Hurricane Florence: Residents ignore evacuation orders in North Carolina ‘hoping God protects ...

birdingnut comments on Sep 14, 2018:

I've never known a religious person to notice irony. They rationalize whatever they must, to maintain their denial.

Jerry Brown Calls Trump A 'Liar, Criminal, Fool' On Climate Change | HuffPost

birdingnut comments on Sep 14, 2018:

Me 2!

A recent painting done by a family member.

birdingnut comments on Sep 14, 2018:

LOVE it! Art doesn't need an arbitrary title to be enjoyed.

Billionaires v teachers: the Koch brothers' plan to starve public education | US news | The Guardian

birdingnut comments on Sep 15, 2018:

The US should be like Finland. There are no mandated standardized tests in Finland, apart from one exam at the end of students’ senior year in high school. There are no rankings, no comparisons or competition between students, schools or regions. The people running the schools, from national officials to local authorities, are educators, not business people, military leaders or career politicians. Ninety-three percent of Finns graduate from academic or vocational high schools, 17.5 percentage points higher than the US, and 66 percent go on to higher education, the highest rate in the European Union. Yet Finland spends about 30 percent less per student than the United States. Finland’s teachers are selected from the top 10 percent of the nation’s graduates to earn a required master’s degree in education. Many schools are small enough that teachers know every student. If one method fails, teachers consult with colleagues to try something else. In some schools more than half of the elementary-level students are immigrants—from Somalia, Iraq, Russia, Bangladesh, Estonia and Ethiopia, among other nations-yet all succeed. Link: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-49859555/

Family Planning advice in the UK

birdingnut comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Well, that would do it..

ACT OF GOD: After Tree Falls & Kills Mother and Child, Firefighters Gather Around to Kneel In Prayer...

birdingnut comments on Sep 16, 2018:

Maybe they're praying that the storm will now wipe out Pat Robertson's TV station.

What is your temperament, and how does their conclusion match up with your self-perception?

birdingnut comments on Sep 16, 2018:

LOL! The website said my personality was "French." Well, I did grow up in Haiti, with a strong French culture, so I'm happy about that.

MEDICINE'S FINANCIAL CONTAMINATION. NY Times The Editorial Board Opinion [nyti.ms]

birdingnut comments on Sep 16, 2018:

That's what's great about medicine in Thailand. Because they have universal medicine, those types of bribes don't figure in.

For anyone who ever tagged me, I would happily respond but cannot, as I have been blocked.

birdingnut comments on Sep 16, 2018:

When someone blocks another member, that only means that those two people can no longer see each other's posts. Everyone else can still see them. I block people all the time...anyone who is rude, crude, or lewd, is married but looking for action, likes hook ups, is polyamorous, who backs Big Pharm, Trump, or GMOs, etc.

Why do people act badly at family events?

birdingnut comments on Sep 17, 2018:

I don't blame you; I hate wedding ceremonies and being forced to be around obnoxious relatives. I had a destination wedding on the beach at a FL island bird sanctuary, in a ballroom gown I designed and sewed myself. Only a handful of close friends there and we ate afterward at a seafood restaurant on the beach.

Let's make an anti- bucket list, comment something you'll never do again. ??

birdingnut comments on Sep 17, 2018:

Put up with toxic people and waste my time.

What's your most outlandish belief? (Mine is, I believe crop circles are not man-made.)

birdingnut comments on Sep 17, 2018:

I agree, although some are. I believe I'll find someone compatible with me and we'll live happily together.

So I have a 2nd grade student who was sticking mini Post It notes all over the playground equipment ...

birdingnut comments on Sep 18, 2018:

I"d have given him or her a hug and helped clean them up. But would have mentioned in passing that I agree.

Do you think that living in a foreign country for a long period of time changes people?

birdingnut comments on Sep 18, 2018:

You'd think, but many US tourists I see here in Thailand seem unchanged..as silly and prejudiced as ever, constantly insulting Thailand, sticking to Western-style hotels, restaurants, and travel companions instead of enjoying this tropical paradise.

Atheist Group Tells IRS to Investigate Church That Told Members to Vote for GOP | Hemant Mehta

birdingnut comments on Sep 19, 2018:

NONE of them should be tax free. If churches were a company they would already be closed for sexual assault and pedophile violations.

NY Bishop Rape Shames Abuse Victims: Boys Are 'Culpable' For Their Actions At 7 Years Old

birdingnut comments on Sep 19, 2018:

Why are not ALL the Catholic leaders in prison for not only ignoring rape of children, but defending it, and participating themselves?? LOCK THEM ALL UP!

