My neighbour says I'm blessed by the lord for growing such healthy plants.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 21, 2018:

That the human back is so extremely prone to painful dysfunction due to our evolutionary history. Our early mammalian ancestors walked on four legs, and the transition to upright posture imposed some radical bends in the spinal column. Our adaptive history set us up for slipped discs, compression fractures, and pinched nerves. The human spine is certainly NOT a structure that any intelligent designer would send on to the factory floor for mass production, lol. ?

Remember that $1.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 21, 2018:

Yep, Republican congressmen have an amazing knack for talking out of both sides of their mouths.

Atheism vs. Agnosticism: What do they mean?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 20, 2018:

The upper-left is my inner scientist. The upper-right is my inner iconoclast. They actually get along quite well together. ?

Vacation Time!! Leaving around noon to travel across the US to Yellowstone and back.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 20, 2018:

Yellowstone is awesome. You will love it! Just don't get in hot water.

Who else is currently ashamed of being American???

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 20, 2018:

Xenophobia, racism, ignorance, greed, corruption, incompetence, dishonesty, hypocrisy, brutality, arrogance.....all embodied by our President and supine Republican Congress. It's sickening!

Who here has had a root canal? Please tell me about your experience, good and bad.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 19, 2018:

Root canal? Yup. Been there. Done that. Bought the T-shirt! ? If you have a good doctor you needn't worry. They will simply dope you up with local anesthetic and then ream the nerve out of the root of the tooth. I have had several done, and I hardly felt a thing. It's a specialty so your regular dentist will probably refer you to someone else for the reaming. Then you go back to your dentist for the final phase (usually a crown). If your insurance does not cover it, you may feel a little sticker shock when you get your bill.

Is it hot where you are?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 19, 2018:

Welcome to our warming globe! ?

Aliens: Are we alone?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 19, 2018:

I agree with Hawking...and Tyson...and Cox. We are not alone but, given the vast distances involved, we might as well be. And I would like to hope that we will not destroy ourselves, but I think we probably will. That is, unless we can move past out atavistic tendency to create gods and rally around ridiculous superstitions.

How conscious are you of your carbon foot print?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 18, 2018:

What I do to reduce my carbon footprint: I compost all food scraps. I recycle all paper that is not soiled. I also recycle plastics and metals. I ride a bicycle to work, the grocery store, the bank, the post office, etc. I do have a car. It gets around 40+ mpg. I try not to drive much. In nearly 5 years I have put only 28k miles on the car. My house is lighted with LEDs. I'm fortunate to live in an area with very mild weather year-round, so I don't have to use air conditioning or heating. If this changes due to global warming then I will get solar panels to power the air conditioning. If I do occasionally need some heat I burn wood in the fireplace.

Is this America now

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 17, 2018:

Yeah it sort of is. (Sigh)

It is exactly 666 miles from my door to the door of my perfect man I met on here.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 16, 2018:

Ha ha! No, just a funny coincidence. ?

When i was a little girl i had a crush on Captian Kirk.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 16, 2018:

Good news! You don't have to choose! Remember they are of two different generations. Each should be judged in his own context. So go ahead. Have your cake and eat it too!

Will Trump win in 2020?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 16, 2018:

My crystal ball says Trump will not be re-elected. Mueller's revelations (and those if the NY and NJ State DAs) are going to bite hard. All Trump's lying and obfuscating and mis-direction of attention will finally be seen for what it is: the desperate attempts of an ignorant and insecure bully to be seen as a winner.

This case brought by the New York AG about the Trump Foundation is nothing but colossal trouble for...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 16, 2018:

I'm not a vindictive person, but I am going to enjoy watching the Trump presidency crash and burn. My sense of justice and love of country demands it!

So what is the main reason most of you are on here?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 16, 2018:

I originally joined to find Miss Right, but quickly found a community of people I like to just hang out with.

TGIF! (as in thank goodness it's Friday).

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 15, 2018:

Who or what controls the car's direction and speed is of secondary importance. What really matters is its source of energy for the motive force. If it's fossil fuels, then it's game-over for the climate. Some like it hot, but what we are facing surpasses all normal expectations. We are talking mass extinction here.

From the Atheist Republic group.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 15, 2018:

Ha ha! Out of one brain-frying pan, into another.

