Don't. You. Hate. When. People. Post. Like. This. why do they do it?

magicwatch comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I agree, but when I went to school we used a pen and paper and we were taught how to spell correctly.

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

if my peers' spelling is any example, i don't think we were taught that. i learned to spell by reading. some of my teachers were ignorant as hell. (i had an english teacher tell the class "you rise your hand; your hand raises." i had another english teacher tell me there was no such word as "perpetrate" and i must have meant "perpetuate"; as it happens, i had meant perpetrate, which is a real word.) i have arthritis in my hands. i sure am glad i have a keyboard and don't have to hurt myself holding a pen. g

I have blocked my third user.

JustKip comments on Sep 15, 2018:

The first person I blocked was comparing me to right wing fundies because I doubted her astral travel claims

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

they'll say ANYTHING, won't they? "i think celery tastes bad." "oh, you're a trump supporter!" it's the new thing and it not only sucks, it's WEIRD. g

I can usually maintain a positive attitude by reflecting on worse places I've been or jobs I've ...

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

it's a tie. one was a job as a receptionist/scheduler for a photography studio. the boss, who was jewish, and used his real name with dark-haired customers and an alias with light-haired customers, noted that my surname is "overtly jewish" and asked me if i had ever considered changing it? when i...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@chalupacabre they were! g

I'm going to put my boat in the water and go save some of the imbeciles sitting on rooftops but ...

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

that's not only mean, it's ridiculous. not everyone had the means to leave. not everyone has a car. some people are disabled. i know of one guy who stayed because he owned a pet shop with over 100 animals in it and he spent the time he could have spent escaping rescuing the animals and bring ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Anonbene no i don't, but thanks for being insulting enough to say so. g

I've never voted but in 2020 I'm voting libertarian, I come to a strong conclusion today thinking ...

TheGreatShadow comments on Sep 14, 2018:

I don't force myself to vote for someone simply because they have a R or a D stamped on them. I hate the 2 party system! I wish Sanders would have gotten President. Johnson didn't have a snowballs chance in hell. So if you think one party is better than another, you need to look at what they want to...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

i don't have to force myself to vote for someone with a d. i like the d party and i vote for people whom i like individually; funnily enough, they turn out to be d. the two-party system is the only system that works in a democratic republic. in a parliamentary system, there are coalitions. you can have as many parties as you want and they have to cooperate. in our system, the winner SHOULD cooperate but the republicans don't, and the libertarians call themselves republican in order to maintain the majority. with republicans in power, not only are there no coalitions, but winner takes all. that's not how it should work, but when one party is totally corrupt, that is how it DOES work. is the democratic party perfect? name something perfect! but there is a difference between not being perfect and being corrupt and evil. g

Should public nudity be legal?

PontifexMarximus comments on Aug 30, 2018:

Holy US where nukes are ok but nudes are not!

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@PontifexMarximus given what some people think nudism is about, maybe it should be spelled nookie! g

Should public nudity be legal?

PontifexMarximus comments on Aug 30, 2018:

Holy US where nukes are ok but nudes are not!

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@PontifexMarximus, @Hercules3000 i am not venessa, i do not respect comments that, rather than being sincere, are meant to get someone off your back -- it decreases your credibility -- and i am therefore not off your back. you bid me farwell nicely but this statement was NOT nice. g

Should public nudity be legal?

PontifexMarximus comments on Aug 30, 2018:

Holy US where nukes are ok but nudes are not!

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@PontifexMarximus i liked the play on words. g

Hello awkward agnosticators! Just a little light note of awkwardness.

Zoohome comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I know my praying nights are about to start. Every night when i work, my group hold on each others shoulders and pray to lord that everything goes smooth through the night. I tag along so I don't have to get on any type of religious conversation, they would NEVER understand my views and I would be ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

if they ask you to lead the prayer, just say "like moses, i am slow of speech. unlike moses, i don't have aaron to speak for me. please let someone else lead the prayer." that should impress them! you don't have to say "and by the way, none of that ever happened." lol g

Should public nudity be legal?

PontifexMarximus comments on Aug 30, 2018:

Holy US where nukes are ok but nudes are not!

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Hercules3000 we only get one body. why hide it? what's so horrible about having a body? do we have to be perfect before being allowed to free it? g

Should public nudity be legal?

PontifexMarximus comments on Aug 30, 2018:

Holy US where nukes are ok but nudes are not!

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Hercules3000 i'm not the one who brought up nukes. i do not associate nudes with nukes. i was just responding to what you said about them. g

Should public nudity be legal?

genessa comments on Sep 2, 2018:

I think if everyone was publicly naked, there would not be less (nor more, i hasten to add) sexual violence, but there might be less stigmatization of the victim, since no one could try to blame the victim's attire for the assault. on the other hand, patriarchy would still find a way to assert ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Hercules3000 omg you're obsessed with danglies! if everyone was nude, nobody would be looking all the time at the danglies! and if people were seated their danglies wouldn't really be dangling. the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy says: always know where your towel is. g

Should public nudity be legal?

PontifexMarximus comments on Aug 30, 2018:

Holy US where nukes are ok but nudes are not!

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Hercules3000 no but they can blast your genitals right off! melt them, actually. so it's all about genitals (and fitness)? is a person just all about his or her genitals? g

I have genre dreams. do you?

DenoPenno comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I see certain anxieties here that we all might have. Some do not admit it. Did you come from a large family? Does your mother have something to do with many children? Surely you are out of place here, and the possibility of someone else in your room might make you wonder if you are going to be ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@DenoPenno indeed (to all of it) i used to interpret dreams for people. i saw other interpreters saying stuff like "that means this or that will happen" or other predictive garbage. i always took a psychological stance. g

Is my way of life sustainable?

