I have to wonder.

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

you REALLY can't tell? even from outside, can't you see the difference between them? they're nothing alike. one of them is a kind, intelligent, educated, thoughtful, competent, skillful, humorous, handsome, loving, caring family man, and the other is donald trump. g

That is scary! I know he's just yawning but....

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

electric relaxation. g

Remember these tunes? We had some wild and crazy songs when we were young.

genessa comments on Oct 26, 2018:

i have both on my altercare playlist! g

Why is a bra singular and panties plural?

genessa comments on Oct 26, 2018:

because bra is short for brassiere, and it's one unit, named not after boobs but after arms, which admittedly also come in pairs -- but it doesn't go down the arms. panties is a diminutive of pants, which traditionally DO go down the legs too (think bloomers) and so it's plural because of the legs. does it make sense? no! but you didn't say what sensible reason was there, only why! that is probably the real reason, whether or not it makes sense. g

Do you think crying is a sign of weakness or strength?

genessa comments on Oct 28, 2018:

crying is a sign of neither strength nor weakness. crying is not even always a sign of the same thing. it can be a sign of pain, fear, relief, a wish to manipulate, a proximity to sliced onions, sentimentality, frustration, joy, and a bunch of stuff that i can't think of at three-thirty in the morning. by the way, it is perfectly fine, or not in the case of manipulation, for men, women, children and other primates to cry. g

I stumbled off and got caught reading through some threads.

genessa comments on Oct 29, 2018:

telling people that they're chest-pounding, especially when most of us, almost all of us, are NOT, is not a good way to have your ideas taken seriously. calling yourself an astrologer when astrology is not an under- or undeveloped human capability but a bunch of bunk also does not lend itself to having your ideas taken seriously. the sad thing is, there ARE human capabilities that are under- or undeveloped, and you've named some of them. mixing that all up with astrology, a claim that you can't be said to be right or wrong because nothing can be proven (which is neither true nor cool) and an unsolicited insult against the people here is not exactly productive. g

Childhood photo challenge: Post a favorite childhood photo.

genessa comments on Oct 29, 2018:

well, there's my profile photo... and on my page i have other childhood photos. from among those i have to say i am very fond of the dress i am wearing in this one. i'd wear it now! by the way, your photo is very cute :-)) g

I was listening to an NPR podcast where a transman, who is a elementary or kindergarten school ...

genessa comments on Oct 30, 2018:

i think men who can relate to babies make better daddies than men who can't. g

What is your ideal self? What does it mean to be your highest self?

genessa comments on Nov 1, 2018:

i don't believe in things that are ideal. i have no conception of an ideal self or a highest self. i can't even imagine if someone THINKS s/he's ever going to be an ideal anything, or the highest anything, s/he is not only delusional but aiming at the wrong thing. how about just being as good as you can be? why isn't that okay? g

Atheists Are Sometimes More Religious Than Christians - The Atlantic

genessa comments on Nov 2, 2018:

i love the atlantic but sometimes it deliberately pubilshes titles that irritate. this is one of them. g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

the word is democratic, big d or small. only republicans and russian bots/trolls use "democrat" as an adjective. this alone would make me think you don't know much at all about higher (or other) education. of course when you make a claim like this you need to back it up, and not expect others to accept your word for it, or tell them they're lazy because they don't run and look up every claim they encounter. g

Jews Vs Trump - I Love It

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

i love it too! there is a myth circulating that jews support trump. well, some do. we're just like anyone else -- we are diverse in many ways. but as a group, nope, nope! even if the ultra-orthodox do, what percentage of us are ultra-orthodox? (well, none, here, but i meant in the general jewish population.) sheldon adelson represents all jews to those who hate us because we're supposedly not liberal, and george soros does to those who hate us because we're generally liberal. we can't win, right? rofl! but the fact of the matter is, we jews tend to support liberal causes. it's built in. it's actually part of the religion, and those of us who are atheists and therefore do not do things because god said so still do many of those things because they're good things to do, regardless of whether or not there is a god! rachmones, mercy: tzedekah, which i am probably misspelling: charity. welcoming strangers: we're supposed to change all these things just because there is no god? nope! and trump stands for everything we stand against and he stands against everything we're for. g

I love cats! And you?

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

i adore them, and belong to two feline groups here on agnostic dot com. i am owned by five elderly cats (and a young dog, who thinks they're HER cats). how about you? g

Sorry fellow whovians, I had to DVR tonight's episode, someone a bit older got my attention tonight.

