While in Cyprus this week I found that a lot of gardens had Bougainvillea in flower.

Cutiebeauty comments on Dec 8, 2018:

Those are lovely especially the white one..

Fernapple replies on Dec 8, 2018:

Thank you, they do come in all colours but I thought the white especially lovely.

While in Cyprus this week I found that a lot of gardens had Bougainvillea in flower.

FrayedBear comments on Dec 8, 2018:

If I remember rightly they respond to being given a good physical thrashing.

Fernapple replies on Dec 8, 2018:

Like Walnut trees then. They do seem to have a lot of vigour.

Blank line

zeuser comments on Dec 8, 2018:

It may have to do With your browser Or your hardware. Cuz it looks like I can do it without any effort.

Fernapple replies on Dec 8, 2018:

Me too, seems to be there are several things like hovering that only work for some people, I think that the site perhaps works best if you use a computer not a mobile device.

Like most gardeners I only take holidays in the winter.

CourreurDeBois comments on Dec 7, 2018:

I would be looking for seeds

Fernapple replies on Dec 7, 2018:

Could be worth a try, but then I would have to take another holiday when they are ripe. Oh its a hard life but someone has to live it. Seriously though it may be that some of our local 'Alpine' nurseries have it, so I can enjoy looking there.

My garden minions are calling for the start of new plants.

Alvinsmama comments on Dec 6, 2018:

Much success to you. I've tried growing plants from seeds and never succeeded.

Fernapple replies on Dec 7, 2018:

@Zoohome Many a thousand seed and many rare plants in our gardens were found on the compost heep, don't worry even great botanic gardens have found things on the compost heap.

Nothing makes me crazier then trying to spell psychiatrist ????

LiterateHiker comments on Dec 6, 2018:

I'm an excellent speller. But I trip up on spelling these four words: Recommend Luxury Accommodate Playwright

Fernapple replies on Dec 6, 2018:

I could not recommend anywhere that would accommodate a playwright in luxury. But I never read introductions, and wonder why you ask such a thing on this site.

Hello all i just joined and just to say hi from Norfolk .

Fernapple comments on Dec 4, 2018:

Hello from Lincolnshire that's the equally cold and windy place just round the Wash. Good to know that there are Two of us in the North east at least, anyway if it gets told cold and bleak then at least now we have this site for distraction.

Fernapple replies on Dec 5, 2018:

@Hebert54 My female relatives object to that, but I have to say its true the north is the last bastion of matriarchy. Though real dragons are nice animals and they help you to keep warm in winter.

Hello all i just joined and just to say hi from Norfolk .

Fernapple comments on Dec 4, 2018:

Hello from Lincolnshire that's the equally cold and windy place just round the Wash. Good to know that there are Two of us in the North east at least, anyway if it gets told cold and bleak then at least now we have this site for distraction.

Fernapple replies on Dec 5, 2018:

@Jnei Interestingly on a serious point, it is usual for ecologists to put the north south divide roughly on a line from the Wash to the Wirral, if you think about it it works quite well, and I go with it because at least it is real and not political, though it does cut Linc's in two.

Next time a religious person approach you and try to talk about God, do this.

Novelty comments on Dec 5, 2018:

When someone tells me about their faith I tell them to have faith that everyone will be fine after we die because we all go to the same place. It’s weird how theist either blow out their cool and argue relentlessly or tell me how inspirational what I said was. Neither one seems to get how factual ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 5, 2018:

Cool thought. The afterlife they believe in only seems to have value for them if it is exclusive, because otherwise it makes no difference if there is one or not.

If this is a 'possum I'll be a bobtailed raccoon.

Beowulfsfriend comments on Dec 4, 2018:

I believe that is an Australian possum. They are called possums and are related to the opossum in North America.

Fernapple replies on Dec 5, 2018:

@Wurlitzer There are several sorts in S, America, but none here in Europe, I think they do not like ice ages or mean people.

Hello all i just joined and just to say hi from Norfolk .

Fernapple comments on Dec 4, 2018:

Hello from Lincolnshire that's the equally cold and windy place just round the Wash. Good to know that there are Two of us in the North east at least, anyway if it gets told cold and bleak then at least now we have this site for distraction.

Fernapple replies on Dec 5, 2018:

@Jnei Sorry, but it is hard to say where Lincolnshire is exactly.If we say east anglia, people say no. if we say east midlands people say we are not in the midlands, if we say north people say we are not in the north. We seem not to belong and to be forgotten, which can be nice sometimes. So with the trent, humber, north sea and fens/wash on four sides we are nearly an island, and with rising sea levels we will soon be just that and able to go UDI. Oh happy Yellow Bellies.

Love this lol

Elganned comments on Dec 3, 2018:

I don't get it.

Fernapple replies on Dec 3, 2018:

@darien75 Well maybe you are warm and easy going in your judgment, while I am a cynical old !!!!!!.

Are you a bully? Fox News says you are. [mavenroundtable.io]

powder comments on Dec 2, 2018:

At least we aren't the weak as piss cunts who target children and threaten them with eternal damnation if they don't believe our bs. PS science comes from scientia, Latin for knowledge. And knowledge has been around a tad longer than 2000 years. Protestant priest my arse. Did he also invent Latin?

Fernapple replies on Dec 3, 2018:

It is only four or five words out of many thousands of science terms anyway, don't worry I have not time to list them all.

Love this lol

Elganned comments on Dec 3, 2018:

I don't get it.

Fernapple replies on Dec 3, 2018:

@darien75 Oh, I thought it was an insurance scam.