Cutiebeauty comments on Sep 12, 2018:

I don't have much experience so far, I'm only 28, but I do have advice. Go to college, get financial grants, student loans, etc. It's a long term solution you need

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@misternatureboy see, some of what i was objecting to was the assumption that you were uneducated. obviously you are not. g

Is my way of life sustainable?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

i don't think it will necessarily bite you in the butt but you may want to strive toward more independence in terms of your eventual living situation, especially if you don't intend to remain single (which you may or may not). i recommend applying for citizenship. it may take a lifetime to get, ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@misternatureboy good luck! g

What happens to your spirt / mind when you die?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

no one knows for sure and anyone who says they know is operating on some kind of faith -- their own, if they believe what they're saying, or yours, if you believe what they're saying. now some stuff we DO know. we know you don't turn into a unicorn and gallop away, for example. we have good ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@GlyndonD you are right. i am dismissing that idea. if they are fantasy objects there are other bases on which to deny credibility. if they are not fantasy objects, someone's ability to describe them is irrelevant. i am also dismissing your assertion that i am defending fantasies. i'm not. i am also dismissing your assertion that description has a damned thing to do with any of it. there are other criteria. we're going around in circles. you're not understanding anything i say and all you're doing is making false accusations. under the circumstances, i am not sure why i should continue to try to explain myself to you. i am sure most people reading this understand what i am saying. i am sorry that you do not. g

Should public nudity be legal?

genessa comments on Sep 2, 2018:

I think if everyone was publicly naked, there would not be less (nor more, i hasten to add) sexual violence, but there might be less stigmatization of the victim, since no one could try to blame the victim's attire for the assault. on the other hand, patriarchy would still find a way to assert ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Hercules3000 neither are grownups. what's your point? we're not talking about whether nudity IS permissible in public. we're talking about whether it SHOULD be. if it were, then yes, children would be naked in shopping malls, and not getting erections either. g

What happens to your spirt / mind when you die?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

no one knows for sure and anyone who says they know is operating on some kind of faith -- their own, if they believe what they're saying, or yours, if you believe what they're saying. now some stuff we DO know. we know you don't turn into a unicorn and gallop away, for example. we have good ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@GlyndonD let me see if i can put this VERY simply. stuff you can't see may or may not be real. not being able to see it doesn't prove it one way or the other. stuff you can't describe may or may not be real. one person's being unable to describe something doesn't make it unreal. one person's ability to describe it also doesn't make it real. it has nothing whatsoever to do with the ability or inability of people to describe. there are other criteria. describability is not one of them. i can describe a unicorn. that doesn't make it real. there are no unicorns even though i can describe them. there are bacteria, even though i can neither see nor describe them. i have said multiple times i don't believe in unicorns or ghosts or gods or souls or spirits or any other crap like that. how many times do i have to say it? why do you accuse me of defending superstitions and the like when i have REPEATEDLY said that they are nonsense? do you read only every other word of mine? g

Should public nudity be legal?

genessa comments on Sep 2, 2018:

I think if everyone was publicly naked, there would not be less (nor more, i hasten to add) sexual violence, but there might be less stigmatization of the victim, since no one could try to blame the victim's attire for the assault. on the other hand, patriarchy would still find a way to assert ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Hercules3000 pretty much everything, not the special cases you named. as for children, they frequently ARE naked! what's the big deal? g

What happens to your spirt / mind when you die?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

no one knows for sure and anyone who says they know is operating on some kind of faith -- their own, if they believe what they're saying, or yours, if you believe what they're saying. now some stuff we DO know. we know you don't turn into a unicorn and gallop away, for example. we have good ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@GlyndonD i said no such thing! in fact i said the OPPOSITE. g

Does anyone else find "That's so satisfying!" Videos as not so satisfying?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

i have never seen one! what are they? g

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Kayterade5348 hmm. not something i would be drawn to, to start with. g

Should public nudity be legal?

genessa comments on Sep 2, 2018:

I think if everyone was publicly naked, there would not be less (nor more, i hasten to add) sexual violence, but there might be less stigmatization of the victim, since no one could try to blame the victim's attire for the assault. on the other hand, patriarchy would still find a way to assert ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Hercules3000 pretty much everything, including breathing! my skin is particularly sensitive, as it happens. but one doesn't have to have a problem in order to benefit from nudity. but that's not the point. the point is whether or not people should be forced to cover up whether they want to or not, just because SOME people might be titillated. g

Should public nudity be legal?

genessa comments on Sep 2, 2018:

I think if everyone was publicly naked, there would not be less (nor more, i hasten to add) sexual violence, but there might be less stigmatization of the victim, since no one could try to blame the victim's attire for the assault. on the other hand, patriarchy would still find a way to assert ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Hercules3000 nope, not even remotely like that. complete false conflation. that's just silly. are you trying to imagine potential problems? is there something else on your mind you're not revealing, regarding public nudity? g

So my fundie christian MOTHER has told other members of the family that she hopes this hurricane we ...

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

that's motherly love for ya. has she not realized how many times people have blamed atheism, homosexuality, short skirts or WHATEVER for natural phenomena that have very clear, well understood causes, and then found that people who did not fit any of those descriptions ALSO had to suffer through ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@John-Paul whoever blocked you was no big loss to your life, sounds like! logic isn't accepted everywhere but don't give up. g

Should public nudity be legal?

genessa comments on Sep 2, 2018:

I think if everyone was publicly naked, there would not be less (nor more, i hasten to add) sexual violence, but there might be less stigmatization of the victim, since no one could try to blame the victim's attire for the assault. on the other hand, patriarchy would still find a way to assert ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Hercules3000 i think people will get used to nudity and those erections will happen less and less, but if overcrowding is a problem that way, maybe more subways cars will be built to ease crowding. i don't see this as a huge problem, really, apart from the fact that the crowding itself is. g

Was just arguing with my sister about psychology.

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

it exists, but it has nothing to do with the ugliness taken advantage of by the russians. it's not like a radio station to which we're all tuned. (this brainwashing is a bit like that! i mean that collective subconscious isn't.) it's more like a common tune our ancestors hummed. g

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@beerhungry well, it is if that's how you interpret it. whether or not it is called that, you certainly observe correctly, but of course the operative word is TEND. it's not a rule :-)) g

Should public nudity be legal?

genessa comments on Sep 2, 2018:

I think if everyone was publicly naked, there would not be less (nor more, i hasten to add) sexual violence, but there might be less stigmatization of the victim, since no one could try to blame the victim's attire for the assault. on the other hand, patriarchy would still find a way to assert ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Hercules3000 nope, not forgetting. you know what? those people are attacking us even when we're fully clothed. i don't see nudity as a further problem. g

Was just arguing with my sister about psychology.

