I want to explore a touchy topic.

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

it might not be only because the world is mostly patriarchal and absolute power corrupts absolutely, but that certainly is a factor. g

At what point is a technologically enhanced human not a human anymore?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

people can live with artificial limbs and organs but those organs do not at this point include brains. i think the brain would be the dealbreaker. g

This is a scary thought!

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i would be dead from type 2 diabetes if my doctor had not diagnosed me and given me metformin (i am not insulin-dependent). my glucose was almost 600 when i walked into the clinic. yes, i walked in! i am not sure why or how. but that simple diagnosis and prescription has saved my limbs, my eyesight and my life. g

What do people here think about herbal medicine?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

some herbs are useful for some things. just because something is a herb that thing isn't necessarily good or bad. as for natural, remember: poison ivy is natural. cancer is natural, too. don't judge things by how natural they are. judge them by how appropriate they are to treat what you want to treat. if you have colitis, goldenseal is great, as it is on wounds. if you have cancer, goldenseal, wonderful as it is, will sit back and watch you die. echinacea won't cure your cancer but it will lessen the effects of chemotherapy by strengthening your immune system. i don't know any herbal practitioners. i probably would not bother going to see one. you have not said what FOR, though. it matters. my favorite herb is illegal most places, at the moment. g

Does your medical doctor perform the way you would expect him to?e

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

she is not preformed as far as i know. i think she was conceived and born and she grew like the rest of us. speaking of expectations, what about the expectation that doctors will be male? i like my doctor. i know myself better than she does but she knows about medicine (the field, not the definition that just means potions) and she knows me (and keeps learning about me) well enough to apply what she knows to who i am, and hopefully vice versa. i have a feeling that's not what you expect a doctor to do! g

Do you think Donald Trump is a shitty person, a shitty fake president or both?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i would consider him a shitty person if i considered him a person. i'd consider him a shitty president if i considered him a president. i grant he is shitty, at any rate. g

Ever dated a religious person

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

nope. never. i dated a libertarian once. my sister set me up. when i say once, i mean ONCE. g

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

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

my most outlandish belief is that my man loves me. how is that even POSSIBLE? yet i believe it. g

This is the opening to a piece I wrote shortly after the Bowe Bergdahl affair hit the airways.

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

it has promise. palate, by the way, not palette. two different words. g

I have never met or personally know anyone in my life that is not a believer.

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i am sorry to hear you've been so alone. i was not surrounded by religious people in my youth so quite frankly i didn't even know who was an atheist and who wasn't, but i have since met some pretty aggressive religionists. g

Should a person be able to accuse u of a criminal offense, what would have been criminal save ...

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

it depends on the crime. in most states, rape has a statute of limitations between five and 10 years. for some reason, crossing the border illegally, a misdemeanor, is still prosecutable 30, 40 years after the fact even though it's a victimless crime and the "criminal" may have led an examplary life, contributing to society, ever after. g

Did Anthony Bordain have the right idea?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

we'll never know. we can't ask him. but what is worthless and tiring for one person may be exhilarating and meaningful to another. this isn't an objective matter. g

Scientists Say They've Found The Driver of False Beliefs, And It's Not a Lack of Intelligence

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

the problem with this study is that there was no "evidence" providedfor the participants to accept or reject or learn from or ignore, after being told what was or wasn't a daxxy. they had no reason to think they were being lied to, what they were shown and told presented no conflict with anything they already knew or believed... why shouldn't they just consider themselves to be learning about a new shape? g

How will the universe end? Four theories.

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

much of life as we know it may well end in the big freeze. there is no way a big freeze will destroy the planet, much less the universe. it will only be destroyed that way as far as its ability to sustain us, and many other species. the planet will most likely be subsumed by the sun, but not soon. i wouldn't start packing yet. the universe itself is still expanding but some scientists speculate that it might reverse itself and go back to what used to be thought of (and still is, by many) as a/the singularity, but a new line of thought is that this isn't the first, nor will it be the last, universe to bang into existence, and a new one would replace ours. of course, we'd be gone. is that important? no, i did not read the article. the four names sounded too ridiculous and the source kind of... i'll be kind and say "iffy." g

What do you think about expanding the Supplemental Nutrition assistance program to cover every one ...

