someone else to manage the site, or enquire seriously what can be done, if anything, to ammend the situation so that we can still live together.

Did Jewish Slaves Build the Pyramids?

Fernapple comments on Aug 8, 2020:

The most basic story in the old testament, is of semi-nomadic people from the Sinai desert moving into the bottom end of the fertile crescent and trying to take, and hold on to, land there. That probably happened continually for hundreds if not thousands of years, sometimes in small ways and ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 9, 2020:

@Petter Thank you, you are very kind.

Did Jewish Slaves Build the Pyramids?

Fernapple comments on Aug 8, 2020:

The most basic story in the old testament, is of semi-nomadic people from the Sinai desert moving into the bottom end of the fertile crescent and trying to take, and hold on to, land there. That probably happened continually for hundreds if not thousands of years, sometimes in small ways and ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 9, 2020:

@Petter Thank you. Was only thinking out loud.

‎Friday, ‎August ‎07, ‎2020 as many detractors - have requested - a postulate that is - ...

ChestRockfield comments on Aug 8, 2020:

I know in going to regret this but here goes... > I am that which I have so chosen to be How does one chose to be what they are? > eternal in its very nature I do not accept that as a statement of fact. It is theorized that the universe will end in heat death. Even if we can't know ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 8, 2020:

@JeffMurray Indeed you have, but I do not think he is listening.

While watching TV this morning, I saw a commercial for Peter Popoff's "Miracle Spring Water"!! I ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 8, 2020:

Hey. I know some places where they give you grape juice, which is only pretending to be wine, and they will tell you it is in fact blood, and that it will make you live forever if you drink it. Surely that has to be against the trade descriptions laws, fake goods or what.

Fernapple replies on Aug 8, 2020:

@LenHazell53 Yes thank you. I was not of course being serious, but detail is always invaluable.

‎Friday, ‎August ‎07, ‎2020 as many detractors - have requested - a postulate that is - ...

ChestRockfield comments on Aug 8, 2020:

I know in going to regret this but here goes... > I am that which I have so chosen to be How does one chose to be what they are? > eternal in its very nature I do not accept that as a statement of fact. It is theorized that the universe will end in heat death. Even if we can't know ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 8, 2020:

@JeffMurray Well done Jeff, respect, you sure are a trying, but sometimes you have to ask yourself if all the hard work is going to get you anywhere.

Rituals of Waiting - or one more 'how I'm surviving the pandemic' piece.

Fernapple comments on Aug 8, 2020:

For what it is worth, you are far from being alone in feeling like that.

Fernapple replies on Aug 8, 2020:

@Allamanda We are lucky both, in that we have gardens, must be truly miserable if you had to spend the time in a city flat.

I now have independent confirmation of my belief!!!! There is a.

AmyTheBruce comments on Aug 7, 2020:

I thought that psychopaths were supposed to be smart? (Did the TV lie to me??!!?)

Fernapple replies on Aug 8, 2020:

I think that you will find that psychopath is not a term which is recognized any longer in medical science, the idea has been debunked. It was always said, in the popular meaning, that they had a tended to have a certain base level of intelligence, by default, because those who did not,would generally have been diagnosed with another condition, such as autisim or learning difficulties of various kinds. That's probably more than you want to know, sorry to be a bore.

I am in a quandry and would like some opinions.

Mark013 comments on Aug 7, 2020:

I don't know why money should be a part of grieving but if you feel you need to contribute something to satisfy that request, donate quietly to some charity your cousin would have also approved. Food pantry, homeless shelter, etc.

Fernapple replies on Aug 7, 2020:

@IrishTxJudy Donate where you want, then send a card saying where you donated. If there is any pushing and shoving, just say you could not get the St Whatever, web site to work.

This may be a bit basic for most people here, but it is rare to hear sound good advice about the ...

tinkercreek comments on Aug 7, 2020:

Objection! I have a 1'x3' planter for growing salad lettuce. I purchased 2 6-paks and planted into organic soil mix in the planter, forming a nice quick-growing blanket of leaf lettuce. I snip 1/2 the lot at a time, refrigerate in a ziplock bag, gives me about 3 dinner salads. Then the next 1/2 has ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 7, 2020:

Like I say, some questionable. Experienced gardeners can often get away with things that a beginer would strugle with, but you have to play safe until you really know your onions, as it were.

Critic, or admirer ? [youtube.com]

HankSherman comments on Aug 6, 2020:

Having known a few ass, I would expect it to either leave, or attack, if it were not an admirer.

Fernapple replies on Aug 6, 2020:

That is very insightful thank you.

One of the blooms on my Amaryllis belladonna was a double ! so I captured it for the horticultural ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 6, 2020:

Teeny tiny snail, but what big eyes.