.. i miss my garden, i miss summer, i love the green of spring time :)

WarmFluffy comments on Nov 27, 2018:

I like warm weather, too.

Fernapple replies on Nov 28, 2018:

@mahina_child And somewhere where the flowers and seasons are different, I love to go to the Med. in winter for that reason especially.

Voting . . . . Is like wishing for a unicorn to show up.

Jolanta comments on Nov 24, 2018:

Well, not quite true, after all Karl Marx had a lot of power in his life. He was a philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary. We all have power but the price for it may not be palatable for many. Power is not necessary, power over ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 27, 2018:

@Jolanta Thanks, that made my day.

Voting . . . . Is like wishing for a unicorn to show up.

Jolanta comments on Nov 24, 2018:

Well, not quite true, after all Karl Marx had a lot of power in his life. He was a philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary. We all have power but the price for it may not be palatable for many. Power is not necessary, power over ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 27, 2018:

@Jolanta, @THHA OK, since Jolanta got me back on this page I will make one more reply. It is called "history" and therefore all the threads are attached, and have been so since the start, that is the nature of history.

Voting . . . . Is like wishing for a unicorn to show up.

Jolanta comments on Nov 24, 2018:

Well, not quite true, after all Karl Marx had a lot of power in his life. He was a philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary. We all have power but the price for it may not be palatable for many. Power is not necessary, power over ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 27, 2018:

@Jolanta Very impatient, but please explain vegemite, since it is one I have not encountered before and it sounds fun.

Former cult members, at what moment did you go, “oh fuck, I’m in a cult”?

48thRonin comments on Nov 25, 2018:

When I was standing in the middle of desert wearing the same clothes as everyone else and being told that we will sacrifice ourselves for the greater good. No hold on wait that was the Army. ?

Fernapple replies on Nov 26, 2018:

They both use many of the same methods.

Honestly missionaries are evil.

Bierbasstard comments on Nov 26, 2018:

Just as bad are the "hard" atheists on this site that feel that their "esoteric philosophies" are somehow so deep and enlightened that they feel the need to inform the rest of us that we are somehow lacking in our lack of belief or knowledge.

Fernapple replies on Nov 26, 2018:

@Bierbasstard I agree with you.The big division which really counts, is between holding groundless belief or not, the niceties within scepticism are tiny and unimportant compared with that. Some may think that they are on a higher rung of the ladder than others, and that may be true, but the really important thing is to have looked up and started the climb out of the cesspit of ignorance and prejudice which is blind unquestioning faith, looking at the light and not swimming nose down among the sludge where the users want to keep you. Therefore it is cruel and unfair to despise those who use a different ladder or can not climb quite as fast, and for that reason I always call myself a 'Broad Church Sceptic.' But do not worry about the meaning of words, people who want to argue about that are pointless, since words do not have meanings only usages, and any person is as right to give any meaning to a word they, wish as long as they make their definition clear.

Making Mince meat and Christmas cakes.

Varn comments on Nov 25, 2018:

I’ve always thought ‘mincemeat’ was just a cartoon threat ;-)

Fernapple replies on Nov 26, 2018:

@Petter, @Varn It is so good that I sometimes think mincepies are the best thing the UK ever invented. Apart from "Toad In The Hole" ( Does not contain toad.) "Season Pudding", ( No seasons included.) "Summer Puddding" (No Summer.) and Plum loaf, Which guess what , does not contain plums.

Making Mince meat and Christmas cakes.

Varn comments on Nov 25, 2018:

I’ve always thought ‘mincemeat’ was just a cartoon threat ;-)

Fernapple replies on Nov 26, 2018:

@Petter Thank you that is interesting and I will follow the link.

Voting . . . . Is like wishing for a unicorn to show up.

Jolanta comments on Nov 24, 2018:

Well, not quite true, after all Karl Marx had a lot of power in his life. He was a philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary. We all have power but the price for it may not be palatable for many. Power is not necessary, power over ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 26, 2018:

@THHA I do not think that it matters in the least if the power goes at a tangent or not. It is still power. You are trying to support your argument by using a personal definition of the word power so narrow that I do not think that anyone else would agree to it. And in the end that makes this just an argument about the usages of words, which I have no time for, since they are always pointless, so Bye.

Is Christmas a well earned break from the working world or a major inconvenience because you can’t...

GwenC comments on Nov 25, 2018:

It is one single day that some things are closed. You'll survive.

Fernapple replies on Nov 25, 2018:

Wow. You are lucky, round here nearly everything closes from xmas eve till new years day.

I take it a lot of you heard about the recent slaying of a illegally trespassing missionary off the ...

evergreen comments on Nov 25, 2018:

I'll have to admit ... there have been times when, faced with overzealous, holier-than-thou types, were it legal, I might have fired up my bow and arrow too !

Fernapple replies on Nov 25, 2018:

Do you know where you can get archery lessons? We are troubled by doorbell pushers round here.

I read a post on Facebook yesterday with a bunch of christian friends saying they know the Bible ...

John_Tyrrell comments on Nov 25, 2018:

"Back to the Bible" which many Christians claim is the type of religion they follow really means "make it up as you go along." Nothing wrong with that, because "make it up as you go along" was what the writers of the Bible did.

Fernapple replies on Nov 25, 2018:

Not sure. What is wrong with it is that, nobody else gets to make it up as they go along and then claim they have gods backing behind them.

Making Mince meat and Christmas cakes.

