I think depression is setting in.

brentan comments on Jan 25, 2019:

Water is so refreshing but we avoid it like cats when we're under the weather. Do your best to get under the shower - once you're there, I'm sure you'll feel the benefit.

brentan replies on Jan 25, 2019:

@Lillyfield41 LOL 'I can smell the sleep on me'. If that's all I smelled, I'd wait another day!

Saw this in The Independent today “Beatles song 'Hey Jude' was almost never released because ...

Andy4608 comments on Jan 25, 2019:

In the US, I don't recall any comment in the UK. An apple sliced in half always did remind me of a vagina, not.

brentan replies on Jan 25, 2019:

@Andy4608 A medlar will do it.

Jesus and Mo are back again !

brentan comments on Jan 23, 2019:

We've helped Jesus come a long way. Mo won't be budged an inch.

brentan replies on Jan 23, 2019:

Sure. Nothing ventured.....

The greatest truth is the knowledge .

brentan comments on Jan 21, 2019:

This is the Christian definition of faith: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1. What religious viewpoint are you proposing or is it a personal opinion?

brentan replies on Jan 23, 2019:

@belfodil I read the Koran. It's not impressive, just repetitious and boring.

A little self reflection might be good.

EdEarl comments on Jan 22, 2019:

We do need to look at ourselves. Blocking here is sometimes done to prevent listening to someone's opposing opinion.

brentan replies on Jan 22, 2019:

@OwlInASack These days constructive criticism is often categorised as hate.On forums, lots of groups prefer echo chambers to free discussion.

We should be having sex. [newsweek.com]

brentan comments on Jan 20, 2019:

We should but oh god, the price. The cost of a prostitute might be the smallest cost because it's just money. I'm thinking of the emotional cost, the horror when things go wrong and regretting you didn't stay in your peaceful, lonely room.

brentan replies on Jan 20, 2019:

Never! I am a rock, I am an island...

If we keep thinking about the material, from where it came?

brentan comments on Jan 17, 2019:

I wouldn't be so quick to anthropomorphise god. The furthest I would go there is that everything might have its own spirit, in the sense of a consciousness. The idea that the universe is created just for us could be egotistical wishful thinking. The notion that there is a justice after death could ...

brentan replies on Jan 20, 2019:

@belfodil I think the issue is that life is not fair. That's the harsh truth of it. I think society should work hard at placing value in life as we know it but many people prioritise a life that they believe is there after death but may very well not be. It used to be expressed in the saying 'a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush'. Let's work with the 'bird' we have.

Reframe your way of thinking

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Jan 19, 2019:

AOC makes a clever but also broad statement, which leaves wide latitude for listeners to consider good motives for increasing socialist elements in society, but without getting immediately bogged down in political arguments over specific socialist strategies or specific policy fights. ...

brentan replies on Jan 20, 2019:

'Capitalism with a heart'. Excellent.

Karen Pences school ban goes on to say banned conduct includes, but is not limited, to: ...

ipdg77 comments on Jan 19, 2019:

So if I marry a sheep I can fuck it, can't see that in the list of do's and don't :-)

brentan replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@joeymf86 And you put a ring on its........

Do you think people can learn to sing?

azzow2 comments on Jan 19, 2019:

If you have a bag of marbles to put in your mouth be careful not to swallow them though. This is an old technique it is supposed to help exercise your mouth muscles and tone the vocal cords.

brentan replies on Jan 19, 2019:

So that's what James Stewart was up to!

Here's a foreign poem by C.

Marionville comments on Jan 19, 2019:

It’s the music and voices that we all sometimes hear in our heads ....of what could or should have happened, had events turned out differently. Our internal musings . It’s invisible because it’s a phantom procession...and presumably it’s addressed internally, to himself. That would be ...

brentan replies on Jan 19, 2019:

It certainly might be. I read that midnight process were part of the exotic life in Alexandria but this time it could be in his head. I think Cavafy is making a point similar to Shakespeare. Shakespeare makes the point that the sensuous life in Egypt is destroying a solid Roman. Cavafy might be telling Marc Antony to snap out of it, he's better than this emotional response to tragedy. But nobody really knows and I think Cavafy, like a sensible poet, didn't ruin his work by explaining it.

If we keep thinking about the material, from where it came?

brentan comments on Jan 17, 2019:

I wouldn't be so quick to anthropomorphise god. The furthest I would go there is that everything might have its own spirit, in the sense of a consciousness. The idea that the universe is created just for us could be egotistical wishful thinking. The notion that there is a justice after death could ...

brentan replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@belfodil To put it bluntly, I think criminals and non-criminals are different types of people and the justice system punishes criminals for what they do if they catch them. If they are never caught, I believe nothing happens to them after death because I believe there is no afterlife for anyone. This is probably a good thing because the treatment of criminals in the afterlife appears to be unbelievably cruel, if you believe 'holy' books.

If we keep thinking about the material, from where it came?

brentan comments on Jan 17, 2019:

I wouldn't be so quick to anthropomorphise god. The furthest I would go there is that everything might have its own spirit, in the sense of a consciousness. The idea that the universe is created just for us could be egotistical wishful thinking. The notion that there is a justice after death could ...

brentan replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@belfodil What small child? I don't understand at all. I just read English is not your first language so no problem

If we keep thinking about the material, from where it came?

brentan comments on Jan 17, 2019:

I wouldn't be so quick to anthropomorphise god. The furthest I would go there is that everything might have its own spirit, in the sense of a consciousness. The idea that the universe is created just for us could be egotistical wishful thinking. The notion that there is a justice after death could ...

brentan replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@belfodil I suspect you equate unbelievers with criminals, I'm not certain. Will you tell me is that point you wish to make?