Fernapple replies on Aug 6, 2020:

@dede18 Yep those are the eyes, and they can pull them in before they go back into the shell when threatened. A neat trick yes. But just don't ask about snail and slug sex life. Actually you can. I just posted a bit on the Naturual History group about it. https://agnostic.com/group/naturalhistory/discussion/522130/thought-the-group-would-enjoy-a-little-porn-ok-just-kidding-but-this-is-fascinating-you-will-find

I’m curious of the algorithm calculating the compatibility percentage.

Allamanda comments on Aug 6, 2020:

Funny I have the opposite impression - the site frequently throws up 100% and 99% etc for me, and when I look at the profiles its hilariously off. Including other hetero women. Plus the age-range you chose to be contacted by evidently doesn't work, as I have had approaches from people my son's age. ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 6, 2020:

@Cutiebeauty Yep, thought so kinda guessed.

I’m curious of the algorithm calculating the compatibility percentage.

Allamanda comments on Aug 6, 2020:

Funny I have the opposite impression - the site frequently throws up 100% and 99% etc for me, and when I look at the profiles its hilariously off. Including other hetero women. Plus the age-range you chose to be contacted by evidently doesn't work, as I have had approaches from people my son's age. ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 6, 2020:

@barjoe That's what the question at the top of the page was. Seems nobody knows.

Who & What - U R - Not - U R - Not - just a - sentient - Individual - mammal - U R - Not - ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 5, 2020:

I am a person who only uses hyphens now and again, mainly when I am pedaling pseudo-truth. Take care its a bad world out here.

Fernapple replies on Aug 6, 2020:

@JeffMurray Thank you.

A strange thing happened on here a couple of days ago.

Backslidden comments on Aug 5, 2020:

Someone once said the same things to me. I knew it was a scam, and played along for a while, but got bored and opted out of the conversation. You were cute at 12, weren't we all??? I too have lost it as I aged. But smarter now to know that looks are the least important asset of a person.

Fernapple replies on Aug 6, 2020:

I think that you have aged very well if your photo is really you. Some people lose their cuteness but grow in grace.

0.

Fernapple comments on Aug 5, 2020:

Basically I agree with you, and certainly modern life is on the whole a vastly greater threat to human health overall than the virus. Though it could be said that the virus is a creation of modern lifestyles as well. Since it is clearly only a problem because, we have massive over population, over ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 6, 2020:

@Barnie2years Thank you.

Who & What - U R - Not - U R - Not - just a - sentient - Individual - mammal - U R - Not - ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 5, 2020:

I am a person who only uses hyphens now and again, mainly when I am pedaling pseudo-truth. Take care its a bad world out here.

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

@JeffMurray Interesting, perhaps it is a trans-Atlantic thing, my dictionary says that this - is a hyphen and is used to join two words ?

Who & What - U R - Not - U R - Not - just a - sentient - Individual - mammal - U R - Not - ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 5, 2020:

I am a person who only uses hyphens now and again, mainly when I am pedaling pseudo-truth. Take care its a bad world out here.

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

@JeffMurray Sorry not very good at the grammar myself either.

A strange thing happened on here a couple of days ago.

Lorajay comments on Aug 5, 2020:

I think people that don't read bios are usually scammers. I enjoy your posts as well but I have a feeling anyone that doesn't read a bio doesn't actually read the posts very carefully either. I hope you Use a picture for your icon that you want to. There is no way we can control other ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

Was not too concerned thank you. This post was entered under humour. But I retire soon so the truth can come out, including an up to date picture, you have been warned.

The tragedy in Oklahoma City was the result of 2 tons of ammonium nitrate.

t1nick comments on Aug 5, 2020:

Lora, I think you might to recheck. I think its reversed. I think Hiroshima was 16 times greater than Beirut explosion.

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

@Lorajay You can still edit your post.

Critic, or admirer ? [youtube.com]

tinkercreek comments on Aug 5, 2020:

Accompanying Vocalist!!

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

He's good to.

1.

Angelamelek comments on Aug 4, 2020:

Lovely photos. Thanks for the descriptive captions... I need to step up my game and provide more context lol thanks for sharing

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

If your photos speak for themselves, which yours seem to, I liked the clouds and seashore just as, it is not needed, this was a narrative though, and perhaps the relations between the photos would not have been plain without.

If I can’t steelman my opponent’s view to their satisfaction it means I think I’m opposed to ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 5, 2020:

Or that they have only the delusion that they have a intelligible view. They may not understand their own arguments, because they are not fully or well worked out.

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

@skado True. But I never regard any discussion as time wasted even if it does go nowhere, I still learn from misunderstandings.

A strange thing happened on here a couple of days ago.

Flowerwall comments on Aug 5, 2020:

If you want to change your picture, change it. If you don't, don't. He didn't read your description clearly, so I wouldn't worry because that was not something you misrepresented. Also, I will say, you have indeed written some very good posts.

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

Thank you, it very kind of you to say so. I hope you do not think that I was fishing for compliments, but it was needful to include a reference to the flattery to explain the humour of the story. But anyway thank you.

