This announcement may bring delight or dismay.

jerry99 comments on Jul 28, 2019:

I recognize the name but he was neither sufficiently offensive nor sufficiently interesting for me to remember any specifics. But do check with me if you’d like a list of people whose comments I think are wasteful and hateful.

Fernapple replies on Jul 28, 2019:

I remember him as great fun.

What gives your life meaning? Why keep going? (just curious)

callmedubious comments on Jul 28, 2019:

i agree with Schopenhauer's pessimistic view of our existence. all of us are subject to a universal will/force which ensures the propagation of our species, although there are some ppl actively trying to destroy ordinary, excess ppl. i also take some solace from Epicurus & enjoy some of the small ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 28, 2019:

And warm sunshine. In fact craft beer and a pizza while siting in the warm sun, within earshot of the sea. Or is that just too much ?

This announcement may bring delight or dismay.

Boomtarat03 comments on Jul 28, 2019:

I haven't been encountered him in any page on here. So, I can't and don't say anything against him☺️

Fernapple replies on Jul 28, 2019:

You may have seen him about, his comments were quite common, and he had a dark green bear in teeshirt icon.

This announcement may bring delight or dismay.

bigpawbullets comments on Jul 28, 2019:

I found him amusing and a bit eccentric. Sorry to hear of his banishment. I wonder who's inherited "food glorious food"?

Fernapple replies on Jul 28, 2019:

Me too.

This announcement may bring delight or dismay.

1of5 comments on Jul 28, 2019:

Oh well. Pretty sure he blocked me for some slight, real or perceived.

Fernapple replies on Jul 28, 2019:

@CeliaVL No I have not blocked anyone, but have also been blocked at least once. I can't say that it was a silly reason though. Since I got a bit frustrated with someone who was a bit boring, so I asked him if he ever had any original ideas, which was a bit rude of me, its true. But since he was an adult male, it seemed a bit of a baby thing to do.

This announcement may bring delight or dismay.

1of5 comments on Jul 28, 2019:

Oh well. Pretty sure he blocked me for some slight, real or perceived.

Fernapple replies on Jul 28, 2019:

@Marionville Yep, I have never felt the need to block anyone, part of the wonder of a site like this is that you can see the whole spectrum of human oppinion, ( even the odd theist ), and if someone does not like me then I want to know all about them especially. I might need putting right. Frayedbear was mildly rude to me a couple of times but not hurtfully and if I had blocked, then I would have missed some amusing posts. So My first thought is that the 'block' feature could be removed and it would not be missed. Having said that I can understand that some people may feel the need for protection against stalkers etc. but then again surely complaint to admin or the senate would be a better way to deal with people not getting on.

What's your country's signature meal?

Jnei comments on Jul 28, 2019:

If you Google "National dish of Britain" chicken tikka masala is the first dish that comes up.

Fernapple replies on Jul 28, 2019:

@lerlo Chicken tikka with bangers, mash and Yorkshire pudding, followed by strawberries. Sounds perfect.

Better tell you about myself.

StarvingArtist comments on Jul 27, 2019:

I downsized my business and my home,,,moved from large city to small but growing town,,,selling out;kept clients happy,, and gave me the $$$,,,,to move, and the time to build my own little house/studio/home office mostly by myself.,, and now I am almost a year into developing a business (similar as ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Well done. That gives me hope.

Did I mention that I got banned on the Xian Forums?

Marionville comments on Jul 27, 2019:

He’s bigger than God! In their eyes at least.

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

He has a bigger waist than most of the pictures of God I have seen at least. And he really does exist, well unless the American government is a fake made by an international conspiacy and the White House is just a model in photoshop.

Is there a Small Business/ Self Employed group on here?

NoPlanetB comments on Jul 21, 2019:

Start one and promote it, then see if you have any takers. Good luck!

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Just letting all the people who expressed interest know 'Twill' has done it. Here is the link. https://agnostic.com/group/EntrepreneursSloggers

Is there a Small Business/ Self Employed group on here?

FatherOfNyx comments on Jul 21, 2019:

I'd be interested.. If I ever get my depression addressed and manage to start working towards it, I plan on opening my own doggie daycare/kennel and attaching various other businesses to it as time goes on.

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Just letting all the people who expressed interest know 'Twill' has done it. Here is the link. https://agnostic.com/group/EntrepreneursSloggers

Is there a Small Business/ Self Employed group on here?

StarvingArtist comments on Jul 21, 2019:

Go for it!!

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Just letting all the people who expressed interest know 'Twill' has done it. Here is the link. https://agnostic.com/group/EntrepreneursSloggers

Is there a Small Business/ Self Employed group on here?

SCal comments on Jul 21, 2019:

Im in.

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Just letting all the people who expressed interest know 'Twill' has done it. Here is the link. https://agnostic.com/group/EntrepreneursSloggers

Is there a Small Business/ Self Employed group on here?

nastynifty comments on Jul 21, 2019:

I like to read any posts that are educational. I think it'd be a good opportunity to learn from others.

