True how do you feel

RichCC comments on Aug 29, 2019:

'Felicitus est parvus canus calidus' -- 'happiness is a warm puppy' in Latin. At least according to Schulz

Plant-based "meats" - good for the environment, bad for you

RichCC comments on Aug 29, 2019:

Interesting. I read recently -- sorry, I don't remember where -- that the most healthy way to improve your diet is to cook for yourself. Commercially prepared foodstuffs by necessity have to make too many concessions for things like cost, shelf life and popularism. The salt content alone is discouraging let alone chemical preservatives and such. They said that just eating simpler food without all the manipulation will improve your health much more than any fad diet would -- it struck me as a very plausible thought. Personally, I seem to have been born without the bone that demands 'meat'. If food is tasty and well prepared it doesn't matter to me that it look like it was cut out of an animal. Lol.

Goodness gracious it's been awhile everyone! Hi! So my friend goes to a private christian college...

RichCC comments on Aug 29, 2019:

I think you're exactly right and said it very well -- '*humans lose the need to have a god to explain it*'. One of my favorite sources is a blogger/author named *Greta Christina*. She goes into more depth but says essentially the same thing. *** When you look at the history of what we know about the world, you see a noticeable pattern. Natural explanations of things have been replacing supernatural explanations of them. Like a steamroller. Why the Sun rises and sets. Where thunder and lightning come from. Why people get sick. Why people look like their parents. How the complexity of life came into being. I could go on and on. All these things were once explained by religion. But as we understood the world better, and learned to observe it more carefully, the explanations based on religion were replaced by ones based on physical cause and effect. Consistently. Thoroughly. Like a steamroller. The number of times that a supernatural explanation of a phenomenon has been replaced by a natural explanation? Thousands upon thousands upon thousands. Now. The number of times that a natural explanation of a phenomenon has been replaced by a supernatural one? The number of times humankind has said, “We used to think ( X ) was caused by physical cause and effect, but now we understand that it’s caused by God, or spirits, or demons, or the soul”? Exactly zero.

What’s your favourite food dish?

RichCC comments on Aug 29, 2019:

Curry! One of the joys of my life is curry on rice. Madras, Vindaloo, Saag, Massaman, Thai Red Yellow or Green, whatever -- I'll go nuts for any of them. I don't eat meat but the spicy creamy heat of curry will make my day every time.

Why does Fox News believe that “not like them” is somehow wrong?

RichCC comments on Aug 27, 2019:

And they'll explain it to you at great length. From what I can see, it's a big Dunning-Kruger effect demonstration. They will confidently tell folks why it's the way they claim and no other explanations or serious evidence are allowed.

I bought a cedar chest at a local thrift store and it is missing some veneer (no, that is not what ...

RichCC comments on Aug 27, 2019:

I'm interested in his inane question. Did he seriously think that as an atheist you must believe in, and probably worship, the devil? That's beyond inanity. He's massively ignorant and not a little bit foolish.😂 Edit -- Additional: It's a shame that you didn't have time to explore the Hobby Lobby angle with him. I get an image of a statement -- '*I don't believe in God, but I do spend a lot of my energy opposing evil*'. Lol -- twirls moustache.

I am so glad to see John Oliver address this issue.

RichCC comments on Aug 26, 2019:

People think that most discrimination is overt. If the N-word or the J-word or the Fem-word isn't being spoken or shouted then folks say there aren't any bigots present. But our society is completely packed with implicit biases. There is no way in the foreseeable future we'll get rid of them. All we can do for now is constantly and diligently work to make it better. And know we'll never finish.

Christian Identity Nativism/Dominionism And The Patriot Movement.

RichCC comments on Aug 26, 2019:

Thanks. I'll check that out. I was born in Kanab, UT because my mother's family is from that area. I even had(have?) several distant relations from the Colorado City, Bundyville area. Kanab and Fredonia, AZ were founded just a few miles across the state line from each other when UT was a state but AZ wasn't yet. It supposedly gave the residents a way too 'hide' their extra wives if the feds ever came looking. I never heard any direct telling of that kind of event so the 'hiding' may be apocryphal. But I don't know of any other reason for the towns to be located where they are. Lol.

After the orgy and why I love going to the dentist.

RichCC comments on Aug 25, 2019:

That reminds me of a story a dentist told me years ago. He had a patient that needed some work that he knew would take some time. He told her to dress comfortably and he'd do every thing he could to make it go as smoothly as he could. So she wore some loose sweats and said she was ready. As she started to go under the anesthesia she laid back in the chair and just started having a great old time. He didn't know what to do. Should he even tell her later or what? He was super glad that his female assistant was there so she could back him up later -- whatever came out. I guess some jobs have different risks than others.

Religion vs science

RichCC comments on Aug 25, 2019:

I'm a big fan of the '*Critical Mass*' theory of history. Discoveries are made as the knowledge supporting them becomes available. For example, Einstein would not have discovered 'e=mc^2' without the work of Lorentz and Minkowski et.al. to build on -- Science is cumulative. And I figure the discoveries would have happened and will happen regardless (to the limits of our cognitive ability of course). But that said... There's no denying the huge detriment Religion has been to our progress. Here is this week's '*Jesus and Mo*' comic. Lol. Edit -- Additional. I think we'd still be pretty much irrational. Ask any gambler, climate change denier or flat earth believer. People are lazy and they'd rather go with the quick answer rather than take the time to check and validate alternatives.

