Book Recommendations

sfvpool comments on Nov 7, 2018:

I'm now reading, "The Agony and The Ecstasy", by Irving Stone. My favorite book is, "Atlas Shrugged", by Ayn Rand.

genessa replies on Nov 7, 2018:

@Diogenes1972 i would not take rand too seriously. her basic philosophy was "i got mine, jack" -- that's no way to run a world. g

Justification of human existance

genessa comments on Nov 6, 2018:

what's a sence? g

genessa replies on Nov 7, 2018:

@alca no, it's a little convoluted to me, and in the long run it makes no difference. i am 66 years old. i like philosophy as much as or more than the next person, but this is not helpful. not offense. g

My wife, Anna is a K-5 special education, bi-lingual teacher.

genessa comments on Nov 6, 2018:

not ALL politicians. republican politicians, yep, and the head of all of them is a nonteacher (and pretty uneducated person, come to think of it), a trump appointee named betsy devos, who wants to end public education and make all education private and christian. g

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@kltuckmn alas, the children in her schools will grow up with that brainwashed smile she sports. i hate ALL of trump's appointees but she was the one about whom i chose to make an impeachment petition (which went nowhere). she scares me. g

Justification of human existance

genessa comments on Nov 6, 2018:

what's a sence? g

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@alca no, of course not. sometimes people find new purpose when they have kids, and other people find new purpose when they discover they can help others through their work, or in other ways. some people just drift. g

Justification of human existance

genessa comments on Nov 6, 2018:

what's a sence? g

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@alca being tagged is when you put @ in front of a name. that means you are notifying that person that you're responding to, or mentioning, him or her. then that person might come and look at what you said. it's very handy. g

Tommy Robinson

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

i am always against fucking nazis, whether or not they come to spread their poison here. we have enough nazis here thanks. g

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@David_Cooper this is true! g

Justification of human existance

genessa comments on Nov 6, 2018:

what's a sence? g

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@alca the @ is just to let us know we've been tagged. without it, i wouldn't know to come here and see what you said. g

Justification of human existance

genessa comments on Nov 6, 2018:

what's a sence? g

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@alca it's okay but i am not here for flirting or romance. i rather like the community for communications, in general. g

How annoying is this?

patchoullijulie comments on Nov 6, 2018:

Apart from not seeing that persons posts, replies etc., how does one know if one has been blocked?

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@patchoullijulie yeah that's the trick -- do you wait until you think they've seen your goodbye or block asap? and i think my having seen the ones i mentioned that have no reply button was a fluke, for i just blocked someone above and his post (and our responses) are gone. weird. g

How annoying is this?

IamNobody comments on Nov 6, 2018:

For whatever is worth, I don't care either way... G to x or x to G... Life goes on

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@IamNobody i DO know you're doing this on purpose. that is why i am about to block you, because no, i don't want to play. goodbye. (for the benefit of everyone else who may be reading this, who may have been wondering, for no particular reason, what it takes to get me to block you, stupid head games will do it.) g

So today at the mechanics I'm sitting in the waiting area with several men, including employees.

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

i was at a party once a million years ago. i was in my 20s, and the partiers were both younger and older than i. we were standing/sitting around in small groups, talking and listening, and some guy was talking to the guys in the small group in which i stood, and said something he apparently ...

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@AnneWimsey lol sometimes politeness is an inappropriate response, right? :-)) g

How annoying is this?

IamNobody comments on Nov 6, 2018:

For whatever is worth, I don't care either way... G to x or x to G... Life goes on

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@IamNobody i wasn't taking a test. if you were giving one, that's YOUR business. feh. i don't play head games. i don't respect others who play head games. g

Does it piss off anyone else when people unapologetically make science claims that are wildly ...

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

gee most of the folks i find making bad science mistakes just say evolution isn't real because they are not descended from monkeys (thus proving they have no idea what evolution is) or believe in the 10-second rule for dropping food on the floor! g

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@rogueflyer oh i am a bad scientist! i got the timing wrong! g

How annoying is this?

AnneWimsey comments on Nov 6, 2018:

You should report this, and especially the tattletale, to Admin!

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

i don't think it fits into the two categories for reporting. i mean it could, if i let it go on, but my blocking the second party stopped it, so all is well. g

How annoying is this?

Sgt_Spanky comments on Nov 6, 2018:

Is "blockee" a word?

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

it is now! g

How annoying is this?

IamNobody comments on Nov 6, 2018:

For whatever is worth, I don't care either way... G to x or x to G... Life goes on

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

well, if you don't care, and i am only reporting this for your amusement, as i've said a few times, why respond? i don't care about a lot of the posts i see. if i don't care, i just don't respond! it's kind of normal. g

Justification of human existance

genessa comments on Nov 6, 2018:

what's a sence? g

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@alca ah you mean sense. i am not sure i would've understood even so, but that's okay; i understand now. anyway, we all make our own reasons. we do not need to have the same reasons. g

To my democratic and independent friends in west virginia (yes i am interfering -- i am not from ...

mordant comments on Nov 6, 2018:

Living this political reality is all *about* holding your nose. A very useful strategic skill. Kudos for your cogent analysis.

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

merci, merci! i just hope west virginians aren't too disgusted to do it. i can't blame them for feeling that way, but for the good of the country AND their state they MUST hold their noses and not give up! g

Find Your Subconscious Core Life Commitment

genessa comments on Nov 6, 2018:

she lost me at about a minute and a half by saying we have ONE core commitment. that can't be true. humans are not like that. she also defines "commitment" so loosely that i could say my commitment at any given moment is to dinner, or to petting the cat. okay, so then there's the CORE ...