Cutiebeauty comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Trump was elected because American didn't want Hillary and because he appealed to people's base thoughts about minorities. I never heard the term collective subconsciousness...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@beerhungry what ABOUT bernie? it is normal to have more than one person running in a party's primary. only one can win. hillary won. bernie decided to support her. he had already promised not to be a spoiler (run as a third-party candidate). however, jill stein and the russians WANTED spoilers, so she became it. it worked, to an extent, but hillary still won the popular vote. bernie continues to be the senator from vermont. he continued to caucus with the democrats. as far as i know, he and hillary are still friends, as they were before. the statement was that the people didn't want hillary. the popular vote says otherwise. we were talking about the general election, not the primaries. g

Was just arguing with my sister about psychology.

Cutiebeauty comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Trump was elected because American didn't want Hillary and because he appealed to people's base thoughts about minorities. I never heard the term collective subconsciousness...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

americans did and do want hillary. that is why even with the russian interference she got almost three million more votes than trump did. the electoral college doesn't represent what the american people want, and the russians sure as hell don't either. republicans? republicans want money and power, period. g

Books Better the 2nd Time?

escapetypist comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I was saddened to see schools pushing more non-fiction on students. Times may have changed but the themes of free will, social pressures, ethical dilemmas, human condition, and gender roles remain the same. If we don't encourage reading the classics, we may soon lose the writers who will write ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

there is nothing wrong with nonfiction. one can read both fiction and nonfiction. as for classics... not everyone agrees on what the classics are. one thing i do know: classics should not be presented AS classics, since kids will use the label to look at them differently, even resent them. they should be presented like any other reading, and let the kids decide whether or not they enjoyed them/learned from them. g

What happens to your spirt / mind when you die?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

no one knows for sure and anyone who says they know is operating on some kind of faith -- their own, if they believe what they're saying, or yours, if you believe what they're saying. now some stuff we DO know. we know you don't turn into a unicorn and gallop away, for example. we have good ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@GlyndonD in what way did i defend any of that? i have reread my writings. i am promoting no such thing. g

Is my way of life sustainable?

Cutiebeauty comments on Sep 12, 2018:

I don't have much experience so far, I'm only 28, but I do have advice. Go to college, get financial grants, student loans, etc. It's a long term solution you need

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

it is difficult enough for a young person to get grants; at 44, and trying to support oneself, it would be extremely difficult, especially for a noncitizen. the way student loans work these days, he would be saddling himself with horrible debt for the rest of his life. why, at his age, is college the long-term solution he needs? he hasn't actually said whether he already HAS a degree, for that matter. he doesn't need it for work if he follows the path he wants, which is NOT to work for a corporation. his skill set is impressive. i am VERY much in favor of higher education, but i can't help feeling this this advice is not appropriate for him. g

What's the difference between drinking while driving and texting while driving?

sweetcharlotte comments on Sep 15, 2018:

You have to use your brain to text. Not so to drink

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@sweetcharlotte i do, but i don't have that kind of eyes... or fingers. i eschew texting! g

I have genre dreams. do you?

skado comments on Sep 15, 2018:

That's interesting. I too have the frustrated trip to the bathroom that is not private, clean, functional enough so I go down the hall to find the next one in the same condition and so on until I finally wake up and realize... Oh! It would be better to do this in the bathroom than in the bed!

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@skado at the very least they certainly have ME figured out! g

What's the difference between drinking while driving and texting while driving?

sweetcharlotte comments on Sep 15, 2018:

You have to use your brain to text. Not so to drink

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

have you seen some texts? no brains involved! g

I have genre dreams. do you?

skado comments on Sep 15, 2018:

That's interesting. I too have the frustrated trip to the bathroom that is not private, clean, functional enough so I go down the hall to find the next one in the same condition and so on until I finally wake up and realize... Oh! It would be better to do this in the bathroom than in the bed!

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@skado and after that instead of going back to bed i come here to the computer! humans are so dumb, aren't we? cats sleep, get up, go to the box, come back, go right back to sleep. g

I have genre dreams. do you?

DenoPenno comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I see certain anxieties here that we all might have. Some do not admit it. Did you come from a large family? Does your mother have something to do with many children? Surely you are out of place here, and the possibility of someone else in your room might make you wonder if you are going to be ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

she was one of two and i was one of two. no large families. this is the only dream i've ever had that involved bathrooms in which either of the following two elements (much less both) were at play: 1. my mother was in the dream and 2. the bathroom was fine! all my other bathroom dreams are filthy and she is never in those dreams. she is not usually in my displacement dreams that don't have bathrooms in them, either. most of my displacement dreams don't have bathrooms in them UNLESS they are dormitory-based or work-based, though i have had at least one set at home (my dad was in that one). the rooms in this particular dream i describe do not relate to any rooms, or buildings, i know or knew in my life. there was an elevator next to the bathroom. that's pretty different from my home situation lol. yep, i hear music in my sleep that turns out to be external, just like the rain you hear. did you grow up speaking a language other than english? g

From Facebook: We live in a society where people use an $800 phone to check their food stamp balance

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

well, facebook doesn't actually say that. some idiot who has never had to rely on food support used facebook to say that. people with $800 phones don't get food stamps. i am on food stamps. i don't even get $800 a month from social security; i sure wouldn't spend more than a month's income on a ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@JustLynnie exactly. i didn't choose to become sick. i was making what i then considered a bunch of dough, $60k a year, when i started getting really sick. i even had savings. too bad for me. but there are folks who resent that other people get any kind of help at all, even if it barely keeps them alive. and by the way, they haven't even YET reached the amount of tax dollars i paid, so i am not taking tax money from someone else (but the military-industrial industries and corporate ceos, they're stealing your money, not me!) g

I have genre dreams. do you?

MissKathleen comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I never have that kind of dream, but whenever I have a dream with my mother in it, I know it is because I miss her.

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

i have various dreams, cross-genre and no-genre, about my mother. the first dream i had about her after she died was that she was floating in the air, around second-story level. i looked up and said, but mom, you're dead! she made a kind of pouty face, one i've only seen on her, but have felt on myself, and declared, i am NOT dead. i'm a LATE person! g

I have genre dreams. do you?

skado comments on Sep 15, 2018:

That's interesting. I too have the frustrated trip to the bathroom that is not private, clean, functional enough so I go down the hall to find the next one in the same condition and so on until I finally wake up and realize... Oh! It would be better to do this in the bathroom than in the bed!

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

i wonder what it all means? it probably means we have to go to the bathroom and aren't yet awake enough to do what must be done. g

[youtube.

Umbral comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I used to listen to them a lot back in the day. I first heard them on the Dusk till Dawn soundtrack I believe? Or that biopic... anyway, So much talent.

