Where do you get your news from .

zeuser comments on Aug 22, 2018:

Aggregation sites, usually.

If you could learn one thing that you don't know yet, what would it be?

zeuser comments on Aug 21, 2018:

I want to learn how to speak and read Polish. I've been meaning to start looking at online stuff but have not yet gotten around to it, so thanks for the reminder.

OK, you have lived your whole life as an atheist, and now, you are on your deathbed, moments away...

zeuser comments on Aug 21, 2018:

No. My biggest problem at that point would be to keep everyone from praying over me while I was still conscious.

I am new to this site, so this may be an old and common question, but here goes.

zeuser comments on Aug 21, 2018:

Consider yourself lucky you managed to avoid the proselytizing and brainwashing that accompany exposure to most religion. I was raised in the catholic faith, but I turned my back on that crap some 45 years ago with only minor residual damage. Welcome to the atheist monkey house, jump in and hang on. 8-)

Is there a Magic Catch Phrase for selling the truth? Why do lies sell better?

zeuser comments on Aug 21, 2018:

Wizards first rule - People will believe something if they want it to be true or if they are afraid it is true. (Tip of the hat to Terry Goodkind.) My catch phrase - "Atheists get laid more." 8-)

Database of Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse

zeuser comments on Aug 21, 2018:

My high school principal is on there. Never liked him. He formed an all male choir my senior year, but I wasn't invited to join. Former bishop in my old diocese knew about a rape and the subsequent abortion perpetrated by one of his priests, transferred him to other parishes, twice, and will face no consequences. My college Alma mater is renaming dorms named after previous bishops implicated in this, which I applaud. I am delighted to be an atheist these days.

If this is over the top I’m sorry but when I saw it, I immediately felt an urge to post it like ...

zeuser comments on Aug 20, 2018:

You're good, bro. LOL?

I need to post something here and I'm not really sure how to go about this.

zeuser comments on Aug 20, 2018:

Thanks for the heads up, Duke, and if it makes you feel any better, I really don't care who it is. So you and me are good.

1 and climbing.

zeuser comments on Aug 20, 2018:

This guy is gonna get his one of these days, but he will do a lot more damage before he does. Sad but true.

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

zeuser comments on Aug 20, 2018:

Cats are fine, but I have a slight allergy, and my daughter is really allergic to them. But I've always loved doggies. My last one passed in 2012. I am about to have construction work here at the house, and after that is through, I am thinking of rescuing some pup from the pound. 8-)

Who is the most overrated band in your opinion?

zeuser comments on Aug 20, 2018:

The Doors. Never understood why they were so big.

I'm dedicating this one to the tRump "administration" with a special shout out to Rudy "The truth is...

zeuser comments on Aug 20, 2018:

The Guano Old Party, has a ring to it, no?

Tiny hands, tiny --

zeuser comments on Aug 19, 2018:

Right there in black and white.

Episode 3 of "Stupid things Christians say to me" A coworker and I were discussing the ...

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

Ooooo. We are outside of logic and objective reality here, and no, nothing you can say to someone like that.

Stop judging him!

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

Ok, good point. LOL

What’s a movie or song that you can never get tired of?

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

White Boots, Jimmie and Stevie Ray. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfH3DARr_Z4 I'm Just About Glad - Elvis Costello https://youtu.be/cgRHdpTkX7c Over the decades, I have been in lust with many many songs.

If a vegan restaurant opened in your area, would you go to it?

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

The vegan restaurants around here are almost all Indian food, which is fine if you like chickpeas, tahini, and curry. I know of three near me, and several others with vegan selections on the menu but which are not 100 percent vegan.

Following AmiSue's lead, what is a song that makes you cry?

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

"All My Little Words" by the Magnetic Fields. https://youtu.be/EHj7ozRbwZ0

Slow Cooker/Crock Pot

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

Oscar's posole, but I've doctored the recipe up quite a bit.

Favorite song titles

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

"I Married a Moonshiner's Daughter, and Now She Makes Me Liquor", a bluegrass instrumental I heard in Boone performed by a band called "Upright and Breathing".