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i guess i'm not average. i have been receiving about $180 a month for food, but it's being cut because i provide services instead of paying cash for rent now. anyway not everyone needs snap benefits. there is no reason to give food support to people who have bank accounts in the cayman islands. those who are in need should receive help. those who are not should not. g

Evidence for God's handiwork. Now, spectacles had not been invented when God made man, right?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

that's funny because there are at least two creation myths (alaskan and greek) in which the nose is actually placed on the human face upside down. in the greek myth, prometheus and his brother epimetheus are given the reward of being able to create the earth/world. epi wants to create humans but he puts the noses on upside down, and people have to stand on their heads when it rains. pro fixes that, of course. g

Should I still attend church?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

that is up to you. we can't tell you what you should do. we can point out options if we have enough details. for example: if you really hate church services, don't go. if you enjoy them despite not believing in a god (i am making an assumption there) then go. are your friends really your friends -- in other words, like you for yourself, believe in your ability to make decisions for yourself, respect those decisions even if they're different from those they would have made, themselves, not bully you, not force you to do things you don't want to do. by stepping on toes, do you mean making them uncomfortable because they wish you were just like them? that's not stepping on toes. that's being yourself, and a real friend doesn't consider that an attack. you may not be able to stop them from adding you to their prayer lists, but since no one is listening to or answering those prayers, it amounts only to how insulted you would feel at their doing that. as for connections, i don't know what kinds of connections you mean, but if they will not treat you with respect, you do not need those connections. if they do treat you wish respect, there is no reason to cut them off just because they have a different belief system from yours. g

Alright people mainly the woman on this site what is it you find most important and attractive in us...

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

what i find attractive in a man is a combination of intelligence, kindness, humor and empathy. with those things, everything else falls into place... provided the man finds what he is looking for in me, as well. so i guess i add to the list "and he loves me." i have a guy. he is kind, funny and empathetic. he used to be intelligent; he has alzheimer's now. he loves me. what can i do? i love him too. g

It is the moments of decision that shape your destiny.

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

not always. not even usually. g

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

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

well i cannot blame them for being upset. that is really bad spelling. i would change that to "myth!" meanwhile, no one seems to object if a kid posts "god loves you," right? g

I spent a lot of time when I was young trying to figure out what was wrong with me since I didn't ...

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

nope. i never cared what others thought of me -- especially since most people already apparently had so many reasons not to be my friends. being different was how i had always been, on so many levels. my only friend at the beginning of my high school years turned out also to be an atheist, but i doubt we discussed this with anyone else, so how would anyone else even know? later i made a couple other friends and i don't remember discussing this with them but they certainly were not religious zealots at any rate, and had it come up, i certainly would not have held back. g

Got another rejection! Whoo hoo!! ?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i would wallpaper my walls with mine, except they've long since been misplaced, so many times have i moved. but not to fear: i think i can now wallpaper my whole house with hipaa medical privacy notices! g

Regarding God Is Love A common statement is that "God is love".