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Just letting all the people who expressed interest know 'Twill' has done it. Here is the link. https://agnostic.com/group/EntrepreneursSloggers

Is there a Small Business/ Self Employed group on here?

confidentrealm comments on Jul 21, 2019:

It might be interesting

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Just letting all the people who expressed interest know 'Twill' has done it. Here is the link. https://agnostic.com/group/EntrepreneursSloggers

Is there a Small Business/ Self Employed group on here?

1EarthLovingGal comments on Jul 22, 2019:

I’d like to start my own cleaning and interior design business. (The cleaning to get on my feet) Then eventually turn it to all interior design while I work on a comedy career. Decorating has been the only thing that has helped my anxiety and I feel like I’d be better off working for myself than...

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Just letting all the people who expressed interest know 'Twill' has done it. Here is the link. https://agnostic.com/group/EntrepreneursSloggers

Is there a Small Business/ Self Employed group on here?

RusselHappy comments on Jul 22, 2019:

Definitely interested!

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Just letting all the people who expressed interest know 'Twill' has done it. Here is the link. https://agnostic.com/group/EntrepreneursSloggers

Is there a Small Business/ Self Employed group on here?

FatherOfNyx comments on Jul 21, 2019:

I'd be interested.. If I ever get my depression addressed and manage to start working towards it, I plan on opening my own doggie daycare/kennel and attaching various other businesses to it as time goes on.

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Start the work first, it will do more than anything else can to help the depression.

Texas is at the forefront of US wind energy [houstonchronicle.com]

Mermaidfantasy comments on Jul 26, 2019:

Kinda of a oxymoron, #1 in wind yet support trump.

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Surely Trump makes a lot of wind ? LOL

Generally, as perhaps too often said before, I'm a broad church skeptic, and have little interest in...

Shouldbefishing comments on Jul 26, 2019:

Yes, there are a few on this site and I think the particular person you have referred to in another comment below has commented on this post. Am I right about that? I have a co worker who fits the bill you describe to the letter. Oddly, when I ask him about his stance (theist, deist or atheist) ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

Yes that is very true, thankyou. Though it was not the one on this page I was thinking of but another if anything even worse.

What do you think about Deism?

Fernapple comments on Jun 23, 2019:

A god who hides, is from a practical point of view, exactly the same as one who does not exist; therefore its a none issue.

Fernapple replies on Jul 27, 2019:

@Liam True and thank you for such a thoughtful reply. My point is simply however that as you say. "A Deist physicist can look at the equations describing gravity," But the solutions for him would come out the same for the deist, as the solutions to those equations found by an atheist physicist, so no change. Whereas a theist physicist may well alter the results to fit a theological view, or even dismiss the idea of gravity altogether.

Does Uncle Sam Exist?

creative51 comments on Jul 25, 2019:

excerpt from wikipedia The precise origin of the Uncle Sam character is unclear, but a popular legend is that the name "Uncle Sam" was derived from Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker from Troy, New York who supplied rations for American soldiers during the War of 1812. There was a requirement at the ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2019:

Interesting. That would make him almost an analog of that Jesus bloke, same sort of history possibly.

@Admin Please tell me the difference between humanist dot com and agnostic dot com.

JeffMesser comments on Jul 25, 2019:

one is purple and one is green

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2019:

Now I get it.

Generally, as perhaps too often said before, I'm a broad church skeptic, and have little interest in...

Pedrohbds comments on Jul 26, 2019:

Religion and religious institutions WERE important at some point in our history, the catholic church for example was important to keep Europe from breaking completely after the romans. The religion kept china as one, at least nominal because power was always changed from emperor to local nobility ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2019:

I do not doubt the value of religion and that many people get a lot from it. I think that you have perhaps missed the point of my rant, I am sorry I do not always write as clearly as I should. Perhaps Callmedubio's comment and my reply to it below, will make it clearer.

Generally, as perhaps too often said before, I'm a broad church skeptic, and have little interest in...

skado comments on Jul 25, 2019:

I don’t recall ever encountering such people. Are there public intellectuals you could name?

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2019:

Sorry you asked for public figures as examples and I was writing late at night after a long day, so that since I do not like to name people on a public site I bottled it. But Callmedubio above gave me the perfect example, who no one will get upset by at this distance in time, though perhaps not an intellectual as such, that would not I think be possible. Napolean Bonaparte, who was to a degree a skeptic, praised skeptical thinking as enlightenment, and took the crown from the bishop to crown himself in a public rejection of the church, yet was without a doubt a serious snob, who thought of himself as a higher form of human and stated that the church was useful in controling lesser humans.

Generally, as perhaps too often said before, I'm a broad church skeptic, and have little interest in...

callmedubious comments on Jul 25, 2019:

i think Napolean epitomized the ppl you loathe. he was no doubt an atheist and said: "we need religion to keep the poor from killing the rich".

Fernapple replies on Jul 26, 2019:

Very true, and there is no doubt that to some degree, (crowned himself ) he was a skeptic, and without a doubt a serious snob who thought of himself as a higher form of human.

Generally, as perhaps too often said before, I'm a broad church skeptic, and have little interest in...

skado comments on Jul 25, 2019:

I don’t recall ever encountering such people. Are there public intellectuals you could name?

