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Do atheists think God is dead? God is an idea invented by humans many times throughout history. The phrase "god is dead" indicates that such an idea is outdated and extinct. Considering the number of people who continue to believe in a god, the phrase is demonstrably untrue. The idea continues. An alternate interpretation of the phrase would be to say there was once a god of some sort, but he is no longer around. I don't...

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Atheists,Agnostics.....Are you sick of or amused by the religious people who attack you? Lately, amused. I don't have to live surrounded by religious fanatics anymore, so I can just find all that funny. I can surround myself with reasonable people who (whether religious or no) do not attack people based on their beliefs. If I did not live in a liberal city, I suspect I'd find it a lot more stressful and upsetting.

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When an atheist uses the term 'God-damn!!' (under certain conditions) does that mean he sometimes still believes in God? Nope. Like any other swear, I use it for emphasis and to make people jump. :p

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ATHEISTS: Do you believe the world would be better off if everyone was an Atheist? I don't actually want everyone in the world to be the same, so no. BUT I absolutely believe 100% that the world would be better off if a lot MORE people were atheists, and if our world leaders did not have to kow-tow to religious sects in their poliices. I think we'd find that world to be a more peaceful and reasonable place.

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Atheists: God said you will be judged on your works, so what are you currently working on? Ok, I'm going to answer this totally straight. I think people SHOULD be judged on their works, not on intentions or words or whatever else. I don't believe in any judge outside of life, but we all judge each other, don't we? So here's what this atheist does to try to make the world a nicer place: Volunteer 4 hours a week at the animal shelter. Organize protest marches for civil rights and...

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Defend your belief :-) Question for the atheist: What's your statement about As others have pointed out, Einstein was not a christian as currently defined. He was really more of a deist. Issac Newton was perhaps the smartest man to ever live, but he lived 400 years ago. He made a lot of brilliant discoveries, but he also spent decades trying to learn alchemy to develop the Philosopher's Stone which would turn metal into gold. Which is of course utter nonsense. Why he...

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How do I load a Swingline Smart Touch stapler? The stapler looks like this: I just got it in the mail and I CANNOT USE IT HELP

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Is atheism heavily stigmatised in the USA? In the UK it's not really a big issue, not so in the States? In some parts of the US, you have to conceal that you're not Christian, much less an atheist. You risk ostracism from the community, from neighbors and especially impressionable young children, and you give up any social benefits you might have had if you had just pretended to belong to a church somewhere. Sometimes you risk confrontation, discrimination, harassment and even physical harm. In...

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Atheists: If you SAW God, would you worship him? If not, is the argument of "proof of God" a waste? The word "saw" or "see" makes this tricky. For one thing, how would you KNOW if you saw god? What does god look like? Is he an old white dude with a long white beard? Is he a brown-haired white dude with a short beard in robes? Is he a middle-eastern man of the 1st century speaking Aramaic? How do I know I saw god and not just a dude in robes? Is god a man, or a woman? If I tell you that i saw...

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When an atheist tells someone to "go to hell". Where are they sending them? Los Angeles. It is both hellish and far away from me!

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If there is no heaven (or hell) -what are the atheists going to do with the Christians? Live with them. (Until we all die, I guess. Then nothing.)

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Are USA and Britain becoming more Atheist because we have 'grown up' as a nation and are better educated? Is Atheism good for the moral intelligence of the world? The European Enlightenment charted a course towards structuring a society without religion, allowing people to freely form their own beliefs. Then America was founded with that ideal, enforcing no state religion. The history in other parts of the world is rather different, and christian colonialism has meddled in their development to a significant degree, so that it is hard to say whether...

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What can Atheism offer the world? A way out of religious warfare, religious oppression, codified sexism, institutional homophobia, intentional ignorance and aggressive eliminationism. The world doesn't necessarily need to become entirely atheist, but it's going to need a lot more of us to find the way forward.

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Do Atheists actually respect people who believe in God? Other people's religious belief or lack thereof has almost nothing to do with someone's character and personality. A lot of the time it's an accident of birth - born in India, be a Hindu or Buddhist, born in America, be a christian; born in Sweeden, be an atheist. Why should I hold that against someone? I respect people based on the things they do and say. People tend to use religion to...

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Atheists.... why not convert to satanism? Surely you feel the presence of evil that exists within this Earth. Surely you recognize... I just don't get Satanism. You're falling right in with the whole Christian line of beliefs by acknowledging a devil in the first place. You're reinforcing that their view of the world is correct and volunteering to be chalked up on the Evil side. What's the point? Just to piss people off? Your reasoning doesn't make sense either. There's evil in the world, so we should worship it? Or do you...

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Can you be excommunicated from Atheism for speaking against Richard Dawkins? Would that mean you're not allowed to take science class? Well, I haven't been kicked out so far... In all seriousness, noone yet has been excommunicated from atheism. For a great many reasons such as: there is no theology of atheism to contradict, there is no orthodoxy to break, there is no central figure to determine the state of your soul or peripheral figures that give a flying flip whether you're being a "proper" atheist or not. Atheist = not...

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Do you think that a new and original religion could come forward in this day and age, with just as much "Proof" and just as valid of philosophical doctrines and beliefs as any of the "Major Religions", and be seen as anything but a "Cult"? I agree that any new religion at this point is going to be branded a cult. Mormons, scientologists, and various new age groups are all considered to be cults at various times by various people. If the group lasts long enough, they will lose the cult moniker and just be considered a religion. Antiquity gives things an air of authority. Once it's been around for awhile, it won't be a cult...

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Do you think the next war would be on religion? Between the two biggest organized religions in the world? (Both are getting restless day by day) I'm not sure who exactly you're referring to, but there are a number of conflicts already going on all around the world right now with a basis in religion. Just as one example, there is the situation in Kashmir, a disputed territory in between India and Pakistan and China. Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists all stake claims to this territory. India and Pakistan have had three different wars over...

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If a married man has an affair, his lover is called his "mistress", now, if a married woman has an affair with another man, what is that man called, i,e: "mister"? "Mister" doesn't sound right. Of course this is because it used to be acceptable and even expected for men to have their mistresses. There's not even an equivalent word for the reverse situation because that was certainly NOT acceptable back when the wife was just the property of her husband. I think "lover" usually conjures an affair to mind, and is what I've usually heard to refer to a married woman's extramarital love...

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If a woman who dresses provocative is raped, did she have it coming to her? Most of these answers, and the question, really make me fear for humanity. Is this even up for debate? Are you people serious? Sometimes I wish I was a lesbian. *sigh*

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Can you change your personality after the age of 25? Yes, but at this point it takes a concerted effort. Your personality is pretty fluid until you become an adult, then it hardens into something pretty solid. Change will take a lot of work. (But it is possible!) Sometimes a really dramatic event can induce a major personality change. I've seen that happen. Especially some kind of medical disaster, that can really change a person. But you can't...

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Atheist: What are your thoughts about Psychics/Mediums or those who visit them? Psychics and Mediums are frauds, and the people who go to them are being duped. People grieving over the loss of a loved one are apt to jump at any evidence of contact from beyond the grave. They are vulnerable, and charlatans take advantage of this. That people financially benefit from convincing people of this is disgusting. I suppose some people really believe they are helping, and some...

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I am desperately in love with the man that got me pregnant, now he has a new girl. i have learned that you can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in, but i can't get past him should i make a play for him? Absolutely not. Forget him. A guy who got you pregnant and then didn't stick by you, you don't need. Most likely, because you have his baby and are desperately in love with him, I'm going to guess that he is immature enough to be intimidated by your feelings (too clingy!) and balked at responsibility and feelings and whatnot. I'll further guess that his new girl doesn't have any kids or heavy...

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Why do the majority of abortion debates focus on abortion as a moral issue and not as a social issue? Because it would mean focusing on the circumstances that lead to unwanted pregnancy, like lack of sex education, reduced access to contraception, the incredible costs of raising a child in this day and age, lack of daycare for working mothers, etc, etc, etc. It would mean looking at existing societal problems like the continuous poverty of families with large numbers of unwanted children,...

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WOMEN: if you became pregnant, and decided that you did not want to have the baby, would you reconsider having an abortion if your partner didn't want you to? Would his wanting to keep it influence you, or would it purely be your decision? His wanting to keep it would influence my decision, in that it would mean I would have a supportive partner who would help me raise the baby. That could make a big difference in my ability to have the child. That is, if the reason I didn't want to have the baby was that I couldn't raise it alone. If I had health-related reasons for not getting pregnant, or I simply never want to be pregnant...

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Besides gods what other elements do you believe to be supernatural (non-existent)? I don't believe in the existence of supernatural phenomena, extraterrestrial activity, or anything unobserved or unprovable by modern science. Which includes a whole mess of stuff really: homeopathy, alien abduction, faeries, energy healing, reiki, ghosts, reincarnation, ESP, prophecy, creationism, superstition, numerology, horoscopes, chiropractors, psychics, anti-vaccine quackery, 9-11...

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What do you call someone who doesn't believe in the existence of Atheists? Christians - the ones who insist that everyone believes in their form of god, and people like me just go around saying they don't. Because the devil makes us, or something.

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Why do non-believers discredit the (hard evidence) eyewitness rercordings, as the "facts" of the power of God? Eyewitness recordings, like, video of Jesus raising the dead? With the medical records showing a person was dead and then alive? That kind of hard evidence? Or do you mean writings that you choose to believe are eyewitness accounts (which even biblical scholars admit they are not) written by people who are long long long long long long dead in an ancient language? I respect your right to...

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If a woman who dresses provocative is raped, did she have it coming to her? Counter-question: if you don't have a shirt on, can somebody rape you with a broom handle? Answer: of course not, your body integrity is regardless of what you are or are not wearing. I should be able to walk down the street naked without being raped. (arrested for indecent exposure, but not raped!)

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I'm Sitting Here Watching Some of the "To Catch a Predator" Filler On MSNBC, is it Acceptable to you that these people Are Lured In,- It seems pretty creepy to me to create a situation where there's a seemingly eager young participant luring men into a trap for our entertainment. It's just... gross. It's totally right to be arresting these men, but the television show is in pretty poor taste.

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Why does a woman entice a man sexually and then ask him to stop once he is turned on? If he doesn't stop, then she cries "rape"? Is that fair to the man that you seduced? Because she's a human being with a mind of her own? Maybe you weren't what she was expecting. Maybe she has a terrible headache. Maybe she only wanted to flirt or kiss and you misread the situation. Maybe you're a terrible kisser. Maybe she doesn't like how you smell. Maybe you aren't as well-endowed as she prefers. Maybe you did something to turn her off. Maybe she really does have work...

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Is there a way a 9yr old boy can rape a 6yr old girl? Given that at nine you supposing do not know really about sex. Could it be just he was recreating or acting out something seen in a movie or in TV with no real understanding of the action? Yes, he could molest her with his hands or with objects. A young kid doing something like that is pretty indicative that he has been molested himself or exposed to some very inappropriate sexual behavior. Sadly, it does happen.

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How does a man know she won't withdraw sexual consent and call it "rape"? Some states allow women to withdraw consent anytime! Since women are autonomous human beings just like men, if you force them to do something against their will, it will be criminal. How do you know what their will is? Um, ask them. It isn't that difficult. A woman could have good reason to want to stop having sex. It might be painful for some reason, you might be doing something that they don't want to do, or you might have tried to pull...

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Why do people who do not believe in God get upset by what the bible tells believers to do? Because not infrequently, the Bible tells them to do it to US.

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Who said we wanted Answerbag like this ? NOTHING WORKS. I can't answer questions, I can't comment. Did they even bother to Beta this thing?

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Why do Atheists mainly rail against Christians, can't they spew their visceral hate at Jews and Muslims too? It's really only Christians who mistake rejection of their religion as "visceral hate". I don't have to hate you to think you're wrong. I don't really hate anybody, actually, and certainly not without reason. I'd like to know what you've experienced to make you believe that atheists are so "hateful". As far as why atheists mostly argue...

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Why do I have to pay for endless amounts of Crack hoes babies? Their heat, water, power, garbage etc, why am I a slave to crack hoes? Or is that Acorns dream? Are you off your meds again?

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If you were an atheist, would you tell your child that there is no God, or would you tell them that YOU think there is no God? Raising your child without religion would involve some mention of other people's religious beliefs, but for the most part there is no need to dwell on the existence or non-existence of dieties. Brainwashing children to believe exactly what you believe is the province of religion, which is why I avoid it. Now, I think any literate western person should be somewhat familiar with the...

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I keep finding porn in my internet history that is not mine and my boyfriend says its not his either. He says the computer can put porn in your photo files and in your history if you leave your internet on is this true? Well, he would say that, wouldn't he? Not that it's impossible, but it's unlikely that the computer is downloading porn all by itself. I don't really think it's a big deal if your boyfriend is looking at porn. I watch Jason Statham movies for practically the same reason. :p But he could at least go to the trouble of covering his tracks. Is there not a Clear Recent...

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Christmas will soon be here. What do atheists feel about Christmas? I love Christmas!! I love Christmas trees and Christmas lights, both putting them up and appreciating the ones that my neighbors hang. I love walking downtown and seeing the lights there and the department store windows. I love wreaths and greenery in the dead of winter. I love eggnog (with and without alcohol). I love Christmas cookies and chocolate, and Christmas dinner. I love when it...

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If someone is an atheist then do they think is there a point in life? If you believe 100% that there is nothing after this life and we all just turn to dirt, then surely there's no point in anything? Do you have any purpose or motivation to function? This question has been asked approximately one billion times on this site. Short answer: Unless one is a nihilist, one believes that there is meaning in life regardless of whether they are religious. For one thing. There may be nothing after MY life, but humankind will go on. People I know will live on, our descendents will live on, and many future generations will live lives we can't...

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Atheists, do you try out everything you hear? Atheists every time you hear a new scientific theory do you test it out yourself or do you just take the persons word for it and hope they aren't lying to you? If you don't test it out yourself than how can yo Well, this is why you have to publish your theory along with a detailed report on your hypothesis, your methods, and your experimental or theoretical proof. A theory isn't just accepted on someone's say-so. A theory is not accepted until it has been rigorously tested by more than one party. If results are not reproducible (meaning an unconnected person in a totally different...

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I cheated on my husband 10 yrs ago. the affair lasted 6 months. I told him about it 7 years ago. He doesn't trust me and I feel asfixiated, he wants me to let him know where I am, who I am with, it seems he can't get over it. Should I get a divo It was wrong to cheat on your husband, obviously. 7 years is a long time to still be holding it over your head. It sounds like this marriage is basically over. I'll bet it wasn't so great before all this happened, either. If he refuses to get marriage counseling, it's pretty much time to end it. You will both be better off. Hopefully you've learned your lesson...

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Can u buy airplane tickets online and send them to someone else to use? because i was gonna send plane tickets to my sister so she can come home. or would she have to have my credit card with her when she goes to airport? help I've had this done for me before, when I had to fly to a family gathering. Basically you purchase the ticket in her name, and have the information sent to her email. It will include a CONFIRMATION NUMBER. That should be all she needs to check in at the airport. Plus it has to be in her name, so that her ID will match the name on the ticket. No problem!

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I haven't worked for a few years due to anxiety/depression. I now have a choice to start a job which is well-paid and interesting -but requires a long commute each day, or an okay part-time one which is close to home. Please help! I've no idea what to do! A long commute can take a lot out of you. I tend to feel it isn't worth it regardless, for the time and energy you lose every day. To go from no job to a full-time job with a long commute will be a big increase in stress on you. Are you up for it? I know that anxiety and depression are tricky bastards. You will be tempted to put unreasonable expectations on yourself. When the new...

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To the beloved atheists: is nothing sacred? Only one thing is sacred in my estimation : life.

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My boyfriend has been in jail for 9months.ive been faithful to him untill i met this girl ive been seeing her and im getting confused.ive been with my man for2years but i feel somthing else with her we've been getting to close how should i leave her?help As I see it, the boyfriend and the girlfriend are two seperate issues that should be considered individually. I'd probably say something different if your boyfriend wasn't in jail. Since he is, then really, isn't that going to be more trouble than it's worth? How long is he in for? You'd be perfectly justified in dumping someone for that - you thought you could...

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Do you come groovin' up slowly? Do you got jewjew eyeball? Are you one holy roller? Do you got hair down to your knee? Do you got to be good-lookin' 'cause you so hard to see? Why yes. AND I know one and one and one is three! :D

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Hey does anyone know of any songs about fighting?Like just putting the beatdown on someone, and some songs about like being the best, like being the top dogg.It don't matter what genre...any suggestions? "Street Fighting Man" by the Rolling Stones "Another One Bites the Dust" and "We are the Champions" by Queen. "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar "I Fought the Law" by The Clash (but the law won...)

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Who agrees with me that George W. Bush was the greatest president in United States history? Oh my god. Are you serious? Or just mentally ill?

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Which is worse: hiding an abortion from your husband (knowing he would disapprove) or hiding an act of adultery from your wife (assuming it was safe sex)? Lying is lying either way. The lies are equally destructive to the relationship. Either person might feel justified in lying, because they know the truth would only upset their spouse and not change what happened. But there's likely to be a feeling of betrayal when the truth comes out, as it tends to do. Neither lie is worse than the other.

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Do you wish you had been aborted? Well, it wouldn't be possible to abort me personally. You don't abort people, you abort a pregnancy. By the time I was me, the pregnancy was complete, you see. If you mean, do I wish my mother had aborted the pregnancy that produced me - well, you could ask any number of questions about events that lead to the present day. Like, are you glad that your mother and father had sex on...

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Atheists where do you get married? do you believe the same as ppl who believe in God when it comes to marriage? I can't speak for any atheist but myself. I'm not so into the idea of marriage as an institution. I think it's extremely sexist, both in practice today and throughout its long history. Historically, in the western tradition, the woman was transferred from father to husband as a financial transaction, to sweeten deals and enforce alliances. Then the woman got to be an unpaid...

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20+ years & 25 years, is prison time for two men accused of crimes the prosecuters KNEW neither did. The prisoners have no recourse against the attorneys that legally frame them! Are you sure you want man to rule over you? This has to do with atheism how?

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Atheists: would you do a 12-step program to end a destructive alcohol problem? Even though it includes steps such as "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of GOD ." I don't have a problem of this sort, so I can't really speak to it myself. However, I have heard that a lot of people have trouble with AA and NA for this very reason. I recently read the book "Beautiful Boy" about a father trying to help his son through drug addiction. They were not a religious family, so the NA process was distinctly unhelpful sometimes. Many if not...

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When will Obama be impeached? When will you get used to the idea that yes, a black man is president and will continue to be for at least 3 more years? (answer to both questions: pretty much never.)

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Do Atheists seem to be more intelligent? Honestly? Bill Maher is an anti-vaccinationist. That pretty much debunks the claim that atheists are automatically more intelligent. (If I'm going to answer your question seriously though: atheists might *seem* to be more intelligent because currently we tend to talk in terms of science and knowledge and academia and all that jazz. That doesn't necessarily mean that people are knowledgeable...

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Can you remember any cruel nick names you had for teachers when you were in school? One of our female teachers who was especially crabby and had really prominent cheekbones we used to refer to as Skeletor. Kids are mean. :P

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Why does it seem that some theists dislike people who don't believe in a god more than those people that worship the devil? It seems that way right now, assuming you're talking about America. Atheists certainly come under more attack here. But it's been a particular bugaboo of religious fundamentalists in America for at least a hundred years to attack secularism and see it as a greater threat to their power than anything else, and this is probably accurate! Considering the devil doesn't exist, people...

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How could men get away without paying child support? Keep it in your pants. Christ. WTF is wrong with men today?

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What do you think of when I say the word: EVIL? Glenn Beck.

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Do you miss George Bush yet? Are you kidding me? I can't even imagine how much worse things would be had Bush been in office even a few days longer. Remember how the new administration had to step in a few months early while the Bush admin sat around with their thumbs up their asses? I thought not. Man, you're going to be bitter for the rest of your life, if this is your reality.

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The problem with atheism is no reason to create anything but babies and food. Agreed? And that's why modern secular society has not created anything but babies and food. No novels, no films, no paintings, no scientific advances, no technology, nothing. Just babies and food. *eyeroll* How come, then, the most explicitly religious countries on earth are also the most backwards, stagnant societies anywhere? I don't see Vatican City pumping out great music these days or...

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To all those who do not believe in Heaven and Hell, will you be sorry if you are actually wrong? Eternity is never ending and one of those 2 places would be a complete drag to spend your forever, wouldn't it? Yeah, I'd be sorry to be wrong. Isn't everybody, generally, sorry to be wrong? The reverse case is true for yourself - if it turns out the hindus have got it right and you end up reincarnated as a dung beetle because you didn't tend to your karma, boy, you'll be kicking yourself, won't you? And if we're right, and there isn't a heaven and hell.. well,...

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Whats does LDS mean? That you're a dyslexic drug user? :p

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Non-LdS Christians: How many Mormon Church services have you attended? How many Mormon family members do you have? How many Mormon friends do you have? Do you like Mormon people and culture? And do you feel at ease with Mormon people and culture? (Don't know if you want to hear from me since I'm sort of a lapsed christian) I actually knew a number of Mormons growing up, there was a big community in our Illinois town. I was good friends with one particular family and went to their church 2 or 3 times. In general I've found Mormon people to be lovely, nice folks. But I've also found that there are dark secrets...

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Atheists, do you hate God just because you know that he will not be letting you into Heaven? Now that's really strange. Think about it, questioner, isn't that a paradox? We don't believe in God because God is sending us to hell for not believing in God. We defensively stop believing in god because we secretly believe there is one. But if we believed in heaven, and believed that god wasn't sending us there, then we would believe in god, wouldn't we? And then we...

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Atheists: What evidence would you accept as sufficient to show that God exists? Public miracle, some scientifically impossible happening, in view of thousands. Preferably captured on film or photo as well, so I could see it with my own eyes. This should not be too much to ask. There's a whole list of miracles in the bible that would do - parting of the red sea, the sun staying in the sky for 24 hours over Israel, raising a dead person from the grave, etc.

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What will happen to religion as the information age evolves? And will people finally give up religion as a species? Doubtful - the information age allows disinformation to spread just as quickly and widely as truth. Just look at the 9/11 conspiracy theorists, or the anti-Vaccinationists. People have a hard time distinguishing between truth and fabrication when it comes from people they know, much less perfect strangers. The internet and technology has only enabled the religious to communicate more...

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Have any scientific Christian experiments been simulated to see whether Virgin birth, walking on water, resurrection, or miracles are possible? Or does one simply need to read the Bible over and over to convince oneself of such astonishing certitudes? Well, I guess they wouldn't be miracles if they were scientifically possible, so it doesn't really prove anything. If there were scientifically explainable method to walk on water, it wouldn't be a miracle to do it. You would just have the sciency knowledge you needed to pull it off. (Which reminds me of Asimov's law that any sufficiently advanced technology to us will be...

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We bought a computer that came with Vista. We hate it. So we downloaded the Windows 7 Beta. But it won't run and says it's expired. Now we're stuck on the expired desktop with no way to get back to Vista, and Windows XP won't install. What should we do? Ok, just for other people's reference, we came up with a workaround. Since we couldn't get back to Vista, we tried to get the Beta to work again by turning back the date. This didn't fool the Beta program while it was running, BUT when we reinstalled the Beta over it, it took the date at face value and did not expire. So it's actually a working Windows 7 Beta again. ...

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So if there is no god? or no creator, than how come every culture have their own form of god or gods? Some other answers have explained it quite well. Let me emphasize,though, that not every culture has had deities the way that we do. Many cultures have had religions or philosophies that do not include a concept of god, including some kinds of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Jainism, Shintoism, and Confucianism. Many cultures have more strongly emphasized nature worship and animism than the idea...

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What's going on in the mind of a Theist when they ask an Atheist something like "Are you aware of God's presence in your life?" For some people, god is a real and present thing. It's a reality of life like the wind, invisible but everywhere. And it's pretty much taken as fact in the same way, without much analysis or questioning. People like that are truly perplexed by unreligious people, because it seems to them that we're denying a basic fact of life that is obviously true. They not only believe in...

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What was your parents instrument of choice for disciplining you? Disappointment.

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Ladies, name 1 thing that causes you to toss a guy into the "just friends" category. What are some things? Seeing how he treats his current/past girlfriends. Also, if he's ever dated one of my friends or family members. It would be too weird.

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I am godless, therefore I am heartless? It doesn't follow. "God" does not equal "heart". Just look at some of the bigger God fans for an example. There are plenty of religious folk I'd consider heartless. Conversely a lot of religious people DO have big hearts, and associate their kindness and generousity with their religion. I think it's a personal trait of their own that simply expresses itself...

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Is life worth living if no one will ever love me? No one has ever loved you? Not even your mother? Not even your siblings? Not even your best friend? Oh, you're talking about Romantic love. Don't you think you're overvaluing that just a little bit? Romance is not the only worthwhile thing in life. There are family and friends and loved ones of all kinds. There are adventures to be had and accomplishments to be made....

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One thing I've noticed at any Atheist/Humanist/Freethought event I've attended is that it seems to be a predominantly "white" thing. Where are all the Atheists/Humanists/Freethinkers of color? I think using labels like "Freethinker" is basically a white American/European thing. However there are seculars and non-religious all over the world. Some Asian countries are notoriously unreligious, like Japan. And most likely you will find individuals everywhere who have no use for whatever their local religion is. As far as Americans go, for a number of reasons I think...

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Do atheists believe in heaven or hell? Probably not. Atheists don't believe in any deities, therefore for them there is no Judgement Day and no eternal punishment or reward. However, atheists could have differing beliefs about what exactly happens when we die. A lot of us just figure that upon death there's just nothing. But some people believe our consciousness becomes one with the universe or the oversoul or something...

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Roman Polanski--Throw in jail or let him walk free? Jail. Aside from using his money and influence to flee the country to avoid a relatively short jail sentence.. he should do time for sexual abuse of a minor (statutory rape) AND for sexual assault. According to the victim's grand jury testimony, Roman Polanski instructed her to get into a jacuzzi naked, refused to take her home when she begged to go, began kissing her even though she...

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Why do you choose to believe that there is no God? Why do you choose to believe that there is no Xenu? There is absolutely no evidence that Xenu DIDN'T bring billions of human beings to earth millions of years ago and blow them up in volcanos with hydrogen bombs. How can you make this conclusion without undergoing years of Scientology training to learn more about it? You are clearly biased by culture to be anti-Xenu, and you...

