“True humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less……………...

Fernapple comments on Feb 2, 2023:

True but you can go too far. If you don't think of yourself now and again, you can end up in a mess, and then you become a pain to everyone.

The problem is not people being uneducated.

Fernapple comments on Feb 1, 2023:

I seem to remember Henry D. Thoreau quoting a version of that. So it must go back to at least the middle of the nineteenth century.

Here we go again another Baby ayatollah Khamenei tantrum Iran closes French institute over Charlie ...

Fernapple comments on Feb 1, 2023:

If you are the ruler of a country, and you can not deliver a working economy, good welfare, reasonable freedoms, and a respectable education for everyone, then your best bet is to pedal some hate, any fool can manage that.

How Being Happy Makes You Healthier

Fernapple comments on Jan 31, 2023:

There is a link missing I think.

55% of adults think Jesus will return to Earth (this includes 1% of atheists. [allisrael.com]

Fernapple comments on Jan 31, 2023:

In what sort of country, do only one percent of people lie to surveys, just for fun and to screw the figures. What is happening to the world, what sort of a twit gives a truthful answer when approached by someone with a clip board ?

Does anyone else agree with me that we should be DISCUSSING religion rather than DEBATING it?

Fernapple comments on Jan 31, 2023:

Why can you not do both ?

There’s a theme to my memes…

Fernapple comments on Jan 31, 2023:

Yep, books for me too. I much prefer to get up for breakfast.

This is another reason why we should exercise more.

Fernapple comments on Jan 31, 2023:

Perhaps. But is it also not likely, that women who run three times a week, also have healthier diets, use fewer drugs and expose themselves to better environments generally. It may be true, but is it directly or indirectly true ?

It is not your environment; It is not your history; It is not your education or ability; It is ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 31, 2023:

As much as anything, it is how high the standards of logic and honesty that your mind sets, are.

Saw this full page add in the Seattle Times.

Fernapple comments on Jan 31, 2023:

The Catholic church is really a different church in every country, where it is forced to move one way in one, it moves back in another.

Nature with is own awesomeness

Fernapple comments on Jan 31, 2023:

Great photos.

I have a Nikon P1000 now. Here are a few pictures.

Fernapple comments on Jan 30, 2023:

Wonderful shots. Here is one of my more basic photos in a similar line.

The Meaning of Life

Fernapple comments on Jan 30, 2023:

Very good. Here for what they are worth, ( Not much.) are my views, which all end in a joke. When we realize that there are no big, god given, purposes in life, demanding our obedience. And the many completely contradictory purposes, offered by the many different religions, prove that to be so. Then we can easily see, that wanting any big purpose at all, is merely a vanity and narcissism. The failings which are the weakness that all religion feed off. For if you build up the vanities of people, then they will, obey you, pay you, and praise you, for as long as you keep flattering and confirming those vanities, over and over again. Yet atheists often say in reply to the theist's question. “What is the purpose of life, if there is no god ?” That, by being none religious, we are free to choose our own purposes. Though admittedly they must by definition be small personal ones, for a transcendent purpose is just another god, meaning that in the deepest sense, atheism, agnosticism and deism are inevitably, by their nature, mainly philosophies of humility. Yet here for fun is the irony. Suppose for one second, hypothetically, for arguments sake, that there is a creator, an intelligence behind the universe, though one who has not revealed any purpose to us yet, perhaps a deist creator at most. Then what can we discern, if anything, is most likely to be pleasing to it, if pleasing it has any value at all ? Well after the usual if doubtful, givens, such as, be kind, the only thing I think that seems likely, is that we should appreciate its creation as much as possible, down to the smallest detail. Valuing and treasuring all that we are given. And what are we doing when we create our own small purposes, whether, we climb mountains, garden, paint pictures, entertain our pets, make a coffee for a friend or help in a charity shop, if not appreciating that creation, or nature, down to the smallest detail, and valuing it enough to care for it ? Practical environmentalism. Perhaps therefore being an atheist could after all, be the most pleasing of all things to the hypothetical creator. Now forget the hypothetical creator, since it has now done its job, and what are you left with ? That the small things are the biggest things there are, because they demand the greatest appreciation of you, and it is when you turn your back on the idea of great purpose that you come nearest to your greatest purpose. And when you forget god that you are most likely to please god. So you see that in the end, my deepest thoughts lead to an ironic joke. Nice joke perhaps ? Yes, but I was also never more serious. And is this my original philosophy ? No, I don't think so, for at the very least the Greek philosopher Epicurus more than twenty centuries ago wrote. ...