Scary isnt it

RichCC comments on Aug 22, 2019:

One of the smaller dogs I ever had came with physical problems. He finally broke (we think) his back and we ended up putting him down. We did give him 8 almost all good years that he wouldn't have had otherwise. But he was a pure bred miniature American Eskimo. He was so cute that almost every stranger would immediately reach for him. If we didn't stop him or them, they would likely have been bitten. He never managed to bite any stranger but I still have a couple of small scars on my hands from grabbing him when he wasn't expecting it. Crazy can be the operative word, and if it's in a small cute dog... scary is sometimes the right word too.

Love this picture

RichCC comments on Aug 20, 2019:

I've only had use those scratch guards twice over the years. The dogs hated them so much that I didn't even consider making fun of them over it. Lol.😊

Secular revisions to the serenity Prayer.

RichCC comments on Aug 19, 2019:

I wholeheartedly agree. These days I tell people I consider myself a classic Greek Stoic because I agree almost entirely with them -- Epictitus, Seneca, et.al. -- largely because of the sentiments you expressed. 😍

Mountain Meadows Massacre 9) Mormonism's repressive ideas about human sexuality, including strict ...

RichCC comments on Aug 17, 2019:

My biggest heartache as an outsider looks at them would likely be the hypocrisy. Their 'religion' has been a scam from the beginning. They are set up to gather converts by-hook-or-by-crook then hope to keep them later by inertia. Look up their 'Milk Before The Meat' doctrine. Their 'Prophets' get 'revelations' when it's politically convenient. A trigger for me was 1978 when minorities looked like they were growing into some political power so the church president had a 'revelation' that they could be church officers, at least officially. (But of course not women -- 'they have a different calling'.) The LDS is purely a political organization. Their goal is nothing more or less than monetary and political growth. My wife did their training as a teenager and they were quite blatant about it -- the taught that missionaries were going to be lonely and vulnerable when they get home -- so the women should grab one, marry and get pregnant. They pushed the most direct route to solidify and grow their organization. That was one of my later wife's biggest triggers to get clear of them. I was going to dig out some simple links but decided that your list is about as good a starting point as I could provide. Just search Wikipedia and Google for some of the terms on your list -- Brigham Young, Joseph Smith(especially 'criminal justice system' ), Mountain Meadows Massacre, etc. As far as your son goes... I would just try to be honest with him. Try to get him to look at the church from perspectives other than their own propaganda. They don't look very good in other views.

Public Service Announcement from the Mormons: [yahoo.com]

RichCC comments on Aug 17, 2019:

This is a copy of my comment on another Agnostic post. *** Nah. The independent_co_uk link cites an LDS youth mag article that says their *Doctrine Of Covenants* prohibits 'hot drinks' which they interpret to include all coffee drinks and what they consider to be 'harmful or habit forming substances'. They said if you're ordering in a coffee shop, you're probably getting coffee.😊 I want to know why cocoa and soup aren't included. Aren't they hot liquids? I guess all Mormons will have to go to gazpacho. Lol.😊 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2019/08/vaping-coffee-tea-and-marijuana?lang=eng

Wow. Mormons banning something. That's amazing. So iced lattes are okay then?

RichCC comments on Aug 17, 2019:

Nah. The independent_co_uk link cites an LDS youth mag article that says their *Doctrine Of Covenants* prohibits 'hot drinks' which they interpret to include all coffee drinks and what they consider to be 'harmful or habit forming substances'. They said if you're ordering in a coffee shop, you're probably getting coffee.😊 I want to know why cocoa and soup aren't included. Aren't they hot liquids? I guess all Mormons will have to go to gazpacho. Lol.😊 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2019/08/vaping-coffee-tea-and-marijuana?lang=eng

Meat industry attempts to slaughter vegetarian food.

RichCC comments on Aug 16, 2019:

It's not surprising -- just typically disappointing. We can't have anything threatening the profit margins of established companies. What if someone accidentally tried something new and liked it and stayed away? What a horrible thought. /snark Again. I wish I didn't expect this behavior. 😠

For the record, it was 118F / 47.

RichCC comments on Aug 15, 2019:

My wife and I lived in Mesa taking care of my father for 4 years until the alzheimer's finally took him. We're very happy to be back a couple of hours North and 4000ft higher in Prescott. Up here our house is super comfortable and doesn't even have AC. You're welcome to keep Mesa. Lol.😊 Update. Today was one of our warmest days -- 95° high.

“If the red shifts are a Doppler shift .

RichCC comments on Aug 15, 2019:

I'd be interested in his logic. Why do Doppler shifts 'lead to the anomaly of a closed universe'? If i remember correctly, there was an essay in one of the appendices of Albert Einstein's famous book where he demonstrated that if the average density of the universe is anything greater than zero the universe must be finite or our night sky would be overwhelming bright. I don't believe he took into account our visible horizon caused by things being too far away for the light to have enough time to reach us. I love reading these kinds of analyses of the universe's nature by folks who are so much more qualified than I am. I'm an interested bystander even though I'm out of my depth pretty much from their first sentences.

Have scientists proved the Big Bang did not happen? [youtu.be]

RichCC comments on Aug 13, 2019:

Interesting video. Of course, especially from my level of ignorance, it all works out to '*we think we're pretty close but so far we're not completely sure*'. 😊 I guess I'll let it go for now. It certainly doesn't change any position for me. A ~10% difference in measurements of a value taken 13 some odd billion years apart doesn't bother me much -- especially with the time shifts from measurement distances -- no matter how careful they are. Ha, ha. 😊

IS AMERICA RACIST AND SEXIST?

RichCC comments on Aug 13, 2019:

I agree as well. This is a shameful truth of our society. People blame our current leaders and our religions for our failures but in truth they are not causes but much more results of our terrible, selfish, shortsighted natures and actions.

The "Trump made me do it" defense.