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Did becoming an Atheist a gradual change for you or did it happen all of a sudden? There were definitely stages. I left my particular church for some specific reasons, but I continued to attend other churches of the same denomination. Then I started checking out other denominations hoping to find one that would be a good fit for me. I ended up going back to the roots of Christianity to try to find out what was true, what was the real way to follow Jesus's...

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Atheists: Did you like Ben Stein before he went so public about his views on creationism in school? Ben Stein never was and never will be cool. He worked in the Nixon administration, for crissakes. He's the worst kind of conservative troglodyte, and is wrong on so many more issues than evolution. So no, I didn't like him anyway. :) I think he's basically an opportunist - I doubt his views on creationism are all that strongly held, it just seemed like a potentially lucrative...

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What would be a good atheist slogan? Mine is 'If there was a God then I wouldn't be an atheist'. Well, my motto comes from Emily Dickinson. "Faith" is a fine invention When Gentlemen can see— But Microscopes are prudent In an Emergency.

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Can you be atheist and "believe" in the scientifically unsubstantiated effectiveness of homeopathy? I suppose you could. I see your reasoning there. If you're using rationality to rule out religion, you should probably also rule out a whole lot of other irrational things. And a lot of people who call themselves atheists also call themselves skeptics - and those people will especially NOT buy into stuff like homeopathy. But not all. Some atheists were just never religious, and...

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"You cannot make a man by standing a sheep on its hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position you can make a crowd of men." -- Max Beerbohm. Will the same process work to make a political party? Judging from the Teabaggers, it already did.

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Are ya gonna participate in the 2010 US Census Bureau tabulations? NOT ME! I wasn't in the 1970, 1980, 1990 or 2000 tabulations (not under my real name, anyway) and I won't be in this next one either. (I prize my privacy, above everything else.) Excellent! You stay off the census, as you please, and I'll go ahead and be counted. That's one less numbskull represented in the American population, and one more liberal unmarried feminist atheist, in a multiracial household. Kickass.

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If prayer even remotely works, why is it still allowed in the olympics? Olympics does not allow ANYTHING that will give ANY kind of advantage. Hahaha. Good question. Do Christians have an unfair advantage? Can you sabotage opponents with Voodoo? Eliminate spiritual steroids! Sign a "waiver of prayer form" to avoid these problems. LOL

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Do you plan to watch Hero's tonight? Do you plan to watch any of the new shows? (2009-09-21) Nah, Heroes has been worthless since Season 1. None of the new shows look any good. Looking forward to the House premere tonight, though! :D

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What do you think of the man in Georgia who slapped a womens 2 yr old child for crying in a Wal-Mart? I find small children annoying, personally, but I would NEVER strike someone's child. That man was lucky he didn't get beat down. My mother was not known to spare the rod, but if some stranger hit one of us there would be hell to pay!

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Atheists only: If all religious influences were completely extinguished, then to which moral philosophy would you personally suggest that humanity adhere? Why? Kant had it figured out pretty good. He said, basically, that a rational being should be governed by unbreakable Categorical Imperatives derived by reason. A Categorical Imperative must be universal and not situational. Honesty, for example, is a categorical imperative. Kant was very strict about this - even to benefit yourself or save your own skin, you should not lie, because honesty is a...

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Should I stay or should I go? Married 22 yrs., 6 mo. ago discovered husband had affair/s for last 6 yrs., unprotected. Says he loves me, wants to keep marriage & family. Last 6 mo. he's been doing all the "right" things. Six years is a longggg time! I think a lot of times people make these decisions based on what people would think of them.. they don't want to appear weak for staying, they don't want to appear cold for going, whatever. You can probably boil it down to this: if everything continues the way it is now, will you be happy? Even assuming that, having cheated multiple times in the past, he will probably cheat again?...

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Do atheists use the term 'Thank god!' ? For example, if their son was finally home after being 3 hours late, do they say "Thank god!" or "Thank god,a being of supernatural powers or attributes,believed in and worshiped by a people,but who doesnt exist!"? I kind of do, occasionally. It's an expression, and usually I say "thank goodness" instead. But we weren't allowed to say that sort of thing when I was a kid. It was "taking the lord's name in vain." Even though that doesn't make much sense, that seems like a pretty positive way to use it, but whatever. We didn't do it. Once I grew up, I used...

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Atheists: If someone says God Bless you, do you get offended? I always say if you're a believer God Bless you but someone so very nice & sweet on here said What do you mean if. I just try to respect all beliefs or lack there of. What's politically right? It's kind of similar to when someone says they'll pray for me. I don't necessarily think that's going to do anything, but it's the thought that counts. They're trying to be nice. Generally it's rude to rebuff someone who is genuine in their well-wishes. Smile and/or say thank you. (Unless someone is being obnoxious about this, which can happen. Making...

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Why are so many atheists so unhappy? As many other answers have done, I have to dispute your premise. Atheists are no more likely to be unhappy than god-believers. This survey, in fact, finds that Atheists report higher levels of happiness than many "spirituals" (as the survey puts it). http://www.centerforinquiry.net/newsroom/profiles_of_the_godless_results_from_a_survey_of_the_nonreligious/ Another study...

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Atheists, if you were dying of a terminal illness and therefore had a few days before you knew you were going to die, would you pick a religion because "what the hell"? I'd pick Mormonism because there are some pretty hot missionaries. I don't think it's in my temperment at this point to join a religion just for the hell of it. That would involve a kind of deception on my part that I won't do, even under the circumstances you describe. But, to rephrase your question, if I could hang out with any particular religious group of people I think I would pick the Quakers. They live by their faith in a way that I...

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Atheist: Is your greatest contention with religious adherents (in general or of a particular faith), the concept of religion itself, or the concept of a superintending God? (Honest question, I mean no offense.) I would say it's the concept of the omnipotent, omniscient god, that an atheist is unable to accept. That's why we call ourselves atheist, meaning "without god". (Actually, you can be a religious atheist. Many buddhists are atheist. Taoism, I think, doesn't use a concept of god as we understand him. I don't think Scientology requires a belief in a god.) ...

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Do you think what makes an atheist is a whole lot of unfortunate things that happen in a particular persons life? Nope. I've had a pretty fortunate life, actually. I think many other atheists will tell you the same. This goes back to the idea that someone becomes an atheist because they become angry at god and turn away from him. I think many believers have a hard time comprehending that we really, really, really don't think there's anything out there to get angry at. The Bible portrays...

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Are there ANY Atheist ABers who are willing to publicly say, "There's a possibility that I really MIGHT be wrong."? (Usually what I hear is, "I can't ever be wrong, about Gawd.") Sure, I'll say it, no problem. There's a possibility that I really might be wrong. If someone proves that for me, then I'll happily change my view. I require evidence for that, though. I'm a scientist by training, and that's how it works. You have a working theory, and you test it, and if the theory proves wrong you adjust it. I just haven't seen anything...

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Are atheists the success of Satan? Satan's ultimate goal is to persuade people to sin, right? I don't even believe in sin. It's a religious concept. I believe in simple right and wrong, and I avoid doing harm to others. Even by religious standards, aside from the not-believing, I'd be considered a pretty righteous person. So Satan pretty much failed by me. I guess unbelievers go to hell, so...

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Atheists only: which proponent of atheistic teachings (philosophical, scientific, etc.) does the greatest discredit to the non-atheist's perception of atheism? What is it about his/her teaching that is so faulty? I find Dawkins fairly annoying. He spends a lot more effort on making fun of the religious then he does on proving his own case, and he is not a strong debater. He is a scientist, and I expected a lot more of his book for that reason, but he didn't really construct an argument that was airtight - which is entirely possible! I wouldn't say he discredits atheism, but he's...

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Why are most atheists night owls? We don't have to go to early morning church services?

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Have any of you atheists ever tried to seek God or are you all too proud? I am not trying to attack so please don't take this question that way. Just curious. Also, how many of you are atheists because of christians and some of their hypocritical ways? I suppose we're just not trying hard enough to believe. My question is, if it takes so much all out effort to maintain belief, what makes you think that you're correct? It seems to me that truth should be easy to believe. On your second question: christians and their hypocritical ways drove me out of the church. But leaving the *faith* is a different matter. I'll bet there...

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Do any atheists ever read arguments in the atheism-Christianity debate made by other atheists and think their point is really stupid? Same question applies to Christians; do you think some other Christians have stupid anit-atheist arguments? Not generally but I do get annoyed with one particular thing. Some atheists will insist that all religious folk are stupid, when this is plainly false. It's SO plainly false that it makes their whole argument suspicious, and that reflects badly on me. Don't make assumptions about the other side being dumb, gullible, or brainwashed - don't you know the opposition thinks the...

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Atheists: Do you ever feel slightly cheated that you won't be able to get in a last "I told ya so!" to the smug religious kooks as they fade into oblivion, and realize in their final moments that they spent a lifetime in servitude to an imaginary friend? Not really. If we're right, then it doesn't matter that they were wrong. We're all getting the same treatment in the end. If anything, I feel a bit cheated that cheaters and murderers won't be getting an eternal judgement, when some of them richly deserve it. But the world doesn't work that way, and that's why we have to see to it that justice is done on earth.

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If I am an atheist, should I try (while remaining civil) to convince religious people that they are wrong? Saying someone "should" try to do this implies a moral imperative to deconvert the religious. I don't think that's true and I don't think most atheists feel that way. Since there's no atheist equivalent of heaven and hell, we don't have a need to convert people to save their souls. Atheists and religious people ought to be able to coexist peacefully. ...

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Who is your favourite comedian? Bill Hicks. He's my hero. Seriously.

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As an atheist are do you lean towards socialism or anarchism? Religion these days often pressures people to follow one political belief or another. It was not always so. And it's still true that you can be religious and yet hold any political beliefs you care to, with no interference to your faith. Being an atheist, we don't have that kind of political pressure put on us in combination with threats to the state of our souls. So an atheist is...

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Can we get an Atheist roll call? Feel free to leave a reason if you like. Present. Raised religious, went to sunday school, sang in the choir, played the handbells, was an acolyte, went to church camp, conducted the children's choir, was confirmed, went to bible study, killed at bible trivia. Went to a methodist college. Was considered a fine and upstanding member of the religious community, basically. But I was troubled by the hypocricy I perceived in the...

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Cat owners: do you have experience with ringworm? We are following the vet's prescription of Itraconozole oral med and lyme sulphur dip, but he had another new spot this morning. We started treatment a week ago. How can we tell if it's working or not? I should mention that this is a foster kitty and we need to get him well so that he can be adopted into a permanent home! But we've never dealt with ringworm before and this has been a nightmare for us. ANY help would be appreciated!

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Our foster cat has ringworm. The vet says that we should clean the floors with bleach. Problem: we have hardwood floors and our landlord would kill us if we bleached them. Is there anything else that's effective in killing the spores? HELP HELP No seriously, we need help. We need to find this kitty a home and we can't do that until he recovers from the ringworm. He has 4 spots now! HELP

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Why are all the women I am meeting are psychopaths? And this is not a new event? Like attracts like. ;)

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My divorce decree states that I pay 1/2 of daycare, medical, and dental (I have joint custody). My ex wife expects me to pay half of everything-extracurricular activites, registration fees for daycare, etc... How do I handle it You handle it by paying the freaking fees. This is a problem because why? Are you cheap or just selfish? You made a baby with her, you share responsibility. Those are all expenses that you would be contributing to if you lived with the mother or had the kids full-time. Why should she have to pay more than you do? Boys, if you can't afford the expenses of fatherhood, get a vasectomy...

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Married men: What do you expect from your wife ? It seems to me once you get married you want someone who will clean all day, cook, iron, wash clothes, take care of kids, work, and never complain about it ! please shed some light. Your friend should hire a servant and remain celibate.

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If a man drugged a woman and has sex with her, its rape. What if a woman drugs a man and has sex with him? Follow-up question: if a man drugs a man and has sex with him, is it rape? (I think it's fairly obvious, but I just want to check.)

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All my Facebook friends are beating me at Bejeweled Blitz. Do you have any tips or tricks? I'm topping off around 50k points and can't get any higher. C'mon, we must have some expert Bejewelers around here. What's your high score? I got 120,000 once last week but it was more or less by accident, and that wasn't high enough to beat my Facebook Friends. Give me a hint?

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Black clergy who oppose same-sex unions take issue when the fight for legalization is compared to the civil rights movement. Do you think the marriage rights are a civil right? See LINK: This is a complicated issue and my answer is going to be in many parts. In short, yes, marriage is a civil right, and the gay marriage movement is a civil rights movement. Women's sufferage was a civil rights movement too. However, today when you talk about THE civil rights movement, you are talking about the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. It is not...

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I have been with my boyfriend for a little over a year now, he has major trust issues. The thing is, he's never been cheated on, his mother made him think this way bc she had affairs when his parents were married, why do I have to pay for her mistakes? Unless everyone saved themselves for marriage (HAHAHAHA) we all have to deal with this to some degree. All of our lovers are going to have a past. Either their past significant others were spectacularly awesome and you'll never live up to them, or they were lowdown and dirty and maybe you are too. It's unfair, but it's a fact of life. Parental misconduct is another can of...

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I'd like to know who on AB is an atheist and if they feel reluctant to admit their lack of beliefs because they live in a religious society. I am one. I talk about it quite frequently on AB but very very rarely in the 3d world, mainly to avoid conflict. Much of my family is very religious so by force of habit I just avoid the topic of religion whenever I can. It's kind of sad. I only just told this to my significant other the other day and we've been together for years. He knew that I'm not a churchgoer but not...

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I've been a Virginian, Californian and Minnesotan. Does living in Boston, MA make me a Massachusettan? Nope. You're a Bostonian. Welcome! Most people I meet in Boston are from somewhere else. I'm from the Midwest myself, but I love it here.

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They say a man likes different parts of a woman's anatomy depends on his age: In the 20's - her feet; In the 30's - her legs; In the 40's - her breasts; 50 and over - Everything. Do you agree? At what age does a man appreciate a nice booty? Maybe my man's an alien.

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Do you always end up sleeping on the wet patch? Nope. The nice thing about using condoms: no wet spot. Among other benefits, of course.

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Ive never...done the dirty deed...and i am 17. My boyfriend tells me i need to grow up and start doing it. Do you agree? If you still can't bring yourself to say "having sex" instead of "doing it" you are definately not ready for the act. Your boyfriend is a douche. At least don't have sex with HIM. Someday you'll meet someone fantastic and things will progress naturally, without any harassment or pressuring you into it. It'll be worth the wait, I promise.

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While only 21% of Americans now self-identify as Republicans, many Cons on AB still claim they represent the vast majority of the electorate. Why do they think so? A lot of that 79% did once subscribe to Republicanism, and ended up rejecting them over the last year. We could debate about the reasons why: the party moved away from them, their positions became unworkable, reality set in, etc. Meanwhile the most vociferous right-wingers on AB as anywhere else are basically the lunatic fringe, the far righters who will never be convinced to rethink their...

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My girlfriend and I are in process of a breakup but still live together because of our two kids. We constantly argue about the littlest things that it's becoming mentally abusive. How do I breakup w/her and still be on good terms? She hates me w/passion. You can break up with her on good terms, even be friends with her. But obviously you two can't live together. Even people who still LIKE each other have trouble living together. Living together is hard. It sounds like your personalities are just not compatible with your living arrangement. It's admirable that you want to maintain a good relationship with the mother of your...

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I want to right to be able to defend myself if someone breaks into my house and tries and to do harm to myself and my family. I want the right to own a gun. I think anything else is infringing on my freedom. What do you think? I think I'm confused as to why this is such a big concern. Of course it would be a very bad thing to be murdered by a stranger breaking into your home, but this almost never happens. Getting hit by a bolt of lightening would be horrible also, and is about as likely, but people don't feel an overwhelming need for protection against errant lightening bolts nor do they proclaim such a...

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I dont know what to do. I broke up with my ex boyfriend about 7 weeks ago because he kept being emotional abusive everytime we fought (ill stop loving you, you dont deserve me, confess to your lies) i havent stoppped crying, should i call him? It's normal to still be upset over any break up even months later, it's very painful and difficult to end a relationship. It's even worse if your ex is still trying to call you and get back together, this makes it even more difficult to recover. Your ex is an ex for a reason - no matter how much you miss him, DO NOT CALL. If you got back with him you'd be right back where...

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Have you ever noticed that anyone who advertises any kind of weight loss product does not need to lose any weight? Yeah, and I've also noticed that in those before and after photos, the person's hair and clothes and lighting and makeup are all much better in the "after" photo! Funny how a weight-loss product can do all of that... ;)

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What does it mean when your girlfriend yells at you a lot of times? Every time I say or do something she doesn't like, she raises her voice at me. I have asked her not to do it. Is this something "normal" couples do to or should I be concerned about it? I agree with the other answers, but I wanted to add: Have you met her family or seen her home situation? Because some families are like this as a matter of course, all the time. The parents yell at the kids, the parents yell at each other, the kids yell at each other, and on and on and on. It may be that she thinks this is the normal way to interact and not realize how jarring it is for you....

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Should parental consent be required for underage pregnant women to have abortions? No, for two simple reasons. First, sad to say not all parents have their children's best interests at heart. Second, even sadder to say, some of those pregnancies are the result of incest. If you have a pregnant 14-year-old it's entirely possible that she is being abused by a family member. Forcing the young girl to get parental consent may be putting her into a dangerous...

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Can a man to use womens restroom No. The minute he walked into the womens bathroom, his genitals would fall off and he'd TURN INTO A WOMAN OH MY GOD THE HUMANITY!!!!! Seriously though, have you seen the men's bathrooms? If I were a dude, I would use the women's bathroom anyway because OMG, the filth, the peeing in front of each other, it's all too weird. Whatever happened to the Ally McBeal unisex...

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Baptist church pastor (Chris Fox, New London, NC) gets caught impersonating atheists in making nasty comments on some blogs in order to try to give atheists a bad rap. Why do Christians need to do that sort of thing? It's referred to as "Lying for Jesus" and it's incredibly common. The rationalization has two parts - one is that the ends justify the means if you're "doing it for god". The other is that "it's only a sin if THEY do it." Witness, for example, Rick Warren lying his ass off on Larry King Live: ...

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Do Atheists feel the ringing of church bells is unjustly imposing religion upon them and the crosses, what about the crosses? Ringing church bells is imposing religion on the crosses? I'm not sure what you're getting at there. Expressions of religious belief and religious celebrations are only problematic under three conditions: 1) They are funded by tax dollars. 2) They are imposed on a situation where participation would not be voluntary: in the workplace, in public schools, in the army, etc. 3)...

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Atheist: Would you ever marry a Christian? (Reverse question can apply as well) Assuming I would ever get married, sure, I'd marry a Christian. No restrictions on that. On the other hand, I would never marry or even date a social conservative. So that kind of eliminates a lot of Christians, certainly the fanatical ones. Personal politics makes a much bigger difference in my book. My current partner has the same politics as I, but is a lot more...

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Dear Atheist Brothers and Sisters, can you please honestly pray for peace on earth? Are you hoping it would help? I have to wonder how this works. If I did this just because you told me to and not because I believed there was anything out there, do you think the prayer would be answered anyway? And while I'm at it, why does the number of people praying for a given thing make any difference? Is it like a petition that x many people need to sign on for? I suppose for...

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When a love one dies, friend, relative, or spouse, how do you, as an atheist, view death? It's very sad for me, because I don't feel that I'll ever be seeing them again. So I do have to grieve without staving it off with fantasies about heaven. Past the initial grieving period, though, I remember people fondly and am glad to have known them. To be nerdly about it, I'm lucky that the temporal period that I inhabit happened to coexist with theirs. Time is a...

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If you were/are an atheist and your parent/s sent you holiday cards with Christian messages on them, would you ask them to stop? No, that seems kind of spiteful. It's not like they're a stranger trying to convert me, they're just trying to be thoughtful. My folks buy cards en bulk, anyway, I'm hardly going to ask them to pick out a different/specialer card for me. They go straight into the garbage, though.

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If near death experiences aren't real, how come Atheists see hell and Christians see heaven? Pretty much everyone who has one of these experiences sees pretty much the same thing: the light, the tunnel, the floaty feeling. All of which is caused by your brain misfiring as it begins to shut down, in the process of dying. LoriK's uber-long account pretty much proves the point : atheists and christians alike, as well as other religions that don't subscribe to a heaven, see...

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Why is health insurance is so expensive? Getting rid of health insurance, and providing a national healthcare plan, would make medical care much, much cheaper. Hospitals and doctors offices have to hire dozens of people just to file the damn insurance claims. There's hundreds and hundreds of companies with thousands of plans that won't cover this or only covers that and you have to submit it all perfectly the first time...

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A UK study shows that society would likely benefit from legalizing all drugs - as well as saving $billions. Assuming this is similar in all western countries and governments need to save money - should we consider it? Well, what we're doing now CLEARLY isn't working. I'd support something more like decriminalization. I don't know if legalization would be all that great, but criminalizing users has got to end. Putting people in prison for smoking weed is clearly insane. I'd argue imprisoning people who use even the harder drugs isn't very smart. We're taking people with...

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Can you name some Conservative celebrities? Everyone who appeared in that conservative "comedy" last year that bombed so badly. Can anyone remember the name of that flick? I want to IMDB it. I know it had Jon Voight and Kelsey Grammar, and they are definitely conservatives. edit: I found it!! It was called An American Carol. Not surprised nobody remembered it, I had to resort to Google. Anyway, here's a list of the...

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The pastor at the Church I no longer attend says that EVE was created not a virgin......Is this true? Oh goodness. That's like the idea that Mary grew her virginity back after she gave birth to Jesus, magically, so that she could die a virgin. Despite according to the bible having other children with her husband Joseph which would presumably involve sex. That we will just ignore. Nope, hymen intact forever. logic FAIL. I suppose because Eve was the evil cause of all evil, by that...

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If a tea party is held in your city, will you attend? Sure, I love tea. Good conversation is welcome too. As long is the company is nice.. no bigots, cranks, conspiracy theorists or dimwits.. Fortunately in Boston we're all either catholic or radical, or a bit of both, so I'll be in good company. We do know how to throw a party.

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The Sham Wow guy punches a hooker. What do you think about this? I think I'm appalled by how many people think this is funny. Punching a woman several times in the face = lol good times? Is that only if it's a prostitute, or does that go for the rest of us too?

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Why hasn't the media reported on the foiled terrorist attack on the Obama Inauguration? http://wikileaks.org/wiki/The_"dirty_bomb"_that_disappeared Finally someone covered the story: Rachel Maddow, of MSNBC! transcript here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29676733/ video here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#29667604

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If you don't believe in a creator or spiritual part of our nature, how do you explain our common urge to do the right thing, even at our own peril (against what evolution would suggest we do)? Humans (and some other animals, we're not the only ones) that reside in communities and societies do so under what is philosophically termed the Social Contract. The social contract concept is fancy explanation for why an individual will give up or restrict some of their individual interests in order to live as a group. Or as wikipedia would put it, why "it is in an...

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Why hasn't the media reported on the foiled terrorist attack on the Obama Inauguration? http://wikileaks.org/wiki/The_"dirty_bomb"_that_disappeared I can't get the link to paste correctly in the question, so here it is: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/The_"dirty_bomb"_that_disappeared http://wonkette.com/406925/us-nazi-trust-fund-millionaire-was-building-dirty-radioactive-anti-obama-bomb-but-his-wife-shot-him-dead-first If it was some Muslim guy who was found with a radioactive bomb, it would be the biggest news story in...

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What is your opinion of women who keep their maiden name when they get married? Good for them! It's a stupid, patriarchial tradition that says we don't have any identity of our own, just which guy we "belong" to. Our father or our husband. Blech. Some people pick out an entirely new name to represent their new family, which makes some sense to me. Then everybody can have the same family name without putting all the responsibility for the name...

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Is there a true atheist? What is the difference between an atheist and a non-believer? This is splitting hairs as far as I'm concerned. There is no litmus test or set of beliefs you must adhere to, because atheism is not a religion. So no, there is no "true" atheist. If you say you're an atheist, then you are. If you'd rather call yourself a non-believer, then that's what you are. I suppose you could come up with your own definitions of those...

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My boyfriend suffers constant sinus drainage due to a nasal condition. Antihistamines, etc... don't work, nothing dries him up. All the drainage gives him nausea; does anyone know if there's anything he can do to reduce the nausea? I have the same problem and have had it for awhile. It's an especially bad time of year for this problem, but I've learned over time some ways to cope with it. A lot of times post-nasal drip is caused by, or made worse by, dehydration. You always have mucus but it becomes thicker and more irritating when you aren't properly hydrated. So here's what I do when I'm...

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Where was Atheism when religion was saving people "from" persecution and in many cases still is today? Probably in hiding, since "saving" frequently involves burning at the stake, hanging, drowning, the rack, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_inquisition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-hunt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Bartholomew%27s_Day_massacre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogroms ...

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How come all the great songwriters were Heroin addicts? Many great songwriters have been Heroin addicts, but most heroin addicts are not great songwriters. If anything the heroin use probably impeded the songwriting output of the people you're thinking of, since scoring, using, flying, coming down from and fiending for more heroin is going to be an enormous distraction from the music. When you're reeeeal f'ed up you're gonna...

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Question to Atheists: “How important is it to you that the claims of Atheism are really true?” But atheism doesn't really provide any claims, it is simply what you're left with when you drop out of religion (or refuse to join up in the first place); it is more of a rejection of claims than a set of their own. How I got to be an atheist in the first place was because I considered *truth* in general to be important, and I determined that a lot of what religion told me was not...

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Could anyone recommend a song with both french and english lyrics (In the same song, not a translated version) similar to "Amour à la française" by Fatal Picards? Leonard Cohen's version of "The Partisan" has French and English lyrics. I suspect that the french verses are repeating the English ones though. I don't speak French. Does anyone know?

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Have you seen the cartoon in the New York Post regarding the monkey being shot and the saying about the next stimulus package? Your thoughts? Oh for god's sake, of course it's racist. It's not even subtle. Look at all of the other cartoons by this artist and they're the same: Obama is a monkey, Obama smells funny, etc etc etc. There is a very long history of comparing black people to monkeys and a long line of racist imagery using this trope. Add in the murder on top of that and it's pretty much advocating...