HOW TO SPOT A DICTATOR - Cruel, Racist, Oppressive, Vicious and Vindictive, Claims Everyone Loves ...

brentan comments on Jan 19, 2019:

OK but one of the features is that they imprison and/or murder you too. At the very least, they shut you up. Lots of us are wondering if that's just around the corner but so far we have the freedom to complain vehemently about what we don't like.

brentan replies on Jan 19, 2019:

Will you listen to yourself, you are free to criticise him all day long. It takes up a large part of this forum, never mind all the other places.

If you had the ability to construct a civilization what would be the the first steps that you might ...

brentan comments on Jan 18, 2019:

I would start by building self-governing communes.

brentan replies on Jan 19, 2019:

That wouldn't be my first step. I think you're putting the cart before the horse. They don't need to co-operate at first. They can rule themselves before they amalgamate.

Along the same lines as... "a road less traveled".

brentan comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Look how dangerous that is. Safer to stay with the crowd.

brentan replies on Jan 19, 2019:

Dreadfully!

The death penalty - why dress it up?

brentan comments on Jan 19, 2019:

From what I've read, the death penalty does not work as a deterrent. From an economic perspective, the Chinese method of a bullet in the head was very easy on the taxpayer. The cost of maintaining prisoners for long periods of times must be huge. Granted, there is a lot of employment around ...

brentan replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@jondspen None.

Why?

altschmerz comments on Jan 18, 2019:

It’s hard for me too. Lately I’ve been trying to walk away - the only reason I would engage is because I want to get the last word in, but if you can let it go (and that’s hard for me) you’re better off. Maybe when somebody starts giving you a hard time, don’t give them the benefit of ...

brentan replies on Jan 18, 2019:

@Closeted No, no, no, don't try to be like irascible. Irascible is ... well, irascible!

What's on my mind? The same as most other Brits, Brexit, it's driving me insane!

brentan comments on Jan 17, 2019:

I admire their vote to return to govern their own country. I suspect the price will be high at first but new doors will open where old ones closed. I strongly suspect anyway that if Brexit actually happens and becomes a fait accompli, the E.U. will learn to accept the new situation and back off to a...

brentan replies on Jan 17, 2019:

@Amisja It's in their best interest to discourage other countries thinking of going the same way.

What's on my mind? The same as most other Brits, Brexit, it's driving me insane!

brentan comments on Jan 17, 2019:

I admire their vote to return to govern their own country. I suspect the price will be high at first but new doors will open where old ones closed. I strongly suspect anyway that if Brexit actually happens and becomes a fait accompli, the E.U. will learn to accept the new situation and back off to a...

brentan replies on Jan 17, 2019:

@MrBeelzeebubbles I understand the consequences of a no-deal. I just didn't get into it. As for the E.U., they'll do their damnest to make things tough for Britain, pour encourager les autres.

Heading to France Friday night, to be in Paris for the weekend war with what is rapidly becoming a ...

brentan comments on Jan 17, 2019:

We get very little about it in Irish media. I have to go on YouTube for some news. Maybe you'll let us know what you think about the situation when you get back?

brentan replies on Jan 17, 2019:

@Amisja So can I. You won't get much from Irish news.

Heading to France Friday night, to be in Paris for the weekend war with what is rapidly becoming a ...

brentan comments on Jan 17, 2019:

We get very little about it in Irish media. I have to go on YouTube for some news. Maybe you'll let us know what you think about the situation when you get back?

brentan replies on Jan 17, 2019:

@Amisja I doubt your media is any more open than the Irish media about what's happening in France.

Why did religions originate in the first place?

ToakReon comments on Jan 17, 2019:

Religions take hold because people want to believe they know something 'special', that puts them above others of the 'common herd'. Wander up to someone and say, "Hey! Let me tell you a secret! Not many people know this, but you have been SPECIALLY CHOSEN to receive this knowledge...!" and that ...

brentan replies on Jan 17, 2019:

@FairyTail My experience was much the same. So much talk of holy spirit and no sign of it anywhere.

Why did religions originate in the first place?

johnprytz comments on Jan 17, 2019:

Religion is an illusion rooted in wishful thinking or in wish fulfillment; our need or desire to confront our inner fears and insecurities - paraphrasing from Sigmund Freud: "The Future of An Illusion" (1927). Spot on! People desperately cling on to their various religious faiths, against all ...

brentan replies on Jan 17, 2019:

@ASTRALMAX I had to laugh at the comment from Joyce. Much as I love him, I think that's a bit harsh. He must have been unhappy with their opinions on his daughter's mental condition.

If we keep thinking about the material, from where it came?

brentan comments on Jan 17, 2019:

I wouldn't be so quick to anthropomorphise god. The furthest I would go there is that everything might have its own spirit, in the sense of a consciousness. The idea that the universe is created just for us could be egotistical wishful thinking. The notion that there is a justice after death could ...

brentan replies on Jan 17, 2019:

@belfodil The value lies in the possibility that there is no other world.It's a matter of faith so we have different priorities.

Life is better?

Cast1es comments on Jan 17, 2019:

Sometimes crying , is happy tears , or feelings from watching a very touching movie .

brentan replies on Jan 17, 2019:

Stop that , now - be a man!

HOLD FAST, SHIPMATES!??????????

brentan comments on Jan 16, 2019:

That's a strange post. What did you have in mind about it?

brentan replies on Jan 16, 2019:

@MoonTiger The connection was so obvious, I don't know how I missed it!

Do you guys think that there is something wrong with the new Gillette commercial or are people ...

jondspen comments on Jan 16, 2019:

Yes I do think there is something wrong with it. I didn't watch it, but no need to. Google Gillette and P&G company evils, and you will see why I don't give one rats ass about their hypocritical preaching what's right or wrong. BTW - when the hell did corporate companies become the moral compass ...

brentan replies on Jan 16, 2019:

Corporate America is positioning itself as the new preacher of morality. I've seen examples of it from Apple, Patreon and PayPal. I expect it will become a trend.