RichCC comments on Aug 12, 2019:

Let's see... It can't be tRump's fault because he doesn't direct anyone to do anything. But it's not anyone else's fault because they were just acting on tRump's orders. That pretty much covers everybody doesn't it? Noone can be held accountable. I suppose it's about time to install someone who intentionally does things -- like on purpose. If I hear our supposed leader say 'well, I guess we'll see' one more time, I'll probably scream. And I very much agree with *LimitedLight* below. tRump and the Republicans are constantly doing immense damage to our country the longer they're allowed to stay in office. It'll take years to recover if we ever do. And you know they'll be complaining the whole recovery time. They'll say it'll 'be too expensive' and will 'hurt the economy'. What a load of frankly evil horseshit.

Happy to have this account. I'm a newly opened atheist.

RichCC comments on Aug 9, 2019:

Welcome. There are a lot of thoughtful people here.

Man in body armor and armed with rifle sparks panic at Missouri Walmart

RichCC comments on Aug 9, 2019:

I'm glad to not know whether he is terrorist. Most of the ways I can think of to find out are unpleasant bordering on horrific. He is apparently stupid enough to qualify for some serious consequences and I hope they come.

US policeman refused to train female officer because of his faith - was fired and is now suing for ...

RichCC comments on Aug 9, 2019:

One of my oldest memories is riding around in the back of a Driver's Ed Car. My father taught driver's ed in High School but didn't want to have to be isolated with teen age girls. So to allow the girls the drive time the course required, I or one of my brothers would ride along as a witness. My father's attitude wasn't caused by religion and he worked a way around his problem. I only remember one almost incident but it wasn't the student's fault. It was early in the morning on a two-lane road and someone coming towards us heading to work fell asleep and drifted into our lane from behind another car -- leaving us nowhere to go. The student didn't panic and fortunately the other driver woke up and swerved back in time. I guess that's one way to get a no-harm-done lesson that won't be forgotten. Ha, ha.

Lol great ad

RichCC comments on Aug 9, 2019:

Interesting that it specifies '*seeks male companionship*'. It's almost as if someone might have been doing a little fishing for themselves. Or I guess just wanted to spice the ad a little bit. Ha, ha.😊

Define Cult.... Define Religion.... Describe the differences:

RichCC comments on Aug 8, 2019:

I'll bite... There's an old saying: 'At the center of every cult there is at least one person that has firsthand knowledge that the whole thing is a lie and a scam. In a religion, that person is dead.' I wish I could consider that saying a joke. But when I look at the origin of every 'religion' I know -- Mormonism, Scientology, Christianity, Islam, whatever. It rings just too true.

For the history buffs: Interesting article about how Thomas Jefferson created his own "bible".

RichCC comments on Aug 7, 2019:

I'm surprised nobody's linked to it yet -- it's public domain. 😊 Online: https://thejeffersonbible.com PDF: https://www.google.com/search?q=jefferson+bible+pdf&oq=jefferson+bible=chrome.4.69i57j69i60l3j0l15.30331j0j4=silk&ie=UTF-8 Wikipedia entry: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible

If Guns were regulated as Cars....

RichCC comments on Aug 6, 2019:

Love it. I'd add 'serious consequences for operating when user impaired'. We already sort of have 'serious consequences for operating to commit a crime'. Too many people in this country regard guns as toys. I once worked with a guy who admitted he owned a pistol but he said it was ok because he was afraid of it and never did anything dangerous with it. A few days later I saw him with it in our lunch room playing by sliding the action and dry firing it. As far as I have seen, handling weapons is for some people like going out in the wild. A lot of people leave their brains at home.

Why are the liberals blaming white supremacist’s for mass shootings?

RichCC comments on Aug 6, 2019:

What's your point -- that some shootings are ok because they involve blacks? I have some more questions: As asked below, what are your sources? How many of those pictured knew their victims vs how many chose their victims by prejudice via skin color or religion or whatever? How many were gun-related -- how much shorter would a similar list have been if weapons were less prevalent in our country? How many high-capacity, rapid-fire weapons are owned by minorities vs white supremacists in our country?

Ever see a dog like this

RichCC comments on Aug 4, 2019:

Love it. We have one smaller dog who was almost that muscular when she was younger. We're not sure what she is (the adoption place had her as 'chihuahua mix' -- ha, ha). There is obviously some Pit in there but she's never been aggressive. She's the most athletic dog we've ever had. At the dog park she won't retrieve balls but she races others to the spot. Then she waits for the other dog to come get it. Lol.😊

Do stores ask you to download their app?

RichCC comments on Aug 3, 2019:

I've tried one for a local grocery that I like (Sprouts) but I've found the app more trouble than it's worth. For my wife and I it's much easier to go through their weekly and online ads for specials. Maybe if the store and what we wanted there were more complicated I guess. It's still on my phone but we never use it. My wife doesn't even have it.

Hiker scares off stalking cougar by blasting Metallica song

RichCC comments on Aug 3, 2019:

Back in the late 90s I worked for a small company that made animal radio tracking collars. Remember Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins where they would tag some animal and follow it's radio signals to learn where it spent its time? We probably made the tracker. In America it was interesting to talk to bear researchers. They generally weren't afraid of being stalked by bears. (I'll avoid blood odor stories.) What they were scared of in bear country was surprising the bear -- accidentally walking into it or its cubs on the trail. So what the researchers almost all did was to wear bells. That way the bears would always hear them coming and get out of the way. (BTW..... They also often carried shotguns -- not as weapons, but as really loud noise makers to scare off animals as a last resort). I have heard stories of mountain lions stalking people but I've never known anyone personally with that kind of story. That would be terrifying to me.

For dog lovers

RichCC comments on Aug 2, 2019:

Boo.

Do you think that some things are unforgivable or do you think that some people should be given a ...