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

in defense (of a sort) of the chosen people, although the jews are called the chosen people, that is sort of a misnomer (within the context of the narrative) since it refers to the covenant between god and the jews. it's not actually a declaration that this (fictional of course) god loves jews better, or that jews are superior. (that's not even written into judaism.) it's the CHOOSING people we should be saying if we refer to that at all, since the covenant has two parties involved. judging by this fictional god's described character i'd say if the jews had turned him down, he'd have moved on to his second choice. now about god is love: my objection, despite all possible explanations, is that there already is a definition, broad and flexible though it may be, for god or gods, and there is an equally broad and flexible definition for love. there is no need to go redefining either of them, especially as each other lol. g

Does Satan believe the Word of God?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

are you talking about ha-satan, who, in the jewish bible, is not even a devil, but more like a prosecutor, working for god? because there is no devil, or satan as the christians know him, in judaism, in which i was (secularly and awfully casually) was raised. the whole idea of a satan/lucifer/devil/beelzebub/old nick is alien to me, and it was even before i was an atheist. anyway, you do know what this site is about, right? you know that this is a ridiculous question? there is a category for silly stuff. this isn't it. g

Micro-cheating

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

oh jealousy. it's ridiculous. people who love each other should not hold each other prisoner. g

Does anyone else here read the actual arguments made by atheists/naturalists set forth on sites like...

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

not me! oddly enough (maybe) i don't feel the need to read about atheism. i am pretty confident there are no gods, i don't need to find out how to convince others there are no gods, since that's none of my business, and despite being delighted to have found this site, in general i don't think too much about gods. my main concern is that people should stop trying to legislate religion and stop discriminating against and even harassing atheists. g

The Middle Way Society: Agnosticism

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i agree that extremism should be rejected, but i do not always agree about what constitutes extremism. there are people for whom health care for everyone is extremism. that's not how i view it, and i do not view myself as an extremist. there are also those who think that saying "nazis are bad" is extreme. that is not how i see things. g

If a woman says, "Pick a place and time and let me know," and then ignores whichever part of my ...

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i don't do that. i don't have friends who do that. i'm a woman. some of my friends are women. maybe, just MAYBE, it's a rudeness thing and not a gender thing at all, but because you are a guy, you deal with a woman, and she happens to be rude so you think women are rude. this is, of course, faulty reasoning. g

Did (a) god create humans

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

good on the aussies for this! g

When and why do people become atheists? New study uncovers important predictors

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i had all the choice in the world. i was raised in a secular jewish household. nothing was forced on me. i came to the conclusion at age 15 there was no god and it never even occurred to me to tell my folks, not because i was afraid or that they'd disapprove, but because i didn't think they'd be interested. religion was not an important part of my upbringing. nor was lack of religion pushed. i could choose. g

Why do ppl think that the phrase " I am a person of faith" is something to be proud of?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

it's odd, but they will use it as a compliment too. "i can tell you're a spiritual person" or "i can tell you're a person of faith." well, they aren't very perceptive, because neither is true, and i don't feel flattered by the so-called compliment! g

I am a very tolerant person.

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i cannot judge because i have not seen the posts, but i have seen posts by pro-trump people, and they DO get pretty vile. they call liberals libtards and worse. i have never seen a reasonable pro-trump post. all the ones i have seen are full of profanity (which doesn't in and of itself bother me, but it does when aimed at another member) and racist garbage. now, if the posts that were removed were not like that, that's one thing, but my experience is that the likelihood of their NOT being like that is slim. since you have not said what the posts said, i can only go by my own experience. g

FEMA Will Test a System That Would Allow Trump to Text Directly to Your Phone

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i never know when people text me. i don't have an alert set, i don't check, and i don't text. he could send me an order to show up at the white house and kiss his ass and i wouldn't have a chance to be offended because i would never know. g

Please Help Me Not Call My Doctor a Pompous Bloviating Ass

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

on march 10, 1995, my father felt sick so my mother took him to the e.r. on the way, he told her "i feel so sick i could die." he was 71 years old and had had a massive heart attack 13 years earlier, requiring triple bypass heart surgery. his heart was still not right by any means. at the e.r. they did not bother to do an ekg. they told him he had a cold and sent him home. he died the next day. g

I am reading how some folks are defending Kavanaugh and they say he is being framed, should we be ...

