Competition: healthy or not?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

Very interesting point. I raised a point that displeased rather conservative members who were all to willing to send volleys of insults my way. So i got rewarded for being a shit stirrer. I made similar experiences in real life where i was given peanuts for tasks that would have dignified an ape and for some monkey jobs i was rather handsomely rewarded. It was as an illiterate that I was given the most financially rewarding jobs, combined with other perks. In contrast for really good work I was often not paid at all. Here at least the points are given whether I excrete verbal garbage or something slightly better. Pecunia non olet ... neither do points.

Put it in a lyric.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

cool ... give ot to ... whoever deserves it!

Would you ride o on the back of an elephant in the jungle of Africa?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

I am not sure that many elephants have joined.the Tourism industry yet.

Would you ride o on the back of an elephant in the jungle of Africa?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

why not combine at least some? Cook a gourmet meal on Ouvea and go for a dive after your digestive nap?

I remember my parents had one but not this color. Do you know of anybody that still has one?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

Just looking at them makes me feel dusty and moldy ... and feel hairy caterpillars crawling ...

Should public nudity be legal?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

perhaps too many Americans have been perverted by glossy publications thst turned natural nakedness into a commodity: erotic nudity ...

I spotted a post on FB about Poke Pizza and it reminded me of a Sashimi Bowl I used to make, so ...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

looks good ...bon appetit!

I remember my parents had one but not this color. Do you know of anybody that still has one?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

I blame it on these that I never make my bed. I had totally forgotten the term "chenille".

Never regret a day in your life ?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

So true ... and yet so often neglected!

Can you love someone that does not love themselves?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

Holy moly ... Trump certainly seems to love himself to bits ... can you love him?

I thought this might belong in Cheesy Jokes until the end...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

I don't get the wet celery bit.

So, Ive been talking to this guy on a dating site for a couple days.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

Did you see him? I have been invited to cam chats ... but the scammers tried all sorts of subterfuges ... too dark, cam not clear, nobody in the picture ... just running a prerecorded video,,, unless you can really talk and see the person and ask pertinent questions ... and even then

I thought this might belong in Cheesy Jokes until the end...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

I'd have to think about this one

Scott Morrison's claim to be 'on God's side' is fraught with danger | Geoff Thompson ...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

well ... he is on the losing side ...

This Friday I did something either very stupid or very wise.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

This reminds me of a story written by a French guy in Polynesia ... well .. in French Polynesia ... in Tahiti to be precise ... Where the women are called vahinés ... When this noun is uttered it evokes all the magic of the South Seas ... all the tales, all the exotic tastesL the taste of salt on smooth skin carefully covered with monoï, the distant sound of the gentle surf, the fragrance of frangipani ... bref beauty in it purest as the promise of happiness. I always thought that these descriptions were exaggerated ... now I thinks they are insufficient to express the exuberance that emanates from these heavenly creatures. Back to the story ... a typical story of the naive French guy who gets sucked into the magic of a vahiné and erroneously extrapolates that vahiné would rhyme with a possissive pronoun. Moments with such a creation that could make a staunch atheist believe in a god, a male god ... these moments are ephemeral ... just like the effects of other drugs ... they transport the mind into some exotic place ... but there is no road map or GPS to find the place and there is no lock or PIN to claim exclusive access.\ Our Frenchman doesn't understand this and when the vahiné vanishes, his mind is chucked into a complicated series of processing machines, tools, devices, subject to mechanical, chemical and emotional stress tests. Rage, sadness, dispair, hope ...all are blended together. Getting drunk and drugged doesn't really help ... 10 days go past and our Frenchman is reduced to a little empty shell just functioning mechanically. Suddenly, just as she had vanished, the vahiné reappears ... the impact is overwhelming ... but the rage takes over ... Monsieur le Fenchman starts asking questions ... The vahiné just steps back looks him into the eyes, drops her pareo and slowly decribes a pirouette and in the voice of a bird of paradise asks innocently: "Anything missing?"

This Friday I did something either very stupid or very wise.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

very well written!

Where's my fing coffee?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

That is an offence ... sue the shop!

[local.theonion.com] Brilliant!