HELP the Post Office! Just go on down to your local PO and buy some stamps! If everybody spent $20...

Fernapple comments on Aug 5, 2020:

You are so lucky to have a post office, which I presume is a national institution. In the UK the Thatcher person sold ours off, so that her capitalist mates could asset strip it. So that we are now just about the only nation in the world without a national postal service, which serves the nations ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

@dermot235 Sorry my mistake. I remember Thatcher, because of course she made a lot of noise about wanting to do it but was blocked at that time.

If I can’t steelman my opponent’s view to their satisfaction it means I think I’m opposed to ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 5, 2020:

Or that they have only the delusion that they have a intelligible view. They may not understand their own arguments, because they are not fully or well worked out.

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

@skado Yes if you can steelman them then that is one of the main benefits, but I would still hold that most times if you can not steelman them then it is probably because their views are incoherent to the point of illogic. The method I always use to steelman an argument, is the old one of working through the arguments, as if you were going to have to explain them to a class of students, so far it has not failed me.

Why would a lifelong atheist suddenly decide to become baptized into Mormonism and be going on a ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 5, 2020:

Could be a lady, and it could also be that if he does not smoke, drink, or do coffee, he is attracted to a lifestyle where he gets easy approval for what he does anyway, though he may find the approval fades when he joins and he is no longer a newby. However a lady will probably be almost ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

@OwlInASack Its easy for me to talk, now I have turned sixty life is starting to relax its grip a bit. LOL

Hi everybody, how are you coping with COVID 19.

MissKathleen comments on Aug 5, 2020:

Not getting fat, not watching TLC, not rearranging the house. Doing fine. Currently visiting family in the mountains.

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

Envy, for the chance to get away and visit the mountains, I would even put up with family too.

hi everyone! its been 2 years since i posted something here.

Fernapple comments on Aug 5, 2020:

Hello, nearly a founder member.

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

@Basem Thank you.

hi everyone! its been 2 years since i posted something here.

Fernapple comments on Aug 5, 2020:

Hello, nearly a founder member.

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

@Basem Thanks, I am nearly a newby but finding it fun here.

It's actually true. The one thing that's almost magic.

Sticks48 comments on Aug 5, 2020:

Until you go to Walmart, look around at the folks shopping there, and watch the magic disappear.

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

You could get into a lot of trouble with Walmart shoppers for that.

Critic, or admirer ? [youtube.com]

dalefvictor comments on Aug 4, 2020:

It is a sing along, he like the attention and is trying to help with the tune.

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

My thought too.

1.

fishline79 comments on Aug 4, 2020:

In the Cotswalds?

Fernapple replies on Aug 5, 2020:

@fishline79 Oh we can and do fowl our nest, just perhaps not a much as some countries.

Just went out the other day and took some photos of cottage gardens.

Spinliesel comments on Aug 4, 2020:

For many years, I have worked in my garden. I have been lucky to have good soil, great drainage, and many mature trees. About ten years ago, I considered my garden to be as close to my ideal as I could get. Then I started having accidents and breaking bones, left arm and wrist one year`; right ...

Fernapple replies on Aug 4, 2020:

Very true, the art of maintainence is very underated, making a garden is relatively easy, finding the skills and the commitment to keep it good, that is a real challenge. Mind you a lot of gardeners who are in the know would say that it is very brave to plant bamboo and vines at all.

1.

fishline79 comments on Aug 4, 2020:

In the Cotswalds?

Fernapple replies on Aug 4, 2020:

Lincolnshire wolds, same sort of chalk/limestone country, but a lot less well known and much quieter but just as interesting I think anyway.

More work on the different religiosities of N.

Fernapple comments on Aug 3, 2020:

People need culture and community, and if you live in a land where the churches have a near monopoly on both of those, then, 'meh' no surprise.

Fernapple replies on Aug 4, 2020:

@Allamanda Another factor at work of course, is the separation of church and state. Most countries in Europe have either a close link between the Catholic church and the state, or a state church. That really weakens the churches, because they are not able to provide a true alternative voice to the state, which deprives them of their main product in the market place of ideas, and they are also unable to blame the state for their own failings, yet have to carry some of the blame for the state's crimes, especially in education. The separation of church and state in the US, greatly strengthens the churches, because it gives them a real role to play as opponents to the political establishment, where in Europe the are without any real function, just a government parasite putting out the same message.

........ its really, at this point, is very bad comedy...with a deadly outcome

barjoe comments on Aug 2, 2020:

Wait till he tells about raking forests, buying Greenland, injecting lysol and wanting to date his daughter!

Fernapple replies on Aug 3, 2020:

That is one frightening thought.

Why do right wingers call people sheep all the time as an insult?

PondartIncbendog comments on Aug 2, 2020:

Is a lamb a little Ram?

Fernapple replies on Aug 3, 2020:

Hey you are level 8. Congrates. You know that means, no more meeting sheep at night, in cocktail bars anyway.