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

moot point; trump would never appoint a black man. equally moot (for the same reason) and equally pertinent: would they defend him if he was a democrat? i think we know the answer. g

How do you respond when a loved one asks you to pray for them?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i have to say, not in direct response to your question but in response to a response that for some reason has no reply button on it, that when i have a problem and i communicate it, i really hate when people say they're sure everything will be fine. how do they know? i mean, if it's obviously a case of my insecurity about something, sure, that's reassuring, but if it's a medical issue, or a financial issue, no, there is no reason to say it will all be fine, and yet people say it, meaning to be reassuring. even strangers will do this. i find it horrifying. g

How do you respond when a loved one asks you to pray for them?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i have been asked for prayers, not by family but by friends. i always say "i don't pray, but i will be thinking about you, and i hope for the very best." g

A destiny for mankind: Non-human Intelligence is with us.

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

well, it's fanciful enough, but not especially likely. (if it did happen, it is also unlikely that either extreme would be the result; it would probably be quite mundane. it would come upon us as the internet itself did, and we would be well used to it without really thinking about it.) g

Yahweh's Amazing Miracle - YouTube

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

this link did not work for me. i hope it's a joke.... g

Always interesting to see the latest in psychology regarding women's thoughts.

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

1. measuring how often women think about sex. first of all, the size of the sample, which is extremely important, is not mentioned. second of all, women who take part in this study are already thinking about sex to the extent that they agree to do the study, and not every woman would be interested (not necessarily because they're women, but for a variety of reasons). third of all, if you tell someone you're measuring how often you think about potatoes, you can bet that person is going to think an awful lot more about potatoes than they usually do! 2. okay.... still no indication of sample size. 3. what percentage of women HAVE brothers? i don't have any brothers! however, my experience is that many (not all, can't say whether or not most) women do find men more attractive if they resemble family members. this is natural -- it's the US v THEM syndrome. even if all of this were 100 percent true, how in the world would that help you understand women? none of this is translatable into a blueprint for understanding women (as if women are so much alike that understanding one is understanding all!) it's like understanding something about how the elbow works and thinking you've gained a significant insight into baseball! g

What are your views on marriage?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

actually i don't know what marriage means to a church. i've been to weddings of christian friends at different churches and marriage did not seem to mean the same thing at each. i have never been a christian, myself. nor have i been married, but i've been engaged for 14 years. i know, it sounds funny, but what marriage would mean to us is we'd lose a good deal of our food stamp benefits, which are keeping us alive, and some social security too, and then we would just become homeless and die. however, if one of us DOES die, then it would benefit the other if we were married, so we have a deal that if one of us is dying, we hurry up and get married so the other gets the social security benefits. is that disgusting, that we have to view things this way? sure it is. but our love does us no good if we're homeless or dead. g

Incest: Immoral or Moral?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

i don't see it as a moral issue. it was presented (eons ago) as a moral issue because god was obviously punishing people who slept with close relations (genetically punishing them, right?) but safe sex, and we're talking adults... it makes people cringe. it makes ME cringe. but on a moral level, i can't see anything wrong with it, as long as reproduction is not involved. well, maybe one thing: if it becomes the norm, reproduction is LIKELY to become involved in most cases. people do have unsafe sex, no matter what you tell them to do. that is why some states require a blood test before issuing a marriage license. g

I recently joined a couple of other free dating sites, and I am quite open about being atheist.

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

time-effective. if you wouldn't be able to connect with someone whose christianity means so much to them that they'd think to put it on their profiles on a dating site, consider that they're being cost-effective too, by turning you away. it's mutual. it hurts no one. they don't want you to be tolerant of them. they probably wouldn't tolerate you! g

One time me and my mom was waiting for the bus in a walmart parking lot in columbus ohio on the hill...