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

Well ... a mushroom wakes up

That's the religious right for ya, bunch of hypocrites.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

Excellent

A rare instance of a church doing something very, very good indeed.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

Because of some comments I received I had to reread the article here (I cannot access the BBC website). "Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has been severe in his criticism of Wonga in the past, accusing them of trading in misery." ... but the church didn't act before the business became insolvent (I guess). Now the church investment fund is looking into buying Wonga out. So the church is investing into a business offering a financial service. The new owner will make sure the loans will be repaid. There is no indication the church might just cancel the debt. "With the company in administration, its loanbook is going to be put up for sale at a bargain price." So the church is a bargain hunter ... if they buy the debt at the fraction of the nominal value ... of course they can be generous. Will they employ debt collectors? The problem with this article is that it primes the reader into thinking of the "goodness of the organisation". I am sure that the meeting at Lambeth Palace will not be as cheap as meeting at a McDonald's joint.

A rare instance of a church doing something very, very good indeed.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 16, 2018:

Would be cool if the church kommisars looked at the Lambeth Palace ... and came to the conclusion: “That place would be great for the homeless. While we are at it ... we have fewer bums on pews ... perhaps we can convert a few churches into homes for the needy rather than selling them of to turn them into Yuppie playgrounds!"

Why is it that most people here are from the US?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Other countries don't need such outlets ... they are atheistic ... you wouldn't expect a Chinese ethnic association in China ... hey ... I have to check how many Chinese have made it to Liechtenstein ...

A rare instance of a church doing something very, very good indeed.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Obviously it's a PR exercise ... otherwise the church would just have done it quietly.

A rare instance of a church doing something very, very good indeed.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

But let us not forget: *It is easy to be generous with other people's money!* All church funds come from the outside ... all too often from modest sources.

100 Years ago Eugene Debbs gave a speech that landed him in jail. [commondreams.org]

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Carl von Ossietzky, a German pacifist, was convicted of espionage for exposing the clandestine German re-armament in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1935 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1990, his daughter, Rosalinde von Ossietzky-Palm, called for a resumption of proceedings, but the verdict was upheld by the Federal Court of Justice in 1992.

Oh. My. Word. Straights don’t have gay sex?!? [friendlyatheist.patheos.com]

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Shit ... 42 years too late. Once I had a catholic wife ... apart from missionary's position NO GO ... now I understand.

Donald Trump Can’t Stop Attacking Puerto Rico’s Death Toll [motherjones.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Inflated numbers... yes for his inauguration!!!

What weather we're having??? right??

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I often ask people to think about cars .. especially here in China where most people are not morbidly obese ... What is it that is to be transported? In most cases one person and a handbag or one person and a briefcase. Some times just a child to school. But an SUV frequently weighs more than 20 times the payload... Oh, but we must have them. We must also have cars designed to fly along at 250 km per hour ... though most countries don't have roads where such idiotic speeds are either legal or practicable. ***Pan motoriscus*** thinks it is a *god given right* to own whatever they want. And any ape should be allowed to fly airplanes. Silly primates indeed ...

What weather we're having??? right??

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

It's the stupid *the glass is still half full* mentaltiy that is to blame.

What weather we're having??? right??

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Super Typhoon Mangkhut, strongest of the year,

What caused you to not believe in god?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I was about 4.6 when I tried ... I even tried praying secretely because my brothers would have laughed at me. So I went into hiding under my parents' bed. The prayers were probably deflected by the wire in the frame and the mattresses. So I gave up when I was 5.2. Never looked back.

Books Better the 2nd Time?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

*To Kill a Mockingbird* ... The first time I didn't even get the story because I didn't understand the context.

Books Better the 2nd Time?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplicius_Simplicissimus Gutenberg Project: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33858 **Simplicius Simplicissimus** I read this book in my teens. I was probably sick at the time. I read mainly when I was sick enough to stay in bed. I also suspect that I wanted to read it because of some salacious details my elder brother had mentioned. However, these details we buried under heaps of other details and instant gratification didn't seem to be forthcoming. Somehow I didn't like it. About 40 years later I gave it another go; I tried the original version first but I just found it too laborious. So I ended up reading the English translation and I adore the story.

The only non-fake news source gets a makeover!

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conghua_city_yueyuan_animal_breeding_farm This entry makes the claim tha他Conghua in the Chinese province of Canton is the worlds largest supplier of non human primates. Now the White House seems to be the major contender for the title.

I'm drinking. What do we want to talk or argue about this evening?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

Anything ... what about alcoholism?

The only non-fake news source gets a makeover!

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

The White House has been turned into **Animal Farm**

A year ago a paymate discovered that I have faur G spots. How many G spots you have?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

Have you mapped them?

Do you like maps?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

Do American learn about the Waldseemüller map? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldseemüller_map

How does everyone feel about the understanding that our global resources are finite?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

"Our population continues on the same exponential trend and we are hurdling toward a serious resource crisis? How do we humanely address population vs. resources." What exactly do you have in mind when you write: " How do we humanely address population vs. resources“？

I think of myself as agnostic mostly, but ever since joining this site, and reading many, many ...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

What do you actually mean by "spiritual"?