Why do right wingers call people sheep all the time as an insult?

PondartIncbendog comments on Aug 2, 2020:

STOP GIVING me a thumbs up!! Is a ram a sheeeeepppppp???????????

Fernapple replies on Aug 3, 2020:

Of course a ram is not a sheep, a ram is a thing you put on the front of ships to sink other ships, a sheep is a soft warm animal used to pre-test knitwear.

More work on the different religiosities of N.

Fernapple comments on Aug 3, 2020:

People need culture and community, and if you live in a land where the churches have a near monopoly on both of those, then, 'meh' no surprise.

Fernapple replies on Aug 3, 2020:

@Allamanda That's another an more complex issue. But one factor of course is that numbers, quantity, does influence quality. In the sense that when you live in a community in which large numbers of people belong to a sub-set, that normalizes the behaviour of the sub-set and thereby makes more extreme forms of that behaviour seem less extreme. That is why I have never had a lot of time for the religious apology, that it is wrong to define a group by the actions and beliefs of its extremists, even to the extent of saying the usual, you are straw maning us whine. "But most of us are not like that. Most Xians, Jews, Moslems, Hindu etc. don't go round bombing abortion clinics." No you may not do so, but you do create the the world in which the extremist swims, you do help them to justify the ideals, shelter and grow them within your community, promote the idea that the texts and traditions they use are respectable, spread knowledge of those ideas, often without qualifications about how evil/dangerous they are if misinterpreted, normalize those paterns of thinking, and shelter and promote those who are nearly, if not quite extreme, but who willingly offer support and encouragement. Therefore, yes, all religious people do have to carry some of the blame and guilt for what their more extreme elements do. The other factor of course is simply that Europe with its rich cultural and educational traditions, does offer more alternatives, enough to encourage a culture of questioning.

Is Aljazeera popular in the united states?

Fernapple comments on Aug 2, 2020:

We get it in the UK and it is often very good. It is important if you can to view as many news media as possible, always especially take the time to view the ones you don't agree with is my attitude. So I do RT, Aljazeera, BBC , ITV, Sky, and just now and then the US ones.

Fernapple replies on Aug 2, 2020:

@FearlessFly IT is not at all credible on most things, (a few) that is exactly why I watch it. In some ways it is very sad, because I have been watching it a long time, even into the pre Putin era, when it was quite credible and its slow decay is very sad to watch.

Have any atheists or anti-theists here (that I haven't blocked) ever designed a website or ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 2, 2020:

Yes I have done three websites. Since I started early in the digital era I tend to write my own htm code, which I still think is the best way, even if it is a little slow though there are lots of ways to make it quicker.

Fernapple replies on Aug 2, 2020:

@LovinLarge Best wishes hope it all works out. Let me know what you do if you can. And you know where to find me.

Have any atheists or anti-theists here (that I haven't blocked) ever designed a website or ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 2, 2020:

Yes I have done three websites. Since I started early in the digital era I tend to write my own htm code, which I still think is the best way, even if it is a little slow though there are lots of ways to make it quicker.

Fernapple replies on Aug 2, 2020:

@LovinLarge IS it a nonereligious web site, in the same sense this one is, or is it just that you don't want to work with a religious pernson ? Oh I forgot to mention, there is a real quick way to make web pages. Just take any document you have, in a word prossesor, say Microsoft Word, open the save menu, give it a new name, use the drop down save as and click, save as htm. Then view on your brouser, to see the code just open it with notepad or anny text editor which does not support htm. That is a very simple game which will give you an idea how it works.

Orchid Rock Rose! A couple months ago, @MarkWD responded to a photo of a Rock Rose (a Texas native) ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 2, 2020:

You may like this. Photographed growing wild in the Algarve region of Portugal back in March.

Fernapple replies on Aug 2, 2020:

@RussRAB Yes they are all shrubs, this white species with the red spots is the most common in Portugal. It often forms heaths with the heather.

Have any atheists or anti-theists here (that I haven't blocked) ever designed a website or ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 2, 2020:

Yes I have done three websites. Since I started early in the digital era I tend to write my own htm code, which I still think is the best way, even if it is a little slow though there are lots of ways to make it quicker.

Fernapple replies on Aug 2, 2020:

@LovinLarge Good web space for a full pro website suitable for a small business , will cost you about eighty to a hundred dollars peranum. Though a site like this you could be into thousands, it depends what you want to do. If you are paying more than a hundered dollars for a basic site, you are being ripped off. You should also budget for registration of a domain name which will cost you about 15 to 20 dollars per year, with a small extra in the first year. Web design by a pro designer will cost about three hundred to a thousand dollars per page, or more. But that is where you can make big savings, because you can build a good webpage and upload it in about ten mins, to a quarter hour. Yes it is a rip off, these people really are charging five hundred to four thousand dollars for an hours work. Your best bet therefore is either to learn to do it yourself, or find a friendly geek who will do it for fun.