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I am a unhappily married, 48 year old male. Fell in love with a 21 year old woman who also loves me. Should I leave my wife, and take a chance on love even though the age difference is great. This is a love affair, not a future marriage. Trying to turn it into one will ruin everything, I guarantee. Not to be cruel here, but a 21-year old girl does not date a married 48 year old because she wants a future with him. Sure, believe her when she says she loves you. She loves you now, married, with no expectations. She enjoys the attention you lavish on her. You both enjoy the...

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What kinda movie actually scares you? If any? The kind of movie that revolves around straight-up murdering attractive young people and particularly women in various excruciating ways. Hostel and the like. It strikes me as anti-human to actually enjoy these movies. And it reminds me how many people out there really, really hate women and would hurt me if they could.

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Have you seen the cartoon in the New York Post regarding the monkey being shot and the saying about the next stimulus package? Your thoughts? Oh for god's sake, of course it is. It's not even subtle. Look at all of the other cartoons by this artist and they're the same: Obama is a monkey, Obama smells funny, etc etc etc. There is a very long history of comparing black people to monkeys and a long line of racist imagery using this trope. Add in the murder on top of that and it's pretty much advocating his...

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Do atheists think that theists are incapable of living moral lives? No, we think your theism is more or less irrelevant to the morality of your life. I'm not impressed with the religiousity of Ghandi or Martin Luther King Jr or whoever, but I'm impressed with the great things they accomplished in their time on earth. Whether and which religion they followed makes a difference only in the ways it influenced their approach to those actions. The...

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What should be done about all these Homsexauls wastying tax payer dollars? I mean they destoryed Churchs in CA what should be done about these Homosexaul terrorist? Is there a rash of homosexual suicide bombings that I didn't hear about? Or are you just off your meds again? ;)

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Did anyone realize that other language people trying to speak English don't work??? I'm so fed up with this on telephone trying to talk to a company with NON-English speaking PEOPLE trying to pretend English, they STILL have an accent!. ..Your opinions? English speakers in the UK think our American accent absolutely slaughters the English language. Certain regions of the US are downright unintelligble. Jersey and Boston accents are hideous (I live there, I should know) and Southern accents are pretty hard for me to make out. I bet they think my flat midwestern accent is nasal and charmless. I have conference calls with people from across...

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Why are there so many DAMN foreigners in AMERICA???? LMFAO! And I suppose your family never immigrated? The immigrant story is an intrinsic part of American History. It was in the 1800s, it was in the 1940s, and it still is today. If you don't like it, you're in the wrong country babe. "LMFAO"

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What is this "chuck Norris can beat any body" crap? he's an ok fighter but no bruce lee That's why it's funny. The more ridiculous the exaggeration, the funnier it is. It wouldn't be as funny to make such jokes about Jackie Chan or Jet Li, because they probably COULD kick everyone's asses (still!). Whereas ole Chuck only thinks he can. Maybe some of the come-latelys to the joke think it's for serious, but the joke's on them too. :D Blame it...

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When the State wants money, why do they always pick on the smokers. Why not tax wine, beer or hard liquor? It can be just as deadly. This is a good question. The short answer is probably that smoking has become socially unacceptable, and drinking has not. Therefore you can raise taxes on the smokers and not get a whole lot of complaint. The justification is that raising the cost of cigarettes will reduce rates of smoking. I don't know that this has been proven. Don't get me wrong, I hate cigarettes. If...

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What are some good break up songs to listen to that will make me feel better and not cry? "So Long, Marianne" by Leonard Cohen. So long, Marianne it's time that we began to laugh (and cry) and cry (and laugh) about it all again.

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The atheist will say the world is screwed up because of religion but judging by his actions and those of others is it screwed up because there is not enough? I love how you ask these questions in other categories now so you won't get pwned. *flags to move to Atheism category* This is a statement of (imaginary) fact, not a question. I guess you want people to chime in with you or something. The world is screwed up for a lot of reasons, mostly involving greed, selfishness, and lack of empathy. This affects people of all religions and none....

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Is this classic pyschopathic behavior? I called the ex after 3 years because she never indicated why she left I actaully love people it's a weakness of mine, anyway she went off on this you not going to hurt my family? I have no intent on that.More It's not really psychopathic but this woman is obviously scared of you. Whether that's justified or not, you should leave her alone. Look, honestly, not to mess with you or anything, have you ever gotten any counseling? You just seem really angry all the time. Maybe your ex would be willing to talk to you if you took the step of talking to somebody.

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I have decided not to have children, but people keep telling me that this is a "selfish" decision. Thoughts? I wonder where that comes from? It seems like such an odd thing to say. "Selfish" seems like a randomly-chosen criticism but I've heard it too, so it really isn't. I don't get it. It seems more selfish to me to have children you don't really want or without regard to the lives they're going to have, just because it's what you're supposed to do. ...

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Has anyone else noticed a lot of the same Conservatives who kept labeling critics of the government "Unpatriotic" when Bush was in office, turning around to do much the same thing now that we've elected a president they disagree with? I also love how those same people, who said incredibly rude things to me when I was opposing the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, will never address the ways they silenced the opposition at the time. They now oppose both wars, but god forbid they admit that they were wrong. Or that the people they expressed so much hatred for were actually right. Apparently when I oppose public policies,...

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I am taking a big risk here..but here goes. What do you think of women who manipulate their way in life? You know, bring out the tears, become seductive, become "helpless" to get what they want? I feel sorry for them. They probably have no idea how they really feel most of the time and are completely dependent on other people for their identity. What's more, they probably think this is exactly what a woman should be. They end up in lousy relationships with men who also think this is how a woman should be, and yet turn around and complain about it constantly to anyone who'll...

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How come there are so many athiests on the internet, Why do they hide behind their screens mocking rather than making their presence known in the REAL world like religion does? I'm guessing you assume that everyone you meet in the 3d world is religious, like you. That everyone is by default religious until proven otherwise. I guarantee you that you encounter atheists in the "real world" all the time, daily. We just don't go around proclaiming our lack of religion, identifying ourselves for your convenience. There is just no reason for an...

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Why some people decide to live together instead of getting married? Because I'm just not the wifey type, basically. Marriage has all of these weird expectations and traditions that I find kind of offensive. Like, my father hands me over to my new owner as I change my name to his, and then I'm responsible for upkeep of him and his house, etc. My fella and I have lived together for years and dated a few more than that. We don't need a legal...

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Someone unplugged my computer while I was working and I lost all my work. Is there a way to recover the update of an excel file that's been lost? Is it in a cache somewhere maybe? HELP! Ok, when I opened the document again, I had lost all my work. But I checked the Autorecover and it's set to save every 10 minutes. I went to the folder it saves to and I see a .xar file with today's date. This must contain my lost data! My question is - what do I do with it? How do I open it?

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With 600 Palestinians killed in just over a week, why is this called a 'war' and not a slaughter? To quote the great Bill Hicks: This isn't a war. A war is when TWO armies are fighting. ... Going after a small group of terrorists by invading the country they are hiding in and slaughtering its civilians, what kind of country would do a thing like OH WAIT

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What can be done About Barrack Obama & Acorn stealing the election with voter fraud, clearly Obama is a fraud? Did he ever produce a real US Birth Certificate? What can be done about aliens kidnapping rural drunk people and violating them with anal probes? This must be stopped! And clearly, the gremlins are real and they keep stealing my socks. Why will noone pay attention to these important issues? I can see everyone is stupid but me. TIME CUBE and the magic bullet, look it up its on the internet. And a partridge in a pear tree.

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Should I let my girlfriend keep smoking cigarettes..we just started dating and I have never dated a smoker before this/ Let her? Yikes. I'd advise her to get away from you, on the basis of that little slip. You need to learn that girls are real actual people with free will, dude. She is not yours to command to do this and that. (As to the smoking - it's bad for you, everyone should be encouraged to stop, but not everyone can. If you don't want to date a smoker, don't. Wasn't...

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Obama suspends Trails for detainees in THe Bay is he worse than Bush he isn't allowing them even to have a trail? No, dummy, he's going to give them a real trial instead of a circus/military tribunal. Get your facts straight.

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Was you sickened by how quickly the Obama inauguration became a godgobbers proselytizing pulpit spruiking act. That gig was more like a fundamentalist revival gig than a political show. Especially when that old godgobber Lowery shuffled up on stage Dude, shut up. Why you gotta make us look bad? I'm an atheist and I love Reverend Lowery. He is a good guy and a great speaker. I wish the ceremony could have been secular as well, and I certainly couldn't stand Pastor Saddleback whatever his name is, the creepy bigot, but leave Reverend Lowery alone. He's cool. He talked about actual important shit like caring for the...

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OMG!!! Obama is president! What have you lunatics done?!? Oh weep for America! Have mercy on us O' Heavenly Father. Have mercy on our guilty nation! Why couldn't you people have not supported the Republican Party (the Party of God)? This must be a parody. I just can't imagine people being this nuts.

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Will taking antidepressants help improve my memory retiontion, social anxiety, and inability to focus on anything other than the constant pit of despair that I am in? When you find the right one, it will. Sometimes you have to work with your doctor for a little while to get the regimen nailed down. But yes, you will feel better again someday. Get an appointment with your Primary doctor and tell him/her what's going on with you, and listen to their advice. They may know a good counselor, or recommend a good exercise regimen (exercise helps!) or a...

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Is abortion wrong? No.

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I saw a bumper sticker today that said" If I knew it would come to this, I would of picked my own damn cotton." What kind of message does a person like this give to everyone around them? What kind of message does this give? How about "please key my car"??

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How does Israel get away with what they have done to the Palestinians? I don't care who's right and who's wrong, the blatant slaughter of civilians has to stop. U.N. Peacekeepers, where are you? Can we just shoot that parcel of land into space and rehome everybody or something? It's never going to end!

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In President Obama's inaugural address, he made it a point to be inclusive of non-believers. What do you think of that? Will it help society be more accepting of atheism? It's not something I would have asked for but it made me happy to hear it. I don't think this one mention in this one speech will make any palpable difference. But it's a subtle thing, if you consistently refer to a group of people as though they count for something, you can gradually leave that impression in people's minds. Now if the whole ceremony could be...

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Gaza needs your voice! will you Please submit the word "Salam" as an answer to add up as many voices as we can as ABers against the violence in Palestine?! I Thank You for your support! -feel free to express yourself- Salam. Stop the killing.

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How do I calculate a percentage of something (i.e. 700 is 37.5% of what number)? The way I was taught to do it in school was as follows. It's not very elegant but it's how I still do it today. 700 ` 37.5 ---- = ----- x ` 100 And therefore: 37.5x = 70000 x = 1866.67 or 1867 Halliburton Shill's way is easier.

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the past 4 days now my computer will freeze for a sec then a big blue screen pops up saying : "A problem has been detected and Windows has shut down to prevent damage to Blue Screen of Death = Big Trouble. Do you have time to do a virus scan before it crashes? If not, do a System Restore like Zenmonk suggested. This problem will not go away, it will only get worse.

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Not too long ago a couple had a baby and they named him "Adolf Hitler". A lot of people were very upset and thought they should face child abuse charges. What do you think? Well, it didn't just happen. The story came to light when the parents went to the local cakemaker and asked for a cake that said "Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler". Not happy birthday Adolf, or happy birthday Adolf Hitler Campbell (which is the kid's full name), but "Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler." Understandably, the cakemaker refused to do it. They also refused to...

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The 'atheist society' have paid to advertised on the side of London buses “There is no God, so enjoy life” is this to be interpreted as, break all the commandments & enjoy life? You're misquoting. The ad said: "STOP WORRYING and enjoy life." Which is very different from what you said. Many people live in fear of a vengeful diety who will punish them for even THINKING the wrong thing, much less making a mistake in the long list of rules they're expected to live by. The ad, I believe, is pointing out that if those people would realize that...

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Whats a good book to read? I really like any kind of love story. The Time Traveler's Wife. http://www.amazon.com/Time-Travelers-Wife-Audrey-Niffenegger/dp/015602943X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231786309&sr=8-1 (A very unusual love story.)

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What can you think of that an athiest wouldn't DARE say or do because it would reveal they are a believer in God? example: "Oh my God!" < Maybe this can be their Commandments? Thou shall not say or do... You think atheists are just pretending? How strange! Actually, when I was religious, I didn't dare to say "Oh my god". I was taught that this was taking the lord's name in vain. And like most children terrorized by religion I was totally scared of what god would do to me if he got mad, and I would never ever say such a thing. So I don't understand why an atheist...

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A song played on radio 1 on thursday at 18.55 sounds like a chinese woman singing about some one called JIMMY and then a up beat violin bit kicks in does any one know who sings it please as im going nuts trying to find out many thanks sean aka fatman Yep, that's MIA. She's Sri Lankan, not Chinese. The song Jimmy is a take-off on Bollywood music, which is the music played in Indian films. I think it's actually a cover song of an actual Hindi song from a Bollywood movie years ago. Most of the rest of her music is a hiphop/world music mashup. And is fantastic.

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Who here works in healthcare? I do. Recently more in medical research, but I've been at bedside too (Intensive Care and inpatient). I do medical technology and I'm studying epidemiology.

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Ive had my period for 3yrs and now Im 15 and my period just got really irregular. Its really light and I bleed on + off, but its gone on for a very long time. Im still a virgin idk whats wrong!! Please help me Im so scared! Am I cut inside? what do I do? Don't panic; it happens. When you're a teenager you're having all sorts of hormonal stuff going on and it can get your cycle out of whack. It doesn't mean that anything is wrong with you and you don't need to do anything drastic. Unless it gets unreasonably heavy; then it's time to consult your doctor for advice. Talk to your mom or other female relatives;...

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Have you though about leaving the country since Obama became President? Actually, it's convinced me NOT to move to Canada just yet, as we've been discussing doing for years. I'll be even further persuaded to stay if enough right wingers move out in the next four years. If Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Ann whatsherface, and all those other idiots move out I might even buy myself a house here. There might be hope for us yet! :D

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Why does the U.S. translate wording into just Spanish? Everything is in English and Spanish, why not Italian, Polish, German and other languages too? The same reason that Canada translates signs into French. Because it's the second most commonly spoken language in the area. And it would take up way too much room to repeat things in translation five times.

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This question for athiests; how do you explain paranormal activity and demon possession? Serious question, not trying to hide a conversion here or anything: Atheists will not all agree on this subject, so I will answer only for myself. I feel there is a science-based explanation for everything. Just because we cannot *currently* explain every observed phenomena, it does not mean that no explanation is possible. Most so-called "paranormal" phenomena is easily explained by current knowledge and the rest soon will be. Demonic...

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Is it wrong to not want to get married or have kids? My family thinks this is a waste of life. I just don't think I'd make a good wife/mother and I'd rather support myself. How do you feel about this? I guarantee you that if you were male, you would not hear these things. Men are supposed to accomplish things, and women are supposed to support them and make babies. Bullshit. Wouldn't you rather live and contribute to the world yourself rather than living through other people? I know I would! So good on you for learning to think for yourself. There is so much to learn and do in life,...

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Hypothetical situation for the atheists: No one knows that you're an atheist. You were in a family gathering and they asked you to lead the prayer. Would you do it, or would you refuse and reveal that you don't believe in God? I would refuse without making too much of a fuss. I'm typically kind of shy so this would not be difficult. I also get the feeling that my family tries to avoid the topic of religion around me precisely because they don't want to hear my thoughts on the subject and so continue to assume my beliefs are they same as theirs. I indulge them in this regard but I'm not about to...

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Is President-Elect Obama's desire for he and his family to live a relatively normal life a lost cause? Yes, it's probably a lost cause. But it's good nonetheless to try, with kids that age, to keep things as close to normal as possible. I think it's cool that the President and First Lady will be focused on keeping their kids grounded to some degree and giving them a happy childhood to remember. I would hope that media will consider those two girls off-limits and not subject...

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I am looking for a song that goes like this....she has a girlfriend that looks like a boyfriend i dated last febuary...does anyone no the name of that song I think it goes: Somebody told me that you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year it's not confidential I've got potential, rushing around And that would be The Killers, "Somebody Told Me"

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Is there more people that beleive or dont beleive in god? Which god?

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Do you think Obama could do any wrong? Sure, he just did by inviting Rick Warren to do the invocation for the inauguration. [shudder] I can't stand that guy. I still think he's going to be a good president, but inviting an idiot like that to preside over his inauguration is a mistake. It's like putting Rush Limbaugh on a welcoming committee - who exactly is welcome then? We want to move AWAY from politics of...

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How can anyone who is saved, and accepts Jesus Christ as their personal saviour ever be a member of the Democrat party which supports the murder of unborn babies? So, it's not possible to be Christian and a Democrat? Are you seriously saying that? Because I think a whole lot of Catholics would beg to differ, not to mention African-American Christians. Maybe their priorities are just a little different from yours?

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My computer's all shade of royally screwed. This virus is making it so that I can't google-search anti spyware. Could you give me a direct link to the program Super antispyware free edition please? Super antispyware is great, it's helped me out a couple times. http://www.superantispyware.com/downloadfile.html?productid=SUPERANTISPYWAREFREE or try this: http://downloads.superantispyware.com/downloads/SUPERAntiSpyware.exe The McAfee Stinger has also helped me when my computer was really messed up. Even if your computer crashes at the slightest thing, this program is very...

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Do you often have to call your lady friends twice because the first time the phone is always at the bottom of her purse? Ha! I'm so guilty of this. People always have to leave me messages. People need to invent some purses that have built-in cell-phone holders. My follow-up question is, where do dudes carry their cell phones? In their pockets?

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I can't get my ex girlfriend from 26 years ago out of my mind. i'm already in a solid relationship with a very special person who has stood by me through cancer, my dads death and more. should i meet her to tell her how i feel Are you sure this isn't nostalgia? Not just for the girl, but for who you were at the time, your youth, etc? We tend to idealize things in the past. Over time you forget about the little arguments, the things that drove you crazy, the more everyday crap you had to put up with at the time. Most of us might once in awhile get nostalgic for an old lover when the current one is in...

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Have you ever experienced a friendship that turned into love? Was it a positive or negative experience? Actually, when I met him he asked me out for coffee. I had an excellent time and really liked him, but it was so not the right time. I had just been laid off from my job and was starting a brand new one, and I was having family conflicts as well so I was really stressed out. So I actually wrote him this embarassing email the next day saying the general "I really like you but can we just be...

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What are some songs that have really explicit lyrics? Nick Cave's version of "Stagger Lee" is downright obscene. (And awesome.)

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A friend of mine told me not to be depressed because it's for weak people. What do you think about that? Just as one example, Abraham Lincoln struggled with depression for his whole life. Was he weak?

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Would you rather have a wife or a girfriend? I'd rather have a wife. My boyfriend and I are not so good at housework, and we could really use one. ;)

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Do you think Barack Obama is constitutionally qualified to run for President of the United States? (Berg v. Obama) Yes, and there's absolutely no evidence to the contrary. These people are reeeeeally reaching here, grasping at any straws they can find to keep the man out of office. I'm not going to say they're all racists, but.. wait, yes I am. I just can't think of any other reason to behave so irrationally. The man won fair and square.

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Are we born to have more than one sexual partner? In our entire lives? Definately. At the same time? That sounds a bit crowded. On a regular basis? Your mileage may vary. Certain people do seem to be wired for monogamy, while others get itchy after awhile. I'm pretty monogamous. Serial monogamy seems to work for most people. I think polygamy can work if everyone's on the same page and on equal footing, but it's...

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Can anybody recommend a good book (of any genre) for a college level reader? I'll make some suggestions from my personal favorites. These are all "modern" books, which I think a reader of that age will be more interested in, but they're also kind of challenging, and anyone would look cool and smart reading them (if you care about that sort of thing). Don Delillo - Underworld, White Noise Hauruki Murakami - The Wind-up Bird Chronicle David...

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Which word describes someone who dies for their religious beliefs? Terrorist. (not the ONLY word, but it certainly applies.)

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One of my friends children has suddenly proclaimed themselves an atheist. Is this just a phase that he will grow out of? Has anyone else had a similar experience? Look at it this way - he could have joined a cult. http://www.religioustolerance.org/destruct.htm (If it makes you feel any better, I was very religious when I was that age. It wore off. So maybe he'll change his mind too? Heh.)

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Why does the mainstream entertainment industry refuse to take Christian music seriously when they are equally as good as most mainstream "artists"? Because today's "Christian music" is bland and crappy? I think some seriously great pieces of music have been written with religious themes in the past, but the kind of music you're referring to is irredemable schlock. Plenty of mainstream artists have written religious songs that are pretty great! But because they don't cater specifically to you and turn up...

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Are the Harry Potter movies responsible for the moral decline of our children? Harry Potter movies aside, where is this "moral decline" you speak of? Just wondering where you get your information from. Because I thought the younger generations were more philanthropic, more egalitarian, and more environmentally conscious than us oldsters.

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If you moved to the country, would you eat a lot of peaches? I would if I was preparing for a Ninja attack. LOOK OUT!!

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Why do the characters in most movies about New York City residents don't speak with a New York City accent? Most characters in most American movies speak with a generic Midwestern accent, because they believe it's more appealing. Other accents only appear when you want to indicate that someone is 1) a yokel 2) ethnic 3) lower class 4) the villian. Usually when I do see a genuine attempt at a regional accent it sounds TERRIBLE. Fargo is maybe an exception, but it's pretty exaggerated....

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Do you think radical changes could fix the United States? By radical I mean building the wall on the borders, deporting illegals, bolstering the death penalty, building more prisons, revamping the government and the tax system, etc... Yes, let's build a Gulag, that will solve everything!! While we're at it, let's put the dissenters up against the wall! Close off the borders! Lock up a quarter of the population and schedule them for hanging! Deport immigrants and seize their property! Heil, comrade! We have always been at war with Eurasia! (For chrissakes, is this guy serious?)

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I think i want to cheat on my husband to hurt him for doing it to more than once. He's betrayed me and my trust too many times, ive been good to him and hes so sure i'd never hurt him. Should I cheat on purpose? This doesn't sound really fair to anyone. You'd be using some poor schmuck to get back at your hubby, and it will probably only hurt yourself. If he's "betrayed you and your trust too many times," there's probably one other thing he's so sure you'll never do - leave. You can tell him you "need a break", take off without telling him where,...

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This question is mainly for Atheists, Can you give me the % of how many Christians you can bear to be around w/o them judging you or trying to convert you in any way. As long as I keep my opinions to myself and let them assume I'm christian, which because I'm very WASP-looking is usually the assumption, most of them. As soon as I let it be known that I'm not a church-goer, much less so. Maybe 10%. Mostly they mean well, but I guess converting an atheist is 10 MILLION BONUS HEAVEN POINTS because every one I've had this discussion with...

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Many people witnessed Jesus. They even made portraits of him. Do you have scientific evidence in front of you that George Washington existed?, or just have faith that it's somewhere. Um, I don't think Jesus sat for any portraits. As portrait-painting was not really a mode of expression 2000 years ago in Israel. As for the representations we have, most of these portray Jesus as a white dude with blue eyes, which would have to be way off, if the Bible is accurate. If there was really a Jesus, and he really lived 2000 years ago, and was a jew from the Middle East, he...

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If atheists are real, why are they still trying to convince themselves that they're right and getting personal with Christians when they ask questions? Is being an atheist the trendy thing to now for angry people? I assure you that atheists are real, first of all. Answerbag has a good many of them. Secondly, since it's generally religious people who make the death threats and explode themselves, the evidence would suggest that angry people tend to gravitate to religion. Thirdly, I don't know who's been so rude to you, but I'll bet it was someone on the internet. The internet...

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My boyfriend dosnt let me txt anyone, and wants to read my txt''s. He gets moody if i speak to a male friend. Once he said i should be killed. He dont mean it, he just has anger isues. Im not sure how far he might go in his mood swings, anyone advice woul This is controlling behavior, and your boyfriend is an asshole. It doesn't matter if he "doesn't mean it". If he really cared about you, he would not say that you should be killed. The end. Full stop. No. Honey, these are not "anger issues". My boyfriend has "anger issues". He sometimes loses his temper, and he might punch the wall, or have to go...

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Do you think that people are prejudiced against atheists? Here's someone else who is - can you believe this stuff? I don't understand how people can be so hateful. ************************** ************************** ************************** "Seriously, does anybody ever cry at an Atheist's funeral? I mean, since Atheists have no value whatsoever as human beings (they're not even human, but only inhuman animals),...

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What do you drink more of, soft drinks, alcohol or coffee? COFFEE. I cannot function without my morning coffee. I quit drinking soda a few years ago, to avoid the corn syrup + calories. I've started cheating on that a little bit now, so I might have it once or twice a month. Alcohol's too expensive these days, dude. My man and I split a cheap bottle of wine maybe once a week and that's about it.

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Taking a multi-vitamin everyday, Does it really make a difference? I think studies are showing now that it is healthier to get your vitamins in food than in pill form. In other words, instead of taking vitamin C supplements, drink some orange juice. If you really need iron, have some spinach. Fish provide a lot of good nutrients that are frequently sold in pill form. Why not eat more fish? Why not just eat healthier? It has the added effect of reducing the...

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I think people who believe in god are just plain old stupid, i know that im going to get downrated for this question but i mean c'mon people, believing in god is just like believing in santa or the tooth fairy. Is there anyone else who agrees with me? They're not stupid, they're just mistaken. It's plainly obvious that there are many intelligent people who are religious. I'm betting you are very young and think you know better than everyone else. When you get a bit older you'll see that intelligent people can hold all sorts of beliefs that are nothing like yours, and you might even like them anyway. Until then,...

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My ex-husband spent years in prison for sexually abusing my children. I know it's beneficial for me to forgive him, but how do I go about doing this? Everytime I think of him I want him to suffer as they did. I don't think you have to forgive him. What he did is unforgivable by any standard. What would be healthy is not to maintain this anger and hatred against him for it. Because those emotions are poisonous and they keep you from moving on. They keep you emotionally trapped in the past. You should work through the desire for retribution, which is natural and even good sometimes, but he...

