This is a scary thought!

wordywalt comments on Jul 17, 2018:

I would have died 12 years ago without the pacemaker they put in.

Change The Subject

wordywalt comments on Jul 17, 2018:

To such people: You are stuck with the corrupt idiot you elected. Unfortunately, we are, too -- until we act in concert to get rid of him.

What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?

wordywalt comments on Jul 17, 2018:

Stand up to authority because you know you are right and acting morally, even though it could cost you dearly. If you do it once, it gets easier to do, and you make a difference. When I was a high school teacher, I led a movement that got an incompetent principal fired -- and survived. Well over 10 years later, I had started a staff development center serving 12 rural school districts and contrary to my boss, believed that the program should change its focus and he was about to recommend that my program and my job be discontinued. I went to the 12 superintendents and asked them what they would want my program to do and let them and proposed to them a new program of services responsive to their goals. The superintendents were my controlling board. When the time came. They voted 11 to 1 to continue by center, and ,y job and to move it in the directions I proposed. We did some great things later, as a consequence. I could give other examples. Have the courage to stand up.

Per 18 USC 2381, “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 17, 2018:

Hear! Hear!

Even the Republicans are speaking out!

wordywalt comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Where are Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Trey Gowdy, Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Merkowsky and other so-called Republican leaders. They must be having some difficulty finding their moral and patriotic gonads.

From Dan Rather: I will not minimize the gravity of what happened today.

wordywalt comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Trump now constitutes a clear and present danger to our country, our people, and our democracy!!

Trump Summit Betrays His Country For Russia In Plain Sight

wordywalt comments on Jul 16, 2018:

It is time for impeachment!

Even the Republicans are speaking out!

wordywalt comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Absolutely!!

What kind of philosophical school of thought do you adhere to in your daily lives??

wordywalt comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Existentialism,

What's something that is popular right now that annoys you?

wordywalt comments on Jul 16, 2018:

The obsession with portable electronics.

Can any of you experts identify this vine for me?

wordywalt comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Looks like it could be bindweed -- a noxious weed that wheat farmers fight all the time.

Beall's List of Predatory Journals and Publishers - Publishers

wordywalt comments on Jul 16, 2018:

It is amazing and appalling how much junk science and fake news have proliferated. They have corrupted our political and popular culture have become.

Dentist? did he say dentist?

wordywalt comments on Jul 16, 2018:

An accurate interpretation of body language.

Do you think religious or spiritual belief systems should be allowed to interfere with scientific ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Religious beliefs have always interfered with the exercise and advance of science -- and will continue to do so as long as religion exists. That interference is a force which must always be fought.

Just watched the Putin and his puppet interview.

wordywalt comments on Jul 16, 2018:

No, I did not watch. Neither of them is going to tell the truth, anyway. I'll wait until we hear analysis and see actions.

And that is why I don't watch the news any more

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

Then avoid Fox, Sinclair, and Breitbart at all costs. It would be great if the regular networks did the kind of investigative journalism of the 1960s and 1970s.

I was a real Republican. I don't recognize my party now, or what it stands for.

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

We have had some true Republican patriots in government (though I did not always agree with some of them) -- Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Dirkson, Dole, Brooke, McCain, Nelson Rockefeller, and others. But, the vast majority of today's Republican politicians have long since sold out to big money and to wrongheaded doctrinaire political and economic ideology. Far too many of them are absorbed in a lust for personal financial gain, personal political power, and partisan control. They have become enemies of our democracy, our country, and our people.

Baptist Pastor: Men Who Let Their Wives Work Are “Destroying” Children’s Minds – Friendly ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

Isn't it astounding what crap these fundamentalistic ministers can come up with? What is worse, is that brain-dead true believers actually accept such outrageous pronouncements as gospel.

Bestfriend Loyalty

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

If the confidentiality were given in strict confidence, then it should remain in the strictest confidence.

Kentucky Judge Refuses To Marry Atheists

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

The judge should be removed from office and disbarred.

Inflation hits 6-year high, wiping out wage gains for the average American - Chicago Tribune

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

What else would one expect from the idiot Trump?

What should public spending be spent on, arts or science?

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

Both. The choice between is artificial.

Is it possible to be completely and utterly non biased in the realm of subjectivity?

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

Of course not. Subjectivity is the polar opposite of objectivity.