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

consider having to listen to the creepy music as a kind of cab fare :-)) i like bluegrass, myself. christian bluegrass? i can't even imagine. it sounds creepy all right. g

Why do people act badly at family events?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

not everyone does behave badly at family gatherings. some people behave badly outside of family gatherings instead, or too. i don't think weddings and funerals reveal real character any more than daily life, but i DO think family gatherings can make people revert to old relationships, not all of which are peaceful, and there is also the comfort factor: people feel more at home (sometimes) at home. to THAT extent maybe they reveal their true character, but i wouldn't generalize. g

Anyone else think of his site as a secret society? :P

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

nope! it's an open site! we may keep our atheism secret offline (i don't, but that's me) but this site is by no means a secret site. g

Should one bring/send flowers on a first date?

genessa comments on Sep 17, 2018:

not if she has cats or allergies. find out if she even LIKES flowers! likewise a bottle of wine -- she may not drink (or she might love it). try to find out what she likes before you decide. g

I understand that our pointage may change because some things are reviewed, but i am wondering how ...

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i should mention that i didn't lose a whole tenth of a level. i just slipped back from that tenth i'd achieved. i only lost several points. g

A question about humanity

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

no, not directly beforehand. there was a long, long process of evolution between fish coming slowly onto land and small mammals developing slowly into primates. that latter procedure wouldn't even have happened (maybe) had the dinosaurs not become extinct,probably because of the meteor strike at chicxulub g

I'm really curious as to what you believe when it comes to energy.

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

much of the energy that affects us physically and emotionally come from within and from people in our immediate vicinity. i studied this as a teenager, and it was a physical study, not theoretical but practical. i am not sure what it's made of but it's not supernatural and may have something to do with electricity. actors use this a lot, and this is the context in which i studied it. g

In light of a recent discussion about what women want... [bryanreeves.com]

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

how can anyone purport to know what half the population, as a unit, wants? i don't care what it is, how sensible or nonsensical the thing itself may be that women supposedly want. the concept ITSELF is nonsensical. g

What do you think is the worst TV commercial running right now?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

there are way too many that are way to bad there's the trumpbear ad, of course, and the proactive ads that last what, two or three minutes? but my current unfavorite is the one for some product that purports to remove undereye bags. it's not just that it probably doesn't work. it's that it's hysterical from the git-go (i don't mean funny; i mean fraught and giddy) and the narrator/hostess has one of the most annoying voices in the history of television advertisement. g

Let's get something straight about this Kavanope situation.

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

"the democrats" didn't have this back in july. ford wrote to her congresswoman. i don't know how long it was, then, before the congresswoman gave it to feinstein. feinstein knew ford wanted to remain anonymous, and she did something so very few people do: THINK. she thought. then she decided that she could share the generality without revealing the identity of the complainant. when it became clear that this was not entirely a success, that it was likely she would be revealed as the complainant despite her best efforts, ford came forward (today). feinstein was caught between two concerns. ford has now freed her from this trap. we are awfully quick to condemn people for not deciding rapid-fire on things that after the fact seem easy. you're not in feinstein's position. you don't know everything she had to consider (i don't either; i've only names a little bit of it). g

What's everyone doing on this Sunday besides not go to church.

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i am not actually not going to church. i am actually not going to the park, a concert, peru, or any number of other places, which by chance also include "church." i was raised a secular jew; church isn't something that would occur to me, even on everyone else's sacred sunday! g

What is spiritual transformation, where does it come from, and why do we do it?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

well, why in the world would i want to change TOWARD spirituality and sacredness, when i equate spirituality with religion-light and eschew the concept of sacredness? i am still learning how best to live in this world. i don't need mumbo-jumbo and that is what these two "goals" are. feh! g

We are the world's greatest hypocrite. [npr.org]

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

no, we're not. we're pretty bad, but we are not at the top of the list (or bottom, if you prefer). that doesn't actually matter. we should be a lot better. we need to stop trump from wrecking the country in the eyes of the world and in the reality of the citizens, regardless of where we rank, hypocrite-wise. g