Very interesting.

birdingnut comments on Sep 19, 2018:

Like I keep advising people, if you have friends or relatives who are emotionally abusive or exhibit behavior damaging to you, delete and block them from social media. Tell people who ask about them that "we've grown apart," and never contact them again. For milder cases, just stop contacting them and ignore their messages and calls. Only talk to them or pay attention to them if they are behaving in a positive manner. This quickly trains them to treat you with respect.

I had no idea that this place existed so imagine my surprise.

birdingnut comments on Jun 25, 2018:

Hi, Paul, and welcome! This website has a bit of a learning curve, so here is some information that might be helpful for dating here. New members are encouraged to earn website points, and help other members get to know them better, by writing an informational profile that includes their hobbies and interests, and answering all the profile questions, since that's the first place many women look when they see a new member. You have already done much of this. The website algorithm uses profiles to find member matches, so the more details one includes, the better the match. Also many women prefer to quickly look at a list of hobbies and interests to see if there's a match with a potential dating partner. In case you didn't know yet, to find members near you, click on the "Meet" button at the top of the page, then on "Members," and enter your preferred search parameters. Or click on the "About" button at the top of the page to find links to FAQ or the website tutorial. Click on the 'Meet" button also to find member matches

Do you find yourself arguing with your pet?

birdingnut comments on Jun 27, 2018:

Once animals see you as one who provides food, they'll be after you. Wild birds, even hummingbirds, would tap on the picture window glass when the bird feeders were low, and if I was out of town, the birds would fly to my mom's window and tap until she climbed the stairs and filled my feeders for me ( I had a two-level double house). Sometimes they'd fly to the car and tap on the window if I was leaving without refilling them.

What's the worst gift you've ever had?

birdingnut comments on Jun 27, 2018:

My ex once made the mistake of buying me a new iron for our anniversary. I told him off so viciously that from then on he bought me roses, but ruined it by complaining as he handed them to me that he couldn't understand why women wanted flowers..they were so stupid. I should have dumped him the moment I saw he considered me his maid. Never again. Yet, strangely, when I caught him having an affair with a friend's wife, turns out he'd just bought her a beautiful silver necklace and let her buy all new clothes on his dime, so he at least did know how to give women good gifts when inspired by adultery.

What is the world coming to?

birdingnut comments on Jun 27, 2018:

It's not that people don't value their children..it's a problem remembering them when people change their memorized routines. Maybe you don't always take your child shopping with you, so there's no established habit, but with the cellphone, people likely check on it constantly without thinking, so putting the cell phone in the back with the child is a GOOD idea, since it forces the person to think about what they're doing.

Archaeologists stumble on Neolithic ritual site in Suffolk - Diggers laying groundwork for a new ...

birdingnut comments on Jun 28, 2018:

So cool! And discovering an auroch skull!

Do you buy bottled water? I have hot and cold running water at home, why do I need all that plastic?

birdingnut comments on Jun 28, 2018:

When I was in the US I bought a $15 distiller from WalMart and made my own water, carried it with me when at work. I have no use for the toxic flouride and other rat poison chemicals put in the tap water to purify it. Here in Thailand I buy reverse osmosis water from the water machine dispenser downstairs.

The adverb is dead. Anybody else noticed?

birdingnut comments on Jun 28, 2018:

It still annoys me. There's a sign in the Rowan County high school parking lot, "Drive Slow" and when I was doing substitute teaching there in the early 2000s, every time I saw the sign I mentally added an "ly."

Do you love growing flowers in pots?

birdingnut comments on Jun 28, 2018:

When I was taking birth control pills in the 1970s I accidentally discovered that adding a crushed birth control pill to the water before I watered the plants made them all burst into bloom..even out of season!

I made level 7. All it cost me was a job, a relationship and a car. But I've had fun!

birdingnut comments on Jun 29, 2018:

Well, that's what counts, LOL!

Share a random moment or something unanticipated that happened in the last 3 days that made you love...

birdingnut comments on Jun 29, 2018:

Every night when I look out from my balcony and see the Southern Cross, Apha and Beta Centauri and the Scorpio constellation sprawled across the sky at zenith. Every day when I see the tropical beauty of southern Thailand.

Do you regularly meet up with other atheists/agnostics?

birdingnut comments on Jun 29, 2018:

Interesting. When I get back to the US, I plan to use the Facebook meet up/dating app to meet like-minded people at local events of mutual interest. I don't really care if a group is "atheist" or "agnostic" because most educated people in Lexington, KY, are already liberal. Also, I have no wish to read or discuss "atheist" or "religious" books. When I read, I read for my pleasure, and not to prove any points.

