Spoiled brat with a participation trophy...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

you'd think his trophy wife would be enough. g

Drs chippendale years

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

ha. he is proper skinny! g

Breaking the glass ceiling [youtu.be]

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

"brilliant!" g

Will computers and technology turn us all into God's?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

ah it WAS posted twice and i did comment on the other one. here is what i said: into god's what? if i could be healthy and sentient and the body parts were not ugly and clumsy and metallic, why wouldn't i want to live forever? i can think of only one reason: being around when the sun explodes and gobbles us up. as what would i then live? would being immortal be enough to turn us into what we call gods? let's go, just as visitors, mind you, since we're atheists, to genesis and see. adam and eve WERE immortal. they were warned not to eat from the tree of knowledge because if they were immortal AND omniscient, they be as gods. (well, god SAID he was a jealous god; at least he was honest about that!) it was after they ate of the tree of knowledge that they were kicked out of eden and deprived of their immortality. so apparently, for the god-believing, it is the two qualities together, not just one or the other, that creates a god. of course that's the biblical explanation of what a god is. for some religions, to be a god you have to be able to transform yourself into a swan and rape a young woman. g

Will computers and technology turn us all into God's?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i could swear i already commented on this. was it posted twice? anyway, i just thought of something i wanted to add to my prior (now missing) comment, and that is, if a god is a supreme being and we are all gods, then none of us is a god because no one is supreme. we'd all be equal. g

Let's talk evolution.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

meteor. don't confuse cause and effect. the dinosaurs' demise definitely paves the way for the smaller mammals to evolve, eventually into us. but that doesn't mean that's WHY they went extinct. it means that's the RESULT of their extinction. the dinosaurs didn't have a club meeting and say "let's die for a cause!" and there was no one directing the show, either. the meteor hit, circumstances changed that killed off the dinos, other things changed as a result. as for the other primates, there was no need (or has not been so far) for them to become more like us in order to survive. they took a different path. it's not a matter of intelligence's having been achieved so everyone else, go home, why bother? it wasn't necessary for THEIR survival and has nothing to DO with what someone else achieved. i might add, i am not so sure we have reached the pinnacle of our intelligence. of course if we stupidly kill ourselves off, probably along with the rest of the world as we know it, then we have reached it, since we will have then prevented ourselves from achieving more. we are, until then, still evolving, as is everyone/everything else. nothing is standing still. if it appears that it is, understand that that's an illusion. g

No Joke: Eight States’ Constitutions Bar Atheists From Public Office. Can you guess which ones?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i knew about the states but i thought courts would allow affirmation instead of swearing on a bible. g

Was Rand correct

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

rand is correct once in a long while, definitely by accident. this isn't one of those times. he dead wrong, as usual. g

Anyone besides me sign up with HealthyWage and make a wager?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i signed up but then i chickened out. g

What should atheists think of the "Black Church"?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i don't tell people how to think! if the institution robs people for a living, it needs to stop, and if that is its function, or its nature, then it needs to be stopped. african americans can remember it fondly and move on. i'm not saying it will be easy... but in the end, freedom is freedom. g

The "IN" crowd...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

as long as he gets kicked OUT of the white house! g

All species flora & fauna are reproduced.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i was raised so secularly that while i knew for sure i was a jew, no doubt about that, i never knew whether or not my parents believed in a god until someone asked me about it after i'd grown up and moved away. when i found myself unable to answer, i called my folks long distance (remember long distance?) and asked them. turns out mom wasn't sure but thought she did, and dad wasn't sure but thought he didn't. when mom died (a couple years after dad did), she said she hoped she would meet dad again. what was i going to do -- lecture her in the last hours of her life? 'sigh so... i do know that her parents' parents were so orthodox they wouldn't flip a light switch on the sabbath. the ba'al shem tov would've been horrified. g

I really don't identify as anything in particular.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i like jew for a noun and jewish for an adjective. i identify with jewish culture, even though i may eat what i like, being an atheist and unobservant even when i thought a god existed. i was raised secularly. there is more than one jewish culture. my heritage is ashkenazic. there are sephardim and i forget what the third group is, from a little farther east than the sephardim. these things are real. whether they are meaningful or not is another story. to me they are. to you, obviously not. that's okay too. g