Is it me, or is this site a little complicated when one first gets into it?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

it depends on what you're used to, and how many different kinds of sites you've seen. it seems fairly intuitive to me. g

My nihilism

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

okay with whom? that is up to you. i don't care for any kind of nihilism myself but that's me. do you need my approval? that would be kind of unnihilistic in and if itself! g

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

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i do not think i'll be able to keep this on my anti-bucket list. i've always said no surgery ever again, but tomorrow i have an endometrial biopsy (which is not surgery per se) to find out whether i have uterine cancer. if i do, then i may need surgery. what can i do to keep this on my anti-bucket list? g

Job satisfaction.

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i have done both. now i am older, and disabled to the extent that i cannot keep a job. i think most people go through both. if you're young, it's like paying your dues. you can take steps to move up, or out. if you're older, it feels more hopeless sometimes. g

Men versus women. Be honest now who makes their bed after waking up?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i don't. never have, never will. i don't see the point. i hate top sheets anyway. if i get into a freshly made bed i have to rip it apart to be comfortable. i want my feet sticking out of the bottom! g

Does a bad day give you the right to be un-pleasant?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

everyone has a right to be unpleasant. it's not the right thing to do, and it's unjustified, but it's legal. however, we have a right to object, too. g

Seriously?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i might ask a guy that... except i'm a fabulous cook. that's chance, not a job. g

Does the lack of ANY bio seem suspect to anyone else? Just curious.

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

no. some people take the time to figure out whether they're staying before committing with a bio. g

So...do doctors cure people or do prayers cure people...

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

do you really not know? g

“Either God wants to get rid of evil, but he can’t; or God can, but he doesn’t want to; or God...

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

this has been posted here many times and it proves nothing. there is no god but this isn't what proves it. all this proves is that those who believe in a god need to make their definitions clearer. there is no proof that there is no god. there doesn't need to be proof; you can't prove a negative. however, you can perceive what is possible, and god appears to be impossible. at any rate, my saying this doesn't prove there is no god has not bearing on whether or not i believe there is one. i believe there is no such thing as a god. g

What kind of humour do you like ??

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i like humor that is more or less insane. g

Is it okay for an atheist to sing sacred music?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

okay according to whom? it's not illegal! i like all kinds of music. g

What decade is your favorite music from?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i can narrow it down even more: 1967. g

Philosophy

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

richard feynman. g

Wrong answers only...

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

some white guy who's never been to the middle east. g

Actors have theatres, musicians have stages, artists have galleries. Where is poetry?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

we have poetry readings and poetry slams, lots of open mic. g

Question. I have different fetishes. How do I bring it up in conversation?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

you just did :-)) but i think it doesn't need to come up in conversation until it becomes applicable to the situation or is about to be, or could potentially be. it depends on what the fetish is. if it's something that applies only during sex, you might want to wait until you have both agreed, implicitly or explicitly, that you're going to have sex. if it's a shoe fetish, you may want to mention that earlier. g

Are there any Bill Maher fans here?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i like him but do not get hbo. i don't agree with every single word he utters but that's not important. i agree with him most of the time and i like him. g

The meaning of life

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

42. g

What if you could know...?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i would like to know if anyone will read my writing. g

LOL 😂 - who voted for them?!

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

the last time i was at a taco bell, a couple decades ago, i was waiting for my order at a spot from which i could see a young woman preparing a sandwich, barehanded. she sneezed into one hand and then continued to prepare the sandwich. i was horrified. i mentioned this to the young man who brought me my order and he looked at me as if i were nuts; he didn't understand my objection. and that's WHY that was the last time i was at a taco bell. it's not that i even liked their food; i was broke and it was more or less affordable. it certainly wasn't mexican food, and it only vaguely resembled food at all. g

Dating people with different religious belief , does it work out well or they can both come to an ...

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

there is no one answer. everyone is different. g

Had a discussion about science and faith with one of my students the other day.