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Im 16,i think i might be pregnant. i told my ex and i told him that if i am that im going to keep it. and he told me that if i am pregnant that hes going to ''call me to his house and throw me down the stairs and stomp on my stomach" should i believe him? That's a pretty horrible threat, and the fact that he'd even think of it says that this guy is potentially dangerous. It's truly shocking how many young girls get injured or killed by former or current lovers every year. You should take this very seriously. Tell your parents. Maybe also tell the authorities at school so that they can look out for you. And cut off all...

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Does it bother anyone that to be elected to higher office in the US one has to be seen as a religious person? Can this be considered philosophical intolerance? Yes, it bothers me a lot, because I have no representation in this area. There is only one congressman in the whole country who identifies himself as an atheist, and no senators, cabinet members, supreme court justices, etc. Much less a president, vice president, or governor! There simply isn't anyone who doesn't at least pay lip service to religion in the US government. Any political...

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What emotion are you afraid of? Anger. I inherited a slow fuse and an explosive temper. I lived in fear of my parents' anger when I was growing up, so I have a big time aversion to getting angry myself. Plus I tend to do ridiculous things like punch walls and kick out doors and break things if I really lose it. Fortunately it hardly ever happens. Even more than that, I especially hate other people getting angry....

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How Girly are you? Try the quiz and share with us. 8% girly - I wear a lot of rings, but that's about it. *looks around* I think I win this one. Or lose, depending on how you're counting it.

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I'm positive of my (homo)sexuality. It has gotten to the point where I am ready, and I HAVE to tell someone. It's killing me. But I also know my friends and family are not ready. To tell would do too much harm. How do I handle this? Certain things about people are just assumed, and one of them is that everyone is heterosexual until proved otherwise. When you're gay, this can make you feel like a fake and a liar sometimes, a coward. It can also be excruciatingly lonely. Family is especially difficult because they can constantly reinforce heterosexuality without even knowing it - saying things like "when you get...

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Who were you surprised to find out is gay/lesbian? I'm not surprised by most hollywood outings, since most of them these days are not exactly in the closet in the first place. Jodie Foster, Wanda Sykes, Neil Patrick Harris, were all fairly open about it in their own circles and if you read anything about them there would be little hints about "partners" and "longtime friends". The whole coming-out process is changing, I...

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I am starting to lean toward atheism and am overwhelmed by sadness. How do athieists deal with the idea that if there is no god we will all one day cease to exist? You were taught to feel this way, remember. You were trained to feel that the only happiness comes from religion and that the ultimate reward comes after death. But many of us feel that this isn't true - that happiness comes from life, not death. Find happiness in your life, instead of focusing on what comes after. There is no after! When I was young I actually found the idea of heaven...

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If someone is athiest, then why do they say "oh my god"? If you dont beleive in him, why say it? This is kind of a weird question, because when I grew up in a religious family, we weren't ALLOWED to say "oh my god". Because it was taking the lord's name in vain. We said "oh my gosh" instead, or something like that. I started using it a little when I left the church, because it felt kind of taboo and therefore potent. But that wore off pretty quickly and...

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Why can't people "support" Obama as our new President ,happy or not that he won & stop talking about what a rotten job he will do or what will happen to him in office. We are Americans..why can't we support him. He MIGHT actually bring REAL change. !! There's a lot of irrational fear out there, largely unspoken but very powerful, about what a black democrat will do as president. I don't think I can even suss out what it is they fear will happen, but it's inspiring outright panic among some conservatives. One hopes that reality will assuage those fears, but it might not. I remember how it was in the 90's when Clinton,...

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Obama's message was all about change. How much will really change during his administration? The supreme court, for one. Several justices are ready to retire, and Obama will be choosing the replacements (THANK GOODNESS)

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Any other straight folk pissed about the gay marriage vote turnout? Hell yes I am. Proposition 8 is morally wrong and I'm very disappointed that it passed. Stripping people of their rights is not American. Come on over to Massachusetts, Cali couples. The weather's not as nice, but we recognize marriages equally.

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Tonight some one knocks at your door,you wake up ,open the door and see President Obama out there.What would you do? 1) Squeal 2) Hug him 3) Be tackled by Secret Service agents.

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I am seven weeks pregnant, and my partner demands an abortion. If I do have an abortion it would be the second one with the same person. I regret the first time, and in my heart I want to keep the baby. i dont know what to do, please give advice... It's really up to you. If you want to have a baby, he can't make you terminate the pregnancy. Realize that you would be all alone in raising this child, though. Having a child with someone who doesn't want one will kill the relationship. Even if he doesn't bail immediately you will have messy arrangements to make for the kid's future. Are you prepared to be a...

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Why can't I be happy with my "plain" wife? She puts so little effort in looking good. She wears loose clothing, light makeup, sneakers, no earrings, and never does her hair differently. Basically no sex appeal. I shouldn't care so much but I do. Fix me!!! If this is important to you, how about give her a reason to do herself up? Take her someplace special. Plan a romantic evening. Get yourself dolled up with a new haircut and nice suit, while you're at it. Have a "date" and make it fun. You might find this to be a rejuvenating practice every now and again. p.s. Some people find the natural look much sexier than the beauty...

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Did you notice that Barack Obama looks just like his grandfather, Stanley Dunham? Check out this picture! The guy in the middle is Stanley Dunham. His daughter on the left is Obama's mother. Here's what Obama has to say about his grandfather. Did you know he served in WWII? "My grandfather - Stanley Dunham - enlisted after Pearl Harbor and went on to march in (Gen. George S.) Patton’s (3rd) Army (that help liberate Europe in World War II). My mother (Ann Dunham), was born...

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Did Obama & his Advisors help destroy the US economy and was it on purpose? Hey, maybe you're onto something........... Was it Obama on the grassy knoll too? Did he stage the moon landing? Is Obama really a reptilian alien and part of the Illuminati that secretly runs the world? Was Jack the Ripper really Barack Obama? Using a time machine? And also Vlad the Impaler? And Hitler? And Frankenstein? And the Boogie-man? What will the right-wing come up...

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If your boss told you, you wouldn't have a job next Wednesday if Obama wins because he wouldn't be able to afford you and then replaces you with an alien, would you regret voting for Obama? If my boss told me something like that, I would probably start looking into another job. Because he would be a paranoid idiot with no understanding of politics or the economy, using fearmongering to try to force me to vote Republican. Fortunately my boss is sensible and wouldn't do such a thing. And also I happen to know he's voting Obama. :)

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What are your opinions on living together before marriage? Why? I would only protest the "before marriage" part. Not everyone has an end goal of marriage. Some people live together in a committed relationship with no plans for marriage. As do others with no possibility of marriage (gay couples for example). We are stable couples too. If you are regarding cohabitation as a "trial period" for an inevitable marriage, that is a...

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Are you complete, or still a work in progress (as far as you as a human being goes, not spirtually or anything else, just ...you)? In progress. As a wise man said, "He not busy being born is busy dying." (Bob Dylan, that is.)

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What would it take for you to choose to permanently move across the country? I moved a pretty long way myself, and I can tell you what the reason was: jobs. There was just not much opportunity for me in the midwest, at least not in my fields. I was unemployed for months back in 2001, until I took a chance and moved to the coast in the hopes of finding a job there. I had a job offer within about 6 weeks. And since then I've transitioned to better ones. I...

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My girlfriend and I plan to marry. We live in different countries (both English speaking) and 1 hours flying time apart. Should I wait until we are living together (or at least in the same country) until I ask her to marry me? Has your whole relationship been like this? Absolutely, yes, you should wait. The terms of your relationship will change drastically once you are living in the same time zone much less in the same house. The first big step will be changing from a long distance relationship to a more steady one. Focus on one big step at a time.

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Can someone please explain the different tax plan for McCain and Obama? It seems like both have changed there tax plan in the middle of the campaign. And what about Joe the Plummer Well, "Joe the Plumber" was some guy who made up an entirely hypothetical situation, since he's not a plumber, not named Joe, doesn't own a business, and would actually qualify for LOWER taxes under Obama's tax plan. But if you really want to know what the difference would be for your real-life taxes under each plan, have a look at this graphic from the Washington...

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Obama will give 95% of American working families a tax cut, even though 40% of Americans today don't pay income taxes. Mathematically speaking, how is such a plan even possible? Easy: the 5% of people who would have a tax raise make many, many times more money than us average folks do. So much more that their increased taxes would more than cover our decreased taxes. Think of a CEO who makes more money in a year than you make in a lifetime, and you'll get the idea. In terms of families that do not pay income taxes, they are either not considered working...

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I live in a very small town and am going through a divorce. I am continually shocked by people approaching me in public and asking very nosy questions and/or making insensitive comments. I need a great one-liner to throw back at these gossip-mongers. Ask them a question back, such as: "Why do you think I would answer that question?" "How is that your business?" "Do I know you?" Etc.

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A song with the word `big` in the title? Big Bang Baby - Stone Temple Pilots

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I just learned that i can never have children or intercourse because my uterus is malformed. Do you think that i should still get married? Would any guy even want to marry me now? Don't panic! There are all kinds of ways you could still have children, through surrogates maybe, or via adoption. If you still have eggs, there are still options, and the science is getting better and better. There's also all kinds of sexual activity that you could still enjoy, even if penetration is off the table. Which I'm not convinced it would be, for a problem like that....

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Does Obamas beliefes scare you when he says that the" United States Constitution is basicly flawed" in the respect that it does not give the government enough control over it's citizens? Okay, I finally found out what this question is talking about. What Obama actually said was that the US Constitution "reflected a fundemental flaw of this country that carries on to this day." He was referring to this clause in the Constitution (Article 1, S2, Paragraph 3): "Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among several States which may be included...

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Where do you fall on the Political Compass? Take the test! (not nation-specific) Weee! I'm an anarchist! Me and the Dali Lama baby! ;) Economic Left/Right: -8.00 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.92 Actually I'm a registered independent. I wonder where the Democratic and Republican parties would fit on this map these days?

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Do you stick with people of your own 'social class'? Or do you like to mix and mingle? SSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (We don't have social class in america. You're ruining everything.) ... ... ... ;)

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Does Obamas beliefes scare you when he says that the" United States Constitution is basicly flawed" in the respect that it does not give the government enough control over it's citizens? I just don't know WTF you people are talking about anymore. Are you just making things up at this point? Are you being dishonest? Or do you have that typical right-wing brain impediment that twists anything Obama says into this OMGSCARY COMUNOSOCIALIST!!!!ELEVENTY!!!!! nonsense? Provide a quote for goodness sake, or STFU.

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Are you a bitter american clinging to your guns and religion? Nope. No guns or religion here. Also, I'm not bitter. Just a hard-working, tax-paying American who supports gun control and strengthening science standards in schools so our kids can compete. And proud to support Obama for president!

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The only Blogs I have ever read are those on Answerbag provided by Joel and Rich. How many of you regularly read Internet Blogs and do you learn anything valid from them or are they mostly filled with rumors and distortions? I'm addicted, I'll admit. I read tons of blogs, some for fun and some for information. Here's some worth checking out, keeping in mind my well-documented liberal bias. ;) http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/ http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/ http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/ http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/ http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/ http://www.feministe.us/blog/ ...

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If someone pulled a knife on you and demanded all of your money, would you fight them? I'd give them my money, no problem. It's not worth getting stabbed over. I don't carry a lot on me anyway. Now, if they tried to assault my person, that would be different. If I thought someone seriously wanted to rape me, I'd fight and fight dirty. I still remember a few tricks from my karate training about ten years ago. In the very least I could do them some serious,...

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Which two celebrity martial artists would you like to see fight? I'd like to see Jet Li vs. Jackie Chan FOR REAL. That horrible movie that came out earlier this year doesn't count. You have two of the best martial artists out there in the same movie, and it's all about some fourteen year old? Huh? What a waste.

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If Barry Barrack Hussien Obama was to win the election is this what Amercia should expect and become the new norm? You know to teach white women a lesson? This was a hoax and you fell for it all too easily. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081024/ap_on_re_us/attack_mccain_sticker http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/24/mccain.sticker/index.html "Teach white women a lesson"? Race-baiting much? This is exactly the disgusting level the Republicans have sunk to. Now are you gonna apologize for spreading this trash, or admit you were...

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What should happen to the person who made up a story about being robbed and maimed by an Obama supporter? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081024/ap_on_re_us/attack_mccain_sticker Sorry, I can't get that link to work right in the question. Here is the proper link to the story. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081024/ap_on_re_us/attack_mccain_sticker and one from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/24/mccain.sticker/index.html Will add more links as they appear.

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These are a bitter people who cling to guns and religion, this was obama's opinion after he visited my region of Pa. would you vote for a man who said this about you and yours? Heck yeah. I grew up in small-town midwest, which was basically a ghost town due to all the factories that had closed down, and that was exactly what I saw. He was totally right. "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing has replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton...

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On a scale from 0-10 how much does Obama disgust you? 0. Actually I find him pretty attractive. Intelligent, good conversationalist, good dresser, good looking. Compassionate, optimistic, caring, forward-thinking. I think he'll do great things for this country, as well. He's up there with Keith Olbermann in my current political crushes. So pretty much the opposite of disgust.

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I want to lose weight but im afraid of losing all my curves. do u think its better to be thin or a bit chunky with curves? im 5'10 and weigh 140. i am rather curvey but have a stomach that i would like to get rid of. i would like to lose 10 pounds. Girl, I'm 5'10 and I weigh quite a bit more than that. You are not overweight. Us tall girls can get away with some extra curves. With the long legs, guys just don't seem to notice it on me. And personally, I like having boobs. When I lose weight, they are the first thing to go. It's unfair, isn't it? If the tummy really bothers you, you could try sit-ups to...

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Atheists who once were Christians with strong faith, how did you feel when you realized that you believe that there most certainly is no god? By the time I admitted this to myself, I was pretty okay with it. I had actually stopped believing a long time before, so there was the relief of honesty to it. Leaving any religion is sort of a process. First I left my specific church when my pastor said something incredibly offensive. Later I stopped considering myself a Christian, but still believed there was a god out there somewhere....

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What is it about sarah palin that you do not like and would cause people to say such hatefull things about the nations most approved of governor? I don't hate her. I feel kind of sorry for her. She was selected in a purely cynical tactical move by the McCain campaign to pick up supporters of Hillary Clinton. Unfortunately, the committee did not fully vet their choice or realize how underqualified and unprepared she was for the job. If they really wanted a woman candidate, there were many more qualified and experienced choices out...

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Why does Obama say it's important to keep working in the remaining days when he goes to Hawaii and takes a vacation and has the audacity to have a victory party before the general election? He's using his grandma visit to cover his vacation! That is low, low, low. Every time I think conservatives can't sink any lower, they outdo themselves. Really, what kind of person would begrudge a man saying goodbye to the woman who largely raised him? Flying to a dying woman's bedside is usually considered an admirable act. Not a vacation, you twit. People actually live in Hawaii. They have lives and jobs with purposes other...

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In your area, what propositions are up for a vote this November, and how are you voting on them? In Massachusetts there are 3 Questions up for vote. That I know of, anyway... 1) Repealing the income tax. 2) Decriminalization of marijuana. 3) Elimination of greyhound racing. Really unfortunate timing on that first one. Our budget has to be slashed to bits right now during this economic downturn and we couldn't even consider eliminating a source of income right now. That's...

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Why do you think all the hate speech and violence are originating from Republicans? Because they're losing.

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How many srs patients change their mind and regret the operation? and how many of them go through another surgery in order to return to their original gender? I don't know if there are any actual statistics. The problem is that it is so difficult to actually get the srs surgery and there are so many hoops, that people who are not satisfied with the result tend to keep quiet so as not to cause trouble for everyone else. I know of one person online who did some of the Female-to-Male surgeries and was unhappy with it and stopped the process. I...

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I have a very big problem and i need some advice. I noticed that the past 2 weeks i have been passing blood through my bowels. and in my stool. I am only 17 and i don't know what to do. i often have some pains in my stomach. What should i do? Go to the doctor NOW. This will not spontaneously get better on its own and will probably get worse. Call the doctor's office and tell them your symptoms, I guarantee they will get you an appointment next-day. Yes, the doctor can be scary, issues in this region are scary. What they will do to make you better is a lot less unpleasant than what you'll go through if you don't...

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With the hate mongering rhetoric from McCain/Palin in their speeches, how many more undecided voters could they stand to loose,especially when so far behind in the race in the first place? I'm a lot more worried about the hate-mongering rhetoric leading to violence. We have people shouting "Kill him!" at McCain rallies, and apparently people in some parts of the country are stocking up on guns. Conservative internet sites are talking about an Obama win as a "Maoist takeover of the country". McCain welcomes these people to his campaign. These people are...

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Did Sarah Palin really call Afghanistan: "our neighbouring country"? I think she meant to say "Russia". Which is still, y'know, weird, when we don't share a border with them. But I see the reasoning there, and she's been going around bragging about her Russian expertise, so I presume that's what she was going for.

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Muslims, what is your perspective on Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, Yahweh's request that Abraham do this, and Yahweh's expectation that Abraham should be willing to do this? Correct me if I'm wrong here, but Issac and Ishmael are two different sons. Issac was the one who was supposed to be sacrificed. Ishmael was conceived with Abraham's mistress/concubine/otherwife Hagar, and they left after Sarah (the favored wife) finally bore him Issac. Ishmael is considered to be an ancestor of the Muslim faith. He is not the Muslim version of Issac, but his...

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Do you think all the purchases of PINK items has any benefit to breast cancer research? Ok, keep in mind that I work at a cancer center on a non-breast cancer. Breast Cancer organizations have done a terrific job of "branding" the disease and raising awareness. It's not for nothing that Breast Cancer treatment has improved considerably over the last 20 years, to the point that it's one of the most curable cancers out there. Screenings are more common and...

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Have you ever been a victim of online fraud? People keep saying the number of cases is going up so I thought I would see. I almost was, but fortunately the bank prevented any damage. It happened last May - all I knew at the time was that my debit card was suddenly inactive. When I went online I learned that someone had hacked my Paypal account and sent through about a hundred fraudulent transactions of $39.99 apiece. Both Paypal and my bank immediately spotted the 100 instantaneous charges, flagged these...

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Is the United States is tough enough to survive 4 years of the pure Communistic control that Obama wants to impose on us, I will survive, after the new holocaust that Obama could bring down on this, what used to be a free society !! will you? WTF? Man, some people are really scared of black men. That's just the only explanation I can come up with for the level of irrational panic out there.

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My friends, how did you feel about Round 2: the debate between Obama / McCain tonight my friends? Obama: You are one cool customer in the face of some serious disrespect from McCain. Keep on talking about that Health Care plan. McCain. You are many things, but you are NOT my friend. Hint: you should probably stop making sh!t up, because Obama is calling you on it now. You can keep stating "Obama will raise taxes" but that doesn't make it true. Sure, say it again, it's...

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How do you comfort a new mother who knows her baby is going to die? Oh dear. That's horrible. :( I'm sure there's not much you can say, but you can be there for her and listen. You can also help her out right now with any small gesture you can think of.. bringing her decent meals, running errands for her, anything like that. I remember reading a few things that may help, from the perspective of some bloggers who had gone through this:...

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Do you believe that you can fall out of love with a spouse/partner? Why do you think this happens? Being "in love" is a temporary state. Love doesn't last. It DOES, however, return. A long-term relationship is all about repeatedly falling in love with the same person. Relationships have cycles where you're totally into each other and cycles where you need your space, you're busy with other things, or you're a little tired of each other. Then in time it comes...

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Why is it so hard for Sarah Palin to pronounce nuclear? She even had a teleprompter before and couldn't get it right. She was clearly coached to sound as "folksy" as possible, with all the "gosh darn"s and "golly"s. If you watch footage from her Alaska debates, she doesn't use any of those phrases, and she has been known to pronounce nuclear correctly. So I think it's all a put-on.

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Who else thinks Sarah Palin won the debate tonight? Uh, no. I think I sprained my brain trying to follow her senseless rambling. Meanwhile, I gained a new liking for Joe Biden - he seemed like a cool guy. Plus, he had actual facts and knowledge and stuff. Palin-bot's strategy went something like this:

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Why do women expect chivalry and equal pay/rights? Why should they have the best of both worlds? I don't. Chivalry is stupid. Hardly the best of any world, just an outdated tradition that was basically a consolation prize for being treated like an object to be given away, sold, married off, whatever you want to call it. I'd rather have equal pay, equal rights, and have men treat me as an equal. Not make some grand gesture of a piddling little trifle like pulling my chair...

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Is it normal to fantasize about killing people at my school, or is this something all teens go through? I don't know about normal, but it's not unheard of. I can remember wanting my school to burn to the ground, or to explode or something. Not necessarily to hurt anyone, just so I'd never have to see those jerks again. Emotions run very strong when you're a teenager, I remember. Still if you're having a hard time at school or with the people there, it's not...

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Why couldn't McCain get his fellow Republicans on-board for the bailout bill? Why did 2/3rds of house Republicans vote against this Bush-proposed bill? I'm honestly surprised. This is why I referred specifically to McCain getting this bill passed: John McCain’s presidential campaign claimed credit as Congress readied Monday to vote on an emergency economic package, but Democrats said the Republican’s last-ditch intervention had been no help. Mitt Romney, McCain’s erstwhile rival for the Republican nomination, said the deal on a Wall...

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Who thought that this week's SNL Palin Parody was even better than the first one? Hysterical! Tina Fey is so great. What's sad, though, is how many of the lines were real! You just can't make this stuff up.

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Why are you voting for the Racist/Sexist Obama he called a reporter honey when she asked a question he couldn't answer without looking stupid and called white America a Typical white person how valued their constitional rights as an insult? Why vote BO? Why are you voting for McCain - a man who calls his own wife a c*nt and tells rape jokes? I have yet to be insulted in any way as a woman or white person by Obama's message of hope and unity - But McCain's a whole different story.

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Will the world blame the US if it too goes into Depression? Isn't the world economy pretty much dependent on the U.S.? Aren't U.S. corporations feeding into economies all around the world, so that our shakeups will reverberate across the globe? I know that Asian and European stock markets tend to take a dive when ours do, although I don't entirely understand why that is. Is it because a lot of the same companies are involved? Or do...

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Did you enjoy the look of utter defeat and fear in Barack Obama's eyes last night in the first presidential debate when his dangerous ideas were put to the fire? Now y'all are just hallucinating... I did see McCain almost lose his temper several times. How long before he slips and lets loose some nasty language, like when he called his wife a c--- at a press conference?

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Does an increase in abandoned pets indicate a fundamentally strong economy? I volunteer at an animal shelter once or twice a week, and I can verify that there are more abandoned pets than ever in my metropolitan area. It was ominous when it started and it's even more worrying now, because I fear it will only get worse. About six months ago we started seeing the Foreclosure Dogs. These were usually big dogs that lived in a house with a nice big yard, and then...

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I am 14 and I have had a girlfriend for the past four months and I'm very much in love with her and she is with me. Is this okay at my age? It's okay if you remember that there are other very important things going on for you right now. Like your schooling, and your friends, and your family, and trying out lots of different kinds of things. It may seem like a long way away, but before too long you'll have to make some important decisions about what you want to do with your life. Don't get so carried away with your...

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I really need help my partner may be deciding to come home under the curcimstance that that i do not hurt her or keep rocking up how can i keep her safe and to have her stay my lover because i love her with every ounce of breath she is still scared You tried to drown her? She needs to stay away from you, and you need to let her go. You may have improved yourself but you still sound like a dangerously posessive and controlling person. If you want to prove that you are not, you should leave this woman alone. Show that you can accept that it's over despite whatever feelings you still have. This is what mature adults do. If your...

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Atheists: I'm not being snide or pushing buttons, but do you have an anthem? Because spiritual people connect through song, so if there was a strongly atheist song, would you celebrate it? Thought inspired by 'It's All Nice on Ice' by Modest Mouse ... Here's another one - the first verse of "Sentimental Man" by the Dismemberment Plan: There is no heaven and there's no hell No limbo in-between -- I think it's all a lie Just a white light out to velvet black and back to neutral gray -- that's all when we die (when we die, when we die) There is no fate that divides our day no spirits hard at work, no...

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Should Obama be above claims that he is an elitist? Those making this claim should have to explain what they mean. They're not using any definition of "elitist" that I'm aware of, to claim that McCain's not elitist and Obama is.

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Dads cheating on mom and my sisters and I know and don't know hwot o handle this anymore, 3 years now and we live with this on our shoulders and its painful and heartbreaking to see my mom who has no idea and living in her lil bubble. what happens next? He is putting you in a terrible position, keeping his secrets like this. It is neither right nor fair. All three of you need to approach your father together. Tell him how you feel about this. While you cannot control whether he continues to see other people, you won't be keeping his secrets any longer, so he can either tell your mom, stop cheating, or do a damn sight better job...

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Does anybody here believe there is a conspiracy to bury cures for certain cancers because the medical community will lose too much money if these cures are put forward? No. Actually, there are gullible people who are willing to shell out their entire life savings to hucksters who cheat them with snake oil cures. If there was *really* a cure for cancer out there, it would be the biggest news in human history. It wouldn't matter if it were illegal, expensive, or impossible to get - everyone would know about it. Everyone. But because there...

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For almost two decades, David Icke has been predicting what is now happening, and in Santa Clara and Los Angeles he will be sharing that knowledge in detail. Is he on to something? You mean the guy who believes the world is run by a illuminati conspiracy of reptilian aliens? Uh................................ no.

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Can you name one of the lies/exaggerations that Sarah Palin has told since her nomination a few weeks ago? Here's YET ANOTHER ONE: Sarah Palin called herself (here's the direct quote) "governor of this state that produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy". Problem? Alaska doesn't produce 20% of the U.S. domestic energy supply. Not even close. Alaska actually produced 2,417.1 trillion BTUs [British Thermal Units] of energy in 2005. That's...

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Is McCain being deceitful or delusional? Deceitful: the man will say anything to get elected. McCain has reversed basically every position he advocated when he was last running for President in 2000. But not only does he contradict himself; he has resorted to baldfaced lying. He's lied about Obama's tax plan: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/a_new_stitch_in_a_bad_pattern.html ...

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I asked a question earlier on my husband driving my car. We're separated and he's driving it in California with a suspended license and no ins. I'm in another state. It is titled and tagged in my name only. Can I report it stolen? What do I do. I'm liable It's tricky if you're not divorced yet. Depending on which state you live in the car may be considered "marital property" even if it's in your name only. (This is why I don't ever want to get married! Yikes!) Anyway, I say report it stolen at your local police station. The car is in your name and insured only for you, so you don't want anyone else driving...