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

i'm watching it now but it's been a dreadful day and night, my guy broke a glass ceiling lamp cover in my closet while i was watching and noisily cleaned up during the show, and my asthma is so bad i am distracted. i have no trouble with british accents, not even sheffield lol, but tonight it's hard because of my breathing. so i am glad that i TOO am also dvring this! i'll watch it again when my guy is not messing around and my lungs aren't either. g

“Presidents should tell the truth, but sometimes they make mistakes.

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

no. facts are facts. there are no alternative facts. when trump says the washington post is fake news, he's lying. when he says an invasion of hostile terrorists are coming to our borders, he is lying. when he says some white supremacists are good people, he's lying. g

A friendly reminder for everyone to vote tomorrow lol

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

already voted, absentee ballot, weeks ago! my cats would never forgive me if i hadn't. g

Voting is your right

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

good advice for voters! now some advice for nonvoters: voting is also your duty! g

Quick poll. Do you believe in "man made global warming"?

genessa comments on Nov 6, 2018:

it's like asking if you believe in gravity. whether or not you believe in it, you'll fall down go boom if you jump off the roof. why not ask if you believe green is a color, or if typing on your computer puts words on the screen? it's not a matter of opinion! there are facts involved! g

Before bed, here's a better picture (imo) of Aldous on the left (she's an accountcat), and Nugget on...

genessa comments on Oct 11, 2018:

cutie patooties! g

I feel lonely and lost. I wonder if it's because I stopped believing in Regions?

genessa comments on Oct 12, 2018:

since there was no god even when you believed there was one, you should not feel lonelier now than before, but i understand feelings are hard to control. think of it this way: you are free to find out what's real in the world, and it's a big world. you need not feel lonely in it! you may even find some friends here :-)) g

How do you feel after hosting people?

genessa comments on Oct 12, 2018:

it is bound to be exhausting no matter how gracious the guest is, but she really SHOULD have offered to help out with some of the work, whether or not you were feeling well. g

Anti-vaxxer ‘warrior mom’: If vaccines are so great, ‘why aren’t they mentioned in the ...

genessa comments on Oct 12, 2018:

donald trump is not mentioned in the bible. oh wait, it depends on which bible, right? the bible of my people doesn't mention him, only a special prosecutor whose title was ha-satan (the prosecutor). my understanding is that the christian bible mentions trump, not by name but clearly enough. i wonder how the warrior mom feels about that? hard to say, isn't it? but of course she mustn't drive or take public transportation because none of that is in anyone's bible. she'd better turn off her computer too. g

Can someone be both an atheist and spiritual?

genessa comments on Oct 12, 2018:

if you define spirituality as a deep connection with the world around you, then yes you can, but i wonder why you need a name like spirituality, which can mean other, less natural things, to describe that. if you define spirituality with a sense that there is something with agency, even if not a worship-hungry deity, controlling or creating or taking a crap on the world, depending on how you view things, then you probably could not correctly define yourself as an atheist. there is no rulebook for atheism as it's not a religion or a belief system. but it does have a definition -- and even on that not everyone agrees. i think it boils down to two contenders, which are not mutually exclusive: 1. you don't believe there are any gods. 2. you believe there are no gods. as long as you fit into one or both of those descriptions, you can correctly call yourself an atheist and anything that doesn't conflict with whichever description you've chosen is not a dealbreaker. g

About half an hour ago I was confronted, upon opening my front door, with 2 of the Faithfools from ...

genessa comments on Oct 12, 2018:

i have never been bothered by jw where i live now, but mormons were very rude to me when i wouldn't open the door in nagoya, japan. i told them, truthfully, that i was naked. they called me names. i called their superior and reported them. they never came back. i didn't get dressed again until i had to, either. g

How is it that people who report seeing ghosts are often able to identify the ghost by what they are...

genessa comments on Oct 12, 2018:

apparently! the cotton boll IS a living organism. i am not sure what kind of spiritual status we can attribute to polyester, though. g

I'm indescribably happy that it's finally getting cold again.

genessa comments on Oct 13, 2018:

lucky! i run warm myself, but don't like either extreme, and i do tend to get pneumonia when the weather turns. my perfectly outdoor temperature: 65 with no wind or 60 with a strong wind. g

