Manufacturers were quick in responding to Dr. Trump's suggestion for quick and safe cures.

Petter comments on Apr 24, 2020:

An excellent cure for stupidity, thus making the world safer.

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

If it kills you it cures everything.

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Flowerwall Have you watched the ted talk yet ?

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Flowerwall Possibly. Though I do think that the amount spent on nuclear weapons and deterent is certainly greater than that spent on bio-defence, so I don't think that he really has anything to answer.

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Flowerwall I do not know, why we are not as capable as China. Except that China is a very authoritarian country, and its people very used to obeying, which in some things can be very good, in other things not. Most of the Asian countries that were very good a stopping the pandemic are very authoritarian, Like South Korea the one exception being Japan, and they are in a bad way just like the US and Europe. But it could be something else. It is also of course possible that the government of China, is just not telling the truth.

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Flowerwall Yes it is true that it would seem to be very unwise to reopen schools too soon, but if no vacine is found, which is quite likely, then we could still have low level infections of the virus ten years from now. It would be very costly to have a whole generation with no formal education, probably even more costly in lives than a low level of infection, after some herd immunity is achieved.

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Flowerwall I think that he is just using nuclear defence as an introduction, it has little to do with the main part of the Ted Talk. I think that it is just a hook to hang the main part on, which he probably did not give much thought to.

Apple blossom and Dandelion, no reason except that they are in season and I like them.

tinkercreek comments on Apr 24, 2020:

Wondrous little things, really!

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

Yes I think so too. The best joy is appreciating the ordinary isn't it.

A sort of little photo essay, its the oil seed season and the patterns it makes in the country.

dede18 comments on Apr 24, 2020:

Love your charming pics, and the village peeping out over the shoulder of the hill looks so enticing! When you say 'oil seed season' is that the modified rapeseed from which Canola oil is made?

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

Yes the rape seed, its a relative of cabbage, but grown for the seed. The smell is quite nice at a distance but slighly cabbage close up, the bees however love it, and in the UK it is one of our main honey sources.

A sort of little photo essay, its the oil seed season and the patterns it makes in the country.

Allamanda comments on Apr 24, 2020:

Rather spectacular, I just never liked that colour, or the monocropping... but your village is classic!

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

Yes that colour is a bit yuk, but fortunately it only lasts a few weeks. And there is not quite so much of it as my cropped photos may make it seem.

Read a comment that said being "atheist" was claiming there is no god.

Fernapple comments on Apr 24, 2020:

It is usual to split atheists into two groups, the so called soft atheists, who do not believe there is any reason to believe that god exists, and hard atheists who believe that there is certainly no god. The latter being a very rare minority, since it means that you must think that you can prove a...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@MarkWD I tend to go with the Dawkins type model, that gods are only cultural constructs, which like viruses have infected minds which evolved before human culture came along, and therefore have no defences agains cultures attemps to influence them.

What can one do with a person who is too ignorant even to realise that he is ignorant?

Fernapple comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I think we should hold a contest for people to try and find the most stupid Trumpism of all. I would not have believed this one if it was not the BBC reporting it.

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@RussRAB See my reply to Petter.

What can one do with a person who is too ignorant even to realise that he is ignorant?

Fernapple comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I think we should hold a contest for people to try and find the most stupid Trumpism of all. I would not have believed this one if it was not the BBC reporting it.

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Petter Perhaps to make it a bit more challenging, you have to write an essay saying why you think your choice is the most stupid. ( Und of curs d s/a wid the wurst spilling und grimarist layout wins. )

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

You could start with this, made way back in 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Af6b_wyiwI

"FIGHTING TO LIVE" .

Robecology comments on Apr 23, 2020:

Love this; A lot of people say "save the earth"....but I found this charming meme which suggests that when we finally go extinct - the earth is much more likely to "be saved"....

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

The power of a catastrophy likely to send us extinct, is unlikely to kill every single mammal and bird let alone insects like roaches. And how long would it take to regain a reasonable level of biodivercity, maybe five to ten million years. Not long really.

It seems its Earth Day, and we have to celebrate the things we do for nature.

WonderWartHog99 comments on Apr 23, 2020:

> , , , when I create a garden it usually turns out very untidy, which I am told is a really good thing. ## Who are those people and why can't I run them over with the weed eater? Weeds tend to choke out plants and if they're my plants, the weeds grow taller than my plants until my plants can't ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 23, 2020:

@WonderWartHog99 Yes I do weed every day, its a passion with me, but regretably my working days for money are nearly over, and I am a heterosexual male sorry, so that wont work either.

It seems its Earth Day, and we have to celebrate the things we do for nature.

WonderWartHog99 comments on Apr 23, 2020:

> , , , when I create a garden it usually turns out very untidy, which I am told is a really good thing. ## Who are those people and why can't I run them over with the weed eater? Weeds tend to choke out plants and if they're my plants, the weeds grow taller than my plants until my plants can't ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 23, 2020:

No it only looks untidy, I don't allow any weeds. I am a control freak when it comes to weeds.