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@celticagent i think the general idea is said much better, more specifically, and without having to dig for it, elsewhere. i am not criticizing your sharing it -- but i'm also not digging the thing itself. now i am thinking, who said it better? i can't promise i'll be back with the answer but i will be if i think of it (although you could always just quote shakespeare and say "to thine own self be true." that takes a lot less than 15 minutes lol g

How annoying is this?

patchoullijulie comments on Nov 6, 2018:

Apart from not seeing that persons posts, replies etc., how does one know if one has been blocked?

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

the only thing i know for sure is that if you DO see the posts (and i do see some of them) there is no reply feature. this has to be a change because i know at one time someone would reply to a post by someone i'd blocked and i couldn't even see the reply, even though i hadn't blocked the respondant. now suddenly i can see all the posts but not respond, which is very weird. so i don't know if i can answer your question, but i know they knew, because they had the workaround response. g

Who's voting ? For what exactly?

genessa comments on Nov 6, 2018:

i already voted. i voted to get the criminal organization posing as a political party out of office and start repairing the damage it has done so far, and to act as a check on the idiot in the white house, and maybe -- as mark dayton rued at a bbq this labor day -- instead of spending all their ...

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@Sgt_Spanky we can share it :-)) g

How annoying is this?

Anniemae comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Grow up!!!!

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@Anniemae well, i got OUT of the skirmish because it was infantile. she followed me using the go-between ploy. i stayed out of it by blocking the go-between. what's infantile about escaping an infantile skirmish? i'm not the one who needs to grow up. g

How annoying is this?

indirect76 comments on Nov 5, 2018:

I can’t understand how someone would even block another person.

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

well, imagine this. you say "i like wine" and someone answers you with "yeah i know you're a whiner" you say "oh okay, very funny, but actually i like a good chardonnay" and the other person says "yes, you're right, i'm a good lay." you say "that's not very clever" and the other person says "you're right, i'm so clever." and you say, "well, good luck to you then" and the other person says "fuck you too." after a while wouldn't you get a little tired of that person? and if you just stop answering then the person keeps going on anyway, and gets abusive? that's a made-up example; i was trying to think of some word-twisting. it's even a silly example. it's one in the morning; it's the best i can do at the moment. but there is nothing wrong with blocking someone who does that, especially if they follow you around from post to post and do it, as if they're stalking you (that has happened to me on facebook). g

How annoying is this?

The-Krzyz comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Yeah, that’s a wee bit obsessive... Still, you must be posting some pretty amazing stuff!

genessa replies on Nov 6, 2018:

@The-Krzyz the sad thing is, she didn't have to be blocked (i say sad because she obviously couldn't accept being blocked!) she didn't have to love being disagreed with. i get disagreed with all the time. so what? i wasn't blocking her because we disagreed about lilith. we probably agreed more than disagreed about lilith, the character, in the long run, but she kept doing this gaslighting thing, sarcastically putting words in my mouth, so i blocked her. okay, i wouldn't be posting about that either -- i block lots of folks and i don't announce it every time! it was her weird go-between workaround that impelled me to post here that's... different, yeah? anyway thanks for your confidence in my perspective :-)) g

How annoying is this?

MsAl comments on Nov 5, 2018:

That you should actually report.

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

it crossed my mind, but there are only two categories for which one can report and i didn't think that it rose to the level of harassment (admittedly i nipped it in the bud before it could) and it wasn't a threat of physical harm either. so i just blocked it and shared the story for the amusement of y'all... or as i have said elsewhere, not quite all of y'all lol. g

How annoying is this?

whispers comments on Nov 5, 2018:

way too much spare time...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@Beowulfsfriend oh that IS funny! that can't be accidental! g

How annoying is this?

maturin1919 comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Just block who you have to and move on.

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@maturin1919 really? i've not seen a single post about the specific behavior i experienced, and barely anything on blocking either. by the way, i liked the points you made in the thread about voting third party. not to beat the horse one more time, but i had to block that guy rofl rofl! g

OK folks, lets see how many here think they have this Figured out.

Piece2YourPuzzle comments on Nov 5, 2018:

I'll be riding a Green wave. I don't care what anyone says. Democrats need to shape up. They don't deserve or own my vote, and I can't be shamed into it either. They should be working for us, not the other way around. Just because they're better than the Republicans isn't sufficient for me. I have ...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@maturin1919 he'll never get it. he thinks he's voting his conscience. whatever. too bad people will read it and think he knows what he's talking about. you've done your bit toward preventing that, better than i could, and i thank you for that. i'll just block him so at least he won't sully any of my posts. g

Do not opera while hungry: candide yams lasagna de lammamour the barber of seviche carmen ...

HerbertKMiller comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Puntastic post ;-}

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

why, thank you! i was afraid people would think it was from hunger! g

How annoying is this?

maturin1919 comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Just block who you have to and move on.

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

um, yep, did that. thought y'all might be amused by it. guess not all of y'all! g

How annoying is this?

Anniemae comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Grow up!!!!

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

me? seriously? because i posted about a minor skirmish? hmm. but look, you're posting here yourself. do you apply that advice to yourself? g

How annoying is this?

The-Krzyz comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Yeah, that’s a wee bit obsessive... Still, you must be posting some pretty amazing stuff!

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@The-Krzyz well, i myself don't get out enough lol but i think i have some level of perspective! these folks might get out more than i do (or not -- who knows?) but perspective? i didn't see any, and i looked lol the funny thing (well ONE of the funny things) is that lilith is not of zero interest to me; i like mythology. but she was being presented in such a way as to make me think that even metaphorically she was just a substitute for eve to the poster, and yeah, there are theists who don't take the bible literally (not that she's even IN there, not the bible i've seen!) but they're still theists. i don't think this poster is a theist. i think she's... let's be polite and say confused? oh hell, also hysterical lol g

How annoying is this?