There are two ways to be fooled

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

correct, in a general sense. in terms of specifics, a gazillion ways! g

Are you afraid of success?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

it is not fear we need to fear. it is letting fear paralyze us. it's okay to be afraid. act anyway! g

Beauty

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

what's to be mad and what's not beautiful? i love bees! wasps, well, that's another story. but bees are... the bee's knees! g

Superstition

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

my guy is superstitious about the number 19 because bad things have happened to him on the 19th of a given month. each of his parents died on a 19th; he got a bad result from an application on a 19th. other stuff happened on a 19th. i don't really know other people who have confided or displayed superstitions to me, and if i have any myself i am not aware of it. i have always had black cats. beautiful creatures, and loving, they are! g

I finally blocked someone here, for the first time! is this good or bad?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i may be about to block another. why do people have to get personal when challenged on an intellectual point? this one wants to redefine words to suit his own message, and what words does he think he is redefining? "god" and "pray." because god doesn't have to mean god, you know. it can mean potato, or a tree, or whatever. and pray doesn't have to be TO someone, except it does, except it doesn't, except it does.... what was the other one? gratitude, which i admit i brought up as an example of a word that has to be TO someone. you can be grateful to a lot of different kinds of people -- it doesn't have to be a god -- but it does have to be to someone! nope, redefine that one too. okay, i am not ranting here because that's what this guys says. i am ranting here because when i disagree with all that, i "must be a lot of fun at parties." in other worse, i don't agree with him so i'm a drag. well, if i am such a drag, i guess he won't mind being blocked. g

Whenever I go to the city (not a big city mind you), I see many homeless people on every corner ...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

people who don't eat regularly can be delusional. it's not their fault. g

Interesting. I'm watching this to find out how you lot got that way. [youtu.be]

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

"you lot"? is this about sodom and gomorrah? g

International Cat Day.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

some of my kids. tevye on the right, penny in the middle, one of their daughters, kuma, all black, on the left. g

Will computers and technology turn us all into God's?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

into god's what? if i could be healthy and sentient and the body parts were not ugly and clumsy and metallic, why wouldn't i want to live forever? i can think of only one reason: being around when the sun explodes and gobbles us up. as what would i then live? would being immortal be enough to turn us into what we call gods? let's go, just as visitors, mind you, since we're atheists, to genesis and see. adam and eve WERE immortal. they were warned not to eat from the tree of knowledge because if they were immortal AND omniscient, they be as gods. (well, god SAID he was a jealous god; at least he was honest about that!) it was after they ate of the tree of knowledge that they were kicked out of eden and deprived of their immortality. so apparently, for the god-believing, it is the two qualities together, not just one or the other, that creates a god. of course that's the biblical explanation of what a god is. for some religions, to be a god you have to be able to transform yourself into a swan and rape a young woman. g

Should Pluto be renamed as a planet? What are your thoughts? [nydailynews.com]

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i miss pluto. i don't care if it's a dwarf planet or an ice planet. you can't just give that kind of status to an entity and then rudely take it away. pluto needs to be reinstated, and if that means letting all its icy little friends join too, then so be it! g

Can I be a member for my education? not jewish

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

apparently! welcome :-)) g

As the Christian Church Crumbles, is Humanism Ready to Step Up? - TheHumanist.com

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i am not sure the church is crumbling. i wouldn't know for sure, since i've never been a christian, but my outside view, such as it is, doesn't show that. as for giving, there are nonreligious human services organizations. some are governmental, others private. yes, i know, SO many are attached to a religious entity, but not all. i am thinking in particular of the very good food shelf/clothes closet in my city. it is absolutely secular. g

I've always been a fan of YouTube, but in recent months, it's become almost impossible to watch, ...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

adblock plus works great in that regard. no more ads! it is free, through the chrome app store. g

While in your teens did you see your current age as old?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

yep! but i AM old! (i'm 66 and a half.) the going mantra was not to trust anyone over 30 but i never bought into that. g

Neil Peart Quote

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

how can a universe, which is not a sentient being, have a plan? i like rush, and i don't mind songs that say things i don't necessarily agree with as long as they're not offensive things, but as philosophy? no. the universe works the way it works, but that is not the same as having a plan. as for whether or not we will ever understand, i am not predicting one way or the other. g