Only 1 in 50 catholics can ace this religious test. Can you? [women.com]

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 23, 2020:

100%! "Way to go! This quiz was tricky, you've proven yourself to be a true Catholic scholar today! From Catholic terminology to Bible stories, you know it all! You probably went to a Catholic School growing up and will always carry those lessons with you. Great job!" Well, dang! I wasn't even...

Fernapple replies on Apr 23, 2020:

@AmyTheBruce C of E is very like that, but perhaps in the oposite way, they sometimes talk about joining up again.

Only 1 in 50 catholics can ace this religious test. Can you? [women.com]

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 23, 2020:

100%! "Way to go! This quiz was tricky, you've proven yourself to be a true Catholic scholar today! From Catholic terminology to Bible stories, you know it all! You probably went to a Catholic School growing up and will always carry those lessons with you. Great job!" Well, dang! I wasn't even...

Fernapple replies on Apr 23, 2020:

No not a catholic either, but most schools in the England are Church of England, and it was drummed into us.

“Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than...

Theresa_N comments on Apr 23, 2020:

Sounds like to religion to me. Unlike some I dedicated myself to religion for many years. I came out of it an atheist so I was wiser but religion played no part in it.

Fernapple replies on Apr 23, 2020:

Yes pseudo-education, less than no education at all, because at least no education does not waste your time or give you the illusion that you have learned. Still a mystery to me how you can have doctorates etc. in things like theology.

Ok I've seen christianity described as a 'doomsday cult" and a "death cult", but can we describe it ...

DavidLaDeau comments on Apr 22, 2020:

Torture and sadism are secondary affects of death cults. Fear is the main factor. The fear of death is what is the driving force of these cults. Fear, torture, and the hope of not dying or experiencing pain if one chooses the "right" cult is simply the modavation.

Fernapple replies on Apr 22, 2020:

No I think that the main driving forces of these cults is greed. Greed for power and wealth especially, the fear of death, pain, disease, strangers (Those outside the cult.) and the unknown, are the tools used , and all of them, including death, are deliberately fed and exagerated way beyond their natural level to acheive that.

Just who is it again that creates wealth?

wordywalt comments on Apr 21, 2020:

As Nobel Prize Economist Paul Krugman says, "The job creators are a growing middle class with money to spend." As well, economists in the 1970s found that the increase in economic productivity found that up to 40 percent of the post WW II boom could not be accounted for by the usual economic ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 22, 2020:

Except you also need consumers, people with the means to buy products and the willingness to do so. And the best consumers tend to be those with middle incomes, the poor can not afford to buy and the rich tend to have all they want, so they just sit on their funds.

I read an encouraging quotation today: Hanlon’s Law: “Never attribute to malice that which can ...

hankster comments on Apr 21, 2020:

not sure stupidity ever explained anything adequately.

Fernapple replies on Apr 22, 2020:

Stupidity says it explained everything. Just smart people were not listening.

Why Bats Are One of Evolution’s Greatest Puzzles Paleontologists seek the ancestors that could ...

JimG comments on Apr 21, 2020:

Wow, and I was more curious about their ability to echolocate, but they aren't the only mammal that can do so.

Fernapple replies on Apr 22, 2020:

Except in water of course, where some whales can do it. Convergent evolution.

This is my opinion.

desertastronomer comments on Apr 17, 2020:

Aren't Agnostics just failed Atheists?

Fernapple replies on Apr 21, 2020:

@Omnedon Sometimes known as 'hard' and 'soft' atheists.

Moral Compass

Fernapple comments on Apr 20, 2020:

Several people have mentioned the golden rule, which is the best, and to that I would add if in doubt the universalisation principle. Which is the posh name for every grandmothers. "How would it be if everyone did that." And if still in doubt, then your feelings, which are just the inherent ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 21, 2020:

@JacobMeyers I think that, you could call that, the anti-hypothetical principle, used by grandchildren who don't understand metaphor, or the, stupid kid argument, for short. LOL

My neighbors barn My beautiful pony A little birdie who decided to make a nest in one of my bird ...

Robecology comments on Apr 20, 2020:

The bird has a lovely name, and song; the Black-capped Chickadee! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_chickadee

Fernapple replies on Apr 21, 2020:

@Heidi68 Yes it would be a good idea to move something near to shade it if you can. I had some small birds who made a nest one cold and cloudy spring in a metal pipe, then the weather turned hot and sunny and the chicks just got cooked.

My neighbors barn My beautiful pony A little birdie who decided to make a nest in one of my bird ...

Robecology comments on Apr 20, 2020:

The bird has a lovely name, and song; the Black-capped Chickadee! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_chickadee

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@Robecology Great Picture of the Crested Tit in scotland.

My neighbors barn My beautiful pony A little birdie who decided to make a nest in one of my bird ...

Robecology comments on Apr 20, 2020:

The bird has a lovely name, and song; the Black-capped Chickadee! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_chickadee

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@Robecology Yes I googled Chickadee, which is what I should have done in the first place, instead of bothering you. And this is what Wiki came up with. "The chickadees are a group of North American birds in the tit family included in the genus Poecile. Species found in North America are referred to as chickadees, while other species in the genus are called tits. They are small-sized birds overall, usually having the crown of the head and throat patch distinctly darker than the body. They are at least 6 to 14 centimeters (2.4 to 5.5 inches) in size. "

My neighbors barn My beautiful pony A little birdie who decided to make a nest in one of my bird ...

