Ya think Cheato knows how incredibly predictable he is?

HippieChick58 comments on Jul 3, 2021:

Incredible how the more things change the more they stay the same.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 3, 2021:

No kidding! Wow.

This time Cheato will not be occupying the penthouse.

CourtJester comments on Jul 2, 2021:

Only been trying for 5 years. Come on man….

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 3, 2021:

@CourtJester Oh, I see you drank the Cool-aide. So how's the weather up there in the ionosphere? Back down here on Earth, we had 86 election court cases where Cheato's lawyers lost or got thrown out...that was all a conspiracy? And his own hand-picked Attorney General saying there was no widespread fraud...he's in on it too? And the Republican AG (Rafthensberger) in Georgia, and the state senator in Michigan (McBroom), they're in on it too? And the Republican election officials in Arizona? Them too? To use your own words: come on!

We have a number of people on this site, like Captain_Feelgood, who persist in attacking people with...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jul 3, 2021:

Ad hominem attack is a sure sign of a weak argument (and arguer).

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 3, 2021:

@Marionville I remember the 80s...sort of...lol

We have a number of people on this site, like Captain_Feelgood, who persist in attacking people with...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jul 3, 2021:

When you throw dirt, you lose ground.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 3, 2021:

@anglophone Beware of blowback

This time Cheato will not be occupying the penthouse.

CourtJester comments on Jul 2, 2021:

Only been trying for 5 years. Come on man….

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 3, 2021:

Rome was not built in a day.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

powder comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Why I love DEVO, they were onto it. Think they were more talking civilization rather than genes when taking their name ie de-evolution. I recall reading an article where some are getting bone spurs growing at the back/ base of their skulls as a counter balance to constantly having heads bent over ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

@powder 🤣

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

Word comments on Jul 1, 2021:

I had posted the question a few days ago, "Is racism evolutionary?" Most of your discussions seem to say that the entire population(does or does) will or will not evolve as a full group. People could rub elbows for 1000s of years but I don't think that would make any evolutionary genetic ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

@Word I will bring you back to the original question: have humans stopped evolving? Probably. With a gene pool as large as ours, and with all the opportunities for transportation that are available, and with our animal desires, there is (and always has been) a lot if mixing. Just consider for a minute all the sailors with a woman (or several women, many having migrated from other places themselves) in every port. Sure, there can be some evolution in sub-populations. But they do not remain isolated long enough to become different species. Instead, their gene pools become diluted, and any new genes they contribute to the wider population become lost in the mix, less than a fraction of a drop in the bucket. Your hypothetical scenarios really do not elucidate the problem. For every scenario you can come up with there are ten thousand that cancel it out. That's very nice that you have taken general biology. You should be well equipped to refresh or update your knowledge with a college textbook.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

powder comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Why I love DEVO, they were onto it. Think they were more talking civilization rather than genes when taking their name ie de-evolution. I recall reading an article where some are getting bone spurs growing at the back/ base of their skulls as a counter balance to constantly having heads bent over ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

Even if lots of people were developing bone spurs due to their cell phone use, that would not be a heritable trait, and therefore could not be counted as evolution. Remember, evolution of a population requires change in allele frequencies.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

Word comments on Jul 1, 2021:

I had posted the question a few days ago, "Is racism evolutionary?" Most of your discussions seem to say that the entire population(does or does) will or will not evolve as a full group. People could rub elbows for 1000s of years but I don't think that would make any evolutionary genetic ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

@Word You say, "Not everyone in the American continent has mixed genetics." Oh yes they do! Even if they are "100% European." There is no such thing as a "pure blood" human being. The mixing has been going on for a very, very, very, VERY long time. I am reminded of the case of the white supremacist (he was very proud of his Aryan heritage) who agreed to have his DNA analyzed, and, much to his consternation, found that he was 17% sub-Saharan African. 🤣🤣🤣

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

Word comments on Jul 1, 2021:

I had posted the question a few days ago, "Is racism evolutionary?" Most of your discussions seem to say that the entire population(does or does) will or will not evolve as a full group. People could rub elbows for 1000s of years but I don't think that would make any evolutionary genetic ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

@Word The so-called "chunks" you are focusing on are miniscule and insignificant. Remember, the starting place is that we are all much more alike than we are different. "All human beings are 99.9 percent identical in their genetic makeup." https://www.genome.gov › Gen The superficial differences between different ethnic groups are, for the most part, meaningless in terms of reproductive fitness. If they exist at all, they are far overshadowed by structural biases in society (I mean racial discrimination, and I think one could argue that even those are slowly going away...at long last). You talk about different scales, but in evolutionary biology there us only one scale: the population. And the human population has 7.9 billion individuals, and they all have multiple transportation modes at their disposal. No part of the human population is isolated from the rest. It's all one. Hey, don't take my word for it. Get yourself a good college textbook on biology. I'm sure you can find a decent, fairly up-to-date, and inexpensive used copy in your local university bookstore.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

Word comments on Jul 1, 2021:

I had posted the question a few days ago, "Is racism evolutionary?" Most of your discussions seem to say that the entire population(does or does) will or will not evolve as a full group. People could rub elbows for 1000s of years but I don't think that would make any evolutionary genetic ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

@Word Yes. This tutorial in biology was brought to you free of charge. You're welcome! 😉

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

Word comments on Jul 1, 2021:

I had posted the question a few days ago, "Is racism evolutionary?" Most of your discussions seem to say that the entire population(does or does) will or will not evolve as a full group. People could rub elbows for 1000s of years but I don't think that would make any evolutionary genetic ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

@Word According to the 2010 Decennial Census, 0.9% of the U.S. population, or 2.9 million people, identified as American Indian or Alaska Native alone, while 1.7% of the U.S. population, or 5.2 million people, identified as American Indian or Alaska Native alone or in combination with another race.Jun 1, 2020 https://www.ncai.org › about-tribes So you and about 2.3 million other Americans identify as mixed Native American/other. Now are you starting to see what I'm saying? No sub-population in the USA (or anywhere on Earth) is reproductively isolated. Even if that core group of tribal folk keep exclusively to themselves, genes keep on leaking out into the wider community. That means neither is reproductively isolated. In terms of gene pools, they are one.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