We are closing in on 300 members.

Cast1es comments on Jan 16, 2019:

Don't recall seeing lots of posts for this group .

brentan replies on Jan 16, 2019:

Some of us forget.

OK.... Can someone please explain the line between Masculinity & Toxic Masculinity?

brentan comments on Jan 16, 2019:

I think it's all about the change in what men can provide to society. Their strength and their courage were really appreciated in the past. Technology and peacetime have reduced such a need for strength and bravery. Men need to re-train for the future but keep in mind the future might revert back to...

brentan replies on Jan 16, 2019:

@jerry99 I get the feeling that toxic masculinity is ideal for war but must be turned off afterwards.

OK.... Can someone please explain the line between Masculinity & Toxic Masculinity?

DeStijl comments on Jan 16, 2019:

This meme is a typical straw man argument. A man could do plenty of very honorable things in his life. That would not excuse inappropriate behavior. I have had men openly judge me on my looks, my weight, make assumptions about my intellect and abilities, I've had men try to kiss me or grab me. I...

brentan replies on Jan 16, 2019:

@DeStijl You really made me think about this. First, I'm thinking maybe the meme should leave out toxic and just say masculinity. Then I'm thinking would un-toxic masculinity actually have what it takes to fight and kill Nazis. Then I go on to think about the amount of men who come home from war and cannot re-integrate with the standards back home.

OK.... Can someone please explain the line between Masculinity & Toxic Masculinity?

DeStijl comments on Jan 16, 2019:

This meme is a typical straw man argument. A man could do plenty of very honorable things in his life. That would not excuse inappropriate behavior. I have had men openly judge me on my looks, my weight, make assumptions about my intellect and abilities, I've had men try to kiss me or grab me. I...

brentan replies on Jan 16, 2019:

@DeStijl Go on.......

OK.... Can someone please explain the line between Masculinity & Toxic Masculinity?

DeStijl comments on Jan 16, 2019:

This meme is a typical straw man argument. A man could do plenty of very honorable things in his life. That would not excuse inappropriate behavior. I have had men openly judge me on my looks, my weight, make assumptions about my intellect and abilities, I've had men try to kiss me or grab me. I...

brentan replies on Jan 16, 2019:

@SeaGreenEyez That's a fair comment. Nobody liked the Jews at the time. Even my own country, known for its welcoming people, refused to take in any Jewish refugees. But the meme still represents the general thrust of the war against Nazi oppression and most of us accept that it was a good thing.

An example of insane "feminism," and the idiocy of the grievance justice labeled "cultural ...

brentan comments on Jan 15, 2019:

Cultural appropriation, I think, is a two-way street.

brentan replies on Jan 15, 2019:

A bit harsh? To be fair, many Peterson fans really appreciate the direction he gives them to help make their lives more fulfilling. True, the fanboys are a pain in the butt and seem to think it’s just another way to seem clever. But not everybody. You’re coming across a bit like the father in Cat Steven’s song Father And Son who complains ‘you’re still young, that’s your fault’. I remember my enthusiasm as a young man and my ignorance about my ignorance and thankfully wasn’t completely shut down by those who knew better.

How would you like to just soak in this hot tub. Alone or better with a partner?

HippieChick58 comments on Jan 15, 2019:

I want a tub that is deep enough that I can submerge both knees and boobs at the same time. That is my dream. And I'd be in there alone, well, depending on the partner.

brentan replies on Jan 15, 2019:

That level of decadence could bring down the civilised world!

[youtu.

brentan comments on Jan 14, 2019:

I'm sure if Gillette thought there was profit in it, they would recommend men use 5-blade razors and cut their dicks off.

brentan replies on Jan 15, 2019:

@LadyAlyxandrea I didn't. I made a joke that it might kill me (loss of blood).

[youtu.

brentan comments on Jan 14, 2019:

We never hear much about Jewish groups doing something to make Gentiles feel good about them. Perhaps it's explained to some extent by good news not usually being reported.

brentan replies on Jan 15, 2019:

@dan325 That's very good to hear!

What's your favorite song that has a question for the title?

Green_eyes comments on Jan 15, 2019:

Don’t you want me baby? The Human League https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPudE8nDog0

brentan replies on Jan 15, 2019:

That was a gem!

[youtu.

brentan comments on Jan 14, 2019:

We never hear much about Jewish groups doing something to make Gentiles feel good about them. Perhaps it's explained to some extent by good news not usually being reported.

brentan replies on Jan 14, 2019:

@dan325 I doubt I'm overgeneralising by much! It's good to hear some Jews recognise the need for fairness, even if they are a minority.

[youtu.

brentan comments on Jan 14, 2019:

We never hear much about Jewish groups doing something to make Gentiles feel good about them. Perhaps it's explained to some extent by good news not usually being reported.

brentan replies on Jan 14, 2019:

@dan325 You might consider it, Dan, in the face of so much antisemitism. But no, the constant tune is playing the victim card, while other people's human rights are being trampled.

[youtu.

brentan comments on Jan 14, 2019:

I'm sure if Gillette thought there was profit in it, they would recommend men use 5-blade razors and cut their dicks off.

brentan replies on Jan 14, 2019:

@Wildflower Thanks. I'll keep that in mind if I ever feel my demise would help society along.