I need help

genessa comments on Oct 13, 2018:

yep you have correctly identified the source of your feeling. it will pass as you educate yourself more and more (i am not implying you're uneducated, only that there is ALWAYS more). this is what isaac asimov said after most of a lifetime calling himself an agnostic: “I am an atheist, out and out. It took me a long time to say it. I've been an atheist for years and years, but somehow I felt it was intellectually unrespectable to say one was an atheist, because it assumed knowledge that one didn't have. Somehow, it was better to say one was a humanist or an agnostic. I finally decided that I'm a creature of emotion as well as of reason. Emotionally, I am an atheist. I don't have the evidence to prove that God doesn't exist, but I so strongly suspect he doesn't that I don't want to waste my time.” as i say, the feeling will pass. there may be some tiny residual but i wouldn't worry about it. in this case, follow your head and your heart will adjust. g

DEAR CHRISTIANS, Mark 16:17-18 Says That True Belivers Can Drink Poison And Be Perfectly Fine.

genessa comments on Oct 13, 2018:

You will not find many christians reading your post here. g

How do such smart people get conned by such a petty scam as religion ???

genessa comments on Oct 13, 2018:

the scam starts when people are very young. g

"Spiritual materialism is rampant and a life filled with spirit is a rarity.

genessa comments on Oct 14, 2018:

well, that is very poetic of ellis, and a little puffy. some of it is good advice. some of it... well, why would i want to have a life filled with spirit? he hasn't defined spirit. g

I'm less fearful of death now because I'm a agnostic/atheist .

genessa comments on Oct 14, 2018:

kindness is the key :-)) fear or no fear, glad you're still with us. g

Did Jesus actually exist? yes for yes no for no

genessa comments on Oct 14, 2018:

how can i vote yes or no? how about 3. i don't know and i wish i knew and 4. i don't know and i don't care? i vote for 4. g

Are you for or against President Trump? Why?

genessa comments on Oct 14, 2018:

why would i be for someone who is as ignorant and ill-natured, owned by his russian handler, cheap, mean, egotistical, self-centered, stupid, bigoted and generally awful as trump? g

Sex and Gender - Scientific American

genessa comments on Oct 14, 2018:

and this is why it's not called scientific american man :-)) g

Have you ever gotten one of these as a kid on your travels? ??

genessa comments on Oct 14, 2018:

i'm sure i had one, or maybe my sister did and i saw hers, but how, why, where, i cannot recall. g

Is the Pentagon preparing for another total US War?

genessa comments on Oct 15, 2018:

the pentagon is always planning for another war. why would now be different? g

Here's a mystery I've been trying to solve for a long time.

genessa comments on Oct 15, 2018:

i will quote isaac asimov:“I am an atheist, out and out. It took me a long time to say it. I've been an atheist for years and years, but somehow I felt it was intellectually unrespectable to say one was an atheist, because it assumed knowledge that one didn't have. Somehow, it was better to say one was a humanist or an agnostic. I finally decided that I'm a creature of emotion as well as of reason. Emotionally, I am an atheist. I don't have the evidence to prove that God doesn't exist, but I so strongly suspect he doesn't that I don't want to waste my time.” g

Im new to dating

genessa comments on Oct 15, 2018:

no one can tell you the age of the person you should date. no one even knows whom you're going to meet much less how old she will be! meanwhile, a girlfriend isn't someone to get. it's not like buying a tv. you make friends. some friends will be female. don't try to make someone your girlfriend. instead, find out whom you like and who likes you. then you'll get the idea of maybe doing some stuff together, like going to a movie or eating out or whatever. it's better to let it happen than to make it happen. g

Another day of high confidence.

genessa comments on Oct 16, 2018:

confidence is good. another day, come to think of it, is also good. g

Senator Elizabeth Warren has been proven to be a liar! She claimed to be Native American to take ...

genessa comments on Oct 16, 2018:

she never said she was full-blooded native america. all she said was that her parents told her she had some native american ancestry. it has already been proven that she did not take advantage of affirmative actions laws. she also doesn't just go around saying "i'm an indian, hey look at me, i'm an indian." it's trump who goes around saying "pocohantas, pocohantas." he should vacate his office immediately. g

Any comments on Jamal Khashoggi?

genessa comments on Oct 17, 2018:

he was a dissident. the saudi government is anything but liberal, whether or not it allows women to drive. it has a history of punishing dissidents. this was a particularly gruesome murder and dismemberment, following torture. the saudi government is claiming -- and coincidentally, trump is claiming, using the same language -- "rogue" persons murdered khashoggi. video and other documentation shows otherwise. huge surprise, that! g