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@MiltsterD lol that explains it! my favorite horror film is the manchurian candidate, just to give you a frame of reference. g

Truthfully, this site makes me feel like i am at a buffet.

genessa comments on Sep 14, 2018:

they're all tools and everyone has a different use for them. some people's imaginations extend only as far as uploading pictures of dinner. others try to find friends who may be far-flung as well as long lost. i use it for political purposes as well. i find many uses for it, in fact. sometimes ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@IamBane ah, then it's you and not the site! all i can say is you have three choices: 1. stay away, 2. stay here and pig out, or 3. stay here and control yourself. there may be other options but i can't think of them. g

The Girl In The Magnesium Dress - Zappa Frank - Yellow Shark London 2010 Roundhouse - YouTube

Umbral comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I'm not that into music. Sorry. I like Baby Snakes and Catholic Girls though!

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

lemme see if i can get one you like then. i don't know what, if anything would do the trick, but i know what i like that's way different from this so let's try.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdZKJOVH2WM whatcha think? g

Neil young - old man - youtube

Umbral comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Being Canadian, his music is almost part of my bones now.

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

i believe it! i'm not canadian but i've been listening to him since 1968 so while my bones are old now, they're also young! g

John Martyn - May You Never - YouTube

Umbral comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Don't know him. Cool.

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

now you do :-)) g

What happens to your spirt / mind when you die?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

no one knows for sure and anyone who says they know is operating on some kind of faith -- their own, if they believe what they're saying, or yours, if you believe what they're saying. now some stuff we DO know. we know you don't turn into a unicorn and gallop away, for example. we have good ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@GlyndonD i do not understand your question. you seem to be asking why i put forth effort to prove there are disembodied spirits, when i do no such thing. i think i have made it clear that there is no such thing as a disembodied spirit. i think i have made it clear that my reason for not believing in disembodied spirits has nothing to do with whether or not anyone can describe them (which, even though they do NOT exist, plenty of people -- and their descriptions don't necessarily agree, mostly because they're describing something that doesn't exist, but they can still describe them!) people describe their hallucinations and THOSE aren't real either. so... which part of my continuing explanation has led you to believe that i believe in disembodied spirits? how many times do i have to say i do NOT for you to GET it? can you please reread everything i have written? because you clearly have not understood one word, if you think that i believe in disembodied spirits. gah. we're arguing about nothing. g

How would you prefer to die?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

how i would prefer to die is NOT. g

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Eldovis i didn't say i thought i wouldn't die. i just said i didn't want to. there IS a difference. you did ask about preference, right? not belief! g

Has anyone else tried CBD oil? I'd like your thoughts/opinions on it.

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

i used it on a cyst on my face. the doctors were recommending surgery. the cyst is gone now. g

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Katastrophe69 lol!!! :-)) g

[youtube.

Umbral comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I used to listen to them a lot back in the day. I first heard them on the Dusk till Dawn soundtrack I believe? Or that biopic... anyway, So much talent.

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

oh i don't know that film... but yes, scads of talent! g

Has anyone else tried CBD oil? I'd like your thoughts/opinions on it.

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

i used it on a cyst on my face. the doctors were recommending surgery. the cyst is gone now. g

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Katastrophe69 good luck! keep in mind that skin rubbing together is going to counteract everything good you try, but that this may still work (no guarantees) over a period of time -- like two steps forward, one backwards, right? especially if you've had this a long time. i don't know what causes hs, but if it comes from anything systemic, it couldn't hurt to try taking it internally as well. know what i would do with external application? at first, choose ONE area and try it only there. then you'll really be able to see if it's working or if you're just having normal variations. again, good luck! g

Has anyone else tried CBD oil? I'd like your thoughts/opinions on it.

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

i used it on a cyst on my face. the doctors were recommending surgery. the cyst is gone now. g

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@Katastrophe69 yes, topical application. to be completely honest the docs gave me a steroid to use too, but warned me only to use it for two weeks, and the cyst wasn't gone in two weeks. i switched to the cbd oil and the progress continued. it took a while but seriously, the docs said there was almost NO chance the cyst would go away; they just hoped they could get rid of the infection. i certainly did better than that! there's a small scar but it's nothing compared to the big ugly thing it was, most of it UNDER the skin. it's all gone. g

What happens to your spirt / mind when you die?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

no one knows for sure and anyone who says they know is operating on some kind of faith -- their own, if they believe what they're saying, or yours, if you believe what they're saying. now some stuff we DO know. we know you don't turn into a unicorn and gallop away, for example. we have good ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@GlyndonD, i don't think it's true that people who believe in disembodied spirits can't describe anything about them. some can and some can't. and think of unicorns: we can all describe them, and some can draw or paint them, and they STILL don't exist. meanwhile, i can't describe a photon, and photons exist! describe love? no two people can describe it alike, and many can't describe it at all! i know it when i feel it, though, and sometimes when i see it in others. i don't think description is the problem, or the issue, at all. g

What happens to your spirt / mind when you die?

genessa comments on Sep 15, 2018:

no one knows for sure and anyone who says they know is operating on some kind of faith -- their own, if they believe what they're saying, or yours, if you believe what they're saying. now some stuff we DO know. we know you don't turn into a unicorn and gallop away, for example. we have good ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@GlyndonD not everyone is articulate. not being able to describe something could redound to the thing's nonexistence, or it could redound to the person's inability to describe things. i can't explain why mercury is the way mercury is, and i just listened to an hour-long show about mercury. i am not generally inarticulate, but i just can't absorb all that at once. i got the general idea, i understood what i heard as i heard it, but if you ask me to tell you all about mercury, i can just say it's dark, it probably has only one tectonic plate and not several like earth does, and all the stuff we already all know about it, like it's small and the first planet from the sun. well, that's not all there is to know and that's not a very impressive description, though it's twice as good as i could have managed before i heard the show. the problem with believing in various weird ideas about what might happen after we die isn't our inability to describe them. it's that they tend to be completely fanciful and based on our universal wish not to have our lives just stop, even though that is the only thing we know actually happens. lots of people can describe heaven beautifully, and that place doesn't even exist! g

Are your words changing themselves on this site?