Word comments on Jul 1, 2021:

I had posted the question a few days ago, "Is racism evolutionary?" Most of your discussions seem to say that the entire population(does or does) will or will not evolve as a full group. People could rub elbows for 1000s of years but I don't think that would make any evolutionary genetic ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

@Word It does not take a lot of gene flow to de-isolate a sub-population. Basically, if there is ANY interbreeding between sub-populations, then they are NOT isolated.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

yvilletom comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Evolution doesn’t require your consent.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

Evolution is in the realm of science. And I'm giving you discussion based on science. The facts are that the human population is huge and no part of it is genetically isolated from any other part. These two factors, large population and no reproductive isolation, place a huge brake on evolution. Remember, evolution occurs at the population level. Genes do not evolve. Individuals do not evolve. Species do not evolve (unless they are limited to only one population). Only populations evolve. This is textbook biology, not my opinion, wish, desire, decree, or caprice.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

powder comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Why I love DEVO, they were onto it. Think they were more talking civilization rather than genes when taking their name ie de-evolution. I recall reading an article where some are getting bone spurs growing at the back/ base of their skulls as a counter balance to constantly having heads bent over ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

I don't want to whip a dead horse, but the proliferation of misinformation is a very interesting topic. Creating very elaborate lies and going to great lengths to fool people seems to have replaced baseball as a national pastime. The amount of garbage that is floating around is simply astounding.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

Word comments on Jul 1, 2021:

I had posted the question a few days ago, "Is racism evolutionary?" Most of your discussions seem to say that the entire population(does or does) will or will not evolve as a full group. People could rub elbows for 1000s of years but I don't think that would make any evolutionary genetic ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

@Word Sexual selection is a type of natural selection, and mating preferences don't have to be heritable. (I never said they did.) They can be (and often are) culturally driven. All that is true. I think you way over estimate the importance of racism in isolating sub-populations. In fact, racism is only a very weak barrier to mixing, even where there are miscegenation laws on the books prohibiting so-called "interracial marriage." Let's face it: when it comes to imaginary differences like race, love is blind. I will repeat my main point: the human population is huge (nearly 8 billion individuals), and is considered ONE population precisely because no part of it is genetically isolated from any other part. Genes are flowing every which way, into and out of every sub-population, even where there are strong legal or cultural proscriptions against intermarriage. This is textbook biology, by the way. Not my opinion, but scientific fact.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

wordywalt comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Of course, we have not stopped evolving. We will continue to evolve until he species is extinct. That is the nature of biology and living organisms. It is as simple as that.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

@wordywalt There is evidence of evolution within sub-populations, for example the decrease in the frequency of the sickle cell allele among African Americans. But that does not really count; it's only a small fraction of the world population. When we talk about human present-day evolution, we have to consider the whole population. All 7.9 billion of us. Even the sickle cell example is questionable. The decrease in allele frequency among African Americans could be due to dilution of that sub- gene pool. Rape of black slave women by their white masters was common practice for hundreds of years. And interracial marriage has always been a thing, even where there were miscegenation laws on the books. More study is required.

So, not sure which Texas-smashing, global warming-related disaster the authors of this meme are ...

HippieChick58 comments on Jul 1, 2021:

I'd go with all of the above. Makes me glad not to live IN or NEAR Texas.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

Hundreds of people died from the heat in Canada yesterday. I wonder if this will make them think again about extracting that tar sands oil.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

Word comments on Jul 1, 2021:

https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/humans-still-evolving-3-recent-adaptations HUMANS ARE STILL EVOLVING: 3 EXAMPLES OF RECENT ADAPTATIONS

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

I'll just address one of those three "examples." Take temperature. If there really is a cooling trend, it may be (and probably is) a response to conditions that is well within the scope of our present genetic makeup. In other words, place people in conditions like those of 150 years ago and they would respond as people did 150 years ago. It's similar to what is going on with human body size. In North America and Europe, people used to be smaller, on average, than they are today. That's because our nutrition is better today. Go back to the diet of 1850 America and people would not get as big as they do today. All we did in getting bigger with a better diet was realize a potential that was there all along. It was not evolution.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

Word comments on Jul 1, 2021:

I had posted the question a few days ago, "Is racism evolutionary?" Most of your discussions seem to say that the entire population(does or does) will or will not evolve as a full group. People could rub elbows for 1000s of years but I don't think that would make any evolutionary genetic ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

In biology, the concept of race is not recognized as being a real thing. This is because within any so-called "racial group," there are more phenotypic variations than there are across so-called "different racial groups." Seen in this light, the whole concept of race breaks down. And racism is a cultural phenomenon, not a biological one. There is no "racism gene." People do not inherit racism, they learn it.

Letters From An American 06/29/2021

yvilletom comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Homo sapiens is living a long coming-of-age story. There will be more extinctions but IMO enough will survive them to continue the story.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

@rainmanjr I think the word for what you just described is "nihilism."

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

powder comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Why I love DEVO, they were onto it. Think they were more talking civilization rather than genes when taking their name ie de-evolution. I recall reading an article where some are getting bone spurs growing at the back/ base of their skulls as a counter balance to constantly having heads bent over ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

Yeah hadn't heard of the bone spurs thing but it sounds like somebody was having some fun

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

yvilletom comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Evolution doesn’t require your consent.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

True dat.

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

wordywalt comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Of course, we have not stopped evolving. We will continue to evolve until he species is extinct. That is the nature of biology and living organisms. It is as simple as that.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

Really? Where is your evidence?

HeAdAkE posted this excellent question: Have humans stopped evolving?

t1nick comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Not an excellent question if you understand the principles of evolution. On a macroscopic level exceptions do not necessity make the rule. On a micro level exceptions can lead to significant changes. Evolution begins at the individual level. If expressed and successful, it gets passed onto the ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 1, 2021:

Ah, you miss the point my friend. Biologically speaking, there is only one human population. I know it it is tempting to view every country, or city, or region as having its own separate population, but in terms of evolutionary biology, they are all really just one.