One of my favorite post-rock bands is from Iceland.

brentan comments on Jan 13, 2019:

That's new music to me and very enjoyable. I like art that points me in a certain direction but doesn't spell it out for me. The closest music I've known in this way is by Yes. Although there are words with syntax and grammar, the sentences are very abstract, simply pointing to aspiration and ...

brentan replies on Jan 14, 2019:

@VictoriaNotes I would safely bet you know a lot more about the workings of the brain than I do. I approached the topic from the point of view of culture but McGilchrist gets right into the workings (and the malfunctions that serve to demonstrate so much of the findings) of the brain and spends the first half of the book on the brain itself. When I first watched YouTube videos about his book, he spent a lot of time talking about the corpus callosum to explain the transfer of information between the hemispheres and also the findings from separation of the hemispheres by cutting through it to split the brain. I didn’t initiate overcoming my fanaticism. It was a reaction to the breakdown of my marriage, which included severe criticism not just from my immediate family but also from the family I was born into and many other people. I had to do a lot of soul-searching, fast. Sadly, it wasn’t fast enough to save my relationship with my two sons. I couldn’t offer much more than acknowledgement of my failures and confirmation of my love for them but it was too little, too late. Much as I understand my ex-wife’s disappointment with me, I was also very disappointed with her behaviour so I thought I had to put that relationship behind me. I had always suspended a lot of my disbelief to allow me to carry on as a JW. I was fine with the scriptures but dubious about the hierarchy. Later I found many more interpretations to scripture than I had known. But I was really impressed with Christine Hayes’ YouTube lectures about the Old Testament from the University of York, I think. Her confederate in the New Testament was Dale Martin. They radically changed my whole perspective on the Bible. But first I moved from being a JW to a very short spell as a generic Christian to becoming a voracious reader (I can’t help overdoing what I do) of anything to do with religion, myth and psychology. That and my disappointment with religion lead me first to atheism and then settled into agnosticism. I took a lot of notice of Jordon Peterson’s videos on Maps of Meaning and the Psychology of the Bible and those helped me look on the Bible in a new way. So I’m back in the land of the ignorant and curious and loving all the new things I’m learning. To be blunt, I’m not one bit happy about losing eternal life as I used to understand it but who knows, if the explosions of stars gave way to little conscious beings like me, maybe that means the cosmos itself is conscious and something of me will always be bound up in it. The ideas I have of life after death come from Rupert Sheldrake’s fascinating musings on the nature of consciousness and the brain and morphic resonance.

One of my favorite post-rock bands is from Iceland.

brentan comments on Jan 13, 2019:

That's new music to me and very enjoyable. I like art that points me in a certain direction but doesn't spell it out for me. The closest music I've known in this way is by Yes. Although there are words with syntax and grammar, the sentences are very abstract, simply pointing to aspiration and ...

brentan replies on Jan 14, 2019:

@VictoriaNotes The book is The Master and his Emissary by Iain McGilchrist. Its topic is the effect of how our brain has worked on Western culture through the centuries. But first – your story of how brain trauma affected your poor husband is fascinating, although I guess you might choose a different word for it! My long-suffering ex-wife (and children) had to deal with my religious zeal, not in terms of mystical revelations but in terms of living the Word to the letter, a fanaticism that lead to me being unable to function in the ordinary ways a husband might be expected to, bringing home at least some of the bacon and playing my part socially. Oddly enough, I did not even become aware of my behaviour even after reading Barbara Kingsolver’s brilliant book about a fanatic American dad who takes his long-suffering family to Africa so that he could preach to the natives. McGilchrist attributes both autism and schizophrenia to over reliance on the left hemisphere of the brain, displaying focus on analysis and objective detachment among other things and too little awareness of intuition, context and environment. He claims that the symptoms of schizophrenia in particular show regularly in people who have suffered trauma to the right hemisphere of the brain. I didn’t understand this sentence ‘I was, for the most part, a diest at the time after having denounced Catholicism and hadn't had much exposure to protectionism, especially the conservative kind’. Did you mean you were a deist after Catholicism and didn’t have much exposure to Protestantism? David Eagleman’s comment about ‘the false sense of an external presence, and, often, the hearing voices that are attributed to a god’ harmonises well with McGilchrist’s claim that the problem lies with the two brain hemispheres of the schizophrenic not functioning as they should, the left brain dominating and being utterly unaware that it has another side that it should be working with. When that right side sends messages to the left, the schizophrenic believes the communications are coming from outside of him/her. I will enjoy looking at the video. I had heard vaguely about the possibility that the apostle Paul was epileptic. To be honest, I know very little about the Seventh Day Adventists even though I probably really should, what with their connection to my old teammates. The strange thing about so many of us who were behaving in eccentric ways (to say the least) is the congregations just about always placed these people on high (not me, I was too autistically blunt about things). There was a refusal to accept what even the dogs in the street knew about the situation. And I guess, in a way, that’s a kind of madness too!

One of my favorite post-rock bands is from Iceland.

brentan comments on Jan 13, 2019:

That's new music to me and very enjoyable. I like art that points me in a certain direction but doesn't spell it out for me. The closest music I've known in this way is by Yes. Although there are words with syntax and grammar, the sentences are very abstract, simply pointing to aspiration and ...

brentan replies on Jan 14, 2019:

@VictoriaNotes It's very interesting that you're talking about neuropsychology. The book I'm reading, which also lead to John Donne's poem, deals with how the brain works and how it has affected Western culture. In the book, the author compares extreme religious thinking to schizophrenia. The gist of his opinion is that schizophrenics have a view of the world that doesn't include intuition and strives very hard to cope with a mind separated from the context within which it lives including the sufferer's own body. He claims (the author) that this religious mindset come from a focus on the words of scripture rather than for a feeling for the manifestation of spirit and reckons it came about in the West with the advent of Protestantism and its extremes like Calvinism. For me, I think it might at least explain the contradiction between those who talk the talk and those who walk the walk. Anyway, it's a fascinating topic that might suit a topic of its own. I've very much enjoyed this conversation. It's great to meet you too!