Fernapple replies on Jul 25, 2019:

No most of them are not public figures, it is more a populist atitude, there is one especially on this site, who I will not name because I am not going to be personal. I think that they are the exact mirror to the arrogant christian snob, who likewise think their religion is a proof of their greater worth. Interestingly it was your post which set me thinking, when you asked why it was that many people jumped on you for even the sightest praise of religion, even when it was not apologetic in any way. I wondered why people should have an emotional, knee-jerk reaction, to anything even sniffing of apologetics, especially as I find it may be so of myself. While yet I know quite the opposite, that I have no problem granting that religion has some good points, charity work, giving an alternate voice to those down trodden by governments and so on. It then occured to me that having met several such people over the years, ( Including the first, a truly obnoxious and hypocritical tutor a college, the thought of whom still gives me shudders. ) that others may well have the same experiences, which could easily account for emotive responses. That would seem to be confirmed by the response to this post.

Generally, as perhaps too often said before, I'm a broad church skeptic, and have little interest in...

WilliamFleming comments on Jul 25, 2019:

There are various kinds of religions and some of them really are very beneficial IMO. All religions must serve some purpose or other to their members or they wouldn’t exist. Good point about the snobbery. I do not agree with the doctrines of traditional Christianity, and I do feel a bit ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 25, 2019:

@WilliamFleming I don't think you have need to be worried by me, whatever your views if you are geniune 9as I think you are), I can respect that, it is double values one thing for us and something for everybody else, that I find irk me.

Generally, as perhaps too often said before, I'm a broad church skeptic, and have little interest in...

brainyactress comments on Jul 25, 2019:

Not sure I’m reading you right and I’m no apologist for religion in terms of the destruction it has caused for many. However, I can acknowledge that personally, it’s what allows some of my nearest and dearest to get out of bed in the morning. What’s a little delusion if it heads off mental ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 25, 2019:

Yes, as I say I have no problem with true believers, or with those who say leave alone if they are happy. It is with those who consider there fellow humans as not worth saving, and it is true that there is no hard line between, leave alone if happy, and not worth talking to, but a lot of apologists will tell you that if it were not for the delutions of religion, a great number of people, who they think of a having inferior minds would run wild and destroy everything worthwhile.

Generally, as perhaps too often said before, I'm a broad church skeptic, and have little interest in...

WilliamFleming comments on Jul 25, 2019:

There are various kinds of religions and some of them really are very beneficial IMO. All religions must serve some purpose or other to their members or they wouldn’t exist. Good point about the snobbery. I do not agree with the doctrines of traditional Christianity, and I do feel a bit ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 25, 2019:

No you tend to advocate a spiritualist/deist possition, that certainly is not religious apologetics, but ont the skeptical spectrum for me. Not to my taste but not horrible in any way.

Googly Eyes on God

Fernapple comments on Jul 25, 2019:

To be short. Religion is anthropomorphisim of nature. True to a degree. And it leaves me with the image of John Cleese, breaking the branch of a tree to beat his broken down car with. And then turning round and using the same branch to beat himself, for his 'sin', of caring too much about ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 25, 2019:

@Austin-Cambridge Thank you.

To all: What are your thoughts on the dates of the first out of Africa migration? Erick

Cast1es comments on Jul 22, 2019:

While the Bible says life started in the Garden of Eden , supposedly , in northern Africa , archiologists , continue to find earlier and earlier evidences of human life in strange places . I think our concept of human history , hasn't settled , yet .

Fernapple replies on Jul 22, 2019:

Just one small correction sorrry. Eden is in Mesopotamia near the Persian Gulf.

Why do people resent having a christian witness to them?

indirect76 comments on Jul 18, 2019:

The article opens with a statement about some countries having ‘absolute freedom of speech’. What kind of lazy, garbage writing is this? I stopped reading after that.

Fernapple replies on Jul 19, 2019:

Yes that line was a bit strange and had no real relation to the main part, you missed something good by skipping though.

In the beginning God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and Evangelicals have ...

jrhere comments on Jul 18, 2019:

Adam and Eve had no parents. Their god father had demands but taught them nothing. How old were they when they ate the apple? 2? Would you throw your ignorant uneducated children out of the house at two because they disobeyed you and gained an apples worth knowledge? The Adam and Eve story is such ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 19, 2019:

@BufftonBeotch It is an issue that was debated for years by the churches. If you look at many pictures from the middle ages you will find that artists often covered that area of their bodies, in order to avoid the chioce. Because as the debates ranged, being on the wrong side could get you into deep trouble, I have heard that it could get you killed.

Very disturbing vision early this morning.

Athena comments on Jul 18, 2019:

That aged version of Trump is far too handsome for what he looks like now, or could look like in the future. Let's hope by then, the only image left of him is on his tombstone. A malignancy like him will continue to do damage, even when he's no longer the US President.

Fernapple replies on Jul 18, 2019:

Yep I thought the model was what you would call. "Quite good for his age." Don't think that anyone will ever say that about trump.

If we were born with an hour glass filled with the exact amount of time we have to live how much ...

Incognitohippy comments on Jul 17, 2019:

Married twice. Stayed both times 10 yrs longer than I should have, so I understand.

Fernapple replies on Jul 18, 2019:

Nothing to do with the post, but 'boy' I love your icon.