What the early church thought about God's gender

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

the two synagogues i've been to in my city have prayer books that avoid gender in referring to god too. this is not so much an update for the times as an update to be more in line with the noncorporeal, nongenderic nature of the jewish god. g

This all you are This is what you call consciousness This is where all your thoughts, ...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

worm food. g

International Cat Day.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

https://youtu.be/OfNvowRkxd8 my late, great sammy. i wrote the music in the video. g

What are your thoughts on sleeping in the bed with multiple pets?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

my cats are all elderly. i am not saying they sleep like logs, but they don't do the kitty 500 all night like young'uns do. thing is, one of them wants to be in my arms, then on my head, then back in my arms, and so on, and she is very talkative. another one insists on sleeping on my body. yet another likes my pillow and will occasionally chew on my hair. one of the others sleeps on the far side of the bed and the other one is often in the other room but sometimes comes to snuggle with the one on my pillow, which does keep him from chewing on my hair. the dog sleeps in her doggie bed on the floor. g

Your favorite dog breed!

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i am a border collie gal, and shelties come in a close second, but for some strange reason i have a long-haired chihuahua with a little papillon mixed in. she's... different! g

Are you a dog person or a cat person? (I'm a cat person)

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

yes. g

Any playlist suggestions?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpDsWNnhdfRljZPiftXCELlqz-vKNJ_D4 g

Why Spacetime is an Illusion - Carlo Rovelli Nautilus | Science Connected

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

this reminds me of the philosophy term paper i wrote in college. my teacher didn't like it and gave me a d. but then, he was an idiot. g

How many places have you lived in your lifetime?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i am mathematically challenged so i'll let y'all count. i was born in philly, moved to a 'burb, moved to willingboro, nj, which was called levittown at the time, move to silver spring, md, moved to w hyattsville, md, moved to bowie, md, moved into a dorm in my college in north nj, moved back home to bowie, moved out by myself back to w hyattsville, back to bowie, moved to alexandria, va, moved back to bowie for one night, moved out to california where i lived in four different places in hollywood and los angeles, not counting a couple nights before i moved to japan, where i lived in two places in kasugai, then two in nagoya, back to los angeles for a couple days, down to florida to stay with my mother, up to new york to go to a concert and ended up staying a year and a half, first with friends on long island, then at a pakistani hotel in chelseaf for one night, then the y also in chelsea. then in brooklyn, back out to reseda, california, then gardena, california, then to minnesota, five different homes in three cities. oh i didn't count a month teaching in surrey, england. i wonder what else i forgot? five weeks on cape cod when my mom was in hospital and then recovering from surgery. i THINK that's it.... g

How did you celebrate your 21st birthday?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

happy birthday! i don't remember my 21st birthday. that's weird because i have a pretty good memory (although my 21st was 45 and a half years ago). i remember my 13th very well. i was spy-crazy, read all the james bond books, wanted to be a spy when i grew up (or an animal psychologist -- i was undecided). my parents told me that two new spy movies were out, and i could see one right away and the other on my birthday. which one did i want to see when? i chose the ipcress file for the first viewing and saved the spy who came in from the cold for my birthday. well, on my birthday i was taken out to a chinese restaurant and then to the movies, but i never saw the end of that film. i got food poisoning from the dinner and became violently ill, and had to be taken home right away. maybe that's why i don't remember my 21st. what could top my 13th for memorability? g

How would everyone feel about being refused a date because you’re an atheist?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

why would i want to date someone who was prejudiced against atheists? g

Name one thing you want to try in the bedroom.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

sleeping. i'm no good at it, but i'd like to practice. g

I posted earlier this year about how I was going to get a puppy as a sort of graduation gift to ...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

he's adorable! g

Am I living a total lie`

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

why in the world do the boy scouts require one to believe in a god? do they care which one? why does it have to be a church? are there no jewish boy scouts? g

Is it possible to be an atheist and not even try to be?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

well, i didn't try to be (or not to be) an atheist. i just realized there were no gods. i didn't have to try to realize it. i just did. there is a word for a person who knows there are no gods. the word is atheist. it's not a club you join, or a thing you study and perfect, or a religion. it's just a noun that means a person who knows there are no gods. people who don't know that are not atheists. g

3 words only..