Best concerts?

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

Mountain, with Leslie West killing the guitar, 1971-ish. McCartney's Wings over America tour, I wanna say like 1975 or early 76, lots of fireworks and great musicianship. Old Crow Medicine Show, warming up for John Prine, just tore that shit all up, 2014 I think. I saw Paul Simon last year, and he sang every song I wanted him to sing, so that's an honorable mention.

I'm an optimist, my husband is a pessimist.

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

Opposites do in fact attract. But keeping the band together is a different story.

He’s more than just clever!

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

I thought it stood for "jerkwad", but I can see why the talking yam would never admit that.

A cartoon that hits the nail right on the head

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

They can't breathe unless we give them this kind of oxygen. You don't want to completely ignore them, but geez, some perspective would be a good idea.

Friends don't let friends vote republican

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

All good practices. I approve. ?

Not sure either

zeuser comments on Aug 17, 2018:

Let's be vigilant, but not paranoid. OK?

If Trump's IQ slips any lower, we'll have to water him twice a day.

zeuser comments on Aug 16, 2018:

Nah, diet coke kills houseplants.

Distraction is the new normal, this Orange Sack of Shit is not a master spy or the master of ...

zeuser comments on Aug 16, 2018:

Yeah, the distraction of the American people isn't anything that's really new. What's new here is the level of damaging nonsensical actions being taken to effect that distraction. And of course the blatant bald-faced lies that are peddled everyday without shame. That's the new part. Some Americans are really that stupid and swallow the party line, including the hook and sinker. Most Americans see right through this nasty charade, but the legislative, and soon the judicial, branches of government have become more and more complicit in the destruction.

The Sorites Parradox is an ancient conundrum that runs as follows; If you have a pile of sand ...

zeuser comments on Aug 16, 2018:

Just use an adjective, that's why we have them. This is a pile of sand. Take away a grain, now it's a smaller pile. Keep taking grains away, the pile gets smaller and smaller. One grain left? A REALLY small pile of sand. Take that one away, no pile, no sand, no anything. Parts of speech are your friends. 8-)

I remember a well-educated black man, too! [youtube.com]

zeuser comments on Aug 16, 2018:

As usual, Colbert nails it.

Greatest invention of all times?

zeuser comments on Aug 16, 2018:

Cooking. Expanded our diet and nutritional choices and killed harmful bacteria enabling the human race to grow and thrive.

New commandment for the sensitive little orange bitch in the WH, who likes to strip security ...

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

Well, it's God. This is the one I recognize. Heh.

Trump revoked John Brennan's (former DNI) security clearance while Kushner still has his...

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

Yeah. Now with asbestos. Oh man.

Apres Trump, the deluge!

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

Fuck this guy.

This Is God's Most Famous Conversation Of All Time

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

I've been following his FB page for years (I just don't do twitter), and this guy is hilarious! "So you believe my son rose from the dead 2000 years ago, but you can't imagine how god can have a Facebook account?" Classic and classy troll.

I'm playing hooky from work today.

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

Went to the clinic to let them draw blood. Met the exterminator to talk about remediating moisture in my crawl space (it is quite wet and I need to do somthing), authorized installation of a plastic barrier this Friday. Got two new tires that needed replacing. Had 2 dozen clams at 45 cent clam day at the Shuckin' Shack. Read several chapters in my novel. Posted a bunch of stuff here and on FB, where it turns out my high school principal was implicated in the Catholic sex scandals in Pennsylvania, that prick (he died in 1999, too bad there's no hell). About to hit my local watering hole for a few pinot grigios. THIS is why y'all need to retire. 8-)

Would a tRump assassin be pardoned in 2020 ?

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

Depends on who and how, and who the new president turns out to be. I doubt it.

"Should citizenship be a birthright?

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

This is not the first time the wingnuts have trotted this old chestnut out as though it was a bold, new, fresh idea. It is anti-immigrant bias at its (i can't bring myself to say "finest") most nativist core. A truly un-American notion. This is not how America becomes great. It is how it loses whatever greatness it once had as a beacon of freedom to the entire world.