Boris Johnson says Putin threatened to ‘hurt’ him with missile strike after visiting Ukraine | ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 30, 2023:

Would not believe a word either of them said.

First I ever heard of this plant.

Fernapple comments on Jan 30, 2023:

A great reminder, takes me back. An elderly lady in the village where I grew up used to be very keen on them, and grew them in her garden, but I have hardly ever seen them since.

“In the small matters trust the mind, in the large ones the heart”………..Sigmund Freud.

Fernapple comments on Jan 30, 2023:

I never found the two to be in conflict.

I am weary of choosing between atheist and agnostic.

Fernapple comments on Jan 30, 2023:

No I do not care, and I often use both terms for myself, in part because a lot of people do not understand agnostic. The only thing that I do make sure that I do, is that I explain exactly where I stand and what I use the terms to mean whenever it matters, it is not fair to allow misunderstanding.

I think there should be a law that if someone is constantly talking about their religion in a ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 30, 2023:

Hello and welcome to the site. But sorry to say I am from the UK, so I have no experience of religion in the workplace.

Answer to “There's nothing more frightening in America today than an angry White man” I ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 30, 2023:

Having watched this for a while now, and even for across the pond, you can not help see the bitter irony of, people trumpeting. "Make America Great Again." By proposing the ending of democracy, freedom of speech, and freedom of belief, which things are obviously even from here, exactly the things which did make America great. Part of the problem seems to be complacency. Democracy has always been a cornerstone of what it takes to be a world leader in every field, and the world has always been led , economically, intellectually, and morally, by the most democratic countries of the time. Americans, especially the privileged whites, have always assumed, it seems to be a big part of your culture, your national myth, that a perfect democracy was achieved in the US in the late eighteenth century, and it needs no improvement. Yet much of the rest of the world has spent two centuries improving their democracy, and you are being left behind. Someone on this site recently posted photos of people in the US cuing for miles down the roads, in order to cast their votes. I can not begin to tell you just how much national shame there would be here, if such a photo appeared here. The papers and news services would be in uproar, special programmes would be on the TV. and special meetings of parliament would be called. Yet all that seemed to happen in the US, was that someone tried to prevent them being given water !?

Looks perfect to me.

Fernapple comments on Jan 29, 2023:

Oh lovely. I am thinking about getting a new greenhouse, and you are putting salt on the wound.

Religion vs. Spirituality: The Difference Between Them

Fernapple comments on Jan 29, 2023:

I think that you will find that, most people on this site are well aware of all of this.

THERE ARE NO ATHEIST BABIES (from an atheist website) .

Fernapple comments on Jan 29, 2023:

That is all very true. But I have little interest in arguments about how people define words. Each person may do so as they wish. The only really honest obligation is to make the definition you are using plain at the outset, if there is likely to be confusion. So that if you are defining atheist to be a character of adult humans who are aware enough to make an informed choice, then you should say so, and if you are taking it to mean anything, like a cabbage, which does not have active beliefs, or anything to believe with, then you should say that too at the outset. No problem then. But cabbages and babies do have one other important thing in common. Which is that, not only are they not capable of holding an informed opinion, but they are also not capable of expressing one. So that their inclusion, or not, within a religion, is decided for them by others. A priest may take a cabbage. Which is held by the cult to be unclean, because it was grown and handled by an unclean member of another religion. Then wash it in holy water, and declare it to be clean, and therefore our cabbage, fit to be eaten at the cults holy feast on their holy day. So too a baby may be declared to be a Christian baby, a Jewish baby or an animist baby etc. Without it having any say so, and then just like the cabbage, it may be denied some medical treatments, starved and beaten for ritual reasons, and even have bits cut off it at the whim of those who decided it religion for it.

All my Conspiracy theories have come true.

Fernapple comments on Jan 28, 2023:

Pattern recognition. = Positive error bias. Definition, positive error bias: animal's ( including human ) brains are designed by nature, to have a positive bias in favour of recognizing patterns, more patterns than are actually there. Because in a natural environment negative errors, generally carry more cost than positive ones.

Tucker Carlson says the U.S. should invade Canada before it becomes Cuba. [huffpost.com]

Fernapple comments on Jan 27, 2023:

Perhaps Canada should invade the USA before it becomes Iran.