One of my favorite post-rock bands is from Iceland.

brentan comments on Jan 13, 2019:

That's new music to me and very enjoyable. I like art that points me in a certain direction but doesn't spell it out for me. The closest music I've known in this way is by Yes. Although there are words with syntax and grammar, the sentences are very abstract, simply pointing to aspiration and ...

brentan replies on Jan 14, 2019:

@VictoriaNotes I started deconverting about 15 years ago. I got very fed up with others insisting that they do my thinking for me. It was a risky business because I was married at the time to a JW woman who had been raised in the faith but surprisingly, she left the faith too, even though not quite as officially (because of her family) as I did. Sadly, it turned out that when we lost the faith, we lost the bond that was keeping us together. There was a web forum for ex-JWs. Many more sprang from that. After a while, members usually squabbled among themselves over petty personal interpretations of scripture. Added to that was the neverending bitterness which was justified but I wanted to move on with my life rather than always listening to the negativity. For some, being an ex-JW is a way of life and they are, to my mind, still having their lives controlled by the Watchtower Society. I tried mainstream Christianity but wasn’t much impressed and gradually became more agnostic. So I got new interests and moved on. I can’t imagine what it is like to live in the Bible Belt. It is decades now since Ireland was like that and these days it is extremely secular. I haven’t found similar spirits to my own but I am an odd fish. I decided a few years ago to read the classics for a bucket list and it has turned out to be a great hobby. I get the feeling you read a lot yourself.

One of my favorite post-rock bands is from Iceland.

brentan comments on Jan 13, 2019:

That's new music to me and very enjoyable. I like art that points me in a certain direction but doesn't spell it out for me. The closest music I've known in this way is by Yes. Although there are words with syntax and grammar, the sentences are very abstract, simply pointing to aspiration and ...

brentan replies on Jan 14, 2019:

@VictoriaNotes That's it exactly! I hope you enjoyed it.

A new word from my present novel: po·lyph·o·ny.

FrayedBear comments on Jan 13, 2019:

"Isn't that what Moslems, Mormons and @irascible practice?" said he insouciantly!

brentan replies on Jan 14, 2019:

@irascible Very witty!

One of my favorite post-rock bands is from Iceland.

brentan comments on Jan 13, 2019:

That's new music to me and very enjoyable. I like art that points me in a certain direction but doesn't spell it out for me. The closest music I've known in this way is by Yes. Although there are words with syntax and grammar, the sentences are very abstract, simply pointing to aspiration and ...

brentan replies on Jan 14, 2019:

@VictoriaNotes Wow, I can relate to the imperative to live less to yourself and more to Christ. I guess it’s related to Romans 8:13 and Ephesians 4:22-24. I was a Jehovah’s Witness for many years and gave it a good shot. I moved fairly fast to philosophy afterwards and busied myself with that. It was just as well, because old friends were lost and my life experience seemed to make it difficult to connect with new people (I’m a bit of an Aspie anyway). So I enjoyed and related to the Genesis song about ending up alone. I think that cognitive dissonance plays a part too. Where do I fit in anymore? I would recommend John Donne’s poem An Anatomy of the World lines 207-246 as a nicely-worded expression of his feelings about truth being pulled out from under him by science and the new Protestantism in England.

One of my favorite post-rock bands is from Iceland.

brentan comments on Jan 13, 2019:

That's new music to me and very enjoyable. I like art that points me in a certain direction but doesn't spell it out for me. The closest music I've known in this way is by Yes. Although there are words with syntax and grammar, the sentences are very abstract, simply pointing to aspiration and ...

brentan replies on Jan 13, 2019:

@VictoriaNotes And You And I is a beautiful song. My absolute favourite Yes song is Soon. Shivers up the spine. To me, it's a prayer sent out to the universe aspiring to understand and become in harmony with it. My head tells me it's nonsense and my heart soars with it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGtjr-U5bT4

I'm drunk and tired.

brentan comments on Jan 13, 2019:

Perhaps you've met Jordan Peterson's fanboys?

brentan replies on Jan 13, 2019:

I think Peterson would accept that the debate with Dillahunty went badly for him. I thought his fanboys were a good example of taking information designed to enhance our appreciation for what Peterson thinks of as the 'spark of divinity' in each individual and degrade it into a competition about who has read what.and how much.

Very depressing indeed

brentan comments on Jan 12, 2019:

The way i read it is the Kurds have been supporting the fight against ISIS in Syria. If the Americans pull out, Turkey will attack the Kurds. If that happens, who will trust America in the future?

brentan replies on Jan 13, 2019:

@48thRonin I 'capeesh' very well. Now let's see what happens.

The Consumer Electronics Show just banned a sex toy invented by and for women but awarded one made ...

brentan comments on Jan 12, 2019:

I don't see the actual reason for revoking the award.

brentan replies on Jan 13, 2019:

@VictoriaNotes I think the result of the Western trend toward unilateral pleasure can be seen, where sex is concerned, in the low rate of childbirth. I also think masturbation within relationships (along with porn) not only reduces the need for sex relations but corrupts relations between men and women. Perhaps if biochemical reward for sexual relations is so very natural, we shouldn’t try to fool that driving force in return by thwarting its objective.

The Consumer Electronics Show just banned a sex toy invented by and for women but awarded one made ...

brentan comments on Jan 12, 2019:

I'm thinking of Islam and FGM. They fear (I think) female sexual pleasure. And America seems to fear female sexual gratification without a man. I fear it too, wondering where it will lead to, but it fits in well in a world where unilateral pleasure is becoming the norm. But the hypocrisy is galling ...

brentan replies on Jan 13, 2019:

@Amisja Perhaps it's not a completely Islamic practice but it is practised by them and that's what was on my mind when I wrote my comment.

The Consumer Electronics Show just banned a sex toy invented by and for women but awarded one made ...

brentan comments on Jan 12, 2019:

I don't see the actual reason for revoking the award.

brentan replies on Jan 13, 2019:

@VictoriaNotes I had to look up wearables. Here's the meaning if anyone is interested: Wearable technology (also called wearable gadgets) is a category of technology devices that can be worn by a consumer and often include tracking information related to health and fitness. Other wearable tech gadgets include devices that have small motion sensors to take photos and sync with your mobile devices. Examples of wearable tech include: CommBadge: a wearable Bluetooth personal communicator for iPhone and Android. Google Goggles: a downloadable image recognition application created by Google, used for searches based on images taken by handheld devices. I feel sure that these devices are not good for people in the long run because they allow separation where nature demands unity, but the hypocrisy of the CES defies belief.