ProudMary comments on Nov 5, 2018:

WTH? Is this middle school or something? Kind of creepy.

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

you took the words right out of my mouth -- except i was going to say preschool! actually preschoolers know better. g

How annoying is this?

Stilltrying1964 comments on Nov 5, 2018:

That sounds creepy! Stalk much? Both of them should be kicked off!

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

i've only ever seen it happen once, on facebook, also to me.... totally different topic. that one was political, and i was being gaslit (there was a bit of gaslighting here too -- dontcha love when people tell you what you said even though you didn't say it?) i block anyone who gaslights no matter WHAT the topic. g

How annoying is this?

RiverRick comments on Nov 5, 2018:

I've blocked several of the more outspoken conservatives here.... They always seem to want to post inflammatory crap and pick fights.

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

me too! this wasn't even political, but yeah, they should put a special section in the block list for regressives! g

How annoying is this?

MarieSinycal comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Gosh, obsessive much? Sounds like these people need to get over it!

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

seriously! g

How annoying is this?

Seeker3CO comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Did you hear what Suzie said about you @genessa? OMG!!!

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

oh NO, i'll DIE if i don't know, rofl rofl rofl! g

How annoying is this?

The-Krzyz comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Yeah, that’s a wee bit obsessive... Still, you must be posting some pretty amazing stuff!

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

thanks, but in this case i didn't think it was even all that controversial! someone had posted about lilith as if trading one biblical character for another was somehow useful, and i expressed my doubts. that person went on and on about how offended i was and how i had.. i forget the word but basically ATTACKED her post (by disagreeing with it, yep, that's an attack all right). g

How annoying is this?

whispers comments on Nov 5, 2018:

way too much spare time...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@whispers lol if i don't speak my mind, who will, and who else's mind could i speak, right? :-)) g

How annoying is this?

Druvius comments on Nov 5, 2018:

That's a new one. Rectal cranial inversion?

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

looked like it to me. g

How annoying is this?

whispers comments on Nov 5, 2018:

way too much spare time...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

well, i blocked her/them to save time. all i did was respond to a post (as you just did). those two, yeah, way too much time.... g

Tommy Robinson

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

i am always against fucking nazis, whether or not they come to spread their poison here. we have enough nazis here thanks. g

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@PhillipLee77 your beliefs are your business. they're delusional, but that doesn't actually affect me. but i see you learned your vocabulary from trump. ha! g

OK folks, lets see how many here think they have this Figured out.

Piece2YourPuzzle comments on Nov 5, 2018:

I'll be riding a Green wave. I don't care what anyone says. Democrats need to shape up. They don't deserve or own my vote, and I can't be shamed into it either. They should be working for us, not the other way around. Just because they're better than the Republicans isn't sufficient for me. I have ...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

your higher standards will keep republicans in power. g

Tommy Robinson

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

i am always against fucking nazis, whether or not they come to spread their poison here. we have enough nazis here thanks. g

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@PhillipLee77 mostly his being a fucking nazi. g

[friendlyatheist.

PalacinkyPDX comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Anti-vaxxers have zero right to put their children into situations which might endanger their children or other kids. Orthodox Judaism is a cult and the sooner it's seen that way the better. Moreover, it's become extremely intermeshed in far-right politics and there are politicians of that stripe ...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@PalacinkyPDX yep, but no more or less than any other religion. they're all cults. a hell of a lot more christians are anti-vaxxers than orthodox jews, and being anti-vaxx is not part of judaism. the parents in question are claiming it is, but it's not. and although some orthodox jews are supporting rightwingers, not all are (alas i had, past tense, a friend who was), and most other jews, most jews in total, are politically liberal even if they are religiously conservative. compare and contrast to evangelical christians! g

Tommy Robinson

PBuck0145 comments on Nov 5, 2018:

I'm a Canadian. I would support a visit from Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. His crusade against Pakistani (Muslim) rape gangs is forcing some U.K. officials to recognize the inherent danger and inhumanity of Islam. Unfortunately, the regressive leftists in both of our countries will vehemently oppose ...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

regressive leftists? omg next you'll be complaining about meat-eating vegetarians! g

The bible says that God rested on the seventh day.

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

ah christians. the seventh day was a saturday, if you ask a jew! technically a friday night to saturday night, since all days (not just holidays) on the jewish calendar begin and end at sundown. now, i am an atheist, like many here, but i know a really good chassidic story that deals with ...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@Amisja ha, when it comes to the bible, i don't actually start. g

Meet Lilith, the original representation or icon of feminism i.

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

lol cast as a demon by religion. what invented her to begin with? religion! so i should trade one myth for another? i should care what religious scholars say? i like fiction but prefer real people as heroes. hypatia fits the bill. g

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@Lukian sarcasm won't get you far with me. you didn't get anywhere NEAR my point and you're migrating farther from it now. i think i'll just migrate away from you altogether, since you want to argue a point i never made, for no particular reason. don't like being disagreed with on anything? gee. the feels. g

Meet Lilith, the original representation or icon of feminism i.

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

lol cast as a demon by religion. what invented her to begin with? religion! so i should trade one myth for another? i should care what religious scholars say? i like fiction but prefer real people as heroes. hypatia fits the bill. g

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@Lukian i said exactly what i meant. i didn't say i was offended; if that was the impression you got, that was the impression YOU GOT. you thought it was a smack against the post? well, maybe. do i have to love everything i see, and if i don't, is it a horrible thing if i say so? you're reading all sorts of stuff into my response and i meant exactly what i said, no more, no less. why are YOU so offended by being disagreed with? g

Meet Lilith, the original representation or icon of feminism i.