Robecology comments on Apr 20, 2020:

The bird has a lovely name, and song; the Black-capped Chickadee! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_chickadee

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

Am I right in thinking that what you call Chickadees in the US are the same family/genera we call Tits in the UK ?

What are we missing?

NoMagicCookie comments on Apr 19, 2020:

I long ago outgrew any desire (NEED? I don't think so!) for any ritual. Without any evidence to demonstrate the concept of transcendence is anything more then juvenile fairy tale, why would I waste my life distorting the beauty of reality with a desire for transcendence? If I am in the mood for...

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@NoMagicCookie Oh I would classify those as ritual.

This morning I went to Browse for the first time and clicked on Members.

Fernapple comments on Apr 20, 2020:

Never got round to reading members profiles, other than a quick look sometimes to see what part of the world they come from, since that may alter how I understand their posts and comments. ( Would you believe it, they acctually let people from Australia on the site!)Maybe I should, could be ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 I love that about Australians.

I noticed some time ago that even on this site, there were some deniers, about Covid 19 who were ...

Varn comments on Apr 20, 2020:

I’ve wondered, with regard to the proportion of flu deaths; considering the most vulnerable get vaccinated yearly against it, would that not bring it’s death number down tremendously? If we were to have let a seasonal flu run rampant through society, I wonder if it’s percentage of deaths ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

That is very true, but then we don't use lock down measures for seasonal flu, so what would Covid have done if we had not done that.

Scenes from the kitchen I thought I would share.

Fernapple comments on Apr 20, 2020:

Well observed. Is that the thirteen line squirrel in the first photo ? Those of us who have gardens are so lucky in these lock down days, I have the greatest sympathy for anyone restricted to a flat in the city.

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@Mark013 I wondered if it was different from a chip monk.

What are we missing?

Fernapple comments on Apr 20, 2020:

I would agree that the churches have a big pull, in being able to provide a quiet sitting space and coffee shop on every high street.

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@Surfpirate A lot of old churches in the UK are being sold off as the years go by. Some to convert into private homes, some as shops etc. but the church usually puts legal restrictions on them so that they can not be used as night clubs, betting shops and bars etc.. Which is odd, because the traditional centre of night life and the sex trade in the UK, was always Soho in London, and guess who owned the ground rents on Soho.

I noticed some time ago that even on this site, there were some deniers, about Covid 19 who were ...

Allamanda comments on Apr 20, 2020:

Unfortunately this is a society so innumerate (yes it's startling here, on a daily basis) that figures and statistics are used only for obstruction and apologetics. Then immediately forgotten. Scale and order of magnitude, let alone exponential scale, are entirely beyond the public grasp.

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

You can't use a long word like 'exponential' in public, I am sure it must be against some rule or other. Best refer to it in future by a code, like 'e' for example. And if you get that joke you are in a minority.

What are we missing?

NoMagicCookie comments on Apr 19, 2020:

I long ago outgrew any desire (NEED? I don't think so!) for any ritual. Without any evidence to demonstrate the concept of transcendence is anything more then juvenile fairy tale, why would I waste my life distorting the beauty of reality with a desire for transcendence? If I am in the mood for...

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

Yes but ritual does not have to mean transcendence. If for example, I bring some evergreens into the house to decorate it on the winter solstice, it does not connect to anything false, it just reminds me of the vitality of life surviving the winter until spring. Which is a completely real thing.

“Confidence is ignorance.

brentan comments on Apr 19, 2020:

I think it fits in with the Dunning-Kreuger theory, which I'm thinking is a general theory which would allow for exceptions. I don't know for sure.

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

Sounds about right.

There was a time Pastafarianism was my chosen religion, well, that and Jediism, they just made way ...

Fernapple comments on Apr 18, 2020:

Hello and welcome, enjoy the site. And do check out the groups, i think that you will find things that a Pastafarian will enjoy.

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Dyslogix Well you have met 'Word' AKA 'Fred' who is certainly one of our more interesting personallities all right.

[msn.

Fernapple comments on Apr 19, 2020:

The average teenage boy, given the chance, could and would, happily father about fourteen children a week. Fortunately most teenage and older females have the measure of them, but occasionally some get through the net. Sadly in Darwinian terms, being stupid enough not to understand how contraception...

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Petter Of course there are many other possibles. One of which is that while the poor are left to degenerate, the rich will be able to afford genetic engineering and elective eugenics. Eventually becoming two sub-species.

Every day I find it bewildering how anyone could ever think that Donald Trump could ever be a good ...

lerlo comments on Apr 18, 2020:

All true. I'm looking for a word that defines someone we thought was intelligent that is a fervent follower...maybe "fake intelligence?"

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

How about 'Dunning Kruger poster boy '.

Does anyone have any luck or can share a method to grow onions and garlic?

Fernapple comments on Apr 19, 2020:

The biggest common mistake a lot of people make, is to plant the sets too deep. They really want to be perched on the surface of the soil, push in just enough to keep them in place, no more. Free draining soil in good light and air.

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Allamanda I wopuld think that you could try, but if the onion is already rotting then I would not attempt it, even if it does live it could introduce fungal disease such as white rot into the garden.