Interesting 🧐 [yahoo.com]

Fernapple comments on Jan 27, 2023:

It sounds very much like the old Dunning Kruger theory to me. Cognitive dissonance going unchallenged due to over confidence.

Galadriel prepares for bed in her chambers in Lothlorien. Just finished this one this morning.

Fernapple comments on Jan 27, 2023:

That is creative, You still need time effort and imagination even with AI helping.

“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 27, 2023:

It relates very well to the one of a few days ago. "Not what we have, but what we enjoy constitutes our wealth." Epicurus.

TWENTY FIVE THINGS NOT TO TRUST: 1.

Fernapple comments on Jan 27, 2023:

Any one who says. "A deeper truth."

........................ WHAT GOOD IS ART ?

Fernapple comments on Jan 27, 2023:

Art is wonderful, beautiful and wonderful, I love it. ( Which is the problem.) Because like beautiful things it is dangerous, and not to be trusted, most of all it should never be believed in, as a source of truth, for as a religion promoting dogma it is at its most dangerous. And like any god, "Art" as an entity does not exist, art is just a name we give to another none existent being like god. Belief in the "truth" of art is like belief in any religion, just another name for the fallacy called, proof from authority. Art is the name we give to the use of technology to manipulate our minds and emotions, but our ape brains made for life in the forest, did not evolve to cope with technology, or its influence over us. That is why art is always the first and most beloved weapon of dictators and tyrants. And why the churches of cruel gods, and the palaces of dictators are always filled with it, like nowhere else. And like all other religions, the art religion can mislead, art can prop up falsehoods, art can justify cruelty, art can be addictive, art can blunt the senses. Religion itself is the greatest and most widespread of all arts, for like that art supports narcissism, indeed may even be a synonym for human narcissism. ( If you don't believe that just try substituting the word art in your lines above for the words "religion" or "narcissism". ) They may not lower blood pressure, but the rest work. At the mouth of every trap is bait, and bait is never ugly, indeed it may be more beautiful to those tempted than reality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DErwvIjaAE

Natural doesn't necessarily mean safer, or better- [nccih.nih.gov]

Fernapple comments on Jan 26, 2023:

Yep. It is also true that a lot of the chemicals found in plants, are there to kill or harm animals like us, who may want to eat them.

The Jehovah's Witnesses are no longer a "religious community" in Norway - YouTube

Fernapple comments on Jan 26, 2023:

Sad though that they still support so many other churches.

The Universal Clock of Aging [nautil.us]

Fernapple comments on Jan 26, 2023:

Clever image, time does indeed hunger after your telomeres. (Though they are mostly at the ends of the strands not the middle). But only those with dependents, who are usually young, have any real need to fear mortality, in anyone else it is just narcissism.

Study: Whales could play crucial role in fighting climate change “Understanding the role of ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 26, 2023:

Great article.

Since I got bumped off my old membership (which is still active but just not to me) I did some ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 26, 2023:

Or adverts.

Same sex sexual activity is still illegal in 67 countries, and is punishable by death in 11 of ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 25, 2023:

Yep, some parts of the world are even more backward than the USA, not much and perhaps for not much longer, but so far.

These things should be self evident, even to the religious people, they really should be.

Fernapple comments on Jan 25, 2023:

Some of us still like the odd baby, especially with a nice glass of red wine.

Be present!

Fernapple comments on Jan 25, 2023:

Now that is wisdom.

Eating chicken without killing chicken? Would you eat lab grown meat? [bbc.com]

Fernapple comments on Jan 25, 2023:

Try anything once.

Academic vs Scientific | ARMACAD

Fernapple comments on Jan 25, 2023:

Science is a relatively new word. As indeed is "academic" which is a Romantic usage, referring to the school of philosophers in Athens led by Plato and Aristotle, which gained its name because the members met in an arcade. Those who practice science were always referred to as, "natural philosophers" until the last couple of centuries, meaning originally that they studied the, natural material world, and used material methods. I. Newton would probably for example, have referred to his work most often as natural philosophy. Today the word scientist is usually taken to mean not merely natural philosopher, but also someone who uses the scientific method as well. Which is a vague, ill defined term, often disputed, but would generally be thought to include such ideas as, nothing being ever totally proven, repeatable results, experimental results being more important than hypothesis, and testing against disproof, plus a few other bits like peer review and the ranking of hypothesis, theory, mathematical proof.