If We Evolved from Apes, How Come There Are Still Apes?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 15, 2018:

We have an ancestor in common with apes. Our species is an offshoot. When the tree of life sprouts a new branch, the other branches do not necessarily die out.

So much for separation of church and state.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 15, 2018:

Are there really 500 translations? I'm familiar with the Gideon and the King James...

During times of great hardship, the believers have their books, their houses of worship and their ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 15, 2018:

We also have books. And the mountains, the deserts, the ocean, the moon, the stars...

Dad fell just before I got back from appointments.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 15, 2018:

Castles in the sand we are...

It seems one of Trump's State Deparment spokespeople declared D Day is an example of America's ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 13, 2018:

Bumbling fools. Like cowboys, shooting from the hip.

Trump-Kim Summit: North Korea Commits to Work Toward 'Complete Denuclearization of Korean Peninsula'...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 12, 2018:

Kim is Lucy holding the football. US is Charlie Brown.

"O Canada: You had it coming, eh.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 12, 2018:

I cannot name a single Nickelback or Justin Bieber tune. You just made me glad about that. Thanks!

I don't even know what to say anymore.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 12, 2018:

Yes, it's a cluster f**k. But I think there will be a reckoning for Twitler and his cronies. Progress is always inconsistent. Two steps forward and one step back. Right now we are in a back phase. Hang in there kid.

To be or not to be?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 12, 2018:

Hmmm. That is the (a) question. Well, we are already here so we might as well be. Just ignore the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

Fox News reportedly having difficulty selling ads for Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham’s shows: ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 12, 2018:

Music to my ears!

I'm on this other dating website and I've never been married with no kids.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 12, 2018:

In other words, she wants what is past and gone, does not accept the changes that have occurred, and does not want to be intellectually challenged. Sounds like you dodged a bullet. Count your lucky stars!

If religious texts or some forms of literature are deemed harmful, should they be locked away, ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 12, 2018:

No. Alas, no. You will never eradicate an idea, no matter how foolish the concept, by force. First of all, it would be impossible to ferret out every copy. Given the easy reproducibility of text, both print and digital, a single copy could proliferate like a weed. And the attempt at supression would be like killing the enemy's favorite son, creating a martyr that can used held up as a rallying cry to generations.

Take that Scott Pruitt & Trump! Main Customer of Arizona Coal Plant Goes Green, Ignoring Interior ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 9, 2018:

Right on! ?

WHAT DO YOU DO?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 9, 2018:

I would not block them. Exposure to the kinds of ideas found here is exactly what they need.

Saw an interesting lecture video on fact vs fiction regarding popular claims about the Fibonacci ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 7, 2018:

That the Fibonacci series is not found in the nautilus shell is news to me. That its presence in sunflowers is evidence of a deity is just absurd.

But are you really really sure you gave religion a fair chance?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Yes, I gave it (religion) more chance than it deserves. Years of serious thought and study. And it came up sorely lacking!

What constitutes evidence? proof? Part 2

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Well put! ?

What's your favorite podcast to listen to?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 7, 2018:

I have been following Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

Do you believe life exists outside of our planet?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Given the vastness of the universe and the innumerable places (planets with life-sustaining conditions) I think it is very likely that there is lots of life outside Earth. But due to a lack of evidence I stop short of forming a belief. This one thing that distinguishes me from a theist.

Do you believe life exists outside of our planet?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Given the vastness of the universe and the innumerable places (planets with life-sustaining conditions) I think it is very likely that there is lots of life outside Earth. But due to a lack of evidence I stop short of forming a belief. This one thing that distinguishes me from a theist.

Judge Orders EPA to Produce Science behind Pruitt's Warming Claims - Scientific American

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Never have I seen this country depend so heavily on the judiciary to keep a even keel.

Judge Orders EPA to Produce Science behind Pruitt's Warming Claims - Scientific American

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 6, 2018:

Hopefully this will make the ignorant turd squirm a little.

Who are you?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 2, 2018:

I'm an inveterate iconoclast, a science teacher, a hiker, a biker, and a sailor. I have only been part of this online community for a short while, but I like the folks here. I think I'll stick around. ?