Varn comments on Nov 25, 2018:

I’ve always thought ‘mincemeat’ was just a cartoon threat ;-)

Fernapple replies on Nov 25, 2018:

Do you not have it in the US ? It is very popular over here, it dose not contain any meat, it is a mixture of dried fruit and spice with sugar and a small amount of dried fat. Yum, I can smell it now.

Voting . . . . Is like wishing for a unicorn to show up.

Jolanta comments on Nov 24, 2018:

Well, not quite true, after all Karl Marx had a lot of power in his life. He was a philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary. We all have power but the price for it may not be palatable for many. Power is not necessary, power over ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 25, 2018:

@maturin1919 I agree. His ideas still had power after his death, they killed at least six million Russians and many more beside. What has your funeral got to do with power.

Religion is like a blind man looking in a black room for a black cat that isn’t there, and finding...

Fernapple comments on Nov 25, 2018:

I like this, though D. Allen I think in "Iamnoboddy's" post below seems to do it better. While sadly, I am sorry to say, the resort of many who claim to find the cat, is then to threaten to punch anyone who casts doubt on the black cat.

Fernapple replies on Nov 25, 2018:

@Marionville Always start with the original, and go back to first source. ( If theists did that! )

What platitudes really drive you mad?

WilliamFleming comments on Nov 24, 2018:

I believe that from a cosmic perspective things really do happen for reasons and things that happen transcend the human concept of good vs. bad. It’s all good IMO, and that’s no platitude.

Fernapple replies on Nov 24, 2018:

That's no different from theism, except that anyone who believes that is vain enough to think that they can write their own bible.

What platitudes really drive you mad?

kltuckmn comments on Nov 24, 2018:

He/she is in a better place. Makes me wanna puke or slap them silly.

Fernapple replies on Nov 24, 2018:

Especially since they tend to use that one most when they are talking about childrens deaths.Yuk.

Listen to this pastor attempt to prove the existence of god while denying the existence of you! (4 ...

Untamedshrew comments on Nov 24, 2018:

Ah, I'm an atheist because I don't like rules and I worship myself, now I get it! As a social worker, who often gets blessed for doing "the lord's work", I just wish I could find a way to politely inform people these good deeds are done by a godless heathen.

Fernapple replies on Nov 24, 2018:

There are good people and there are people who don't do good unless god tells them to.

Why do otherwise rational people believe in GOD?

p-nullifidian comments on Oct 8, 2018:

At the heart of the debate lies—it seems to me—the fundamental belief, or lack thereof, in the dichotomy of what Stephen Jay Gould referred to as non-overlapping magisteria (NOMA). In such a worldview, science has its domain, while religion has its own separate space—the two don’t overlap. ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 24, 2018:

@KittiPerry I was addressing the philosophy of religion rather than the psychology, but be that as it may, I am still happy to try an answer. What you say is certainly true but we do not spend all our life in high emotion. We all should, and many do, step back and evaluate with the rational brain. That people do not, and do not understand the need to do so, is the fault of western education systems. Which are all too willing to willfully neglect the teaching of the need for carefull thought and good thinking in order to avoid the conflict with their need to indoctrinate. It has been pointed out before, that education in the west tends to be dominated by an unnatural pairing of the far religious right and the far liberal left. So much so, that it is a common-place to say. "I do not agree with what the left/right stand for but at least many of them do good work in the schools." Yet of course the reason why those two groups are dominant in education and happy to come together with those who you would think are their natural enemies, is because they both share a mutual need to indoctrinate, and therefore thought and education are supressed by the very people who are employed to educate. This is the main reason why people are happy to accept emotional proof only, because that is how they were trained to think.

Like button

Fernapple comments on Nov 23, 2018:

Yes. do not push the like button, just hover over it, then go down the menu and click your choice just once, you only click once; if you double click it wipes the click on the like button which counts as a like itself. Sometimes you have to wait a second for it to come up, be patient.

Fernapple replies on Nov 23, 2018:

@RavenCT I am, sad to say, very old now and would not be without a desktop; nice big screen for old tiered eyes, nice big buttons and mouse for old hands, but most of all no recharging and no downtime because up-dates are almost instant. If I go out I use a tablet nice and big again, but I often wonder why the IT world is so obsessed with tiny, human beings are not getting smaller or growing smaller eyes and fingers. What practical value is a smart watch when we get one, as they say we will? Is it not just a trend which has over-run its course?

Like button

Fernapple comments on Nov 23, 2018:

Yes. do not push the like button, just hover over it, then go down the menu and click your choice just once, you only click once; if you double click it wipes the click on the like button which counts as a like itself. Sometimes you have to wait a second for it to come up, be patient.

Fernapple replies on Nov 23, 2018:

@RavenCT Wonderful site worth a big screen.

Like button

Fernapple comments on Nov 23, 2018:

Yes. do not push the like button, just hover over it, then go down the menu and click your choice just once, you only click once; if you double click it wipes the click on the like button which counts as a like itself. Sometimes you have to wait a second for it to come up, be patient.

Fernapple replies on Nov 23, 2018:

@bingst The site is obviously built for people with computers. A lot of sites are not that mobile friendly, though that would depend on the mobile ap you are using.

Like button

Fernapple comments on Nov 23, 2018:

Yes. do not push the like button, just hover over it, then go down the menu and click your choice just once, you only click once; if you double click it wipes the click on the like button which counts as a like itself. Sometimes you have to wait a second for it to come up, be patient.

Fernapple replies on Nov 23, 2018:

@bingst It works for me. My mouse has magic powers!

Those who know nothing and ask questions are smarter than those who know nothing and give answers.