RichCC comments on Aug 1, 2019:

This reply is going to get lost in this post. As I start typing it already has 25 comments. But... *** There is an old saying that people often go through three levels of realization about others when they see the others behaving badly. 1. First they give the others the benefit of the doubt and figure that maybe they just don't know they're behaving badly. 2. Then they still give the benefit and think that maybe the others don't understand that their behavior is bad. 3. Then they realize that the others are behaving badly because that's the way they are. They know they're behaving badly and do it anyway. More succinctly, the three levels are: 1. Ignorance, 2. Stupidity and 3. Evilness. For me, I think Ignorance and, to a degree, Stupidity can be helped. But Evilness can only be warred against, defeated and destroyed.

How long have you guys and girls been vegan?

RichCC comments on Aug 1, 2019:

We've been vegan since the early 2000s. I hope you're comfortable with the lifestyle and stay with it. It's worth paying a little more attention to diet and not assuming health as we age. At least in the US our society isn't entirely set up to automatically support us yet. But we've found it's by far worth it. We had a very close friend staying with us who was a strong vegan for emotional reasons. We weren't eating much meat anyway and it was easier to keep meat out of the house for everyone's comfort. She lives in SC these days but we decided to stay with it and never went back. We aren't as rigid about it as she is -- if a someone mistakes a restaurant order say, I'll eat the food rather than throw it out. We just try to live the good life and do what we can to help each other and aid anyone else we can 😎

How true is this

RichCC comments on Jul 31, 2019:

I'll state the obvious... Dogs are wired to be much more selfless than people are. I read an animal intelligence study summary years ago and the researchers said that by far the biggest behavioural difference they saw between animals' and humans' minds was that animals had almost no *spite*. They took each situation at face value rather than trying to make sure they were better off than their neighbors. Sure, humans are smarter in an IQ sense. But animals have separate awarenesses of which we can't conceive. Add that to dogs' inherent pack-oriented mentality and it's easy to see why dogs' actions are much more compassionate than ours at least within their group. In general their triggers for intra-group selfish competition are buried much more deeply than ours. Actually... I've also seen research that dogs can be disappointed in their rewards. I guess they don't care so much about the quality of their treats compared to others but they don't like it when others get something but they don't. Again, the motivation is being part of the group rather than being shut out. 😊

‘Science does not try to undermine religion – religion is simply irrelevant to science’

RichCC comments on Jul 26, 2019:

I realize that I'm about to state the obvious, but... *** Science tries to be 'correct' -- to describe reality. Science doesn't care about Religion except insofar as Religion often promotes falsehoods that Science by it's nature wants to correct. Religion tries to be in 'control' -- correctness is only useful in that it can be used to preempt integrity (deserved or not). Religion need only conflict with Science when Religion's control is threatened by Religion's falsehoods being exposed. The two positions would never disagree if their goals were the same. For me, one worldview seeking 'control' to the expense of 'correctness' makes it an easy choice. Religion falls in a poor second (at least) place.

Tibetan Mastiff. The world's largest dog. (According to the picture)

RichCC comments on Jul 26, 2019:

I've never lived anywhere cold enough for that goliath haircut to be safe -- let alone comfortable. It's beautiful. 😍

Did you believe in ghosts ?

RichCC comments on Jul 22, 2019:

Ghosts are logically inconsistent. If they're not affected by gravity, how do they stay attached to the Earth? Wouldn't they just slip away as the planet moves through the universe? It must be a lot of work to keep up. And ghosts would have to be perpetual motion machines. They don't seem to eat. So where do they get the energy to do anything -- even be visible? I guess they could be solar powered but if so why do they spend so much time in the dark? Lol. 😋

I have a question for the people that are 100% certain that no gods exist. How are you THAT certain?

RichCC comments on Jul 22, 2019:

What specifically do you mean by 100%? I have spent my life observing the world and have seen many more than 200 things without coming across anything supernatural. I mentioned the number 200 because 1 event in 200 gives 1 / 200 = 0.005 = 0.5%. Looked at in reverse that would be 99.5% out of 100%. 99.5% rounds up to 100%. So there. 😋 If course since I don't even have 1 event, the number works out technically even higher than that. 😎 Speaking seriously though... One thing that I am most confident of is that there is nothing certain in our existence. So I cannot say that I am absolutely certain the supernatural doesn't exist. (If something exists, it's natural.) But given my observations and what I've seen of the credibility (sometimes the lack thereof) of people's claims in various directions, my confidence in the non-existence of the supernatural is so close to 100% that 100% is definitely the number that describes it best.

Boy advertises 'Ice Cold Beer' at root beer stand - AOL News

RichCC comments on Jul 21, 2019:

Love it. One of my favorite old caps to wear is from *CJs* in Billings, MT. It says 'Free Drinks Tomorrow '. You always have to read carefully.

The rise of the Satanic Temple in Canada

RichCC comments on Jul 20, 2019:

I'm still amazed that any theists take the religion aspect seriously -- to be honest I'm not sure they do. At least some of them must realize that they're just being ridiculed for the sake of being opposed politically. I know I'm starting to sound like a curmudgeon, but it seems to me a lot of wasted effort on both sides. The Satanists know they don't really worship Satan and surely a bunch of the theists must know it too. Are all the statue machinations for the sake of form to appease the courts and voters? What a waste.

Are you superstitious?

RichCC comments on Jul 18, 2019:

Are there really enough new people here on Agnostic.com to justify seeing the same obvious questions over and over again? Personally, I've become weary of seeing the wasted screen space. Sorry. 🙁

Here's What Neil Armstrong Saw As He Landed Apollo 11's Eagle on the Moon

RichCC comments on Jul 17, 2019:

Is that the landing that Armstrong handled manually with ~25 seconds of fuel to spare because the automatic landing sequence failed? 😮 I have trouble imagining the courage and skill they displayed -- incredible. 😀

Has anyone read this book?