Trump and devos support using public funds to support church schools and other private schools plus ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 2, 2018:

There is a movement afoot to make this Christian nation. It must be resisted at all costs!

Pedophile advocate Nathan Larson running for Virginia congressional seat - NY Daily News

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 1, 2018:

Should be easy to beat him. Soundly. One would hope....

Why Do Atheist Seem More Depressed Than Theists? | Atheist Experience 22.19 - YouTube

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 1, 2018:

Are they? I'm not seeing that. I did hear of a study that showed, (this was a few years back), that people who are real sick are more likely to die if they know others are praying for them.

Hi friends, I just got called for a job so I may be gone for a couple of weeks.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 29, 2018:

Congratulations! Go get'em tiger!

What's your theme song?

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 29, 2018:

Amazing Grace! :-D

No words...

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 28, 2018:

Like I have been saying, true believers are capable of anything (no matter ho ridiculous).

Did we get hit?

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 28, 2018:

We are taking lots of hits. Sometimes multiple hits per day. American institutions are presently undergoing a severe stress test. A hostile foreign power has helped to install a wrecking ball at the top of our government. Things are about to get interesting.

I was out shopping and signed up for a promotion with my phone number which ends in 666.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 27, 2018:

Hahaha! Yes it was a good retort. If people go ape over a phone number I wonder how the superstitious are taking the fact that Jared Kushner's family's building address in Manhattan is 666...

Can someone tell me why is America so religious?

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 27, 2018:

Why do we also have so many guns in the hands of private citizens? And so many aircraft carrier battle groups? And so many nuclear weapons? I think it all stems from the same thing.

Can someone tell me why is America so religious?

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 27, 2018:

Long answer: fear of death + indoctrination + lack of science education + tribalism + intellectual flabbiness Short answer: old habits die .

Can someone tell me why is America so religious?

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 27, 2018:

Long answer: fear of death + indoctrination + lack of science education + tribalism + intellectual flabbiness Short answer: old habits die .

Just got my first 24 hour Facebook ban, for commenting on a post about religion.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 26, 2018:

That lot (the bible thumpers) are always cherry picking certain favorite scriptural passages while ignoring the inconvenient bits. That is, until they feel emboldened by a perceived shift in social norms. Then they let their true racist/bigoted/genocidal colors fly.

Smart phones.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 25, 2018:

I have known the inexorable sadness of auto-correct...

Was still doing my 'walk about the yard' when l almost stepped on this little guy! He was fast.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 25, 2018:

He's a beauty. Little garter snake, no? I have seen three rattle snakes in the last month. I did not try to pick any of them up though. Go ahead and call me chicken. I'll lay an egg! :-D

We can't be having that.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 24, 2018:

It cannot happen too quickly.

We can't be having that.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 24, 2018:

It cannot happen too quickly.

Not much scares me.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 23, 2018:

Jeez, Jim and Tammy Baker! They're still pulling that old con? Well, I guess there is a big flock to be fleeced, and they know how to ply the shears. And what else are they going to do? Go straight? Ha ha!

Describe your sex life with a band name...

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 19, 2018:

Grateful Dead, lol!

What is truth?

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 15, 2018:

We have moved into an era where verifiable facts are taking a back seat to tribal affiliation. This is especially scary because with that kind of mindset virtually anything goes. Anyone can be demonized or scapegoated. It must be resisted at all costs if we are to keep our democracy. There are many who are ready, willing, and able to exploit division and discord for their own profit. The stakes could not be higher.

Morning! Just joined.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 6, 2018:

Welcome sister! Good move! ???

Jesus loves you? What does it mean to you?

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 5, 2018:

When I hear the phrase "Jesus Loves You" I automatically think, "Jesus, this person is kinda stupid! Then I try to move away slowly...

Closest near death experience

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 5, 2018:

It happened so fast I did not have time to think. One second I was tooling along and the next I was upside down over the car and seeing my bike mounted vertically on the front of the car, and then I was standing in the road behind the car. I stuck the landing! If I had not been standing up on the pegs when I hit, or if it had been a taller car, I would not be here to tell the tale. As it was I walked away with nothing more than matching divits in my shins where they had smacked the handlebars as I was being launched, and the tingly feeling that I had been extremely lucky. There was also a near-drowning-while-trying-to-surf-some-big-waves incident, but that is another story. As for the jealous ex-husband who wanted to kill me, I'm not even going to go there. Likewise the dipshit with the rifle pointed at my head (unrelated case). Shall I go on? Suffice it to say that life is a very iffy proposition.