I think of myself as agnostic mostly, but ever since joining this site, and reading many, many ...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

You are on the right path. Despite all the twisted explanations about agnosticism, atheism is the way forward.

I am 48.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

I am 64 and i fall in love, on average, 3 times a day. the only drama is . by the evening i don't remember who with

A Master Builder dies and goes to hell.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

God sounds like the Don

Well, at least he didn't say, "Florence is super moist and she's comin' to get ya!" [yahoo.com]

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

All larger economies are preludrs to war.

Everything happens for a reason...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

everything is a consequence and a reason

Drumpf warned of violence in the streets if he is impeached.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

I repeat my proposal to tarr and feather the Don and send him down Pennsylvania Avenue to show him what a real crowd looks like. All China airlines would offer extra flights. 1st of October would be a good date.

I always believed wisdom would come with age but as I entered the realm of senior citizen ship I ...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Interesting reflection on wisdom. My last attempt to engage on the path of wisdom happened 3 or 4 years ago on an Island just a cable lift's ride sway from the business district of Hong Kong. The Island is dominated by a mega buddha statue. At the bottom I saw a sign "Path of Wisdom". "Finally!" I thought and started to walk the Path of wisdom. Disillusionment was almost instant. Only about 100 m into this path to wisdom a nice pile of fresh cow dung stopped me. "All bullshit!" I thought and went back to my fantasies.

I always believed wisdom would come with age but as I entered the realm of senior citizen ship I ...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

same here

Boundaries.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Somehow awkwatd to find these instruction one would expect in a Kindergarten in the Group of deviants.

Boundaries.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

The modern world full of boundaries and walls.

Boundaries.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

wow ... a boundary guru!

Those of us who favor critical thinking and arguments based on scientific evidence should avoid ...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

"spreading common myths"? is this for real?

Capitalism

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Time for Outrage!!!

Capitalism

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Time for Outrage!!!

So how many people have you heard saying ‘Pray for those who live in the hurricane area’?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

It is quite an idiotic idea ... those people must believe their god doesn't know what he is doing ... According to their beliefs s/he is the one responsible for such events.

So how many people have you heard saying ‘Pray for those who live in the hurricane area’?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

None

Are you still involved in highly religious settings despite no longer being a believer?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

How many people work in jobs they hate or do not really appreciate. Imagine a vegetarian working at McDonalds. Life is full of contradictions. Just imagine that even the pope doesn't believe in god/s. He is just the CEO of an entity whose core business is selling dreams.

Good morning friends, first I drink the coffee, then I do things.☕☕☕☕?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Coffee ... liquid poetry!

In case you are an American fortunate enough to travel abroad, if you need to discuss the current WH...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Let's see to which countries that could apply: France, Germany, Turkey, Belo Russia, Russia, ... this list is getting too long

In case you are an American fortunate enough to travel abroad, if you need to discuss the current WH...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

No Japanese!!!

I am subject to change because the world around me never stays the same

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Some changes are more brutal than others!

Albert Einstein believed in the pantheistic god of 17th century rationalist Baruch Spinoza.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

I tend to think that Einstein used God as a generic term which could be replaced by nature ... or *Mother Nature".

Best one yet ?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

serves him right

Greetings one and all.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

I am not sure why you emphasise "Islam" and label it。Have you really done an indepth study of all the other religions?

Thinking HR puffin stuff Hatsvill The bananas split The magician

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

sounds very enigmatic

Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, ...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

I think most people don't even realise that they have a duty to resist despotic governments.

We hear news of thousands of women being raped, but we never hear the news of a man being raped.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

The overwhelming majority of rapists are male. One should also consider that males would be even less likely to report rape especially when committed by the "weaker" sex.

We hear news of thousands of women being raped, but we never hear the news of a man being raped.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

***L'affaire Théo*** is a judicial affair concerning the arrest and alleged rape of Théodore Luhaka, 22. This case is interesting because it challenges the concept of rape frequently committed to obtain sexual gratification. The present case is interesting and will become a test case, Théo was subject to a routine police control. There versions of what had happened differ. However, the control was carried out by 4 police. Théo was not suspected of being a dangerous criminal. In short: the altercation landed Théo in hospital with a ruptured anus inflicted upon him by one police using his truncheon. Théo lawyer, Eric Dupont Moretti, insists on the fact that there was penetration thus rape. He emphasises that the way the baton was used was unusual and meant to penetrate Théo’s body. In this case the perpetrator was a male police officer. The medical examination established that the baton trans-pierced the rectum from the perineum (space between the scrotum and the anus) and was not directly introduced into the anus. For more than 18 months Theo still has to wear a pouch.