Bad Lip Reading does Inauguration Day. If you haven't seen this, it's a good chuckle. [youtu.be]

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

I've never seen a bad one of these. This is one of the better ones.

What is good for your soul?

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

When everything is all chopped up, right before it's time to cook and assemble, always makes me feel a lot better. Like this posole, deconstructed. Time to start cooking!

I don't know who said it, but I came across a quote I really like: "When you're looking at the world...

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

This is a variation of "love is blind". Yeah, it's true. Reality eventually hits you (if you're lucky), and all the warts and alarm bells become painfully obvious.

Why are so many people pleased at other people's misfortune?

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

If someone spends a lot of time and effort degrading you and debasing you and trying to insult and minimize you, it's a little natural to feel a little guilty glee when that individual steps into a pile of poop. That's a more specific version of scenario 1, where you enjoy someone's misfortune because you think he or she deserves it. So context is important. But yeah, a lot of this is just human nature.

"How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a ...

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

I'm thinking Oscar Wilde is not the perfect source for romantic advice.

We have now entered --

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

No imagination needed for this one, just the ability to suppress the gag reflex while watching his cult-followers eat his crap and spit vitriol at everybody else. I still have trouble accepting it, but there it is.

Bad Christian Dates For some reason I was reminded recently of a girl who asked me out a few ...

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

I once attended a couple of chanting sessions with a young lady decades ago when I was still in college, you know - Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. But that was purely my accommodation in pursuit of that Buddhist honey, not a trap. And I came up empty. Ah well.

The dish it was sitting on was about to overflow so I improvised. mymotherinlawstongueisonthetoilet

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

The moral? Don't force it or you will turn into a vegetable. 8-)

There's talk that Trump may visit Australia in November.

zeuser comments on Aug 15, 2018:

Tell him Obama was scared to pet them.

Where you should be?

zeuser comments on Aug 14, 2018:

I've put my work history into my profile, so I'm not going to repeat it here (feel free to look). I've always loved those positions where I was asked to develop some system or shift to some technology or make some implementation that didn't exist but was much needed. The low point of my career was working at the corporate HQ of a large cable tv company, now long lost after many rounds of mergers, where working 60 hours a week marked me as a slacker. My favorite job was writing technical doc for a computer software company. The last 13 or 14 years was doing database design and master data management, but the technology passed me by as younger and cheaper talent made itself available - folks who had degrees in things that I had to make up as I went along in the past because nobody was studying it. I've been retired since last October, and that has been very relaxing. To all concerned, especially the younger folks here, compound interest is your best friend, remember that. Right now, I am occupied with helping my 93 year old dad as his sun is setting, and both my kids as their suns are rising. I think I want to get another dog soon. I've had my turn, and I still like to help any who want assistance. 8-)

If she really liked you, would you date her? (sorry if this has been posted previously)

zeuser comments on Aug 14, 2018:

She could make a good living as a red flag detector tester, to make sure it can spot them all. So many alarm bells crammed into that small body.

Just gonna leave this right here...

zeuser comments on Aug 14, 2018:

Don't forget, he wore that tan suit once too. *snort*

Thankful for the little things, literally?

zeuser comments on Aug 14, 2018:

Kept dropping the tweezers. Sad.

What are your thoughts about how tRump is cleaning house in the FBI to apparently get back at those ...

zeuser comments on Aug 14, 2018:

If the talking yam exerted pressure in these or any personnel matters to act outside of regular procedures to fire specific people because of their attitudes towards him, that constitutes abuse of power and should be a part of the eventual articles of impeachment.

Out of Context?

zeuser comments on Aug 13, 2018:

Asking for hard evidence or other kinds of verifiable proof is always a solid strategy, but you will run into people who mistake the verse in the book for the objective truth and you have to continue to point out that it is NOT. HTH

How do you think you speak on a daily basis?

zeuser comments on Aug 13, 2018:

I do like to crack wise and get a cheap laugh, so if you want to call that creativity, that's the deal. I will carry on coherent conversations with anyone who has the brains to figure out what I am saying, so I guess it's a little of both. You've got to be brave to be funny.