Have any atheists or anti-theists here (that I haven't blocked) ever designed a website or ...

Fernapple comments on Aug 2, 2020:

Yes I have done three websites. Since I started early in the digital era I tend to write my own htm code, which I still think is the best way, even if it is a little slow though there are lots of ways to make it quicker.

Fernapple replies on Aug 2, 2020:

@LovinLarge A website like this one would be a very complex undertaking yes, that I think maybe one reason why we use the ready made Facebook system here. My own web design skills certainly don't extend that far, I have only done four basic commercial web-sites and one for a club. However if you are thinking of doing one, I would say get going, because it really is very easy. You can of course get ready made and preformated sites where you just load up your pictures and text, and everything else is done for you, but they are a bit limiting, and writing code is so easy, (I think I could teach the basics in 15 mins, ) and gives you a lot more control. (And its fun.) Another easy way to start is to simply look at a website you like, open it as htm code in a text editor , replace their text and pictures with yours , tweek it to taste, and then simply copy and paste, there are no real copy rights on code when once you have edited it, so there is no problem. One of the things that you have to remember is that web design is not actually all that important, on the web, content is much more important, because all the search engines are built by people like Google and Yell using very high skills at great cost, and they do that inorder to see through design and find content. That is especially so when you are looking at highly specific content, if you are doing a site for say the Boston Bowling Supply Company, Google will send people almost directly to it, as soon as they type a search in, because there will be nothing else with similar wording and content. On the other hand do a site called Sexy #+#!## and you will not likely get many hits, because you are competing with millions. The web really does love speciallity. Good content and knowing your audience are much more important than clever design, which is how the web was made to work and still does to a large extent. Don't be bothered when you get get emails saying, we can design you a website that will get you twenty times the traffic, or up your ranking with google etc., these are just lies. Bulls##t Web Design and Co, of Little Town, really do not have the skills to subvert the search engines, and you do not get anywhere much by trying. There are several good sites like Web Monkey which give tutorials and crib sheets for htm code, and you can get lots of books like 'HTLM for Dummies' from most public libaries, though they will probably tell you more than you really need to know. I will send you a link in the messaging to one of my sites if you like.

We all have a book in us... they say.

Fernapple comments on Jul 31, 2020:

Big book multi volume, should fill a few shelves.

Fernapple replies on Jul 31, 2020:

@Allamanda You can go too far, even with sceptisism.

I'd like to know if others in this forum agree with me on this.

creative51 comments on Jul 31, 2020:

Yes the catholic church has done horrible things AND so has every other church and religion. So now what?

Fernapple replies on Jul 31, 2020:

All organizations are capable of being used to garner wealth, therefore all organization are usable by those who want wealth alone. No one has ever managed to design an organization which could not be corrupted. But only churches make the claim to be divinely inspired and incorruptable.

I'd like to know if others in this forum agree with me on this.

KKGator comments on Jul 31, 2020:

How would you propose those actions be brought to reality? No sarcasm intended. I'm just hoping for a viable plan.

Fernapple replies on Jul 31, 2020:

There is a difference between sarcasm, and hoping for a viable plan ?

What are your feelings about cologne?

Fernapple comments on Jul 28, 2020:

Don't really like it. Though it has its uses, they tell me that if you are close enough, and down wind enough, to smell someones cologne, you are close enough to catch covid, so its a good warning sign. And why does clothes wash have to be scented. You go into the store and are offered. "Fresh ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 31, 2020:

@Lorajay Well Ok, cotton and wool then. Though I think that Nylon smells of nothing.

TL;DR - if you were going to use the Socratic method in some street epistemology to talk to a person...

Fernapple comments on Jul 30, 2020:

I would say that if you have never been involved in such talks with theists, then you have been lucky. And that a better way to spread the idea of sceptical thinking, is to set a good example of being a good human being, while being open about your lack of faith in the supernatural. However ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 31, 2020:

@prometheus Yes I agree with all of that. Though with regard to the teapot, you have to remember that when he said that, almost anything in space was effectively invisible, and things like orbiting telescopes were not even deamed of in science fiction.

Vote for one of these? I've been bored. Six pieces in a week.

Fernapple comments on Apr 9, 2020:

Top comes of to make a small pot.

Fernapple replies on Jul 30, 2020:

@PondartIncbendog Birch, but with fungal markings.

Who else is a TIME TEAM - BBC series fan? You can watch all 19 seasons on YouTube. [youtu.be]

Fernapple comments on Jul 30, 2020:

Video says, not available in my country, sadly.

Fernapple replies on Jul 30, 2020:

@Lorajay Thanks.

[businessinsider.

Fernapple comments on Jul 29, 2020:

Fear of mediocrity, that it will just become a repetitive drudge, neither wholly failed nor successful, yet still a binding commitment.

Fernapple replies on Jul 29, 2020:

@Unpretentious No but people may still fear it, and it can be a pain, if your endevour is one where the benefits only go to the small percentage at the top, and those who crash out escape.