RichCC comments on Jul 12, 2019:

I haven't read it either. But from the link, it looks interesting.

Republican Jesus

RichCC comments on Jul 9, 2019:

Just a note to point out the apparent but unstated. The image (presumably *Republican Jesus*) shows a Caucasian man. I doubt they'd allow anything else. Update: And notice that it's a drawing rather than a photograph. It's an imaginary character.

It worked for Wholly Mary

RichCC comments on Jul 9, 2019:

It says so in the *Wholly Babble*(tm). It must be true. /snark

"Why Did God Create Atheists?

RichCC comments on Jul 7, 2019:

By the story then... to do the right, moral thing you have to dissociate yourself from God. Then of course they want you to come back (in time to give money I presume). The story rings true. /snark Except for the part about religious Students or especially Masters being right or moral. At that point my bs detector goes off the scale and I reach the limit of my ability to suspend disbelief.

Are we the masters of our lives?

RichCC comments on Jul 7, 2019:

What difference does your question make to me? Seriously -- I'm not joking. As far as as I know no one has ever definitely answered the *Determinism* vs *Free Will* question -(else why do we keep bothering to ask it?). So... you know what? I get to choose for myself. I choose *Free Will*. I can't tell if the consequences of my choices were predestined or not so I've decided to think that they're not. You can choose for yourself. The conflict comes of course when your actions affect me or vice versa. My personal preference is for interactions to be beneficial where ever possible and I work as much as I can to that end. But the *Free Will*/*Determinism* question doesn't mean a lot until we come up with a way to tell the difference.

Have you ever had popcorn for dinner?

RichCC comments on Jul 3, 2019:

We generally don't get too excited about specific timing and production meals. We don't have any kids. Also, I grew up as one of four brothers with a school_teacher/coach father. Dinner was often whatever, whenever, for whoever happened to wander through the house at any given time. My mother fixed a lot of stuff that could stay warm in a pot and be dished onto a plate. Especially since the invention of single-serving bags and microwaves, popcorn is a very convenient not too unhealthy vegetarian snack. If today happens to be a 3pm or 8pm dinner day, popcorn can fill in nicely. BTW... Check out https://www.popcorn.org including the *Facts & Fun* section in the 'MENU' on the upper right 😋

I am a 100% skeptic about all things supernatural! Do any of you hold on to any supernatural ...

RichCC comments on Jul 3, 2019:

Of course not. I don't believe anything supernatural -- knock on wood. 😎

This is my Penny.

RichCC comments on Jun 29, 2019:

She looks like a Beagle to me. Very nice. 😎 Snoopy would be jealous.

The very first pictures taken of the planets. I enjoyed this! [youtube.com]

RichCC comments on Jun 27, 2019:

Very nice. Thank you. 😀

Is anyone else as scared as I am about global warming?

RichCC comments on Jun 23, 2019:

Yeah, me too. I tell people that I am an Atheist and a bit of a nihilist -- I see no ultimate meaning or very long term future for the human race. But that said, I never imagined that I might live to see the serious start of the end. I constantly wonder what people are thinking about the fates of their children. 😪

In this picture we can observe one of the most dangerous animal in the world, resting at the side of...

RichCC comments on Jun 23, 2019:

It makes sense to me. Women are unquestionably the most dangerous species on earth. 😎

New group just up - Ecology for our Future Articles and debate of interest for the preservation of ...

RichCC comments on Jun 22, 2019:

I won't promise how much I'll participate. But I'll be very interested to read and follow.

Alabama governor signs law allowing church to have its own police force

RichCC comments on Jun 21, 2019:

Wow. My thoughts are heading off in all sorts of directions. Are the church patrons so unruly that security guards reporting crimes to police can't keep up? Are the current police so incompetent that they can't do the job? Will this new force by made up of mercenaries (maybe Blackwater is available)? How will the new force be armed? Who will pay for this? Will they be state subsidized (as the current police are)? This strikes me as the sort of horrible idea that could only come in the American South. It's shocking and disappointing. I wish I were more surprised. Update Added: Will they have private insurance for the inevitable lawsuits? Will they be minority neutral (as if the current police are)(maybe they'll use the KKK rather than Blackwater)? Will their jail be humane (with toothbrushes, soap and beds?) Who will be their judiciary? Wow again. Update Two: I changed 'racially neutral' to 'minority neutral' above. I bet their culture discriminates against lots of different folks.

Parents brawl at youth baseball game over young umpire's call

RichCC comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Years ago I managed a very small town Little League. One of my umpires had to call the sheriff's office on the crowd. They ended up clearing the stands to finish the game with nobody watching. You're very correct. People can be idiots and such great examples for their children. One thing that still bothers me is that a lot of them would claim that they *were* being good examples -- teaching their kids to be competitive. It's pretty pathetic sometimes.

Original artwork by me.

RichCC comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Be who you are and be proud of it! I was diagnosed with MS 24 yrs. ago and in that time I've had a couple of people ask me if I ever tried to blame Dog or any other supernatural cause for my life. My answer has never changed: '*You know what? I/we are some of the most unimaginably lucky creatures that ever existed (all of us). When we consider the odds that our parents got together to have us and their parents and so on through the depths of time, it's unimaginably improbable that we're even here to ask these questions. When I look at the range of possible outcomes, I have to say I/we didn't fall awfully far from the top. I/we don't have room to complain about what abouts. From here on, I say every moment is a new starting point - let's go forward from here.*' Update Addition: I'm a little jealous. I can't draw to save my life. Good job. 😎

Happiness is a 75-pound lap dog.