I have a friend that follows 45 on twitter.

zeuser comments on Aug 13, 2018:

I see enough of his blathering tweets in the news. That is plenty for me. I believe he actually thinks this is part of his job. I doubt he has any clue as to what he is really supposed to do.

Still friends with church people?

zeuser comments on Aug 13, 2018:

Yeah, I do have some friends who are church-goers. I might have more than I think, cuz I never ask that question of the newer friends I make, or I might also have more atheists with me than I realize, I can't say.

Agnostics/atheists do you require evidence for other things in life, too?

zeuser comments on Aug 13, 2018:

Yes, I require some measure of corroboration. There are areas where I have no direct expertise and rely on trusted specialists, but to me that in itself is using evidence - supplied by someone else's expertise. And someone pointing to evidence in conflict with something I think to be true would need to do a good job, use logic and evidence, and themselves be trustworthy, and I would still research myself and change my mind if it proved out. But Leo's are like that. 8-)

How do you respond to religious conversation?

zeuser comments on Aug 13, 2018:

In this scenario, raucous laughter and a back pat for the guy, maybe say something like "no, I don't think so pal, but you believe what you want."

FUCK TRUMP, PENCE AND ALL THEIR MOTHERFUCKING FOLLOWERS!

zeuser comments on Aug 13, 2018:

I like your passion. 8-)

Do you think tRump is genuinely mentally ill?

zeuser comments on Aug 12, 2018:

I'd say cognitively impaired. With some clear evidence of underlying psychological conditions. But hey, I'm just some guy.

Thoughts on why so many single men mention their porn habits on dating sites and/or this one?

zeuser comments on Aug 12, 2018:

I never read men's dating profiles so this is news to me. Really? Guys do that? I guess with some guys, this is the extent of their experience, and it's the only familiar framework they have. That is so sad.

What is your favorite breakfast cereal?

zeuser comments on Aug 12, 2018:

I like to mix a little Kashi Go Lean with my Oikos blueberry yogurt. Every so often I will make raisin bran muffins, and I use the rest up this same way.

You have got to be nuts [metro.co.uk]

zeuser comments on Aug 12, 2018:

Lots of people didn't like Nixon, but the national guard were the guys that did the shooting. And they didn't miss.

Pay your Trump lovin' friends to take this challenge

zeuser comments on Aug 12, 2018:

The mesothelioma lawyers are turning cartwheels right about now.

yep it's a farce... not a force.

zeuser comments on Aug 12, 2018:

When you pick and choose what you believe, it's a hard habit to break.

If I was a believer I would believe this

zeuser comments on Aug 11, 2018:

That explains the hellish skin tone.

What is your favorite nickname for our POTUS 45?

zeuser comments on Aug 11, 2018:

I usually go with "the talking yam".

On dating sites, everyone says they like long walks on the beach.

zeuser comments on Aug 11, 2018:

I ignore the beach walkers. I focus on the ones who admit they like to drink wine. Everything else falls into place after that. Having said that, I like walking the beach at night when you can induce bioluminesence by stomping on the sand. 8-)

I have a master's degree I was born to my parents, in an apartment, in Tacoma, WA.

zeuser comments on Aug 11, 2018:

You might not have anyone in your life to tell you how proud they are of you (and I hope that you do). So in case you don't, even though I just found out about you today through this post, I am very very proud of you. I wish all the best things for you from now on, and I know you will continue to work for everything you want.

So I wake up to a lot of noise outside.

zeuser comments on Aug 10, 2018:

You have a landlord, so this isn't your property. The landlord probably could have done this without asking, and the fact that he or she did was a simple courtesy. Maybe if this comes up again say something like "Hey, let's walk out and take a look at what you want to do." And raise objections if you have any at that point. But if it's not your property and the landlord wants to chop 'em down, you are pretty much stuck with that.