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

lol cast as a demon by religion. what invented her to begin with? religion! so i should trade one myth for another? i should care what religious scholars say? i like fiction but prefer real people as heroes. hypatia fits the bill. g

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@Lukian oh my, you thought i thought the article was pushing me around? um, no. and i totally stand by my response. i don't need a new biblical metaphor. i am quite secure in who i am and whom i admire, thanks. g

The Psychology of Anti-Semitism

cava comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Peter Glick;s paper is excellent. One of the problems we have in the US is labeling people as anti-Semitic because they don't support Israel's actions in the Mid-East. Some pro-Israeli factions aggressively attempt to brand people like Linda Sarsour, as being anti-Semitic and these factions ...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

i disagree. one of the problems we have here is that people who criticize israel SAY they're being labeled antisemitic, when in fact they're not. the ones who ARE being labeled antisemitic are not just criticizing israel (for its treatment of palestinians, for example; i criticize israel for that, and for its rightwing asshole, bibi, myself). they're criticizing israel for EXISTING, and blaming jews worldwide for that. that IS antisemitic. this brings up the question of what pro-israel actually means. does it mean someone who is in favor of the current iaraeli administration, and its actions? that would not be me. or does it mean someone who believes israel should continue to exist as a nation? that would be me. i do not want to read the new york post. i am too familiar with the new york post, thanks. g

Are you liberal or conservative?

Shelton comments on Nov 5, 2018:

The current administration makes being conservative seem like a bad thing. Though I lean far to the left. I can relate to some conservative views.

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

the current administration isn't conservative. it's regressive. i never liked conservatives. i can't STAND regressives. g

[friendlyatheist.

PalacinkyPDX comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Anti-vaxxers have zero right to put their children into situations which might endanger their children or other kids. Orthodox Judaism is a cult and the sooner it's seen that way the better. Moreover, it's become extremely intermeshed in far-right politics and there are politicians of that stripe ...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

maybe you didn't read the article. the SCHOOL is orthodox jewish too and wants the kids vaccinated. anti-vaxxing is not a jewish thing, not even an orthodox jewish thing. g

What's your "Atheist Public Persona"?

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

i've never been IN the closet. i've been an atheist since i was 15, i am 66 and a half now, and i have never hidden who or what i am. the one thing about knocking the brick out of the wall is that people's prejudices can be so strong that they can know 100 black people, for example, and all 100 ...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@Geektheist i was like that in junior high school. i wasn't an atheist yet but i had other issues. people kept calling me "dirty jew" and hitting me and throwing things at me. i thought i had to fight them all. i was in the band and the french horn player was in my core class/home room. he kept calling me dirty jew and i kept telling him to stop; on the way to band practice (i was a drummer) he kept saying it so i told him that if he said it one more time i would hit him in the mouth so hard his teeth would come out of his toenails. this shut him up for a couple minutes but in the instrument room he said it again so i hit him. i kept hitting him but he wouldn't fight back so i stopped. i felt stupid hitting a guy who was so surprised that i was actually hitting him that he could only stare at me in shock. i got my stuff and went up to the percussion section. there, a ninth-grader, big, tall, with gray hair already, looked down at me and asked what i would do if HE called me dirty jew. i said i would beat him up too. he laughed. soon after that, i was assigned the tympani part in the arabian dance from the nutcracker suite. i'd always wanted that part and had never gotten it; the section leader always gave it to a guy (i was the only gal in the section). this time for reasons still unknown to me, he gave it to me. the usual tympanist was pissed off. while we were rehearsing, he loudly told an antisemitic joke. i turned around and kicked him in the knee. (see how naive i was? i didn't know where to kick!) the teacher stopped the band and sent us both to the principal's office. the principal did not call us into his office. he came out to the counter, at which we stood, and for a time ignored the boy and spoke only to me. he said, "do you know what 'rabbi' means?" well, of course i knew what a rabbi was, but he was asking what the word meant, literally, and i didn't know that. i told him as much. "it means 'teacher,'" he said. "you're going to meet a lot of stupid, ignorant people in your life. you can't beat them all up. you have to become a teacher." THEN he looked pointedly at the boy. "get it?" the boy nodded. we were sent back to class. i wasn't bothered by other students anymore. (i wish i could say as much about the math teacher but as far as i know, he kept saying nasty, antisemitic things about me in class whenever i went off to band sectional, which probably had not affected anyone IN the band since they'd have been in band sectional too when he said those things -- but he wasn't alone in his sentiments and bigotry, and i am sure he affected many students.) i think the principal was telling me, among other things, to pick my battles. some windmills are more important than others. g

Chocolate?

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

why is dark chocolate not included? that's the only kind i really enjoy so i could not vote at all. g

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@ipdg77 lol thanks! (plain, to some, means not peanut!) g

Forgiveness

genessa comments on Nov 5, 2018:

despite being an atheist i like the jewish concept of forgiveness. it is, in a nutshell, and forgive me if nutshellizing has impacted its accuracy, ask for forgiveness sincerely (with the intention of not repeating the offense) even if you don't expect to receive it. the asking is what counts. ...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

it occurs to me that i may have been unclear at the beginning. when i say "ask for forgiveness" i mean of a human being you have wronged." not only do i not mean "of god," asking god for forgiveness for a wrong against a human being is not actually part of judaism either. speaking from the jewish point of view, it means what i just said: ask it sincerely of the human being you have wronged." NOT god, even if there was such a thing. i was rereading and realized that might not have been clear! g

Are you liberal or conservative?

PinkyandtheBrain comments on Nov 4, 2018:

This is not real call yes I'm a conservative everything in my life I have gathered with my own power. I don't need no hands out I am control of my own life.

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@PinkyandtheBrain i find it very difficult to love selfish people. i have no intention of getting to know you. g

Are you liberal or conservative?

