Be yourself, not your idea of what you think somebody else’s idea of yourself should be.

Fernapple comments on Nov 21, 2021:

Heavens, "your idea of what you think somebody else’s idea of yourself should be" that would be too complicated anyway, could never even work out what that should be. You need a good memory, they say, to tell lies even, but you would have to be an absolute genius to carry that one out.

I love to cuddle up with a good book or preferably with a woman who has read one. 😁😉

Fernapple comments on Nov 21, 2021:

Either.

Having just used this link in a response I think that this 63 year old recording should gain greater...

Fernapple comments on Nov 21, 2021:

Have heard that one by other artists, but that is the first time I heard that performance. Always funny.

We Live By a Unit of Time That Doesn’t Make Sense The seven-day week has survived for ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 21, 2021:

Its simple. Go for twenty eight day months. Then every month starts on the same day, and nobody ever needs to buy another calender. You then have thirteen months in a year which is three hundred and sixty four days, so you make new years day a public holiday which is not given a week day designation, its just called "new years day", and in leap years you have two of them. So every year also starts and ends on the same day, another reason why one calender would last a lifetime.

I don't see him either

Fernapple comments on Nov 20, 2021:

No he's generally on top, egging the killers on.

This amazing natural phenomenon could occur any time, could it not?

Fernapple comments on Nov 20, 2021:

Yes but they only depended on electricity for telegraph in those days, think what would happen today if everything electrical got fried overnight.

Clairvoyance anyone?

Fernapple comments on Nov 20, 2021:

Shiploads.

North American White Supremacist Jesus.

Fernapple comments on Nov 20, 2021:

There is a good case which can be made that the typical image of Jesus, is in fact modeled on Cesare Borgia. Since it first appears in Italy during Cesare's lifetime, the two are very similar, and no doubt artists would have seen it as, both a good joke, to make the bastard of the pope the model for the bastard son of god, and a good way to gain favour with the church powers, who would probably not get the joke. Which leaves a billion Christians worshiping a gangster. Wonder if we should tell them ?

"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.

Fernapple comments on Nov 20, 2021:

There are a lot of very efficient churches out there.

I've been thinking.

Fernapple comments on Nov 20, 2021:

To live is to achieve, to move forward is exceptional. Well Done.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Fernapple comments on Nov 20, 2021:

I can remember when someone said. "The world will end in nineteen eighty six." And I thought. "Shan't worry much about that, I will be really old by then."

My sciatic nerve is playing up again.

Fernapple comments on Nov 20, 2021:

Try a mild natural anti-inflammatory in your diet , like turmeric, and avoid inflammatories like chocolate and tomatoes. It may not work, it all depends on what triggered your sciatica and the cause of it, but it helped me.

Old taboos, New emerging taboos You agree?

Fernapple comments on Nov 20, 2021:

Interesting summation. You never know, maybe the United States could make it into the twentieth century, before everyone else is done with the twenty first. But I shall not be holding my breath. lol

Ok...this one's for all you engineers and tech oriented...figure this one out....

Fernapple comments on Nov 20, 2021:

Just do what good engineers always do, just tighten the bolts up, and see what happens.

I encourage everyone to trade up your weapons for web puns.

Fernapple comments on Nov 20, 2021:

Groan.

My wife just completed a 40-week body building routine... It's a baby boy, weighing 7 pounds!

Fernapple comments on Nov 19, 2021:

Now you will be body building, while your brain melts though lack of sleep. Enjoy and congratulations.

I follow this photographer, James Fridman, on facebook.

Fernapple comments on Nov 19, 2021:

Gain twenty years, instantly.

Songs are better if you replace girls with squirrels.

Fernapple comments on Nov 19, 2021:

Or how about boys ? There is a house way down in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun And it's been the ruin of many a poor squirrel And God I know I'm one

About right

Fernapple comments on Nov 19, 2021:

Yep. You suddenly get to the point when you realize that there is more than one book in the world, and you don't have to stick with fiction.