Lukian comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Yes this happens. I have noticed that there's a typo detector in the site. I have one with my browser but sometimes the site overrides my typo detector. When my browser detects a typo the word is underlines in a red dotted line and when the site detects a typo it's highlighted in light red. (my...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

i think it must be an auto-incorrect! g

That's right, Paul.

ProudMary comments on Sep 15, 2018:

He's forfeiting $46 million in assets to stay out of jail.

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

well, he could forfeit his freedom instead... and he still probably would not get to keep his ill-gotten gains. there is one thing i hope he gives up, and it's orange.... g

What happens to your spirt / mind when you die?

DenoPenno comments on Sep 15, 2018:

I keep wondering what happened to my dog or cat's mind and spirit after they died. Every now and then I hear a "meow" and I wonder if that is from my cat. Is he trying to communicate with me? Of course we will get reincarnated. The universe re-uses star dust and another dimension is where the ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

that's not reincarnation. that's recycling. g

Nana mouskouri ''volver volver'' - youtube

Katastrophe69 comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Grew up on some Nana!!

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

oh lucky! i discovered her, as i keep discovering more and more, later in life. better late than never, eh? g

I think most people on here and in life in general have a different mindset to myself, as they ...

genessa comments on Sep 14, 2018:

it could also be the other way around. you general thinking does not make people treat you like shit but it allows them to do so. also since you have not been specific, we cannot begin to understand whether you are trapped or have an out. (without a clue as to what you are going through, we also ...

genessa replies on Sep 15, 2018:

@melmothabc then don't play them. you have not mentioned or described mind games, just referred to them, whatever they are, at the end. if you live at home, find a way to leave. it is better to be alone than to be lonely among those who don't care about you. solitude does not have to be lonely. maybe your brother will help you if it is difficult to leave. everyone leaves home eventually! if you're not at home, you've made a start already. you look, from your picture, like an adult. i do have a suggestion: instead of thinking, whom will i find who likes me, think, whom will i find whom i like? there is a teeny weeny little mindset change that may help, and won't be too painful! i see from your responses to other that you DO assume others others have it easy; you told one person she had it easy for 75 years until she corrected your misapprehension. lots and lots of people have had it hard. everyone has it hard in a different way. i'm not saying you don't; i'm saying you call yourself powerless but you know what? i am disabled, stuck in a house i don't own, with a guy i happen to love but who is deteriorating before my eyes because of alzheimer's, among other ailments, and monday i find out whether or not i have cancer. we can't afford to move but we may be homeless soon because we don't have enough income (just social security and food stamps) to stay, but we have nowhere to go. and we have to figure out what to do about it. we feel pretty powerless but we are NOT powerless, and if we think of ourselves as powerless, we won't do ANYTHING to help ourselves. we are not sure what we CAN do but what little things we thing of we sure as hell as doing. you do have the power to formulate a plan. make it a little plan. make it a bunch of little plans. if your plan is to go to the moon, you won't make it. if your plan is to go to the store on a certain day, and have a cup of tea at a certain hour, you WILL make it. once you have the small plans in place you can expand. it will get you used to formulating and implementing plans. it is not shameful to get help with the difficult ones. i have a shrink. lots of people have them. thing is, after you get to know one another, instead of going round and round in circles about being powerless, ask him to help you harness the power you DO have. and you cannot change other people's mindset. you just can't. it isn't your job anyway. i hope this helps, even if only a little. g

Chris Smither - "Love You Like a Man", from "One More Night" performance DVD - YouTube

Renickulous comments on Sep 14, 2018:

loooove this guy, one man band with meaningful lyrics. folk legend

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

totally! i missed him last time he was in town because i was sick. hope he comes back soon. g

1956 HITS ARCHIVE: The Happy Whistler - Don Robertson - YouTube

Buddha comments on Sep 14, 2018:

Sounds like it should be on Mayberry RFD... :)

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

haha it's the whistle thing. meanwhile, my guy likes the andy griffith show so much i set my ring tone for his calls to that theme. g

Are your words changing themselves on this site?

snytiger6 comments on Sep 14, 2018:

There may be an add on to your web browser that auto corrects. The site never changes words for me.

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

i promise you there is no such add-on affecting me. i've used this browser for years and years and i haven't got this problem with any other site. in addition, look at all the comments here from people to whom this also happens! g

Are your words changing themselves on this site?

graceylou comments on Sep 14, 2018:

Yes. I especially notice it happening to my profile bio. Once in awhile words go missing and what I wrote makes no sense anymore. I just have to go back and edit every now and then. I've had whole comments in posts or responses in messaging go missing as well.

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@graceylou i'm watching "numb3rs" on tv right now. they go on about algorithms. i don't understand them and i have a feeling the people who design them for this site don't either. g

I see that we have some "believers" in the group.

powder comments on Sep 14, 2018:

They are questioning their doctrine and should be encouraged

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

not all of them. some. but we can give them the benefit of the doubt until they prove themselves trolls. g

Miracle?

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

it's a miracle that anyone still believes in miracles. wait, wrong word. what do i mean? um... i know! it's astonishingly ignorant that anyone still believes in miracles! but some of it is just language. even an atheist can fall into the trap of saying oh my god when hearing something ...

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@BufftonBeotch oh in this case for sure, stupid parents. i was just speaking in general. g

Are your words changing themselves on this site?

graceylou comments on Sep 14, 2018:

Yes. I especially notice it happening to my profile bio. Once in awhile words go missing and what I wrote makes no sense anymore. I just have to go back and edit every now and then. I've had whole comments in posts or responses in messaging go missing as well.

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@graceylou very weird! g

No Cakewalk

genessa comments on Sep 14, 2018:

what can one say but OY? g

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@MrLizard oy vay is mir! g

How do you tell religious people that you're an atheist?

kittieblue13 comments on Sep 2, 2018:

I find it very difficult to tell people I am an atheist so I just usually don't. It is difficult for two reasons. When you say you are an atheist, they will 1. Argue with you or try to convert you. Or 2. Look at you/treat you differently.