PinkyandtheBrain comments on Nov 4, 2018:

This is not real call yes I'm a conservative everything in my life I have gathered with my own power. I don't need no hands out I am control of my own life.

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@PinkyandtheBrain sure you will. then don't use any freeways. that's socialism. and don't worry about other people. you're the only human being in the world who counts. feh! feh! why do you have the word "brain" in your name? to make up for its lack elsewhere? feh! g

Dating advice.

SleeplessInTexas comments on Nov 4, 2018:

You should know within the first 15 min of your first date if you should ask her out again or not. If you didn't feel a connection by the end of the entire date, I don't recommend asking her out again. Pay attention and listen to your intuition.

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

oh please, that can't possibly be true! it sure wasn't in my case. we've been together now 18 years and counting. g

Dating advice.

242Foxtrot comments on Nov 4, 2018:

If you had a reasonable nice time, why not do it again?

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@SleeplessInTexas when you're looking for a quarter in the street and you find a gold bar and a magic wand, you should reject them because that's not what you were looking for? g

How to Help Loved Ones with PTSD

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

not a bad article though it assumes a few things that are not necessarily true, such as that the person with ptsd won't get help or isn't getting help. in addition, not all of us have nightmares -- or got our ptsd from being in the military. i got mine at least partly from awakening in the middle ...

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@jondspen it has affected my life profoundly. i am working on it. the kicker is, probably no one knew, even at the time, that it happened. i was probably given more paralytic rather than more anesthesia, if i moved or anything. that's the usual reaction. but i remember it as if i were three years old and seeing that scalpel (to a baby, that's a needle) coming at my eye. g

Are you liberal or conservative?

BillF comments on Nov 4, 2018:

Progressive Democrat sliding rapidly to socialist!

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

i have long called myself, when called upon to be very specific, a social free enterprisist. that means i am socialist when it comes to necessities and the common good, and liberal/progressive for everything else. but if asked how i VOTE, that would be democratic. g

Are you liberal or conservative?

PinkyandtheBrain comments on Nov 4, 2018:

This is not real call yes I'm a conservative everything in my life I have gathered with my own power. I don't need no hands out I am control of my own life.

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

well aren't you lucky you don't need tax-funded roads to drive on, because you can build and repair them yourself, and if you get sick, good thing you built a hospital and hired doctors, nurses and other staff, and bought equipment, to take care of you. oh wait, you don't need a handout. you'll just take care of yourself. good thing you don't need an education, or that if you have kids they don't need one, because you sure wouldn't want your taxes to fund public schools or anything. in control of your own life my ASS. no one wants a handout. everyone wants good working conditions and law and order and peace and stuff we have to work TOGETHER to get. but you want to control your own life. selfish. the air you BREATHE and the water you DRINK are a handout, and there are people, people for whom YOU VOTE, who want to take that away. g

Are you liberal or conservative?

PinkyandtheBrain comments on Nov 4, 2018:

Everyone is a secret conservative that is why trump won. I am a business owner and a capitalist so I look in the mirror the only one responsible for all my well being is myself.

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

i have never been a conservative, secret or otherwise, and i sure as hell didn't vote for trump. i voted for hillary. in addition, trump didn't win -- not the popular vote, so you can't characterize voters by trump's landing in the white house. voters chose hillary. g

Are you liberal or conservative?

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

i am more liberal than liberal. i have not met a conservative for years. the people calling themselves conservative these days are not conservative; they are profligate. they're regressive and that is what i call them. g

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@hippydog lol i am told, and i have no way of knowing if it's true, that when i was two or so i was sitting on the stairs, having gotten up in the night, and was approached by neighbors, along with my parents, and asked politely how i was. my answer was "blithe, thank you" and my mom had to look it up! it SOUNDS like me.... g

Does anyone else feel this way?

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

no. i do not feel that way. the two parties are nothing alike. if you don't vote democratic, even if you vote indie you're voting for republicans and that means you definitely will not get your country back. g

genessa replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@RobertMartin okay, generalize. THAT's helpful. NOT. not everyone who is in public service is a liar and a crook and they have to get into politics to get there at the levels about which we're talking. but hey, if you just paint them all with the same brush, then it's easier to justify one's own mental and physical laziness, isn't it? for the record, some of those liars and crooks got us the end of child labor, the weekend, the minimum wage (although the actual liars and crooks have kept that below a living wage; democrats are trying to get a minimum wage that can actually keep people ALIVE! how horribly corrupt of them! as well as social security (which is saving MY life), medicare, medicaid, the civil rights bill (which republicans are trashing).... do i really have to go on? so what do you want to do, have no government? oh, maybe YOU want to be in charge. that should be fun. g

Does anyone else feel this way?

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

no. i do not feel that way. the two parties are nothing alike. if you don't vote democratic, even if you vote indie you're voting for republicans and that means you definitely will not get your country back. g

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@RobertMartin both are not right. you have not noticed that republicans lie? well, if indie votes redound to democrats, why did the republicans pay to have indie candidates on the ballots in two recent state special elections (one was ohio and i forget what the other one was)? republicans LIE. remember how they've spent the last several years trying to kill obamacare, and how they're currently suing to destroy the protection for preexisting conditions? notice how republican candidates are now saying that they will protect preexisting conditions and the democrats (you know, the ones who PASSED obamacare, preexisting condition protection and all) are the ones who are trying to destroy it? you don't notice this kind of thing? g

Does anyone else feel this way?

Sticks48 comments on Nov 4, 2018:

No I am a Democrat all the way. Until we get a different system you had better pick one or the other. This is how we ended up with this shitstorm.