What impact is the internet having on our culture?

birdingnut comments on Jun 30, 2018:

Several good results..people can skip the control freak doorkeepers and find out natural cures for themselves instead of having to trust the Big Pharm-colluding, toxic-drug-pushing western doctors. People can skip the similarly control freakish, evil record companies and take their original music directly to the people, through YouTube videos. People can skip paying extortion prices for text books and get all the information they want for free, online. Same for getting university degrees, finding jobs, finding a mate, etc. It's giving power back to the people.

True Confession.

birdingnut comments on Jun 30, 2018:

No, you're right. It pollutes the air, terrifies pets, disturbs wildlife, etc. And of course people are hurt each year messing with them.

I go out to play some board games and I come home to this.

birdingnut comments on Jun 30, 2018:

I'm so sorry that happened to you!

Lonely Cures?

birdingnut comments on Jun 30, 2018:

In my case, I love being single and doing things alone. My problem is allowing someone into my life to clog up my fun. But if you prefer being with people, you can google local community groups near you, perhaps ones that do things you already enjoy doing-book club, bird watching, sewing, musical instruments, hiking, ballroom dancing, traveling to local museums, etc. Also, depending on your health, volunteering helping to clean up parks, clear national park trails, serving food at soup kitchens, visiting nursing homes, etc.

I know you don't care, but here';s the facts. Some of us do care. About facts.

birdingnut comments on Jun 30, 2018:

White supremacists don't care if they are "right" or not, just if they're "white."

What is the main reason why you became a non-beliver or a believer of anything spiritual?

birdingnut comments on Jun 30, 2018:

I realized The Bible was too blood-thirsty and misogynistic to be taken seriously. Then during the 2016 election I realized that white evangelical Christians = white supremacists and I dumped what was left of my Christian upbringing. By the way, if you answer the profile questions and write your profile, you'll earn points, and members can get to know you. Then start commenting on posts and writing your own to earn more points. At level two you can private message people, and at level eight you get an agnostic T-shirt. In case you didn't know yet, to find members near you, click on the "Meet" button at the top of the page, then on "Members," and enter your preferred search parameters. Or click on the "About" button at the top of the page to find links to FAQ or the website tutorial. Click on the 'Meet" button to find member matches.

Are Autistic people are more likely to hold atheistic views?

birdingnut comments on Jul 1, 2018:

People With Autism Are More Likely to Be Atheists https://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-hutson/autism-atheism_b_1557098.html?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004 via @HuffPostScience

Jehovahs Witnesses quickly regret coming to my door

birdingnut comments on Jul 1, 2018:

LOL! More effort than I'd ever go to, but I applaud him!

Do you deal with grief?

birdingnut comments on Jul 2, 2018:

Yup..just let yourself feel grief. We all have to go through the steps of grieving to move on, and skipping steps only forces you to deal with it later.

Our current government is pushing towards the extreme political right and has support of the ...

birdingnut comments on Jul 3, 2018:

?? You just noticed this?

I don't know if anybody remember this from Mad Magazine, but this caught me as hilarious.

birdingnut comments on Jul 3, 2018:

Shows my age, but I remember it.

I Probably shouldn’t be posting this but I’m having a little bit of an issue.

birdingnut comments on Jul 6, 2018:

I'm sure to stir up enraged feminists, but the best way to interest men is to act as advised in the book "The Rule"s..rules written for women like me, who are lacking certain feminine instincts. Men are attracted primarily by one thing..looks. The hotter and younger the better. But they are attracted to most women of any age anyway. In your profile just mention fun outdoor things you like to do with a partner. Don't act desperate, or seem emotionally damaged. Let men do the pursuing. Never call, message, or text a man first, and even when he messages you, wait a day before responding. He'll just assume you are busy going out with other men, and running your successful businesses. Never accept a date for less than three days in advance. Otherwise, you would love to, but you already have other plans. Seem busy, but don't give any details. End the date first, don't have sex or stop dating other men, until you are exclusive. Don't declare your love, make him little love gifts, or in general act clingy or needy. If you are living together, and you quietly ask him to help you do something, and he doesn't, instead of making excuses for him, or screaming at him, just start pulling back..get busy elsewhere, be coming and going with other people and don't seem to have time for him. If he presses you, say something about "things aren't working for me" and mention some other place where you want to move. If he disrespects you, put his stuff on the lawn and change the locks. Then move on. No calling him, begging, crying, pleading, finding excuses to go to his place, such as claiming you lost something, etc. The more women act like this, the more men tend to disrespect them. I have strong masculine traits so my romantic interests have always mistreated me, because they could..I'd just forgive them and make excuses for them. No consequences, so no change in behavior. But any time I've followed The Rules, I couldn't beat men off with a stick. And I'm demisexual (zero sexual attraction for anyone except after a prolonged courtship of well over a year. Then only for that one person).