[msn.

Fernapple comments on Apr 19, 2020:

The average teenage boy, given the chance, could and would, happily father about fourteen children a week. Fortunately most teenage and older females have the measure of them, but occasionally some get through the net. Sadly in Darwinian terms, being stupid enough not to understand how contraception...

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Petter Yes that would e a good thing perhapes. But my point is that exactly the opposite is going to happen.

Everybody wants to go to heaven. Nobody wants to die

Julie808 comments on Apr 19, 2020:

In the Gospel according to Thomas, that was discovered near the Dead Sea in1945, Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is spread upon the earth, but men do not see it. So, I think we can think of "heaven" as being the time spent enjoying what you love here on earth, whether alone or with others, ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Julie808 Not for everyone perhaps though.

[msn.

Fernapple comments on Apr 19, 2020:

The average teenage boy, given the chance, could and would, happily father about fourteen children a week. Fortunately most teenage and older females have the measure of them, but occasionally some get through the net. Sadly in Darwinian terms, being stupid enough not to understand how contraception...

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Petter Yes but there is no evidence that the complexity of connections is increasing as the size shrinks. And that would not change the main point, because the selective preasure would drive down the number of connections too.

Everybody wants to go to heaven. Nobody wants to die

Julie808 comments on Apr 19, 2020:

In the Gospel according to Thomas, that was discovered near the Dead Sea in1945, Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is spread upon the earth, but men do not see it. So, I think we can think of "heaven" as being the time spent enjoying what you love here on earth, whether alone or with others, ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

Yes . Years ago I was deeply influenced by H.G. Wells, who held that the original teaching of Jesus was intended a an eathly political one, one of fairness and earthly justice for all, for which the 'Kiingdom of Heaven' was only a metaphore, couched in peudo-religious terms, because that was the only language an illiterate carpenter had, with which to talk about big ideas. It was only later that people, who Wells called, 'lesser but better educated men', started to take the heaven part literaly, in part because creating a heavenly kingdom, in the sky, was easier and cheaper for the rich and powerful than creating heaven on earth.

The Honesty is in flower in the garden now.

JackPedigo comments on Apr 18, 2020:

It sounds almost like an invasive. What is the Latin name. Perhaps we can grow it here.

Fernapple replies on Apr 18, 2020:

Lunaria annua.

Mentions?

Fernapple comments on Apr 18, 2020:

Hit the bell button at the top of the page, then 'view all' and go down the list.

Fernapple replies on Apr 18, 2020:

@Janus819 Why would you do that, if you don't use the email as a backup ?

You have to admire the majesty of animals and insects, trouble free, not constantly pining for ...

1of5 comments on Apr 18, 2020:

Not a worry in the world, except starvation or becoming something else's next meal. You do know the gruesome way most spiders eat, right?

Fernapple replies on Apr 18, 2020:

Often after sex. No wine, coffee or ciggs you see.

This pandemic set me pondering.

Fernapple comments on Apr 18, 2020:

Possible, but you have to remember that in those days when populations were very low and dispersed, disease was probably not so common or such a great driver of history as it became after the agricultural revolution. Also, that modern humans and Neanderthals lived side by side for quite a long time....

Fernapple replies on Apr 18, 2020:

@Petter No, women had a lot of choice, in small hunter gatherer groups especially, community power and matiachy are big things, the caveman doing his courting with a club image is a nineteenth century idea which was wrong in just about ever aspect. Non consentual sex is to a large degree a problem of civilization. And in any case I did say 'mainly ' , males do take play a role in sexual selection too, just not so strongly.

Why did 'god' create Atheists (or Agnostics, or Secular Humanists)

AnneWimsey comments on Apr 17, 2020:

Ohferpetessake.......UK friends, may I borrow the word "Bollocks"?! Thank you in advance!

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

You are more than welcome to borrow bollocks. You are also welcome to borrow 'trump', which in UK English is an euphanism for 'fart', or the expelling of annal gas. Though I see that quite a lot of you are already using it anyway. LOL

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

Flowerwall comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Anyone know of anyone in their real life personal life who has passed away from it? Or knows someone who knows someone who has? What about number of people you know of in your real life who have contracted it? The original question you asked is something to wonder about, but I don't see why it ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

@Flowerwall Yes I posted this quote on this group a few days ago. "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." Anatole France. It works even better for the lock down, which forbids both the rich and the poor alike from visiting Wall Mart more than once a week. Though the poor must keep to their apartments and trailers, while the rich can still fly between their estates in their helicopters. As for death I am not so sure. I have often thought that I would prefer to die alone and forgoten. In part because I have spent enough time by death beds, to know that dying is rarely easy, and that for me, knowing and seeing that my death would cause grief would just be an extra burden at a difficult time. So no, I would hope that, I had said goodbye to my last remaining friends before I got to my death bed, and/or to die alone in the forest and to have my body eaten by the wildlife, is the best option. Perhaps in an ideal world someone will find the bleached bones, so the the legal and legasy matters can be easily tidied up.

Well, I made someone’s naughty list today ! Look what showed up in the mail ! A CD!!!!! Mercy ! ...