Letters From An American 06/29/2021

silverotter11 comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Even if we get the fossil fuel industry to loosen it's grip there is still the issue of fresh water. Getting people to think long term is the real issue. Big corporate and the wealthy have always looked at the short term gain at the expense of nature and their fellow humans.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 30, 2021:

The American/capitalist/corporate way is to privatize the profits and keep the public on the hook for the liabilities.

Letters From An American 06/29/2021

yvilletom comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Homo sapiens is living a long coming-of-age story. There will be more extinctions but IMO enough will survive them to continue the story.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 30, 2021:

@rainmanjr I agree that when we are dead we have no concerns.....or opinions, hopes, fears, feelings, etc. Only the survivors have those things. And they are the ones I worry for.

Letters From An American 06/29/2021

yvilletom comments on Jun 30, 2021:

Homo sapiens is living a long coming-of-age story. There will be more extinctions but IMO enough will survive them to continue the story.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 30, 2021:

There is no guarantee that our species will survive our own folly. Along with sea level rise, heat waves, droughts, forest fires, megastorms, flooding, and spread of disease vectors, will come increased famine, migration, and war. Things are about to get really, really interesting.

I found this question on an online dating site: "Would you consider dating someone whose religion...

twill comments on Jun 28, 2021:

It will probably get you a date. Will it get you a whole lot of dates ? HELL NO. But of the one date it gets you....it will be special

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 29, 2021:

Yeah that's the idea: one good one is better than a hundred that do not hit the mark 😉

I found this question on an online dating site: "Would you consider dating someone whose religion...

anglophone comments on Jun 28, 2021:

I do not relate to the world in the manner that you describe. The word "spirituality" is a noise word to me - it means nothing to me.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 28, 2021:

That is understandable. The word is used in so many ways by different people, and they usually do not say exactly what they mean by it. That is partly what inspired me to write this post.

I found this question on an online dating site: "Would you consider dating someone whose religion...

redhog comments on Jun 28, 2021:

I just say no

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 28, 2021:

🤣🤣🤣

I found this question on an online dating site: "Would you consider dating someone whose religion...

Boxdoc comments on Jun 28, 2021:

I have always been an atheist. I have been married twice to religious women. We understood each other and it was never an issue. Unfortunately both died of cancers. Religion did them a lot of good didn't it.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 28, 2021:

Sorry for your loss.

I found this question on an online dating site: "Would you consider dating someone whose religion...

skado comments on Jun 28, 2021:

Great post! I agree wholeheartedly. I also suspect there are individuals (not the majority) who have “religious” experiences *inside* the established institutions, in spite of institutional biases. Experience, after all, can’t be precisely regulated by institutions. It is always the domain...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 28, 2021:

Good point: just because it is not my cup of tea does not mean it is not valid for anyone.

This is a follow up to a previous post.

twill comments on Jun 27, 2021:

...."somewhat" worrisome?

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 27, 2021:

Heh heh, you caught me working on my understatement skills

This is a follow up to a previous post.

Word comments on Jun 26, 2021:

As someone replied on other post, atheism exist because theism exist. There is good and there is evil. There is logical and there is illogical. Don't have to go far to understand atheism is illogical. Early Christians were widely reviled as atheists because they did not believe in the ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 27, 2021:

@Word wrote, "Jesus being a meme that by evolution processes because a person." Huh?

This is a follow up to a previous post.

BufftonBeotch comments on Jun 27, 2021:

What I find annoying is people who claim to be Atheists who believe in crap like Bigfoot and hauntings.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 27, 2021:

Yeah what's up with that? 🤔

This is a follow up to a previous post.

Word comments on Jun 26, 2021:

As someone replied on other post, atheism exist because theism exist. There is good and there is evil. There is logical and there is illogical. Don't have to go far to understand atheism is illogical. Early Christians were widely reviled as atheists because they did not believe in the ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 27, 2021:

@Word I like Dawkins, but I think that sometimes he goes too far. Sure, it's possible that Jesus is just a meme virus and never actually lived, but then why would there be contemporaneous Roman writings that refer to him? I'm willing to stipulate that Jesus lived, breathed, walked, and preached. But on the question if whether he was (is) the messiah, I'm with the Jews on that (i.e. NOT!).

This is a follow up to a previous post.

rainmanjr comments on Jun 26, 2021:

I don't understand why many Atheists celebrate Xmas. They are prolonging the ridiculous mythology that they claim to reject and inject a 2nd mythical God into it. Are they so stupid as to miss that because "It's fun?" I tell 'em right out they are even more stupid than the Xtians.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 27, 2021:

@rainmanjr Enabling....an important concept here. Moderate religious believers enable the extremists. In a way, by accepting at face value the proposition that the same Old Testament God exists, moderate Christians in America enable the extremists in ISIS and the Taliban halfway around the world.

This is a follow up to a previous post.

Triphid comments on Jun 26, 2021:

Third paragraph, first sentence you thank everyone for "commenting." But are you not, in truth, merely covering up that your posting and its contents are just an attempt to gain points to enable you to rise from one level to another. Imo, almost EVERYONE with even an iota of a brain knows what the...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 27, 2021:

My friend (Triphid), you know nothing about my motivations. As a matter of fact, I could not care less about points, or getting to the next level. I have been at level 7 for years, and would need to almost double my points total to reach level 8. At the rate I'm going, that will be sometime in the 2040s. The fastest way to gain points, by the way, is by posting, which I do only rarely. In the years I have been on this site I have only posted 70-something times. The vast majority of my activity has been writing comments (over 700 so far). My post-to-comment ratio says it all. Furthermore, if you were to analyse my comments, you would find a rather high average word count. If I were just seeking points, I could cover a lot more ground and get a lot more points by just tossing off a couple of words, or even just an emoji. You are way off base bra. Judging from the responses here, people are interested in this topic. Apparently it could use a little rehashing. And why not? There are always new members coming along who may never have heard the joke before, or participated in the semantic discussion. AND, by the way, as time passes, the historical context keeps changing. You will note that I placed this old topic in the current context with this comment: "There are places in the world today where being outed as an atheist could be a death sentence. And the current efforts by Evangelical Christians to grab power in this country through anti-democratic means, the slide towards authoritarian theocracy is indeed somewhat worrisome." Are you happy with the way things are going in our country? Are you not bothered by the anti-democratic activities of the Republican Party, and the fact that millions of Americans are embracing Trump's big lie, and that white supremacists pose the biggest domestic terrorism threat? Do you not see the connection between unsupported belief in a deity and unsupported belief in voter fraud? Isn't it the same flabby thinking in both cases? In that light, isn't the agnotsic vs atheist semantic discussion totally relevant and timely?