SARCASM WARNING: It’s Not a Gun Problem—Americans Are Just Super Extra Evil, Crazy, and Stupid ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 24, 2023:

And I thought Americans did not do irony.

“The ‘60s are gone, dope will never be as cheap, sex never as free, and the rock ‘n’ ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 24, 2023:

The sixties were also horrible, housing and schools were cold and damp, the teachers beat the s##t out of you, travel was difficult, public transport was dirtier than modern cattle trucks, Christian dogma was dominant, the food was inedible and everything not actually illegal, was expensive and restricted, (You could not even have a phone until you were 18 and you had two letters of recommendation.) and you needed to carry a crank handle because the cars hardly ever started.

The last scientist who worked in the Alexandria Library was a mathematician, astronomer, physicist ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 24, 2023:

I would not say avoid the film "Agora", about her life, for it does capture some of the spirit of the times, but it is a wildly inaccurate depiction the facts of her life and times. Worth a look if you take your sceptical head with you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agora_(film)

Hello! It's me.

Fernapple comments on Jan 22, 2023:

Welcome back, given a like for extra points.

What is a "Christian Country"?

Fernapple comments on Jan 22, 2023:

In simple terms. Any country with a majority population who identify as Christian, but it is rarely that simple.

I guess I finally understand that telling the truth all the time makes people not want to be around ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 22, 2023:

Telling the truth only offends people who doubt their ability to maintain their lies. It is the biggest liars with the most insecurities who are therefore most offended, why show people like that any mercy, sometimes there is pain to be faced before we grow.

Church of England apologizes for treatment of LGBTQ people “For the times we have rejected or ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 21, 2023:

Yet according to him, they are still not going to recognize same sex marriage. So we apologize to the fish for taking them out of the pond, but we are still going to drain the pond.

This man is pretty smart and wise for a religious person…..🤔 [amp.cnn.com]

Fernapple comments on Jan 21, 2023:

With ideas like that, he could pass for a European.

How weird is the whole concept of the Holy Spirit?

Fernapple comments on Jan 21, 2023:

I often wondered if that meant that all the other ghosts were unholy.

I've never been so sick in my life.

Fernapple comments on Jan 21, 2023:

I hope you will soon feel a lot better. Fortunately fewer people are having serious effects, now that the medical agencies are learning more about how to deal with it.

Free For All

Fernapple comments on Jan 21, 2023:

I have not blocked anybody. If you don't like their posts or comments, it is easy to ignore them, but sometimes even the worst trolls post something interesting, so why miss out.

“Let not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments.

Fernapple comments on Jan 20, 2023:

Not sure about that one, I think that love changes a lot over time, often growing deeper with more understanding.

50 Things Basically Every Single American Believes Are Completely Normal But Are Actually Very, ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 20, 2023:

Interesting list yes. It would be nice to know though which countries the comments came from.

Have you ever heard of the Laysan Albatross?

Fernapple comments on Jan 20, 2023:

Great video thank you. And not just the birds but what a beautiful place.

I wonder how old she will be when she realizes she fucked up…..🤠 [yahoo.com]

Fernapple comments on Jan 19, 2023:

If you can not marry a human at eight, then you can not marry a religion either.

It will be heavy reading!

Fernapple comments on Jan 19, 2023:

"May you live in interesting times." Old curse.

Hello I am new and looking for like minded friends!!

Fernapple comments on Jan 19, 2023:

Hello and welcome, enjoy the site. Please write a bio if you can, its nice to know who you are talking to.

Finding or crating meaning in life, part II To he human species, that which matters includes ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 19, 2023:

Perhaps the greatest crime of theism, is that it teaches people to despise this world, and think of it as only a ante-room where they prepare for a mythical far better one, and end time thinking where no investment in the future is required. Yet, as even a Christian once pointed out, there is a deep illogic in that. Supposing that you can worship and honour a creator, by despising his creation.

I think a part of the appeal of religion is from nostalgia.

Fernapple comments on Jan 19, 2023:

Can be so. It depends on what you were indoctrinated with as a child, I was given science and nature from an early age, and they still call up nostalgia for me. Yet I also got religious education as well, but that did not take, and thoughts of the early religious teachings now, only fill me with mild revulsion. If your childhood was ideal perhaps you can maintain nostalgia for all you were given, but if there were also bad parts, then when you try to put those bad parts into the past you leave behind, then perhaps some part of what you learned has to go with them.

Because of Autocorrect.