Okay, another post on the topic of blocking.

birdingnut comments on Jul 6, 2018:

People block for many reasons. I block anyone who is rude, crude, or lewd to either me, or any other woman, who is aggressively argumentative and/or keeps returning to the attack. I also block some people who don't post photos or write profiles, any guy who mentions he likes hunting/fishing/or golf, any guy who says he does hook ups or is polyamorous. These are not people I want to date or even interact with.

Been on a liquid diet for roughly seven days, time for some solid food I can't think of what I want,...

birdingnut comments on Jul 6, 2018:

I have broken many long-time fasts..two of them for 40 days. It takes as long to return to normal food as the length of the fast. You have to start small and gradually add more solid foods each day or you could get very sick.

I live 10 miles from a river of lava.

birdingnut comments on Jul 6, 2018:

Hopefully there is some sort of warning system in place during the night.

Indiana landlord evicts church over sign saying 'LGBTQ is a hate crime'

birdingnut comments on Jul 7, 2018:

Good for the landlord!

Helping can be harmful.

birdingnut comments on Jul 9, 2018:

Many abuse survivors seem to be at least partially complicit "enabler rescuers," willing to sacrifice themselves to keep someone around who needs them. They are often codependent on the drama of dysfunctional relationships, using them to avoid deeper questions they wish to avoid. At least that seemed to be my case. Unknown to me through most of my life, I am a nonbinary partial transmale, who didn't feel as though I fit into the social scheme of things, but defaulted to living as a cis hetero woman to please my mom. Marriage was a way to show that I "belonged." But I never felt like a "woman" or "wife."

What was your funniest first date?

birdingnut comments on Jul 12, 2018:

I'm an avid bird photographer and environmentalist. I had a date from a dating classified ad, and while we were walking to the restaurant, we passed a grove of trees where some migrating warblers were singing. I paused to listen and remarked that they were an endangered species. The guy actually said that if a bird is going to go extinct it may as well go ahead and do so, and remove their flawed DNA from the gene pool. I was too shocked to reply. When we sat down to eat, I asked him what he did and he said he was a developer. He'd buy tracts of forest land, bulldoze it, and build condos. He proudly bragged about how much money he was making. I was furious, and stood to go. I told him that his destroying the natural habitat of wild birds for his personal gain that people like HIM were what was what's wrong with this world. He looked up at me and said, "I take it there won't be a second date?" I said, "You're SO right," and walked out of the restaurant.

Damn my head! Anxiety makes me relive forty years of old mistakes over and over, randomly.

birdingnut comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Things that help me-meditation, long, early morning walks to reset my thyroid for more energy and elevated mood,5-htp, derris scandens, and cannabis oil. I take the oil for cancer, but it's been also clearing up lifetime diabetes and food allergy issues. It stops worry and anxiety for sure. But if you can't buy it, CBD oil, sold in most health stores, works as well in getting rid if anxiety and curing serious health issues.

So I'm at the gym this morning, and strike up casual conversation with a nicely muscled , fairly ...

birdingnut comments on Jul 12, 2018:

The instant someone speaks religion, I block, delete, defriend, etc them. If they are there in person I remember something I have to do, and LEAVE. This happened to me while eating lunch with some Filipino friends here in Songkhla, Thailand..now EX friends. I complained about Trump and the religious alt-right and they actually began lecturing me and telling me they were Christians, and that they wouldn't allow me to speak against Christianity. The irony? The girl lecturing me was the lover of the transmale sitting next to me. They were mostly LGBTQ and yet unaware that their alternate lifestyles would get them attacked in any US Christian community. I stood up and left, and I want nothing further to do with them.