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@RobertMartin no it's not. we do not have a parliamentary system. we don't make coalitions. three parties don't work in our system. that's just propaganda. g

A friend was kind enough to share this on facebook: "Ari Mahler "17 hrs "I am The Jewish Nurse.

sassygirl3869 comments on Nov 4, 2018:

I got this on FB and accidentally hit his personal FB page.. Many doctors and nurses are Jewish-amazing they saved a White Supremist. I don't know if I could save someone knowing they shot and killed 11 defenseless elderly Jews praying. Real balls huh?

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@JimG i can't say how i would react. i don't even know if i can say how i HOPE i would react. g

The bible says that God rested on the seventh day.

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

ah christians. the seventh day was a saturday, if you ask a jew! technically a friday night to saturday night, since all days (not just holidays) on the jewish calendar begin and end at sundown. now, i am an atheist, like many here, but i know a really good chassidic story that deals with ...

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Amisja within the context of the silly book upon which this is based, halfway through doesn't qualify as the seventh day. g

A friend was kind enough to share this on facebook: "Ari Mahler "17 hrs "I am The Jewish Nurse.

sassygirl3869 comments on Nov 4, 2018:

I got this on FB and accidentally hit his personal FB page.. Many doctors and nurses are Jewish-amazing they saved a White Supremist. I don't know if I could save someone knowing they shot and killed 11 defenseless elderly Jews praying. Real balls huh?

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

compassion above personal grudge, regardless of how warranted the grudge. g

Jews Vs Trump - I Love It

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

i love it too! there is a myth circulating that jews support trump. well, some do. we're just like anyone else -- we are diverse in many ways. but as a group, nope, nope! even if the ultra-orthodox do, what percentage of us are ultra-orthodox? (well, none, here, but i meant in the general ...

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@sassygirl3869 here too, but they know we are poor, on welfare and medicaid and all, and they just give us the tickets. they would never just reject someone over the cost of a ticket. that goes for both temples i've been to. are there shuls that really would do that? and we're not members. they never make us feel unwelcome. remember, though: everything comes from those fees, the rabbis' salaries, maintenance of the shul, the food for the break-the-fast, everything. i don't know for sure but i don't THINK it works like, say, the catholic church, where there is a budget from above! and in churches they pass the plate. this way, those who can afford it support the shul and those who can't, like us, don't get turned away. at least, as i say, not here. g

I couldn't figure out which category to put this in, as it jumps all around the place.

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

lol sad in its way. before i forget... you may want to use the edit feature and get rid of some of the repetition! i mean like whole paragraphs and sequences of paragraphs. i know you didn't mean to do that. just a side note, an official service dog won't be jumping in anyone's lap but ...

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Robotbuilder but who fills one's own mind with crap? maybe not always but often that would be an idiot! i leave it to you to judge as i am only going by what you said. i hope they ARE nice and i hope he's NOT an idiot; maybe you can educate him. he certainly hasn't educated himself. g

Jews Vs Trump - I Love It

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

i love it too! there is a myth circulating that jews support trump. well, some do. we're just like anyone else -- we are diverse in many ways. but as a group, nope, nope! even if the ultra-orthodox do, what percentage of us are ultra-orthodox? (well, none, here, but i meant in the general ...

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@sassygirl3869 merci! you know, some people are surprised that i do not have an aversion to services. (i almost never go but if i am well -- a rare occurrence -- i do like to go on the high holy days, for example) those who became atheists after a lifetime of christianity are used to religious services that focus on faith, on taking jesus into their hearts, on not questioning, sometimes on fire and brimstone. i don't think they realize that jewish services, at least the ones i've been to, talk about, well, recycling, and being kind to people and to the earth, and helping the needy, and stuff that shouldn't scare atheists one bit! i remember one sermon in which the rabbi was talking about whether or not there was an afterlife. well, i guess in a christian sermon that wouldn't be a question; the sermon would be what the afterlife was like, why we want to go to heaven and not hell, and how to make that happen! but this sermon was pretty well balanced between well, maybe, and well, maybe not, and focused a lot on how we live on in the memories of those who knew us, and in our deeds that have an effect on the world. now, i am not touting religion here! i am just saying that nonjewish atheists don't get all that, and who can blame them? as i say, it's just not their experience, and while we jews know (whether we want to or not) an awful lot about christians and christianity, most christians know next to nothing about jews and judaism. pardon me for going way off track! i guess it was kind of on my mind. g

tevye (left) and his daughter kuma, relaxing. g

Lilac-JadeCanada comments on Nov 4, 2018:

Awwwww

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Ray13 aww thanks! they're all blood family. they did have two unrelated uncles, one of whom died at 16 and a half and who was always their go-to snuggle cat; his name was sammy and he was an amazing boy. he's the black one on the left. the other was rossini, whose fur shows a little in sam's picture, and who died of his diabetes despite our care (my guy gave him insulin twice a day for many years). he was the gentlest boy in the world. if another cat annoyed him, he would tentatively raise a paw, not to strike but as if to say "look, i have a paw." when he became ill for the last time, wendy took it upon herself to lie with him and keep him warm as he lost more and more weight. she just wrapped herself around him and lay quietly with him. i miss all the fallen ones but am grateful for the survivors and try to appreciate them every day because no one lives forever. g

tevye (left) and his daughter kuma, relaxing. g

itsmedammit comments on Nov 4, 2018:

They look good together.

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

thanks! i can't help agreeing lol g

tevye (left) and his daughter kuma, relaxing. g

Lilac-JadeCanada comments on Nov 4, 2018:

Awwwww

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Ray13 sure! here she is talking, and in a huddle with her late daughters layla (looks like penny but with white pays) and robin (looks like her papa tevye). and i shouldn't leave out the rest of the family: wendy is still with us and here she is with her snake toy, now demolished by the dog. minky was poisoned by a pca. here he is looking handsomely like his twin sister kuma. and woody died of a brain tumor and it must have been a big tumor because he had a big heart and a big brain. he looks like his mama on the top and his papa on the underside, and he is looking right at us. and of course there is auntie golde. g

tevye (left) and his daughter kuma, relaxing. g

Ray13 comments on Nov 4, 2018:

They must really like each other.