I was just thinking about some good movies that might make Christians cringe.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 4, 2018:

There was a good one titled "Dogma"...

Those of you who are 100% certain there is no god...

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 3, 2018:

I'm not 100% sure. I'm 99.99% sure. In other words I acknowledge that it is impossible to prove the non-existence of something.

A biologist theologian! Is that an oxymoron or a contradiction in terms?

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 3, 2018:

Theodosius Dobzhansky? He's the theologin who said, "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution."

Last night was a full moon.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 2, 2018:

There would still be tides due to the sun's gravity, but they would be smaller than what we are used to. The really big effect would be that we would not have the regular change of seasons that we are used to. The Earth's constant 23.5 degree tilt with respect to the ecliptic would no longer be maintained. Instead, the axis of rotation would meander unpredictably. Basically it would be chaos. Life on this planet would be nothing like what we are used to.

For those of us that have been on this site for awhile, being at least a couple months or more; what...

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 2, 2018:

Can't stop it, can't make it go. Might as well sit back an enjoy the ride.

Does anyone have advice for a person that's been an atheist less than 3 months?

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 2, 2018:

Same advice I would give anybody any where any time: read good books.

Don't know much about fresh water fish.

Flyingsaucesir comments on May 2, 2018:

Tilapia is a tasty fish and it's a vegetarian so it can be farmed sustainably. It's a win-win! ?

Anyone going to the Grateful Dead show in June in Eugene?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Apr 29, 2018:

Good luck and enjoy the show! I have tickets for the Chula Vista show in July. Yay!

Looking to see if any of you have read some of Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris or Richard Dawkins ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Apr 27, 2018:

Yeah I have read all three. Those guys are great!

Seriously! Seriously, if Honey Boo Boo’s mom can find boyfriends, why can’t I find one?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Apr 27, 2018:

I know a great little Vietnamese place in San Diego... ?

It's after midnight here, and so it is officially my birthday.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Apr 27, 2018:

You go girl! Many happy returns!

I am beginning to see more articles and posts on social media criticising 'The new atheism' and its ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Apr 26, 2018:

If history is any guide, anyone who contradicts religious doctrine is subject to persecution. I see little reason to assume that we will be spared. Remember, people who believe in deities believe in the existence in things for which there is no evidence! What is to keep them from deciding that our ideas represent a threat, and then lashing out?

Why are atheists not willing to form a coalition?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Apr 26, 2018:

It's probably because we are such independent-minded individuals. Trying get us into formation is like herding cats.

What do you do when having a meal with a party that prays?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Apr 26, 2018:

I bow my head and say "amen" to the parts about peace, gratitude, and love while ignoring any references to deities or supernaturalism.

Dating on this site

Flyingsaucesir comments on Mar 25, 2018:

Good question! Not me bra. Hell, I can't even get a response to a written message.

I've recently noticed that rather a lot of people on this site support big government, and I just ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Mar 23, 2018:

Some politicians are indeed corrupt. And many others are feckless, selectively blind, and/or enablers of their party leaders. This certainly applies to most Republicans today. However, those people should not be lumped together with bureaucrats. Politicians are elected to participate in the push-and-pull (and compromise) process of making laws, while bureaucrats are workers hired to do the work of implementing the laws. The vast majority of those workers are just normal folks who do their jobs to the best of their ability. The product often looks slow or klunky not because of the people but because of the nature of the work itself. Take, for example, the process of getting a driver's licence. It's frustratingly slow and, some would say, fraught with bureaucratic waste. However, if you think about it, it's DMV's job to slow the entry of new drivers (or old ones whose faculties may have deteriorated) onto the roads in order to check their competency to drive. Personally, I prefer that over having someone who is not qualified out there wielding a multi-ton battering ram. So I stand in line, stoic and glad that it's only once every five years. Regulation is big pert of what government is supposed to do, and we are all better off having it. It's government regulation that keeps corporations from polluting the air we breathe and water we drink. When and where that protection breaks down is more about weak laws or underfunding of regulatory agencies rather than bureaucratic malfeasance. And those problems are fundamentally political. So then the question becomes, how do we elect legislators who will create laws that restrain those who would endanger our health and well-being in their pursuit of profit without stifling the economy and our collective and individual pursuits of happiness? Obviously it is not easy. It requires an electorate that is educated and engaged. If, for instance, you want to forestall climate catastrophe from global warming, then people need to understand the link between burning fossil fuels and carbon dioxide's capacity for trapping heat. And it wouldn't hurt to be able to appreciate the scale of the problem, the historical context going back millions of years, and the existence of feedback loops in the natural climate system. It's a tall order when people are training themselves (with their computers and cell phones) to have the attention span of a gnat. There is an industry ripe for regulation! Hopefully it is not already too late!