The fallout from Trump's war on immigrants is reaching as far as the farming communities in ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

May all Trump supporters suffer such concerns caused DIRECTLY by Trump's rhetoric and actions. You inflicted it on yourselves.

It's no more (and no less) than an identity crisis...

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

You have no reason to feel ashamed. Your work provides a needed service, and you are obviously good at it. If you enjoy it and the human contact it provides, you are a lucky person.You can still seek , by various means, to expand your learning while staying in the work. I have a graduate degree, but I would not judge you if you are a good waitress and a good person. If you were a bad and/or rude waitress, that would be a different story.

I don't know how many are here, but I would like to ask the black people on this web site a serious ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

This was not his first extremist comment, and I dare say that it will not be his last. Yes, his pattern deserved it.

Tell me...

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

I loved all of the Mel Blanc Looney Tunes cartoons and their characters.

Are you the type of person who seeks revenge when you’ve been wronged by someone?

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

O don't give such a person a second chance. I don't necessarily seek revenge, but if an opportunity arises which allows me to show that person that I am a better person than they have been, I take advantage of it, and relish having the opportunity. That is sweeter than raw revenge.

Though I've lived most of my life in Oklahoma, I feel like an alien in a inhospitable land.

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

As a person who grew up in an ultra-conservative, religious (and relatively uneducated) southern bible belt culture, I can say that is the reality of such a culture and the reason I could never live in such a culture again. I wish I could be more encouraging.

Ok, it's been a while since I've reached out to you all.

wordywalt comments on Jul 15, 2018:

Be careful. Either this man has incoherent beliefs or he tells you things he thinks you would want to hear just to placate you. So, either there is problem with insincerity or with a muddled mind.

Get involved or mind your own business?

wordywalt comments on Jul 14, 2018:

You did the right thing. If we let such people know that they will be confronted when they show such behavior, they will be less likely to do so.

We already know the man has no class--after all, he eats his steaks well-done with ketchup.

wordywalt comments on Jul 14, 2018:

I am not ashamed to be an American, but I am ashamed that we are represented by such a boorish lout.

Well not far off

wordywalt comments on Jul 14, 2018:

What a person says about others is often a reflection of himself or herself. None of us will find a perfect mate. That is a given, and we start from there. The question is" Will you find a mate who is such that you both will add the quality of each other's life?"

Fear of Death?

wordywalt comments on Jul 14, 2018:

Why does that terrify you? You are young and likely have a long life ahead of you. I am 81 years old, and do not fear death at all. What is to fear when nothing follows?

From Facebook ?

wordywalt comments on Jul 14, 2018:

Damned right!!

After today, I will only be gardening at 2 am. Damn.

wordywalt comments on Jul 14, 2018:

I can remember the summer of 1980, when the region from Texas through Kansas had over 30 consecutive days of 100-plus degrees temperature, with highs in Kansas reaching 114 degrees. There were prairie wildfires throughout the region. I can remember flying from Austin to Wichita, Kansas and arriving in Wichita at 10 PM and the temperature was still 105 degrees. A 80 mile trip north from Wichita was lit by wildfires the whole way.

How Trump Helps Putin - Making Russia Great Again [nytimes.

wordywalt comments on Jul 14, 2018:

Of course that is true! Anyone who cannot see it is a Russian fellow traveler, whether intentional or not.

Consumer prices rise at highest annual rate since 2012​ [thehill.

wordywalt comments on Jul 14, 2018:

With Trunp at the helm, it could be not just a recession, but a new terrible depression.

Moral philosophy

wordywalt comments on Jul 14, 2018:

Axiology has interested me for many years. But, the matter is much more simple than many professional philosophers make it out to be.

Have you ever tried . . .?

wordywalt comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Have you ever tried German Bowle -- peaches or pineapple marinated in white wine, champagne, and cognac for several hours and served cold? Delicious and potent, but refreshing. Don't eat too much of the fruit -- it absorbs the alcohol.

Paul Ryan warns that if Dems win, they’ll hold Trump accountable.

wordywalt comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Oh, yeah. If that is a bad thing, what in the hell is a good thing?

The look that can launch a thousand memes.

wordywalt comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Stupid is as stupid does.

Wow, this excerpt from a newsletter bothered me.

wordywalt comments on Jul 13, 2018:

It is a total fraud.