I do hope people are aware of this reality, but here's a map.

barjoe comments on Jul 29, 2020:

So I'm sure there's crime throughout the rest of Portland. Trump brought Martial Law to a few Square blocks, as you point out. Has that alleviated crime in Portland?

Fernapple replies on Jul 29, 2020:

@barjoe I see.

Common foods that could secretly contain insect fragments- [rd.

Fernapple comments on Jul 28, 2020:

Rodent hairs are also found in most foods, for the same reason. Remember the old rule, peel it or cook it, never eat salad and never eat anything that someone else has prepared. Meh, a bad attack of the runs is a better way to go than most.

Fernapple replies on Jul 29, 2020:

@Pralina1 I love you, but I love the rich wonder of this world even more, sorry.

I do hope people are aware of this reality, but here's a map.

barjoe comments on Jul 29, 2020:

So I'm sure there's crime throughout the rest of Portland. Trump brought Martial Law to a few Square blocks, as you point out. Has that alleviated crime in Portland?

Fernapple replies on Jul 29, 2020:

It does not say crime, it says protests, and the federal forces in question are not responding to crime.

Common foods that could secretly contain insect fragments- [rd.

Fernapple comments on Jul 28, 2020:

Rodent hairs are also found in most foods, for the same reason. Remember the old rule, peel it or cook it, never eat salad and never eat anything that someone else has prepared. Meh, a bad attack of the runs is a better way to go than most.

Fernapple replies on Jul 29, 2020:

@Pralina1 That's the point, they don't look like bugs, they are bugs.

Humans are predators.

FearlessFly comments on Jul 28, 2020:

. . . btw, at a Chinese 50th wedding anniversary, I had shark-fin soup -- didn't care for it. :O

Fernapple replies on Jul 29, 2020:

You may have heard this story before, but its a fairly good one. It is said that the Romans tried to impress Cleopatra with a feast. She said that she did not think much of the food. To which they replied that they had served all the most expensive dishes they knew of, and that the whole feast had cost a fortune. She then called for a glass of vinegar, took off one of her pearl earings, disolved the pearl in the vinegar and drank it. She then said, that that was the most expensive drink there, and it was horrible.

Common foods that could secretly contain insect fragments- [rd.

Fernapple comments on Jul 28, 2020:

Rodent hairs are also found in most foods, for the same reason. Remember the old rule, peel it or cook it, never eat salad and never eat anything that someone else has prepared. Meh, a bad attack of the runs is a better way to go than most.

Fernapple replies on Jul 29, 2020:

@Pralina1 If you don't like eating bugs on your food, try prawns.

Is human morality (ethics) hard wired or is it a learned behaviour? Or an a adaption of both?

Fernapple comments on Jun 10, 2020:

Since all higher social animals show some forms of morality, which is to a degree certainly hard wired, the real question is. Why would humans be the exception ? Everything has to be hard wired at the bottom of it. As Marionville below says. "Human survival from out earliest ancestor's time has ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 29, 2020:

@Atheist3 Please enlarge on why that should be important.

Anyone surprised? [businessinsider.com.au]

Fernapple comments on Jul 28, 2020:

Of course, why would an organization which built its wealth by exploiting the weak and vulnerable, creating poverty across half the world in order to enrich itself. Then refuse a hand out from a wealthy nation as well.

Fernapple replies on Jul 28, 2020:

@powder Well yes, although by organization, I implied bigger and more multinational than any nation state.

Bloody summer in Mojacar.

Allamanda comments on Jul 27, 2020:

I'm struggling with all those same-sames, I'd planned to be in Spain to be COOLER this summer (and yes that is possible, as I live in the Tropics and Galicia hasn't gone over 90 yet this year). We are all stuck on the Covid Mobius strip...

Fernapple replies on Jul 28, 2020:

"Covid Mobius strip" I love it, round and round, and over and over, and back to where you started from with nowhere to go but round again. LOL

Allamanda on here posted about Donald Culross Peattie the other day.

Allamanda comments on Jul 27, 2020:

I'd ordered a book of Chet Raymo's from that other post - but which of Peattie's would you recommend?

Fernapple replies on Jul 28, 2020:

I would recommend, especially if you like plants, 'Flowering Earth', some of the science is way out of date now, but it is such a wonderful read. Part botany and part biographical using his own life as a metaphor for the growth of life on earth, with some wonderful passages about the North American flora, and in many editions wonderful art deco period wood engravings.

Bloody summer in Mojacar.

Fernapple comments on Jul 27, 2020:

We are all bored and unable to work, its getting to be a club with a lot of members. I don't know why people rush to the Med in summer either, I always go south in winter and early spring to escape the cold to somewhere warm. Why go somewhere roasting hot when its nice where you are and then sit ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2020:

@Lorajay And I guess you have to spend Christmas at home. I like to get away from that especially.

