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.

[yahoo.com] This is SICK AND PISSES ME OFF - What about you?

RichCC comments on Apr 13, 2019:

Wow. I think 'sick' is the right word. She must not have had much going for her to be desperate enough to try that. It makes me wonder about her life and her husband. I'm having trouble imagining the whole situation (and the forthcoming consequences). I'm assuming that she was in such a state that she either didn't know or didn't understand the consequences her actions would have on others. Again, I have trouble imagining those terrible actions with knowledge and purpose.

This is very cool.

RichCC comments on Apr 10, 2019:

I didn't know until this morning that the side with stuff moving toward us was expected to appear brighter than the side with stuff moving away. ? Expect to learn things about black holes soon.

The Risky Business of Time Travel Stephen Hawking the celebrated theoretical physicist, et.

RichCC comments on Apr 5, 2019:

Ha, ha. Remember Niven's Law (named for Larry Niven who wrote about it). Niven's Law. If the universe of discourse permits the possibility of time travel and of changing the past, then no time machine will be invented in that universe. ... Time travel may thus act to erase itself. The past will be changed until a timeline is settled on in which the past never happens to be altered. The simplest way to reach that state is to find a timeline that never discovers time travel. ? Lol.

The best revenge is no revenge.

RichCC comments on Apr 4, 2019:

Revenge itself doesn't bring reward. But we should work to correct harms appropriately. That includes ensuring that criminals don't repeat their crimes.

Why I Love Dogs, Reason 42:

RichCC comments on Mar 30, 2019:

I guess we could put our clothes on it to try to push the scent somewhere in the right direction. Lol sort of. ? Fortunately our separation anxiety dog seems to have about outgrown that issue. It did cost us an old couch though. *(Insert dog with teeth emoji here)*

Baby Hele is already nicely settling in to her new life here in Oregon, and claiming a few toys for ...

RichCC comments on Mar 28, 2019:

Has she ever seen snow? She looks confident enough to quickly find snow playtime fun.

What will cause the apocalypse?

RichCC comments on Mar 27, 2019:

I don't know about the 'apocalypse' term but for the end of us, I vote all of the above brought on largely by population overrun coupled with human shortsighted selfishness and stupidity.

Strange why I have more love and respect for animals than people but animals don't try to screw you ...

RichCC comments on Mar 25, 2019:

I guess I don't see that as particularly strange. Over the years I've been disappointed by people's 'ambitions' many more times than I can count. ?

Saturday is national atheist day, isn't it?

RichCC comments on Mar 22, 2019:

I'm not sure. ? According to Wiki, the first Thursday in May (5/2 this year) is the 'National Day of Reason' to correspond to the 'National Day of Prayer'. Honestly I've never put much energy into those sorts of labels so I don't have much knowledge one way or the other. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_Reason Update: You're right. The AtheistRepublic website lists it as exactly that. I'd not seem that before. Thanks.

A martyr for science..

RichCC comments on Mar 20, 2019:

One of my older overseas memories included a visit to Campo de' Fiori in Rome where he was murdered. Thank you for the reminder. It was a moving trip for my wife and I.

[motherjones.com] More evidence that Monsanto's Round-Up pesticide can cause non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

RichCC comments on Mar 17, 2019:

Thanks for the link. Round-Up has been one of my hot buttons for years. ?

"The commitment to living beyond a narrow view of our own interests makes us different from animals ...

RichCC comments on Mar 17, 2019:

Of course folks don't just act randomly. They wouldn't go to the trouble of hurting people if they didn't think they had some reason. Their reasons are often very different from mine (or yours I imagine) though. *** BTW... I've heard it said that there are three stages of realization many of us go through when we see others behaving badly -- hurting people. 1. First we give the others the benefit of the doubt and figure they don't know they're hurting people. 2. Then we still give the others the benefit and figure they don't understand that they're hurting people. 3. Next we realize that the others hurt people because that's just the way they are. They act for their own purposes, whatever those purposes are. More succinctly, the stages we see in harmful people are: 'ignorance', 'stupidity' and 'evil'(ness).

Isn't it hilarious how the religious transfer their own deviance onto us? :D

RichCC comments on Mar 17, 2019:

I'm curious who created that flyer/poster/whatever. The picture looks like it was taken from a 60s sci-fi rag novel cover. And I suspect someone less ignorant would have altered their spellings of altar and marijuana. At least they spelled atheist correctly. In my experience that's unusual for theists. I bet they got help for that. What a bunch of morans. Lol.

Bruschetta, polenta, tomatoes, hummus and mint on toast🌱 cobbled together from whatever I could ...

RichCC comments on Mar 16, 2019:

That's the approach I like. ? Eat good things all the time. Then there's always good things around to eat. ?

The Crystal Method - Falling Hard❤. [youtu.be]

RichCC comments on Mar 16, 2019:

Thank you. ?

I was curious where my throw blanket went last night.

RichCC comments on Mar 14, 2019:

Growing up in small town AZ, one neighbor had a large Shepherd(ish) mutt that seemed to have a taste for tool handle salt (as near as we could figure). He collected tools from houses up to a half mile away -- saws, chisels, brushes, whatever. One trophy was even a 16 lb. sledge that must have taken him all night to drag home. Shepherds can be focused. At least the tools were generally easy to identify and return. Lol. ?

Check out the position from one of our vote chess games.

RichCC comments on Mar 13, 2019:

'White to move and mate in 2.' The answer is a little non-intuitive and Black's fate is unavoidable. ? Update: I'd commented the solution but then I thought 'Sorry everyone. That was stupid. Why did I spoil a good puzzle?'