I had been talking to a guy for a month.

birdingnut comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Most cis hetero men are basically walking sex organs with large bellies. They typically go for the youngest, hottest woman they can find. If you have any romantic notions about men, forget it. The book, The Rules for Online Dating advises women to delete any men who don't ask to meet them in person within four messages. Women are advised to wait at least one day before replying to messages. If a man asks to meet you, only meet them in your own city, at a public place. Take your own car. Let friends know where you are. Never tell the strange men where you live or give them enough information for them to figure it out for themselves. If the man tries to make the woman pay for the date, stand up and leave immediately. DO "google" the men before meeting them. Find out if what they told you is true. Are they married, employed, have kids, are in another relationship, are listed as sexual predators, etc. End the date first. Don't sleep with anyone until you're in a exclusive relationship. Don't bare your soul to them. Don't complain to them about your past relationships, implying that you think THEY will solve all your romantic expectations. Don't chase, call, or throw yourself at them. Don't act needy and clingy. Be mysterious and somewhat aloof until you get to know them much better, or until they've asked for an exclusive relationship. Then, be careful what you tell them.

Did you ever have someone or something significant show up in your life when you least expected it?

birdingnut comments on Jul 14, 2018:

Of course. Always. Everyone does, even if they have been brainwashed to be "rational." We are co-creators of our own universe..making our own reality. What you believe, or fear, comes to you, since your focus on it makes it manifest, for good or for bad. “Consciousness is fundamental, and matter is derived from consciousness." – Max Planck, theoretical physicist who originated quantum theory, 1918 Nobel Prize in Physics

Having a lonely night.

birdingnut comments on Jul 14, 2018:

No pets here in Thailand anymore. Here is the last pet I had..last year. Aguilah, my male Asian fairy-bluebird, before I thought I was moving back the US.

I know there are Conservatives on Agnostic.

birdingnut comments on Jul 14, 2018:

Recently I've begun asking all my Facebook contacts if they support Trump. And my relatives. If they do, I defriend them, and plan to never contact them again. I don't need Nazi/KKK/white supremacist/sexual predator-approving people in my life.

This is one of the scariest things I have read since Trump won the election, and every time he opens...

birdingnut comments on Jul 15, 2018:

I agree.."I've got a bad feeling about this" doesn't come close. But how many Conservatives can or will read it? NONE that I had ever met! Even liberals probably wouldn't read a detailed report that long. Someone would have to make a picture time line, break it down into bites that won't intimidate people.

What’s a movie that everyone loved but you hated. Mine: Pulp Fiction

birdingnut comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Waterworld..except that everyone ELSE hated it as well. I can't stand most Marvel movies..really annoying.

I love this perspective on relationship: true & hilarious at once.

birdingnut comments on Jul 16, 2018:

SOOOO true. I put the link to the YouTube video on Twitter.

Who thinks Pence is worse than Trump?

birdingnut comments on Jul 17, 2018:

They're both evil...same agenda, except Pence can spell.

Some portrait photos of big birds living on my farm.

birdingnut comments on Jul 18, 2018:

Aaaww! I love all the geeses! We had several gray Chinese geese we hand raised from goslings over the years, and they were so loving. They also could talk clearly, and mimic even our dogs perfectly..better than our many parrots!

Fitting for my thinking.

birdingnut comments on Jul 19, 2018:

LOL!

What's a common misconception about you?

birdingnut comments on Jul 19, 2018:

Few people expect me to be as strong and fast as I am. I sometimes hand luggage to people and they almost fall over when they take it, having assumed it must be light. Sometimes I'm taken for a Thai because of my petite frame, brunette hair, lifestyle, and my ability to speak Thai.

Lunch or dinner

birdingnut comments on Jul 19, 2018:

My daughter, since I've not seen her since she visited me in Thailand in 2016.

Hempcrete is the way to go.

birdingnut comments on Jul 20, 2018:

Yup. Hemp can be used for animal and human food, making plastics, clothing, etc. The government banned it to prevent people using it instead of their toxic factory products.

Yay! My free Agnotic.

birdingnut comments on Jul 20, 2018:

I didn't apply for my T-shirt because I live in the Thailand at the moment and shipping costs would be high. Even back in the US, I plan to live in Lexington, KY, a redneck area, so I doubt I'd dare wear it in public to avoid dangerous alt-right attacks.

In my professional life, I dealt with many political figures, governmental agency upper staff, and ...

birdingnut comments on Jul 21, 2018:

The great orange fondling father

Today I met someone in person from this site. It's nice to know like minded people live close.

birdingnut comments on Jul 24, 2018:

Do tell! Was it a pleasant encounter? So many people on this website act like arrogant ass-hats, I'm not sure I want to meet most of them.

Ladies high heels or flip-flops?

birdingnut comments on Jul 24, 2018:

It baffles me why women would willingly put torture shoes on their feet just to look better for MEN. I also think flip flops can be dangerous and the middle gripping part soon rubs skin between my toes raw. Originally, high-heeled shoes were to make short English noblemen seem taller, then later, tall platform shoes kept rich people out of the sewage flowing in the London streets. Why modern women choose to wear them is beyond me, but they deserve whatever pain they suffer for refusing to think for themselves, catering to MEN.