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

i am lucky in this way: i don't have to be anywhere it would matter if people treated me differently. i am disabled. i am old. i go to adult daycare because my alzheimer's-stricken guy won't go without me, and he needs it. it's a daycare connected with a jewish facility. the clientele is both jewish and not jewish. once in a long while one of them (they've become friends now but they have memory issues) will ask me if i'm jewish, and i say yes, because i am. there is one developmentally disabled client who occasionally mentions that she is catholic but i think it's because she feels a little surrounded; she is not trying to convert anyone. geez, mentioning something is okay! there was ONE new client recently who loudly sang praises to jesus ALL the time. it bothered the other clients and i don't know if she has been moved to another daycare or isn't feeling well or what, but i haven't seen her for a while. she is non compos mentis and is not trying to convert anyone; she's just happy and, well, christian. so it's a safe environment but sometimes gets interesting lol. the staff are not jewish and don't talk about religion spontaneously (but will discuss it thoughtfully if asked), though we have crafts projects based on the jewish (and other) holidays. that's it, unless i go to the doctor, and the doctors don't push religion, even at methodist hospital, where my guy is at the moment. so i am VERY lucky this way and have nothing to lose by just speaking the truth. i don't wear a banner "hey world, i'm an atheist!" but i don't hide it either. if it comes up, there it is. i may or may not be the person to bring it up. it's not important to anyone i know. if i had a job with a christian company... well, that wouldn't happen anyway. it never did, my whole life. that is not to say odd things don't happen. i won't try to list them all, but once in japan i was asked "oh, you're jewish -- what kind of christian is that?" another time i was at a christmas party (in america) at the home of a friend of a friend and it turns out they were ALL extreme christian evangelicals. they sincerely believe that the beach boys sat down with the devil and signed a contract. yes, THAT extreme. one of them, with whom i'd talked before and with whom i was friendly, had no idea that jews didn't believe in the divinity of jesus. she asked something that led me to understand that she didn't know this, so i explained it to her, adding, well, that's the great thing about america: we have freedom of religion here. you can be a christian and i can be a jew (that time i didn't mention atheism; my being a jew was shocking enough to her!) and neither of us is wrong. she frowned, thought about it, and said she disagreed with that. she never spoke to me ...

Do you think President Trump will complete his first term?

Akfishlady comments on Sep 13, 2018:

If only we could get on with his removal.... I hope he will be gone soon but the alternative is just as scary.

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

no. VERY scary, but not JUST as scary. there are degrees. g

Do you think President Trump will complete his first term?

Paracosm comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Unfortunately. The process of getting rid of him would take longer than he has left in office even if anybody dared to start. Then we would be stuck with Pence. I'm not sure which is worse. The idiot or the zealot?

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

the idiot is worse. the zealot is dreadful but he is not likely to order the assassination of a foreign leader on a whim. but don't worry. pence is implicated too. g

Are you still involved in highly religious settings despite no longer being a believer?

Denker comments on Sep 14, 2018:

I occasionally visit a church because I like the grand old buildings and I enjoy the atmosphere of meditative quiet that’s inside. I don’t feel particularly guilty or anything, it’s just something I enjoy.

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

in europe, i may visit churches for the architecture, but my favorite (yes i actually have a favorite church and i've never been christian a day in my life) is the parish church of st. martin-in-the-fields, in london. weekends, there's a small but nice flea market in the parking lot in back of the church. some weekdays there are free chamber music concerts in the church, which has fine acoustics -- provided you show up before 1:05 in the afternoon, after which they charge. and under the church is the cafe in the crypt, where you can buy overpriced meals and eat them on top of real dead people! who could resist? g

Are your words changing themselves on this site?

DenoPenno comments on Sep 14, 2018:

I have noticed it and it could be me. We all do typos. What I think it is really is this site correcting (or trying to correct**OR your app or computer trying to do the same. It all depends on what is in the programming. Sometimes I find that the word "up" is always wanting to be "un" or vice versa....

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@DenoPenno i have fat fingers all over! just like at home i go barefoot all over. g

Are your words changing themselves on this site?

DenoPenno comments on Sep 14, 2018:

I have noticed it and it could be me. We all do typos. What I think it is really is this site correcting (or trying to correct**OR your app or computer trying to do the same. It all depends on what is in the programming. Sometimes I find that the word "up" is always wanting to be "un" or vice versa....

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@DenoPenno the bold could be a result of hitting capslock by accident. the bold's going into italics is just plan twilight zone weird. g

Where would you go on vacation in the fall with a friend who lives in Saudi Arabia?

genessa comments on Sep 12, 2018:

italy. i have been to dubai. i do not recommend it. g

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@Crimson67 i know... but it's all i've got. (also this was a couple decades ago -- the airport may have changed, and may have reflected the culture of the place at the time.) g

Are your words changing themselves on this site?

Hazydays comments on Sep 14, 2018:

This happens to me also. A while ago I noticed my profile had all the 'to' words missing. Also the edit functionality wasn't working for the longest time, so anything you noticed that needed correcting after it had posted was unable to be fixed. Youre not crazy, it's a glitch.

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

haha it may be a glitch but i am still crazy (after all these years). i hope those words come out the way i am typing them.... :-)) g

Democrats send 'information' concerning Kavanaugh nomination to FBI - CNNPolitics

starwatcher-al comments on Sep 13, 2018:

It's about a woman, betcha

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@chalupacabre you may be right. i cannot watch cnn. i just can't. i haven't watched it enough even to notice whether it sensationalizes thing. it's just that once in a while, like in the boston bombing, they get things wrong and then they don't even apologize. (that guy they said was the bomber singular, and had been apprehended by the police, who at that time didn't even know who the bombers were much less have one in custody and the other dead, may have needed more than an oops, sorry, but i never even heard an oops, sorry!) so i watch chris hayes, rachel maddow and lawrence o'donnell's shows. if they get something wrong (nobody is perfect) they 'fess up right away, and if they don't know something, they say so, and if something is unconfirmed but urgent enough to need to be considered, they iterate and reiterate that nbc hasn't yet confirmed whatever it is. g

Can a person believe in evolution and the Bible at the same time?

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

yes. one would be a fool to do so, but one can say "the world was created in seven days; how long was a day back then? maybe a day was a billion years...." it sounds ridiculous of course, and that's because it IS ridiculous. but it's possible. i don't mean possible that creationism is true; ...

genessa replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@pnfullifidian oh i didn't mean astronomically. i meant in the imagination that it takes to believe in talking snakes. but yes, good point. g

Democrats send 'information' concerning Kavanaugh nomination to FBI - CNNPolitics

starwatcher-al comments on Sep 13, 2018:

It's about a woman, betcha

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@chalupacabre cnn should not report this? why not? feinstein received a letter. she did the right thing and turned it over to the fbi. details not known. was she supposed to sit on it? was the news not supposed to be reported? to be fair i have not watched cnn; i am watching msnbc and they're very clear about what has NOT been confirmed, and they're not speculating pruriently. i don't know if cnn is being as restrained. g

Les Miserables 25th Anniversary - YouTube

Cast1es comments on Sep 12, 2018:

I've never seen , "Les Miserables ."