Do women enjoy sex as much as men? Does it depend on who they're having sex with?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Feb 19, 2018:

The question of who likes sex more, men or women, was a subject of debate between the Greek God Zeus and his wife Hera. To settle the matter they called upon Tyresias, the blind mystic who had lived for seven years as a woman. Tyresias was renowned for being ambiguous or leaving out important bit from his reports, but on this occasion he was unequivocal: women love sex ten times as much as men do.

The Dalai Lama said, and I paraphrase, it is not necessarily helpful to believe in god to be a ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Feb 18, 2018:

There is an ancient story about the Buddha in which one of his followers tells him that he is fed up and quitting. The student complains that his teacher has taught him nothing about the nature of the Gods, Creation, or the Hereafter, The master replied, "I did not teach you those things because that is not what you need in order to reach enlightenment. What you need us to learn to accept change, and to cast out desire from your heart."

Unusual expressions.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Feb 18, 2018:

In my family someone might say, if they got side-tracked and forgot what they were originally doing, "I tripped over a cobb." The saying comes from my great grandmother, who one day when she was a little girl watched as a rooster was chasing a hen who was playing hard to get. The rooster tripped over a corn cobb and took a tumble in the dirt, dusted himself off, and walked if in the other direction, having completely forgotten about the hen!

Is ignorance bliss?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Feb 18, 2018:

I think it about 3 or 4 years ago I heard about a study that showed that people who study ate happier than those who don't. There is a certain satisfaction in knowing things, bhut it goes deeper than that. People who study, because they know how things are, are less likely to develop unrealistic expectations and are better able to deal with life's vicissitudes.

What would be a good name for a Satanic/Atheist private school?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Feb 18, 2018:

I know for some kids high school might as well be the third circle of Hell. I guess that would make middle school the second circle, and elementary the first. The whole school district could be the Mephistopheles Three Ring Flying Circus.

I still see more liberal gun grabbers making poor arguments for gun control.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Feb 17, 2018:

The Second Amendment protects the right to near arms in the context of a well-regulated militia. It does not say that every yahoo should be able to have military-style weapons. What is becoming increasingly clear is that the NRA is all about protecting the rights of gun manufacturers, gun retailers, and the community of scared would-be, (wanna-be) militia members over those of regular citizens who just want to live and let live. The majority of Americans want stricter gun laws. The fact that the NRA lobby has been able to thwart the public will for so long speaks volumes about the dysfunction in the political system. The same system let a MINORITY of voters put a total ignoramus in the Oval Office.

Did you inherit any "good genes?"

Flyingsaucesir comments on Feb 17, 2018:

I think I can safely say that most or all of my functioning genes are "good genes." they have been subjected to a sorting process called natural selection for billions of years, and the fact that I am here typing this message is testament to the survival and reproductive success of a chain of ancestors stretching back to the dawn of life on Earth. I also have a lot of old genes that have been turned off, since they code for traits that are no longer fashionable: things like a tail, scaly skin, or big fangs and the bones and muscles to make them work. With any luck, some of this stuff will come back in style!:-D

Can you give a brief review of a favorite, but perhaps little known, book you frequently reread?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Feb 17, 2018:

I have read Herman Hesse's Siddhartha a few times, and will probably do so again someday. It's about the life of Siddhartha Goutama, the person who eventually became known as the Buddha. It is at once spiritual and blessedly free of any supernaturalist drivvel. It it the book I give most often as a gift.