I am so lonely.

birdingnut comments on Jul 24, 2018:

YIKES! Find compatible friends and get busy doing things you love to do. Start going out with others, dating again, etc. As long as you believe you deserve that kind of treatment, you might tend to continue to gravitate toward abusers.

You work in healthcare, you are about to be fully responsible for the life of a patient in surgery ...

birdingnut comments on Jul 24, 2018:

You can smile and excuse yourself during this time, or just play along and think of it as positive thoughts. You can also use the time to meditate, which is always good. No need to shut your eyes, though.

Been watching the old Star Trek series from start to finish on Netflix and came across the weird, ...

birdingnut comments on Jul 25, 2018:

This aired in the 1960s, before people became cynical about Christianity, and he might have just been catering to his audience. But Roddenberry said of Christianity, "How can I take seriously a God-image that requires that I prostrate myself every seven days and praise it? That sounds to me like a very insecure personality." He also made it known to the writers of Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation that religion, superstition, and mystical thinking were not to be included. He even censured the writers when there was a mention of marriage in a script for an early episode of The Next Generation. However he was an agnostic and was interested other people's experiences with religion. But, he "felt very strongly that contemporary Earth religions would be gone by the 23rd century."

So, the postman delivers 3 boxes to your door.

birdingnut comments on Jul 25, 2018:

Bank account report showing millions of dollars in my US accounts, taxes pre-paid. Cannabis oil. A receipt for a self-driving, self-sustaining RV with zero emissions.

Why are there so many people who are lonely?

birdingnut comments on Jul 25, 2018:

I suppose lonely people aren't comfortable being alone with themselves. In the US, it's fashionable for new mothers to stick bottles in babies' mouths and return to work, causing a lifetime of inability to connect to others. How a parent’s affection shapes a child’s happiness for life https://www.mother.ly/child/how-a-parents-affection-shapes-a-childs-happiness-for-life

Going through a rough patch lately.

birdingnut comments on Jul 26, 2018:

Yup..cut loose the toxic people from your life and move on..you'll feel much happier for it! By the way, this website has a bit of a learning curve. For members who are open to dating, you will see that certain thumbnails and profiles have a heart symbol on them with a percentage. This identifies which members are open to dating, and the percent shows approximately how compatible you are with them. If you click the heart symbol on the top of their profile, you can see how it is determined. You can improve your score in general by answering all the profile questions and writing a bio, which also earns you website points. Commenting on posts and writing your own earns more points. At level two you can private message people, and at level eight you get an agnostic T-shirt. The website uses profile algorithms to find member matches, so the more details one includes, the better the match. Many people prefer to see a written profile talking about interests, hobbies, and backgrounds that can be quickly perused to find compatible partners. In case you didn't know yet, to find members near you, click on the "Browse" button at the top of the page, then on "Members," and enter your preferred search parameters. Click on the "Discuss" button, then "Nearby" to find members near you also. Or click on the "About" button at the top left of the page to find links to FAQ or the website tutorial. Points are now being given to level 3+ members who chat. You can see chat rooms on the group main page or at https://agnostic.com/groups/rooms.

Has anything ever happened in a restaurant that made you walk out?

birdingnut comments on Jul 27, 2018:

Not really. I walked out of an Indian restaurant when I realized that not one meal on the menu included any greens.

You notice how silent Trumpsters have been about these tapes?

birdingnut comments on Jul 27, 2018:

They obediently chant "Lock her up!" when Trump tells them to jeer at Hillary. If the shoe's on the other foot, they don't know how to react.

While we're on the subject of chocolate-related polls, have you ever owned a Toblerone (even one of ...

birdingnut comments on Jul 27, 2018:

No, but just because I've never seen one. Before I realized that chocolate was keeping me up all night whenever I ate any, chocolate was one of my food groups. After I got cancer I became concerned the chocolate would exacerbate it, so avoid chocolate altogether now. But, yeah, if I could eat it without health setbacks, I'd gobble it every chance I got. Every.