Schnitzel (meat in breadcrumbs) 😆

Fernapple comments on Nov 19, 2021:

Muesli and melon. Its breakfast time here in the UK.

Fun with the crazy the English language.

Fernapple comments on Nov 19, 2021:

One of the hardest things people new to the language find to learn, is why the adjectives have to be in order. Why can I have ? A large heavy green plastic box. But not. A plastic green heavy large box.

"You'd better not have hair anyplace else." Is this from online porn?

Fernapple comments on Nov 19, 2021:

If he is worried about your appearance at all, and has not moved on from that, after the first thirty seconds of contact with you, then he is a waste of space, forget instantly.

Freeze Alert! I know I checked the weather earlier since temperatures are getting down there, and ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 19, 2021:

Good luck, and well done with the covering. But it has to be said that, if you are planting things which may be tender, then it is best perhaps to plant them in spring, so that they are well established before their first winter.

Millionaire German shepherd, Gunther VI, is selling a villa once owned by Madonna for $43.

Fernapple comments on Nov 18, 2021:

Some dog handlers got themselves a nice little gig there. Probably an unfair division of wealth in a world of real poverty, but if they look after a dog they are doing a lot more for that wealth than many. All depends on which end of the spectrum you view it from.

“Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are ‘It might have been’ ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 18, 2021:

And also, the most universally applicable.

The Brights' Net - Backtalk on "Bright"

Fernapple comments on Nov 18, 2021:

No sorry 'Bright' is not "a neologism. It is fresh, free, and unencumbered." it is an old noun with a lot of baggage.

Possibly a new Motto for us all or just a thought for the day.

Fernapple comments on Nov 18, 2021:

That is a good one, would make a great teeshirt.

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. - Corrie ten Boom

Fernapple comments on Nov 18, 2021:

Exactly.

Feeling spied on by websites. It's jarring.

Fernapple comments on Nov 17, 2021:

You can use a clear cookies/web files program/function if you like now and again. The only problem tends to be that they clear everything, so that you have to log on to say Agnostic.com manually again next time you visit, but you only have to do it once, and you are back to normal.

Come to Britain.

Fernapple comments on Nov 17, 2021:

It is worth pointing out, that this is a Christian group doing the survey, and that the stats are only about Christians for the most part. So it is not the British population as a whole, since it ignores the large percentages of other faiths and none believers. It it hard to tell with some of the stats, because they treat none Christians as none existent, and just refer to themselves as people, as usual. Here you go. Christianity (59.5%) No religion (25.7%) Islam (4.4%) Hinduism (1.3%) Sikhism (0.7%) Judaism (0.4%) Buddhism (0.4%) Other religions (0.4%) Not stated (7.2%)

Feeling spied on by websites. It's jarring.

Fernapple comments on Nov 17, 2021:

A couple of years ago I was searching for a new bike, and visited a number of cycling shops and sites on line. To this day, two years after I bought the bike, I still get bike adverts popping up alongside nearly every page (Except Agnostic of course. ) which I visit. Yes it is intrusive up to a point, but it is not really harmful, why would bike adverts annoy me more than adverts for anything else. And they are far from infallible, I get a lot of, local to you, type adds as well, except that they are all centered about eighty miles away, probably because many years ago, I did a search for a distant cousin, who does live there, and now somehow, even the almighty Google seems to have me wrongly located. ( Note to self. Do a couple of searches for ladies underwear. Should improve the look of the web.)

Fronts d’Vowel [youtube.com]

Fernapple comments on Nov 17, 2021:

Very good first class article.

I feel immense pain for the little children all around the world today.

Fernapple comments on Nov 16, 2021:

They may prove just as corruptible as every other generation. I hope not, but we shall see.

It’s the American way.....

Fernapple comments on Nov 16, 2021:

That's about half the price it is in the UK and Europe. But then our governments tend to tax things which we should not perhaps use so much of.

Belief consensus

Fernapple comments on Nov 16, 2021:

I can only say from experience, that my partners and I have never shared any beliefs, but it was never a problem because we all respected each others ideals, and were prepared to be tolerant. So I suppose that we all had tolerance in common at least.