Are Trump supporters:

zeuser comments on Aug 9, 2018:

That was an easy call!

These are pallets of asbestos, sealed with plastic and stamped with the image of the Trump whose EPA...

zeuser comments on Aug 8, 2018:

Next, legalize the use of pure nicotine in toothpaste. You just watch.

How are members feeling about all the memes and links on the site? Asking for a friend. :)

zeuser comments on Aug 8, 2018:

About what you'd expect on a social media site, even one with an atheist focus. People are people, social media are social media. If I didn't like them, I'd go back to newsgroups (do they even have those anymore?).

Any reactions? [youtube.com]

zeuser comments on Aug 8, 2018:

This guy makes a lot of sense, and this is in fact the root of a lot of theist antipathy towards atheists. However, there is an unabashed tribalism that accompanies a lot of the organized religions that compels the collective hatred by perceiving differing beliefs (or non-belief) as a threat to the tribe, and so should be subject to collective derision and isolation of the "offenders". Still, I did enjoy this video, thanks for posting. 8-)

Where have you found the most amazing regional food in the US?

zeuser comments on Aug 8, 2018:

Hmmm. The Ciopinno in San Francisco (and the dim sum anywhere in chinatown); dipped Italian beef sandwich in Chicago (honest-to-dog chicago dogs, steak at Morton's); Bertha's Mussels in Baltimore (and the shrimp fra diavolo in little Italy there); stromboli in the Reading Market in Philly (Jim's cheesesteaks on South Street, too); La Bola green chile in Denver (Benny's number 5 special, deep fried calamari and ouzo at the Greek festival); eggs, grits, country ham, red-eye gravy and biscuits at Big Jim's here in Raleigh (too many good cue places to mention, goat curry at the Himalayan Range); Old Forge pizza and Coney Island Texas wieners in NEPA; scallop burgers on Emerald Isle off the NC coast; I gotta stop, I need a snack. 8-)

Donald Trump is literally the official face of lung cancer. [washingtonpost.com]

zeuser comments on Aug 8, 2018:

I checked it out cuz I thought it couldn't be true, but it is!! His face is on Russian fucking asbestos, what a nightmare!

Republicans “"Sure, our guy is corrupt and a reflexive liar, but so is everyone else in ...

zeuser comments on Aug 7, 2018:

They do think like this and deliberately support and enable this ignorant tool.

The cullening cancer has begun. [archpaper.com]

zeuser comments on Aug 7, 2018:

Wtf is next, putting puppies and baby ducks in a blender on live television? Son of a BITCH.

Trump's Americans.

zeuser comments on Aug 7, 2018:

This explains why they can't recruit past the 39% level. It's a shame that it's that high, but it's encouraging it isn't increasing. Who wants to be one of these douche canoes?

Bill Cosby wasn't offensive enough to have his star removed, but this guy . . . [nypost.com]

zeuser comments on Aug 7, 2018:

I'd leave it there to have a target at which people can take out their frustrations, but it's gonna run into some money if they keep replacing it. Maybe replace it with a fake star for a fake president that can be cheaply replaced. Just an idea. Sounds like removing the star is not in the cards.

The wheels on the bus --

zeuser comments on Aug 6, 2018:

With a dad like that... I can't even imagine throwing my own son under the spinning wheels, not that he or I would ever need to lie about conspiracy to commit treason. Or anything, for that matter. Unlike these two nitwits.

What one thing do you MOST fear tRump will do?

zeuser comments on Aug 6, 2018:

Actively incite violence against his opponents and inspire a military coup.

OK - Advice needed.

zeuser comments on Aug 6, 2018:

Best time to get another job is while you still have one. Someone suggested having an honest rundown of you criticisms of the company with him but without pulling the trigger. That's a better plan.