Very depressing indeed

brentan comments on Jan 12, 2019:

The way i read it is the Kurds have been supporting the fight against ISIS in Syria. If the Americans pull out, Turkey will attack the Kurds. If that happens, who will trust America in the future?

brentan replies on Jan 12, 2019:

@48thRonin You're avoiding my point. Let's see if the Kurds are attacked by Turkey as soon as American forces leave.

Very depressing indeed

brentan comments on Jan 12, 2019:

The way i read it is the Kurds have been supporting the fight against ISIS in Syria. If the Americans pull out, Turkey will attack the Kurds. If that happens, who will trust America in the future?

brentan replies on Jan 12, 2019:

@48thRonin Best to see if the Kurds are safe from the Turks while American forces are in Syria and if they are attacked as soon as American forces leave.

The Consumer Electronics Show just banned a sex toy invented by and for women but awarded one made ...

brentan comments on Jan 12, 2019:

I don't see the actual reason for revoking the award.

brentan replies on Jan 12, 2019:

@VictoriaNotes If they deem the device to be immoral, the mind boggles at the hypocrisy. If it isn't eligible for the Robotics and Drones category, surely they had to say why. Or is the onus on the business to appeal a decision which hasn't been articulated?

The Consumer Electronics Show just banned a sex toy invented by and for women but awarded one made ...

brentan comments on Jan 12, 2019:

I don't see the actual reason for revoking the award.

brentan replies on Jan 12, 2019:

Yes, I read that but it is detailing the reasons why some entries might be disqualified. It is not saying what reason they have for disqualifying this particular entry.

Fo' rizzle!

brentan comments on Jan 11, 2019:

I got this from Quora: This is a term applying a black children's game pattern to language. The sound "z" is inserted into common words (in this case, "for real") to make them less understandable. Wiktionary says the practice dates back to the 1920s at least and was made prominent again by ...

brentan replies on Jan 12, 2019:

@phxbillcee Perhaps then it falls into the category of cant. The English, my next-door neightbours, have it in their Cockney (London) slang. The common denominator in all the cants seems to be the desire to use a language difficult for the authorities to understand because life was only financially viable on the criminal end of business activities.

We refuse to go back to the 50s quietly.

brentan comments on Jan 12, 2019:

We'll put up with the noise level, we're used to it!

brentan replies on Jan 12, 2019:

I'm sure I could but I have to use my time wisely.

Eponymous-adjective (of a person) giving their name to something.

brentan comments on Jan 12, 2019:

That's interesting. So it goes like this; eponymous takes its own name anonymous gives no name but perhaps no equivalent -mous for using another name.

brentan replies on Jan 12, 2019:

@MrTallman I was only aware of the noun. Thanks for that!

God has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for ...

brentan comments on Jan 10, 2019:

I think her belief is a perverse twist on the fact that life is suffering to a large extent. I would say the virtue lies in how suffering is dealt with. Mother Teresa, if I understand her right, actually thought suffering should be encouraged as a sacrificial gift to God. If she had understood ...

brentan replies on Jan 10, 2019:

@GuyKeith I get the feeling you think I'm defending Christianity. I'm not. I'm just laying out the belief system as I understand it. I think the 'equity' of the sacrifice is that Christ got his life back and faithful humans get their lives back in the resurrection.

God has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for ...

moonmaid comments on Jan 10, 2019:

Paul was apparently a very unhappy and misogynistic man.

brentan replies on Jan 10, 2019:

The trouble with 'Paul' is that there seems to be about three people using his name to write the letters.

Don't let others define you.

escapetypist comments on Jan 5, 2019:

Forget making her feel like a woman. Can a man make a woman feel like a virgin again? In the words of the great Madonna (the other one): You're so fine, and you're mine. I'll be yours till the end of time. Oh you make me feel. Yeah, you make me feel. Like a virgin. Hey! Touched for the very...

brentan replies on Jan 5, 2019:

Oh, those Catholic girls!

Tucker Carlson Claims High-Earning Women Turn Men Into Drug Addicts And Criminals | Crooks and Liars

brentan comments on Jan 3, 2019:

If you can't hold up your head, what's gonna raise your dick? Maybe booze for one and Viagra for the other.

brentan replies on Jan 3, 2019:

Problem solved!

Santa's getting kinky!

brentan comments on Jan 1, 2019:

I just didn't need that picture. I came across shititing on the site a few hours ago and I'm still in distress.

brentan replies on Jan 1, 2019:

@MojoDave My comment, even though it's true, was also humorous. I don't trigger very easily.

The real Downtown Train before it was slaughtered with no mercy by Rod Stewart! [m.youtube.com]

brentan comments on Dec 30, 2018:

It's good, sure. Tom Waits is excellent. So is Rod Stewart.

brentan replies on Dec 30, 2018:

Rod has a distinguished career as both a balladeer and a rock/pop singer. Both Tom Waits are Rod have gravelly voices but you can be confident that Rod will actually get the phrases out, whereas with Tom…. I trust you accept your opinion is only that.

Are you suffering from PMS: patriarchy, misogyny and sexism?

brentan comments on Dec 29, 2018:

Everybody should be a victim!

brentan replies on Dec 29, 2018:

@WarmFluffy I can't access that newspaper from my country. The general information I get is that young males sadly lack a sense of meaning in their lives and suffer from the negativity associated with male dominance and abuse of power. I don't think blame for these issues lies with women in general or their mums in particular. It's a problem that all elements of society are responsible for.