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Why did the majority of people from California stray so far from American values? California is part of America, therefore the values held by Californians are American. Can we really pretend that huge chunks of America aren't really American? Let's do the numbers: California in 2007: population 36,553,215 The combined populations of Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Iowa, Mississippi, Arkansas, Utah, West Virginia, Nebraska,...

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Can you list an issue on which John McCain has completely reversed his position since his previous presidential campaign in 2000? McCain will even drop his own pet issues in a desparate effort for votes. Ten years ago, Senator John McCain took on the tobacco industry, saying he would never back down from legislation to regulate the industry. He also supported a $1.10-per-pack tax on cigarettes. Working hand in hand with the Clinton administration, he developed the tax hike to generate money to be used for programs...

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I have a huge problem.It's a problem that many men today have. I'm short. I stand at around 5'4" 1/2 to 5'5" without shoes. With normal shoes, I'm around 5'6". I'm 17 years old (just turned a couple of days ago), but my dad is also short, standing at 5'7" I'll concur with the other answers in that there's nothing wrong with being short. Most of the guys I was attracted to in high school were actually pretty short - and I'm a tall girl! Just work on everything else - dress well, get a good haircut, and most of all cultivate a winning personality, and nothing else will matter. But I wanted to add that you may very well grow some...

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Does 9/11 remind you of the danger of religion? I agree with Rudeboy's answer about the dangers of imperialism. However, suicide attacks, which are much harder to combat than other forms of terrorism, are nearly always religious. If you think you're headed straight to the perfect afterlife, you won't mind blowing yourself up. Plus you get a free pass from your god for the collateral damage and the death wish. Religion...

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Can you list an issue on which John McCain has completely reversed his position since his previous presidential campaign in 2000? Okay, I'll do another one. I could do one for every day of the year, McCain has done this so many times... How about McCain's stated opposition to the NRA and his support of Gun control.. until he was running for President? "The NRA is entitled to their advocacy. But.. I don’t think they should in any way play a major role in the Republican Party’s policy...

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Can you list an issue on which John McCain has completely reversed his position since his previous presidential campaign in 2000? Okay, here's another one. John McCain used to support the Estate Tax. He himself stated in a June 8, 2006 speech from the Senate floor that he has "consistently voted against repealing this tax because of the impact it would have on the deficit, as well as the possible chilling affect it could have on charitable giving in this country." Here's a longer quote from...

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Can you list an issue on which John McCain has completely reversed his position since his previous presidential campaign in 2000? Here's an example: In 2003, McCain opposed detaining Guantanamo prisoners indefinately, and said that they should either be tried in the US or released to their home countries. A letter to this effect can be found here: http://mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressOffice.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=39d95eb0-4b88-423c-b0f7-c4cb6c7e9a1a&Region_id=&Issue_id= ...

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Can you name one of the lies/exaggerations that Sarah Palin has told since her nomination a few weeks ago? Here's a good one: the McCain campaign denies that Sarah Palin was ever supportive of a movement for Alaska to seceed from the United States. This would be the the Alaska Independence Party, or AIP, an organization that supports Alaskan secession from the U.S. Here's the AIP's founder, Joe Vogler: "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the...

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Can you name one of the lies/exaggerations that Sarah Palin has told since her nomination a few weeks ago? Here's another: http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed7/idUSN3125537020080901 Remember during her first speech after being named as McCain's surprise pick as a running mate, Palin said she had told Congress "'thanks but no thanks' on that bridge to nowhere." Total lie. Palin supported the bridge and the earmark for it during her run for governor....

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Can you name one of the lies/exaggerations that Sarah Palin has told since her nomination a few weeks ago? I'll start: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-palin_planesep05,0,3470364.story Remember that airplane she supposedly sold on E-Bay to make a "tidy profit" for the state of Alaska because she was just such a regular Jane she didn't want to travel the state in "luxury" the way her predecessor had? In fact, the jet did not sell on eBay. It was...

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Is anyone else a little scared at the possibility of someone as radically right-wing (not to mention corrupt) as Sarah Palin being just a heartbeat, or rather a lackthereof, away from the presidency? I am - she's a crazy, crooked, speaking-in-tongues, fundamentalist, book-banning, oil profiteering, polar-bear hating, forced-pregnancy puritan. She gives me the creeps. Also she has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Alaskan Separationists, which is basically treasonous. Apparently that's just fine with everybody? I don't get it. However, I have confidence that...

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Do Atheists fear death? Not my own. I'd like to live a good long while, but it's going to happen eventually. I fear other people dying. Just knowing I would have to live without ever seeing them again, and that I would miss them terribly. But that's just me, I'm a bit neurotic about that. I worry too much. :/

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Why do you hate god? Oh goodness. I'm going to help you out here. For future reference. Say you have a kid, and you're helping them with your math homework. When they write on their paper: 2 + 2 = 9 You don't say, "WHY DO YOU HATE MATH???!?!?!?!?!?" You go back and show them where they got it wrong. Because it makes no sense to say the kid simply despises the number 4 and...

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Do you think murder is just postnatal abortion? In medical terms, abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. A miscarriage in medical records is often referred to as SAB or spontaneous abortion, meaning that the body rejected the pregnancy or could not support the embryo for some reason. A surgical or medical abortion (referred to as Elective or Therapeutic abortion) halts the process of pregnancy voluntarily, most of the time at one of...

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Atheists: how many of you take it on faith that your dad is actually your dad? and how many of you have actually gone out to get the proof/evidence for it? My dad is my dad because he raised me. I can call him on the phone right now and he will give me advice. And, if I asked, money, although I don't do that anymore. I can introduce people to him as my father, and he will shake their hand. And when I graduated college, or when my little brother gets married, he was there and will be there - and everyone else will see him there too....

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Why do girls get all dressed up and look beautiful then go out just to turn guys down when they are approached? Why do guys think the only reason a woman leaves the house is to meet guys? I mean, obviously we should be putting a sack over our heads if we don't want to be bothered, right? *rolleyes* If a girl wants to go to a rock show or a club because, I don't know, SHE LIKES THE MUSIC, she has to go out of her way to prove she's not there just to pick up men, or else endure an...

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O.k parents, I'm your teenage daughter, I come to you, and tell you I'm pregnant, but I don't want to have the baby, Sure there's adoption, but do you truly believe you have the right to force me to carry the baby to term, and why isn't that my decision? Granted you are a minor, but it is still your body and it would be your decision. You're the one who would have to undergo the procedure, or endure nine grueling months of pregnancy. Forcing you to continue a pregnancy and give birth against your will would be, in my view, abhorrent. Forcing you to terminate a wanted pregnancy would be equally abhorrent. In any other serious medical...

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I have a question my aggie (my grandpa) has been sick for the past 3 weeks BUT every week he gets different symptoms. The symptoms include Nausea, Fatigue,extreme weight loss,nausea,diharreah and many more. He never gets sick. He i also 70 yrs. old Of course it's impossible to diagnose someone over the internet, but I know that the symptoms you're describing are symptoms for colon cancer, or slightly less scary some other kind of bowel obstruction. Has he ever gotten a colonoscopy? Is he having trouble using the bathroom? Is there pain in his abdomen? Either way, he should get checked out right away. As soon as he can get an...

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There is this girl I like, but she already has a boyfriend. I really want to date her but I do not know what to do. Please help me. Two options: 1) Be patient. Teenage relationships typically don't last that long. She might be single in a few weeks! 2) Date another girl. This girl will not have an angry boyfriend in tow. Potentially you may like her even better. Or, if not, casual dating puts you "on the market" and will help you meet other girls, or maybe attract the attention of the original girl. ...

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If your a godgobber who believes that your jesus is coming back,tell us when you reckon this will happen.Don't bother raving on about it being a goddy mystery because that's just a typical godgobbers cop out.Show some guts and give a sensible prediction Look, I'm an atheist, but I have to say this is a little too insulting. I believe religious beliefs are up for criticism, but name-calling is just childish. I've asked a few baiting questions myself concerning beliefs I consider irrational, but I don't make blanket insults when I ask about them. It's the beliefs that I hold in contempt, not the people who hold them....

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Does anyone know the title of the movie where quests are trapped in an abandoned mental hospital to deal with ghost/demons? I've been trying to think of it all day but can't. That sounds like the movie "Session 9". Spooky stuff. Filmed at a real mental hospital, too!

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Have song writers and musicians come to the end of the road, when it comes to new music? it seems that music, in America, has come to a standstill. whats in the future? Top 40 radio has come to a standstill. Music is alive and well. It just went underground. (And online!) The future will be the end of record companies and more of an independent distribution model, IMO.

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My boyfriend wants a open relationship, would this be healthy? It can be, if both parties are on the same page about it. More often, I suspect, one partner pushes it on the other. The reluctant partner goes along with it to make the other person happy. This scenario doesn't end well. If my partner suggested this idea, I would consider a few things. How would I feel about Mr. X seeing other people? Do I want to see other people myself? Will Mr....

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My husband of 28 years, told me a few months ago that he was unhappy. We went to a marriage counselor and he said he had things in his head he just needed to deal with. I stopped going so he could talk, now he says he still isn't happy. Why did you stop going to counseling? It sounds like there's about zero communication going on between you two. Were you surprised to hear that your husband was unhappy? It sounds like it came out of the blue for you, but if you were really communicating with each other you would have already known this. Then you drop out of counseling so that your hubby could talk to the counselor...

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When you post a question requiring a one word response, why do some users still give you scholarly dissertations for answers? I just can't help myself. If there is a gene for longwindedness, I have it. ;) But also, I really think Answerbag is ideal for detailed answers. Other sites are for multiple choice quizzes or one-word-answer polls. Using Answerbag that way seems like kind of a waste.

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Ladies if you lived with someone for ten years and he refuses to marry you, would you purposely get pregnant to snag this man, knowing he doesn't love you? 1. That would be dumb. For so many reasons, starting with: the truth will out. And, any relationship not based on honesty is doomed. 2. Even if you got away with that trick, introducing children into an already shaky relationship is a recipe for disaster. 3. Do you know he doesn't love you, or do you assume this because he doesn't want to get married? Some people just don't...

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Do you believe in "institution of marriage"? No. It's nice for men, but for women it's kind of a raw deal. I do believe in love and long-term relationships, though.

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I'm overweight and am shocked my freind picked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. Doesn't she care what people will think of her seleection? Usually bridemaids are skinny and pretty. Bridesmaids are there for moral support, not decoration. Chill out and enjoy the festivities. (p.s. please Google "fat acceptance".)

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Will it be Obama or McCain? I supported McCain back in 2000, when he was a moderate. Now that he's reversed every position was advocating then, and cozied up to the fundies, I can't stand the man. VOTE OBAMA.

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How do you feel about people who use curse words in everyday, casual conversation? Do you find it offensive? We like to pretend it's genteel to use "clean" language and "low-class" to swear. But in reality, the most powerful of the powerful swear like sailors. The Vice President of the United States swears on the Senate floor! Corporate Board rooms use casual profanity on a regular basis! The powerful can say what they want. The minions have to "watch their...

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Could it ever be worth it to never tell your parents you're an atheist? If I told them, they wouldn't just "freak-out", they'd physically confront me, take away my tuition, even kick me out. Right now, I'm thinking, "relax, they'll be dead in 25 years..." Generally, people don't tell their parents everything about them, and this is healthy. Basically, it's not necessarily any of their business what you believe. You have a life of your own (or you will someday). So just don't bring it up, and be vague on the subject. I wouldn't lie, just withhold some information. Being forced into attending religious stuff is the hard part....

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Republicans - do you support eliminationist rhetoric against liberals as in the examples below? Is it potentially dangerous (in light of the Knoxville shooting) or all in fun? Here are some fairly recent examples - note that many of these are public figures. Also note that books by three of these figures were found in the home of the Knoxville Unitarian Church shooter ("Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder" by radio talk show host Michael Savage, "Let Freedom Ring" by talk show host Sean Hannity, and "The O'Reilly Factor," by...

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An Atheist Riddle: If life was an accident created by pure lucky chance, why is there evidence of a blueprint language preceding it in advance? Are you using BabelFish? It sounds like it. As an experiment I used it to translate your question into Spanish and back to English: "An atheistic sieve: If the life were an accident created by pure the lucky occasion, why is evidence of a language of the model precedes that it in advance?" German is good too: "A atheistisches mystery: If the life were an accident, which...

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Is it true that myspace deletes atheist groups? I've heard this several times, but it would be so bad that I can't imagine it being true... If yes, why? Yes, it's true. It has happened in the past - I don't know if it continues to happen now, though. Back in January MySpace deleted the 35000-member "Atheist and Agnostic Group", which was actually the largest atheist organization on the web. After many public complaints they restored it (partially). I think that occasion was the second time it had happened, actually....

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Should I let my 17 year old get married if she's pregnant? Pregnancy (and at 17!) is enough stress on its own without getting married on top of it! Tell her you'll throw her a wedding + reception if she'll wait a year for it. In the meantime, look into CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) benefits for your daughter before her baby is born. Let them deal with the new baby together...

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Nobody's broke? What the heck do you guys know that we sorry people don't know? Should we have gone to college? I went to college, and I'm broke. Cheer up, at least you don't have college loans to pay, on top of everything else. :(

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Why no widespread scandal about the terrorist shooting yesterday at a Tennessee church? Is it because it's a Unitarian Church? Or because the shooter was striking back at "liberals and gays" after the church put up a sign welcoming gay worshippers? Here's a link to the story I'm talking about: http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/07/28/church.shooting/?iref=mpstoryview I can't wait for Republican chickenhawks to speak out against this vile act of terrorism. (I'm not holding my breath.)

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Would you buy girl clothes for your teenage son if he told you he wanted to be girl? Maybe not a whole new wardrobe or anything.. but if he wanted to try it at home or out once in awhile, I would pick up a few items. I mean, it's better than him stealing MY clothes. ;) I would have no problem with the girl clothes at home, or with friends. At school would be tricky, by the time they're teenagers everyone knows them as one gender and it would be tough to change....

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Have you have escaped from christian or catholic fundamentalism with help from watching intelligent Atheists like Richard Dawkins.Here's a Dawkins conference.http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/richard_dawk ins_on_militant_atheism.html Look, Dawkins is a good biologist and he's certainly ENTERTAINING for an atheist like me, but he isn't any kind of de facto leader of an atheist movement of some kind nor should he be. Many people left a religion because they simply studied more about it. I studied biblical exegenesis and bible history for years and concluded it was all bunk. Well before the God Delusion or the...

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Are you tired of living in the USA? Yeah. I think all the time about leaving. This path we're on is not leading anywhere good, and it doesn't seem like most people are inclined to change that path anytime soon. I think about Canada a lot - I know it has its own problems, but it would be an improvement in many ways, and it's close enough to still visit my family. More remotely England is a possibility. The...

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Who sang "I'll take Manahattan"? Could you possibly mean "First We Take Manhattan" by Leonard Cohen? I'll list the lyrics anyway. Due to their awesomeness. They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom For trying to change the system from within I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin I'm guided by a signal in the heavens I'm guided...

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Why should schools enforce Ramadan, yet make it impossible to celebrate Christmas, Easter, and other holidays? How is it impossible to celebrate Christmas and Easter? Isn't the entire school year for public schools structured around those two holidays? Don't they give about a week off at Christmas and a week off around Easter? They may call it "Winter Break" and "Spring Break" but they follow those holidays. Public schools don't take a week off for Passover...

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If you are Atheist should you celebrate Christmas and Easter like the rest of us? I don't celebrate Easter. Okay, I do buy Peeps. But who can resist those tasty little things? ;) I do celebrate the secular elements of Christmas, for various reasons. Since it's kind of a mish-mash of different religious traditions anyway, that doesn't produce any conflict for me. Most of the American traditions I follow have no connection to the original version of...

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I AM A HEALTHY 25 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET PREGNANT FOR THREE YEARS. I HAVE NO MEDICAL PROBLEMS, HAVE REGULAR PERIODS, & DO NOT USE ANY KIND OF PROTECTION BECAUSE OF THE FACT WE WANT A CHILD. I AM GETTING DISCOURAGED AND WORRIED. You're still pretty young but 3 years is a long time to try with no results. Let your primary doctor or your gynecologist know what's going on. Even if you want to avoid any complicated/expensive procedures, there are some basic tests that can be done to make sure there's not anything wrong. There might be a really simple solution that a doctor who knows you well could point...

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Why do they refer to Black people as African American, and to people from Asia as Asian American, but they never call the white European Americans ? It doesn't mean the first two come from somewhere else, but the White are the Native, right ? This can be a very regional thing. Just pay attention to how people want to be addressed in general and you should be fine. I think the general rule of thumb is: when referring to the group (as a noun) use "African-Americans". When describing an individual's ethnicity (as an adjective) you can use either "black" or "African-American". Some individuals...

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What is the BEST song from a movie (doesn't have to be written specifically for the movie) ever? "Tiny Dancer" in Almost Famous "Ooh La La" in Rushmore (the song at the end of the movie) "Wise Up" in Magnolia "Immigrant Song" in School of Rock (I'm a sucker for those sing-along scenes, as you can tell)

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How would you feel if you asked your parents why they chose your name, and they answered, "Someone on the Internet suggested it. I never met them, I can't even remember their screen name... but I asked for a baby name and this is what they gave me!"? At least it's a little more interesting than "I found it in a baby book".

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Harlow Jade Winter- baby name? I loove the name Harlow, but with my surname being Winter it is very similar to Harlow Winter Kate Madden (Nicole Richies Daughter) Copycatting? What about Kylah, Liliah or Breah? Shoot, nobody's going to remember Nicole Richie in a few years. Don't worry about it. Harlow Winter is a bit of a mouthful though. I sort of like your other three names better. Breah Winter just flows really nicely.

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Which is cuter puppies and kitties or babies? Kitties. Probably because I don't have to change their diapers, and they aren't as loud as babies or puppies. Kittens make me laugh, so they win.

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Precious stones: would you prefer a diamond, an emerald, or Mick Jagger? I'll take Mick, if I can use a time machine. Circa "Paint it Black" would be fine. I don't want to keep him, I just want to lock him up in my bedroom for awhile. :D I don't like diamonds and emeralds. I prefer glass jewelry, designed well. Diamonds aren't even rare or valuable anyway, it's all a racket by those hideous DeBeers people. Anyway, the point....

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Atheists believe GOD isn't real because He is not tangible nor measurable YET believe in other things like dreams. Since dreams cannot be proven, why disbelief in the reality of GOD (and the evidence)? Why not have an atheist view on dreams being fake? But I *don't* believe dreams are real! I experience them, but that doesn't mean that I believe they are physical reality. I wasn't really chasing purple butterflies all night last night. It was just a vision I was having while I was asleep. Similarly I don't think angels, demons, or gods are real, even though people claim to have seen or experienced them (or aliens,...

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Can someone explain how an organism without a vital life organ like a heart can evolve one in a slow fragmented process of evolution over billions of years although any absence and malfunction of the organ proves fatal to the organisim? No one can, because it doesn't happen that way. Let me explain briefly what does happen. Very very simple organisms do not have hearts at all, or even circulatory systems. A protozoa doesn't have anything like a heart, nor does it need one, because it is very simple and very small. Later on there are slightly more complicated organisms that require some kind of circulation. But...

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Why would a man stay in a marriage, when the wife shows no love and is emotionally detached, she placed a wall up between her and everybody, she doesn't cook, clean, has a spending problem, doesn't work, and loves to play golf... He loves her, or is used to her, one or the other. Perhaps this arrangement works for him. Perhaps if they have children, they stay together for their sake. Perhaps his wife is more loving in private than she appears to you in public. Perhaps she's just going through a bad patch for reasons you're not aware of. Perhaps he is simply crazy about her and doesn't notice these...

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Isn't Atheism simply the belief in random lucky chances (accidental formation of life, lucky mutations that evolve life etc etc)? Evolution is anything but accidental. It is a very methodical process which has been observed to occur over great periods of time. There are many informative books on evolution that can help you with this concept. "The theory of Evolution" by John Maynard Smith "The Diversity of Life" by Edward O Wilson "Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of...

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Why do women feel the need to shave? It's just an advertising campaign made up to sell more disposable razors. Also, how is looking like a prepubescent child sexually attractive??? How on earth is it "feminine", as these ads say? I agree, it's weird. Weird and a little creepy, when it comes to the brazillian wax job. Neatening up is one thing, hairless is just bizarre. If my lover wanted me to look like a ten-year-old I'd be seriously creeped out. It's funny that females are expected to shave their armpits and men never are - if the reasoning is that it's for hygenic purposes, why don't guys...

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Can atheists suggest a good book for me to read? I am reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins as of now. What should I read next? Anything about science or atheism. Paradoxically I find that books on religion are very insightful as to the reasons for being an atheist. Anything by Karen Armstrong, particularly A History of God, is fascinating. She discusses religion in historical, political, and sociological terms and is very knowledgable on the subject considering she is a former nun. Her own memoirs are also very revealing, telling how she went from...

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ATHEIST: Why do you still feel remorse for committing a evil crime if you knew that you will never be accountable for it especially after death (since you don't believe in an afterlife)? In other words, if you got away with it why feel remorse? What you're talking about isn't remorse, it's fear of punishment. If the only reason you don't commit crimes or do rotten things is fear of punishment, you're really not such a good person. However, most people don't do rotten things because they don't want to hurt other people, and because they believe in the social contract that keeps our communities...

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Why are atheists like Richard Dawkins and Bill Mayer so committed to insulting theists and their beliefs instead of supporting charities to help humanity as in comparison to mostly all faith base organizations? If I understand your question correctly (it's worded a little strangely!) your question was basically already asked and answered here: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/89767 To repeat my answer, there are already multitudes of charities which have no connection to religion, like: American Red Cross United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) United Way of America Doctors without...

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Why are scientists so deadset on a cataclysmic disaster killing the dinosaurs? Couldn't they just have evolved into modern day birds? Because they suddenly disappeared from the fossil record, where in the strata for earlier ages there had been multitudes of their remains. It's clear from the evidence that the dinosaurs disappeared quite suddenly, perhaps in one cataclysmic event or perhaps in a number of smaller extinctions. It does seem that birds, as well as other reptiles which persist to this day, are either...

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Which Presidential primary candidate received the worst treatment from the media? Obama by far, and it's only going to get worse. The fact that people either refuse or are unable to see the race-baiting on the part of the Clinton campaign with full support of the media makes me despair for the US. The continued racist attacks that are aired not only on Fox News (where I totally expect that kind of thing) but on mainstream networks are utterly depressing. McCain,...

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What do you think of Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana, as a running mate for John McCain? As an Obama supporter, I think it would be great if he was McCain's running mate. Considering the whole "exorcism" story, McCain would be a fool to pick him. The guy's a kook. http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/bobby_jindals_dance_with_the_d.php So, y'know, go right ahead and pick him. That will make for a fun Vice Presidential Debate.

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Females, If you were raped and became pregnant would you consider an abortion? Why or why not? Absolutely. A rapist commits a violent crime against me, and I should bear his child? He gets to produce offspring, and I'm punished with nine months of pregnancy and the knowledge that I created a child with a monstrous human being? No way. I didn't choose this man to have a baby with, and frankly those genes do not need to live on. Hopefully I won't ever be in such a...

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I read in the paper today that 1/4 of New Yorkers have the genital herpes virus. If this is true, what is NY doing to stop the spread? I think you must have skipped some of that article, or else it was deeply misleading. NY is no more prone to genital herpes infection than the rest of the US - that 25% infection rate is true across the country. Here's just the first study I could find in under 5 minutes: "the current incidence of genital herpes caused by HSV-2 in the U.S. is roughly one in four or five adults,...

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Is the death penalty ever a legitimate punishment? Or is killing always wrong? Considering our dysfunctional justice system, I don't think we can ever be absolutely sure that we aren't putting an innocent person to death. It HAS happened in the past, and it will continue to happen for as long as we allow our government to kill people. Prisoners continue to be exonerated after the fact due to new evidence, DNA analysis, and who knows what other technology will...

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My Mother In Law hates the idea of my husband and I homeschooling my children. It's been an on going thing for some time now, how do I handle her? I would hate the idea too, myself, in her position. I really think that homeschooling is a way to isolate children from their peers and often deprives them of a full education. Even so, even if it were me who was the children's grandmother, I would still have no say ultimately in how they are raised. That part is up to the parents and you have no obligation to explain your reasoning....

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Is it wrong to share/write about a wonderful, courageous person if that person is no longer alive and was very modest and tight-lipped about herself and her amazing life? Knowing that a person was private and would not want to be exposed in such a way, I would hesitate to reveal personal details to the public. Have you considered a somewhat fictionalized version? Many authors have based characters on themselves or people they know, and it would be a way to honor her experiences without breaching her privacy too much.

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Have you ever felt the need to move on and didn't? Did it work out well or was it a mistake? Yeah - it's how I was raised. Unfortunately. For example, I went to college at this horrible place, the classes were excellent but the students were awful, rich entitled brats, and the townies were creeps. I hated that place and was miserable, but I had a scholarship and I felt like I should stick it out. So I went there all four years. Now I feel like I wasted all that time being...

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Was its Darwins mistakes early in life that did not allow him to believe in forgiveness, thus not coining the phrase supernatural selection? I understand all of those words separately, but when you put them together like that I just don't know.

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Whats the easiest thing to do/use/eat to clear up your face? Stop eating sugar. And especially stop drinking sugar. No more soda, no more fruit punch, iced tea, or juice that has tons of sugar in it. Switch to water. If you don't like the taste of water try those little flavor packets that Crystal Light and Propel sell. (Those are sugary too but not as bad, and you can gradually use less and less) I swear you'll see a world of...

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If theres an open bar at a gig does it mean the drinks are free? (daft question i know, but its important :P ) I would take that to mean that *some* drinks are free (most probably beer) and other drinks (liquor or mixed drinks) will cost you.

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When in a relationship, does height really matters? Let's say i'm a guy who is older than her by 1 year but she's much taller than me. Will she like me? Why is people viewing that Girls shouldn't be taller than their boyfriends? It's not height, but attitude, that matters to me. Guys are often intimidated by a tall woman and it makes them act weird and awkward. I understand that somewhat, but I just don't want to put up with it on an ongoing basis. For example, I can't tell you how many times a guy has hit on me while I was sitting down, and when I stood up they were suddenly much less interested....