Would you donate DNA or tissue samples to scientific research?

wordywalt comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Yes, I would. I can easily research how legitimate an organization is.

Publicly funded private schools in Florida teach that dinosaurs were on Noah’s Ark – DeadState

wordywalt comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Sheer idiocy.

Patriotism. Is it worth it?

wordywalt comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Instead of washing our hands of it, we need to vote of kick the corrupt bastards out and fight to replace them with people who give a damn about us and our democracy. Giving up is giving in to the corruption.

I really loved that hearing yesterday.

wordywalt comments on Jul 13, 2018:

All that the Republicans on the committee accomplished was to show how morally bankrupt them have become.

Spice Rack

wordywalt comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Cumin or curry

What's are you're thoughts on modern libertarianism vs democratic socialism

wordywalt comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Modern liberitarianism, especially of the Ayn Rand variety, is the polar opposite of democratic socialism.To a great extent Libertarianism is based on self-absorption, greed, the belief that all government is bad, and extreme individualism. It favors a dog eat dog social Darwinism point of view. On the other hand, democratic socialism believes in the dignity and worth of all, equal opportunity, social justice or equality under the law, and the use of government to foster those ends. A society governed by libertarianism will inevitably devolved into oligarchic tyranny or dictatorship. A democratic socialist governmental system would tolerate libertariansm, but keep it under control and within reasonable bounds. And, of course, libertarians will see all attempts to keep it in reasonable bounds as tyranny or government overreach. Libertarianism will always seek to undermine all true democracies, including democratic socialism. '

How many of you pronounce the "t" in often?

wordywalt comments on Jul 11, 2018:

I always pronounce the "t".

Any Perry Como Fans in the Peanut Gallery?

wordywalt comments on Jul 11, 2018:

Como was one of the great crooners --in a class with Bing Crosby and Bony Bennett.

Iranian woman 'sentenced to 20 years in prison' for removing headscarf in protest | The Independent

wordywalt comments on Jul 11, 2018:

A good example of how arbitrary and dictatorial a theocracy can be!

Love those blackberries, I used to as a and I still do?

wordywalt comments on Jul 11, 2018:

Blackberry preserves and blackberry cobblers were delights!

The hypocrisy of Trump's rancher pardon. [www-m.cnn.]

wordywalt comments on Jul 11, 2018:

Trump is intentionally undermining civil order.

Argued with someone about the Bermuda Triangle last night.

wordywalt comments on Jul 11, 2018:

One cannot reason with conspiracy theorists, myth believers, religious true believers, and extreme political ideologues. They all suffer from the same malady.

Opinion The White House Is Tearing Down the Wall Between Church and State

wordywalt comments on Jul 11, 2018:

Of course it is! But, that is nothing new. The Republican Party has been doing it ever since Jerry Falwell appeared on the scene in the 1970s.

I'm tired of being punished, ostracised, or mistreated in one way or another because I don't buy ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 10, 2018:

No, I never suffered any of those consequences. But, I also do not make an issue of myatheism. I don't "wear it on my sleeve."

On the Eve of the NATO Summit, Trump Has Pissed Away the Pax Americana

wordywalt comments on Jul 10, 2018:

Absolutely true. Trump is a terribly destructive buffoon.

Anyone else hate being the only one who doesn’t bow their heads and/or close their eyes when some ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

You get used to it.

What is the one thing your are most proud of accomplishing in your life?

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

Working with 12 rural school districts to improve teaching, learning, and leadership through staff development and technical support. Student achievement rates in those districts gained considerably during that time. Also I started a training and support program for beginning teachers, and feedback from beginners in the program then and comments 20 years later said that the program made a huge difference for them.

One pillow, two pillows or more?

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

Two regular pillows and one to two pillow rolls.

Who is your favorite guitarist?

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

Charlie Byrd was. Today, I guess I would say Angel Romero.

Complaining.

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

I seldom complain. When I find something distasteful or troublesome enough, I say so, along with the grounds for the statement. That is not a complaint, but an assertion and a search for a solution for the distasteful event or act. I don't complain. I try to cvorrect the problem or leave the situation.

Read this article and then see if you believe Putin has blackmail material on Spanky! ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

I believed it a year ago.

Mark your calendars.

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

I would change the parole date to 10 years from now, for those of us surviving to chant.

Thoughts on sexual profile question?