Are you suffering from PMS: patriarchy, misogyny and sexism?

brentan comments on Dec 29, 2018:

Everybody should be a victim!

brentan replies on Dec 29, 2018:

@WarmFluffy I wouldn't know how to answer that question.I'm not convinced that your assumption about male high school graduates is true.

Are you suffering from PMS: patriarchy, misogyny and sexism?

brentan comments on Dec 29, 2018:

Everybody should be a victim!

brentan replies on Dec 29, 2018:

It means that it is easier these days to think of yourself as a victim than a responsible person taking charge of their own lives and the people who depend on them.

I have never been to Cuba.

dede18 comments on Dec 27, 2018:

the street singer in your post is singing snatches from a song with which I'm familiar, as being performed by the Buena Vista Social Club. It is an ensemble of Cuban musicians established in 1996 to revive the music of pre-revolutionary Cuba. The project was organized by World Circuit executive Nick...

brentan replies on Dec 28, 2018:

They were my introduction to Cuban music (and Hispanic music soon after). It resonated inside me even though I didn't understand a word of the lyrics at the time. I spend a lot of time these days translating lyrics to get the full sense of the songs.

😊 keep going!

brentan comments on Dec 26, 2018:

I'll bet she was too tired the next day as well.

brentan replies on Dec 26, 2018:

@SukiSue I'm pretty sure that her attitude will make sure every day is the same!

It is a lesson which all history teaches wise men, to put trust in ideas, and not in ...

Paul_Clamberer comments on Dec 19, 2018:

Anyone got a job for an unemployed history teacher? ;-)

brentan replies on Dec 19, 2018:

It's all IT now.

Never Forget! The Same Rethuglicans Who Impeached Clinton Over a Blow Job Are Now Saying Trump's ...

Trajan61 comments on Dec 17, 2018:

The same Democrats who thought nothing of Bill Clinton’s many affairs want to impeach Trump for paying off a hooker so what in the hell are you talking about??

brentan replies on Dec 17, 2018:

@silverotter11 I can't believe you said that with a straight face! The lefty euphemisms keep growing.

Never Forget! The Same Rethuglicans Who Impeached Clinton Over a Blow Job Are Now Saying Trump's ...

Trajan61 comments on Dec 17, 2018:

The same Democrats who thought nothing of Bill Clinton’s many affairs want to impeach Trump for paying off a hooker so what in the hell are you talking about??

brentan replies on Dec 17, 2018:

@sassygirl3869 You don't mean a person cannot disagree on these threads, do you?

Did anyone notice that ICE is writing numbers on children's forearms just like when the Nazis did ...

powder comments on Dec 16, 2018:

Israel does the same to Palestinian's when they round them up which is truely ironic and sad.

brentan replies on Dec 16, 2018:

@powder I understand your point. I'm trying to find a term that excludes European Jews and dissenting Israeli Jews from whst is happening to Palestinians over there.

Did anyone notice that ICE is writing numbers on children's forearms just like when the Nazis did ...

powder comments on Dec 16, 2018:

Israel does the same to Palestinian's when they round them up which is truely ironic and sad.

brentan replies on Dec 16, 2018:

@JackPedigo What term would you choose for Jews in Israel who abuse Palestinians?

Brexit supporters divided on the best way to fuck Northern Ireland LONDON — After months of ...

flithyMONKEYmen comments on Dec 16, 2018:

Lol, yeah, I thought satire was supposed to be exaggerated and overdone to the point of absurdity— not just the act of saying out loud exactly what the thing is. I can see how this can get confusing lol ??????

brentan replies on Dec 16, 2018:

Yes, I thought the snippet was from The Onion.

Somedays it's hard to find!

brentan comments on Dec 16, 2018:

'Miss November I detect a frown Close your eyes and turn it upside down' - James Taylor Love Has Brought Me Around. Bah. Humbug.

brentan replies on Dec 16, 2018:

I don't want to be happy. I don't want anyone else to be happy either. Especially with all the potential for happiness coming in with the season. Don't be a happy chump, be a miserable grump!

Don't be fooled @VAL3941 only pretends to be a grouchy dude. He's really a kitty cat.

brentan comments on Dec 12, 2018:

Ooh, suck, suck, suck, suck, suck!

brentan replies on Dec 13, 2018:

@VAL3941 No, it's spelled correctly.

Don't be fooled @VAL3941 only pretends to be a grouchy dude. He's really a kitty cat.

brentan comments on Dec 12, 2018:

Ooh, suck, suck, suck, suck, suck!

brentan replies on Dec 12, 2018:

Yes indeed, who could argue with that?

I'm watching a video on quantum mechanics and consciousness that I think you will find thought ...

brentan comments on Dec 9, 2018:

That certainly forces you to think! It is very interesting. I'm intrigued by the concept of panpsychism and also that consciousness and matter might be expressions of the same thing. I wonder, though, would quantum mechanics inform us about consciousness or just help us understand the ...

brentan replies on Dec 12, 2018:

@Earthling50 No, he is new to me. Is it 'Our' rather than 'The'. I think too that while quantum mechanics might help us understand neurophysiology, we're still a long way away from understanding the connection between neurophysiology and consciousness.

I think it was Jean Paul Sartre who said "Hell is other people.

Mokvon comments on Dec 12, 2018:

"Existence precedes essence". It helps to read those that had a better grasp of how to express in words what we think.

brentan replies on Dec 12, 2018:

I must be reading the wrong books.

What if an advanced civilization existed before us [youtu.be]

brentan comments on Nov 28, 2018:

I'm intrigued by Granham Hancock's theory that there was a civilisation wiped out by flood around 12,000 B.C. These might be the ones called 'divine beings' and 'the men of renown' in the Bible: The Nephilim were on the earth at that time (and also immediately afterward), when those divine beings...

brentan replies on Dec 11, 2018:

@Piratefish Graham Hancock shows his evidence for his theory in his YouTube videos. The theory centres around the flood approx 12,000 B.C. and the examples of sites such as Gobelki Tepi and Baalbek that pre-date that flood.