Fernapple comments on Jan 19, 2023:

I wonder if he asked for the Kosher menu ?

There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 19, 2023:

Final pages of "The Origin Of Species".

"Football, beer, and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds.

Fernapple comments on Jan 19, 2023:

Go back even more, and the Romans had bread, and circuses. Nothing really changes much.

I may not be human, but I play one on the internet

Fernapple comments on Jan 18, 2023:

So do many.

I don't know why I assumed this site would be better than facebook.

Fernapple comments on Jan 18, 2023:

It is always easy to overestimate the number of drooling morons everywhere, since they tend to stand out and push themselves forward. Its a side effect of the Dunning Kruger effect. However, if you find drooling especially offensive, you can always block me, at no cost on this site. But I think that it pays to keep an eye on us morons, since that way you are less likely to slip on the drool.

The Prodigal Son This is a ridiculous parable if there ever was one.

Fernapple comments on Jan 18, 2023:

The father, if I remember correctly, does say that the stay at home son has enjoyed all the benefits of life at home, for many years. But in truth you are very correct, it is a very silly story. The point of course is that it is simply a recruitment ad for the church, and like all adverts its main con is, that it says you will get everything you want, a happy life, nice home, good friends etc. if you only buy the product. No company ever sold their soap or cars, by presenting them as being used by unhappy, lonely people in a dirty poor home. Quite the contrary, everyone in the world of adverts is impossibly happy , loved and prosperous, and the word "impossibly" is the important one. Because if it was possible to be that happy, then there would be no need to keep buying the product in hopes of improvement. And since religion has no material and testable end product, it is pure advertising with nothing to deliver, and no production costs, and since it is infinitely variable, if the customer is not happy, then they are obviously using it wrong and must try harder. While the main part of the product is due for delivery, only after you are dead, so no complaints or returns. Religion is advertising made pure.

Hume and Avicenna 😆 [existentialcomics.com]

Fernapple comments on Jan 17, 2023:

Ah! But is a soul the same thing as a self ?

“The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike.” ― Delos Banning McKown

Fernapple comments on Jan 16, 2023:

The silent and the non-existent also sound very alike. Do not go to god for advice.

What world awaits Gen Z? | Malcolm Gladwell x Brain Bar

Fernapple comments on Jan 16, 2023:

Moderate quite good, though I have doubts about whether the sports analogy works for real life, quite so perfectly as he claims.

Hands down, the scariest nightmare I ever had, was the one that started out with me on my honeymoon ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 16, 2023:

I was walking down the street with my wife, when on the other side of the road we saw my mother in law, being attacked and beaten by four thugs who were trying to steal her bag. And my wife said. “Are you not going to do anything to help ?” I said. “No. four should be enough.” Les Dawson

FINDING OR CREATING MEANING IN LIFE, pART i I will begin this discussion by asserting that human ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 16, 2023:

Very good. Here for what it is worth, ( Not much.) is my view, which is a joke. When we realize that there are no big, god given, purposes in life, demanding our obedience. And the many completely contradictory purposes, offered by the many different religions, prove that to be so. Then we can easily see, that wanting any big purpose at all, is merely a vanity and narcissism. The failings which are the trade of religion. For if you build up the vanities of people, then they will, obey you, pay you, and praise you, for as long as you keep flattering and confirming those vanities, over and over again. Yet atheists often say in reply to the theist's question. “What is the purpose of life, if there is no god ?” That, by being none religious, we are free to choose our own purposes. Though admittedly they must by definition be small personal ones, meaning that in the deepest sense, atheism, agnosticism and deism are inevitably, by their nature, mainly philosophies of humility. Yet here for fun is the irony. Suppose for one second, hypothetically, for arguments sake, that there is a creator, an intelligence behind the universe, though one who has not revealed any purpose to us yet, perhaps a deist creator at most. Then what can we discern, if anything, is most likely to be pleasing to it, if pleasing it has any value at all ? Well after the usual if doubtful, givens, such as, be kind, the only thing I think that seems likely, is that we should appreciate its creation as much as possible, down to the smallest detail. Valuing and treasuring all that we are given. And what are we doing when we create our own small purposes, whether, we climb mountains, garden, paint pictures, entertain our pets, make a coffee for a friend or help in a charity shop, if not appreciating that creation, or nature, down to the smallest detail, and valuing it enough to care for it, environmentalism. Perhaps therefore being an atheist could after all, be the most pleasing of all things to the hypothetical creator. Now forget the hypothetical creator, since it has now done its job, and what are you left with ? That the small things are the biggest things there are, because they demand the greatest appreciation of you, and it is when you turn your back on the idea of great purpose that you come nearest to your greatest purpose. And when you forget god that you are most likely to please god. So you see that in the end, my deepest thoughts lead to an ironic joke. Nice joke perhaps ? Yes, but I was also never more serious. And is this my original philosophy ? No, I don't think so, for at the very least the Greek philosopher Epicurus more than twenty centuries ago wrote. “Bring me a pot of cheese and I will feast.” And. “Don't over think it.”