IamNobody comments on Nov 23, 2018:

Whenever in doubt ask......even if you know, ask anyway...it is always fun and you may discover a new angle

Fernapple replies on Nov 23, 2018:

That's a good one worth posting as a quote on its own.

What's a Basal Breed? [nationalpurebreddogday.com] interesting...

Fernapple comments on Nov 19, 2018:

Interesting, but on the whole I do not approve of pure bred dog breeding. To take an animal as wonderful and capable of so much as a dog, and to think of nothing better to do with it than to genetically disable it and repeatedly inbreed it, merely for ornamental fancy, seems to me to be a failure of...

Fernapple replies on Nov 23, 2018:

@motrubl4u No I am well aware of that and think it a very good thing. I just do not like the whole showing business especially, for much the same reason that some feminists do not like beauty contests. I think that intelegent socail animals deserve more respect, and should be valued for better things.

Hello, I'm new to the site.

Fernapple comments on Nov 22, 2018:

No one here will, I think, judge you for being a none believer don't worry. They will almost certainly tell you that they don't like your taste in politicians, climate laws, clothes, hats, salad dressings, hotels, pets, cars, poets, TV, sports clubs, pot plants, and table cloths etc. But never for ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 22, 2018:

@Varn Yep.

Do you think it is inevitable that with increasing understanding and the resulting applied ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 22, 2018:

It is to be hoped that we will find some way to genetically control ourselves. Because at this time all the selective forces that come from increasing civilization will only have a negative effect on us. Somebody once said that our next step forward in evolution is to become too stupid to use ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 22, 2018:

@rcandlish I would have thought that if virtual sex stops the real in some, then that would speed our decline. I do not think that without some form of eugenics anyone can resist the dumbing down, you can not fight evolution, though you may control it, that is confusing cultural evolution with genetic evolution. And sex the vitual form of which is just another contraceptive, with sexual selection which is how we choose those we reproduce with.

When you are young, and simple things seem enough. [youtube.com]

Stephanie99 comments on Nov 22, 2018:

Cute.

Fernapple replies on Nov 22, 2018:

I like cute too. Some would say that I should be over it by my age, but it just does not go away.

How jocund did they drive their team afield! How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke! ...

brentan comments on Nov 22, 2018:

That's nicely put by the man. It has a similar theme to Ozymandias. Ambition is probably a good thing in itself but not the type that is just the craving for power and money,

Fernapple replies on Nov 22, 2018:

Yes this bit is very like Ozymadias, and as you probably know, it is from the Elergy In A Country Churchyard; though it is not an elergy. It is well worth looking up if you do not know it because although it does not have the same force as Ozymandias it does cover a much wider range of themes.

This is a new idea, though many may have kind of guessed it was likely.

Cast1es comments on Nov 22, 2018:

Interesting to read , but I keep wondering , what effect does this different concept have on today's society ?

Fernapple replies on Nov 22, 2018:

It gives the nerds like me a bit of joy.

OK just because I like dogs, especially if they are smarter than the average creationist.

Marionville comments on Nov 22, 2018:

Of course she’s smarter than the average dog....she’s Scottish and female, just like me! Uses logical thinking too...we could be sisters...(no bitch jokes, please) !! ?

Fernapple replies on Nov 22, 2018:

Yes, she is exactly like every other Scottish female; bright, beautiful, full of life, intelligent, friendly, happy to please, silken of hair and above all, wet of nose. (Its something to do with the weather I think.)

Just my opinion.

SleeplessInTexas comments on Nov 22, 2018:

What if you have both? Hmm..

Fernapple replies on Nov 22, 2018:

@OwlInASack Statistically you are also more likely to kill yourself by accident, than a none gun owner is likely to be murdered.

One for future history perhaps. [youtube.com]

Markss76118 comments on Nov 22, 2018:

Looks like horiffic problems with no workable solutions. I think there would have to be transparency, responsibility and consequences to have any solutions. That seems totally unlikely to me.

Fernapple replies on Nov 22, 2018:

Yes it is also the doubtful art of futureology, which is alway questionable.

What social media app do you use the most on your phone?

Quazi comments on Nov 20, 2018:

Same I hardly use fb anymore. Mostly this now. Much more thought provoking and eye opening

Fernapple replies on Nov 21, 2018:

@Quazi Yes that would be a good thing. And there is no need, if it is well handled, for this site to grow into a shambolic shallow mindless rambling mess. Lets hope.

What social media app do you use the most on your phone?

Quazi comments on Nov 20, 2018:

Same I hardly use fb anymore. Mostly this now. Much more thought provoking and eye opening

Fernapple replies on Nov 20, 2018:

Lets hope this site does not get too big and becomes like facebook too.

What is the most interesting thing you have seen from an airplane?

nvrnuff comments on Nov 20, 2018:

The pilot.

Fernapple replies on Nov 20, 2018:

As he sailed past the window wearing his parachute ?

I remember this from High School, still apt today.

flithyMONKEYmen comments on Nov 20, 2018:

Fantastic Shel Silverstein. Here’s my favorite.... (although I’m quite fond of rolling on rugs, kissing and hugging, too lol)

Fernapple replies on Nov 20, 2018:

Like your favourite.

Has anybody made a heatmap for the members?

itsmedammit comments on Nov 20, 2018:

Ah found it. Go to Browse Members. There is a map view option.

Fernapple replies on Nov 20, 2018:

Thank I had not seen that.

More natural history than is usual for this group, but the look at bird behavior is wonderful.