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i'm still alive. g

Did you know that Charles Darwin, I think it is at the end of 'Origin', mentions the Creator in the ...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

and this proves...? g

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

many people use this as a reason to disbelieve in a god. however, these questions do not disprove the existence of gods, just the existence of benevolent, human-involved gods. this quotation illustrates a reason to dislike a god in which one believes, not to disbelieve in any gods. the reason to disbelieve in gods is simply that there are no gods, and every single reason to think there might be a god always turns out to be as nonsensical as a reason to believe in the tooth fairy. g

One of the key differences between man and other animals is other animals adapt to their environment...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

adaptation to one's environment is important to survival and evolution. adaptation OF one's environment is sometimes necessary, and humans are by no means the only animals that do that, so it does not set us apart except by virtue of the degree to which we do it. we are so prodigious at it, in fact, that we may just kill ourselves off destroying that very environment. this "ability," the way we use it, is more and more counterproductive. g

Do humans have a right to ignorance?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

since there are no gods, rights are granted, or withheld, by governments. i know of no government that has made ignorance illegal. on the contrary, i know many that have worked hard to promote ignorance. g

Is Divinity a Religious thing?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

it is imaginary. far from being "something else," it is nothing, as it does not exist. no, divinity has no place within atheist thought. it is a theist concept. exceptions: it's a lovely candy and it has been used to describe bette midler. g

If we have life after death, why is it ingrained in all creatures to do anything to avoid death?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

well, since we do NOT have life after death, it's kind of moot, isn't it? g

What were you doing 17 years ago to this day?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i did not personally lose anyone that day, but i was shocked nonetheless... not at first, though. i was lying in bed at my boyfriend's condo, listening to the radio. the announcer said that a plane had flown into the world trade center. i immediately thought of that as an accident, a small plane, sad, probably killed the pilot and passengers, but before long the second plane hit and it became clear what had actually happened. i had the same kind of slow reaction when john lennon was killed. the radio said he'd been shot, and i thought, how rude, someone took a shot at john; hope he's okay. it wasn't immediately clear that he was NOT okay and never would be okay again. i am not generally slow on the uptake but for some reason i don't process tragedy that quickly. g

Compared to believers in this world, the number of Atheists and agnostics are way too small.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

we number about 16 percent worldwide. however, not all of the other 84 percent are real believers. some of them are affiliated with a religion but don't think about it much. i think therefore out numbers exceed 16 percent, probably by a lot. whatever the remainder is, they're delusional. there are no gods. g

What's the best bit of advice you've ever been given?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

it's not a short, pithy statement. this is what happened: i was one of two or three jews in the whole school. i say two or three because i knew about me and i knew about ronnie fletcher, who was cool because he wore purple shoelaces. i wasn't cool. i am not sure, even to this day, about the principal, mr. rose. anyway, the math teacher, mr. house, used to talk smack about me in class when i was out at band sectional (a friend kept tabs for me). he did not like jews. the core teacher, mr. whitmore, was not much help, telling the students (again in my absence) not to hate me just because i was jewish and carried a briefcase and wore glasses and didn't like rock 'n roll.... by the time he got through all the reasons they should set aside in order not to hate me, they probably hated me twice as much. the kid who say behind me in home room and core (all the core subjects -- this was junior high) started calling me a dirty jew. i told him to stop. he didn't stop. in the hallway on the way to band (not sectional but regular band practice) he did it again. i told him if he called me dirty jew again i would hit him in the mouth so hard his teeth would come out of his toenails. in the instrument storage room, i was getting out my drumsticks and he was getting his french horn, and he called me a dirty jew again. i started to beat him up, but i had to stop because he was so astonished that he just stood there. disgusted, i went back up to the percussion section, where i was greeted laughingly by a huge ninth-grader who already had gray hair. (i was only an eighth-grader, a year younger than all the other eighth-graders and small for my age at that.) he asked me what i would do it HE called me a dirty jew. i looked way up at him and said "i'd beat you up too!" the head of the section decided, for the first time ever, that i should play the tympani part in the arabian dance from the nutcracker suite. i was thrilled! but while we were all playing it, the kid who usually had the tympani part loudly told an antisemitic joke. i turned around and kicked him in the knee. (i was so naive! i didn't know where to kick!) he yelled, the teacher stopped the band and demanded to know what had happened and ended up sending us down to the principal's office. mr. rose came out and spoke to me. he didn't address the boy, though he was standing right there too. he asked me if i knew what "rabbi" meant. i knew he knew that i knew what a rabbi was, but i also knew that's not what he meant. "it means 'teacher,'" he said. "you're going to meet a lot of ignorant people in your life. you can't beat them all up." then he looked at the boy for the first time and added, to him, "understand?" the boy nodded. i wasn't bothered again ...