My youngest claimed religion today, officially joined the cult that ruined my life.

Fernapple comments on Jan 16, 2023:

If you have taught them to value skeptical questioning, and set an example of being a moral and caring person without needing religion. Then you have done all that you could and should have done, it is no fault of yours. And if you have done those things, then you will probably find that the attractions of religion will soon wear thin, a decade is a long time.

Let's get personal.

Fernapple comments on Jan 14, 2023:

A friend named a plant after me, a kind of Polypodium. The trouble is, I really don't like Polypodiums at all.

Good morning.

Fernapple comments on Jan 14, 2023:

"My car windows are not dirty. That is my dogs nose art."

The Asshole Hypothetically speaking there's a person named John.

Fernapple comments on Jan 14, 2023:

If you have a good idea, the world will come to your door. But if you think that fridges are penguins, then you need a good agency to help to push the idea, fortunately God accept all clients, and does not charge any fees, so you get to keep everything.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Hated More Than Andrew by Older Brits—Poll

Fernapple comments on Jan 13, 2023:

Actually no, a lot of us Brits think that they are all a waste of space.

Memo to any parents out there that allowed your kids to attend concerts with me in High School! You...

Fernapple comments on Jan 13, 2023:

WE are all lucky to be alive, especially at your age.

Good question!

Fernapple comments on Jan 13, 2023:

Here you go. https://agnostic.com/group/naturalhistory/discussion/703069/sometimes-i-think-that-well-intentioned-had-work-should-just-be-appreciated-for-its-own-sake-whatev

There is a little known cure for jingles that suck up your brain capacity and won't go away all day ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 12, 2023:

"I must remember that." Could be another good one. But seriously I am sad to say. Getting fixated on jingles can be a sign that you are not getting enough sleep. If it happens often, it may mean that your brain is trying to send you a message. Do take care.

“Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the assessment that something else is more ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 12, 2023:

That. "Courage is, not being without fear but facing down the fear." Is a commonality, often overused. But your quote takes it to a far deeper and more meaningful level.

Tim Minchin [i.pinimg.com]

Fernapple comments on Jan 12, 2023:

To me that seems almost banal, yet the world is full of people who can not seemingly understand that at all.

We seem to continue to have our conspiracy theorists on board and some of us are getting tired of ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 11, 2023:

I went into a bookshop today, and while browsing the shelves, I was horrified to find that they actually have a shelf called "Conspiracy Theories". OK it was only a small shelf, but even so ?!

FREEDOM Freedom is the state of being able to act and think independently, without being ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 11, 2023:

Good definition. And ?

Psychologist Stanley Milgram found that 80% of people do not have the psychological and moral ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 11, 2023:

Don't you mean "illegitimate".

PUN FUN Dad, are we pyromaniacs?

Fernapple comments on Jan 11, 2023:

No sole is ever so tired that it wont wake up when it finds a sexy plaice. ( Just came up on another post. )

Can complete stillness heal a tired soul?

Fernapple comments on Jan 11, 2023:

No sole is ever so tired, that it wont wake up when it finds a sexy plaice.

This applies to UK. No idea what happens anywhere else.

Fernapple comments on Jan 11, 2023:

Yes, it is called animal hygiene, in case they are carrying diseases, that could transmit to others. At the moment we have an outbreak of bird flu, so you would not be able to walk your parrot past a chicken farm, but nobody told the sparrows of course.

I don’t normally pay any attention to the number of points, or posts.

Fernapple comments on Jan 10, 2023:

And long may you continue to post, for the pleasure of us all.