Leafhead comments on Nov 19, 2018:

I have always appreciated the intelligence of crows, ravens, magpies and jays

Fernapple replies on Nov 20, 2018:

Me too, one of my friends just five doors up the street has a collony in the trees behind her house. Envy.

The mild autumn leaves still a lot of colour in the garden, and now the winter flowers are starting ...

flower_nut comments on Nov 19, 2018:

Wow! You're in the right climate to have a garden. I just cleaned off all my dahlias after digging them out of the ground last week. Placed them in boxes and stored them away until spring. I still have some winterizing to do around the yard. The important thing is our oil tank is full with plenty ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

It must be nice to live where there are good clear seasons though. Most of my autumn work is done now except I still have to wrap my tree ferns.

Is The Bible 100% Accurate? This Pastor Thinks So - YouTube

darien75 comments on Nov 19, 2018:

How can a book that has no official author and has been modified some 1400+ times be accurate. The very fact that chapters have been added and removed to suit the ideals of the church proves its anything but accurate. These so called pastors and ministers and priests are out for financial gain plain...

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

@darien75 That's OK, I tend to type fast too, and you should see some of the misunderstandings that causes. And at least this one gave me a chance to make a point. Keep up the good work.

What's a Basal Breed? [nationalpurebreddogday.com] interesting...

Fernapple comments on Nov 19, 2018:

Interesting, but on the whole I do not approve of pure bred dog breeding. To take an animal as wonderful and capable of so much as a dog, and to think of nothing better to do with it than to genetically disable it and repeatedly inbreed it, merely for ornamental fancy, seems to me to be a failure of...

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

@Qualia Well you obviously care about dogs, which is the main thing, and I know that most good breeders, as you say, do care. So I guess that we will have to agree to differ. But I will add that it is not only bad and evil people who cause harm, far more pain and suffering is caused in the world especially to the weak and voiceless, by good intentioned even loving people who act insensitively unintellegently. The world is full of people who love their dogs yet are unthinkingly happy to leave them bored and lonely for hours on end every day, and breeding is not immune from such problems either. I hate legeslation, yet I do think that dog owning should require a licence and the passing of a test at least as strongly set as a driving test. And that at least the deliberate breeding of many fancy breeds especially those of extremely large or small sizes which puts strains on the dogs anatomy should be banned.

Is The Bible 100% Accurate? This Pastor Thinks So - YouTube

johnprytz comments on Nov 19, 2018:

As do nearly all of the extreme right-wing fundamentalist Christians. Bryan Fischer (of the American Family Association) and End Times fanatic Michele Bachmann (former congresswoman from Minnesota) immediately come to mind.

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

Never heard of those, for which I am very grateful, but thank you for the information anyway.

Is The Bible 100% Accurate? This Pastor Thinks So - YouTube

darien75 comments on Nov 19, 2018:

How can a book that has no official author and has been modified some 1400+ times be accurate. The very fact that chapters have been added and removed to suit the ideals of the church proves its anything but accurate. These so called pastors and ministers and priests are out for financial gain plain...

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

True. But they do have a clue; they have a clue that if they tell enough lies to enough gullable ill educated victims for long enough they can get a lot of money.

PragerFU: Does Science Argue For or Against God? - misterdeity [youtube.com]

WilliamCharles comments on Nov 19, 2018:

Just saw one of those. Their pieces are almost always smug and lacking much merit. This one was classic in the odds of life was seen as virtually impossible without their magic man whose supposed existence apparently doesn't fall into a similar odds calculation

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

Yes you just get the statement, "god is eternal". As if that explained anything, and did not need any explanation itself.

The mild autumn leaves still a lot of colour in the garden, and now the winter flowers are starting ...

MojoDave comments on Nov 19, 2018:

Iris foetidissima, I had to look that one up

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

Stinking Iris in other words, the flowers are a little palid, but the berries are good, and it does not really stink that i can tell.

What's a Basal Breed? [nationalpurebreddogday.com] interesting...

Fernapple comments on Nov 19, 2018:

Interesting, but on the whole I do not approve of pure bred dog breeding. To take an animal as wonderful and capable of so much as a dog, and to think of nothing better to do with it than to genetically disable it and repeatedly inbreed it, merely for ornamental fancy, seems to me to be a failure of...

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

@Qualia No I do not think that any dog is just a pure ornament, quite the contrary. That is why I think that the motivation to breed just for ornament is so immoral and so short of good taste. Many breeds suffer from terrible genetic failings, often crippled by hip and spinal failings, or breathing difficulties, and in many cases with much reduced life spans. If someone took an iron bar and beat a dog so badly that it could not walk properly, had difficulty breathing for the rest of its life and died young, they would be brought before the law. Why therefore are breeders able to do it and get away with it? I have no problem with careful selective breeding, but I do think that animal legislation should include the right of any animal not to be forced into incest just for human amusement.

Do you celebrate Christmas?

LiterateHiker comments on Nov 19, 2018:

As an atheist, I celebrate Christmas in a non-religious way. No nativity scene or Christmas tree. Instead, I make a great meal for family members. Set the table beautifully. We exchange wrapped gifts. Decorate with a Victorian village on the table, dolls made by my great aunts and uncles, ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

Family, food and company, those are not only the most important things, but also the deep and meaning full things.

Sometimes I just lay here and wonder how the human race can be sooo naive with the religious ...

powder comments on Nov 19, 2018:

Stop indoctrination of children will stop it. Makes you realise how powerful repetition in message is that mature adults still believe the obvious fantasy first introduced in childhood but reinforced with a lifetime of repetition. Human minds can be trained like animals by breaking the spirit. It's ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

True. And of course the longer you have been believing a thing, the harder it gets to admit, to yourself and others, that you have been wrong and wasted so much of your life.