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

This is a people site, not one designed to explore all aspects of sexuality. There are already many sites for that.

I love the way Kristen Russell handled this. I would not want to play Scrabble against her either ?

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

We needmuch more positive action like that to fight bigotry and corruption!

What's the best coffee you've ever had and where did you have it?

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

The best coffee was in Berlin, Germany. I don't remember what the blend was.

There is a tendency, even in this forum, to attribute anything science cannot at this moment explain...

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

I have not noticed such a tendency, and it certainly does not exist on my part.

Now that I am 50, I think about death more than I would like to.

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

Without trying to judge you, your sound deeply depressed and in need of therapy. When I was 50, I was still deeply involved in meaningful work and had no thoughts of death. At age 81, and with my career and many of the things I used to enjoy behind me, I find joy in the little things of life, and I still have goals, though short-term ones. I do not fear death, but view it as an old friend waiting in the wings who will step forth when the time comes. Find a way to focus on living, not dying. Your time will come. Don't hasten it.

What small act of kindness was once shown to you that you'll never forget?

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

An unusual one: In 1959, after training as an artillery surveyor, I was sent to West Berlin, Germany. There I was taken to the Classification and Assignment sergeant in Berlin Command Headquarters. He stated, "Under the Four Powers Agreement, we have no artillery in Berlin, so we have to figure out what to do with you." He scanned my records and his comments indicated that we connected in a way, as we both had college backgrounds. He asked, "Can you type?" I answered, "Nor well." He retorted, "That was not my question. Can you type?' i answered, " Yes." He then said, " Then I have a position in US Army Hospital Berlin headquarters for a clerk-typist.Are You interested? Its either that, or going to the Battle Group as an infantryman." That was an easy choice, and my experience in Berlin and at the USAHB was a life-changing one. My deepest thanks, sarge, whoever you were!

Can someone explain this to me?

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

Two things" (1) you greatly overestimate the basic understanding of science among many in the general population, and (2) people who do not want to face the discrepancy simply compartmentalize their thinking.

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion Jonathan Haidt (Author, ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

There are 2 primary reasons why a political leader cannot work with others of a different perspective: (1) They have a deep lust for power which they do not wish to share; and (2) they are captive "true believer" ideologues. Or, it can be both.

In your experience, can anger turned outward also be simultaneously turning inward; or ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

I believe that self-loathing almost always results in outward anger. Similarly, consistent outward anger creates unpleasant experience for the expresser, as well as for the recipients -- and the angry one knows that he or she is the source of the discomfort.

MEN: What would your reason be for asking a woman what she does for a living, upon meeting her?

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

I would not ask the question as bluntly as you posed it. If I were to ask the question, it would be to add substance to my image of who that person is and what makes them tick.

I found a brilliant post, it says EXACTLY what I think.

wordywalt comments on Jul 9, 2018:

These are the things that should be said to Trump supporters until they finally turn away from the human disgrace Trump in shame!

My wife and I have been fighting about her embarrassment at my “manic” reposting of Atheist ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 8, 2018:

Don't be petty, and ask your wife to act similarly. I am a total atheist and my wife is a devout Catholic. We have chosen to respect each other's right to believe as we choose and the differences are not an issue in our marriage. If the two of you really care deeply about each other and your relationship, you will reach a similar conclusion -- and live by it. .

As soon as we make certainty, we are expressing ego.

wordywalt comments on Jul 8, 2018:

When humans express certainty, we are meeting a human inner drive or need -- the formation of attitudinal and ideational anchors which are stable points which, m in turn, enables us to form relationships and patterns of meaning.

Need some help here on what to do.

wordywalt comments on Jul 8, 2018:

Unfortunately, if the love seat was not the property of the company which owns the building, the management company is under no legal obligation to do anything about it. A good and responsive property management would deal with the issue; but, unfortunately too many management companies are neither good nor responsive.

"The American people are a welcoming and generous people.

wordywalt comments on Jul 8, 2018:

Like most right-wingers, you twist the truth terribly. Under Obama, the vast majority of children who came into the country by other than legal means were released with their parents pending their hearing. The problem today is legitimate asylum seekers are being labeled criminals and their children taken away from them. That is nothing less than an unconstitutional action and a human rights violation. Anyone who defends such action is a bigoted ethnocentric moral idiot.