What is your best interview advice?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

are you talking about conducting a job interview with an applicant, being an applicant, interviewing someone in order to write an article about that person, or being interviewed by someone who may write an article about you? g

What inspires you to follow a member's posts on Agnostic.com?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

not sure yet. i just got here. i am not yet following anyone. i am, rather, looking for familiar names whenever i appreciate a post. when i notice that i am smiling a lot at the same person's posts, i will then follow that person. g

If you have depression, did atheism contribute to it?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

nope. not a bit. i am clinically depressed and part of it it related to ptsd i acquired by waking up during eye surgery when i was three. my atheism is just a description of the fact that at the age of 15 i realized that there are no gods, and have had no reason since then to reverse that realization. by the way, depression is not the same thing as sadness, or grief. it is an illness. it has to do with neurotransmitters in the brain and those are not affected by atheism. g

Written as a response to a statement that astrology is a viable source for real information about ...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i wonder, if i asked my guy what star he wanted to be born under, he'd answer "marilyn monroe"? g

A father instructs his child about the benefits of wisdom.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

the benefits of wisdom? first of all, fathers don't instruct their children in the benefits of wisdom. everyone knows the benefits of wisdom; it's better to know stuff than not to know it, and even better to know what it means, and still better to know how to use that knowledge. fathers may instruct their children in many things, some of them false, and some fathers don't bother to instruct their children at all. heeding good advice is sometimes useless, as not all advice that is good for one person is good for another. the right road for one is the wrong road for another. this is, sorry, not trying to be rude, but it's nonsense. g

FACT AND FICTION - - - - - - Some members of this forum have accused me of trying to reconcile fact...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

that's not symbiosis. that's symbolism. we know that while a piece of paper with ben franklin's face imprinted on it has no intrinsic value, but we ALSO know that it has the value of what we can exchange it for because we have all bought into the convenience of that symbolic system. quite frankly, the gold that purportedly backs it has no intrinsic value either, since we can't eat gold. this has nothing whatsoever to do with fact and fiction. g

This may sound strange coming from an atheist, but do ghosts come from the living or the dead?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

my guess which is an educated one, is that ghosts come from neither the living nor the dead, since they do not exist. we give supernatural names to things we do not understand. language is like that. maybe we have no other word for ghost right now. that's tricky, though. ghost actually means something, and using it to explain something that is NOT what ghost means is at best confusing and at worst misleading. i'm not going to use the word ghost to define a hallucination, a funny feeling, something that looks ghostly but surely has an unghostly explanation, or any other real thing, because as ghosts are defined, there is no such thing. g

My guy got hauled away tonight to a hospital with a religious name, but i have never been approached...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

update: they've admitted him. he's sleeping. he was WAY dehydrated and is still receiving fluids. his chest x-ray showed no problems. his tummy is distended. he is scheduled for a ct scan of said tummy in a few hours. i will call back later and find out how that went. the nurse sounded a little sleep-deprived! i know i am. g

I can't stand whiners.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

but... aren't you whining about them right now? g

Ok, am I the only one who is tired of being reminded of 9/11 every year?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i don't mind being reminded, not that i would have forgotten, but i DO mind all the "share this to remember 9/11" and let's not post anything from the hour the first plane hit to the moment the second building fell to show our respect" crap that exists only to clutter our facebook pages. people shouldn't be share- and like-farming off of that. g