This is a follow up to a previous post.

Mvtt comments on Jun 26, 2021:

A joke at the pejorative, is a lovely comfort we can now afford. In some countries…

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 27, 2021:

Yes, and we had better take good care of that right, because we could lose it. In a political environment where objective facts don't matter, anything goes. The Republican Party's break with reality is a very worrisome sign.

This is a follow up to a previous post.

racocn8 comments on Jun 26, 2021:

Again, note that the true definition of atheist is one who is without belief in a god. No god is specified, and this represents a particular philosophical and even scientific perspective. No evidence for Odin or Yahweh means no reason to accept the claim from believers. Christians have turned ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 27, 2021:

@bbyrd009 Hey, stop making sense!

This is a follow up to a previous post.

racocn8 comments on Jun 26, 2021:

Again, note that the true definition of atheist is one who is without belief in a god. No god is specified, and this represents a particular philosophical and even scientific perspective. No evidence for Odin or Yahweh means no reason to accept the claim from believers. Christians have turned ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

@racocn8 Okay, I concede that the definition of agnostic does not mention belief. In fact, the word is made up of two Greek words: a = not or non or against, and gnosis = knowledge. There is no "belief" there. I should have said, "agnostics simply hold that they don't know, and implicit in that is a lack of belief in the proposition in question."

This is a follow up to a previous post.

rainmanjr comments on Jun 26, 2021:

I don't understand why many Atheists celebrate Xmas. They are prolonging the ridiculous mythology that they claim to reject and inject a 2nd mythical God into it. Are they so stupid as to miss that because "It's fun?" I tell 'em right out they are even more stupid than the Xtians.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

I don't know either. Maybe it's just inertia? Or consumerism?

This is a follow up to a previous post.

DenoPenno comments on Jun 26, 2021:

I do not place god. As for the word atheist you might find the origins in Latin.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

The Romans borrowed it (theos) from the Greeks.

This is a follow up to a previous post.

HeAdAkE comments on Jun 26, 2021:

u write well! i think that the real joke is the fact that the story is full of bullshit and people eat it up talking donkeys and snakes and bush's contradictions, misogyny, torture, prejudices, atrocities etc anybody who ingests this filth and keeps it close to the heart, is a goddamn ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

Thank you. I do try. 🙂

This is a follow up to a previous post.

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Jun 26, 2021:

Well shoot! Sorry I missed the first post. Humor is a curious thing, particularly the way that audiences will interpret the joke in such varied ways. My disappointingly unfunny response to your question, for example is that Santa/Tooth Fairy nonbelief needs no special name, because the ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

In the USA they're not running everything, but they would if they could, and they are trying hard to grab power. Thankfully, they are losing ground, especially among younger people. I wish we could say the same about Afghanistan...

This is a follow up to a previous post.

Word comments on Jun 26, 2021:

As someone replied on other post, atheism exist because theism exist. There is good and there is evil. There is logical and there is illogical. Don't have to go far to understand atheism is illogical. Early Christians were widely reviled as atheists because they did not believe in the ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

@Word One thing is for sure: religious texts are open to a wide range of interpretations. This is due to the fact that it is mostly fiction, and not tied to evidence-based facts. This has led to endless schism, resulting in over 40,000 different splinter sects in the "Christian" category alone. But historically, religion in general has had societal governance in its portfolio of functions. So it should come as no surprise that certain elements of secular governments can be found in ancient scripture. It is possible to borrow the useful bits and leave the trash on the cutting room floor.

This is a follow up to a previous post.

Moravian comments on Jun 26, 2021:

I know that this is a site for agnostics aka fence sitters or hedge betters but I would rather base my beliefs on scientific discoveries than the attempts of primitive man to understand the world. Two fascinating scientific reports in the past week by cosmologists on when the first stars were ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

"...if there are aliens out there they know we are here." That is, if they didn't blow themselves to smithereens or make their environment so unlivible they died out before the light from our sun in our time could reach them.

This is a follow up to a previous post.

racocn8 comments on Jun 26, 2021:

Again, note that the true definition of atheist is one who is without belief in a god. No god is specified, and this represents a particular philosophical and even scientific perspective. No evidence for Odin or Yahweh means no reason to accept the claim from believers. Christians have turned ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

You say the true definition of the word atheist is "one who is without belief in god." Actually, this defines agnostics. Atheists actively believe in God's non-existence, while agnostics withhold belief. At least that is my understanding. You go on to cite "older dictionaries [which] define atheism as “a belief that there is no God.”" I don't want to belabor the point, but this is consistent with my understanding. It is, in my view, a better definition, though you rightly point out that it is biased in favor of monotheism.

This is a follow up to a previous post.

Word comments on Jun 26, 2021:

As someone replied on other post, atheism exist because theism exist. There is good and there is evil. There is logical and there is illogical. Don't have to go far to understand atheism is illogical. Early Christians were widely reviled as atheists because they did not believe in the ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

@David1955 Hmmm....in the above video he said the only "ist" he is is a scientist, but if a label had to he assigned, the one that comes closest would be "agnostic," one who doesn't know but is willing to look at new evidence should it arise. This seems perfectly reasonable to me. He goes on to say that he doesn't have time or interest to "gather and strategize" or try to influence policy [relating belief in God]. That, as a personal choice that he makes, also sounds reasonable. I, however, am a bit more radical or activist than NDGT is. I think much policy implicitly favors religious belief and should be changed to reflect the highly dubious nature of the proposition that God exists. First, I would revoke the tax-exempt status of all religious organizations. In official documents I would refer to them as cults. I would not allow businesses to withhold service due to conflict with their religious beliefs. So the bakery could not refuse to provide a wedding cake to a gay couple, for instance. And they could not opt out of contributing to a healthcare fund that provides abortions or contraception. And I would have textbooks on biology ecplicitly point out that creation myths like the one in Genesis are not supported by evidence. I would make comparative mythology a regular part of school curricula, and history textbooks would cover religious wars in great detail. Psychology majors would learn the neuroscience indicating that the so-called religious experience can arise spontaneously in the human brain due to factors like temporal lobe epilepsy, stress, or even simple lack of sleep, and can easily be induced by drugs such as LSD, peyote, hayuhuasca, etc. In other words, I would never give them a break, in the hope that eventually religios thinking would be widely seen as ridiculous. The fact that NDGT does not go as far as me does not bother me at all. He is doing a good job at popularizing science, and you will catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

This is a follow up to a previous post.