One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.........Paul Coelho.

Fernapple comments on Jul 18, 2019:

One also loves because one loves.

Fernapple replies on Jul 18, 2019:

@Marionville I should know really, especially at my age. ( Slow learner. ) Mental note to self. Think before you post. If you do not, at the very least you could end up looking like a pompus ass. ( Actually don't think I will bother, that cat escaped the bag long before most people on this site were born.)

One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.........Paul Coelho.

Fernapple comments on Jul 18, 2019:

One also loves because one loves.

Fernapple replies on Jul 18, 2019:

@Marionville Of course I am sure he meant that too, I was just thinking out loud.

A hummingbird nest on a peach

Fernapple comments on Jul 18, 2019:

Beautiful, for people like me who have never seen a live humming bird, that really make you see how tiny they are. I hope the peach lasts long enough, they still have to hatch the egg and get the chick to fledging.

Fernapple replies on Jul 18, 2019:

@Stevil No from the UK, we don't get them here I am sorry to say. We do get hummingbird hawk moths which are really wonderful, but not the real thing.

I am not an atheist.

WilliamFleming comments on Jul 17, 2019:

Way too much energy is expended arguing about belief. If someone tells you something that seems untrue, of course you have no choice but to disbelieve, but belief and disbelief are nothing but personal value judgments, emotions of no universal significance. There’s no such thing as an airtight ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 17, 2019:

No do not withdraw, there are always new people coming along who have not heard these things before, and may find them interesting and useful. We were all new once and grateful that people who had gone ahead could still bother to talk to us.

This is just an overview, but I thought it was quite interesting to take a world tour, especially ...

AnonySchmoose comments on Jul 15, 2019:

Ecocide has occupied my thoughts a lot in recent years. I've always been aware that monoculture crops and cattle grazing lands are parts of ecocide. It is frightening how difficult it is to overcome the perpetuation of such destructive industries.

Fernapple replies on Jul 17, 2019:

@AnonySchmoose No but I am sure there will be some, though I think that palm oil will be the main one.

Not really a garden flower but certainly related to many, the meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria, is ...

CeliaVL comments on Jul 15, 2019:

Such a wonderful evocative scent.

Fernapple replies on Jul 16, 2019:

Yes forgot to mention that.

Tell us about your first time ...

greyeyed123 comments on Jul 15, 2019:

In college, I took a Great Books class for four years (I've told this story on the site before, FYI). One of our professors was a major Calvinist. He had been some kind of minor radio personality, and had a deep, commanding voice. Anyway, we eventually got to the bible. We didn't read the whole ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 15, 2019:

Interestingly there were once many Dualist sects who held that good and evil were equal. Many of them believed that it was up to us as humans with free will to tip the balance one way or the other in the end.

Tell us about your first time ...

genessa comments on Jul 15, 2019:

i realized there were no gods when i saw the monkees' tv show. my mom and dad had told me that long-haired boys were dirty and rebellious. these guys clearly were neither. i thought, what else have i believed that maybe i should rethink? god went out the window right away. i told my best friend...

Fernapple replies on Jul 15, 2019:

Nice story, how good of you to remember all that time ago.

[facebook.com]

Marionville comments on Jul 15, 2019:

Sorry...don’t do Facebook.

Fernapple replies on Jul 15, 2019:

Good for you.

Don’t open the door!

Fernapple comments on Jul 14, 2019:

God the extortionist. " Nice little soul you got there. Shame if something nasty were to happen to it, you should take out some insurance. And as it happen, no need to read the small print. "

Fernapple replies on Jul 15, 2019:

@Namaste Yes that is true , although it was more the metaphor of spiritual extortion in line with the cartoon, rather than fiscal that i was thinking of.

This is interesting despite the chirpy nature of the presentation, it is at least self critical and ...

Haemish1 comments on Jul 15, 2019:

Hemp might be an interesting plant to consider for this type of project. It grows quickly, in marginal soils and captures a great deal of carbon as it grows. It can be used in a variety ways, ranging from construction materials to biodiesel to fabric.

Fernapple replies on Jul 15, 2019:

Yes the idea of starting with herbs and using them as a pioneer crop ahead of the trees, is not mentioned in the video.

This is just an overview, but I thought it was quite interesting to take a world tour, especially ...

AnonySchmoose comments on Jul 15, 2019:

Ecocide has occupied my thoughts a lot in recent years. I've always been aware that monoculture crops and cattle grazing lands are parts of ecocide. It is frightening how difficult it is to overcome the perpetuation of such destructive industries.

Fernapple replies on Jul 15, 2019:

@AnonySchmoose One of the main uses of palm oil, the plantations for which are major sources of deforestation, is in soaps and cosmetics, it is also used in a lot of foods as well, so perhaps it would be good to check the contents of your margarine icecream etc. as well.

This is just an overview, but I thought it was quite interesting to take a world tour, especially ...

AnonySchmoose comments on Jul 15, 2019:

Ecocide has occupied my thoughts a lot in recent years. I've always been aware that monoculture crops and cattle grazing lands are parts of ecocide. It is frightening how difficult it is to overcome the perpetuation of such destructive industries.