Am I the only one who HATES when someone acts too familiar when they first send a message?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

you are not alone. it happens a lot in scam-spam. "dear (no name!)" or "my dear" -- the people perpetrating the scam are so stupid, they think because our letters begin with "dear" we like actual terms of endearment from strangers. that is a bit different of course from what you describe. that's accidental familiarity and what you describe is purposeful, invasive and at best cheeky. i don't tolerate it. g

An interesting subject of Agnostics, I think anyhow I dare you to watch and discuss with me your ...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

oy has she got her facts wrong! first of all, we're not descended from apes. we're descended from an ancestor we have in common with apes. her assertions about no progress for long stretches, and her concern for the missing link, are ridiculous. tools are not the only criteria for assessing progress. she also refers to "so many different races" and anthropologically there is no such thing as race, whatsoever! she uses official-looking stuff and abuses it all over the place. this is pathetic. g

My guy got hauled away tonight to a hospital with a religious name, but i have never been approached...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

update: he's dehydrated. that's all they know so far. i told them he was dehydrated; the man doesn't listen to me! i told him to hydrate like mad, but noooooo. so he's on an iv now. they're waiting for the x-rays and the blood tests (they couldn't even GET blood from him until after they hydrated him a bit!) so it's a no-update kind of update, except for confirmation of what i already knew: the man is stubborn. g

Favorite little local place?

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

there is a great buffet nearby that serves mostly asian food (some sushi, mostly chinese food, monglian bbq, kim chi, seaweed, crab legs, many other things, and even some compromises for the culture-bound (pizza, for example). i love it. g

How to grieve after a passing of a loved one.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i don't understand what god has to do with it. if you do not think any gods exist does that mean you are not sad when a loved one dies? does it mean you are alone? how do people who DO believe in god grieve? isn't it the same? i don't get it. i'm not trying to be snarky. i honestly don't get it. g

Pat Robertson declares a ‘wall of protection’ around his TV station from Hurricane Florence – ...

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

his congregation will have group amnesia when his wall doesn't protect anyone. g

Cooked beets for the first time. Looks like a murder scene.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

they do leak! but boiled? no, no, no! anything but that! try roasting them! boiling a vegetable is almost... well this is the wrong site to call something sacrilegious lol. but you get to keep the flavor and the vitamins if you cook them ANY other way. roasting is best but even microwaving beats (pun intended) boiling! if they tasted good after boiling just IMAGINE how they would taste after roasting :-)) g

What do you guys think.

genessa comments on Sep 11, 2018:

i am sorry about your mother. re jw, i have a friend/acquaintance who was raised, and still is as far as i know, jw. she has told me about sexual abuse and the church's main concern regarding it, which is to cover it up and punish people for speaking out. that doesn't make me like them much, as delusional sects go. g

Worst 20th century world leader

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

it's a tie, and there are certainly a lot of contenders for second place and beyond, but my first-place tie is among hitler, stalin and pol pot. g

Are you unusually sensitive, too?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

the only thing that resonates is the foot-wiggling. i do that. it doesn't bother me. the rls does. i kick! g

What is the difference between Thor and Jesus?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

thor was probably thor's real name. jesus sure wasn't jesus's. g

Don't cry because it's over. Laugh because his new girlfriend looks like a horse.

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

and of course looks are the most important thing about a woman. um.... g

How many people wake up one day and are unable to do simple things like making your bed, doing ...

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

you're asking if anyone else is that depressed. yes. for sure. g

I don't know how to make sense of this.

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

ask this person outright if s/he considers you a friend. tell him/her it's okay if not, but to SAY so, because you don't want to keep feeling as you are the only one who gets in the mood to communicate. g

If you had to recommend someone watch 5 TV series, what would you pick?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

wow, it's hard to choose only five. i am guessing from your examples that past shows are okay. so how about (in no particular order, and off the top of my head): murphy brown the west wing hill street blues ugly betty northern exposure the good wife doctor who the prisoner the avengers (diana rigg episodes) absolutely fabulous st. elsewhere l.a. law boston legal law and order (and svu, and criminal intent) i'll fly away civil wars (not to be confused with the ken burns documentary) upstairs downstairs (the original) everything ken burns ever made oh did i mention i can't count? g