Breaking: Scientists discover cure for cancer, rejected by many for containing "chemicals"

zeuser comments on Aug 5, 2018:

And toxins are, like, toxic, you dig? LOL

I know the subject of age difference has come up a few times here.

zeuser comments on Aug 5, 2018:

I have an admirer who is a good 24-25 years younger than I am, and I would pursue her in a second if she were single (there's always a catch, isn't there?). I draw the line when the age difference can be expressed in double her age or more. What in the world would we talk about, after she got done laughing at my old body? You're right, it's generally not the best idea. But you never know until you try, right?

How are you voting in the Midterms?

zeuser comments on Aug 5, 2018:

Blue all the way, baby!

"Speak only when you feel that your words are better than your silence.

zeuser comments on Aug 4, 2018:

I have a slightly different policy. I don't say anything if I don't have anything of substance to say. This drives some people crazy, which is as good a reason to keep doing it as any other.

God mother/father

zeuser comments on Aug 4, 2018:

I've never been asked. I doubt I'd do it, but I'd consider the circumstances.

Interesting quote. Thoughts?

zeuser comments on Aug 4, 2018:

Our senses are fooled all the time, and there are different scales of size with enormously different roles in our reality that we just cannot perceive. So, this makes a certain amount of sense.

UPDATE: For those who might care, he has yet to contact me to talk, which is typical behavior on his...

zeuser comments on Aug 4, 2018:

Well stop it. Break this date. You know what's in store, so knock it off. Good luck, hon.

Would you rather date someone with opposing political views or opposing religious views?

zeuser comments on Aug 4, 2018:

A lot of the time, the two things go hand in hand. If we have opposing religious views, it's almost a given that our political outlook will be somewhat different. If I didn't know about the person's politics, I'd give the opposing religious views a chance, cuz I have done that before and sometimes it works out. If both things are out of whack, it's not worth the time.

Oh now I get it!!

zeuser comments on Aug 3, 2018:

Either Fox or the Russkies provide most of what passes for his ideas these days. Da, comrade?

don't know if prayer works, but this can't hurt.

zeuser comments on Aug 3, 2018:

Worth a shot.

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

zeuser comments on Aug 3, 2018:

"This Ol' Cowboy", by the Marshall Tucker Band was my personal theme song in the first months after my divorce. Kept me sane and positive. Plus, it's catchy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHq87F2fS-s

Terrifying... [esquire.com]

zeuser comments on Aug 3, 2018:

People have always been susceptible to propaganda, especially when it uses their own bias and prejudice to gain purchase. Once the original propaganda message is internalized, the audience is "warmed up", and all you need to do is repeat the lies over and over. I never thought it could happen here, but I always also worried about the decline in public education funding and the rise of religion-based home-schooling. This is what you get. Brainwashed imbeciles.

Passport?

zeuser comments on Aug 3, 2018:

Hell, I'll chip in 10 bucks myself.

Interested in your thoughts on two different topics: 1) Karma 2) Soul-mates

zeuser comments on Aug 2, 2018:

Karma would have my full support if it were in fact real. How does it work, exactly? Who decides what's a good thing and what's not, and what is the correct payoff or penalty? And how is it enforced. Nope. As for soul-mates, I can see two people being close enough and similar enough so that they are completely in synch - for a while. If you change and your partner does not, are you still soul mates? You'd both have to change the same way at the same time to the same degree, and that sounds like one of you is doing all the thinking. So, same as karma, nope.

Saw him at DESERT TRIP and couldn't agree more!

zeuser comments on Aug 2, 2018:

He knows his audience. 8-)

What is your absolute favorite TV show of all time?

zeuser comments on Aug 2, 2018:

Deadwood, hands down. On non-subscription tv, Justified. Looking back in time, Mork and Mindy as a comedy, the Rockford Files. Plenty of other shows I loved, and it was hard to leave them out, but I put too many in this list as it stands.

Just curious how many people on here consider themselves 100% either liberal Democrat or ...

zeuser comments on Aug 2, 2018:

I self-identify as a social democrat. There are several democrats I've supported whilst holding my nose, because the alternative was far more odious. I'd support a fiscally conservative but socially liberal repiblican, if I could find one.