A good interview with Jordan Peterson.

Deiter comments on Dec 10, 2018:

Peterson is smart and has some things to say which are worth hearing. He can also be a douche. (His sphincter gets way too tight over a the "radical Left" – whatever that is.) I think what's most interesting about him is not what he's saying as much as how he's saying it. I heard him state at ...

brentan replies on Dec 10, 2018:

I saw that 'steelmanning' done in Dublin. That was such a dignified discussion between him and Sam Harris. While Peterson can't abide the extreme left, he realises the left is necessary to curb the excesses of the right.

A good interview with Jordan Peterson.

brentan comments on Dec 10, 2018:

That's Marian Finucane, one of our Irish media veterans. She's not the worst by any means. I think she was really out of her depth and it helped in a way, because she was forced to ask all the 'stupid' questions. That might have been very helpful for people, like Marian's listeners, who probably had...

brentan replies on Dec 10, 2018:

@Jacar Me too! (Can a man say that these days?)

[yahoo.

brentan comments on Dec 7, 2018:

I'm surprised he tried that type of defence. I thought he would try for a manslaughter charge based on extenuating circumstances.

brentan replies on Dec 7, 2018:

@BufftonBeotch You misread my comment.

Here’s a link to a well-articulated article on the value of religion.

Earthling50 comments on Dec 7, 2018:

I'll check out the book you've sited; thanks! Religion can be very comforting especially for those who have experienced it/ the church at an early age but membership is dwindling like never before. What it tells me is that the currently model that religion operates out of is out of touch with the...

brentan replies on Dec 7, 2018:

I hadn’t heard of Greta Vosper. On the face of it, the idea of an atheistic minister seems contradictory. Nonetheless, I’m very interested in how we might continue to be spiritual after losing belief in the traditional god. I follow the talks by Jordon Peterson, who I think is also operating in the space between God and spirituality, to see how he develops what he calls ‘behaving in the world as if God was real’.

John is my hero! John for president!

brentan comments on Dec 6, 2018:

Be like John John. Start collecting lot of guns.

brentan replies on Dec 6, 2018:

I was thinking of enough to shoot up a school, a place of employment or maybe just your whole family.

Just heard the sad news that Pete Shelley of the band the Buzzcocks has died this evening at the age...

brentan comments on Dec 6, 2018:

I hated 80s music. Probably because I hated the 80s. I thought it was an utterly spiritually-bereft decade. Groups like Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet with their leather outfits drove me to religion! Now I watch the Top Of The Pops repeats on BBC Four and enjoy them like never before. For some ...

brentan replies on Dec 6, 2018:

@PalacinkyPDX Mostly lol.

Hang in there...

brentan comments on Dec 6, 2018:

It's the thought that counts. Well, maybe not!

brentan replies on Dec 6, 2018:

@tinebean Never! I can't believe it!

Velvet Underground: Venus in Furs [youtu.

Nomorepopes comments on Dec 5, 2018:

Never like them, except "Take a Walk on the Wild Side". Truly disturbed and tortured soul.

brentan replies on Dec 5, 2018:

@Qualia You don't really mean to say you only make posts here to agree with other people !

Velvet Underground: Venus in Furs [youtu.

Nomorepopes comments on Dec 5, 2018:

Never like them, except "Take a Walk on the Wild Side". Truly disturbed and tortured soul.

brentan replies on Dec 5, 2018:

@Qualia I think it would make for more interesting reading to hear different opinions.

Will someone please bitch about the fact that the points aren't being updated?

brentan comments on Dec 5, 2018:

So many pointless posts these days!

brentan replies on Dec 5, 2018:

@Duke It's just as well we enjoy shooting the breeze!

I just thought of a great phrase for a T/Shirt or coffee mug: "I think therefore I.

Secular_Squirrel comments on Dec 5, 2018:

Sadly, coffee does not help everyone. Some people have a gene that causes them to metabolise caffeine differently, unfortunately I am one of such people.

brentan replies on Dec 5, 2018:

What happens? Does it just do nothing, or maybe just warm you up on a cold day?

Who had one of these?

paul1967 comments on Dec 5, 2018:

What was it about this device that made it harder to pedal?

brentan replies on Dec 5, 2018:

It had to press against the tyre to generate power so it made the bike harder to push.

I am not sure if I took my Cymbalta yeasterday.

brentan comments on Dec 5, 2018:

Even though I'm no stranger to mental problems, I'm no expert and pretty tactless so I just want to say I empathise with your situation and hope you make sure to keep taking your medication. There is another post today about what to do on days we feel lousy. One of them that really resonated with me...

brentan replies on Dec 5, 2018:

@Hellas I don't know how to tag it to you. It is by HippieChick and it says: Everything Is Awful and I'm Not Okay: Questions to ask before giving up. [eponis.tumblr.com] I have been cleaning and purging in my house and ran across this article. It has some good stuff! The last lines say: You have made it this far, and you will make it through. You are stronger than you think! Here's the link to eponis.tumbler: http://eponis.tumblr.com/post/113798088670/everything-is-awful-and-im-not-okay-questions-to

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known ...

brentan comments on Dec 3, 2018:

What about all our baggage?

brentan replies on Dec 4, 2018:

@bleurowz I dunno. I think lots of people, most likely myself too, don't manage it very well. I'm not a good judge of what needs to be done objectively. Lately, I listen a lot to Jordon Peterson to try to work things out.

Your money or your life?

brentan comments on Dec 3, 2018:

Obamacare, that evil socialist agenda.

brentan replies on Dec 3, 2018:

Oh, I feel the spirit of Stalin hovering like an avenging angel over Christian America.