Allium purple sensation Mandarin lights azalea Siberian Iris Caesar's brother You can tell the ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 18, 2018:

Picking them off should work, as this late in the year there should not be time for any more.

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

@flower_nut If you want to look them up, they are most possibly sawfly caterpilllars.

My vegetable plot in winter.

BABSDAGGER comments on Nov 18, 2018:

is this because your soils dont perminately freeze during the winter?

Fernapple replies on Nov 19, 2018:

Yes. Though they can take a fairly deep frost if it is not for days.

My vegetable plot in winter.

CeliaVL comments on Nov 18, 2018:

We can do the same down here in Devon in a normal year. Do your parsnip greens die back if you have a very cold snap?

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

Yes they do, in hard winters like 2010 / 11 even parsnips can be lost but that is rare. Hardiness here and maybe with you, is not so much about zones as rolls of the dice, I have known winters that killed conifers, and some when pelagoniums came through outside.

More natural history than is usual for this group, but the look at bird behavior is wonderful.

EyesThatSmile comments on Nov 18, 2018:

Did you share this in the Feathered Friends group? I knew they were smart but didn’t know as much about their mating and family rituals. Thanks.

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

Must look at that group thank you.

More natural history than is usual for this group, but the look at bird behavior is wonderful.

phxbillcee comments on Nov 18, 2018:

Any science articles or videos are welcome. Feel free to post any you find interesting!

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

I like to try and find interesting things, and I know that most science interested people are usually interested in most things. P.S. I am awed by your output, I could never find that much, thank you this is a great group.

My vegetable plot in winter.

flower_nut comments on Nov 18, 2018:

What garden hardiness zone is your area 8a or 8b? Mine is a gardening zone of 6b (-20.6 to -17.8 degrees Celsius). Can gladiolus come back year after year for you? I haven't planted any for a couple years and decided to invest my time with just dahlias.

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

We don't really have the hardiness zones here, they do not work so well in Britain, though mine is said to be on the border of 8 and 9.

Anyone gardening in Florida? 'Tis the season!

HippieChick58 comments on Nov 17, 2018:

I'm in Nebraska, we had snow today. It was 30° when I woke up and 28° by the time I was dressed. Gardening is done until April or May.

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

@OwlInASack, @yppahagn Your welcome.

Anyone gardening in Florida? 'Tis the season!

HippieChick58 comments on Nov 17, 2018:

I'm in Nebraska, we had snow today. It was 30° when I woke up and 28° by the time I was dressed. Gardening is done until April or May.

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

@OwlInASack F to C.: subtract 32 divide by 9 multiply by five. C to F: Divide by five, multiply by 9 and add 32. I think.

Do you think it true?

WilliamFleming comments on Nov 17, 2018:

Of course nature has meaning—an extreme amount of value and meaning! Why is that kind of awareness a danger? On the contrary, awareness and appreciation for the great mystery of Ultimate Reality lends the keenest of motivation to survive and live well. What is a danger is a dogmatic belief in ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

@WilliamFleming I agree wholy with your first paragraph, including. "Nature Is meaning purpose and value." Especially to us. But the second two paragraphs directly contradict it. I remember a story about a famous Victorian gentleman who lived in this country, and fell in love with a beautiful young woman, who he had seen dressed in all the great silken gowns such as women wore then. Or he thought he had fallen in love anyway. So he married her, and on the wedding night she undressed. It was his first sight of another human naked and he was so alarmed that he fled, never to return to the marriage chamber. They divorced shortly after, which was rare then. It is a poor love, indeed no love at all, which needs silken finery or will not face its beloved honestly. " To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, To throw perfume on the violet, To smooth the ice, or to add another hue, unto the rainbow, or with tapper-light, To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish. Is wasteful and ridiculous excess."

I admire greatly the late Dorothy Parker for the sharpness of her wit, and for the next day or so I...

Fernapple comments on Nov 18, 2018:

I always remember her statement to a lady journalist about gardening and horticulture. People will have to look it up for themselves though because I think it would get me banned from the site if I used it.

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

@Marionville You are very brave, I look forward to it.

My vegetable plot in winter.

Eldovis comments on Nov 18, 2018:

other winter greens that do well even here in Virginia are ; mustard greens and collard greens.. best in soups and other asian dishes.

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

That's interesting I really like to find out about growing in other parts of the world. Having usually mildish winters here, we also over winter some cabbages of course though I do not have any this year, we also grow sprouts, which I love, and I have a good stand in another part of the garden.

The first of the Mahonia shrubs is just coming into flower now, it is a hybrid form from Asia, M.

Cast1es comments on Nov 18, 2018:

Never heard of this one before . Are any of it's parts edible ?

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

I googled it and this is what came up. (Mahonia trifoliolata, Agrito, Laredo Mahonia and Mexican Barberry, has a subtle tart red berry eaten raw or used in jellies, preserves, sauces, drinks, cakes and tarts. Mahonia bealei, the Leatherleaf Mahonia and Beal's Barberry, has berries edible raw or made into various thinks like pies, jelly and wine. The berries are edible, and rich in vitamin C, though with a very sharp flavor. Although edible, the plants contain berberine, a compound found in many Berberis and Mahonia species, which can cause vomiting, lowered blood pressure, reduced heart rate, lethargy, and other ill effects when consumed in large quantities.) I can say though that the birds love both the flowers and the berries. A related species, Mahonia aquifolium ("Oregon Grape") was eaten by settlers in North America and was formerly a food crop of native peoples.