RichCC comments on Jun 14, 2019:

In one of my favorite Peanuts comics -- if I remember right, I first saw it in an old paperback at my grandmother's house in the sixties -- Lucy says '*Felicitus est parvus canis calidus*'. That's 'happiness is a warm puppy' in Latin. Snoopy wasn't impressed. Update -- ain't the interweb wonderful.

Why do so many men think sarcastic humor is positive?

RichCC comments on Jun 12, 2019:

Too many people (I'll say it seems to lean male) define their worlds by competition. And a couple of related observations: 1) A lot of people have twisted definitions of competition. For them it's not enough to win, the other side must lose. 2) I think a lot of the behaviour is driven by insecurity. A lot of people so lack confidence that the only way they can build themselves up is by bringing others down. I'm afraid we live in a society mostly made up of immature (to the point of being stunted) adolescents. It's going to be a long slog working out of our situation (that is assuming we ever do). Update: It just occurred to me that almost everyone (including me) is interpreting 'sarcasm' as denigrating others. No one even considered self-depreciating humour. We're in bad shape.

Questions.

RichCC comments on Jun 9, 2019:

I don't have anything about the philosophical aspects of religion per se. I do disrespect when they try to add supernatural stuff. And I really, really, hate it when they impose their views on others (read us). I see little difference between Jesus dogma and pretty much any other supernatural belief except where I live I see a lot more of Christianity than the others.

It is very important that we maintain positive diplomatic and economic relations with Mexico.

RichCC comments on Jun 9, 2019:

Nothing ever becomes better or easier when tRump gets involved. He corrupts everything he touches. The only question becomes whether the thing gets free before it is poisoned to death (or bankruptcy).

As an atheist and raising my sons as such I found the philosophy Stoicism a fantastic alternative to...

RichCC comments on Jun 9, 2019:

Years ago my wife happened to read a encyclopedia-style description of the classic Greek Stoics and noticed how close their worldviews were to mine. I looked it up and she was/is right. I have considered myself a Stoic ever since. I highly recommend the *Enchiridion* of *Epictetus* for a short (maybe 100 pages) read of the principles of Stoicism. The *Epistles* (letters) of *Seneca* to Lucilius are another excellent (if a little longer) presentation of the material. English translations of both are available for free download anytime. The Enchiridion: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45109 The Letters of Seneca: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1308

"We must resist the impoverishment of public discourse on matters of religion which has come about ...

RichCC comments on Jun 8, 2019:

There are four Christian churches within a half mile of my house where as Carlin says -- 'they all gather once a week to compare clothing'. None of those organizations pay taxes. Atheists are still one of the most discriminated against groups in America at least (it was recently national news when a local politician accepted an atheist invocation for a meeting -- after vetting it of course). And admitted atheism is a route to certain defeat for just about every political candidate irrespective of any other consideration. Secularism has a long way to go towards equality. I don't accept your criticism. Again from the same Carlin piece -- '...you talk about a good bullshit story... Holy Shit'.

Women Spies.

RichCC comments on Jun 5, 2019:

Thanks. I now have that marked to read.

A couple of times, in the movie, "Religulous," Atheist, Bill Maher, is asked, "What if you're ...

RichCC comments on Jun 5, 2019:

It's my choice. As noted below, it's as in Pascal's Wager. Personally I feel the evidence is very clear and I'd much prefer to spend my only pass through here on myself and others like me rather than waste it on an imaginary sky fairy.

A FL Official Gave an Atheist Invocation Because a Citizen Wasn’t Allowed To | Hemant Mehta | ...

RichCC comments on Jun 4, 2019:

Got to pre-screen those atheist writings -- you can't trust them don't-cha-know. You never know when they might tell the truth. I'm not sure how much point there'd be in saying something controversial in this setting. But I am glad they had enough integrity to let the atheist write it.

Donald Trump Is The Most Honest US President Of All Time

RichCC comments on Jun 4, 2019:

Conservatives are really reaching. They are to the point that they are claiming that tRump's extreme corruption and incompetence are benefits because they expose the system. I'm trying decide if republicans really think anyone will buy that or if they're just stuck playing the tribal card because it's all they have. Either way it's disgusting. I personally hope we survive the experience. Remember what Bill Watterson had Calvin say in his comic -- '*Nothing is ever so bad that it can't get worse*'. From the link: *** To be clear, I am not saying that Trump actually tells the truth with his words; he obviously does not. Trump is so comfortable with lying that he once tweeted the claim that he’d never urged House Republicans to vote for a particular immigration bill, three days after posting a tweet explicitly urging House Republicans to vote for that bill. He left both tweets up. I mean, that’s like one click away from literally looking someone in the eye while urinating on their leg and telling them it must be the rain. ... No, when I say that Trump is the most honest US president of all time, what I mean is that he has a unique gift for exposing the face of the empire for exactly what it is, in all its depravity, all its deceitfulness, all its corruption, and in this case, all its jaw-dropping ridiculousness.

Every time, I read about, see and think about Trump, I just cannot understand how addicted and prone...

RichCC comments on May 29, 2019:

There's an old saying that there are three levels of realization that people go through observing others when they see the others behaving badly. 1. First, most folks give the benefit of the doubt. They figure the others don't know how badly they're acting. 2. Then they still give some benefit and think maybe the others don't understand the consequences of the bad actions. 3. Finally they realize that the others just are the way they are -- bad actions are their nature. More succinctly, the three levels are: 1. Ignorant, 2. Stupid and 3. Evil. I'm afraid that we're well past levels 1 and 2 with tRump and the Republican party. We're very much into 3 -- Evil. And we won't get out until we can find a way to remove them from power.