Silver1wun comments on Jun 26, 2021:

Atheist is a word that can arguably be categorized as both a noun and an adjective. I see it as regarded both ways, depending on who happens to be either asserting it to describe themselves or has it applied to them with attendant myths. That it is limiting is exactly why there are so many false ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

I like the term "free thinker."

This is a follow up to a previous post.

Word comments on Jun 26, 2021:

As someone replied on other post, atheism exist because theism exist. There is good and there is evil. There is logical and there is illogical. Don't have to go far to understand atheism is illogical. Early Christians were widely reviled as atheists because they did not believe in the ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

@David1955 I independently came to the same basic conclusion as NDGT: there is some overlap in the meanings, but there is also a significant difference between atheist and agnostic, and the latter makes much more sense. It is impossible to prove that God does not exist, so belief that She doesn't makes about as much sense as belief that She does. As for NDGT's supposed concern over his popularity, well, I give him credit for hewing strictly to science an not pandering to either atheists or to the religious.

This is a follow up to a previous post.

Word comments on Jun 26, 2021:

As someone replied on other post, atheism exist because theism exist. There is good and there is evil. There is logical and there is illogical. Don't have to go far to understand atheism is illogical. Early Christians were widely reviled as atheists because they did not believe in the ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

Two great videos! Thanks for sharing! 😁

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

xenoview comments on Jun 22, 2021:

I have a lack of belief in god, that makes me an atheist. We don't know is there is any supernatural.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 26, 2021:

@Willow_Wisp I did not know Huxley coined the term...thanks for that interesting tidbit! 👍

Someone recently asked me how important religion is to me.

Word comments on Jun 21, 2021:

You say,"Religion in its many manifestations has always had an outsized role in human affairs, and one way or another, we are all affected by it." Are you affected in the role of orphan, widow (er) or one that helps widows and orphans? Religion ... pure and faultless is this: to help widows ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 24, 2021:

@Word Your point is...?

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

of-the-mountain comments on Jun 21, 2021:

Should it not be Anti Christ, anti religious, anti Santa clause, anti tooth fairy, or anti Bigfoot!!! LOL!!!

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

While I di not believe in Santa, et al, I am not against them either. For one thing, that would, in a way, give them a modicum of credence they don't deserve.

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

xenoview comments on Jun 21, 2021:

Why did you do a double posting? You need to delete on of them.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

Yup, my bad. I would have deleted one but I was not aware that it was there. I will try to be more careful in the future.

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

xenoview comments on Jun 22, 2021:

Why do you call yourself an atheist then?

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

@Mcflewster Thank you! Right back at you bra! 😎

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

HeAdAkE comments on Jun 21, 2021:

it should exist because it lets others know ur particular non belief in a diety i get where ur goin tho, Dawkins had a fun take on it why it would exist is because it proudly says 'god is not real

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

I'm a big fan of Dawkins 😎

Someone recently asked me how important religion is to me.

Word comments on Jun 21, 2021:

You say,"Religion in its many manifestations has always had an outsized role in human affairs, and one way or another, we are all affected by it." Are you affected in the role of orphan, widow (er) or one that helps widows and orphans? Religion ... pure and faultless is this: to help widows ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

When Christans carry out genocide against Muslims (as in the Crusades and more recently in Bosnia/Croatia) I am affected with shame for the human race. And with amazement at the heights of hypocrisy. I'm sure Jesus would not aporove of the things done in his name. When Sunies prosecute genocide against Shiites, or visa versa, millions of refugees hit the road and I am affected. When Christians slaughtered Jews en masse, as in 20th century Germany, relatives of mine were directly affected, I I must have been at least indirectly affected. When Christians expelled all Jews and Moslems from Spain the country became culturally impoverished and horribly backward and corrupt, and then went on to export that corruption to all of Latin America. The refugee problem we are experiencing today from Central America has its roots in religious persecution. And by the way, Social Security and Child Protective Services are secular institutions, and they do fsr more good than relugious ones. You see, people can be without fear of retributiin from an angry God and still do good works, still have compassion and empathy.

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

xenoview comments on Jun 22, 2021:

Why do you call yourself an atheist then?

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

@GipsyOfNewSpain Ooooo, looks like I touched a nerve. What's the matter bunkie? Afraid of the dark? Can't handle a little uncertainty?

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

Julie808 comments on Jun 22, 2021:

Well, there's "Grinch" for non-believer in Santa... and child for a believer in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, etc. We don't need names for non-belief in fanciful characters, simply "non-believer" or realist, truth seeker, etc., Difference in your examples is that most adults recognize they are ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

"sadly a large percentage of people don't recognize God as a mythological character, yet anyway. Number of "nones" is getting bigger ever day!" Well said! 👏👏👏

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

xenoview comments on Jun 22, 2021:

Why do you call yourself an atheist then?

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

I don't call myself an atheist. I call myself an agnostic. Outwardly, I may appear atheistic, but I cannot prove God's non-existence. I can only try to assess the probability of that existence. And to me it seems vanishingly small, but not zero. Except in cases where I explicitly explain my position, as I am doing here, I think most people observing my words and actions would assume I am an atheist. I don't attend religious services, and I openly ridicule many religious beliefs. Pascal said the safe bet is to believe, because that way if you're wrong, there is no down side, but if you're right, you pass Go and collect 200 dollars in Heaven. I'm going the other way. I am betting there is only this one life, corporeal and terrestrial, and I insist on living it my way, without bowing down to dictators or swallowing institutional dogmas. I may be wrong, (I don't think I am, but I'm not 100% sure) and if I am, well, I will see all my old friends in Hell.