My vegetable plot in winter.

Surfpirate comments on Nov 18, 2018:

I'm in Canada and I just pulled the last of my leeks this week, there are several inches of heavy snow on the ground and the only thing that was still alive in my garden were the leeks. Cockaleekie soup will be on the menu soon.

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

Nice, I love leeks in soup of any sort.

My vegetable plot in winter.

Zoohome comments on Nov 18, 2018:

What are those flowers?

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

Some late Chrisanthemums, we grow them round the vegetables, in the perhaps vain hope, that they will keep pests, especially insects away.

The first of the Mahonia shrubs is just coming into flower now, it is a hybrid form from Asia, M.

Spinliesel comments on Nov 18, 2018:

Wow. Beautiful. I grew a mahonia once here in upstate New York. It was very showy, sort of a bronze-purple color.hIt did not survive the cold, ice and snow.

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

There are several types, some are hardier than others. I think that Mahonia aquilfolia is native to the US but wether it is hardy all over I could not say.

Do you think it true?

WilliamFleming comments on Nov 17, 2018:

Of course nature has meaning—an extreme amount of value and meaning! Why is that kind of awareness a danger? On the contrary, awareness and appreciation for the great mystery of Ultimate Reality lends the keenest of motivation to survive and live well. What is a danger is a dogmatic belief in ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

What are the dangers of seeing meaning and purpose in nature? They may be many, but here are just four to start with. One: That thinking of nature having purpose can easily lead to false conclusions, such as for example, the ladder of creation view of evolutionary theory and even the idea of Karma. Two: That it is inherently dishonest to set up ideologies without evidence, and that this type of thought can easily condition you to unquestioningly accepting dishonesty, in both yourself and others. Three: Perhaps not that important, but; it gives a hostage to theists who will use the argument. “Yours is just a groundless belief system too.” And fourth: Most of all. It risks and wastes your powers of appreciation, which are truly the greatest of natures gift, to use them on any form of fairyland glitter, when they should be used on appreciating the wonders and glory of nature in all its real richness for which they were intended; Especially when the practice of using them on that, is the best way to enhance them and to learn values.

Anyone gardening in Florida? 'Tis the season!

HippieChick58 comments on Nov 17, 2018:

I'm in Nebraska, we had snow today. It was 30° when I woke up and 28° by the time I was dressed. Gardening is done until April or May.

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

@yppahagn How sad. If you like you can come to the UK for winter, we can entertain you in the garden with a runny nose, cold frozen fingers, and S.A. D. due to the few hours of dim dank murky daylight. That should make a nice change from heatstroke.

You are not alone.

Shefree comments on Nov 17, 2018:

I wish they lived close to me.

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

A lot of us are close on line.

I apologize for forgetting to post this. It completely slipped my mind. ? [apost.com]

Fernapple comments on Nov 17, 2018:

Oh dear, as I get older I am finding it easier to remember things, should I be worried?

Fernapple replies on Nov 18, 2018:

@Science-guy My brain.

This is not about growing but I thought you would like it.

MojoDave comments on Nov 17, 2018:

If I'm not mistaken Japan & China were doing landscaped gardens way before that.

Fernapple replies on Nov 17, 2018:

That's quite right, the idea seems only to be about western culture, yet you would think that those who pedal it would give at least half a thought to Asian culture. And the idea usually pulled out to go with it, that people in the middle ages were affraid of the wild and nature, is just mad, when you think that most poor people worked with nothing but nature, and the main pursuit of the rich was hunting.

Given the freedom to think is important.

mt49er comments on Nov 16, 2018:

Our schools disagree.

Fernapple replies on Nov 16, 2018:

Yes sadly, and a major part of the problem is that because the system promotes those who do best in it, school teachers are often the most damaged people.

For years I saved every bit of used potting compost in a heap, this year I have enough to mulch the ...

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Nov 15, 2018:

Sure. I have wondered what to do with old compacted potting soil In pots, with some dead Rosebush root still in them. I have read from more than one source to avoid planting a rose where another rose had died within the preceding year. No explanation given. But I assumed it was the assumption ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 16, 2018:

@MikeInBatonRouge That ok happy growing.

This is not about growing but I thought you would like it.

Cast1es comments on Nov 16, 2018:

I love going castle hopping , touring Medieval castles . While originally , they were military outposts , with defense as their major concern , eventually , they were also administrative headquarters , and eventually homes for the aristocrates , appointed by the kings , to control the population ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 16, 2018:

Yes the gardens, at the Alhambra are some of the earliest in Europe, they are part of the palace complex, (There are seven palaces if you include the summer house and the palace of Charles the 5th, which was never used.) All have both gardens of several early periods, and three of the buildings have very early enclosed patio or courtyard gardens. The castle you can see is the Red Fort which was the main defensive part.

For years I saved every bit of used potting compost in a heap, this year I have enough to mulch the ...

AstralSmoke comments on Nov 15, 2018:

If you still have a pile than there’s stuff in it. It was all organic to begin with. It’s still organic.

Fernapple replies on Nov 16, 2018:

Yes, plus some loam.

For years I saved every bit of used potting compost in a heap, this year I have enough to mulch the ...

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Nov 15, 2018:

Sure. I have wondered what to do with old compacted potting soil In pots, with some dead Rosebush root still in them. I have read from more than one source to avoid planting a rose where another rose had died within the preceding year. No explanation given. But I assumed it was the assumption ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 16, 2018:

It is called rose replants disease in roses, and no one is sure but a fungus or two may be to blame. That is why I store the potting compost a year or two before use.