I'm curious about what people on this site feel about the simulation hypothesis.

RichCC comments on May 27, 2019:

I see it in a similar light as I see the 'free will' question. How do we tell if it's true or not? What is the differentiator? If 'A', then it's all a simulation. Else 'not A', it's all real (whatever that is). If you can't figure out how to tell one way or the other, play it however you want to. Nobody else will be able to see the difference either.

Good to know!

RichCC comments on May 26, 2019:

Years ago I worked with a guy who in his outside time trained service dogs. He said that by far the most difficult thing to teach was for dogs to bark on command -- to allow people who had fallen to ask their companion to help call for attention. Service dogs provide very, very, valuable assistance.

A friend and I were watching a documentary called Darwin: No Services Ahead.

RichCC comments on May 26, 2019:

I don't know what the pond looking thing is but the speck looking things near the bottom of your image are shaped like military tanks. I zoomed in at the link you gave. I wonder why the vehicles are sprinkled around rather than parked together. I wonder if the property is private or military. I grew up in the northern AZ desert and I saw several strange things over the years (mostly abandoned).

Seek shelter immediately! Boom boom in the sky approaching!

RichCC comments on May 21, 2019:

Mommy. The sky is growling at me again.

Who is actually 'open-minded'?

RichCC comments on May 21, 2019:

Being 'Open Minded' does not require believing more things. I think it does require examining as many things as is appropriate to your situation. A mathematician/professor/author many years ago wrote one of my favourite lines: .....*Do not believe anything, but question only what is worth questioning*. -- George Polya Nobody has the time and energy to rigorously examine everything they come across. But no idea rates your attention and that of your associates until it's been vetted appropriately.

Republican fundraising mailer looks like a U.S. Census Survey

RichCC comments on May 19, 2019:

Disgusting and not surprising. It's so blatant it's sick.

Well.

RichCC comments on May 19, 2019:

Thank you for the update -- good stuff. I was worried that you might not be proud enough of your first try to tell us how it went. We have several ongoing cooking explorations that have varied over time -- Instant Pot, bread maker, yoghurt maker, wood fired smoker and grill, wood fired pizza oven. Sometimes things work better than others. Ha, ha. Nothing has come out inedible yet so we enjoy trying. I wonder why some people think meatless is boring. In America we are spoiled. Thanks again and keep going.

I am not an Atheist, I am Agnostic. There is a difference, actually a huge difference.

RichCC comments on May 17, 2019:

So you're not an Atheist? You believe in the supernatural? Cool. At least you spelled Atheist correctly. Let's see. What supernatural stuff meets your needs? Astrology? Dowsing? Rabbits' feet? Dwarves bowling in the mountains to make thunder? Apollo dragging a light across the sky every day to bring light? Christianity? Buddhism? Islam? Hinduism? Judaism? Any other god? Uri Geller? Or would it be something more mundane like the Yankees being the greatest team ever? Or maybe you believe in heroin or some other drug? I'm sorry but the lack of information in your post leaves you ranked as a troll to me. Come back when you have something to say.

These Students Found a Perfect Loophole for South Dakota’s “In God We Trust” Law | Hemant ...

RichCC comments on May 15, 2019:

I'm disappointed. I would have expected to see my name in there somewhere. Lol.

Why does cognitive dissonance not seem to be a thing with so many "Christians"?

RichCC comments on May 15, 2019:

I'm to the point that I don't look for coherence any more. Over the years I've seen so many positions 'supported ' by the Wholly Babble that I'm convinced that it's everything to anyone. Now whenever I hear the Babble brought up as a source, I immediately discount everything else that argument says. If the best they can do is cite an incompetent fantasy story, then I don't think they deserve my effort or even my attention.

What was your most enjoyable dream?

RichCC comments on May 15, 2019:

Once I remember solving a work software engineering problem in a dream -- and it worked the next day. But I wouldn't call it particularly enjoyable or even a nightmare. It was just getting too wrapped up in the work. It was by far the most enjoyable job I ever had though -- designing motorized cancer research microscopes.

SMITHSONIAN [smithsonianmag.

RichCC comments on May 13, 2019:

Interesting (to me) article dated about a month and a half ago. I could only see two comments with three replies to one of them. One comment was 'of course God came first' and got immediately slapped down. The second comment was (as near as I could tell with a glance) 'Why are we discussing this? Let's go educate people instead.' I tend to agree with the premise -- I think Dog was invented by people largely to capitalize on existing superstitions -- to improve their lot in society. Dog was not first. But even in the study they noted that the data is subject to interpretation. I personally doubt there is a definitive conclusion to be had. It'll be opionistic -- everybody will have one.

Wow! The deepest ever dive into the ocean - and they found new life forms as well as sweet wrappers ...

RichCC comments on May 13, 2019:

I wish I could mark two emojis on this post -- like & sad.

In the past six years I have lost a daughter, my son, my wife and most recently my right leg.

RichCC comments on May 13, 2019:

Below ignores the situation your personal situation. I do want to acknowledge your perseverance in the face of what you've seen. Keep working forward. *** Think about it. The fact that we're here at all is unimaginably unlikely. Among other things, what are the chances that our parents got together and had us -- and their parents, and their parents and so on through time. (BTW -- that unlikelihood applies whether Dog is involved or not.) Just that we are here to think of these things makes us the luckiest creatures imaginable. I have my issues too -- just walking or moving is a struggle for me. But you know what? I don't have much room to complain. On the scale of possible outcomes, I'm not all that far from the top. I'll work with it. I think it was a *Bloom County* character, *Bill The Cat* that sometimes fell into a numb stupor contemplating the very idea of it all. Sometimes I can see his point.

[diversityinc.com] Bayer launches test your cancer campaign with geonomic testing.