I wish we could convict him just for looking like a smug jerk!?! 😁

Fernapple comments on Nov 16, 2021:

Hey. How I look is nobodies business, and certainly not a crime. And if you do have an issue with my appearance take it up with me.

Why not evolution?

Fernapple comments on Nov 15, 2021:

(Posted below but will repeat.) Because the idea that religion is an evolved trait, and the idea that, it was just a bad idea that someone made up, are not contradictions. Since the capacity and ability to make up bad ideas is and evolved trait, but that does not mean that they are not still bad ideas. The same mistake appears most of all in your second point, asking if religion is just a product of criminals, which seems to assume that criminals are not themselves in many ways products of evolution. My desire to over-eat, and put on weight, is a product of evolution, dating from the days when good meals were hard to find. But that does not mean that it is necessary, inevitable or good to over-eat. My doctor tells me that if I put on weight, it will make me unfit, unhappy and shorten my life, so it is not good. I managed to stop doing it and lost weight, so it is not necessary or inevitable either. And the doctor's reasons for saying that I should not over-eat are many, but the greatest is the observation that people who do not over-eat, are usually fitter, happier and longer lived. So is the observation that societies which are less religious, and more secular, are generally happier and score higher on every feature of societal health, such as life expectancy, low criminality, better education, fewer unwanted pregnancies, less alcoholism etc. the list is endless. While the fact that virtually no observable single feature of religion, is common to all of them, also proves that none of it is inevitable.

Why not evolution?

Fernapple comments on Nov 15, 2021:

Religion is certainly a byproduct of evolution, as is everything else in human culture, which is an emergent property of evolution. Silly question why would anyone who accepts evolution think anything else ?

The Benefits of Claiming "Atheism" for Atheists Should Not Be Ignored

Fernapple comments on Nov 15, 2021:

I have to hold my hands up and say that I do just the opposite. If I was bothered about labels, then I would put myself down as an Agnostic Atheist Broad Church Sceptic, but for the most part if asked I will just say atheist. Because it is simple and people tend to understand it, but I live in Europe, where the is not the stigma attached to it there is perhaps in the US.

It is my favorite time of year in Florida.

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2021:

The second most important thing in the world, is to be happy with where you live. (The first is to be happy with whom you live.)

I'm only familiar with 25 letetters of the alphabet.I don't know why...

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2021:

Groan. U do not need to know all of them.

What a great idea! 5.

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2021:

Yes well they would not want to stay in Belarus would they.

You’re not uncool.

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2021:

I find it a lot easier than I did when young. Mind you I was a really obnoxious kid, horrible to an extreme, noisy, dirty, out of control, unfit and completely lacking in social skills. Boy I miss the old days.

Nah . I need a real dragon !

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2021:

Size does not matter, it all depends on how hot you are. I am sure you have heard that before. LOL

Here kitty kitty kitty ….

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2021:

And learning how to take failing. That should stand him in good stead for the rest of his life.

Waited for weeks!!

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2021:

No, fake photo. He looks far too smart to need that. lol

“Mostly it is loss which teaches us about the worth of things”…………….

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2021:

Sad but true.

Meet the "bulldozer of the Aussie Bush," aka the Wombat, the fur covered Tank, the only marsupial ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2021:

Never met one but, I love the idea of Wombats, because we have such a lot in common; bad attitude, portly figure, nosy, and a strong tendency to turn round and show the world my big ass.

People that spread misinformation on here or online and public figures/ or the general public about ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2021:

I just wrote on another post. "Religion is all about training yourself to accept delusions, and when once you have trained yourself to accept one, the same skill works perfectly for all the others." Including the delusion that you are honest and caring, even when you are being fraudulent and selfish.

Had a little boy make my day today.

Fernapple comments on Nov 13, 2021:

Honesty, one of the privileges of youth. And like all the privileges of youth, never truly valued until its gone.

Seven thousand feet elevation at the side of the road.

Fernapple comments on Nov 13, 2021:

Nice xeophite fern. Cystopteris, or Chielanthes perhaps.