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Should the reference to 'god' be omitted from the United States Pledge of Allegiance? Why not go back to the original version : "one nation, indivisible"? The "under god" portion was added in the 1950's as a silly intimidation to root out the godless commies. It also forces implied christianity to those giving the pledge (as "god" is a judeo-christian term/concept). Maintaining the statement today is inherently divisive and excludes many...

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How many times a week do you actually sit at your table at home and eat dinner without any disturbance like, tv, radio, or the phone or (cell) phone ringing? Hardly ever. It's really bad, because a nutritionist told me you actually digest food better if you AREN'T doing other things simultaneously, like watching TV. But I'm usually either eating lunch at my desk at work (surfing the internet), eating in front of the TV, or eating out with friends. I've got to try to use that dining room table more...

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If I am carrying a dvd or a cd in my purse from one store into the other, will the dvd set the shoplifting alarm off if all tracking stickers have been removed? If all of the tracking materials have been removed, it's no problem. However, some stores are better than others at this. There's a CD store downtown that is notorious for not demagnetizing their CDs well enough before you leave, and you'll be setting off alarms for the rest of the day. The good news is, it will set off alarms when you come in a store as well as going out,...

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Do you have Blu-ray? Why or why not? Nope! I'm happy with my DVD player. I really can't see THAT much of an advantage in either Blue-Ray or HDDVD over DVD. It's not like with DVD and VHS, where the format is clearly superior and the picture is many times better. Blue-ray is the same thing (a disc) used in the same way with the same features, just with a slightly better picture. (Supposedly. I can't see a...

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My 5 yr. old twins asked my mom what happens when we die, she told them about heaven and God,etc. I am atheist. I want them to make their own decisions about religion. What can I do or say when they ask me stuff like this? I don't wanna confuse them. Well, to start with, you can tell them that nobody knows what happens when you die, but that people have a lot of guesses. What Grandma told them was her guess. Some other people guess that you are reborn as somebody else, and other people guess that you become part of the Earth. But nobody can tell you for sure, even though they might think they can.

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My husband has a felony conviction for domestic violence in 2001,now everytime he fills out an application for employment it ask the question have you ever been convicted or charged of any criminal act. Should he be truthful and answer the question? Don't lie on resumes/applications. They will find out. Especially in this case. A standard CORI search (or whatever they use in your state) will turn this conviction up immediately. And he will look much worse for lying about it than he would if listed the conviction and let them ask about it.

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If it turned out that there are aliens and they believed in Jesus, would you convert to Christianity? Do they have physical evidence?

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Is Richard Dawkins the antichrist? Why, yes he is! He is also: - "The Mole" - Bigfoot - D.B. Cooper - The Loch Ness Monster - The Mothman - the second shooter on the grassy knoll - Santa Claus - Jack the Ripper - the "real" Shakespeare - Batman - quite the snappy dresser - etc.

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Can any CL or AB staffer answer me this question, why was 'Momma Bear' given a life sentence in the Penalty Box... 2035 seems WAY over the top and for what?, this so called fair desision has Peed of many many other ABers besides my self I'm very sad to hear that Momma Bear and Auntie Em are permanently banned. If I hadn't seen this topic I would never have known. I understand that this is Joel and Rich's site and it's up to them who can use it. But not explaining why some of the best Answerbaggers are being disappeared is a bad decision. It makes them look unreasonable. It makes Answerbag look a lot...

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Is it possible to truly fall in love with someone that you are totally not attracted to mentally, only physically? Yes, but it's not likely to last. 1) physical attraction frequently "wears off" 2) a lousy personality will only get more annoying over time 3) the more time you spend with this person, the more you will notice the lack of mental connection Not that you shouldn't try anyway - you never know, something could develop. But if you're not liking someone all that much...

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Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful, beautiful flamingo, flying across in front of a beautiful sunset? And he's carrying a beautiful rose in his beak, and also he's carrying a very beautiful painting with his feet. And also, you're drunk. One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.

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If you answer a religion question and then get negative downratings for weeks, do you start to whine about it in questions and answers all over the board or take it like a (wo)man? I'm kind of proud of down-ratings, actually. Especially if it's on a topic I'm especially passionate about - it means I irritated the right people. :) I *do* kind of whine if I can't figure out why someone objected to my answer. I've had the weirdest things downrated...

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I've been with my boyfriend for 7 years. I can't break up with him cuz he won't let me. If i ever call the cops on him and get a restraining order he's capable of killing me or harming my family. He's not scared of goin to jail cuz he'll just get out.Help I'm sure you are correct in your read on the situation. He's not going to let you go, and he is very likely to get more and more violent. You know how this will end for you. What this means is that you're only going to get one chance to make a clean escape, so plan way ahead. You'll have to do several things at once: one is to get away physically, one is to get some...

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My 13 year old is getting bullied at school, he's been called names and hit (he came home with a busted lip today). He wants to handle it himself. Anyone else have a similar prob? How did you deal? Happened to me when I was a kid. The only thing that relieved it was getting together a gang of kids to hang around with so noone would mess with me. If there's some way you can encourage this for your kid, this might be a good strategy. Intervening directly might only make the situation worse, it's true. Mostly you'll have to coach your child on how to handle these...

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A parent at my child's school regularly hands out invites to his church with candy attached to them. This is a public school. I think it's very bad to manipulate kids like this. Discuss. Very inappropriate - aren't there "no solicitation" rules of some sort? Don't you have to get permission from the school before you approach students like this? Especially when giving out food items! With all the peanut allergies and diabetes in kids these days this is a risky action. Not to mention, it totally contradicts the "don't take candy from...

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When at an interview what are some good responses when your interviewer asks you what makes you want to work here? plz help me this is my 1st interview and its in two days!!!! (im applying for an ice cream shop) Pile on the compliments, basically. Good answer: You love the ice cream, it's a nice place to visit, the people working there seem very nice, you enjoy spending time there. Bad answer: I need money. I'm broke. My mom will kick me out if I don't get a job. My parole officer says I can't leave the county. Etc.

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As a meat eater, is there any meat you would not try? (Jews and other religions need not answer for the prohibited sectors) Haggis = NO (Look it up if you must, but I don't recommend it. Blech.)

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Is a woman with curves considered a "full figured woman" today? Apparently any female who doesn't look like a 12-year-old boy is considered a "full figured woman", these days.

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Ok so i think my gf is preg, im depressed and im thinking about killing myself....idk why. we both r in hs. shes a sr and im a jr. we both dont have jobs...idk what to do. im trying to stay postive and stuff but its hard... You and your girlfriend should go together to Planned Parenthood - they can give you a pregnancy test, and they have counselors there to talk to who can help you figure out the next step. If both of you would rather kill yourselves than talk to your parents about this, you need to find a sympathetic adult to talk to first. Maybe they can help you approach your parents, if the need is there....

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What can you do if someone is taking advantage of any elderly relative? She just lets them because they are from her church. She thinks they are the most wonderful people God ever made. There's probably not anything you can say to your elderly relative to make her not do it again - she trusts these people and is unlikely to change her mind. But. You can certainly have a stern word with these people yourself. Granted it IS meddling, but it's also protecting your vulnerable relative from being taken advantage of. You can be polite about it, but make it clear -...

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If someone uses personal information against you on AB, who is at fault? Could the "victim" of these attacks be at fault for giving up such personal information? I smell rationalization!

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Do you think the historical Jesus Christ would be ashamed of the way his legacy is exploited by 21st opportunists (i.e. most Western religions of today)? I think he'd be a little baffled by the death cult that sprung up in his name, not to mention all the depictions of him as a blue-eyed white dude instead of a middle-eastern jew. But then, I also think he was a judaic religious thinker that got elevated to godly status by his over-enthusiastic followers after he was unexpectedly executed, cobbling together bits of tribal religion and...

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Should this young man be deported? (look inside) See the video.

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Has anyone besides me seen "Idiocracy"? Do you look at the people around you a little differently now? I think of that movie often, actually, when I look at America and how anti-intellectual it is today. This could very well be where we're headed. You can either laugh or cry... (Did you notice this new TV show WipeOut? It basically IS "Ow, my Balls!" - and it's for real! *sob*) http://defamer.com/373505/abc-turns-to-bruised-testicles-and-massive-head-trauma-for-laughs

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When i see my boyfriend he expects me to have sex with him everytime even though i say no i give in cause he wont let me go if i dont then he bites my neck kind of like kissing but it hurts real bad and leaves bruises is that an abusive relationship? This guy is assaulting you. Sex is something the two of you do together, not something that he does TO you and against your will. Any use of force against you for sex is rape, even if it is your boyfriend. Anyone who would do that is UNDATEABLE by any standard and you deserve better. As Dan Savage would say, DTMFA. And get yourself some backup in the form of friends and family for...

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Had my tax returns garnished for child back support last 3 yrs. to the state of ohio, I live in texas. Now they want to garnished my wages. Can I contest this garnishment? Can I have it reduced? Can I get a court hearing? I hope you get nailed, dude. Yeah, I read your answer down there. Gee, life is tough when you have to do things you don't wanna. Look, you'll have to pay your obligation sooner or later, and the longer you wait, the more you will pay. It doesn't matter how much you whine and complain. Laws are on the books now to make sure you can't weasel out of child support. You could...

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My ex partner has left me, and has left me with a debt of £480. After a number of phone calls he and pestering his dad and boss i got £80 pound off him. Since then i have not had anymore money off him. Legal action threatened no phone call what next? I'd write if off at this point; the amount of time it will take to get the remaining money off him is not really worthwhile. I doubt you'd be chasing him around for 400 quid if you really wanted to be rid of him, so I assume this is a bit vindictive (maybe deservedly so). Getting back at him in this way is not worth your dignity - calling the guy's father and boss only...

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Is it right to have a secret bank account that your spouse/partner doesn't know about? Overall it is better to be honest. But you do have a right to have your own bank account. I have met women whose spouses wouldn't let them handle their own money or have their own accounts. They would work full-time but hand their paycheck over to their spouse and have to beg for it any time they needed money for themself or for the kids. In a case like that, I would say that a secret...

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What does one say when an athiest sneezes? You're SO good-lookin'!

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Now that the Blasphemy law has been abolished, what do you think should be the next thing to go? (Religion itself?) I don't want to abolish religion. People should be free to live their lives as they please, and that includes their spiritual beliefs. I *would* like to more effectively keep endorsements of religion out of government and publicly funded schools in the USA. This country has freedom of religion, and equal civic participation from people of all religions as well as those without religion;...

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I am a gay male and ive fallen deeply in love my one of my best friends who happens to be a straight guy and also just happens to be going out with my best female friend. I dont know what to do. It would and could never happen. I hate this. Wh Dude, it's not going to happen. Aside from the whole gay/straight thing, he's with someone else. Plus, that someone else is your friend! You do not pursue people who are dating your friends. It's just not cool. I have known many people who always seem to do this to themselves.. I had a straight female friend who always fell in love with gay men. She didn't know they...

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If you were on AB before the points system started (Nov, 2006), do you feel your experience with AB's former letter grade rating system has helped you to be less attached to points? Yeah, I never really changed my mindset when the system changed.. haven't tried very hard to build up points. I've tried to keep up a high quality of answers rather than a high volume, which is more of how it used to run. Answerbag's been going much longer now with the point system than the letter grades, though, so there's not much point in dwelling on it. It is what it...

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Are more and more people turning atheist? More people are admitting it openly, instead of quietly avoiding the topic. The internet makes it a lot easier for like-minded people to connect, and this has facilitated a lot of the appearance of atheism as a "surging movement" rather than a subset of people who have been, relatively quietly, here all along.

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What was the last GREAT movie you've seen? Myself, I think There Will Be Blood is an incredible, incredible film. I just saw it for the second time and it was EVEN BETTER. Just so many little nuances that I didn't pick up on the first time, and I have a feeling I will be watching it many more times in the future (and that's something I don't generally do). Beautifully filmed, innovative, and horrifying. I loved every...

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If we keep saving all the 'starving children in Africa', will that simply cause more famine when they are old enough to breed? Breed??? WTF is wrong with you?

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Which anime got you started? I watched Robotech and Voltron when I was a kid. Then I forgot all about it for a long time. Then I discovered Neon Genesis Evangelion, and I was hooked.

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Who thinks Light Yagami was right in what he aimed to do with the death note?Crime was down 70% and after Kira died it went back up.Stupid Near. That's why Death Note is so interesting - you start out seeing where Light is coming from. It seems like a good intention, eliminating crime forever. The problem is, only one person can't be responsible for deciding who lives and who dies. When that happens, you end up with a tyrant - which is exactly what Light became. The power went to his head right from the start, and he...

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If you are one of those, like me, who sometimes cry when an anime character dies, when was the first time you cried bout one? mine was zabuza and haku from naruto :'( hehe I think the only one I actually shed a tear over was SPOILER * * * * * * Spike from Cowboy Bebop. (Wolfwood was pretty damn sad, too.)

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Is it probable the atheist agenda is not to disprove God of which is an exercise in futility but to dissuade others from believing in him? Shoot, I can't find my copy of The Atheist Agenda. I must have put it with my copy of The Homosexual Agenda. Y'know, when I gave them to the Easter Bunny. To take to the north pole. Where Santa and his elves will look after it. Yeah.

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Why do atheist try so hard to prove that a God they claim not to believe in does not exist? Why fight against something thats not there? So He must in fact be there,to be fought against! That's a classic bit of poor logic there, but I see where the error is. You assume that atheists are in conflict with the deity concept, the non-existent god. Really, we are in conflict with the proportion of humanity who thinks this stuff up in the first place. The impetus for arguing against the existence of a god or gods is generally a reaction to the interference of a believer. ...

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Have you ever had a stalker? I read a really good book on the subject: The Gift of Fear, by Gavin De Becker http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Fear-Survival-Signals-Violence/dp/B00007MF53/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204501285&sr=8-1 In summary he says to cut off all personal contact of any kind and deal with a stalker only through official channels, by filing police reports for example. Basically a...

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If you've ever fainted, where was it, were you alone? I fainted on the loo! :/ Once when I was about 11, from heat exhaustion. It's kind of funny, actually. My mom used to take us to get our hair cut at the local beauty school. It was the middle of summer and over a hundred degrees, and the place had no air conditioning. Then, on top of that, the student put me under a hair dryer! I think I had curlers on my head and she wanted to dry it like that. Well, I...

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Who thinks we should start a white college fund?(there is a black college fund so y not) Dude, it already exists. It's called a Legacy Scholarship. White families who have been college educated for generations benefit from this. A kid whose parents and grandparents went to that college gets a special scholarship, to continue the "legacy". Black, hispanic, and asian families who do not have this long history of college education, do not get this benefit....

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Do you think feminism has led to the moral deterioration of society in "some" ways? I'm sure for men who like to have a personal servant to cook their meals, iron their clothes, clean their house, and raise their children, it could be considered a "deterioration" for women to have greater freedom to live their lives as they see fit. For the rest of us, however, it's a considerable improvement.

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Why are atheists obsessed with the Bible knowing more about what they don't believe than many Christians? It's kind of a hobby of mine right now. My current read is Karen Armstrong's "The Bible", which I very highly recommend. Like many, I became an atheist when I dove into biblical scholarship in college. At the time I wanted to know more about my religion, and I ended up leaving it. I realized the the Bible was more of a socio-political document than a holy one, with some...

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If athiests' don't believe in god, what do they say during sex? Fate and Destiny! Fate and Destiny! Chemical chance! Chemical chance! BIG BANG! (please tell me someone recognizes this quote)

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Maybe this is a hornet's nest, but is there anyone out there who objects to homosexuality and yet is in no way religious? Cultural programming is a powerful thing - I think that there are people out there who are homophobic for reasons outside of religion, but that those reasons are every bit as deeply-ingrained and irrational as religious ones. When I think back to my childhood and a lot of the messages I absorbed there, especially being a girl and being fed a lot of Disney Princesses(tm) and "when you...

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Evolution, the bible of Atheism? If it safe to say that Atheists has made the theory of evolution their sacred text to their religion since they use it to explain almost everything and dedicated it to their religious purpose? I am sincerely baffled by this continuous insistence on tying evolution exclusively to atheism. Many religious people have no problem with science or with the study of evolution! Many atheists know little-to-nothing about evolution or science! It's just plain weird. I think it's part of the overall anti-intellectual attack on scientific progress. If the WORST insult that you...

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Does anyone else just get a chill and sense that if elected John McCain would be another Bush but even more aggressively worse? Yeah, I'm afraid it would be more of the same. He's already said he would keep the troops in Iraq, and he's kissing up to all the same insane religious radicals as Bush did. When I think of how I respected him in 2000 for being a "maverick" and look at how he is today, it makes me sick.

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Do you have to pay for electricity if you live in a college dorm room? It's in your general "Room and Board" fee that is paid with your tuition. I believe it's a flat rate, so your electricity usage is not tracked as compared to your dorm-mates. Your ethernet connection, heat, etc, is also lumped into room and board. The only bill that is charged per-usage is your long-distance phone bill, and this is always wince-inducing the first few...

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If you had to choose one, gun to your head, would you allow gay marriage rights, or disband marriage all together?? Which would you prefer over the other? Edited to add: y'know, I totally misread this question. My bad! If I had to pick between disbanding marriage altogether and expanding its properties to include people that have traditionally been denied them (as was once done for interracial couples), I would choose the second option. But really, only because I can't picture people going along with disbanding marriage. I don't...

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What has been the most challenging decade of your life, thus far, teens, 20s, 30s, 40s...? I really think it gets easier and easier for me as I get older. I was a miserable teenager and an uncomfortable 20-something. As a teenager I was suicidally depressed. Stuck in Craptown Midwest USA, outcast among outcasts, dysfunction-o-rama family, still locked into a non-sensical religion and surrounded by small-minded fools. So that would be the most challenging decade for me. In my...

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I need some relationship advise???...its to long to write it all on here so it will be in an answer:) I could never be with someone who was cruel to animals. I don't even have pets. But how someone treats both children and animals is a strong indicator of character, and outright cruelty is a Deal-Breaker (i.e., offense bad enough to deserve an immediate breakup). It shows that this guy has a deep-rooted mean streak that could very well come out against YOU someday. I could also never...

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Will it be Obama or McCain? After what happened in 2000 a lot of people will be afraid to vote for Nader. This includes me - I did vote for him in 2000. It didn't affect the results in my state, which was overwhelmingly for Gore, but I'm still irritated about the overall result and unlikely to do it again. Now, I don't think McCain can win against Obama personally. He has managed to alienate almost...

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You accidentally disturb your assumedly straight teenage son in bed with another boy, what is the first thing you say? "Whoops!" Followed by backing out of the room quickly. Followed by, I'm sure, one or both boys fleeing the scene in embarrassment. Followed by, after an appropriate recovery period, a serious talk about how CONDOMS ARE MANDATORY. (And I'm assuming he would already know that I was accepting of whatever sexual orientation he was, because we would already have had...

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I have blood in my stool. my heart is racing from 75 bpm to 150 bpm..i have a pacemaker. should i go to the emergency room and if so, why? Blood in your stool is a sign of something going wrong in your colon that you should get checked out. Have you ever had a colonoscopy? You DO NOT want to ignore this problem because it could become a whole lot worse very quickly. Go right away and let them give you a CT scan to make sure you don't have an obstruction of some kind. A perforated bowel is a terrible thing. If you can call...

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Could you turn your answers into decent poems if you wanted to? Sure, if I wanted I could answer in haiku. But they're much too short.

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Why would my husband get mad over a nice gesture? Because nice gestures sometimes have ulterior motives?

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Why do atheists deny the existence of a Creator when it is mathematical impossible for life (or matter) to be accidentally created? Oh goodness. Where did you get that bit of propaganda? This isn't really a question, it's a statement that you're daring us to quarrel with, despite your providing no proof -- (literally! a mathematical proof should exist for such a categorical statement, if this were true - math is very concrete like that...) -- which is just like a religious argument, isn't it? ...

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I have 8 month old fraternal twins. My son is moving along on target with development milestones, my daughter on the other hand, does not want to crawl, eat baby food, and she avoids eye contact. She sleeps with her head back. Is this autism? It's not necessarily anything serious, but your doctor could perhaps give you some ideas on how to encourage her development, to keep up with her brother. Autism I don't think can be really detected until they're closer to 2 years old, in the very least 13 months. But definately describe all of that to your doctor and see what he thinks.

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If our God does not exist why would I love you? Why would I care for all men? What else would drive me to love those who speak from flapping lips with no serenity? Who else but my Creator allows me peace when living with wolves? It doesn't sound like you like people very much, even with your God at your side. If your religion is all that keeps you from acting on your misanthropy, then I'm glad you've got it. Keep it up!

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Do atheists like to gamble? Dude, why are you always asking these weird trying-to-be-insulting questions in the atheism section? You're never interested in the actual answers so why bother asking? Is it fun for you or something? WTF?

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Anyone else find that IE7 works fine, but Firefox constantly freezes and stops working? I was using Firefox because everyone says it's better, and I've had nothing but problems with it. I generally think that Firefox is much better than Internet Explorer, but recently IE has adopted a lot of Firefox's better features and closed the gap a little. Still, Firefox is much more customizeable, which has its advantages and drawbacks... Any time Firefox has given me trouble, it's been because of the extensions I downloaded conflicting with each other. If you've been...

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What's your opinion of this statement: If a man works a full-time job to support his wife and himself, no kids, and his wife does not work at all, he's within his rights to expect his home to be clean and a hot meal being prepared when he gets home. "His home", huh? Assuming they share ownership of the home, your phrasing notwithstanding, they are equally responsible for the cleanliness of the home. As far as maintenance of a person, such as cooking their meals, doing their laundry, ironing their shirts, etc, every person is responsible for their own maintenance. You may have *outsourced* this work to your spouse, but it...

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What was your favorite Heath Ledger movie......(rest in peace, Heath) I really thought he was incredible in Brokeback Mountain. Not just as the *sad gay love story oscar bait* but as *that character*, who was familiar to me in a way most movies aren't. Ennis was that kind of reticent, emotionally stifled man of few words type, a work with your hands guy, a big sky pickup truck guy. I've known a lot of guys like that. A lot of the men in my family were...

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My boyfriend and i talk about getting married, but my boyfriend hasn't left his wife yet. what do i do? he says give me time. we have been together for 4yrs. what do i do> 4 years? Give him time? Your boyfriend likes things the way they are. If you don't, you need to move on, because he is not going to give you what you want.

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I spend $160 a week at the supermarket for my boyfriend and I. What the heck am i doing wrong? (my b/f looked at the bill and said he didn't see any crazy $$ items either) For just the two of you? Per week? Wow. My fella and I spend maybe 1/3 of that, so I'm genuinely scratching my head. Keep track as you are putting items in the cart, that will give you a better idea of where the real dents are coming from. I round everything to the nearest dollar and keep a count in my head, and if I start going over budget I start putting things back. A few ideas:...

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What's your visual DNA? http://www.imagini.net/ (sorry, I'm trying to make this show up) http://friends.imagini.net/@2067744-4e71/profile/9

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Do you believe in interracial relationships? im white and married a black man....my parents look down on me. Lwagner, I'm never quite sure what my folks make of me now that I'm living with a black man. I don't think it ever even occurred to anyone that I'd do something like that. If they did have a problem with it, they know better than to say anything about it, so I just don't know what their attitude is. So I feel for you. It's like we haven't fulfilled our...

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A loved one is in the hospital in ICU and being neglected, and the nurses there ignore you and make it clear that they don't give a damn, how should I respond to this? This is shocking to me, as I have worked in an ICU and we had a nurse assigned to every patient to be with them at ALL times. That's what Intensive Care is for! There should be something called a Patient Care Representative or something similar available for you to liason with your loved one's health care providers. Go back to the main entrance of the hospital and look for some...

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Is it ever rational to commit suicide? In my opinion, no. Never. Rationally, living is better than not-living. Even when living involves pain and difficulty, it is better than nothing. You could say that suicide is an *understandable* choice in certain situations, but that doesn't mean it's not irrational. On a kind of seperate note, I've learned a great deal about this topic in exploring the Disability...

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If atheists had their way would they be as tolerant of religion as religion has been tolerant of them? No. We would be much, much more tolerant, as other posters have pointed out. We would not, for example, take people's children away for not having the correct religion. As happened in these cases: http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/01/more_religion_in_custody_cases.php http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/01/new_ruling_on_religion_and_cus.php and these cases: Carson v....

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Why do atheists often ask where is God in times of suffering rather than where is their atheism? Let me try to parse this question so that it can make sense... you're trying to say that in terrible times an atheist is trying to call on your god and failing rather than relying on "their atheism" for strength, correct? Or what? That's some deeply weird thinking there and I can't really follow it. "where is their atheism".. it's right here? Plenty of...

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I do not believe there are any true atheists. I think they only say that to put up a front but that deep inside they secretly do believe in God. The more they claim they do not believe in God, the more i think they secretly do. Agree or disagree? How convenient for you! If everyone secretly agrees with you, then you are always right! Are all of the Hindus and Wiccans and Buddhists and other religious people of the world secretly Christian, as well?

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Atheists, I'm sure most of you have been wronged in your life. My hope is that if I can't get them back God will. Do you think that the people who have hurt you will just get away with it? That thought would be too much for me to handle If you don't believe in an afterlife, then you can't rely on a Final Judgement that will mete out justice to people who manage to avoid it on Earth. This is just a fact of life to me: sometimes people get away with doing bad things. Two responses to this, in my life. First, this is why I'm driven to agitate for justice on earth - for the guilty to be punished, and for a...

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Piracy is rampant among the student community everywhere.Can this be justified??.I'm not talking about the overall issue of piracy.Just by the student community. The argument in favor would be that the student community is one of the main spreaders of culture.. they have the time and the access to discover and champion the obscure. Think of college radio in the 80's and how basically the same music exploded into the mainstream in the 90's. They're kind of your leading-edge consumers who don't generate profit but spread trends that...

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American Idol, is the voting fair or should changes be made? I always thought it would work better to vote for the singer you want to LEAVE. Then you won't get the supremely untalented people who hang on for week after week by mobilizing their hometown. Then maybe when you get to the Top 5, switch to voting for your favorite. I doubt they would do this, however.