Fernapple replies on Jul 15, 2019:

The only thing you can do at a personal level is to eat less meat, and use fewer beauty products, most of which have no proven effect anyway, while eating less meat and wearing a hat in the sun are proven to benefit.

Come fill the cup, and in the fire of spring, Your winter-garment of Repentance fling: The bird of...

bobwjr comments on Jul 14, 2019:

The rubaiyat of Omar khayyam read in the service

Fernapple replies on Jul 15, 2019:

Interesting but I would love to know which service ?

So do we atheists, agnostics, own the privilege to examine others negatively, own the privilege to...

Katsarecool comments on Jul 14, 2019:

Since you asked, here goes... In my experience of almost 70 years I 've found agnostics and atheists much more intelligent than Christians We are More tolerant, kinder, less judgemental, more fun to hang out with, generous, great love of children and animals. They (us) make great neighbors, ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 14, 2019:

Yes I agree with you in general. For although I have met some good Christians, on the whole I have found that they are usually arrogant and unkind. Perhaps in part it is because humans tend to have only so much good will, and if they use that up on the rest of the congregation, and on showing off with extreme demonstrations of goodwill to that congregation, as they are expected to, then there is very little left for anyone else they may meet. I have encountered many examples of this, but just for an example and fun. One day in Greece, after a long walk, I sat down by a country road to eat my lunch and drink some much needed water. I did not know that the village had a festival of some sort that day, and as I sat there a long stream of people came down the road. All of them said hello and smiled as they passed me, despite the fact that I was obviously a foreigner. It actually became quite hard to eat and reply to so many at the same time. Only two people walked past and offered no greeting, and they were of course, the priest and his attendant. So just to be snotty, I said good day to them. They turned away without a word.

A woman was trying to shoot someone in a road rage incident, police say, but shot her husband ...

AnneWimsey comments on Jul 8, 2019:

So, hopefully, before they reproduced?

Fernapple replies on Jul 9, 2019:

@1of5 Oh I was caught when I was a kid, but I hope I grew up and learned better.

A woman was trying to shoot someone in a road rage incident, police say, but shot her husband ...

AnneWimsey comments on Jul 8, 2019:

So, hopefully, before they reproduced?

Fernapple replies on Jul 9, 2019:

@1of5 It does not seem to work the other way round. I was a really bad, no make that nasty, kid, and I am not in jail. LOL

Peterson thinks we got our ethics from our Judeo-Christian heritage.

KKGator comments on Jul 9, 2019:

Jordan Peterson is a twatwaffle.

Fernapple replies on Jul 9, 2019:

New word thanks.

of course we're all addicts anyway...

yamaha45701 comments on Jul 8, 2019:

If I comment, and no one reads it, did I still comment?

Fernapple replies on Jul 9, 2019:

Only if you were clapping with one hand when you did it.

Arctic Fox Traveled More Than 2,700 Miles From Norway To Canada : NPR

LiterateHiker comments on Jul 8, 2019:

My hero! Hope she found what she was looking for.

Fernapple replies on Jul 9, 2019:

She. It was a female.

Eremurus, the fox tail lily is just coming to its peak now, the grass to the side is the Giant ...

Carin comments on Jul 7, 2019:

OOooooh! I think I need to grow those!

Fernapple replies on Jul 8, 2019:

They like a free draining soil and a bit of sun.

Could this be the beginning of low carbon flying. [youtube.com]

chilehead9 comments on Jul 8, 2019:

That just pisses me off: diStributed. Why pull a letter out of the middle of the word, just to make your acronym work? If you need an acronym, pick better words and/or a better acronym.

Fernapple replies on Jul 8, 2019:

Yes I do agree with you about that. It really gets me pissed off, when companies, who must employ expensive advertising people and P. R., use misprints and spellings for 'joke' names and logos, such as. "Boots R Us." What really annoys me about it, is that, it may have been a funny joke the first time someone used the idea, but after the possible customer has seen the first ten thousand bad spellings and puns or so, the joke gets a bit thin. The whole thing is tired, but it is especially bad when using worn out old ones, such as using "4" to stand as "for", the same old puns used over and over by many different groups. What makes people think that using someone else's worn out old joke is going to impress, and what are their P.R./advertising people being paid for, if they don't stop them.

" Anyone who tries make a distinction between education and entertainment, doesn't know the first ...

Realist9 comments on Jul 7, 2019:

I find most of my learning entertaining 🙂

Fernapple replies on Jul 7, 2019:

And it is very hard to learn anything if you do not emotionally engage with it, I think that was his intended instruction to teachers, that they must try for an emotional reaction in their pupils.

Eremurus, the fox tail lily is just coming to its peak now, the grass to the side is the Giant ...

JackPedigo comments on Jul 6, 2019:

Interesting and reminds me of a neighborhood garden show I once attended. There was a very tall plant similar to this one but it had a star shaped bulb. I bought one of these bulbs but didn't have any luck. This flower has a normal bulb with trailing arms. Now I'm curious to find the plant I w=once ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 6, 2019:

Not sure the bulbs of Eremurus could be described as star shaped so it is possible that it is your plant, and there are a number of colour forms.

Nature and Science made me more spiritual (by that I mean attuned to myself) than any religious ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Jul 5, 2019:

Same here--it is why I call myself a pagan atheist.