Don't you just hate it when.

Fernapple comments on Nov 13, 2021:

Some times people get into a tram line, and they have said the same thing so many times, they just can't think about changing it.

SnowyOwl posted a thread about mortality/ethics, and this article discusses whether or or not ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 13, 2021:

Religion is all about training yourself to accept delusions, and when once you have trained yourself to accept one, the same skill works perfectly for all the others.

Remember the adage if it’s too good to be true it probably is. [wjtv.com]

Fernapple comments on Nov 13, 2021:

Link not available in Europe.

I equate morality with religion and so I do not presume to have them as a godless one but I do have ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2021:

If humans do not have instinctive morals, where did religion get its morals from.

Tauros | Rewilding Europe

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2021:

It was the type of bull use in Crete for the bull jumping rituals, it is thought. And since it was not a native of Crete, somehow someone had to get them there using stone/bronze age shipping technology. Is it any wonder that they painted pictures of them all over their walls, and prized them in their sporting games. They probably bought calves to begin with, but even so it must have been some achievement.

If you want to be pissed off, just read the following article from today's Omaha newspaper: YES ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2021:

If I had not had direct personal experience with believers, and did not know how sick and twisted they can be, I would take this for a joke.

Seven ways to curb climate change [bbc.]

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2021:

Yes nice list, but the cynic in me, wants to ask. Have you actually got one that could happen ?

“There is always going to be a reason to get irritated by people’s behaviour but if you can find...

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2021:

"I followed his gaze, and saw, coming down towards us on the sluggish current, a dog. It was one of the quietest and peacefullest dogs I have ever seen. I never met a dog who seemed more contented – more easy in its mind. It was floating dreamily on its back, with its four legs stuck up straight into the air. It was what I should call a full-bodied dog, with a well-developed chest. On he came, serene, dignified, and calm, until he was abreast of our boat, and there, among the rushes, he eased up, and settled down cosily for the evening." Jerome K Jerome.

He's still a threat.. [rawstory.com]

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2021:

Or at least one of his parasites is still feeding off him.

Ever wonder where Trumptards will lead us if given a free hand to destroy democracy and install a ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2021:

The Mexican border, one way gates.

[etymonline.com]. seemed like a good moment.

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2021:

Ah yes. I remember the days when the flouncing and bouncing of young ladies, as well as the bouncing of their flounces, could haunt my young mans mind for days.

Anyone know this guy?

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2021:

My girlfriend thinks that she does, but she is wrong.

Bertrand Russell's Ten Commandments for Living in a Healthy Democracy | Open Culture

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2021:

I always liked Russell, and I love the neatness of his ten points.

So a nurse from my work is quitting to become a full time youth pastor.

Fernapple comments on Nov 11, 2021:

It is an old game, and you will find hundreds of examples with just a short search on line. But Richard Dawkins picked this one out, so I will go with it, for no other reason that I do not really have time to play. .Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you. • In all things, strive to cause no harm. • Treat your fellow human beings, your fellow living things, and the world in general with love, honesty, faithfulness and respect. • Do not overlook evil or shrink from administering justice, but always be ready to forgive wrongdoing freely admitted and honestly regretted. • Live life with a sense of joy and wonder. • Always seek to be learning something new. • Test all things; always check your ideas against the facts, and be ready to discard even a cherished belief if it does not conform to them. • Never seek to censor or cut yourself off from dissent; always respect the right of others to disagree with you. • Form independent opinions on the basis of your own reason and experience; do not allow yourself to be led blindly by others. • Question everything.”

There is a COVID case in your house. What do you do?

Fernapple comments on Nov 11, 2021:

Over here in the UK it is said, that you are less likely to develop serious symptoms if you get a low dose of the virus at the outset. Therefore, even if it is in your house and you are almost sure to get some, anything you can do to slow the rate at which you get the viral infection, such as masking and washing surfaces, is good.

How do you answer "Have a blessed day"?

Fernapple comments on Nov 11, 2021:

Like Moravian, I am fortunate in that, I have never heard it.