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

JackPedigo comments on Jun 22, 2021:

If that is the case when they get to adulthood there are lots of names for these people.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

For people who don't believe in Santa, or Bigfoot ie the Tooth Fairy?

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

DenoPenno comments on Jun 21, 2021:

I answered in the other twin post.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

There's a twin post? Oh shit.

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

David1955 comments on Jun 21, 2021:

When religion dies out in the world, so will the word atheist.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

I like your optimism: not if, but when.

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

Fernapple comments on Jun 22, 2021:

It is a very badly used word in many cases, since most, so called, atheists, are actually what you could call asupernaturalists or anti-suprernaturalists, since they do not believe in any thing supernatural, nor any, none theist religions, like Buddhism, Spiritualism or Animism either. So that it ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

You are on to something there. Believers hurl the word "atheist" at a non-believer like a rioter hurls a brick at a store window. They think the term "atheist" is a pejorative. They assume that most people think as they do, and that non-belief is abnormal (and morally deficient). In other words, believers who use the term "atheist" as a pejorative are asserting their moral superiority. It is pure chauvinism.

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

xenoview comments on Jun 22, 2021:

I have a lack of belief in god, that makes me an atheist. We don't know is there is any supernatural.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 23, 2021:

I parse it this way: lack of belief is sort of a neutral state, not the same as believing that He, Her, It, God, or whatever, does NOT exist. In other words, I call myself an agnostic because, while I do not believe God exists, I cannot say for sure that He, She, It, whatever, does not exist. (By the way, I think the probability of God's existence is vanishingly small...like one chance in a hundred thousand, or maybe even less than that... like one in a million.... depends on my mood.) To be a full-blown atheist, I think one has to be 100% sure of God's non-existence. In other words, they believe He, She, It, whatever, does not exist. The atheist has no doubt. The agnostic does have doubt. Now that just how I parse it for myself. I realize that not everyone sees it my way.

Why should the word "atheist" even exist?

Willow_Wisp comments on Jun 21, 2021:

Yes it's profoundly stupid, it's like having a word for being a non-coin collector. It's like having a name for a color that doesn't exist. It's like considering bald a hair style, even if that one is a bit weak. What's the special name for someone with "good mental health" amid all the ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 21, 2021:

Well said! You get it! 🙂

(I placed this post in the "academic" category, because I speak about education in America.

DenoPenno comments on Jun 10, 2021:

The American educational system has been compromised and that has brought us to this point. Originally the idea was to help all of us learn but along the way this changed into things like not teaching government in schools and no longer having to learn cursive writing, etc, etc. The religious were ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 10, 2021:

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! 👍👍

(I placed this post in the "academic" category, because I speak about education in America.

misstuffy comments on Jun 10, 2021:

Aron Ra is running a series on education now with things text books get wrong. He is running the series on You Tube. Our educational system is being run by the religious these days. They want tax money to fund Christian Schools and prayer back in public schools, but have a holy shit fit if another ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 10, 2021:

Oh you are so right! The whole push for vouchers is an attempt to direct public funds into parochial schools. And high in their to-do lists is downplay, discredit, or flat out remove Darwinian evolution from the biology curriculum and replace it with pseudoscience like Intelligent Design. There was a big court case in Dover Pennsylvania a couple decades back, and the parents and teachers who wanted their students to learn real science prevailed. But the fight is never over. The dunderheaded religionists just keep on coming.

(I placed this post in the "academic" category, because I speak about education in America.

Krish55 comments on Jun 10, 2021:

It's not the educational system but the growing inequality in the society that is the problem. Education cannot compete with what the child is exposed to in his family and community. We are primarily social and emotional animals not individualistic, rational ones. Growing inequality promotes ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 10, 2021:

You make an important point. Income inequality is a huge issue. However, one could argue that the surest way to level the playing field is through education. It's also true that people in socialist countries like Denmark and Sweden do not buy into conspiracy theories at the rate that Americans do. But then their students see education as a worthwhile endeavor and pathway to success, whereas American secondary students tend to see it merely as an inconvenient interruption to their social lives. And they (American students) are indulged by parents who, rather than push their students to achieve, act more like chearleaders. Around the world, the students who score highest on the PISA (Project for International Scholastic Assessment) test live in countries where the parents act more like coaches. If you are interested in this subject I will refer you to an excellent book titled "The Smartest Students in the World, and How They Got That Way," by Amanda Ripley.

What are your views on the sudden calls for unity after the last admin's open engagement in ...

racocn8 comments on Jan 21, 2021:

Would you embrace a giant stinky turd? Would you embrace Hitler? Would you embrace Putin? Would you embrace Epstein? Would you embrace someone without a mask? How'd that unity thing work for Obama? How to overcome "otherism"? 1. Education. 2. Mandatory voting, voting rights, statehood for DC...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jun 4, 2021:

Glad you mentioned the Fairness Doctrine. This flood of disinformation coming out of Faux News and other fonts of fakery is making it impossible to have a fact-based conversation.

So.

Stilltrying1964 comments on May 18, 2021:

Hot dogs and nuggets go in my mouth and out my ass! Shots / needles go in my arm and can kill me the first time! I snorted coke in the 80's but never booted it! Catch my drift? Food good (even bad food is good), needles can kill in a few moments.

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 20, 2021:

@FrayedBear Oops, I thought I was speaking to @Stilltrying1964. I must have tapped the wrong button.

So.

Stilltrying1964 comments on May 18, 2021:

Hot dogs and nuggets go in my mouth and out my ass! Shots / needles go in my arm and can kill me the first time! I snorted coke in the 80's but never booted it! Catch my drift? Food good (even bad food is good), needles can kill in a few moments.