What are some examples of small changes that can be made that really improve the lives of a ...

birdingnut comments on Jul 27, 2018:

Legalize cannabis, hemp, etc. Decriminalize drugs. Bike and walking lanes everywhere throughout cities, convert high rise buildings into indoor farms, also have rooftop farms. Have free higher education, a living wage, inexpensive fire and mold-proof housing, using hempcrete, students having self-directed study at school and allowed pick their own study subjects and projects. Indoor Farming: Future Takes Root In Abandoned Buildings, Warehouses, Empty Lots & High Rises https://www.ibtimes.com/indoor-farming-future-takes-root-abandoned-buildings-warehouses-empty-lots-high-rises-1653412 Growing Vertical: Skyscraper Farming-Cultivating crops in downtown skyscrapers would save water, energy, not need pesticides, and provide city dwellers with distinctively fresh food https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/growing-vertical-skyscraper-farming/?amp via @sciam

Woman shoots rapist ten times then decapitates him.

birdingnut comments on Jul 27, 2018:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's great!

The female price of male pleasure

birdingnut comments on Jul 28, 2018:

I love this quote from the article..SO true. "Have you looked at how women are 'supposed' to present themselves as sexually attractive? High heels? Trainers? Spanx? These are things designed to wrench bodies. Men can be appealing in comfy clothes. They walk in shoes that don't shorten their Achilles tendons. They don't need to get the hair ripped off their genitals or take needles to the face to be perceived as "conventionally" attractive. They can — just as women can — opt out of all this, but the baseline expectations are simply different, and it's ludicrous to pretend they aren't. The old implied social bargain between women and men (which Andrew Sullivan calls "natural") is that one side will endure a great deal of discomfort and pain for the other's pleasure and delight."

The long affects of religion...

birdingnut comments on Jul 28, 2018:

Sex is always immoral if it is non consensual, or demeaning to another person. By the way, this website has a bit of a learning curve. For members who are open to dating, you will see that certain thumbnails and profiles have a heart symbol on them with a percentage. This identifies which members are open to dating, and the percent shows approximately how compatible you are with them. If you click the heart symbol on the top of their profile, you can see how it is determined. You can improve your score in general by answering all the profile questions and writing a bio, which also earns you website points. Commenting on posts and writing your own earns more points. At level two you can private message people, and at level eight you get an agnostic T-shirt. The website uses profile algorithms to find member matches, so the more details one includes, the better the match. Many people prefer to see a written profile talking about interests, hobbies, and backgrounds that can be quickly perused to find compatible partners. In case you didn't know yet, to find members near you, click on the "Browse" button at the top of the page, then on "Members," and enter your preferred search parameters. Click on the "Discuss" button, then "Nearby" to find members near you also. Or click on the "About" button at the top left of the page to find links to FAQ or the website tutorial. Points are now being given to level 3+ members who chat. You can see chat rooms on the group main page or at https://agnostic.com/groups/rooms.

I am thinking I need a career change. Or maybe a job change. Anyone done that in their 50's?

birdingnut comments on Jul 28, 2018:

Yup. I quit my university English prof job in 2010 when I was 58 years old and moved to Thailand to teach ESL and English literature.

Random Acts of Kindness

birdingnut comments on Jul 28, 2018:

Hi, Scarlet, and welcome to the website! I don't, as a general rule, but that depends on what you call a "random kindness." By the way, this website has a bit of a learning curve. For members who are open to dating, you will see that certain thumbnails and profiles have a heart symbol on them with a percentage. This identifies which members are open to dating, and the percent shows approximately how compatible you are with them. If you click the heart symbol on the top of their profile, you can see how it is determined. You can improve your score in general by answering all the profile questions and writing a bio, which also earns you website points. Commenting on posts and writing your own earns more points. At level two you can private message people, and at level eight you get an agnostic T-shirt. The website uses profile algorithms to find member matches, so the more details one includes, the better the match. Many people prefer to see a written profile talking about interests, hobbies, and backgrounds that can be quickly perused to find compatible partners. In case you didn't know yet, to find members near you, click on the "Browse" button at the top of the page, then on "Members," and enter your preferred search parameters. Click on the "Discuss" button, then "Nearby" to find members near you also. Or click on the "About" button at the top left of the page to find links to FAQ or the website tutorial. Points are now being given to level 3+ members who chat. You can see chat rooms on the group main page or at https://agnostic.com/groups/rooms.

Any questions?

birdingnut comments on Jul 28, 2018:

LOL! That's great!

Just spent 4 days in Vegas.

birdingnut comments on Jul 29, 2018:

I LOVE Las Vegas. I used to book $30 rooms there in luxurious hotels, then skip the shows and glitter and spend the days photographing the abundant bird life at local wetlands. Every once and a while, when passing through hotel and airport lobbies, I'd plunk a quarter in a slot machine and pull the handle so I could tell my friends at home that I was away "gambling in Las Vegas."