There is a difference I think between atheism/agnosticism/non-belief, on the one hand, and ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 11, 2021:

You do not have to go as far as science, to demonstrate the adaptive and genetic advantages that religion has brought to many. History will do. There is no doubt, that for example, many Arabic male gained a considerable genetic advantage from the establishment of the Islamic empire, and that the resulting boom in the access gained to female slaves and forced marriages, helped their genetic success. While there is no doubt that Christianity, was a driving force which helped, white European, and to a lesser extent black African people, take many of the resources of North America away from the native Americans, enabling vast population growth. While economics would show that, the wealth and power generated by the professions of priest, witch doctor etc., always helped males to gain access to more and better sexual partners, and that even the priestess may to a less extent have gained genetic advantages, such as higher grade male partners and more resources enabling more social success and higher survival rates among her children. But it is a two edged sword, because there is also no doubt that, the monastic tradition for example, did do a lot of harm to the breeding success of many.

So a nurse from my work is quitting to become a full time youth pastor.

Fernapple comments on Nov 11, 2021:

Besides that. You could point out the contradiction that their own prophet Jesus already did it, when he said that there was only one commandment. And that contradicts his own statement that he, came to complete the law, not abolish it.

Bullshit may baffle brains, but brighter brains beat the shit out of bullshit.

Fernapple comments on Nov 11, 2021:

I don't know. “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.” ― Mark Twain

Has everyone been unable to post anything for the past 13 or 14 hours?

Fernapple comments on Nov 10, 2021:

Yep happened to me. I was worried that my repeated attempts would result in multiple displays of the same post. But that seems not to have happened.

Once thought to be as extinct as an honest Politician, this earliest ancestor of most eels has been ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 10, 2021:

Name please. Or even better a link.

The older I get, the more people look like baboons to me......👀

Fernapple comments on Nov 10, 2021:

Not really. I can tell baboons apart, but everybody under forty looks the same to me.

Time : The History & Future of Everything [youtube.com]

Fernapple comments on Nov 10, 2021:

Very good should be shown in schools.

A vile little shit that needs to be drowned: [bbc.com]

Fernapple comments on Nov 9, 2021:

Admittedly, it does seem stupid that the navy should require its steel tested at -100 degrees, exactly what unfrozen sea was it planning to sail its subs in at that temp.

I wonder why there is so much hostility between the Xstians and Islam?

Fernapple comments on Nov 9, 2021:

Ever priest/imam/ witch doctor in the world is in competition with every other. And when the only two products you have to sell, is a belief in that your followers have an exclusive access to truth and gods gifts, plus absolutes and the idea of perfection, then detail matters to an extreme. It is no good saying. "Yep god is going to let them into heaven as well." Because then you have nothing to sell.

Ideological conservatives of all stripes, political or cultural, are either ignoring or badly ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 9, 2021:

Basically true. Though I do think that drawing a analogy between biological evolution and human history, is stretching it a bit.

Trump Pals Slapped with Subpoenas

Fernapple comments on Nov 9, 2021:

It seems that you may have a working democracy over there after all. Though I am not holding my breath.

Is there any possibility of life after death?

Fernapple comments on Nov 8, 2021:

Many are still waiting for life before death.

I'm sure everyone will get this one.

Fernapple comments on Nov 8, 2021:

I hate spelling jokes but chemical nominal jokes are......... !!!!

Is there any possibility of life after death?

Fernapple comments on Nov 8, 2021:

Possibilities are endless, since there are no absolutes. Life is therefore, all about probabilities.

Name 'a group of complete idiots': California school investigating controversial question on history...

Fernapple comments on Nov 8, 2021:

All those in ancient Greece who took no part in the elections and votes that were held in their cities. ( Original meaning of the word. )

Can anyone give me the number of times the phrase "put to death" is in the bible?

Fernapple comments on Nov 8, 2021:

Interesting. Why would you want to know, please ?

Wow I can't believe what my beautiful friends did tonight.

Fernapple comments on Nov 8, 2021:

Well done and well deserved, you really make a worthwhile contribution here.