Fernapple replies on Jul 6, 2019:

@Tyrantmike Especially a perfect god who still makes mistakes ????

So apparently 45 said that the the airforce (correction) won the Revolutionary War?

Fernapple comments on Jul 5, 2019:

You have three choices. Either he is speaking deeply metaphorically and trying to engage the young with a deep feeling of the commonality of all history, or he is a complete idiot with no sense of history, or he needs several drinks before he speaks.

Fernapple replies on Jul 5, 2019:

@larsatrg That the three were not exclusive had occure to me too, but not until after I logged off. Well pointed out. LOL

Maybe I'm looking for the impossible.

Fernapple comments on Jun 29, 2019:

There are I think two things to keep in mind. The first being that it may be a mistake to ask for a simple understanding, biological evolution is a run away self feeding cascade, with nothing to limit its complexity, therefore even at the most basic level there may be no simple answers. And the ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 5, 2019:

@Piratefish Good luck with your quest.

I was not raised in a religious environment.

Amisja comments on Jul 4, 2019:

I know very few religious Brits. In fact weirdly, this came up this morning. We are getting a new colleague who is apparently religious. He is literally the only person I know in my place of work who is. I went to a CofE junior and high school and never felt preached at.

Fernapple replies on Jul 4, 2019:

@Allamanda Yes true, though this was a mixed school and one of them was at college.

I was not raised in a religious environment.

Amisja comments on Jul 4, 2019:

I know very few religious Brits. In fact weirdly, this came up this morning. We are getting a new colleague who is apparently religious. He is literally the only person I know in my place of work who is. I went to a CofE junior and high school and never felt preached at.

Fernapple replies on Jul 4, 2019:

@Allamanda Yes I think that is true. Ten years make quite a difference though, and when you combine that with a poor choice of school, and of course it is all about individuals, three in particular stand out for me. One fundamentalist who was a creationist and swore that aninals could not feel pain since they had no souls or minds but only acted like robots. One who stood me against the wall so that he could use me as a punch bag, and carefully targeted the soft areas so that the briuses would not show. And one who preached the religion had never done any harm, could not do harm, and that stories that were just begining to come out of the near east then were just lies.

I was not raised in a religious environment.

Amisja comments on Jul 4, 2019:

I know very few religious Brits. In fact weirdly, this came up this morning. We are getting a new colleague who is apparently religious. He is literally the only person I know in my place of work who is. I went to a CofE junior and high school and never felt preached at.

Fernapple replies on Jul 4, 2019:

I may be a generation older than you, (I think, tell me if its two.) and I caught the British education system at a stage when it was still very theistic. The nausia at the sham hypocricy of it still wakes me at night.

For the life of me i don't understand how in this day and age there are still, Flat Earthers, moon ...

mischl comments on Jul 3, 2019:

A lot of the deniers are just looking for attention.

Fernapple replies on Jul 4, 2019:

@TristanNuvo A lot of it may just be anti-establishmentism, on the part of those who resent being excluded from the establishment.

For the life of me i don't understand how in this day and age there are still, Flat Earthers, moon ...

Fernapple comments on Jul 3, 2019:

I think that a lot of flat earthers are simply indulging in an elaborate joke, some may be serious but not all. Here is quite a good overview of the history, if you forgive the annoying add at the start. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4l9Y5OHqpk

Fernapple replies on Jul 4, 2019:

@backwardsman Fine with me.

Donations to 'religion' declined $2 billion in 2018 after years of growth: study - The Christian ...

bobwjr comments on Jul 3, 2019:

As long as it is evangelical Christians declining not the few who actually do charitable work

Fernapple replies on Jul 4, 2019:

You never know, but almost certainly some of that spare money that went into the collecting boxes, will now be going to charities.

You just have to be amazed at the places robot get to go these days. [youtube.com]

RoyMillar comments on Jul 3, 2019:

Hope i am around to see all this ,very excititng

Fernapple replies on Jul 4, 2019:

Yes me too, Will be seventy six by then.

HOW NOT TO FIND A PARTNER -Lessons from an old man I have a friend whose wife died a year ago.

Fernapple comments on Jul 3, 2019:

It may be well to tell your friend not to be so hasty anyway. I know that life is short and he is not young, but you are not yourself after loosing a partner for at least a year, ( The old idea of mourning for twelve months at least, had some wisdom. ) your judgment is very impaired by grief for a ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 3, 2019:

@Ms_McSteven You are very wise. I have no real experience of divorse, my wife had been divorced for a while when we met, but any sort of trauma like that will spoil your judgement for a long time. When my wife died I had several quick and foolish relatoionships in the following couple of years, fortunately in all cases they came to nothing due to cirumstaces, or we could have made very silly mistakes that would have taken a lot of getting over.

This nails the current state of medicine, at least in the US and much of the western world.

Geoffrey51 comments on Jul 2, 2019:

That sounds in line with other globalised industries. Unfortunately we no longer have room for the entrepreneurial spirit unless you are self-funded. The days of philanthropic sponsorship for science has probably faded away as the bottom line seems to be return on investment rather than beneficial...