It’s a constant state for me…

Fernapple comments on Jan 10, 2023:

I live in a village, and try to be a useful member of the community. You can work it out from that. LOL

Re: Transgenderism Hard to argue with sensible logic. 😏[youtube.com]

Fernapple comments on Jan 10, 2023:

She is in part wrong and part correct. Wrong in that. We have inherited a strange idea, based on the primitive understandings of those Bronze Age shepherds again, that sex is a simple binary. That is clearly false, and does not even have the backing of all tradition, since several old cultures held that there were more than one, binary is just a feature of the Abrahamic tradition. See Seagreeneyez below. For that reason the speaker is wrong. But she is correct in that allowing people to self identify as whatever sex they like, is not ALWAYS, just or valid. The law needs to recognize that not only are there are several sexes and genders, but also that there are several ways to identify which one you belong to. Just as in most countries laws recognizes that there are several ways to have a house, at least, homeless, homeowner, tenant, lease holder, sub-tenant, squat etc. And would not allow you to self identify as homeless, to claim a social security payment made to the homeless, if you in fact lived in a house you owned. So that with gender/sex, you could use for example, use self identification for entry on a marriage certificate, ( Though you could just ignore sex for that.) and a blood test for the presence of a Y Chromosome in sports, we already do blood tests for drugs, so it is no big extra. ( And stop calling sports male and female anyway. Call them X and Y sports. )

As of 10:20am today, Jan 9th 2023, My best friend, companion, and loyal doggo Molly crossed over the...

Fernapple comments on Jan 10, 2023:

Well done for rescuing her in the first place, that is one happy life that would never have been otherwise, both of you only gained by that.

There are thousands of religions around the world.

Fernapple comments on Jan 9, 2023:

1. If there is no god, then all theist religions lie. 2. If there is a god, then all theist religions are guilty of setting up an impostor in its name. ( It is just possible that one sect of just one religion knows about the one true god, but that is a ten thousand to one shot, and you would be better off, if you want to please god, trusting that god likes atheists the best of all, for not putting up impostors in its name, or pretending to speak on its behalf. )

“Each one of us is alone in the world.

Fernapple comments on Jan 9, 2023:

I can understand and get with that. Just one small adjustment, I would say it is not "always" narcissistic. But it can be a very dangerous way to feed it if it is.

A friend in Mumbai, India, is complaining that it takes longer to heat up water for the shower as it...

Fernapple comments on Jan 8, 2023:

About eighty six F.

This is important

Fernapple comments on Jan 8, 2023:

Perhaps "uncaring" would be a better word.

What’s your take on the following from the Spoof Locker?

Fernapple comments on Jan 8, 2023:

There is a compelling reason to keep pursuing it, because pure research is good in its own right, and usually yields some benefits even if not the intended one.

How many of you can ace this basic science quiz?? [pewresearch.org]

Fernapple comments on Jan 7, 2023:

Yep 11 out of 11. Though I would think that the site members will do very well as a whole.

Good morning! Begin your day with happy thoughts and keep them close to you for the rest of the ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 7, 2023:

Nice idea, but hard in practice sometimes.

The world is divided into men who have wit and no religion and men who have religion and no wit ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 7, 2023:

That is a bit harsh, but acceptable.

First Flying Car Passes Safety Test In Japan, Could Be On-Sale By 2025 [iflscience.com]

Fernapple comments on Jan 7, 2023:

Not really. I can't see anything with flailing props sticking out at the sides, ever working on the streets. It is in the same niche as autogyros and they have been around for years, and have a flying time measured in hours not mins.

Hoist with their own petard The legal ruling that business's do not have serve gay people if it ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 7, 2023:

I would prefer tolerance all round. But sometimes balanced intolerance is better than unbalanced intolerance. And you never know. It is just possible, though highly unlikely, that someone may learn something from this.

Voices from the Deepity: got any pithy quotes to share?

Fernapple comments on Jan 7, 2023:

Nice quote, and very true. I have problems with the word soul, and would prefer, "personality" but I go with the flow of the river. If you like deepities, and want to read or share them, then there is a, "quotes" group on the site which is one of the more active ones. I like this one about the first cold days of spring in childhood, and again, especially for the last line. "A spring day came when I began to know that this was not the first spring of the world. That I had lived through other winters - perhaps seven or eight of them - and known a sudden tender day like this one, when I stood with flowers in my hands, gazing up at the haystack that rose dingy on an island of new green sod, surrounded by a sea of thaw water. ------ My thumb and fingers would not meet around the violet stems, I had picked so many, and were cold with tightly keeping them. ------ Over all the sky was tautened in one vast blue arc. And I wondered, for the first time. Why is it so sad to be so happy ? " D. C. Peattie