What was the worst thing you experienced in the church?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

i got freaked out in a french churchyard once. the crosses were HUGE! i'd never seen anything like that. my only church experiences are as a tourist admiring architecture or going to a concert, or attending friends' weddings. oh, and voting -- sometimes the polling place is a church. so there are crosses around, but not proselytes, not on election day. i have never been christian. i have been to one church service, other than in the situations i just named, in my life, as a kind of exchange thing with a baptist friend (she came to a synagogue with me; i had no synagogue of which i was a part so i had to find one! the church i attended was her regular church). the singing was nice. everyone was polite. the sermon was short so that was okay. i am sure jesus must have been mentioned. i didn't take it personally. g

The fear of death is the cardinal precept of all religions.

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

your statement may well apply to christians. it certain doesn't apply to jews. the afterlife is not a consideration in judaism. it's more about the here and now. and yes, i am an atheist. g

Faith over Reason

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

it isn't actually part of judaism. even SO i have been an atheist since the age of 15. i wasn't rebelling against my heritage or judaism. i just realized there are no gods. that's all. i think the quotation applies very well to christians, though. g

Former faith or religion?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

no, my atheism has nothing to do with my completely positive, if secular, jewish upbringing. it was unrelated to that -- so much so that i still consider myself a jew, even though i am completely atheistic. (that's not actually considered a sin; sin in the christian sense isn't really a jewish thing anyway. faith as christians know it isn't what judaism is about.) g

Who here is familiar with the Church of Scientology?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

okay, false alarm. (real life is SO inconvenient!) okay, i am misremembering. the second experience was with mormons. i have ONE experience with scientologists. i was about 18, and walking down the street in new york city. (i was in college in northern new jerseyf.) i had for some years been interested in what my iq was, for reasons i won't go into right now, and lo and behold, i was accosted by someone offering me an iq test! i couldn't resist. i went into a building and found myself in a large room with many people at desks talking tests, and i was soon doing so as well. after i took the test i was called into a small office and told, soberly, that the test had revealed that i was a genius but emotionally unstable (since when does an iq test tell you about emotional stability?) and that i needed to join the church of scientology right away. i declined. young as i was, i was immediately aware that they HAD to tell me i was a genius (it happens to be true but i am sure they tell everyone that) so i would be flattered and interested, and they HAD to tell me i was emotionally unstable (also, as it happens, untrue at that time, but they REALLY had no way of knowing that) or i wouldn't NEED them. that should tell you a WHOLE lot about scientology, whatever else it is and whatever else they do. g

Who here is familiar with the Church of Scientology?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

i've seen a bunch of scary documentaries about how they hold people captive but i have two personal experiences too. will elaborate in a second.... being called away.... g

Who or what do you sleep with at night?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

my significant other snores, flails and could wake the dead if he happened to sneeze. he wears a cpap. therefore we have our own rooms. i sleep with my bedroom door open so the dog and five cats can come and go freely; there is one cat named tevye who sometimes asks me to open my s.o.'s door so he can go in and snuggle with him, but just as often he is on my pillow, sometimes chewing my hair. his sister golde will vie for that position, though she is also happy in my arms. tevye's wife penny sleeps on my body. their daughter wendy sleeps on the other side of the bed, and their other daughter kuma sometimes snuggles with her papa. ramona the dog sleeps in her doggie bed on the floor, and sometimes tevye eschews both me AND my guy and instead sleeps in the doggie bed with ramona. ramona loves this. oh and i have a TON of bolster pilows and bed pillows too. (when i was in college i slept with books, records and a guitar on my bed!) g

What is favorite self care activity?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

sleep. i am no good at it, though. g

Has a song ever changed your mind? What was the song? How did it affect you?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

rush's "the enemy within" helped me decide to leave my life in america behind for what turned out to be a decade and go to japan. g

What music are you listening to right now?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

sorry, i was listening to pretty girl with a blue dress on by the carolina chocolate drops a little earlier but right now i am listening to the rachel maddow show on tv. g

Jesus loves you? What does it mean to you?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

i know if i love (not just love!) a dead person that's necrophilia. what is it if i believe a dead person loves ME? you know, if jesus REALLY loved me, he'd email me once in a while. g