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@bleurowz isn't it great? i just love it! i used to be able to see it on cable on demand and they removed it suddenly and now it's been over a year. i can see bits on youtube, mostly bad recordings like this one, and that's it. or i could buy the album i guess but it's not the SAME. g

Les Miserables 25th Anniversary - YouTube

Cast1es comments on Sep 12, 2018:

I've never seen , "Les Miserables ."

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@bleurowz he sings WITH alfie boe and at least one other jean valjean vet at the end of the 25th! he's good -- but gimme alfie! (well, as an actor and singer lol; as a person i am sure he's nice but he has this religion thing going!) g

Les Miserables 25th Anniversary - YouTube

bleurowz comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Les Mis is awesome. I've seen it on Broadway. Biggest travesty was casting Russell Crowe as Javert in the movie -- the role should be played by an awesome baritone with great drama, and he had neither! Give me Norm Lewis or Philip Quast over him any day.

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

i think i might have seen the film (on tv). the fact that i am not sure doesn't speak well for its memorability! g

Seven months ago, my mother implied that I would go to hell if I became an catholic.

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

do you think doing something to spite another human being is going to be helpful to you? will it make you feel good except maybe for an instant? will it improve relations with your mom? also, one doesn't become an atheist because someone tells you to go to hell. it's not a club that you ...

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@freedom41 i wish you the very best of luck and clarity :-)) g

Albert Einstein believed in the pantheistic god of 17th century rationalist Baruch Spinoza.

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

that's odd, because einstein didn't claim to believe in any kind of gods at all. in fact he indicated otherwise. g

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@WilliamFleming they may have been confused. on the other hand, they may have evolved over his lifetime. the pantheism references were pretty early on, in the '20s. he lived a few decades after that! now, i've been an atheist since i was 15 and have not reverted lol but he lived in a different era, and he was famous so a lot of people asked him to explain his views. (people don't follow me all over the world asking ME such questions!) he may even have answered without having completely thought about it until having been asked so often, since he wasn't a theologian. i don't mean it never occurred to him; it likely had -- but you know how you think in about difficult things and don't come to a conclusion right away because it's not urgent and you have all the time in the world, because you're just thinking on your own and besides, you're really busy thinking about energy and mass and stuff? what if someone then demanded an answer right away about god? you'd have to give them your best answer of the moment. there's nothing wrong with it, but then you might refine your thoughts over the next 30-40 years lol g '

Do you believe in life after love? I think I'm bipolar.

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

there was life before love, wasn't there? g

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@JosephMelton you mean my initial, g? because it's my initial. g

The Real Problem I Love this site and the clarity of thinking exhibited, even love chasing down the...

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

i agree with your conclusion but not the reasoning for it. religion is certainly not the only way for people to achieve that feeling of belonging. however, there is no hope that by being militant we will ever get people to leave their superstitions behind. i think our real work is getting people ...

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@Betty absolutely. it's certainly disheartening. g

Is it just me, or r there a lot of people on here that are really taken with their own ability to ...

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

actually, some of us CAN write. shall we pretend we're just not that good? g

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@Avicenna a few! it's surprising how many atheists can't spell atheist, though. g

Are You a Voter?

genessa comments on Sep 12, 2018:

since i have never been religious i vote for the candidate who seems to share my values, which are not religious but which might have nothing to do with NOT being religious any more than they have to do with being religious. however, if a candidate even hints at busting up the separation of church ...

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@creative51 people with your thinking (not mine) have allowed trump to become president. and calling names gets you blocked, not believed. if you don't like being outed as a crank, don't call sincere people hypocrites. you likely won't see this, but others will, and they will see that you are willing to make assumptions and judge someone unfairly based on your not having the mental capacity to understand what they actually said. i don't care that you disagree with me. i care that you're pugnacious and ignorant. goodbye.' g

Is it just me, or r there a lot of people on here that are really taken with their own ability to ...

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

actually, some of us CAN write. shall we pretend we're just not that good? g

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@IamBane no, i have not perceived that some people's outrage is fake. there is the occasional troll here as anywhere but they're not prevalent. i think people are expressing what they think here. g

Question: What Is The Best Candidate In Our Solar System (Apart from Earth) As An Abode For ...

genessa comments on Sep 12, 2018:

i have to agree with those who have mentioned enceladus, which is what was on my mind when i read the question. i can't help wondering whether an intelligent life form there might wonder if there was extraenceladusian life anywhere in its solar system. g

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@starwatcher-al we, of our generation, likely never will. it all takes so long! maybe some day, if we don't blow our own planet up, someone will know a little more. g

Question: What Is The Best Candidate In Our Solar System (Apart from Earth) As An Abode For ...

genessa comments on Sep 12, 2018:

i have to agree with those who have mentioned enceladus, which is what was on my mind when i read the question. i can't help wondering whether an intelligent life form there might wonder if there was extraenceladusian life anywhere in its solar system. g

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@starwatcher-al but the extraenceladusians might not be looking in that direction. they might be looking out the other way, farther from the sun, as they do their wondering. it's a big solar system. g

Candide In Concert (2005) - Glitter & Be Gay (HD) - YouTube

RobLawrence comments on Sep 12, 2018:

I periodically go back to this video whenever I feel the need for some levity in my life. What a fabulous performance Miss Chenoweth gives!

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@RobLawrence oh and haha i just saw your next to last comment. i do that too! "frayyyynce!" i love it! g

Candide In Concert (2005) - Glitter & Be Gay (HD) - YouTube

RobLawrence comments on Sep 12, 2018:

I periodically go back to this video whenever I feel the need for some levity in my life. What a fabulous performance Miss Chenoweth gives!

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@RobLawrence i don't know if you're being too harsh, but i still agree with you, and disagree with all the comments dissing chenoweth. opera isn't just a vocal exercise. it involves acting as well. i'm not saying cook was bad -- it's hard to tell with just the recording and no chance to look at her -- but to dismiss chenoweth as slapstick and praise cook JUST on the basis of the vocal exercise... i was surprised, to say the least. i don't know if i would say cook was wooden, but i do know i wasn't moved by her, and i was moved (to laugh, too!) by chenoweth. isn't that what it's about? i think we agree that it is! g

Capitalism works on much the same principle as evolution.