Do masks help stop the spread of the C19 virus?

Fernapple comments on Jul 27, 2020:

Just posted this on another line too. That's the idea, a nappy (diaper) for your face. Should have always been a legal requirement when going out in public, even before the virus, given that the mouth always contain more dangerous germs than the anus. Much safer too to kiss someones anus ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2020:

@FrayedBear Google will provide a wealth of such. But of course if you are selective in the sites you visit, to make sure you stay within your echo chamber, then, what good is it for science to put evidence out there.

This site's business model perplexes me.

AmyTheBruce comments on Jul 26, 2020:

Maybe names are being gathered for the Great Purge. 😁 Wouldn't that be a hoot?

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2020:

@Lorajay You are a nice lady, don't go there !!!

Ordinarily he's insane, but he has lucid moments when he is merely stupid, Heinrich Heine

Healthydoc70 comments on Jul 25, 2020:

The world appears as an unweeded garden where things rank and vile flourish-Mary Wollstonecraft

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2020:

@Healthydoc70 Don't worry, we are by definition realists, and for the most part stoics.

This site's business model perplexes me.

AmyTheBruce comments on Jul 26, 2020:

Maybe names are being gathered for the Great Purge. 😁 Wouldn't that be a hoot?

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2020:

@Sgt_Spanky Have you ever noticed that there are no 'tens'. Maybe when you get to ten that's when you get the knock on the door in the middle of the night, by a couple of hooded strangers, and you are never seen again. LOL

This site's business model perplexes me.

Apunzelle comments on Jul 26, 2020:

There is no business model. The site owners are doing this as a service to us. Isn’t that awesome?

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2020:

@Sgt_Spanky Yes that's a good idea.

This site's business model perplexes me.

Fernapple comments on Jul 26, 2020:

I am told that we have a couple of benefactors who pay the bills. If that is true or not I am not sure.

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2020:

@Sgt_Spanky I was told it by a couple of 'nines', who had been here a long time and may know more. That's all I got.

I'm getting bored here, I no longer see the mission of this site

LeighShelton comments on Jul 26, 2020:

it does seem to have got a bit dull

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2020:

I blame that on Trump. Why not he gets blamed for everything else, and if he has done nothing else he has certainly dominated this site for a long while.

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man ...

Fernapple comments on Jul 26, 2020:

When you are 6 you think that your parents know everything. When you are 16 you think they are the most stupid people on the planet. 26 you think they are improving a little. 36 you see how you were a little unkind. 46 you see how wise they really were. 56 you think your judgment at sixteen, may ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2020:

@OwlInASack I met a friend in the town the other day, and she said. "When I first spotted you walking down the street, I though I had seen the ghost of your father."

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man ...

Fernapple comments on Jul 26, 2020:

When you are 6 you think that your parents know everything. When you are 16 you think they are the most stupid people on the planet. 26 you think they are improving a little. 36 you see how you were a little unkind. 46 you see how wise they really were. 56 you think your judgment at sixteen, may ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2020:

@Marionville I am sure your mother was a lovely person.

Colour everywhere in the garden now, with a super wealth of peacock butterflies, on Buddleja and ...

Flowerwall comments on Jul 25, 2020:

This butterfly must be a product of Japanese kawaii. If you look at it in just the right way it appears as an extremely endearing, sweet charcter with the most soulful eyes. Okay maybe not a product of kawaii, but possibly an inspiration for the style? I can see how that could be.

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2020:

Yep, I see it.

Ordinarily he's insane, but he has lucid moments when he is merely stupid, Heinrich Heine

Healthydoc70 comments on Jul 25, 2020:

The world appears as an unweeded garden where things rank and vile flourish-Mary Wollstonecraft

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2020:

You are using up a lot of good quotes, which could go at the top of the page ?

I'm just gonna leave this here. : UFOs

Fernapple comments on Jul 25, 2020:

Maybe they are just redefining terms. UFO, Unidentified Flying Object, is a term which should really never have had anything to do with aliens, and should have remained just a technical term in aviation, saying just what it says on the tin. Then you don't have to do a double think if someone asks ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2020:

@PondartIncbendog Exactly.

“Closet” Agnostic/Atheist.

Fernapple comments on Jul 23, 2020:

You are under no moral obligation to share your unbelief with anyone. It need be no more than your own private mater, and there is no need to feel you are being dishonest in any way by not telling people about it. Most of the people in most of the churches, probably do not believe, but they are ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 25, 2020:

@JeffMurray It may be a trans-Atlantic thing as well. Our Christian culture here is quite different from that of the US.

I'll say good night, all you sweet people.

Fernapple comments on Jul 25, 2020:

Good Morning. I hope you slept well.

Fernapple replies on Jul 25, 2020:

@Spinliesel Yes well too. And it is a fine morning here.

Religion does three things quite effectively: divides people, controls people, deludes people.