RichCC comments on May 12, 2019:

Interesting. I wish I understood all the nuances of the Bayer/Monsanto/Roundup situation. Bayer has certainly been trying to play the good guy recently. But as far as I know they still own Roundup. (But I haven't studied all the detail yet.)

Has anyone here had head/neck cancer?

RichCC comments on May 3, 2019:

No for me. The closest I ever came was in the early 90s -- a guy I worked with had a terminal brain tumor. The doctors gave him maybe a year. He quit of course and did everything he could for his wife and boy. But the last I heard a couple of years later was that the tumor had cut off its own blood supply and he was 'cancer free'. Over the years I've sometimes wondered how he turned out -- he had a tough go no matter how you look at it. When I knew him he was making the best he could from an incredibly bad situation and from what I remember of him I bet he continued. But I can only wonder.

Indian army says it found Yeti footprints in the Himalayas

RichCC comments on Apr 30, 2019:

Interesting article photo of the 'First Indian Army Mountain Expedition' -- they're all middle-aged men. I wonder if they are playing a bit of a game and who precisely are the fools. The former Indian lawmaker may even be playing along for their own amusement. It reminds me of an old story from my family. I had an uncle who taught himself to make flint arrowheads (different 'Indians' ). On a group camping trip, a bunch of other family tried to joke thrill someone they knew by letting their friend find a perfect leaf point. For almost a week they left the point around the camp but he never managed to notice it. Finally someone 'found' it themselves but the joke fell pretty flat.

I recently went to a religious a event with a family member at Easter time.

RichCC comments on Apr 27, 2019:

My favorite song lyric -- Patti Smith at the start of *Gloria*. '*Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine.*' My only problem with that is I don't think he existed at all -- that's how he skipped out of dying. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TNQtz6Ajvfg

Those of you who—like me—frequently travel in Europe will completely understand this...

RichCC comments on Apr 24, 2019:

Yup.

God is everywhere.....it seems!

RichCC comments on Apr 24, 2019:

Well, day before yesterday was Easter after all. But also, at least America seems to be disintegrating. Half of the sheep are being told that their racism will be supported and the other half are being told it is the end of our country. And none of them know where to turn. There's a lot of unconfident, desperate, people grasping even for lame answers these days. I hope we all survive it.

Bangladesh starlet apologises after 'atheist' comments - Bangladesh Weekly

RichCC comments on Apr 23, 2019:

I hope she doesn't suffer for it. Even her non-apology was daring. From the article: *"If I committed any mistake, I seek forgiveness from the most merciful. He is the most merciful and forgiving. He will definitely forgive me,” she wrote.* *“If my words hurt any one’s belief, I am sorry for this and I ask for forgiveness,” she added in a post that quickly accumulated over 60,000 comments.* *Atheism is largely taboo in Bangladesh. Many leading atheists have fled the country and are living in exile in the West.*

I endorse this strategy.

RichCC comments on Apr 21, 2019:

It works for me: "Your dog looks too sad". I'll see what the response is. ?

[diversityinc.com] The fascinating story behind a new treatment for bladder cancer.

RichCC comments on Apr 20, 2019:

Thank you. That was an interesting read. *“This was groundbreaking for us on many levels—this was the first Janssen Oncology compound developed from discovery all the way to approval; our first drug using pharmacodynamically guided treatment dosing, which means a patient’s dose is adjusted based on their phosphate levels; and our first drug developed with a companion diagnostic,” Patel says.* I hope it pans out. Because of its nature and its expedited treatment, the sample size is kind of low. But it looks like they are trying to address what they found.

Are you a closed minded person?

RichCC comments on Apr 17, 2019:

Are you kidding? I've got a mind like a steel trap -- it closes at the slightest touch. I don't think anyone is (or in fact should be) capable of a truly open mind. The best we can do is blunder through the best we can. We have to make our own choices and hopefully accept our own blame and take our credit.

Hello everyone :) I hope everything is going well.

RichCC comments on Apr 16, 2019:

Welcome Alexa. You're new to me if the 'welcome' phrasing doesn't make other sense. I guess my wife and I have been lucky. There has been enough vegetarians in our group that while almost never a majority, at least there's always been enough to implicitly take our side even if they weren't in the room. It so far has been the meat eaters having to be a little defensive whenever it rarely came up. I hope that becomes a trend -- that our society moves towards meat eating being a rare exception rather than the rule. Anyway. Good to see you. 😊

Rick Santorum: Separation Of Church And State A Communist Idea, Not An American One

RichCC comments on Apr 16, 2019:

The date on that link is 12/1/2014 -- over four years ago. But frothy has been a thorough tool as long as I can remember. What an ass.

The Bible Says Jesus Was Real, but is There Other Proof?

RichCC comments on Apr 16, 2019:

Here we go -- the week before Easter. Once again supposed 'historians' will trot out the 'but everyone believes it' stories and pretend that's evidence. I get tired of seeing the same old evidence-less fantasies -- they don't prove anything. Believers still believe and doubters still doubt. But several times each year at holidays religious folks get to dress up and beat their chests to say 'see, we're still here'. What a waste of energy.

I've recently given up my faith because of a few comments people gave made to me here.

RichCC comments on Apr 14, 2019:

Why 'base' it on anything? Make your own choices and accept your own consequences and credit. Years ago my wife pointed out to me how close the classic Greek Stoics were to my personal philosophy. How's that for saying make your own answer... then answering.

How many of you have been told you are going to hell?

RichCC comments on Apr 13, 2019:

It's been a while since anyone overtly put it that way to me. These days the people who know I'm atheist either know better than to start that discussion or we happen to be in situations where an emotional discussion would be inappropriate.