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 20, 2021:

@FrayedBear, @Stilltrying1964 You know what? I don't mind that you scoff at my word choice (and, presumably, my advice). I just want to help you protect yourself and others. Failing that, I would be interested to know how you come to be so horribly misinformed. Where do you get your information? Facebook? Breitbart? Fox News? Infowars? Do tell!

So.

Stilltrying1964 comments on May 18, 2021:

Hot dogs and nuggets go in my mouth and out my ass! Shots / needles go in my arm and can kill me the first time! I snorted coke in the 80's but never booted it! Catch my drift? Food good (even bad food is good), needles can kill in a few moments.

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 20, 2021:

@FrayedBear Thank you

So.

DenoPenno comments on May 18, 2021:

You hit it. This is what people keep telling me but it goes deeper. I mention many things we eat or ingest and we have no idea what is in them. Next they tell me that the virus came from a lab and we came up with a vaccine way too soon. Keep hammering at that and these ignorant people will revert ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 19, 2021:

Glad you got over it. Thanks for your comments.

So.

Tejas comments on May 18, 2021:

You don't inject hotdogs and chicken nuggets into your arm, just like you wouldn't swallow vaccines. If you did you'd probly die.

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 19, 2021:

Dude, vaccines work. They prevent illness. They save lives. Are they perfect? No. Occasionally, one in a million (or hundred million) recipients has an allergic reaction. It still makes sense to vaccinate.

So.

BDair comments on May 18, 2021:

I have eaten health food all of my life. I don't want the vaccine, because I have eaten health food all of my life.

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 19, 2021:

@BDair writes, "Under the age of 50, the mortality rate is insignificant." Not if it's your son or daughter, niece or nephew, or grandchild who is dying.

So.

BDair comments on May 18, 2021:

I have eaten health food all of my life. I don't want the vaccine, because I have eaten health food all of my life.

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 19, 2021:

@BDair The official US COVID-19 death toll, as 9f mid -May, 2021, is over 585,000. The actual death toll is much higher. Most victims have been elderly or had preexisting conditions. But not all. Many young, healthy people have succumbed to this virus. And many survivors have terrible symptoms that go on and on, with no end in sight. It is definitely worth the effort to get vaccinated, if not for one's own health, then for those with whom they may have contact.

So.

dumasarok comments on May 18, 2021:

Your verbal caricature widely misses the mark.

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 19, 2021:

Hmmm.... how so? 🤔

So.

oldFloyd comments on May 18, 2021:

Kind of does make you wonder doesn't it. 🤔😠

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 19, 2021:

@oldFloyd There are some amazing new therapies for cancer. Immunotherapy (training the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells) looks particularly promising. It is still early days, but good things are happening. Best of luck to you.

So.

Stilltrying1964 comments on May 18, 2021:

Hot dogs and nuggets go in my mouth and out my ass! Shots / needles go in my arm and can kill me the first time! I snorted coke in the 80's but never booted it! Catch my drift? Food good (even bad food is good), needles can kill in a few moments.

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 19, 2021:

There is a huge difference between injecting an illegal street drug and injecting a vaccine manufactured under strict lab protocols and approved by both the CDC and FDA. Before you blithely dismiss the advice the health professionals, I recommend that you learn some science. First, educate yourself on the basics of the immune system. Then familiarize yourself with the field of molecular biology (that's everything to do with DNA, RNA, and the production of proteins). You could enroll in a biology class at your local junior college, or simply go to a bookstore and buy a college textbook on general biology. If you still have questions after reading the chapters on the immune system and molecular biology, just message me here. I will be happy to clarify.

I am soooo ready to forget Trump and move on.

Druvius comments on May 7, 2021:

Yes, the GOP is transforming into a Trump cult as I type. The Jan 6 insurrection was his Beer Hall Putsch. This could still get really ugly, though his age, incoherence, and incompetence are mitigating factors.

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 11, 2021:

I just worry that some younger, slicker version of Cheato will employ the same tactics with greater success.

I am soooo ready to forget Trump and move on.

Flowerwall comments on May 8, 2021:

Well I won't deny I heard Democrats hired 73 lawyers to contest the judicial decision in AZ regarding the audit of the election results. That's a lot of lawyers! And a HUGE expense to the taxpayer. If there is nothing to hide the allowing the audit would have been much cheaper.

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 11, 2021:

Any lawyers the Democratic Party might employ would be paid for by the Party, through donations. The Party is not a government agency and is not funded by taxes.

I am soooo ready to forget Trump and move on.

nogod4me comments on May 8, 2021:

They are doing it to force in voting laws to disenfranchise voters in future elections, trying to create doubt in the system.

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 11, 2021:

Yes that is exactly what they want to do, because they don't believe in democracy.

I am soooo ready to forget Trump and move on.

dalefvictor comments on May 9, 2021:

Only people who will vote for trump should be allowed to vote. Would that make the idiot happy?

Flyingsaucesir replies on May 11, 2021:

Probably nothing less than obsequious, fawning sycophancy will satisfy the Cheato's grandiose self image.

If the god of the bible exists (which I don't believe for a moment) it is a complete asshole.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Apr 20, 2021:

When you confront Christians with their supposed omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God's failure to alleviate the suffering of innocents, they will often say that God has a plan, but He does not reveal it to us. How convenient! This entity for whose existence there is absolutely no ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Apr 21, 2021:

@ipx_ninja This just goes to show how human beings are capable of creating an amazing variety of specious arguments and spurious explanations.

As a longtime resident of San Diego County, I found this little bit of trivia amusing.

The-Krzyz comments on Apr 8, 2021:

Nice story, but not true. San Diego, after whom the city and county are named, WAS a Franciscan, who lived and died about a century before young Carlos and the events described. Poor Carlos, who should have been his father’s successor to the throne, was born with a variety of physical and mental ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Apr 17, 2021:

@Petter FYI, I found a journal article that supports Michener's account and offers even more details. See my reply to The-Krzyz (below).

As a longtime resident of San Diego County, I found this little bit of trivia amusing.

HippieChick58 comments on Apr 8, 2021:

Ya gotta wonder if the trepanation would have "cured" him, or given the sanitation of the era just hastened his departure. That was a fascinating piece of history.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Apr 14, 2021:

FYI, I found a journal article that supports Michener's account and offers even more details. See my reply to The-Krzyz (above).