Can you honestly believe that Pat Robertson, Mr.

genessa comments on Oct 17, 2018:

of course i believe it. what i find hard to believe are 1. that he's still alive, 2. that anyone takes him seriously and that 3. he hasn't been locked away in a mental institution. g

Do you remember any day in your life when you didn't tell a lie, at least a white lie?

genessa comments on Oct 18, 2018:

of course i do. i lie so infrequently, even little white lies, that i must say most of my days go by without even one. i will lie if i am trying to organize a surprise party, for example. there is no percentage in lying, 99 percent of the time. besides, you have to remember what you said! it's safer not to bother. g

My new shirt from the Feminist Flea Market the other day.

genessa comments on Oct 18, 2018:

a good concept. it should be taught in skooools! g

Missed you folks. You're worth knowing.

genessa comments on Oct 18, 2018:

was agnostic dot com down all day for you too? i thought maybe it didn't like me anymore! g

Little known fact: the most common compliment of my face is that I have "bathroom eyes".

genessa comments on Oct 18, 2018:

i am not recognizing a leer.... g

So I voted for Bill Clinton in the 90's.

genessa comments on Oct 18, 2018:

why pick on clinton? did eisenhower not have a position of power over his chauffeur, with whom he had an affair? did jfk not screw everything that wiggled when it walked? no, one doesn't justify the others, but it is curious that congress didn't go after any of them... until clinton, and they worked hard to get the goods on him too. as for accusations of rape, i tend to believe the women... unless i can SEE someone working so hard to get the goods on a guy (and a woman -- the smear against hillary began long before the white house). logic. and if we are concerned about all of this is ANY way, why are we not focusing on someone who is not only currently in power and accused by, what is it, 19 women now? not of having a consensual affair in which the power dynamic may have been an issue, but of violent rape followed by threats, and surrounding himself with people who are an awful lot like him. is he not a more urgent consideration? or do we hearken back a bit in order to avoid dealing with that? g

Sure am glad this group isn't for Quantum Lepers, because I wouldn't be able to join (not that ...

genessa comments on Oct 19, 2018:

oh well if there are quantum lepers they'd be welcome as long as they also leapt (and didn't touch anything)! g

I dislike men with beards. How about you?

genessa comments on Oct 19, 2018:

i do not judge people by their facial hair. i might judge the facial hair itself, but the facial hair itself would have to be pretty darned strange for me to judge its wearer by it (yes, if a beard was dyed purple and knitted into a sweater that would give me pause about the guy's mental health). my honey bunny happens to be a bearded man. g

Hello I am single ?

genessa comments on Oct 19, 2018:

hello! may i offer some advice? look at what people have posted and respond to some posts. maybe make some thoughtful posts yourself. you'll get to know people and people will get to know you that way. then you'll stand out more than, say, just by announcing that you're single. g

What is the most embarrassing style you've ever worn/had?

genessa comments on Oct 19, 2018:

i was not allowed to choose anything about my own appearance until i left home for college. i had to have short hair (i wanted long). i had to have white sixties-style glasses with pointy (though not quite horned) rimmed plastic glasses (i wanted round ones that didn't stand out against my face). i had to have polyester clothes, which made me itch (i liked granny dresses). when i left home, i let my hair grow and no razor or scissors touched it for five years. i looked like cousin itt. and guess what? i'm not embarrassed! i still like that! g

What do other nonbelievers think of a freethinking Buddhist ?

genessa comments on Oct 19, 2018:

i can't say, as i don't know what buddhist philosophy entails (i am not entirely unfamiliar with it; some of it, if i recall, made sense, and other bits didn't really, and i am not talking about the mystical aspects either). but i don't demand that everyone believe as i do. i demand that people respect each other, even if they don't respect their beliefs! g

How to have a bit of ' innocent' harmless fun with Mormon Missionaries, Aussie style and it works ...

genessa comments on Oct 19, 2018:

i don't answer my door unless i am expecting someone, but i have been approached by mormons on the outside, asking me, with those horrible smiles, whether i have ever heard the story of joseph smith. my response is "yes, i have. have you heard the one about the rabbi?" and then i tell them the longest chassidic story i know. (i can provide that if you need it. it's a pretty good story, too!) g

If men could get pregnant would legal abortion be an issue?

genessa comments on Oct 20, 2018:

it would be rewarded! g

All religions have a set of beliefs.