Are science/reason and liberal democracy natural allies?

wordywalt comments on Jul 8, 2018:

I am not as cynical as you seem to be. Yes, the money determines what gets researched, to a large degree. But, still science goes on which reaches empirically based conclusions which often fly in the face of what the forces of greed want. They can suppress the facts, but they cannot stop them from seeing the light of day. If what you say were trrue, we would not have the recognized valid voices of dissent like Paul Krugman in economics, and many scientists in the fields of physical and biological sciences. Valid studies and data will eventually be recognized.

How will Trump's Presidency end?

wordywalt comments on Jul 8, 2018:

The egomaniac will never voluntarily resign.

US threatens countries supporting breadtfeeding resolution! [cnn.com]

wordywalt comments on Jul 8, 2018:

Another example of Trump's idiotic, hurtful absurdities.

DROOMPS Trumps Ancestral Village Abounds with Relatives. Few admit a Link NYTimes [nyti.ms]

wordywalt comments on Jul 8, 2018:

Even his own German relatives disown him

We’re lucky in the UK that we don’t experience the aggressive Christian bullying that seems to ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 8, 2018:

You probably do not face the threat that we do, because evangelical protestantism is not strong in the UK. The evangelicals are the source of the problem.

The White House is Tearing Down the Wall Between Church and State NY Times [nyti.ms]

wordywalt comments on Jul 8, 2018:

That is not news. As a whole, the Republican Party has been doing it for years.

If we disbelieve in something, does that not mean that we actually believe in its existence as a ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 8, 2018:

Huh?

That's enough for now. I'm tired and going to lay down :-)

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

A good day's work! And, you will be able to enjoy the results for a long time.

What is vulnerability to you?

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

Vulnerability is leaving yourself open to the possibility of either being attacked and/or being taken advantage of. Any time we place our trust in another, we are making ourselves vulnerable, just as we are when we reveal our inner, private thoughts and secrets. But, those are things we must do to establish a real interpersonal relationship with another. There is always a risk, but the reward is huge when the relationship is deeply reciprocal.

What is "promiscuous teleology" ?

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

We have an innate need to comprehend, but recognize that there are many, many things that we do not comprehend. That which we do not comprehend we cannot build into our cognitive structures which comprise our understanding of the world -- ergo, the basis for responding effectively to that world. That is the appeal of religion: It claims to include and explain everything via the myth of an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent deity or group of deities. That gives the false sense of power and understanding by attaching ourselves to those non-existent deities and by joining with the body of true believers to advance the purposes of the deity. Anyone who has not read Erich Fromm's ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM should read it.

What do you think about who someone who says they're your friend and they think about you, but then ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

It is likely that this person is trying to avoid you. Likely a lost cause. Let it go.

Do you think that Atheists have different senses of humor compared to other people?

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

Unfortunately, there are some people of all ilks who are humorless. It is a personality issue.

Are new tastes like new ideas?

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

That depends entirely on the person. At age 81, I am still seeking positive social, scientific, political, and intellectual change.

Athiesm and Stoicism?

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

Not me.

Well, I'm stretched out on my hammock, enjoying the habitat garden, a Dos Equis, or two.

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

Some of us just can't tame our instincts to grow delicious things and for peace and quiet.

If you were to create your own belief system what would it look like?

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

We each can and should create our own belief systems. All it takes is the will to do it and the knowledge that we are responsible for our own decisions and behaviors and for their consequences and the persistence to search out knowledge which can flesh out and sustain those choices. If we do not form our own independent belief systems, we are captives to other's ideologies, dogmas, and "isms,"

Sources: EPA blocks warnings on cancer-causing chemical - POLITICO

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

The entire Trump cabal does not give a damn about people or about public health. Their only motivations are greed and the freedom to exploit people.

10 Disgusting Facts About Fast Food-Do You Eat It?

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

I eat little fast food, no products with added sugar, and few high carb foods.

Volunteering This seems to be a western idea as once, during a vacation work week, a professor ...

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

I help people regularly, individually, and in ways and times of my own choosing. I have an aversion to being a supervised, faceless volunteer within a large organization.

Rude neighbors: What is your preferred method of dealing with them?

wordywalt comments on Jul 7, 2018:

Be civil, but label their misconduct for what it is and make sure that they know you will do that. Offer an olive branch if they are willing to accept it. If they will not, screw them.