How your family responded when they learned about your atheism? How did you approach telling them?

birdingnut comments on Jul 29, 2018:

I emailed them. One, I messaged. Most just ignored it, and only one sibling reacted in horror and immediately began preaching at me. This took me by surprise since she doesn't attend church and has given no indication she's even a Christian. But I just laughed it off and said I wouldn't hold her religious beliefs against her.

What's the most romantic gesture someone's carried out on your behalf?

birdingnut comments on Jul 29, 2018:

I woke up on Christmas morning during a road trip to the west with my daughter, her boyfriend, and my boyfriend to find a Christmas present on my pillow..a pearl necklace!

Who knows what a post turtle is?

birdingnut comments on Jul 30, 2018:

It's a political joke. When you see a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, you know he didn't get up there by himself. He doesn't belong there, you wonder who put him there, and he can't get anything done while he's there.

So I’ve decided to go back to school and earn my bachelors degree in psychology at the ripe old ...

birdingnut comments on Jul 30, 2018:

I got my Masters degree when I was 52 years old.

Is it a dealbreaker for you if the person is religious?

birdingnut comments on Aug 1, 2018:

YES

Does the term cis bother you?

birdingnut comments on Apr 11, 2018:

It's one of the gender label descriptions that have come into recent use. It means that you identify with your birth gender. I am careful to qualify people as "cis hetero" instead of blanket labels like "males." For example, I may resemble as "female" and be a bio female, but as a partial transmale I don't identify as one, but as nonbinary. I don't identify strongly with either gender, but slightly more with males.

Do believer friends invite you to their Church?

birdingnut comments on Apr 11, 2018:

Doesn't bother me to say, "No, thankyou. I no longer believe that way." If I were to hedge politely, or give excuses, they'd just try again. If they press me, that gives me the opportunity to mention the Sumerian texts and/or complain about how 85% of white evangelicals voted for that sexual predator, Trump. I often mention those things anyway.

So my fundy daughter has just told me I'm not allowed to post pictures of my grandson on social ...

birdingnut comments on Apr 12, 2018:

From a non-religious perspective, it's still a good idea. Posting photos of children, with the ability of social media to access their personal data and addresses, is said to be unwise.

Does anyone like Nietzsche? Can you discuss at length? If so message or whatever you do on here me.

birdingnut comments on Apr 12, 2018:

Our western civilization is heavily indebted to him. A favorite quote: "Hence the ways of men part: if you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire.."

Book addicts

birdingnut comments on Apr 12, 2018:

Anything written by Robert A. Heinlein, and most of the John Scalzi books. Also, indie author Misha Burnett's Catskinner novel series.

Famous person?

birdingnut comments on Apr 12, 2018:

I was a movie extra in both the Seabiscuit and Secretariat movies, so got to meet the actors in those. I was the most intrigued by John Malkovich because "Being John Malkovich" is one of my favorite movies.

It's never too late for ________ (fill in the blank).

birdingnut comments on Apr 13, 2018:

Reading a good book!

Do you suffer from triskaidekaphobia?

birdingnut comments on Apr 13, 2018:

Nope. Different cultures believe different things about certain numbers.

Given that we first see people... why are we offended that people don't notice our personalities?

birdingnut comments on Apr 14, 2018:

Because cis hetero men are attracted to women primarily through their eyes. To avoid wasting time pursuing infertile females with poor genes, they are most attracted to "beautiful" women..which means faces with the most average, or even, features. This also indicates genetic diversity. Tiny waists and rounded busts and hips indicate fertility and baby-bearing capabilities. Cis hetero women tend to choose money and status over both, and sometimes sneak quickies with handsome doormen during their fertility period so they can have it both ways-be married to good provider with horrible genes, and have sound children with a sexy, male who is low status. So, if your post is to complain that women always say (correctly) that men are only attracted through their eyes, then I agree with them.

Animal Ethics

birdingnut comments on Apr 15, 2018:

I only eat fish, for the Omega-3 oil, but for my health instead of a moral stance. I don't object to animals being raised kindly, bred specifically for eating, and killed humanely.

Just did a pet visiting job with 19 cats!! All Persians.

birdingnut comments on Apr 15, 2018:

Sounds like a perfect job!

Lately, I’ve been feeling really lost.

birdingnut comments on Apr 15, 2018:

Sounds fun!

Okay, yesterday I ate a pint of Chunky Monkey and today I ate a pint of Cherry Garcia.

birdingnut comments on Apr 16, 2018:

Dark chocolate with pecans..hand dipped into a cone.