genessa comments on Oct 20, 2018:

i think that's total bunk is what i think of it. atheism isn't a belief system. there are no rules, no rule books, no churches. we meet here not to discuss the intricacies of atheism (there are none) but to take shelter from those who bother us with blessings, condemnations and, pardon me, ignorant assertions about atheism. first of all, even your assertion about religion is wrong. buddhism, for example, is a religion and it involves no god, hell or heaven. judaism, apart from folklore, has no heaven, hell or devil. are you saying judaism isn't a religion? so your definition is off. as for atheists, we do not have a SET of beliefs. an atheist is a person who either believes there are no gods or doesn't believe there are any gods, or both. that's IT. that doesn't make it a religion any more than being bald is a hair color, being celibate is a sexual position or vegetarianism expresses a favorite meat. g

Kids and God's questions

genessa comments on Oct 20, 2018:

if he is old enough to ask, he is old enough to hear simple but honest answers. but if you are honest about all that, why is there an "our church" to ask about? g

Believer/Non-believer relationships

genessa comments on Oct 20, 2018:

i am engaged to someone who believes in a god of some sort. i don't know what sort because he gets mad if i ask. he isn't by any means religious. we have everything else in common. we've been together 18 years (we'd probably be married but we're poor and disabled and would lose our benefits if we did marry). it's not a huge problem. if he gets too frisky about my being an atheist i just say "talking snake." g

Has anyone else crack open thier holloween candy that was ment for the kids?

genessa comments on Oct 20, 2018:

1. i am diabetic so i cannot eat candy any time of year. 2. children never come down my street so i don't bother buying any candy for them either. if they did, i would. they don't, so i don't. g

Hands Across America: Anyone recall that back in the day on May 28,1986?

genessa comments on Oct 20, 2018:

i have no idea what of import happened on that day. i was in japan at the time, and i don't remember hearing about anything interesting on that date. g

What difference does it make for one to believe in the divine or not?

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

i can't help noticing that YOU'RE here. why are you wasting your time? by the way, most of us are not arguing for the existence or nonexistence of a god or gods. most of us are reading and posting in all KINDS of categories here, mostly unrelated to the existence of nonexistence of a god or gods. we're just doing it here instead of (or in addition to) elsewhere because it's a place we expect to be attacked less for being agnostics, atheists, freethinkers or whatever. yes, we talk about religion or lack thereof as well. we talk about cats, and recipes, too. what difference does THAT make? but we enjoy it. g

Good day everyone.

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

in our profiles it asks us, among other things, if we believe in tarot cards. i didn't check them as something i believe in, because the cards are just cards. however, they're a tool that somehow enhances the use of intuition (dumbo's feather, maybe). i happen to have a lot of intuition. i have read people's cards. i don't try to tell them what's going to happen in the near or far future; i can tell them more intuitive things, about their feelings, for example. one uses what one can. your friend's psychic was trying to do what cannot be done, and it made your friend happy. happiness is good but it's still silly. g

I guess I’m trying to find a common thread with people on here that’s not necessarily faith ...

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

you can see that we have lots of categories; only one of them is religion. g

Do you agree that all forms of religion should be banished from the Earth as a bad case of mental ...

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

no. if we do not allow people to have their delusions, we will one day not be allowed to have our evidence-based lives. power shifts. we must protect those with whom we least agree or we are not protected either. freedom of religion and freedom from religion go hand in hand. only education will help dispel the delusions, if anything indeed can. legislating against it will drive it underground and strengthened it. g

Why Doesn't Ancient Fiction Talk About Feelings?

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

the article is about reshaping the mind; the observation, which may or may not be apt (i think it is partly true and partly untrue), that ancient literature doesn't deal with feelings, is almost a side issue. g

Is it good to read the news?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

information is power. g

Religious parents?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

nope. i was raised as a secular jew. i knew we were jewish and had a strong cultural identity but religiously... after i left home and lived three thousand miles away, someone asked me whether my parents believed in god, and i didn't know the answer! i called them long-distance to ask them. they were annoyed that i was spending the money to ask such an unimportant question. g

What would you do if the priest slaps your baby for crying?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

i don't have a priest. i also don't have a baby. if i had a baby i wouldn't let it anywhere near a priest. if anyone, priest or otherwise, slapped a baby, or for that matter a cat or dog, be it mine or someone else's, i would call the cops. g

[yahoo.