For me... assassination of JFK.

RichCC comments on Mar 11, 2019:

During the first moon landing I happened to be at my aunt's & uncle's house 3 states from our home. One of my oldest memories is the family all sitting in front of their tiny TV watching the news..

Vegetable Frittata

RichCC comments on Mar 10, 2019:

I'm jealous. That looks and sounds terrific. ?

Yes, I KNOW I said we'd be together until the end of time.

RichCC comments on Feb 26, 2019:

Time is of course relative. I didn't see anyone mention the old line about married folks not really living longer than single folks. It just seems longer. ?

I found this bread in the freezer at Sprouts this week and I really like it.

RichCC comments on Feb 24, 2019:

Thank you. We'll look too. Sprouts has become one of our favorite stores.

California State Senator, Jerry Hill has proposed California Senate Bill 360 removing a sweeping ...

RichCC comments on Feb 21, 2019:

From the article: *** Currently, California Penal Code § 11166(d)(1) states the following: “A clergy member who acquires knowledge or a reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect during a penitential communication is not [required to make a report].” *** Wow. I didn't know current law stated it so blatantly.

What are your thoughts on transhumanism? Should we try to improve ourselves through technology?

RichCC comments on Feb 21, 2019:

My glasses are on the table as I comment. And my house is keeping the snow and cold outside. And my car is waiting for a chance to take me to the store. We've been augmenting out lives throughout our time here and sometimes we're successful, sometimes not. If anyone wants to try things, I say more power to them as long as they don't screw it up for the rest of us. Personally I see it as with the last part of the Wiccan Rede -- 'An' ye harm none, do what ye will'.

[yahoo.

RichCC comments on Feb 21, 2019:

I'm torn whether or not to hope he is dim enough to forget it again. If he manages to attend to it, I'm quite sure he can only do harm. That's the closest thing to good in his presidency. His incompetence discourages him and the GOP from doing the even more damage they're capable of. Just about every day I see some new twist that they did for their short term gratification at the expense of everyone else. Yesterday I saw where their EPA pushed through the 'emergency approval' to rescind the ban of an insecticide known to harm bees. They are 'rolling back regulations'. Who cares what destruction they cause as long as they keep their base duped. I used to think there was a bottom to how low they could go but now I'm not sure.

The Bread or the Pan👍😂

RichCC comments on Feb 20, 2019:

Neither. I arrange everything in a wide soup bowl then eat it all. Whatever sauces and/or spices seem interesting at the time stay better that way. ?

Apparently, men who marry plus-size women are happier. [homemaking.com]

RichCC comments on Feb 20, 2019:

Happier men sometimes marry plus-size women. (FIFY) You might wonder if 'size' should really be a determining concern or just an incidental factor. ❤

Who do you trust?

RichCC comments on Feb 20, 2019:

Dogs don't have ulterior motives -- they're forthright. ? It makes sense to trust them over people. People often lie.

The definition for hypocrisy that I'd like to see; religion 1 claiming religion 2 is wacky and ...

RichCC comments on Feb 18, 2019:

What's that old statement? The difference between a cult and a religion is that at the center of every cult there is someone with first hand knowledge that it's really all bullshit. In a religion, that person is dead. ?

My sister is visiting from NY so we made this together.

RichCC comments on Feb 18, 2019:

That looks outstanding! I'll definitely try it. ? Update:: BTW She's not #Vegan yet. (FIFY).

I'm in a really good place right now...

RichCC comments on Feb 17, 2019:

"Felicitas est parvus canis calidus". One of my favorite *Peanuts* quotes -- "Happiness is a warm puppy".

just gonna leave this here:

RichCC comments on Feb 17, 2019:

Wow. I never heard of that. When I was in school I thought it was weird that a mormon guy I shared a trailer with and his girlfriend were ok spending the night in a bed together as long as one of them kept one foot on the floor (I never asked any details). Maybe they were missing out. Or maybe they weren't. I don't know. ?

[ancient-origins.net] Wow...what are the creationist/young earthers going to make of this?

RichCC comments on Feb 16, 2019:

It reminds me of a *Peanuts* strip I saw years ago. Charlie Brown and Linus were standing on a beach. CB picked up a rock and threw it into the water. L asked him "What are you doing? That rock worked thousands of years to get to shore and now you've thrown it back." Those worms survived tens of thousands of years and now we've changed things so they'll die. Actually. I doubt that evidence means much to true new-earthers -- they'll just deny it.

I have not seen this one here. But can you believe it? [patheos.com]

RichCC comments on Feb 15, 2019:

Ok. Now we're not following Haysus -- we're following the folks that went after Haysus. Makes as much sense to me as the rest of it I guess. ?

He, he, he, he, he...

RichCC comments on Feb 15, 2019:

I went to school with a guy who's wife was a nurse. He said nurses were the best to party with because when they talk dirty they can get real specific. ?

Lulu To Sir With Love 1967 [youtu.be]

RichCC comments on Feb 15, 2019:

That's one of my all time favorite movies. ? A few years ago one of my sisters-in-law asked me what I might want for Christmas. Being American and not really needing anything I said so and said she should give to the kids' college funds. She pressed other folks in the family and found out I like oldish movies. At some point she asked me what movies I like and this happened to be the first I named so a DVD showed up on Xmas morning. BTW... DVDs aren't as popular as they used to be but you don't have to look very hard to find them. ?