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

he's a very good papa and she is a very devoted daughter. g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

the word is democratic, big d or small. only republicans and russian bots/trolls use "democrat" as an adjective. this alone would make me think you don't know much at all about higher (or other) education. of course when you make a claim like this you need to back it up, and not expect others to ...

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@weelittleone i propose trolls like wellspring be banned from the site, but my proposition isn't practical. oh well... that's why the block feature is there. g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

nicknotes comments on Nov 3, 2018:

Perhaps it is because intelligent people choose to be Democrats rather than Republicans.

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Wellspring the only people who think are people who actually are not trolls. what you do is not called thinking. you're a troll and that's a fact. g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

t1nick comments on Nov 3, 2018:

That's because most conservatives have an aversion to education and facts. A detriment to teaching at a University or College.

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Wellspring you didn't bring up the pisa scores? you most certainly did -- repeatedly -- as if they actually MEANT something. g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

Secretguy comments on Nov 3, 2018:

Education will do that for ya.

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Wellspring they test well. students can train for that. whatever. g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

Tompain1 comments on Nov 4, 2018:

In mental institutions there are eight republicans for every two democrats.

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Wellspring you are admitting, then, to being mentally ill. but you know what? i've been smelling troll for a while now. your recent responses confirm these olfactory hints. i really don't need to waste my time with trolls. have a nice... well, i was about to say life, but you know. whatever you call that breathing, lying, breathing again, lying again thing you're doing. g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

A2Jennifer comments on Nov 3, 2018:

People choose professions based on what is important to them. People go into banking because they like money, law enforcement because they value rules, education because they value knowledge.

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Wellspring correct (for once) -- teachers are underpaid. you think they're crying about it because it's NOT true? but in fact they are crying more about the conditions (for the students) than their own pay. you really DON'T pay attention, do you? the conditions for public education are so bad, and the budgeting for it so bad, that teachers have to buy school supplies themselves, from their rotten salaries, which are below what is considered a living wage in half of the united states g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

Donna_I comments on Nov 4, 2018:

Source of your data?

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Wellspring ah in other words you have no source. calling people lazy because you don't bother to source your claims and expect others to do it for you is LAZY. g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

A2Jennifer comments on Nov 3, 2018:

People choose professions based on what is important to them. People go into banking because they like money, law enforcement because they value rules, education because they value knowledge.

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Wellspring nobody goes into teaching for the money. that's an idiotic (and as usual unsupported) claim. g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

242Foxtrot comments on Nov 3, 2018:

What's your point?

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Wellspring you are making a baseless claim you cannot back up, and when you are asked to back it up, you lay the burden on the reader, who reasonably is skeptical of such claims that come without support. the only thing you know how to do is fling insults, and you probably thing you're clever and funny when you do it, too. you're not. g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

Green_eyes comments on Nov 3, 2018:

Being an educator is not conducive with being a republican. Education involves facts, science. Education is one of the first things that republicans always want to cut funding to despite America scoring so poorly on the global PISA rankings. Political commonalities are normal in professions. A ...

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Wellspring the top of WHAT? g

In universities, there are 12 Democrat professors for every Republican, striking!!!

Novelty comments on Nov 4, 2018:

That's because stupid people make terrible teachers, and if you get enough education you'll probably not agree with conservatives in general nor republicans specifically. Thinking this is a conspiracy is like being upset that there aren't enough tone deaf people in orchestras.

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@Wellspring observation. as a group (individuals may vary, as anywhere) democrats ARE smarter because they don't vote for people who hurt them, and they don't hurt people who vote for them. g

Are places of worship really places of God?

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

how can there be a place of god if there is no god to start with? the question presumes that there is a god. i don't know if the other end of the link makes the same presumption because i rarely click through if the title is as troublesome as this one is. i mean, if that really is the question, ...

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@DavidLaDeau well, while i didn't mean them to be UNhelpful, i am slightly surprised that they're helpful, but glad that they were lol g

Are places of worship really places of God?

genessa comments on Nov 4, 2018:

how can there be a place of god if there is no god to start with? the question presumes that there is a god. i don't know if the other end of the link makes the same presumption because i rarely click through if the title is as troublesome as this one is. i mean, if that really is the question, ...

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@DavidLaDeau okay. i guess i am not the intended audience, then. not only am i am atheist, i have never been a christian. g

tevye (left) and his daughter kuma, relaxing. g

Lilac-JadeCanada comments on Nov 4, 2018:

Awwwww

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

among my surviving cats: tevye, his daughters kuma and wendy, his wife penny, and his sister golde. golde is the one who is having trouble staying nourished, and i am trying to keep her fed and get some meat on her bones. kuma is the baby of the family at 14 and a half. penny is the oldest at 16 and 3/4. g

The Atheist Atrocities Fallacy – Hitler, Stalin & Pol Pot

WilliamFleming comments on Nov 3, 2018:

It’s a lot of words over nothing. Just about everybody knows that Hitler claimed to be a Christian. I think most people also know that Stalin did not do his murders in the name of atheism, or because of atheism. Pol Pot ditto. The entire long barrage misses a crucial point. Some atheists are ...

genessa replies on Nov 4, 2018:

really, just about everybody knows? funny, i keep seeing the apologists you claim are so rare. in addition, this article does not blame war, or even tyranny, on religion, so i am not sure what you're qvetching about. all it does is counter the claim that tyranny is based on atheism. i think it does so rather well, to my surprise (i was not expecting to be pleased). g

Teen crushes when we plastered our walls with pix from these.

genessa comments on Nov 3, 2018:

ha, sorry, nope. the monkess, and buffalo springfield. g

genessa replies on Nov 3, 2018:

@mistymoon77 i don't remember him... but yeah davy, major heart throb. i was the only teen i knew who also had pix of neil young and stephen stills up on my walls, even before csn&y! i was a weird kid. you know, i'm also not familiar with bop. for monkees pix i relied on tiger beat but for buffalo springfield i went to teenset, which changed its name to something more "mature" but i forget what! does anyone remember? they sometimes had articles on hendrix or joplin or the doors, and funny stuff by shirley poston. g

It's very simple, folks.