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

on the one hand, it is always good to show the world what a fool hannity is. on the other hand, anything rivera ever gets right has to be by accident. he's such a phony. so he's jumped sides again? sorry, not trusting him for an instant. g

Has your Atheism affected your patriotism?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

no. why would it? i still love my country. i still hate the criminals running it. what's that got to do with whether or not there are any imaginary thingies in the sky running the universe? g

What Food or Drink Would You Want People to Leave at Your Grave?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

lox g

Is Marriage Outdated?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

marriage has historically been a financial arrangement, not so much between individuals as between households and even dynasties. in the past couple centuries people have changed their thinking about it to include the concept of love between the individuals involved, which wasn't COMPLETELY new (or shakespeare wouldn't resonate) but as an overall view of the institution it is certainly new. at the same time, the church (you know which church) had taken it over as, somehow, their own business, and it retains that stranglehold to a huge extent. the tax system (assuming we actually have something we can legitimately call a system) discriminates in some ways against the single and in other ways against the partnered. this needs to change. don't look at me; i faint when i see numbers. i can recognize a problem when i see one, though. all my life i equated marriage with prostitution because of the traditional woman's role in the arrangement. it was basically an agreement that in exchange for being supported financially, the woman would give services that included, without by any means being limited to, sex. however, the idea of a life partner was an appealing one. love! who can argue with love? who can argue with wanting to be with your lover forever, with or without the piece of paper? now i am old, and i was getting old by the time i found my love, too. i still view traditional marriage as i did when i was young, but i don't think that we can necessarily judge people by how traditional their marriages LOOK. we're not walking in their bedroom slippers. i know it sure wouldn't be right for me. i am my own person and i don't want to be mr's, which is what missus means. i want him to be mine as much as i am his, and we should still be our own people, with conjoined and combined interests both economic and otherwise. we also want to have legal standing in each other's affairs, and yes we've made out wills and directives, but sometimes medical staff don't refer to those right away. i have been turned away trying to find out how is was when he had to be hospitalized. that's changing slowly too. there is more but you get the picture. we're not married yet. we're poor and disabled, and we'd lose some crucial benefits if we married. did i mention a tax overhaul? not just taxes (and not trump's way, thank you). so as an institution, is marriage outdated? which institution do you mean, among those i mentioned or others you can think of, all called (and honored in some way) as marriage? yes, no, maybe! g

Does a post or comment make you feel a little ill? We now have a nausea icon under "Like".

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

i expect to be receiving some of those lol. g

I'm trying to get there: What a miracle it is to wrap my hands around happiness and still, ...

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

it's a lovely poem and i mean no disrespect by putting a caveat on it -- only that if the poem reflects your philosophy, may i suggest that happiness, often presented as a goal, is not a good or realistic goal to have? it can be the byproduct of striving for (not even necessarily reaching) other goals. now, back to poetry! lovely, as i say! g

Any Reggae Recommendations?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

from an unlikely-seeming source, check out el rayo x and mr dave by david lindley. it's not all reggae. quite a bit of it is. some samples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYRVyBgjE2U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDa1h5oI754=4 g

Why white people don't get to use the N-word

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

i already know why white people don't get to use the n-word. what i don't understand is why any white person (or any person at all, come to think of it) would WANT to use the n-word. g

Today is the one-year anniversary of joining agnostics.

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

i have people of different political persuasions calling me names and telling me to fuck off ALL the time and they never get suspended. but religious trolls SHOULD be told to fuck off, and furthermore, they should be suspended, themselves. g

The idea that the events of the last two days might come to a revolution or uprising, as much as ...

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

the question regarding a modern civil war is quite simple: are enough people insane? i do not see an organized group of any significant (except for the damage they do, but i mean significant in terms of starting an actual war) size declaring war and implementing it in a way that could be translated as anything more than terrorism, to be squelched, rather than battles to be lost and won. g

Say again?