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

it is true that faith has no place in science. whether it has a place outside of science, in one's personal, inner life, is the subject of much debate. it has no place in mine, and i do tend to see people of faith as ridiculous, not as people, not as a whole, necessarily, but in that one aspect. but in science? science requires not only proof but an active attempt to disprove theories. g

Briggs-Meyer test

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

welll, for one thing, it's briggs-myers. nobody is all one thing. in a combination with just initials, there is no ratio. there are characteristics not included in the test. in addition, no one behaves the same way in all circumstances. do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own inner world? give me CONTEXT! (and someone who focuses on this/her own inner world might not KNOW s/he is doing that!) when i am lying in bed i prefer to focus on my own inner world, but sometimes i listen to the tv while i try to sleep, and that's the outer world, but i am internalizing it so it's the inner world, but it comes from outside, so... feh! you can't just take a test like this and learn anything meaningful. i think it is very well-meaning, serious, sober, utter nonsense. g

There was no individual 'Jesus'.

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

jesus is today considered by christians, bless their little hearts, to be the savior, or, as the greeks say, christ. that's supposed to be a translation of messiah, but in fact it is very VERY different from what messiah means. messiah is a jewish concept, and there is no jewish concept of being saved; saved from what? there is no jewish conception that someone can take on, or absolve, someone else's sins. in judaism, even god cannot forgive sins against another party. the messiah, in judaism, is a human being, a king, who brings about peace in his own time. that's all. that's pretty different from a savior, yes? but of course the rest of what you say is spot on. i am quibbling ONLY with the use of the word "messiah." g

I think my biggest fear about going to the mall that you never know when a crazy old woman is gonna ...

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

my biggest fear about going to the mall is that i will be bored shitless. i have no business in malls. i guess i have therefore not given myself a chance to be accosted by evangelists. that's another benefit of not going to malls. g

Is chivalry SEXIST???

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

a million years ago when i worked for the department of justice, on the mazelike sixth floor, i didn't sit at a desk all day. i had to get up and go all over the place for various reasons (and sometimes down to the plush fifth floor, where the attorney general's offices were, but that's another story). on the sixth floor there were many hallways, with heavy glass doors at either end of them. i would sometimes run into people from my own little section in those hallways. one was a young man who hailed from my own birthtown, philadelphia, so i felt a vague affinity for him, but he did one annoying thing every time we bumped into each other (not literally). he HAD to hold the door open for me. it didn't matter if i was half a hallway ahead of him. he would run past me to open the door. god forbid (what IS it with english, anyway, with all the religious references?) a woman should touch a door handle! if my hands were full, fine, he'd open the door, but if his were full and mine were not, too bad, i had to stop at the door and wait for him to shift things around and open the door for me. he'd actually get mad if i opened a door for myself and madder still if i opened one for him. it's not as if he used his penis to open the damned door! g

Jesus: The Evidence, Episode 1 of 3 - YouTube

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

um... no. that's not even the bible of my people. but even if it was... um, no. g

Ever wondered what i might like to be invisible? What the pros and cons would be?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i have spent a good deal of my life trying not to be invisible. g

There may be some statistics somewhere but I haven't been able to find them.

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

i don't think it has anything to do with belief or disbelief in gods. it has to do with understanding what kaepernick is doing and why we even sing the anthem at sporting events. meanwhile, i am 66 and a half years old and i am with kaepernick all the way, and i don't even watch sporting events! g

Investing in your dreams, goals and ambitions is not easy but the rewards are incredible.

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

investing may or may not be easy. getting the return for your investments is not only not guaranteed, but unusual. your statement is rather general, too. it's nice to think about investing in your dreams. what does that MEAN, exactly? g

Here I am again.