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 17, 2020:

Ugh. Can the CD be used for anything? Copied over, maybe? At least the pamphlet looks like it's recyclable.

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

@AmyTheBruce And you can use the CD as a bird deterant in the garden.

This is my opinion.

Fernapple comments on Apr 17, 2020:

No Agnostics are not unsure, most agnostics are just sure that there is no value in belief or faith either way, that is all. And in any case, perhaps most people on this site, are happy to call themselves atheists, either instead of or as well as. But I would strongly recommend against starting ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

@desertastronomer I have posted this before, but it may amuse if you did not see it the first time. ABOUT MUFFINS. I see that the issue of Atheist/Agnostic has been rearing its head again, as it does every few days, so since some people find this a bit tiresome, I thought that a post on muffins would be more interesting. Suppose for a minute, and for the sake of argument only, that there is a god, an afterlife, including a heaven and a hell; and that the god chooses whether people go to heaven, or if some go to hell, in fact the whole theist deal. Not only that, but the criterion on which the god makes the choice is based on the type of muffins they eat. ( Note: “eat” not prefer, this is not about free will or anything like that.) People who eat lemon muffins go to heaven and people who eat chocolate muffins go to hell, with limbo for those who don't eat muffins at all, of course. Would that make a difference to your life ? Would you give up your chocolate muffins for an eternity of joy, and all the lemon buns after death you could ever eat ? Perhaps you would. But there is one vital thing that I forgot to mention, which is that, this particular god, does not tell you about the muffins, or how they affect your afterlife, in fact it keeps the whole thing a big secret just to itself, so that you have no way of knowing which muffins to eat. Then in that case, of course, you could not make the appropriate changes to your life, or save your soul anyway. In fact muffins, gods preferences and even that god, would not impact on your life at all. The point is this. That a gods, souls, the afterlife etc. have no effect on anything, unless that god, or someone, tells you about it, and you therefore have some knowledge of god's cake prejudices. Making this the big difference between religion, which pretends to offer knowledge of god the afterlife etc., and none belief which does not. Which is why the difference between atheists, humanists, agnostics and even deists, is so small and unimportant by comparison, because none claim any knowledge of gods preferences, and it is the pretence of fake knowledge which makes all the big difference.

Have you wondered if perhaps the godbotherers of the US love trump because he does truly represent ...

Novelty comments on Apr 17, 2020:

I doubt it has much to do with anything more than the worship of authority and alpha males. Nothing more. Remember when Obama was president and all the Republicans were singing praises to Putin because he was a real leader unlike Obama. It was Sarah Palin that started that stupidity wave. It's...

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

They like him because, in effect, he says that it is Ok not to bother thinking. It is fine just to sit on you perjudices and never question anything. The reason people usually like authority figures.

Well, I made someone’s naughty list today ! Look what showed up in the mail ! A CD!!!!! Mercy ! ...

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 17, 2020:

Ugh. Can the CD be used for anything? Copied over, maybe? At least the pamphlet looks like it's recyclable.

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

Hey. Don't recycle repurpose, have you not heard how short of toilet paper the world is right now.

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

Flowerwall comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Anyone know of anyone in their real life personal life who has passed away from it? Or knows someone who knows someone who has? What about number of people you know of in your real life who have contracted it? The original question you asked is something to wonder about, but I don't see why it ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

@Flowerwall I don't think that it is a community in that sense no. My post was to probe just that question, to what degree dose it exist/not exist as a community, if at all. I do think that 'something exists' yes, and you can not say that there is nothing there, since conversation alone is certainly an aspect of community, and the online 'community has been known to do things like raising money for charities and cloud funding, which could not have been done by normal methods. But that leaves three questions. Does a community have to have all the features of a community to be called a community, and if not, which ones can be left out ? Are some parts communities and not others, if so which and why ? And. If you do not use the word community, then what word do you use ?

Are aware of the space between who you and who you think you are? Thoughts?

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 15, 2020:

If I was aware of this gap, wouldn't it disappear?

Fernapple replies on Apr 16, 2020:

@Omnedon Yep. And its a hard one, which is why Plato thought it the most worthwhile thing we could do. It is only in resent years since the deaths of my parents that I have started to reflect on my autism, which my parents kept from me, and how it affected my early life especially, which in turn affects deeply the way I see myself now.

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

Flowerwall comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Anyone know of anyone in their real life personal life who has passed away from it? Or knows someone who knows someone who has? What about number of people you know of in your real life who have contracted it? The original question you asked is something to wonder about, but I don't see why it ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 16, 2020:

I was not really interested in the virus, it was more a question to probe the nature of the community on this site. Including how the so called, on line community differs from a traditional one, where it would be unthinkable to lose a member without someone noticing.

Are aware of the space between who you and who you think you are? Thoughts?

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 15, 2020:

If I was aware of this gap, wouldn't it disappear?

Fernapple replies on Apr 15, 2020:

@Omnedon No it does not say that you have to know both, just be aware that there is a space between the two. The wording is very exact. And of course since there is space you can push out into space, thereby getting, who you think you are, nearer to who you truly are, is the point.

I LOVE ferns, especially the dozen or so varieties I've collected in my woodland yard (if only I had...

glennlab comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Post your pics as a reply they should post

Fernapple replies on Apr 15, 2020:

@tinkercreek Well done we got them.