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJCTgICYkjA g

And they tell us we must vaccinate

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

um, no. this is NOT TRUE. https://vaxopedia.org/2018/05/19/does-the-cdc-own-any-patents-on-vaccines/ g

Why is the label African Americans used to describe black Americans

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

people will use labels no matter what. we use them for others and for ourselves. labels can be intentionally or unintentionally offensive by virtue of categorizing people by attributes that are considered (by some) negative, or that have in the past been considered negative, or that are irrelevant to a person's value as a human being. if a group of people want to identify themselves and be identified by their relatively recent origins (a couple hundred years is recent) rather than by their superficial resemblance to one another in terms of skin tone, why not? but not all black people want to be called something other than black; black is short and snappy and using it as mere description is different from using it to imply that black is bad in some way. it's no more or less accurate (since i have never seen a black person who is literally black) than african american. i don't go around calling myself a ukrainian american and my folks came from the ukraine a lot more recently than most black americans came from africa. but that's my choice; i get to choose for myself. i don't get to choose for others. exception: messianists. i get to say they're not jewish even when they say they're jews for jesus. that's not my opinion; that's a definitional thing. other than that... be who you want to be is what i say! g

Older People Are Worse Than Young People at Telling Fact from Opinion [theatlantic.com]

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

i love the atlantic but this is total crap. first of all, people of all ages do or don't pay attention and understand what's going on; it has nothing to do with age. among those who DO pay attention, all else being equal, people who have a lifetime of political history can compare and contrast and tell what's true and not MORE easily than someone who's been paying attention for less time. maybe senile people have a harder time. not all older people are senile, and not all young people give enough of a shit to learn the difference. nope, not buying this premise ONE little bit. g

Abraham, assuming he even existed, was mentally ill.

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

well, if you can get past the talking snake with no particular unease, how hard can it be to say "uh huh, okay" when you get to abraham? g

Good bye.

genessa comments on Oct 26, 2018:

i am not the first person to mention you've not even been here a week. i would seriously reexamine your expectations. women are not a commodity, after all! it's not like you go to a store and they say "sorry, we don't have anything in your size, come back tomorrow since we're getting a shipment in then" and the next day it's "sorry, the shipment was delayed" and after a week you decide either not to buy one or to try another store! we're talking about PEOPLE here! you've made two whole posts and this goodbye one is one of them. people don't get to know each other that fast, with that little. g

Caught the bomber and he is a right wing nut job.

genessa comments on Oct 26, 2018:

i know. it almost makes you lose faith that a congress not in session can pass a tax cut for the middle class that they never intended to pass and have never heard of, before the election except it will be after the election except it won't happen, right? what kind of world IS this when you can't even believe that five-year-olds have the legal, mental and emotional capacity to sign away their rights? i'm going to send a nasty letter to the tooth fairy about it. g

English is not my first language so I'll try to make this as comprehensible as I can.

genessa comments on Oct 26, 2018:

1. this is NOT a sounding board for liberals or trump-haters. i wish it was, but it's not. i've been trolled by a LOT of trumpkins. you're out in force and you have your own groups galore. if you can't find them, you're not looking. i assume you can't find them and are not just lying. with trumpkins anything is possible. 2. you don't like us because we're not strictly a sounding board for trumpkins? so then why are you here? 3. we don't pray. we don't pray to gods, we don't pray to people, even liberal people lol. if you're going to be ridiculous, post in random and silly. 4. considering the tenor of your post, why should we care what you do or do not mind? 5. your english is fine. your logic... not so much. g

Does it seem like getting a one night stand would be really easy?

genessa comments on Oct 26, 2018:

um, no. no, it doesn't seem that way at all. neither is easy. g

So tell me, what does it mean to be an Existentialist?

genessa comments on Oct 27, 2018:

i just realized (which you might not realize, and thus i mention it) that this is double-posted. g

When I was a little punk, I made bad comments about the adults and old people.

genessa comments on Oct 28, 2018:

i never did that. about my parents, or stupid teachers, yes, but not for being old. i never bought into that "don't trust anyone over 30" stuff -- i knew and respected too many good people over 30 (and i knew some creeps my own age, too). now i am old and i feel unfairly dissed by the young, not by anyone who knows me (real live in-my-face young people have been kind to me, actually), but in general, as a class. i didn't vote for trump or any republican; i've never voted for a republican and i am more liberal now than when i was marching in protest of the kent state killings in 1970 (and i was pretty damned liberal then). i don't diss young people. i have high hopes for young people, if only we could get them all to vote. i am computer literate. i don't use consumer cellular or have a flip phone. today a cab driver told me i looked as if i were 47 years old (i am 66 and a half). i don't believe him for an instant; i feel about 100. but emotionally... well, look at my profile picture. i still identify with that person. in many ways i am still that person. g

The amount of evil and suffering in the world only means either god is evil,impotent or non existent...

genessa comments on Oct 28, 2018:

tired old argument. his nonexistence has nothing to do with the suffering in the world. there just is no such thing as a god. if we were all deliriously happy and comfortable there would still be no god. g

Who remembers these and did you have one?