Ggall002 comments on Nov 3, 2018:

Thank you!

genessa replies on Nov 3, 2018:

:-)) it is hard to say "i couldn't believe he said that" about trump but this took the cake... for the moment, until the next thing that takes the cake. g

There are posts here about the recent shooting at the synagogue in pittsburgh.

Deiter comments on Nov 1, 2018:

If only it were so easy: But they weren't *real* Jews: **Israel doesn't recognize the Conservative and Reform movements** of which The Tree of Life congregation is a part. The Jewish people and its religion are no monolith. Also, you're rather dismissive of the Palestinian "problem." There's no ...

genessa replies on Nov 3, 2018:

@PalacinkyPDX yeah lol i sure noticed! g

There are posts here about the recent shooting at the synagogue in pittsburgh.

Deiter comments on Nov 1, 2018:

If only it were so easy: But they weren't *real* Jews: **Israel doesn't recognize the Conservative and Reform movements** of which The Tree of Life congregation is a part. The Jewish people and its religion are no monolith. Also, you're rather dismissive of the Palestinian "problem." There's no ...

genessa replies on Nov 3, 2018:

@K9Kohle789 i sometimes wear my magen david for the same reason and you're absolutely right about the visibility of blacks vs other objects of hatred and discrimination. in fact i wrote something that touches, however peripherally, upon that, and this is as good a place as any to share that link. http://sh1.webring.com/people/wg/genessa/whoareyou.htm i lived in japan for 10 years and although i cannot say i learned anything shocking, since i at least intellectually knew and cared about bigotry, particularly against black people, i did learn more of what it felt like to be a visible minority, for i was one, for that decade. i was "gaijin," which would be like "fer'ner" ("gaikokujin" means "foreigner") -- and the word's offensiveness lies not so much in its contraction as in its inappropriate use. two example i like to give are these: when i was checking at the book store to see if a calendar i ordered had arrived yet. i told the clerk my name and why i was there, and he was polite and told me he would see if the calendar was in. he got onto the phone and said (in japanese, of course) "a gaijin is here for her calendar." another time i had lost my wallet at the airport, coming back from the states, and had been so ill from the smoking on the plane that it was a week before i could get to the airport to pick my wallet up (i'd called and they'd assured me it had been found and turned in, intact). again, i said who i was and why i was there, and had the pleasure of hearing it announced that a gaijin had come for her wallet. small stuff, right? very small stuff! but it would be like a black man coming into an office and telling a white secretary his name was jones and he was here to see smith, and having the polite secretary offer him a seat, maybe even some coffee, and then get on the phone and say "mr. smith, a nigra is here to see you." (not it's not THE n-word. it's what once passed, and for all i know still passes, for the polite version among the ignorant. it is comparable to gaijin in usage albeit not in definition or derivation.) this bothered me more than the stares and the pointing. i do admit that being denied credit in a shop whose clerks made less money than i did as a college instructor made me mad enough to hold a sit-in and harangue the poor young manager with comparisons to nazi germany (i got the credit and i paid my debt off several months early, too!) but the WHOLE time, i was aware that, while despite my salary i really couldn't afford to move back to the united states on a whim, at least i was a TEMPORARY gaijin and had my own country in which i was no longer one. a black person born in the united states has no such option, nor should s/he have to rely on such an option to escape persecution. g

Alot of people hate me. i hate alot of people. seems fair to me then again i have a heart of stone

genessa comments on Nov 3, 2018:

self-fulfilling prophecy? i ask based on some of your other posts. g

genessa replies on Nov 3, 2018:

@AwesomeAtheist24 okay. your choice. i don't suppose it is of any use to explain that for YOU this place is a dumping ground, and for others, it might not be first and foremost only YOUR dumping ground. use it as you will. but i for one will not be reading your stuff because i think it's egotistical crap, regardless of whether or not it indicates that you need help. quite frankly, i think you're starved for attention and stupid about the difference between good and bad attention. again, fine, but not my thing. have a nice... well, wait, you don't actually WANT a NICE life. have a something. whatever. g

Where have all the members gone and why after such a short time.?

genessa comments on Nov 2, 2018:

members of what? membership of this site is rising, so you can't mean that.... g

genessa replies on Nov 2, 2018:

@btroje is that not just normal attrition, counterbalanced by slow, steady expansion? g

I Bet Hillary Is Still Wondering Why She Lost The African American Vote

genessa comments on Nov 2, 2018:

clinton got 89 percent of the black vote (and won the popular vote overall by almost three million). this video is bullshit. hillary won the black vote by miles. https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/polls/us-elections/how-groups-voted/groups-voted-2016/ oh and someone doesn't know an ironic JOKE when...

genessa replies on Nov 2, 2018:

@twshield okay if you're going to do that word-twisting thing that right-wingers do all the time, along with their usual gaslighting, then you're no better than they are, and you shouldn't balk at the term "deplorable." i don't deal with people who do that. goodbye. g