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Family has a hard time accepting me not being the same religion as they are, how do i ease their pain while still continuing my own religious journey? You obviously want to respect your family's feelings in this and that's wonderful. Of course you want to do this while being true to yourself. Understand that while their feelings are in reaction to the choice you've made, *you are not responsible for how they feel*. Also, you are not responsible for making them feel better. It's their job to come to terms with this...

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To Atheists: Do you identify as a nihilist, or do you still try to maintain some sort of belief in "ultimate meaning"? Well, I think that's a false dichotomy. Lacking a belief in ultimate universal meaning doesn't make you a nihilist. I always thought a nihilist was someone who thought that nothing has meaning. Isn't there a shade in between there, where meaning is subjective?

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If someone tells you a secret, and they die 6 months later, do you keep their secret, or do you think it won't matter, and tell someone? Just because the secret-teller passed away, does not necessarily mean that your obligation to them is broken. A promise is a promise. If it's something about the deceased themself that they didn't want anyone to know, it's likely that they would still not want anyone to know even when they are gone. Tempting to tell though, if it would help someone to tell or hurt someone not to...

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What is the best way to get over depression WITHOUT medications? I think writing off medications as an option is a mistake, but here are a few ideas: Exercise : no really. Not just because it's healthy or because it makes your body in better shape and that will cheer you up somehow.. no. Endorphins. Exercising releases endorphines which makes you feel good. Depression tends to bog you down and make you inactive, want to sleep all the time, etc. Get...

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Does it bother Ron Paul supporters that he solicits campaign contributions on www.stormfront.com? If he's going to associate with hate groups, the Republicans will shun him like they did the ex-Democrat David Duke. I can't tell if the more recent Ron Paul supporters are simply in denial about it, being blinded by his opposition to the Iraq War, or if they just don't care. It's only going to become harder to deny his racist convictions, especially now that more of his writings have become public. His newsletters throughout the 90's were peppered with nuggets of crazy - conspiracy...

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In grade 8 i had a very good freind, lets call him batman, but he acted sweet and nice on msn, at school, he wasnt as much, now we just started high school,he has new freinds(emo's)he doesnt talk to me at ALL!! is he ashamed of me? what should i do? A lot of people when they go to a new school, like starting high school or college, feel the need to become a new person, to start over, and that can mean neglecting some of your old friends in favor of new ones. It's a crappy thing to do to your old friends and it sucks for you. But you didn't do anything wrong or to drive him away, this is just something people do sometimes. ...

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So, how did you 2007 go? What were the high and low points? What was good, what was bad? You know, that sort of fun stuffs. 2006 was so rotten for me that I'm just glad to get through 2007 intact. It was kind of a blur. 2006 was a series of disasters (relatives dying/visiting people in hospitals, repeated household disasters, financial trouble, etc) and after all that I don't think I enjoyed 2007 as much as I would have otherwise. Thinking it over, 2007 had a lot of good stuff in it. Stressful, but...

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Is there a book that you read more than twice? Which book was it? I rarely reread a book much less read it several times. I'm a voracious reader and there are so many I haven't read yet that I can't stand to retread old ground. (I'm like this with movies too, but not with TV strangely enough). There are one or two I do tend to revisit. Watership Down is one of them. The Hobbit is another. And I've read A Wrinkle in Time many, many...

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I have daughters aged 4 and 2. I have had them over 50% of the time for the past 6 months. My ex partner now wishes to move 40 miles away and limit my contact to every other weekend only. Does anyone know what my chances would be of obtaining residency? It seems like if your custody arrangement is 50/50 your ex shouldn't be able to reduce your time with the children without a court order. Moving might *effectively* reduce your visitation, but it might just require him/her to transport the children to you at an altered schedule (say, alternate weekends and summer vacation). You will need to look very carefully at your custody agreement,...

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Is it possible that Britney Spears is suffering from untreated (and unacknowledged) post-natal depression? Post-partum depression is very possible, especially since she had those two kids very close together time-wise and divorced soon after to exacerbate the situation. But being pimped out for her looks from a young age has got to have a lot to do with it. I mean really, parading a young girl around in a school uniform for grown men to masterbate over is not the healthiest lifestyle. What does...

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Name the 5 best "character actors" of all time! They can be either male or female. Depends on how you define Character Actor: some people use that to mean Actor Who Isn't Handsome Enough To Be A Leading Man But Is Nonetheless Very Talented. ;) These are my picks, although I'll probably think of a bunch more later: 1) Steve Buscemi 2) Tilda Swinton 3) Peter Lorre 4) Forrest Whitaker 5) Kathy Bates Edited to add: Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, Garret...

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I always thought that the 12 days of Christmas were before Christmas, but recently have been informed that it's 12 days after Christmas. Did anyone else think the same? Originally (say, Victorian-era) it was the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany, that being the 12 days after Christmas. This is based in the christian religious tradition of the time in which Jesus was said to be born on Christmas morning while the Christmas Star burns overhead, and then later (on Epiphany) the Three Wise Men (or Three Kings) show up having followed the star to the location...

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Why does it seem that people who don't believe in god are defensive about their position and agressive toward believers? I think that defensive is the key word there, and you'll notice it in cultures that agressively promote religion as the source of all morality, happiness and artistic achievement. You'll especially notice it in countries where the government legislates adherence to a religious code into law, so that people without religion or of a different religious tradition will be expected to...

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What will be the disadvantages of having Ron Paul as President? That it will empower his white supremacist supporters. Like this guy: Bill White, leader of the National Socialist Workers Party. http://www.vnnforum.com/showthread.php?t=63682 ************************************ Comrades: I have kept quiet about the Ron Paul campaign for a while, because I didn't see any need to say anything that would cause any trouble. However, reading...

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Dumped becuse i said no! i got dumped by my fella because i said i would not have sex with him he said he will get back with me if i do it but hes underage and so am i. I was going to say ok but then he said that i have changed since i was attacked and no That sucks, hon. Even in adult relationships sometimes a person has to respect the other person's wishes about sex - if they're too stressed out or going through a hard time and they just don't want to do it right now, the other person can either accept that or hit the road. A good partner will care about you for reasons BESIDES sex and respect your wishes in that regard. The...

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I come from Germany and I want to know what you think when you hear something about Germany? Beautiful music! Mozart! Beethoven! Bach! Strauss! Brahams! Schumann! (and whoever else I've forgotten)

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Do you see controversial topics like abortion and gay marriage as important or just emotional topics that politicians use to distract people from issues that they can do something about? I think they're issues that can't be "resolved" one way or the other, and are therefore guaranteed to drag on forever and create a continuous base of motivated supporters. They're issues for politicians to stump on and not necessarily do anything definitive about. If they did strike down Roe Vs. Wade, for example, a lot of conservative politicians will have nothing...

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I feel very jealous when I see other couples are more loving than us in some of the social gathering. I always observe what other couples do and get angry if my boyfriend didn't treat me the same. Am I too much? It's not a competition, hon. A lot of people make a big show of PDA for the wrong reasons, to cover their insecurities or rub it in people's faces. It's fake. That's lame. I wouldn't want someone to "fake the funk" for me just so that I can feel, I don't know, more attractive in front of my friends. Just because you're not sucking each...

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Why do people have to act all serious on here all the time,even when responding to intentionally stupid/fun questions? They ruin all the karma and fun of this site. I agree with Grandma Roses. People used to put a lot of effort into giving thoughtful answers and being helpful - now people give flippiant answers to serious questions or clutter up the site with inane "if you were a food, what would you taste like" type questions. That's fun once in awhile, but it really reduces the usefulness of the site.

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Why do humans have superior intelligence over all other species? Because we designed the intelligence tests? ;)

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Since courts have ruled Atheism as a religion: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45874 Why is it allowed in our schools and government? i.e. no traditional prayers implies following atheist religion Please don't quote the World Nut Daily and expect to be taken seriously. Also, your link is broken. Exactly where did what court rule Atheism to be a religion?

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Hey everyone, have you noticed that AUNTIE EM IS BACK?! Welcome! ;-) Fantastic!! Welcome back Auntie Em!! It wasn't the same without you.

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Here is a Christmas Card to all fellow ABers.....would you like to add your avatar to it or even add your own card.Card bellow Thanks for being generally awesome, Answerbaggers..

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What's wrong with respectably approaching a woman I've never met and telling her I'm attracted to her and then asking if she is single? Women look very shocked and "freaked out" when I do this even though it seems very honest to m It really depends on WHERE you are approaching these women. If it's a social scene, like a bar or a party, then I don't know what's happening here. But if it's not a social situation, and you are just walking up to someone who is minding her own business, I can tell you right now what the problem is. This happens to me all the time, and while I try to always be polite,...

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Why does it seem the Homophobes come out of the closet in droves around the holidays? Do they think it's like a winter cold, they can catch "gay" and by being mean they can prevent it? The last few years there's been a ramp-up of religious rhetoric towards the end of the year/around the christmas holiday, which may contribute to a perception that gay-bashing season is open for business. However, as I'm sure you know, ignorance and hate are pretty much year-round.

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Democrats- What do you think of Ron Paul? I'm just watching the Presidential debate & I think he is the most liberal, am I wrong? Sorry, you're completely wrong. If you look at his Congressional record, and the bills that he has personally proposed to congress, you find that he isn't liberal at all. I will list only a sample here, but there are at least six more examples in each category that I can post in comments if necessary. 1. He does not support reproductive rights. H.R.1095: To prohibit any...

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Do you feel like Ron Paul is getting censored by the media? Certainly not. The media has failed to mention any of a host of relevant issues concerning his politics, such as those outlined on this site: http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2007/11/ron-paul-and-his-followers.html The media hasn't mentioned at all his strong neo-nazi following, his strong white supremacist following, his desire to eradicate national institutions like public schools,...

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I found out that my bf cheated,when I confronted him,he says that me & him are gonna stay together no matter what,he also said that he is gonna kiss & sleep w/ other girls,& said that Im not allow to even talk to other guys,dont know what 2 do,any advice? Edit: I just noticed that you're still in school.. so some of this advice doesn't really apply. But let me add this, when you dump him, BECAUSE YOU SHOULD, tell your parents about it. You don't have to tell them *everything*, just that he threatened you and you broke it off with him. Also, even if you go to the same school, cut off contact with him entirely and all at once, a...

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How can a shy but nice girl who hates the bar scene meet a nice guy? Almost anywhere, if you're open to it. I was in the same boat, had a terrible time meeting anyone. Every time I've met a guy it's been away from the usual places, the last two in a bookstore. I used to go to this one bookstore every thursday night after my guitar lesson, and I met my current boyfriend there. He used to see me in there every week and finally approached me one...

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When you're at a restaurant and you unwrap a straw, what do you do with the wrapper? When I was a teen, we used to say that if you tied it in a knot and pulled, and it broke cleanly without a knot on either side, then someone was thinking of you right at that moment. If not, and you had a knot on one end, no dice. I still do this from time to time.

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What is your favorite opening line from a book? "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way" - Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

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I feel that the recent mall shooting in Nebraska is a good example of why people should carry guns. If someone had been armed they possibly could have taken the shooter out before as many lives were lost. What is your opinion? I think that's insane. You want a crowd of customers shooting at each other? I think a lot more people would have died. Unlike the movies, 99% of people can't pick off a bad guy with one shot, and are much more likely to get themselves killed or accidentally kill someone else.

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My ex lets his current wife write and mail my child support check. She is consistently late with it, and has deducted money from it at her own discretion. He refuses to write it and send it himself. Any advice on how to handle this? The next time money is deducted, even if it's just a little bit, write out a bill for the missing amount and send it to your ex husband. The next time, have your lawyer write it out. The next time, take it to a judge. Three strikes.

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Why is there a "homophobia" category, and not a "hetero phobia" category Because no one is beating or murdering you because you're straight. No one is firing you from your job for being straight. No one is refusing to rent to you for being straight. No one is kicking you out of your parents' home for being straight. No one is denying you custody rights over your children for being straight. No one is denying marriage benefits to you because...

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Last week my girlfriend had a fight with me when I told her I would need a pre nup before we marry. We are o.k. now but I need to bring up the issue again. I can't really trust her love unless she signs the pre nup, advice? (No feminists, plz!) If you actually told her, "I can't really trust your love unless you sign a pre nup", you effectively called her a gold digger. It's all about how you ask - and your attitude is very revealing.

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Where else can you be found on the web? I'm just curious if I've run across Answerbag folk on other sites.. I tend to use the same name everywhere, but other people might not! My Last.fm - I use this to keep track of my music listening and to recommend me new songs. http://www.last.fm/user/lizvelrene/ I keep my collection of books catalogued at LibraryThing: http://www.librarything.com/profile/lizvelrene I just...

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Is Jack Frost nipping at your nose yet? He's not just nipping my nose, he's about bitten my dang fingers off. Brrr! Boston is COLD tonight!

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I've recently been following Ron Paul candidate for presidency for '08 and his ideas seem pretty interesting to me. What is your opinion about him? He is a paranoid racist cretin. Here's an article from 1996 that Ron Paul would rather we forget all about: ******* Newsletter excerpts offer ammunition to Paul's opponent GOP hopeful quoted on race, crime http://web.archive.org/web/20070512114222/http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/aol-metropolitan/96/05/23/paul.html By ALAN BERNSTEIN Copyright 1996 Houston...

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Ok I'm usually not religious, but doesn't it seem unfair that the people that get offended by Christmas and stuff like that are allowed to practice there customs? My only objection, without offense, to a Christmas-related display or celebration is when it's a government-funded public event that is given an explicitly religious theme devoted ONLY to Christianity. A public school event that acts out a manger scene would be inappropriate, because the kids are required to participate and attend and our tax dollars are funding it. Such an event never...

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Do you actually use those paper toilet seat covers in public restrooms? Does paper that thin really protect you from any germs you might find there? I never do. If a toilet seat looks dirty I just use the next one. It seems like a waste of paper to use the seat covers on a clean seat. Are there supposed to be consequences of sitting directly on the toilet seat? I don't know of any...

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Have you ever been in a sex shop? Did you feel embarrassed? I was embarassed the first time, but not after. After all, anybody who sees you in there has gone in themselves, so.... Everybody has sex, pretty much, so there's nothing to be embarassed about. I might hide a few of my parcels on the way out though, just because nobody needs to know THAT much information about me! Mail order is a big help, for people who are too embarassed to go to...

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If you're in a monogamous relationship, do you find monogamy a challenge or do you just not feel any desire to cheat? I haven't really felt any desire to cheat. I don't know if it's because I know it would hurt him terribly, which makes doing it not palatable at all, or if I just don't notice other guys anymore. I'm pretty content in the relationship, so I guess I'm not "looking". I've never been much of a flirt, don't go out much into situations where...

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Under Islam, there are some 140+ prophets. Every prophet became a prophet when they reached the age of 40. Except Jesus. Jesus was born a prophet and died prior to the age of 40. Why then do Muslims pray to Allah and Mohammed, rather than Jesus? Like the other answers say, Muslims do not pray to prophets, only to Allah. But even aside from that, this makes no sense. Are you saying Jesus was a superior prophet simply because he did all of his prophecizing at an earlier age? Like, a prodigy or something? Ageism!! ;) By the logic of your statement, a Muslim would say that Jesus never got to be a proper prophet because he died...

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In public buildings there are often signs translated into braille. But how do blind people know where these signs are in the first place? If you're legally blind but not completely blind, such signs may be helpful. You might be able to see well enough to make out the shape of a sign, but not well enough to make out what it says. So you use the braille to read the sign or confirm your reading of the sign. (this is just a guess. Good question, though!)

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Couples; when was the last time you slept alone? This probably sounds weird but.. I sleep alone fairly regularly even though we live together. I snore, and I'm a tosser and turner. He's a light sleeper. The slightest move or sound from me wakes him up. This makes for some long and restless nights where we end up very cross with each other. I also have to get up early some mornings, like at 6, while he works late at night. So...

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My friends babys head is really flat on one side from laying on it, she will not put him on his stomach or listen to any advise anyone gives her, he is 4 mths., has anyone ever heard of a babys head staying flat like that? I had heard that you shouldn't put the baby to sleep on its stomach due to SIDS/crib death. There's some statistical increase in the likelihood of SID when the baby sleeps on its stomach. They say it's good to give the baby a little bit of time on its stomach, when awake, to encourage them to start to crawl and develop those muscles to hold them up. But that shouldn't...

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Does any reliable, scientifically gathered data support the idea that more people are having sex outside of marriage and at younger ages than in times past? If so, can you please tell me where to find this data? Actually, studies show the opposite. Most recently, the Guttmacher Institute released a study of premarital sex rates since the 1950's. The rate of premarital sex has been virtually unchanged - it was high to begin with! http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/2006/12/19/index.html The paper, published in Public Health Reports, shows that 82% of people born in the 1940's had...

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My right pinky, down to my wrist, hurts from using the mouse too much. Are there any stretches for this? I switched mousing hands but I still have to type more tonight. It still hurts today. I've kind of bound up my pinky so I won't use it to type (it's too stiff today) and it feels better when I do that. The pain has moved more into the side/front of my wrist. Just below the heel of my hand on the pinky side, all along the side there, it aches and it hurts when I type. I'm at work today and I really need to use my hand today. Any...

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What kind of books did you read as a child? Were you encouraged to read certain kinds? Or not encouraged at all? I was allowed to read pretty much anything I wanted. And I read a LOT. I was one of those kids who took books with me EVERYWHERE and was lost without them. I remember packing for camp in the summer - about half of my suitcase was clothes and toiletries, and half was books to read for the two whole weeks away! These were some of my favorites, when I still read "children's...

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How many of you put any stock into the theory that 9/11 was planned and carried out by our government? A lot of these theories assume that our government is a lot more compentent, I think, than they actually are. They'd have to be pretty brilliant to get away with such a thing. Look at these guys. Look at the mess they've made of Afghanistan and Iraq. They're just not that smart.

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Why is no one talking about Ron Paul? He is the closest thing we have to a true patriot in this country. To support my earlier post, which has been continually downrated, let me add a few more sources that detail my earlier points. I'm attaching to the bottom a video of Ron Paul advocating to pull out of the UN, and mentioning the "New World Order" by name. Is an actual video of Ron Paul saying it himself evidence enough for you? A totally different video where he's...

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Do you think women's magazines are partly responsible for the low self esteem of many young women today? Magazines have a vested interest in connecting the readership's self esteem to the products that they are advertising. Magazines make a lot more money selling space to advertisers than they do from subscriptions. Subscriptions are used to attract advertisers to a willing customer base. The magazine then produces articles that establish a need for the products that their advertisers are...

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Do you ever find your belongings seem to go on holiday? Like you can't find something anywhere, then a week later it turns up somewhere you swear you already looked? When I was a kid, my father sat me down and explained very seriously (in that way that he has) that sometimes small items are "projected into the future". When that happens, you won't be able to find that item anywhere. When enough time has passed for you to get to that point in the future that they time-traveled to, that item will be waiting for you there, in a place you already...

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Very small wedding.We only want people who are close to us & who have supported our relationship.Some of our guests want to bring their bf/gf.I think that if we're cutting out some of our family members, we shouldn't invite people we don't even know. HELP Ah, the guest list.. tough choice. I think the standard is that it's rude to invite only half of a couple. You don't HAVE to allow a +1 for single people, but a serious couple will want to come together and will be a little put out when you ask them not to. It depends on why, though - if you want to be sure to have only supportive guests, you can maybe talk that issue out with...

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Me and my boyfriend use the pull out method. How effective is it? every once in a while my stomach will ache only extremely slightly. There are no other symptoms but is there a chance i could be pregnant? That's not effective at all, dear. If you're not pregnant at this point, you're awfully lucky. Start using condoms or the birth control pill right away if you don't want to be pregnant. And don't let your boyfriend bully you into going without anymore. If he won't wear a condom (and I don't know about you, but I won't sleep with a guy who won't...

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If grass and grain eating cows (vegetarians) produce greenhouse methane, are not vegetarians themselves also polluting the air with their emissions? No. Cows are not vegetarians in the way that humans can be, they are ruminants. They have a specially-equipped stomach for processing grass, which humans are unable to eat. Cows have a rumen which is filled with anaerobic organisms that assist them in the digestion of cellulose. This fermentation process breaks down the grass that they eat. The byproduct of this process is methane, which...

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Do you know more atheists on AB then in real life? Absolutely. I don't know any other atheists in real life. :( (Although, I don't exactly go around taking a survey, so I could well know some casually. But my friends and family are all different degrees of believers in various traditions. Keeps things interesting, tho it's a bit lonely to be the only one on that limb sometimes.)

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Should pastors/clergymen be held to a higher standard than the general public? How would you address a married pastor who was flirting heavily with a divorced young lady (and her with him) to let him know his actions are not appropriate for his position? I would hope that someone claiming to be a moral arbiter for this culture would hold THEMSELVES to a higher standard... but this is so often not true. I personally feel, as an atheist, that a person's moral standing has almost nothing to do with their religious beliefs. A good person or a rotten person will use religion to support what they were already inclined to do. But I...

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Which US state constitutions exlude Atheists from holding public office? There are actually quite a few states with such language in their constitution. The ones I could dig up are: Texas Tennessee South Carolina North Carolina Arkansas Maryland Pennslyvania Such a statement is plainly unconstitutional, but in most cases it has not been challenged. I think the Maryland provision has been struck down in court. Here's exactly what Tennessee's...

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Have you googled Ron Paul? What a good idea! Digging up actual info on Ron Paul is very illuminating. Here's a place to start: Google "Ron Paul" and "Human Rights violations" Google "Ron Paul" and "White Supremacists" Google "Ron Paul" and "New World Order" Google "Ron Paul" and "racist" Google "Ron Paul" and...

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Did you know one church actually had "God hates fags" posted on the little billboard in the front of the church? how does that make you feel? Ah, the Westboro Baptist church. I don't see where they have all that much time for Bible study or "praising god" with all that picketing they do. These are the people who - Picket funerals of American soldiers Picket Billy Graham events, saying that Billy Graham will burn in hell for not denouncing homosexuality strongly enough. (???) Showed up to picket the funerals...

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Have you ever punched a woman in the boobs? No, but I've been punched there, when I was studying karate. He didn't mean to do it that way, I think he was aiming for the solar plexus. It really hurt!! I've also been kicked between the legs, and let me tell you, it hurts for girls too! Maybe not as bad, but.. sensitive area there. Ow. Don't worry, I got them both back. :D

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If you were a defense attorney how can you in all good conscience defend someone who you 'know' is guilty of a crime? I don't know that this really happens--I suspect it--and I don't want to insult.Does this happen? and if so, how do you deal with it? I would hope that a defense attorney would defend everyone equally. Because if I were accused of a crime I didn't commit, I would not want to have to wonder about whether my lawyer was going to throw my case because he thought I was guilty. Everyone has the right to a lawyer to argue their case. In order for the system to function there has to be proper representation of the defendant with...

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If a guy has a girls wrists pinned to the ground while he sits on her chest, if eye gouging, kicking no no spots, or etc. is an option, how does she get out from under him if males are naturally stronger than females? If you take a self-defense course, they can prepare you for this specific situation. The thing is, if a man has a woman pinned to the ground with the intent to rape her, at some point he will have to undo his pants. At the moment he takes one hand off her to do that, this is the best time to strike. There are lots of maneuvers that you can use at this time, because he is off-balance,...

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Would you consider yourself a label whore? meaning you only buy things wit labels such as hollister american eagle or juicy couture b.c i absolutely love co co Chanel and i wear alot of it and kids at school r labeling me as a label whore Wow. I'm the opposite - I refuse to wear clothes with labels. Who wants to be a walking billboard? Shoes are hardest because you almost have to wear a label to wear quality sneaks.. When I was a teenager I used to cover up the labels on my sneakers with nail polish that matched the shoes.. it actually looked pretty cool. I used to say people who wear labels are sheep. Now I just say...

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What is the worst movie ever made? By any objective standard, it has to be : MANOS, the hands of fate. Look for it, it's kind of amazing really. Note - manos actually means "hands" in spanish. So the real name of this movie is: "HANDS: The Hands of Fate." That is only the beginning of the hilarious ineptitude of this movie. Edit: Here's the Top Five Worst Lines in Manos: The Hands of Fate

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Someone I care very much is interested in drugs, and wishes to, well indulge. How can I stop her before she starts down a slipery slope? She's 16, by the way. And please, none of that 'it's a teen/phase thing' crap. I want actual help. Please! What will get through to her really depends on her personality. The important thing is to be honest. DO NOT LIE. If you lie about a subject like this, she will disregard anything you may ever say on the topic ever again. So don't say anything like, "marijuana will stop your heart" or something like that, because it's just not true, and she can easily find that out. ...

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How many of you have degrees in fields other than the field you are currently working in? I went to college to be pre-med. I switched to Mass Communications instead, because I thought I'd rather write about science than do it. Well, I ended up in Health Care anyway. Ha. I had it right the first time.

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Senator Bill Frist said that right now, because of LGBT, marriage is under attack in the U.S. Under attack from whom? Are gay people enticing straight men and women from their unions into homosexual relationships? Gay marriage undermines the idea that the man is the head of a family and the wife serves his needs. It's the traditional idea of marriage, the "marriage as transfer of property" ideal. The woman becomes a wife (it's "I now declare you 'man and wife'", isn't it? not 'husband and wife'. Isn't that telling?) wife loses her name,...

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I don't like to go to the movies. What are your reasons for not going to a movie theater? I used to love to go! I used to go about 2x a month. When I was a student, I went weekly. This whole year I've gone ONCE. Here's why: - it's too expensive. Tickets are expensive, food is expensive, parking is expensive, etc. - At home I can order a pizza or make dinner and watch a movie. At the theater I can eat.. popcorn? A disgusting hot dog? How about offering a real...

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If religion was to be taken away from the world, will there be more peace, or would conflict still be tense around it? Considering how much conflict and warfare is done over religious disagreement, I'd like to think so. Probably, though, if religion was taken away we'd just find something else to fight about. Humans are weird like that. I can just picture it now... "String theory is the only workable theory to tie Einsteinian physics to quantum mechanics!" "No, String theory is a...

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Is saying we were brought here by space aliens is no more ridiculous then saying the world was created in 7 days? Maybe god is a space alien?