People are =/= to their religion I am most definitely an infidel in that I have no belief in any ...

Fernapple comments on Apr 14, 2020:

Hate the lie not the lied to.

Fernapple replies on Apr 15, 2020:

@gigihein No, I do not think that is true. Many do live in and promote cultures which are actively anti-intellectual. Anti-intellectuallism plays to one of our natural failings, namely laziness. True education, promotes the idea that truth can only be approached and never finally obtained, and that the closest approach is only obtained by hard work and questioning. Anti-intellectualism therefore, by telling people that they know all they need to know already, and that work does not get you closer to the truth, pushes the lazy and the cowardly button prefectly. That is why religion which teaches that you are blessed with god given truth, final forever, perfect, and suited to all circumstances, is such an effective sub-set of anti -intellectuallism, because it plays exactly to out lowest desires.

“Above all, don't lie to yourself.

brentan comments on Apr 14, 2020:

I'm not sure what his thinking is. A man who knows the truth about people might come to the same conclusion. But I accept his focus here is on lying. The truth apparently has value so morality is involved. I wonder how truth got its value when so much can be gained through lying?

Fernapple replies on Apr 14, 2020:

"I wonder how truth got its value when so much can be gained through lying?" You can say that again, that could be the mantra for all religion, if only they knew how to do honesty with themselves. Or maybe that is who he is talking about.

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

desertastronomer comments on Apr 14, 2020:

"5,000 Active members" Are you kidding me? As far as 1 in 5,000, your use of 50 cabillion Chinese and 10 cabillion Indians, to bolster your claim is misleading, putting it mildly. How many of these Chinese and Indians have been exposed to the virus? Of course they aren't going to be infected and ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 14, 2020:

Don't take the figures too seriously. The figures were only based on me extrapolating the current UK model, the post is not intended to be about the figures.

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

Marionville comments on Apr 14, 2020:

I think we’ve already lost a few in the time we’ve been going here with the site. Not from Coronavirus of course...although that is possible too, but from other causes. Sometimes members just disappear without deleting their accounts and with no explanation or note to others whom they’ve ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 14, 2020:

A lot. There used to be a member from Aus. who was in his late eighties I think, who suddenly went when we had been having long and interesting chats about various scientific subjects, sadly I can't remember his tag.

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

Matias comments on Apr 14, 2020:

To which model do you refer? Maybe the virus will kill 5 of 1000 infected. How many people worldwide will become infected before we'll have a vaccine? Nobody knows yet

Fernapple replies on Apr 14, 2020:

No that is minimum for the whole population not those infected.

No improvement in the weather today.

Fernapple comments on Apr 13, 2020:

We need rain, will swap you. Bet it is still warm enough to take your coffee outside though.

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

@Petter That's what I thought, temp here today was 8C, with wind cloud and drizel.

“Ah, spring--and Easter! Although spring began on the Vernal Equinox, some people see Easter as...

Word comments on Apr 13, 2020:

The biblical text follows out of Egypt and most do not understand nor know the connections that the biblical text actually saying in new testiment that the Egyptian stories come true. The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

There is only one morning star, it is thought to be just another name for the planet Venus.

Don't know why I like this video, or why/if you should watch it.

seenoevil9620 comments on Apr 13, 2020:

How about Fox ? Altho I think they keep to themselfs ?

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

Could be.

My Bay Laurel is coming into flower now.

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Apr 13, 2020:

Yay! I actually just bought two baby Bay trees. Looking forward to never again buying dried up Bay leaves at exorbitant prices. ☺️

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

They grow quickly and if you give them a couple of years to establish, you will have more bay than you could ever use. Don't overdo it though, too much bay is not good for you.

If you were stranded on an island for eternity, name one book or cd you would need to have in your ...

Charles1971 comments on Apr 13, 2020:

How to Survive on a Deserted Island https://www.amazon.com/How-Survive-Deserted-Island-Prepare/dp/1429622822 :D

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

Very practical.

"But Marge, what if we chose the wrong religion?

Fernapple comments on Apr 13, 2020:

The best argument to point out the illogic of religion.

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

@WilliamCharles One argument for atheism is. Who is god most likely to respect and least likely to harm. Someone who honestly said they did not know him, or someone who faked being his friend and went round telling everyone they had exclusive knowledge of what he said.

Searching for a soulmate is futile. Your thoughts?

Geoffrey51 comments on Apr 12, 2020:

So are you blaming Plato for seeding unattainable expectations?

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 The idea is presented by Plato as an old one, dressed up in a silly metaphor introduced by Alcibiades, Socrates ill fated and drunken lover, and Socrates pours cold water on the idea. The idea is presented as an existing one, which needs to be squashed before a better version of love can be described. Therefore it would not be Platos invention perhaps. Though it has to be said that the love presented by socrates as ideal, is a version straight out of a Nineteen Eighty Four style totalitarian nightmare. Never was an admirer of Plato.

Don't know why I like this video, or why/if you should watch it.

seenoevil9620 comments on Apr 12, 2020:

Great video , the one time the hoarse stopped at about 4:35 - 4: 38 and there was a pack of coyotes or something running along the edge of the open field off in the distance ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 13, 2020:

Yes I saw that and could not work out what they were. Since this I think is the UK they could not be coyotes, I think they must be deer, or sheep.