What is the best way to get rid of someone preaching to you?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

i was approached regularly by mormons at the kinko's in nagoya, japan, while i waited for my copies. finally, when two of them (it's always two!) came up to me and asked, with big fake smiles whether i had heard the story of joseph smith, i answered, brightly, "yes! i have! have you heard the one about the rabbi...?" and proceeded to tell them a very long chassidic story. their big smiles virtually cracked. they never bothered me again. g

If you choose to leave the United States, what country would you prefer to live in next?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

been there, done that. spent 10 years in japan. i'd like to try france, but it's not going to happen. g

Favorite song titles

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

how can i miss you if you won't go away? -- dan hicks and his hot licks my guitar wants to kill your mama -- frank zappa mairzy dotes -- aw come on, don't make me look that up! i'm tired! i want a hot dog for my roll -- not sure who wrote it but performed by butterbeans and suzie g

If Jesus had a dating profile...

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

oh he obviously used someone else's picture, since 1. he was a middle eastern jew and no WAY looked like the guy in the picture, 2. christianity didn't exist in his time so he never wore a cross, unless he was secretly working for the romans, rounding up hapless petty criminals to be crucified. (oh and the red sea bit... that was moses, wasn't it? but it's certainly not moses' picture!) so: nice jewish boy, born out of wedlock, triple personality, trying to get over mother issues (so forgive me -- for i have sinned -- but anyone named mary need not apply), looking for understanding, patient, good old-fashioned girl, since i sometimes disappear into the wilderness without so much as a tweet to say i'm still alive. anger issues, especially confronted with moneylenders. strictly heterosexual but known to bestow the occasional kiss on male companions. i'm not perfect but if you're the one, i'd die for you. g

For those interested in History and the Bullshit Sold as History to Erase the Real History.

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

madrid and spanish cities and towns farther south as well. morocco was a HUGE influence on spanish music, architecture, religion (until the spanish inquisition) and more. g

I really wish if I can find someone to work on my memoir.

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

that can be a gratifying task but it's hard work and takes time and effort. therefore, when i do that, i do not work for free. you have not mentioned compensation. g

I'm concerned about the Boy Who Cried Wolf.

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

three and a half years ago i told a friend of mine, jewish like me, but not atheist like me (he's orthodox, in fact) that the republicans were using fascist methods to gain and retain power, and that the rise of trump amid them was comparable to the rise of hitler. he was horrified that i would, as he saw it, trivialize the holocaust in that way, and stopped being my friend. (yes, this was on facebook, but we had met, and although our initial contact was online, it had not been on facebook. we'd been friends for 21 years.) i was right, of course, and i sometimes wonder whether he has figured that out yet, whether he ever will, whether it is too late. g

Trump Only Has One Scandal - The Atlantic

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

no, there is another, and that is the subjugation of american interests to those of a hostile foreign power. that may be related to the scandal you've named, but it isn't the same scandal. so there are at least two. g

“The salvation of a civilization has to be predicated on a resurrection from the corruption of its...

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

alone? no. and what the hell is salvation anyway? on the other hand, words DO matter. how come a man who speaks up for himself is forceful but a woman who does is feisty (at best) or bitchy? republicans know how much words matter. they have decided that the democratic party should now be called the democrat party, and they've gotten so far with it that even liberals are starting to use the word that way. it's a seemingly small thing but they use it mockingly and it sounds slightly harsh, and we should resist that. ALL of us. that means republicans too. don't use dirty tricks! g

Complaining.

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

1. i know how much i complain. i try to do it to the people who can do something ABOUT my complaint, or to someone who will acknowledge my feelings and comfort me. sometimes that person is myself. 2. no one likes people who complain excessively. however, not every has the same threshold. complaining when appropriate and complaining excessively, and to the wrong people, are not the same thing. 3. i have issues too, and am disabled as well. however, when i complain it is often about injustice, and for the purpose of ending the injustice. thinking happy thoughts doesn't get things done. g

Anyone interested in helping this catch on?

genessa comments on Sep 10, 2018:

when i find a bible in a hotel room, even in a drawer, i carry it out to the front desk and explain that it is offensive to me. it is invariably a christian bible, of course. g