Do you remember doing math in the pre-calculator days? Square roots?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

I never tried square-rooting!

Do you remember doing math in the pre-calculator days? Square roots?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Pre-HIV rooting ... does anyone remember?

found on a genealogy site, believe it is 100% correct.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Who knows ... the Don might also have offspring like this!

found on a genealogy site, believe it is 100% correct.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

The spitting image indeed!

I'm having a terrible dilemma.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

The dilemma even deepens and widens when you consider that we get told that we all want to live longer. Living longer to experience more boredom and dissatifaction. Oh, what a perspective! Check out what *Philip Zimbardo* has to say about the instant versus delayed gratification. https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_prescribes_a_healthy_take_on_time The key is you take because there is nothing preventing you from taking it. I don't think that this search for instant gratification is a *First World* phenomenon. （Check the rape statistics for PNG!）The big difference in affluent countries is that our urges have been manipulated by ubiquitous advertising and the availability electricty ...

Self-love is important for us singles.???

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

True and sad ... sometimes I can't stand myself ...

Today's medieval church visit.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

Does this church have a baptismal font?

Well, at least he didn't say, "Florence is super moist and she's comin' to get ya!" [yahoo.com]

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

Moist is good

Patronsing! I watched this fellow trying to keep the water out of his shop and way from his ...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

BTW ... the shop was selling buckets and other plastic vessels.

Have a good Wednesday, all!

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

Thank you ...likewise!

So been trying out the online dating.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

for most men there is not point meeting anyone if there is no sexual attraction

So been trying out the online dating.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

it's like real life with a twist ... a few twists

Follow-p on "Read this.....". [dailymaverick.co.za]

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

Thank you for sharing!

Cruelly ripped out of her/his life under mysterious circumstances.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

ok ... there is a story behind this Photo ... a mate of mine was sent to Belgium, from China, to learn how to fix CT scanners so he can act as the local service technician. I did ask any questions. About three weeks ago he told me that these scanners are small. As a matter of fact they are used to scan lab rats. When i found this dead rat on my walk to the local metro station, I thought of my, took the photo and asked him whether he wanted it. He didn't.

So grateful for the outpouring of support in this group regarding the death of my mom.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 11, 2018:

Take care

Marrying...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 11, 2018:

But then again we cannot marry all those with whom we can have conversations for decades.

Russia starts biggest war games since Soviet fall near China – Headlines

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 11, 2018:

Friends again ...

Response to the op-ed, another anonymous op-ed. [medium.com]

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 11, 2018:

Is it available somewhere else? Unfortunately I cannot open this link here in China. It appears to be blocked.

Born and raised in a socialist country I may state that the government ownership of the means of ...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 11, 2018:

The big drama was and still is that terms like *socialism* and *communism* became *evil* brands.

One fresh medium-sized green chile pod has as much Vitamin C as six oranges!

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 11, 2018:

The fact that garlic is supposed to be very healthy doesn't render it anymore sympathetic to me.

One fresh medium-sized green chile pod has as much Vitamin C as six oranges!

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 11, 2018:

Unfortunately not the same taste!

Pillow talk: ever discuss academic subjects?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

yes ... but i hate when i have to get up to verify some fact or even just the spelling of some condition.

Pillow talk: ever discuss academic subjects?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

SO?

Are you unusually sensitive, too?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

You'd better stay clear of China!

I really wish if I can find someone to work on my memoir.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

was your past colourful and really interesting?

Why are they called geoduck instead of geodick?

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

I am covetous!

Does anyone need a shrine? Going cheap!!!

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

Second hand nut fully operational!

Must be an immigrant from downunder

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

But I fixed the problem!

Where's everyone at? Bible study?.lol

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

yes ... i am just at the bit where someone is turned into a salt column ... good reminder for my shopping list : salt ... but fine

It's with deep sorrow that I share the news that my mother, Ellen, passed away today.

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

"but I know she's at peace now" - She just is no longer.

I've been in a mood lately so don't take it personally if I just don't talk to anyone or jump in or ...

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

Jumping is good exercise！！！

Philip Zimbardo: The psychology of evil | TED Talk

PontifexMarximus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

Perhaps it was manipulated ...but the fact is that the behaviour described based on a *rapport de force* does exist.