The ferns are starting to unfurl.

Surfpirate comments on Apr 12, 2020:

They don't appear to be Ostrich ferns, therefore you probably shouldn't eat them.

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

Yes Ostrich ferns are the only ones you can safely eat. I have those too but they are among the first to come up, so they are well past that stage with me now.

“ I would warn you that I do not attribute to nature either beauty or deformity, order or ...

Fernapple comments on Apr 12, 2020:

No I do not agree with that. Beauty, deformity, order and confusion are programs within the human brain, which is itself a product of nature.

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

@avectoi Both, almost certainly I would say that things like beauty a to an extent both emergent, learned but also hard wired. Nothing exists in human culture or thought without a hard wired drive to trigger it, or why would we bother with it.

Part of my indoctrination as a believer was that humans have souls and other creatures do not.

DavidLaDeau comments on Apr 12, 2020:

Hell Kent Hovand says not only do animals not have souls but they can't feel pain. So he got one thing right afterall. I just would not want to be his dog.

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

Posted this at the top, but thought you may like it. When as a youth and I first encountered the illogic of the, "humans have souls animals don't", from christian teachers. Along with all the other similar BS, they usually pedal about the 'big' difference between humans and animals to justify that, ( funny how its always a 'big' difference, ) such as, animals can not think, feel emotions, or be moral. It was one of the first things that helped me to see through religion and a lot of so called education. I remember one especially odious christian teacher, who one day told me that it was impossible for animals to think, and that their behaviour was only due to Pavlovian conditioned reflexes. (He did not understand Pavlov properly.) Nor could they understand human language, be self aware or understand things which required language skills and self awareness, such as pointing with the hand. "If you point an animal looks at your hand, not the thing you are pointing at." So I went home, called my dog and pointed at her chair. She jumped in and sat down. Blew my faith in the school and the religion. Wise dog that.

Dicitencello vuie - Mario Lanza - [youtu.be]

Marionville comments on Apr 11, 2020:

Sadly not available for me either.

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

@Rossy92 Thank for your efforts anyway. One of the best things to do, is to look and see if the same video is available on YouTube, and if not, then try to load it there yourself, You Tube is available world wide, and few people have any problem reading it.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last ...

FearlessFly comments on Apr 11, 2020:

The Bard is great, but not sure what it has to do with "Religion & Spirituality"

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

Interesting comment , but even more so what has, Religion and Spirituality, to do with Agnostic.com anyway. LOL

Dicitencello vuie - Mario Lanza - [youtu.be]

Marionville comments on Apr 11, 2020:

Sadly not available for me either.

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

@Rossy92 Thank you.

"The idea that God is an oversized white male with a flowing beard who sits in the sky and tallies ...

Merseyman1 comments on Apr 11, 2020:

Sweetening the pill for believers! I admire Carl Sagan and all he stood for, but I would change the word god: too bad a reputation...

Fernapple replies on Apr 12, 2020:

Nature I think is better.

How can India just have 7600 cases of corono virus?

EdEarl comments on Apr 11, 2020:

India isn't testing; they have no idea how many citizens and visitors have covid.

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

India has little idea how many citizens it has period, it has one of the highest proportions of legally invisible people in the democratic world, especially there are thought to be a very high number of unregistered women, who do not even have birth certificates.

How can India just have 7600 cases of corono virus?

Varn comments on Apr 11, 2020:

I don’t think they’ve the ability to test… We’ll have to watch for overcrowding along side the Ganges and depletion of firewood to know for sure..

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

@Bigwavedave Burning the bodies.

Plants in the park around our hotel in Perth, Western Australia. Today it's 37C.

Cast1es comments on Apr 11, 2020:

These are lovely . What are the blue ones in the last photo ?

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

Plumbago. The grey/ blue colour is said to be like 'plumbum' the latin for lead, which also gave us plumbing.

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.

zeuser comments on Apr 11, 2020:

I bet the guys who maintained the torture equipment during the Inquisition were happy they had steady jobs and were doing gawd's will by tormenting helpless innocents in the name of our lord, many of whom simply died on the rack, screaming.

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

They were also very well paid, and able to fiddle the expenses and extract tips from their victims. ( It was like some eating houses, the less you tipped the worse it got.)

This was something to think about.

Geoffrey51 comments on Apr 10, 2020:

It’s not real! It’s allegory. This is John, the mystical fellow. He is building on Matthew (who is the great apocalyptic drama queen anyway, the Cecil B. DeMille of gospel writing) and inserting the whip into the narrative. The question to ask is why is the mystic adding allegory to the ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 Mind you I just thought of a truly banal reason why John would mention the making of the whip. Which may be the true one, because the banal reasons usually are. Which is that. Someone or some people may have asked, where the whip came from, and John may have been trying to go one up on Matthew, by seeming to provide answers he could not.

"I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over.

Freedompath comments on Apr 11, 2020:

Anyone doing that better have their little ducks in a row...when they go there! Wouldn’t recommend it for everyone!