I don't need an antidepressant but I do need a beach that still has warm sunshine.

Fernapple comments on Nov 7, 2021:

Good advice.

Astronomy is not his forte.

Fernapple comments on Nov 7, 2021:

Never seen a constellation of that shape myself, but I will look out for it now. Mind you some people say the the milky way is in the shape of a naked lady, though I have never been able to see it myself, maybe it does show that much detail. My friend Ann says that she can see the naked lady, so maybe I will just have to try harder. LOL

Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong from both sides and Victoria Dockside, pictures from Boomtarat03.

Fernapple comments on Nov 7, 2021:

Say hello for me too, please.

Is it that windy in the UK?

Fernapple comments on Nov 7, 2021:

Very, and a lot of it comes from the fronts and rears of politicians.

Do you think we should ask him to join us?

Fernapple comments on Nov 7, 2021:

Also known as. "The ones who don't pretend they know all about me, to fool others."

James O'Brien rips bigotted pastor a new one, GO JIMMY [youtube.com]

Fernapple comments on Nov 7, 2021:

Boy he has a good debating technique, it may be he got an easy one and was in control of the volume, but that is still impressive.

Is militant ignorance the scourge of this time?

Fernapple comments on Nov 6, 2021:

I think that it was the scourge of all times. It is just that post the enlightenment and the scientific philosophy we can now see that it is just ignorance pure and simple, where in the past the Christians, called it Islamic lies, the Mohammedans called it Hindu lies, and the Hindus called it Buddhist lies, etc. etc.

Well! Thanks to impeccable research and dedicated experimentation I can definitely state that the ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 6, 2021:

Do not DIY , get help from a professional who knows what they are doing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOXIpsoEo2w

This should bring them out of the woodwork.

Fernapple comments on Nov 6, 2021:

That's spelling not grammar. If we are being proper little Nazis, lets get it rite. LOL

Good times

Fernapple comments on Nov 5, 2021:

Hello and welcome, enjoy the site.

Researchers Revise Recipe for Building a Rocky Planet Like Earth [quantamagazine.org]

Fernapple comments on Nov 5, 2021:

It is one thing having the recipe, and quite another finding a saucepan big enough.

Probiotics are ever so good for you.

Fernapple comments on Nov 5, 2021:

And never use mouthwash without rinsing and spitting several (six or more ) times afterwards, even a tiny amount of mouthwash swallowed can upset you gut bacteria. That is probably the main reason some people need probiotics in the first place.

Ring! Unknown number, I answer and a mechanical voice says, “This is AT&T.

Fernapple comments on Nov 5, 2021:

And while they are talking to you, they can not be scamming someone else. A great public service.

Did Jesus actually exist?

Fernapple comments on Nov 4, 2021:

I have heard people make seemingly good cases for the mythical Jesus, for a real Jesus but with a fictional life, a real Jesus with a mythical life, a fictional Jesus made by the devout, a fictional Jesus made to discredit him, a metaphorical fictional Jesus, a literal Jesus with a true life but no miracles, a literally true Biblical Jesus and many other variations. And they all had two things in common, firstly that the poor quality of available evidence could not come near to proving anything, so that all are deluding themselves with their own inventions. You simply can not draw any conclusions from evidence that poor and biased. And second that the content of the Bible, and the religions derived from that, are not affected one jot by his existence or not.

How vivid it still looks! Amazing! Crystal jug from Egypt, Fatimid era ( c.

Fernapple comments on Nov 4, 2021:

And I think that means, carved out of rock crystal, not crystal glass.

The Sunday Assembly hopes to organize a godless future. It’s not easy. [religionnews.com]

Fernapple comments on Nov 4, 2021:

They ask. "Can you build a sustainable community that offers all the social benefits of a church but without God?” Yes of course you can, but you are missing the point, they are called the, music group, the community garden association, the dramatics society, the model railway society, the pets rescue, the charity shop, the nature group, etc. etc. Do something real, churches are fake, and fake fakes, are just silly.