Fernapple comments on Jul 24, 2020:

Should though perhaps be the other way round, deludes, controls and divides, do you not think ?

Fernapple replies on Jul 25, 2020:

@yvilletom Sadly true.

unfilteredlife olympicpeninsula pugetsound lifecanbebeautifulevenatthedarkesthours

Fernapple comments on Jul 17, 2020:

Nice photo, but there is something wrong with your word processor.

Fernapple replies on Jul 24, 2020:

@2bisgoodenuff Yes, and space bar seems not to work. Does not bother me, but some of the pedants on here can turn really nasty, just warning you. LOL I still have the mental scars.

“Closet” Agnostic/Atheist.

Fernapple comments on Jul 23, 2020:

You are under no moral obligation to share your unbelief with anyone. It need be no more than your own private mater, and there is no need to feel you are being dishonest in any way by not telling people about it. Most of the people in most of the churches, probably do not believe, but they are ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 24, 2020:

@JeffMurray Oh I would not say they have lied to me, I live in the UK and have little contact with Christians, it is in part just an assumption based on hearing old stats about how many priests are secretly atheists etc. Although the couple I have spoken with admitted that they did not literally believe, but were only culturally attached. Many of the so called culturally attached show the most appalling double standards however, and see no problem with supporting a system which does support literal belief, even though they are not part of that themselves. A case of not caring what it does to the minds of others, as long as I can enjoy my hour of entertainment on a Sunday.

The garden seems to be filling up with Peacock Butterflies now.

Allamanda comments on Jul 23, 2020:

They almost seem too exotic for so far north! Beautiful!

Fernapple replies on Jul 23, 2020:

Yes, after the painted lady they do seem to be our most colourful type. Though it has to be said that, having seen a number of tropical butterflies, that though they are often larger than North European types, they are often not as colourful to my mind.

“Closet” Agnostic/Atheist.

Fernapple comments on Jul 23, 2020:

You are under no moral obligation to share your unbelief with anyone. It need be no more than your own private mater, and there is no need to feel you are being dishonest in any way by not telling people about it. Most of the people in most of the churches, probably do not believe, but they are ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 23, 2020:

@JeffMurray What storm1752 and Larry-new said, although I have to admit that I have no idea what goes on inside the brains, or lack there of, of church goers. It was just a wild guess for the sake of the metaphor, but I would not be amazed to find its true.

This is a time and a place quite new to me, never even heard of it, a wonderful reminder of how rich...

tinkercreek comments on Jul 22, 2020:

Great info, and I was also prompted to look up the BCE designation. In case I'm not the only one unaware of this, it is Before Common Era and replaces the religious label of Before Christ, and has been used for centuries!

Fernapple replies on Jul 23, 2020:

@JackPedigo The common era has official status, thanks to the UN.

Snoopy on Theology, found my copy at: [craigmotor.files.wordpress.com]

Fernapple comments on Jul 22, 2020:

I may be wrong, but if so, who is right ?

Fernapple replies on Jul 23, 2020:

@girlwithsmiles Yes but which believers ? I tend to think that the china teapot followers are on to something, but then again there is something to be said for Pastafarinans but it has to be a tea pot not a collander or the juice would leak out. Then there Jedi. Too many choices is no choice at all.

“All those conclusions of ours which profess to lead us beyond the field of possible experience ...

Freedompath comments on Jul 22, 2020:

I am not sure I agree here...just have to think about it more!!!

Fernapple replies on Jul 22, 2020:

That's right, you can apply logic to the foundations supplied by experience, and if your logic is good, be reasonably confident about the results.

Have you read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? What are your thoughts on it?

RichCC comments on Jul 22, 2020:

I especially liked the explanation for the accidental origin of humanity on the supercomputer earth -- the Golgafrinchan Ark Fleet Ship B created to eliminate all the useless telephone sanitizers and such from their population. Then of course that their society afterwards collapsed from a dirty ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 22, 2020:

Beware spoilers, he has only read the first. LOL

I'll bid you good night with a simple question:

Fernapple comments on Jul 22, 2020:

Saved about four hundred pounds sterling, this last few months.

Fernapple replies on Jul 22, 2020:

@PondartIncbendog Yes of course, just send me all your bank details including security code, and I will see what I can do. LOL

Do you think majority Christians have

LenHazell53 comments on Jul 20, 2020:

The Whole Bible in 100 words. First God makes the world and then drowns it, apart from one floating zoo. Abraham goes to Egypt and Moses gets lost coming home. Joshua invents demolition and genocide. Judges rule, Ruth gets married and Samuel creates Kings. Esther kicks ass and how God gambles ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 22, 2020:

Best short summing after. "Goat herders guide to the universe."

I did not know where to put this but it, especially the ending is so funny. [youtube.com]

Babyoda comments on Jul 21, 2020:

I loved the CPR.

Fernapple replies on Jul 22, 2020:

Yes it was the CPR and the kiss of life that made me laugh too.