Fernapple replies on Apr 11, 2020:

@Freedompath Wow, you two are really mixing metaphors, talk about living life on the edge alright. LOL

This was something to think about.

Geoffrey51 comments on Apr 10, 2020:

It’s not real! It’s allegory. This is John, the mystical fellow. He is building on Matthew (who is the great apocalyptic drama queen anyway, the Cecil B. DeMille of gospel writing) and inserting the whip into the narrative. The question to ask is why is the mystic adding allegory to the ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 It could be that it was a metaphor for attonement, in other words Jesus is going to be whipped, so first he must whip someone else. It could be that it is meant to prove that Jesus has godly foresight, and that he really does nothing out of passion. Or it could be that there is a lost theological debate about where did the whip come from, which is no longer remembered, but was important at the time and John needed to answer it. The fact that I alone can come up with three different reasons, without even trying shows just how impossible it is to guess anything at this degree of remove.

How Religion Spreads COVID-19 [patheos.com]

nicknotes comments on Apr 9, 2020:

I remember Jesus saying to pray by yourself in a closet.

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

@DenoPenno *Elvis lives*. Acording to D. Adams on a planet far far away.

It looks like it is not only squirrels who raid bird tables.

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Apr 10, 2020:

It has a rounded snout about like a mouse but looks bigger. I am used to rats having sharper snouts, almost like opossums. This one is actually cute!

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

Maybe UK rats are a different species/sub-species but this one was quite cute. Though I think that I sadly may have taken its mate away. This winter a rat tried to chew through my garage door, causing a lot of damage, so I trapped it, and let it go in the woods several miles away. If it was this ones mate, then it may be sad, because she was the cutest little female with a shiny coat, big bright eyes and glossy fur I have ever seen.

Four photos shots taken using a long focal length while hand holding, which still came out fairly ...

fishline79 comments on Apr 10, 2020:

They're nice. The ones of the mouse were not as clear, I believe because the camera had switched to a low-light mode but they don't seem to be blurred from movement. BTW I live in PA and haven't seen a "Ring Neck Pheasant" in probably 30 years! Apparently in Pennsylvania they have been hunted to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

The 'mouse' is soft coloured because it was shot through a window, and the glare got between it and the camera.

It looks like it is not only squirrels who raid bird tables.

Allamanda comments on Apr 10, 2020:

Aha! Would you say that's a rat or a mouse?

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

@Allamanda No their tails have small hairs though they are often really bare in older ones. This one looked very young and fit.

It looks like it is not only squirrels who raid bird tables.

Allamanda comments on Apr 10, 2020:

Aha! Would you say that's a rat or a mouse?

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

Oh it is certaily a rat. It is living in the steam bank I think, note the prehencile tail, quite neat.

Oh shit, I should've it would too good to be true.

Paracosm comments on Apr 10, 2020:

Wow! Yet another example that there is no hate quite like christian love.

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

Love that phrase. "there is no hate like christian love. " Will try to remember that, thank you.

How Religion Spreads COVID-19 [patheos.com]

nicknotes comments on Apr 9, 2020:

I remember Jesus saying to pray by yourself in a closet.

Fernapple replies on Apr 10, 2020:

Yes, and he also said that, Christians had to be poor, even pennyless, that trade and money were barred from the temple/church, that family life was forbiden, investing money was pointless, and that he would return before the last of his living followers died. ( Not that I would ever say that christians cherry pick the bits they want and ignore their supposed leader. )

What in your opinion is the worst set of words in our common(US/UK english) language.

ZantiMisfit comments on Apr 9, 2020:

"Everyone is talking about" this or that.

Fernapple replies on Apr 9, 2020:

"You mean, you hav'nt heard."

I just read this statement and it made me think, Agnostic.

bobwjr comments on Apr 9, 2020:

Individuals who want to promote atheism

Fernapple replies on Apr 9, 2020:

@Allamanda I believe that title was already taken. Simple as that.

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

yvilletom comments on Apr 9, 2020:

Symmetry is ok but I find asymmetry more interesting.

Fernapple replies on Apr 9, 2020:

@PondartIncbendog It can snag, but who cares, sometimes you have to throw your hat in the air.

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

yvilletom comments on Apr 9, 2020:

Symmetry is ok but I find asymmetry more interesting.

Fernapple replies on Apr 9, 2020:

@Allamanda, @PondartIncbendog I often use two parts oil to one part varnish., it seals the surface but still gives a pearl/oil type finish, I rub it on with a rag while the piece is still spinning.

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

yvilletom comments on Apr 9, 2020:

Symmetry is ok but I find asymmetry more interesting.

Fernapple replies on Apr 9, 2020:

@Allamanda Which one ?

Bible stories may not be factual - but they are nonetheless true

RichCC comments on Apr 7, 2020:

So Rev. Spain thinks the Babble is a big collection of allegorical stories? Cool, I guess. She only seems to talk about Adam and Eve and the Fall(tm). And wants to imply that since she can make a loose correlation between what she thinks is a common life pattern and a myth story that the whole ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 8, 2020:

Its called cherry picking. Yes some parts of the bible, perhaps a much as 20% were writen eventually ( we don't know about originally ) as poetic metaphors, but you can not use a part to justify the whole.