Fernapple replies on Jul 3, 2019:

Things may of course be far worse in the US (US centric article I think. ) where medicine is a for profit industry and nothing more, than it is in Australia and here in the UK, where it is mitagated to some degree by the health services.

if there is not God, I would like to know where did everything come from?

Fernapple comments on Jul 2, 2019:

Not all questions can be answered, but because there is no proven answer that does not mean that any answer that someone can imagine, like god for example, is therefore by default the correct one. And since there are tens of thousands of such invented answers, it would be a very long shot to pick ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 3, 2019:

@OwlInASack Thank you, that is I have no doubt very good advice. I have not so far used the block, since being curious about what is out there is one of my main reasons for being here, and so far there have been no problems. Though I have been blocked once, but only by a very boring snob, for telling him he was a boring snob, sometimes I am a bit too hasty, but that is his loss. I think that this person left long before I posted the comment anyway, which is kind of sad because everyone should welcome exposure to alternative views even if they can't change their minds.

Survey: As many Americans claim no religion as there are evangelicals, Catholics - CNN

IamNobody comments on Jul 1, 2019:

We don't need a black president, we don't need a female president, etc etc etc... What we need is a hard core truly secular president.

Fernapple replies on Jul 3, 2019:

@IamNobody You could have a black female atheist. The three in one, was a joking reference to the holy trinity.

Visit to the Edinburgh Royal Botanical Garden

Robecology comments on Jul 2, 2019:

Did you intend to post images? None here...(edited)...yay! fixed!.

Fernapple replies on Jul 3, 2019:

They are showing now.

if there is not God, I would like to know where did everything come from?

Fernapple comments on Jul 2, 2019:

Not all questions can be answered, but because there is no proven answer that does not mean that any answer that someone can imagine, like god for example, is therefore by default the correct one. And since there are tens of thousands of such invented answers, it would be a very long shot to pick ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 3, 2019:

@OwlInASack True, its just me giving everybody the benefit of the doubt as usual.

Survey: As many Americans claim no religion as there are evangelicals, Catholics - CNN

IamNobody comments on Jul 1, 2019:

We don't need a black president, we don't need a female president, etc etc etc... What we need is a hard core truly secular president.

Fernapple replies on Jul 2, 2019:

Don't you think that this is a case where the three in one priciple would be good.

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of ...

Fernapple comments on Jul 2, 2019:

So they want the impossible then, that's a good money spinner, the churches made a fortune out of that one.

Fernapple replies on Jul 2, 2019:

@Marionville I am sure it is well meaning, now, but like the US when they wrote the 'pursuit of happiness' into the constitution, it can become a monster, which can never be met but by feeding mass poplulist expectation and by being miss read, it becomes the justification for every form of abuse, and the promotion of hate.

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of ...

Fernapple comments on Jul 2, 2019:

So they want the impossible then, that's a good money spinner, the churches made a fortune out of that one.

Fernapple replies on Jul 2, 2019:

@Marionville Sorry to be cynical but it is the oldest trick in the world used by the ad industry especially, set up impossibly high expectations, which could never be filled, then tell people their present product is not giving it to them, and of course it is not, but then tell them ours will. And we have to be very wary, as the grip of the churches, over at least the mildly gullible, fades, there will be plenty of institutions ready and willing to step in and take up the mantle.

The unusual long flower spikes of Ligularia przewalskiae are coming out now in the garden down near ...

ShadowAmicus comments on Jul 1, 2019:

looks attractive and unusual - it growing up from that toothy palmate leaf at the bottom right of pic?

Fernapple replies on Jul 2, 2019:

Yes the foliage is worth having on its own.

The unusual long flower spikes of Ligularia przewalskiae are coming out now in the garden down near ...

glennlab comments on Jul 1, 2019:

nice, do you have any close ups of the individual flowers?

Fernapple replies on Jul 1, 2019:

May post some soon.

What does Religion fear?

Jolanta comments on Jul 1, 2019:

And nobody putting any money into the box.

Fernapple replies on Jul 1, 2019:

Free church, now that is scary.

WARNING! WARNING! DANGER WILL ROBINSON DANGER! So I had a desperate thought today.

Fernapple comments on Jun 30, 2019:

The churches will always have the advantage of ready made community, at least until there is a Humanist coffee shop on every high street. And sadly that will not happen, since most of sceptical people are only linked to each other by a negative view. (Not a Humanist myself.) There are in most parts ...

Fernapple replies on Jul 1, 2019:

@patchoullijulie Good luck.

“Culture – the way we express ourselves and understand each other – can bind us together as ...

Fernapple comments on Jun 30, 2019:

Love the music, but can't agree with the headline. It is culture which more than anything drives people apart.

Fernapple replies on Jun 30, 2019:

@MissKathleen Not sure, there are cultures in the world, more than one, who believe that music is evil and that people who listen to it should be punished. They are valid and widespread cultures.

I went off to a 40's & 50's singles group yesterday afternoon.

IamNobody comments on Jun 30, 2019:

Wish I had a group like that here, the most boring place in the whole freaking world !!!!!....

Fernapple replies on Jun 30, 2019:

If it is more boring than my village you have my sympathy.

I went off to a 40's & 50's singles group yesterday afternoon.