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

if i am well enough, and if my guy is well enough (he just came home from the hospital friday) we'll be at yom kippur services and break-the-fast this coming week. i'm an atheist but i LIKE the services (and the mound of lox they have on the buffet table). i actually like them. i don't need to believe in a god to enjoy a thoughtful sermon (no fire and brimstone in a jewish service!) about how people should treat each other well, and ask forgiveness of those we've harmed, and grant forgiveness IF WE CAN to those who ask. it's not at ALL like catholic confession, as i have seen some suggest. anyway i can enjoy that once a year without feeling put out, and my guy likes to go (i don't enjoy it well enough to go as often as he does, which isn't often at all). the music is good, too. the god thing isn't an issue for me; it's very human-concerned. and did i mention lox? (i really love lox!) i haven't been since the "old" rabbi retired. the young rabbi is in charge now. it should be interesting. i think the young rabbi plays the guitar. i wonder if they hired a new "young" rabbi? anyway, #4 -- that's a thing? wow. that's weird. g

Is socialism bad for the USA?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

it hasn't been, so far. see ocjoe's post, in which he lists many ways in which socialism has been working well for america. i will add that in addition to confusing socialism with communism, people (not just conservatives -- and by the way, there are no more conservatives, just regressives) confused socialism, an economic system, with various forms of government, and thus see it as incompatible with democracy, whereas in fact socialism, or a form of it, has been quite compatible. it's rampant capitalism that is bad for democracy. i myself am something of a socialist i suppose, but not exactly. i had to make up a term to describe myself; i am a social free enterprisist, free enterprise encompasses the good parts of capitalism. capitalism as it is now (rampant) is not the same as free enterprise; it is an enemy of free enterprise. enterprise isn't free when it is run by capitalists. g

Nothing to something

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

you assume there HAS to be something. maybe there is something because it is, not because it HAS to be. g

What physics or physical law(s), principle(s) or relationship(s) determine the value of the physical...

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

they are what they are. are you really asking why they are what they are, or how we KNOW they are what they are? to the first question, i repeat, they are what they are. to the latter, i reply, sorry, i watch the science channel and i love it but a lot of it falls out of my head when the show's over. there are mathematical calculations that help scientists describe what they have found, and which sometimes help them adjust what they think they've found. i don't know those calculations. g

This look of a visiting cat teaches a world of sympathetic understanding.

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

really? nice picture. cute cat. i like cats. but this cat isn't teaching anything. it's just being a cat, which is in and of itself a pretty good thing. g

Competition: healthy or not?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

in what way is it even a competition? in a competition there are winners and losers. here, no one loses points when you gain them, or even fails to win them when you gain them. we're not competing for the points. we're being rewarded for our activity, independently of each other's rewards. that is not competition. yes there are people who take the points so seriously that they post garbage just to get the points. that's rude. there are rude people in the world. this may seem like another world but it's just another part of the world; you can't come here and expect to escape rude people. but their rudeness, while annoying, does not prevent you from gaining points, nor take away the points you have already gained. it's not a competition. g

Kosher ...כשרות ... I am trying to find the attached chart in English ... can anyone help?

genessa comments on Sep 16, 2018:

closest i could get: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/07/9e/a1/079ea1cd4342b21f5c71ab3affc129f2.jpg g

Jethro Tull - Christmas song - YouTube

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

and another in the same vein with frankie armstrong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo3jLbJ_DpQ g

I went to see Unbroken, Path to Redemption today.

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

i have never heard of this film but if i saw billy graham's name i'd know to stay away! "redemption" would be a turnoff too. g

I am a loner and an outsider.

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

to make a friend, be a friend. love should start out as friendship. it's something that grows. don't think about love. think about the other person. g

Rina ketty - j'attendrai - YouTube

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

by the way, i heard this song for the first time in the truffaut movie "le denier metro" ("the last metro"). i have loved it ever since. g

It's all about perspective. Do you suppose they have a similar religious belief system?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

similar to what? there are an awful lot of religions among humans. g

How often do you laugh at yourself?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

i can't count high enough to answer accurately. g