For years I saved every bit of used potting compost in a heap, this year I have enough to mulch the ...

OldGoat43 comments on Nov 15, 2018:

Give it a boost with some grass clippings and leaves, mixed well in and then compost will heat up. That will kill any seeds or fungus in the composted mix. Wait a few weeks and it will have twice as much nutrients as when you started. The lawn clippings create nitrogen and the leaves will add ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 16, 2018:

Yes I do that too. This was just a special one off.

For years I saved every bit of used potting compost in a heap, this year I have enough to mulch the ...

Eldovis comments on Nov 15, 2018:

well composted compost! is not that the food? for the garden?

Fernapple replies on Nov 16, 2018:

Yes I use that most years, this was just a special one off. It does not pay to mix potting compost with garden compost as it slows/stops heating.

For years I saved every bit of used potting compost in a heap, this year I have enough to mulch the ...

flower_nut comments on Nov 15, 2018:

I buy bags of manure when it's on sale and spread it around. Any old potting soil gets mixed in with the manure. I built a frame with a 1/2 inch mesh screen to fit over my wheelbarrow. I can raise it up to make it easy on my back and mix soil all day. This is how I removed all the rocks from our ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 16, 2018:

That's a good idea, but it is best to compost manure fist, that helps get rid of an bad things in the bedding, stops the bedding lowering the nitrogen in the soil, and stops strong manure over feeeding or burning plants.

For years I saved every bit of used potting compost in a heap, this year I have enough to mulch the ...

freeofgod comments on Nov 15, 2018:

You are not supposed to reuse soil from pots in case it's been contaminated with a fungus or disease but I use it anyway. There's such a small amount in a pot that I figure the mix it's added to is enough to kill anything from a small pot.

Fernapple replies on Nov 16, 2018:

That is one reason why I store it for some time, at least two years, before use. Though many people now regard introduced fungus as generally more useful than harmful.

I've noticed that most members on the site, at least in my area are over 40.

Mb_Man comments on Nov 15, 2018:

I think it's the name. Seriously. Most of the atheists I know are so stuck to the term that it would not surprise me that they would refuse to sign up for a web portal called Agnostic.com . Such bigotry is just going to keep holding back the whole secular movement. Which is a shame. On the ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 15, 2018:

Always called myself a " broard church skeptic". I can not prove there is no supernatural, but the supernatural has no meaning anyway if it does not talk to you. So that the most important thing alway seemed to be the rejection of religion and its claims to be the voice of the suopernatural. After that its all small stuff.

The Earth has more than one moon! Check it out! [bigthink.com]

phxbillcee comments on Nov 14, 2018:

Well, dust & pebbles in the LaGrange points may be a stretch to really define as "moons". I have no doubt that just about every planet may have this (we know Jupiter does in its Trojan points). Maybe not Mercury, not sure what effect proximity to the Sun would have.

Fernapple replies on Nov 15, 2018:

Depends on how you define "moon". One common definition says that for an object to be a moon, it must be massive enough for gravity to pull it into a sphere. So sorry they are not moons, but they are very interesting.

Pasqueflower - Pulsatilla This is a cool flower.

Fernapple comments on Nov 15, 2018:

I think silky is better than hairy, they really are stroke-able, and so are the new leaves.

Fernapple replies on Nov 15, 2018:

@flower_nut We are still talking about flowers, yes. But I can go with silky anywhere I find it.

I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me.

Fernapple comments on Nov 15, 2018:

Too many people on this site agree with me ; I had better go.

Fernapple replies on Nov 15, 2018:

@Paul_Clamberer Only half.

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, ...

rcandlish comments on Nov 15, 2018:

O, to have been a Renaissance Man, when one could excel in everything!

Fernapple replies on Nov 15, 2018:

True. But the quote perhaps wisely does not say excel, only "able to", it is widening the range that makes you more completely human. Indeed you only realy excel if you turn your back on life and become very narrow in your focus.

The strategic adversary is fascism.

Marionville comments on Nov 14, 2018:

I don’t agree with this quotation. All is a word that cannot be used in any quote, as there are always exceptions. We don’t all love power, there are some people who positively prefer not to have to make any kind of decision and willingly abrogate their right to have any power by not even ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 15, 2018:

What most people don't want is contained in the other too words which you use in your paragraph, namely, responsibility and the need to make decisions; give them power without the need to take those things and they will happily take it. It is a mistake to see power as the same thing as leadership, that for example is why wealth is so popular, because money is one of the forms of power without responsibility. Give people money and they will happily pay less than a fair price for what they buy, or happily buy second homes in a country where there is a housing shortage, etc. etc..

If God is omniscient, in other words he knows everything that is happening and everything that will ...

Buxx comments on Nov 14, 2018:

Compare the story of the Garden of Eden to the Marshmallow Test https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_oy9614HQ God clearly wanted Adam and Eve to eat that apple. Further, the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent God contradicts the existence of sin. Sin (at least as I understand it) is defined to ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2018:

Love the video, but have to say that one marshmallow when you are bored really is worth ten when you have other things to do. Or maybe that's just me.

Are you a Centrist?

John_Tyrrell comments on Nov 14, 2018:

The two dimensional division of political thought into left - centre - right is obsolete. We need to think multi-dimensionally.

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2018:

It is an over simplified idea. And when you see an over simplified idea, it usually means someone is trying to use humans natural laziness to help them fool people. I could not be a centralist, because I have some very left views and some very right wing views, as well as some central. A lot of people are like that, I think its called thinking.