Bungaloebob comments on Jun 30, 2019:

AND THAT SHOULD BE YOUR MOTTO...growing old following my passions. You can't go wrong there...i totally agree with your entire post here. Most singles AREA BORING...talking about stuff that matters to NOBODY. Good luck to you Ma'am.

Fernapple replies on Jun 30, 2019:

If they wern't boring they would have found a friend.

I went off to a 40's & 50's singles group yesterday afternoon.

Fernapple comments on Jun 30, 2019:

Beach is the usual hang out for boring people, to find interesting ones climb a mountain.

Fernapple replies on Jun 30, 2019:

@Remi Yes I am sure there are interesting people on the beach, but the beach certainly attracts the boring ones in droves, hardly ever met a dull one up a mountain.

What do you think about Deism?

Fernapple comments on Jun 23, 2019:

A god who hides, is from a practical point of view, exactly the same as one who does not exist; therefore its a none issue.

Fernapple replies on Jun 30, 2019:

@Liam Yes I am familiar with the history of Deism, but I think that the poster was more interested in the popular modern meaning. Please note the phrase, 'from a practical point of view'. A god who can be understood only through the mechanics/practicallities of the universe leaves nothing for us to study except the mechanics of the universe, and if there is no god then the only thing we have to study are the mechanics of the universe, therefore they are equal. The slight nuance that you may be able to read some intent in the mechanics of the universe, such as, 'god was very fond of beetles,' is not really relevant.

Compassion is the basis of morality.......Arthur Schopenhauer.

brentan comments on Jun 30, 2019:

I'm not sure that's true. I think survival of the tribe is the basis for morality.

Fernapple replies on Jun 30, 2019:

There may be more than one cause of course.

I firmly believe this

Amisja comments on Jun 29, 2019:

I must a bloody stunner then..Thing is it never got me anywhere

Fernapple replies on Jun 30, 2019:

Must be the Lancastrian accent.

It must be summer at last, not only is this the first warm weather here in the UK, but the bowlers ...

bobwjr comments on Jun 28, 2019:

Beautiful picture

Fernapple replies on Jun 28, 2019:

Thank you.

It must be summer at last, not only is this the first warm weather here in the UK, but the bowlers ...

thinktwice comments on Jun 28, 2019:

What is it that they are playing? This picture is gorgeous!!

Fernapple replies on Jun 28, 2019:

Lawn Bowls, it is a popular sport here in the UK, especially with older people. You have a small white ball called the jack and you try to roll your bowls, which are not quite as big as skittles bowls, to be as near the jack as possible. Complications include the fact that the bowls are wighted so that they bend as they go, trying to knock your opponents bowls away and trying to move the jack or block the path in.

Lao-Tzu, from the Tao Te Ching Translated by Stephen Mitchell We join spokes together in a ...

Fernapple comments on Jun 27, 2019:

Every quarry is a cathedral in the negative. ( I like quarries. )

Fernapple replies on Jun 28, 2019:

@DonFallon I wrote that. We used to visit quarries collecting stone for rockery work in gardens, often the limestone was filled with quite beautiful fossils, yet much of it was just used for building blocks or even fed into grinders to make lime. I thought at the time that it was a waste and a failing of appreciation, since surely the buildings built with it could not realy be half so beautiful. Yet having said that at least some of it would be appreciated, and some of its beauty would be seen, and it was then that the thought occured.

Serendipity.

thinktwice comments on Jun 27, 2019:

That is a bit creepy! ha ha ha

Fernapple replies on Jun 27, 2019:

@thinktwice Thanks.

Serendipity.

thinktwice comments on Jun 27, 2019:

That is a bit creepy! ha ha ha

Fernapple replies on Jun 27, 2019:

Congrates on spotting it right away. If it was Jesus on a piece of toast, I could have sold it for money, but stalkers are not so marketable. LOL

Serendipity.

ToolGuy comments on Jun 27, 2019:

She is looking at it?

Fernapple replies on Jun 27, 2019:

No away. for a clue look at the little drawing I did for Kynlei below.

Serendipity.

Kynlei comments on Jun 27, 2019:

I'm stumped.

Fernapple replies on Jun 27, 2019:

@Kynlei There is a crab there too, so award yourself double points if you spoted that.

Serendipity.

Kynlei comments on Jun 27, 2019:

I'm stumped.

Fernapple replies on Jun 27, 2019:

Perhaps this little drawing will help.

Hello to all my Agnostics friends.

Fernapple comments on Jun 27, 2019:

Have a great day, well done for keeping your interest going.

Fernapple replies on Jun 27, 2019:

@Marionville Yes I thought so, I remember that you posting about your loss was one of the first things I came across when I joined about nine months ago.

How do you teach your teenagers ethics and values?

frisbee212 comments on Jun 27, 2019:

Begin teaching ethics and morals and empathy, when they are babes.... children are smart... if you're asking about your teenagers, well..you missed the boat. It's too late for you... have a nice Wal-Mart

Fernapple replies on Jun 27, 2019:

It is sad that we concentrate education in the teenage years, since according to some very good neurological science, the human brain melts down during the teenage years as in converts from the childs brain to an adults, so that those are the worst years for learning.