As a longtime resident of San Diego County, I found this little bit of trivia amusing.

The-Krzyz comments on Apr 8, 2021:

Nice story, but not true. San Diego, after whom the city and county are named, WAS a Franciscan, who lived and died about a century before young Carlos and the events described. Poor Carlos, who should have been his father’s successor to the throne, was born with a variety of physical and mental ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Apr 14, 2021:

Not true? This account published in the Journal of San Diego History is consistent with Michener's in every particular. THE YEAR 1588 AND SAN DIEGO DE ALCALÁ The Journal of San Diego History SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY Winter 1988, Volume 34, Number 1 Thomas L. Scharf, Editor By Thomas Case Professor of Spanish San Diego State University Images from this Article 400 years ago, San Diego de Alcalá was canonized, exactly 125 years after his death in 1463. The events which led to his canonization are a fascinating piece of history and are tied to the fate of Spanish Empire, the changes in the Vatican, and Spain’s troubles with England, which was to embark on an empire of its own. At this distance in time, we seem to have forgotten that the canonization of San Diego de Alcalá was one of the most important events of its time. San Diego became the subject of many outstanding works of art, such as the beautiful statue carved by Alonso Cano and Pedro de Mena, and the paintings executed in the seventeenth century by Murillo, Ribera, and Zurbarán. Lope de Vega wrote a three-act play on his life and miracles. More important for us, however, was the christening of the flagship, the San Diego. In 1602, this vessel, commanded by Sebastián Vizcaíno, sailed into a port previously named San Miguel by Juan Cabrillo in 1542. The crew landed on November 12 and Mass was celebrated. Vizcaíno renamed the bay and its area San Diego de Alcala in honor of his patron and for the day he had made his landing. A century and a half later, another Franciscan like San Diego, Fray Junipero Serra, founded the first of a chain of missions in Alta California on this same location. While the name for our city may seem fortuitous due to the liturgical calendar, the events which led to San Diego’s occupancy of that day were of monumental importance to the Western world. In this article, I wish to review the process which gave the Church calendar the feast of San Diego and our city its proud name. San Diego was born in the small village of San Nicolás del Puerto, about fifty miles northeast of the city of Seville.1 After living in a hermitage, he joined the Franciscan Order at the Convent of Arrizafa, in Cordoba, as an Observant lay brother. He spent some time at the Convent of San Francisco in Seville and in 1441 he was sent as a missionary to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, where he gained renown for his piety and diligence. In 1449, we find him again in Seville, from where he was sent to Rome as one of the many pilgrims celebrating the Jubilee Year and the canonization of San Bernardino de Siena. Back in Spain, he lived successively in convents in Pastrana and La Salceda, in Castile, and in 1456 he joined the Franciscan community at the new convent of ...

OK...you Atheists - or is it agnostics?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Mar 16, 2021:

We all have a little amphibian in us. We are mammals, but mammals are indirectly descended from amphibians. The first tetrapods to colonize the land were fish, and as they continued to evolve they gave rise to amphibians. Some of these evolved into reptiles, and some reptiles evolved into birds, ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 28, 2021:

@Canndue Actually, all four: two arms and two legs. All were adapted from what were originally lobe fins (as opposed to Ray fins). If you are interested in this subject I highly recommend a three-part documentary titled "Your Inner Fish."

OK...you Atheists - or is it agnostics?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Mar 16, 2021:

We all have a little amphibian in us. We are mammals, but mammals are indirectly descended from amphibians. The first tetrapods to colonize the land were fish, and as they continued to evolve they gave rise to amphibians. Some of these evolved into reptiles, and some reptiles evolved into birds, ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 18, 2021:

@Robecology Exactly!

Letters From An American 03/04/2021

Triphid comments on Mar 5, 2021:

In my opinion, in times like this Governments SHOULD ask themselves this ONE simple question, " WHAT is more important, the Economy and the Budget OR the People that WE are elected to serve and Protect?"The answer should be just as simple imo. I.e, What good is an Economy and a Budget in the black ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 6, 2021:

@Triphid True dat!

Letters From An American 03/04/2021

Triphid comments on Mar 5, 2021:

In my opinion, in times like this Governments SHOULD ask themselves this ONE simple question, " WHAT is more important, the Economy and the Budget OR the People that WE are elected to serve and Protect?"The answer should be just as simple imo. I.e, What good is an Economy and a Budget in the black ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 6, 2021:

@Triphid I'm afraid you are probably right about that.

Letters From An American 03/04/2021

nogod4me comments on Mar 5, 2021:

End the filibuster, get the job done.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 6, 2021:

We have to end gerrymandering and voter suppression too.

Letters From An American 03/04/2021

KKGator comments on Mar 5, 2021:

And the republicans have the gall (and hypocrisy) to call the democrats "obstructionists". That whole party needs to be eradicated from any level of "leadership". They totally suck at it. I'm so sick of this bullshit.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 6, 2021:

The Republican Party is not a party, it's a cult. A personality cult, to be specific.

Letters From An American 03/04/2021

Triphid comments on Mar 5, 2021:

In my opinion, in times like this Governments SHOULD ask themselves this ONE simple question, " WHAT is more important, the Economy and the Budget OR the People that WE are elected to serve and Protect?"The answer should be just as simple imo. I.e, What good is an Economy and a Budget in the black ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 6, 2021:

10.%? No, my friend. The COVID death rate is closer to 1%...it will be 1.5% before all is said and done. But your point is well taken.

According to Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (2003), imbecile is a French import ...

Mofo1953 comments on Feb 20, 2021:

What is the ethimology of moron?

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 2, 2021:

Not sure where "moron" comes from, but I have read that it is a root in the word "sophomore." There is disagreement about that, but after a 20-year career teaching 10th graders I can testify that the many are indeed "wise fools." 😂

According to Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (2003), imbecile is a French import ...

bbyrd009 comments on Feb 20, 2021:

interesting, ty. Always thought it derived from the greek island? Got a link for the last bit? ty

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 2, 2021:

Sorry, no link. My bad.