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

you can say that capitalism works on much the same principle as evolution, or that lobsters are related to kangaroos, or that john lennon was secretly a druid, and some people will say, oh yeah, cool, i get it, but in fact evolution doesn't work on a principle, and capitalism isn't a natural ...

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@Matias there are all sorts of schools of thought. some of them are more reasonable than others. just because someone thought of something and some other people agree, and i am not one of those who agree, you assume i am ignorant. well, you may assume now that you are blocked. g

Capitalism works on much the same principle as evolution.

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

you can say that capitalism works on much the same principle as evolution, or that lobsters are related to kangaroos, or that john lennon was secretly a druid, and some people will say, oh yeah, cool, i get it, but in fact evolution doesn't work on a principle, and capitalism isn't a natural ...

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@BeerAndWine nope, not just semantics. words have meanings. i understand metaphor and figurative speech just fine, thanks. i also know false conflations when i see them. g

Is it just me, or r there a lot of people on here that are really taken with their own ability to ...

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

actually, some of us CAN write. shall we pretend we're just not that good? g

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@IamBane actually a good number of us cannot write. i'm not saying that's a dealbreaker; this is a place to express oneself and share ideas and friendship, not a writing competition. as for pretense, i don't see what that has to do with writing ability. are you saying some of us are pretending to be able to write? it's a little difficult to do that since all we have to go on in that regard is the actual writing, which either is well done or isn't. i think by pretense you mean pretentiousness. yep, some folks are pretentious, here as elsewhere. welcome to the world. g

Are You a Voter?

genessa comments on Sep 12, 2018:

since i have never been religious i vote for the candidate who seems to share my values, which are not religious but which might have nothing to do with NOT being religious any more than they have to do with being religious. however, if a candidate even hints at busting up the separation of church ...

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@creative51 i said nothing about default voting for democrats, and there is nothing hypocritical about voting to get the result you want and avoid the result you don't want. voting for someone who believes as you do is not necessarily useful if the person cannot DO what s/he believes in due to not being elected. those ARE my beliefs, and calling me hypocritical for understanding how the political system works is rather rude, as well as inaccurate. in addition, even lousy democratic candidates allow progressives, by giving them the majority, power to do progressive things. i believe in letting a smaller party grow. you don't let it grow by voting for it for higher office when it hasn't proven itself yet in lower office, and i mentioned that already. if you want to vote your beliefs, you have to figure out what your beliefs are. if you believe in a government that works, you vote in a way that will make the government work. it's not about whether an individual mirrors you more exactly than another individual. it's what that individual would do in office, which is nothing at all if that individual doesn't achieve office, and also what the body of government can achieve as a body. you're entitled to disagree with me about what is a better tactic for getting good people in office, but your disagreement doesn't justify telling me i am a hypocrite, which i am not, and that i really have no beliefs, which is completely and egregiously untrue. g

Albert Einstein believed in the pantheistic god of 17th century rationalist Baruch Spinoza.

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

that's odd, because einstein didn't claim to believe in any kind of gods at all. in fact he indicated otherwise. g

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@WilliamFleming i do not believe einstein meant to be taken literally there, and he was not making a statement to the public, either; this was part of a letter to a rabbi who had asked him directly if he believed in god, and, to whom he well may have been using terms he felt would make his feelings clear to the rabbi. i do that too, with religious people. when they say they will pray for something that clearly requires action and not prayer, i don't necessarily say "there is no god, so shut up!" sometimes i say "god helps those who help themselves," because the point isn't to make them feel bad or change their belief system; it's to get them to do what needs to be done. in this case, einstein was answering a direct question about whether or not he believed in god, and as i say, he was being asked by a rabbi, obviously someone who did believe in god. this may have been his tactful way of saying no, at least to a personal god. i don't know that in his answer to the rabbi he was literally attributing the universe's glory to a literal god, whether personal or otherwise. even though this detail is different from my example, his statement that he believed that god manifested himself in the universe may have been a similar tactic to mine (speaking within the framework of the listener). i'm not calling that dishonest; the word "tactic" has "tact" in it, after all! context is important. einstein also said, after all, when asked by someone other than that rabbi about whether he was a pantheist, "Your question is the most difficult in the world. It is not a question I can answer simply with yes or no. I am not an Atheist. I do not know if I can define myself as a Pantheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds." so even einstein didn't know whether he was a pantheist, at least at the moment he answered that question. he also claimed not to be an atheist -- but of course that also was true, for him, at the time of that question, which was asked in 1930. einstein lived a long time after that. we can safely say that in 1930, einstein did not consider himself an atheist, did not believe in a personal god, and did not know whether to consider himself a pantheist, despite his admiration for spinoza. in 1929, when he said he believed in the god of spinoza, that was in a private letter, but five years earlier, publicly answering a question for a japanese magazine, he said his belief COULD be described as pantheistic. in the very same article he refers to religion as superstition. he was obviously thinking about it and developing a belief. when, if ever, did his beliefs stop developing? i have no idea! but if i'd been interviewed at the age of 14, you could now hit me with a quotation that averred that i believed in god. it would...

I'm sitting outside my son's school, I have a 9am meeting with his English teacher to discuss his ...

Renickulous comments on Sep 7, 2018:

Maybe your kid has an attitude problem?

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@Renickulous not MY child. the poster's child. i know what you mean. i have been a teacher. but let's say the kid DID have an attitude. that would be an excuse to discipline the child in some normal way, but not to ridicule the child. there is NO excuse for that. g

We hear news of thousands of women being raped, but we never hear the news of a man being raped.

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

you never hear of men being raped? that's odd. i do. it's been in the news lately, too. g

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@PontifexMarximus yes, people tend to to disbelieve women who are raped even if a rape kit comes out positive, but the disbelieve is even stronger when a man gets the courage to report being raped by a woman. g

What each person believes in is special and personal.

genessa comments on Sep 13, 2018:

how do you KNOW most people cannot fathom the reality of your dreams? isn't that a little presumptuous? there is nothing wrong with fiction; i write fiction too. however, your reasons seems a bit condescending! g

genessa replies on Sep 13, 2018:

@DonaldHRoberts and no one else does that so no one else could possibly understand? g