genessa comments on Oct 28, 2018:

i think my sister may have had one. they always seemed a little gross to me. g

SPOILERS S11 E4 - Arachnids in the UK Discussion post.

genessa comments on Oct 28, 2018:

watching it now. immediately recognized chris noth. what's the big deal with that, you ask? well, my eyes are very bad and the tv always seems dark to me, so it's hard to see, but something about the way he moved his head, i knew it was he. i did look it up and in doing so i found reviews. the first one i found misspelled eccleston AND called him the TENTH doctor! so... yeah, i think i'll just go back to watching now (we're having a commercial break). i am starting to like this new doc a lot! g

Is sex possible

genessa comments on Oct 29, 2018:

penetrative intercourse is not the only way to have sex. enjoyment, of course, is up to the individual. g

Even though I am Agnostic, I still feel the emotion of the Jewish community in light of this ...

genessa comments on Oct 30, 2018:

i am a jewish atheist but no matter what i believed or didn't and no matter what my background, i would feel this tragedy. it's unconscionable. g

Is there anyone here that values the teachings of the bible, but rejects it's supernatural elements?

genessa comments on Oct 30, 2018:

i do not find mostly good teachings in the bible (and of course you have not said which bible; i have not read the christian one, but everything i've heard about it seems awfully confused). the bible with which i am familiar has a story in it that teaches one to welcome strangers -- but these days everyone interprets that story as teaching one to be homophobic. the same bible teaches one that it's okay to murder one's innocent son as long as one hears voices. come to think of it, it's also okay to get one's father drunk and rape him. i like the story of david and tamar, but onan is confusing. i don't think of the bible as a book of teachings. i think of it as a sometimes interesting, sometimes less so book of fantabulous stories, most of them with anti-morals. so "values" is the wrong word here, for me at least. you can probably find better teachings in a stephen king novel (i can't swear to that, as i don't enjoy the horror genre, but king seems like a nice, smart man, and i don't know a lot about the guys who wrote the bible). g

Trump Supporter: 'Just Start Shootin At The Border' FACEBOOK WATCH 192,303 Views The Young ...

genessa comments on Oct 30, 2018:

i do not see the options on the yes and no. what would i be voting on? g

If you support shutting down a site because it's members are allowed to promote anti-semitic views ...

genessa comments on Oct 30, 2018:

in addition, antisemitism depends on lies. being against religion depends on logic. in what way is saying there is no god and pointing out the illogic of believing in one (or more) equivalent to saying jews own the world, jews are eating christian babies, jews have horns and a tail, jews are causing all the problems in the world, jews are paying for honduran refugees to "invade" our southern border? g

I want to quit smoking cigarettes!

genessa comments on Oct 30, 2018:

i helped my students to quit. this is what i told them to do (and they told me it worked): 1. count how many cigs you smoke in a day. divide that by 24. 2. whatever your result was in #1, smoke that many cigs per hour. i don't care if you're sleeping, in class, with a client, making love, excuse yourself and have those cigs. 3. after you can't stand this anymore, cut the number of cigs per hour by one. 4. by the time you get to zero you'll be so happy to have your life back! g

What's your favourite show or channel to watch on TV?

genessa comments on Oct 31, 2018:

i have no fave channel but i do keep the science channel on more than any other. shows: until 1982 i refused to follow more than one drama and one comedy, but then a second drama pulled me in and my tv viewing has not been the same since. so one? ha! here is what i follow at the moment: doctor who, murphy brown (the new show), murphy brown (two different seasons of the old show, in syndication), new amsterdam, law and order svu (new season and if i happen to catch it in syndication, and the other law and orders as well), hill street blues (in syndication), mystery e.r., untold stories of the e.r., how the universe works, planet earth, the brain, live from lincoln center (when it's on), inspector george gently (when it's on), endeavor (when it's on), american masters, anything by ken burns, other stuff as it occurs, like nova and nature and a bunch of stuff on science channel i might not be remembering right now. g

Don’t Forget To Vote

genessa comments on Oct 31, 2018:

i voted weeks ago. i always get an absentee ballot because i never know if i will be well enough to go out on election day. i mailed mine in... oh i forget how many weeks ago, and my guy did too! g

Does this app have real people or are you all bots?

genessa comments on Nov 1, 2018:

why in the world would we be bots? have you never been on a social media site before? and if we were bots, would we admit it? or would we even answer appropriately? sorry, i just find this an awfully strange question. g