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What do atheists "dice up" on Thanksgiving in appreciation of the "odds"? Do what? Uhh, I eat turkey, if that's what you're asking. And sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Mmm. Then until I recover from the overdose of good food, I plan to enjoy the company of family for a few hours, do the dishes, and go home and snuggle my honey and a glass of nice white wine. I can appreciate the good things that I have, just like you. I actually really like...

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What percentage of black people face racism in their life? 100%. Even ignoring individual discriminatory acts, racism is systemic in our country and culture. Every person of color (and not just blacks but asians, latinos, etc) will be touched by it in some way.

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If one man tells another man that he loves him more then he could ever love a woman, do you think he might be gay? I'm going to say not necessarily. You can love someone like a brother, or like a father, and have a deep and abiding love and not have it be sexual at all. Did you ever see the movie Love Actually? The section with the rock star and his manager is like that, at the end, when he turns to him and says that of all the relationships in his life, this is the only one that's held up....

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Which movies make you cry everytime even though you have seen them before? what about them makes you cry? does this make you love or hate them? I am a wreck by the end of Grave of the Fireflies.

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There's a girl who rides my bus and she always brags about how rich she is. Some of the boys started calling her "Rich Bitch" and she starts to cry everytime they do this. Is this okay even if she brought it upon herself? Look, this girl is probably really insecure. She's probably hoping to impress you all with her big talk, maybe even win friends this way, or at least respect. Looks like it backfired on her in a big way. Bragging about money is pretty irritating, but teasing someone into tears is really not okay either. Leave her alone, or see if you can get her to talk about something other than...

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How easy is it to learn html? It's really pretty easy. Use some of the resources that Google will give you for searching "html tutorial". It's not something you can just read and immediately know how to do, though. It's something you have to practice at, and do over and over again until you get a feel for it. Get some webspace and practice, practice, practice! Also, go to your favorite...

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Last night i got drunk and brought a guy home..i told my boyfriend of 2 years today..hes so heartbroken i feel horrible..it was a big mistake. How do i talk to him without feel guilty and coldhearted. how do i show him im really sorry and what do i say? As others have pointed out, you should feel guilty. You f*cked up and hurt him badly. How do you show him you're really sorry? Quit drinking. That will show him you're serious about not letting this happen again. He may dump you anyway, though.

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What are your reasons for not wanting kids? -There are enough children in the world already who need loving homes. If I ever decided to raise a child, I would adopt or foster. -I don't feel any biological urge to reproduce, become pregnant, and give birth. People talk about their biological clock and aching for a baby, and it just hasn't happened to me. -Honestly, I don't want to undergo the changes that would happen...

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This may be an unpopular question, and I hope readers understand I am not referring to anyone (ABer or President) in particular. As an army brat, I was raised to respect the office of the President, whether we agreed with the man or not. Is this gone? I think for those of us born post-Watergate, it is greatly diminished. Our parents raised us with a kind of cynicism about the Presidency that you didn't have with earlier generations. Also those of us growing up during the presidencies of Reagan, Clinton, and Bush, have seen repeated scandals of various kinds and of increasing intensity involving the President. By now it seems like...

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If you discovered that your favourite singer (or author, or actor) had political or moral views that you found offensive, would you stop buying their work? No, but with the following exception: When that political or moral view that I find offensive starts leaking into their artistic work, I won't be interested in buying it anymore. Let me try to explain what I mean by this, although it will be difficult because I'm still sorting it out for myself. There are many artists that I admire that I wouldn't necessarily want to...

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Whose america's greatest poet? Here are the greats, in my book: Emily Dickinson (#1, no question) Walt Whitman e. e. cummings Ezra Pound T.S. Elliot (The last two I kinda don't know whether to count as american, I think they were expatriates for most of their careers. If we're talking favorites, I'd mention William Carlos Williams, Edna St. Vincent Milay, Dorothy Parker, Anne Sexton, Allan...

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Please explain the following quote and how it affects atheistic reasoning... "Absence of evidence is not at all the same as evidence of absence..." Other answers have explained your quote. So I'll explain why your quote doesn't affect atheism at all. If you want to talk about evidence, consider a courtroom. (I live in the US, so I'm going to talk about an American courtroom) The court starts from the presumption that a defendent is not guilty. It is up to the prosecution to prove that he is guilty to the satisfaction...

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Do all religions arise from man's fear of the unknown? A person may follow a religion for any number of reasons. I wouldn't say that religious *feeling* arises from this. But in the case of the origin of religion itself, I agree. Fear, plus the basic human urge to categorize, name, and order the universe, is why most religions were created. What's that light there in the sky? What are these sores all over my body? Why is there more...

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Elliot Smith - was it murder or suicide in your opinion? Similar to Kurt Cobain, due to his history I have no problem believing that he would kill himself, and there's no evidence to the contrary. It's incredibly sad either way. He was so talented...

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What is the best indie music album? All Hail West Texas - The Mountain Goats

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Does anyone like the song "dashboard" by modest mouse? If so why? Not as much as their old stuff. I have to get used to this new sound. It's mostly the same, but.. it's more upbeat than I'm used to from them. My favorite old Modest Mouse songs: "Cowboy Dan" "Talking Shit about a Pretty Sunset" "Teeth Like God's Shoeshine" "Heart Cooks Brain" "Never Ending Math Equation" ...

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Do you like cat power? (¯`v´¯) `*.¸.*´ ¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨) (¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`• _____****__________**** ______ ___***____***____***__ *** ____ __***________****________***____ _***__________**__________***__ _***_________CAT___________***_ ...

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How soon is now? That joke isn't funny anymore.

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What is your favourite Radiohead song? NOONE HAS SAID "LUCKY". THIS THREAD IS INVALID. Oh wait, I fixed it. ;) Also, "Pyramid Song", "Karma Police", and "The National Anthem." The new song "15 Step" is pretty rad.

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Can anyone recommend some good alternative music to listen to as i find that everything that is on the radio at the moment sounds the same. Try Last.fm. You have to use it for awhile before it gets useful so that it can get to know your music taste, but once it does it's wonderful. It will generate a radio station tailored just for you. I have discovered so much new music using this system. You can check out and I think listen to my station here: http://www.last.fm/user/lizvelrene/

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What is your favorite song at the moment or the one you have been thinking of most recently?.. Someone that I adore recently is M. Ward. I discovered him through Last.fm but he's starting to pop up in the background music on TV shows, so he's sure to be known better soon. He writes deceptively simple songs with subtly complex structures and lyrics based around acoustic guitar. "Chinese Translation" is the one that sticks with me. Here's the lyrics (from memory...

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Why does hair grow so fast on your head compared to the rest of your body, when it clearly doesnt for any other animal? WILD GUESS: Isn't part of the function of hair the warmth it provides? It preserves heat that would otherwise have escaped through our scalp. Mammals grow hair to protect the skin and conserve heat; the head is a crucial part of the body to keep warm. Humans are maybe in less danger of losing heat through the skin for various physiological reasons, which is why we have less hair...

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I bet I can guess what type of person you are based on what your favorite movie is. Wanna try? *Update Jan 2009--sorry, I can't reply to everyone anymore* First that comes to mind is: Magnolia The next few in a very close tie are: The Girl on the Bridge Groundhog Day The Royal Tennenbaums Grosse Pointe Blank

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In which famous book did Alexander Solzhenitsyn expose the reality of the Soviet labour camps? Fictionally he also wrote about the subject in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (which was a really good novel!)

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"Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you." Wouldnt you say this is a priceless rule of morality that all people religious or not, can have? Sure! This is a basic statement of ethics present in one form or another throughout history and the world. In this form it is the Golden Rule, as formulated by the Jesus of the Bible. Phrased as a philosophical idea, Kant's categorical imperative; politically, it's the social contract. Humanism, basically a code of morality, is rooted in this idea. Some other forms of this...

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9% of Americans say they are athiests or agnostic. What sort of society do you think we would have if 90-95% of Americans were athiests? Well, Sweden by the most recent surveys is 90% atheist. The figure seems to vary but it's accepted to be the most atheist nation in the world. The Church of Sweden is a Lutheran church and 78% of Swedes belong to it. How does that statistic possibly coexist with the 90% atheist statistic? Easy- prior to the year 2000 the church was officially integrated with the government and citizens...

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If a United Nations of Rock 'N Roll existed, what would be your choices for the delegates of some countries? Good question! Here's my picks: Brazil: Cansei De Ser Sexy Iceland: Bjork (alternate: Sigur Ros) Canada: Leonard Cohen (alternate: Emily Haines, just because she's in like a dozen great bands) Australia : Nick Cave Sweeden : The Knife (alternate: ABBA) Scotland: Franz Ferdinand Germany: Kraftwerk Japan: The Boredoms (alternate: The Pillows) France: Daft Punk (alternate:...

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Whenever i drink something cold, or wenever air passes through my teeth, it always hurts in pain, painfully. what can i do? Has it always been like this or is this new? Sensodyne is great for sensitive teeth, if thats the problem. Are you a mouthbreather? This can cause problems to teeth and gums that a dentist can spot right away. Do your gums hurt? Are they sensitive to touch, like when you brush your teeth or floss? Do you use stuff like Listerine? Maybe try that for awhile. But mostly, go see the...

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One of my female friends told me that she will vote for Hilary Clinton just because she is a woman, what are your thoughts on this? I think plenty of people are actively campaigning *against* her because she's a woman. If you look back to the 90's, the enormous irrational HATE that people had for her just for being a smart and politically active first lady instead of a docile cookie-baker was just unreal. They'll never admit to the real reason, of course, but having seen it first-hand, there is some serious...

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Is AB the place to confess for the atheists? Well.. I actually think confession is a good idea, even though I don't believe in sin or in religious authority. Maybe confession is good for the soul just in itself. Isn't it a large part of what therapy is about? Or just look at Postsecret.. I bet a lot of those people feel a huge weight lifted just for speaking, even to strangers, the thing that had been burdening them. Secrets...

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Are you a fan of boxing? Joe Calzaghe in particular. I just can't enjoy professional boxing thinking of the brain damage they are probably inflicting to each other. Olympic boxing is slightly better. I do like the strategy aspect of it. But I think of Muhammad Ali and other boxers who have suffered years later because of their dedication to the sport and I just can't watch. Same for football, incidently.

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Do you think Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinutjob will be our next excuse for war? Yes, I think so. But it's strange in light of the fact that the Iranian President has little to no power next to the Ayatollah who really runs Iran. He's a diplomat and a figurehead, but the Ayatollah calls the shots. Apparently Iranians are baffled by our fixation on him, since to them he doesn't actually do anything. I guess we just assume that the president is in charge...

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How old were you when you had your first pap smear? 18. But I wish I hadn't. I got it done at my college's medical clinic and they did a terrible job, it hurt like hell. I was terrified to do it again for years and years because I didn't realize it wasn't supposed to hurt like that.

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Who is your favorite drummer? With the caveat that I usually don't notice the drums at all, my very favorite drummer is Janet Weiss, formerly of Sleater-Kinney, currently in Quasi and Steven Malkmus and the Jicks. She's the best drummer I've ever seen hands down, especially live. Second is Dave Grohl. His drums for Nirvana are unbeatable, and his turn on the skins for Queens of the Stone Age rocked my...

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Would you vote for Presidential candidate Ron Paul? Why or why not? Absolutely not. To put it bluntly, he's a dangerous, crazy nut, and racist to boot. Organizations that endorse him include white supremecist groups like Stormfront and the KKK, Neo-Nazis and Minutemen. He has a personal and enthusiastic endorsement from David Duke of all people. He publicly supports lunatics like The John Birth Society, Robert A. Taft Club, The Patriot Network, and...

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What is the considered the normal annual salary of the middle class? It definately depends on where you live. I grew up in Midwest America and moved to the East Coast. My annual pay now, would make me solidly middle class in the Midwest. My starting entry level salary here a few years ago was the same as my mother's teaching salary after MANY years of teaching, and she's pretty comfortable. But on the East Coast I have to struggle, because...

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Why do you think so many American answerbaggers are so willing to have their country attacked here and say nothing, often even giving points to the bashers? Serious answer: Personally, I think people who really love their country want it to be better. Ignoring the things that are wrong and some of the awful things that people do in its name is not a sign of loyalty. When you are loyal to someone, you don't sit by and watch them do stupid things. You try to stand by them and help steer them in the right direction. It's tough love,...

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Are you all as sick as I am of reading all the hatred on AB lately? I'm sick of users I like leaving this site lately! I must not travel in the right categories to get or see such treatment, but the comments Emma describes are disgusting. Are we really not allowed to name names on this? Because I'd like to know who these people are so that I can stop giving them points. The vast majority of us never know this is going on and just see people...

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My daughter attends a C of E school,they told her off for wearing her pentagram,we are pagan,there are no other schools locally she can attend, but its okay for muslims to wear their veils,is this fair? No, it's not. Who told her off, the students or the teachers? Someone needs some reeducation - they probably think the pentagram is satanic, when I assume as a pagan she was wearing it the right side up. That's one of the hazards of going to a (ostensibly) christian school as a pagan. My strategy in such things is to annoy people into submission. They are ignorant, so I help...

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Am I the only person that does not get notification from the staff when categories that I suggest are accepted? What is happening when users are treated in such different ways? My categories just don't get accepted. A category for every individual type of foodstuff, but no transgender category? I don't get it. Are serious topic just not wanted anymore?

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If you start having sex, but then ask the guy to stop and he doesn't is that still rape? Yes, this is withdrawing consent. There are plenty of reasons why a woman would want to stop, and if the guy goes ahead and forces her to have sex, it is rape. Example - they get naked and fool around and the woman asks the guy to put on a condom. The guy refuses to wear a condom. The woman says she won't have sex without a condom. If the guy forces her to have sex, he is raping...

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A girl was drugged and a guy took advantage of the situation.. is this considered rape? Note: The guy din't drug her. Yes. Absolutely. He raped her. For men who are confused: consentual sex requires, well, consent. If you want to have sex with a girl, and you don't have consent, and you do it anyway, YOU ARE RAPING HER. Just because she isn't punching you in the face or screaming, it doesn't mean she consents and it doesn't mean you're not raping her. Just because she...

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Can a man sue a woman for having an abortion? Only if you use the logic that the zygote, or later the born child, is the PROPERTY of the man, in which case you could sue for destruction of property. Which would be a pretty awful precedent to set. (ps. you don't sue someone for breaking the law, that's what criminal courts are for. Abortion is legal, anyway. You don't sue someone because you think they did something...

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Why is Islam such a violent religion? If we're talking about people killed, that's absolutely not true. If we were to stack the bodies, so to speak, of people killed in the name of religion throughout history, Islam is no more violent than other religions and a good deal less violent than Christianity. Just look at the history of warfare in Europe alone. In the 16th and 17th century, at least 17 MILLION people perished in...

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Is it really possible for a woman to rape a man? How? If you proceed from the pov that men always want sex, and women never want sex, then it would be impossible for a woman to rape a man. That's simply not the case, though. A man could be violated in a number of ways by manipulating his consent through drugs or deception. Say, in a dark room, a woman pretends to be someone else and the man has sex with her believing her to be his...

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Do you ONLY 'mix with your own' or do you happily engage with all ethnicities equally during your day and life? Which and why? Due to my interracial relationship and my internationally staffed office, (and back to my student years as a musician playing with people from around the world) I've totally fallen out of the habit of fraternizing with "WASP" types. As a consequence, when I go to visit my parents and am surrounded entirely by white people everywhere I go, it feels weird. Not bad, just kind of...

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What is your favorite brand of sneaker? When I was a teenager these shoes were permanently welded to my feet: (shoes on Bottom left). Then Converse was bought by Nike, and I was sad. :( I stopped wearing sneakers for awhile in favor of big stompy boots. I'm just this year getting back to them and I look at Sketchers for the most part - but I love Roos too. Cheap and fabulous! (Shoes on bottom right - $20 on Amazon!!)

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Any ideas for homemade Halloween decorations? (Other than Jackolanterns) Giving out candy is my favorite part and I want the porch to look spooky. I have to admit that I am no good at Arts & Crafts so I will be doing things that need very little skill to make. :) Directions would be very helpful! More stuff like this (with patterns!) would be awesome. I'm going to try a few of these -- http://skulladay.blogspot.com/2007/08/72-papercraft-skull-with-articulated.html http://ravensblight.com/papertoys.html

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What led you to believe there is no God? The short answer: years of studying religion and science concurrently have failed to convince me of the need for one. Studying religious texts and the history of religious movements convinced me that they were entirely human phenomenon, dictated by culture, politics, powerful personalities and human imagination. It was a conclusion that took me years to accept, after a strong background in...

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What are the logical flaws of atheism as pointed out in Pascal's Wager? Pascal's Wager isn't interested in pointing out logical flaws, it merely presents the position that it is more profitable to be a believer, because there is more to gain. The parameters it establishes state that there is nothing to gain from atheism, and everything to lose; from religion it states there is everything to gain and nothing to lose. However it doesn't earn...

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Do you see the evolution theory as a belief/religion; why or why not? Not at all. A religion requires faith, which is belief without evidence. It is a theory of reality built of a series of beliefs loosely connected by a central tenet, such as a deity or other embodiment of right thinking. Science is a method and series of explanations of reality that we hold to be true because of observations made over time that have been repeated and verified. The...

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Why is the younger generation all becoming atheists at the same time all of the sudden? I stopped believing in God when I was about nine or ten and I was calling BS in Sunday school, and it seems like a kind of random movement. I think there's probably the same number of people who don't believe in god, or don't believe in god the way their religion describes him. We of our generation are just more able to talk about these things. When I think of people of the older generation I've known, a lot of them didn't follow any particular religion but didn't come out and say that they were...

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My mom is the biggest drama queen b**** in the world and i need to say this to get my anger out. i could just hope that the car shes driving right now would just explode. have you ever felt this? I had a lot of problems with my mother when I was under her roof. She had some mental issues and was very erratic and manipulative. I was also a stubborn kid and we just rubbed each other the wrong way. Some people just can't live together, I think. But you know what? We get along fabulously now. Once I moved out of the house and especially once I moved pretty far away, seeing each...

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Who is still here from way back before we had levels and we were rated on a letter grade? Since March 2006. I liked the letter grades. You could be highly ranked with just a few answers, if they were really good ones. Now you pretty much have to post constantly to be on top. They have added some nice features since then, though.

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Everytime my girlfriend and I fight I end up getting put into the bag guy position. She cries and I have to put things right and say I'm sorry. It ends always with me feeling like my needs haven't been meet even those her's have. How can I change this? Easy- don't give in when she cries. Whether she's doing it on purpose or not, this is manipulative behavior. At least, assuming you aren't being equally bullheaded on your part, like browbeating her into tears or something.. if not, this is a quick way to end the argument when you're not really finished with it, shut down discussion and effectively get her way. If you...

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What percentage of their brain does a person use? Why is this? Unless it is damaged, you use your whole brain. Just not all at once. Since we developed MRI scans that can monitor electrical activity in the brain, we have a much better idea of how they function and allow us to do everyday activities. Any one activity will involve firing neurons in at least one and sometimes several parts of your brain. *There is no section of the brain that is always...

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How bad is it for me to have a coffee 3-5 times a week when i go to school when i'm 16? I don't think it's too bad. Compare that to the adult intake of most people I know, which is at least 2x daily (That's like 15 cups a week). That would be an unhealthy level for someone your age. Just don't drink it in the evenings, because it can mess with your sleep and you won't get proper rest. Studies show that your brainwaves won't settle properly into...

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Why don't (many) Atheists remain tactful in the face of adversity (spiritual, religious and otherwise) as long as Christians do? Why are (many) Atheists quick to anger? Why are (many) religious people so gullible (sometimes)?* Why are (some) Republicans so heartless (or greedy, or fearful)?* Why are Americans stupider than Europeans (in some ways)?* Why won't you stop hitting yourself? (*smack*) Why won't you respond to my veiled insults? I included a qualifier! Why would someone bother to a question based on a false premise? ...

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Why is no one talking about Ron Paul? He is the closest thing we have to a true patriot in this country. Because he's a dangerous nut? Oh, he hides it well in the debates behind a good oratorical style (and the pretty sad competition he's surrounded with) and he's hidden a lot of his nuttier policies while running for the Republican ticket, but when you get down to policies he's about as fringe as you can get. Look who his supporters are: white supremacist groups...

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If you could give permanent laryngitis to ONE political pundit, from TV or radio, who would it be and why? Aww.. somebody doesn't like my question. Come on now, there are plenty of pundits of all political stripes, and so many of them are hateable. At least I didn't say "drop a piano on their head", which I decided was a little uncalled for. I don't want them to get hurt, just to STOP TALKING. Hee hee.

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Did you cry like a girl when you broke your toe? (no offense, girls) Nope. I just don't react that way to pain. I did a pretty good yell, though, and swore a good bit. I kicked the piano leg while carrying a basket of laundry, walking around in my socks at my aunt's house, and broke my little toe. It was bent funny and everything. Yeouch!

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What are some things that women can generally do better than men? Give blood. Ask any nurse! It's always the guys who pass out. Women are better at handling pain in general, actually.

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What's the best website to play games online for free? Here's something a little off the beaten path: Eyezmaze http://www.eyezmaze.com/eyezblog_en/blog/2005/09/grow_cube.html#monster This guy designs all these games himself, and they're so creative! Grow Cube and Tontie are my favorites.

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Does Ann Coulter need to be perfected by becoming a Satanist? She needs to be "perfected" with a bag over her head. One that muffles her screechy half-witticisms.

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What's the best names for twins? Boy+Girl - Nick and Nora; Dylan and Katherine; Jack and Dianne 2 boys - Heckle and Jeckle? Bert and Ernie? hee! okay, maybe not. Jacob and Max. 2 girls - Charlotte and Gretchen. Margaret (maggie) and Josephine (Jo). Hannah and Amy.

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Does suffering migraines increase the risk of risk of brain haemmorrhage and stroke? Medical researchers are still working on the problem of migraines and what causes them. Having migraines does not increase the risk of stroke/hemorrhage. Headaches may be a sign of vascular disease, and a sudden onset of new headache is something to be checked out for that reason. For awhile it was thought that migraines were *related* to vascular disease, caused by insufficient...

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Who is the only American playwright ever to win the Nobel Prize for Literature? I'm guessing Eugene O'Neil. edited to add: Arthur Miller really should have gotten one, though.

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By how much does a medicine have to beat the placebo effect to be deemed effective? The response to the medicine has to be stronger than the response to placebo by an amount that is statistically significant. There are mathematical formulas (student's t-test amongst others) that you use to determine whether a result is significant - it asks whether the result is due to chance variation or to a consistent difference between the response of the two groups. Exactly...

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What is your favorite thing about the holiday season or what do you like doing the most during the holidays? See family gathered together. That's fun. This involves lots of baking things, in my family, so that's a bonus. Mmm.. Christmas cookies..

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Is every beginning only a prelude to its end? Also, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

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Which is most proper? 1) Please join us for a month's worth of events. 2) Please join us for a month of events. A month of events describes a month full of events. A month's worth of events describes a month-like number of events comprised into a period shorter than a month. (in my opinion)

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What is the difference between "whom" and "who"? Who is the subject of the sentence. The object of the sentence is whom.

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Which is grammatically correct and why? "Content also may vary," or "Content may also vary?" It depends on the meaning you are trying to convey. Content (besides the other thing that varies) also may vary. Or. Content may also vary (along with other things content has been doing).

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Is this sentence grammatically correct? "I'm done my homework." Always break apart contractions when you're not sure - if it sounds wrong, it is. I am done my homework. No, that's not right. Here's how you correct it: I've done my homework. (This is best) I'm done with my homework. (This is a little clumsy, but close enough.) I'm done, my homework. (Use this one if you're crazy, and talking to your homework in...

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Why don't most buildings have a 13th floor? The building I work in doesn't have a 13th floor. I always think of the Mitch Hedberg joke: “I’m staying at a hotel and it doesn’t have a 13th floor ’cause of superstition. But c’mon, people on the fourteenth floor, you know what floor you’re really on. If you jump out of the fourteenth floor window, you will die earlier.” Um, you have to...

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Does a female cat miss her babies when they go? Yes. Especially if they ALL go, and before they're grown, the mama can get really unhappy. I think it's nice to keep one kitten around for her if they're bonded.

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Is my new kitten a male tortishell,he is black main colour with red stripe on head,and white feet,with patches red on rump, Torties are almost never male, it's a genetic thing. I've never seen one. A tortie should have a blotchy multicolor spread of black and orange all over. If it's just a few isolated spots of color, I don't think it counts as a tortie - maybe a mix. Sounds like an unusual kitty, though!

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How can you avoid a hangover? If you know you drank too much, drink lots of water before you go to sleep. I always have to do this with wine, even if I only have a little bit. It dehydrates me like crazy!

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Totally theoretical question, if a woman is pregnant and wants an abortion but the father doesn't believe in it should the mother be forced to keep the pregnancy and give for adoption. I mean on one hand it is his child too and on the other it's her body The father can refuse to contribute money to the abortion procedure, if he wants to make a point. He can promise to sever his parental rights in the case that she gives birth and puts the child up for adoption. He can agree to support the woman through her pregnancy, providing prenatal medical care and supporting her financially when she has to leave her job. He can even promise to take custody...

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Most humans believe knowledge for its own sake is good.. but is there some research you feel should be banned? Some animal research makes me really uncomfortable. I think some of it is necessary and good for medical breakthroughs that will help humans, but.. at the same time, these are sentient beings and we're causing them pain for our own benefit. It just doesn't feel right.

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In Friends, what is the name of Phoebe's twin sister? Ursula.

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Wedding issue: I don't want to invite my verbally abusive parents. Only my supportive relatives. My future mother-in-law hates them for what they did to me. I don't want a conflict. Is it ok to not invite my parents but invite grandma/aunt,etc? Invite who you want, but keep in mind that when they find out the details from the relatives you do invite, they may show up anyway, or try to otherwise stir up trouble. If they are spiteful people and would consider it an insult not to be invited, they will most certainly make their unhappiness known. They may encourage others not to come, and some of your relatives may be uncomfortable anyway...

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Is it possible to reach level 46 in just one month or do you think people cheat to do this?????? Cause i think someone's been bad........OPINIONS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, it's possible, and without cheating. Hanging out in "Congratulating Answerbaggers" alone could really rack up the points. I've been here a since March 2006 and I see new people zoom past me all the time.

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Nobel prize winning Dr. James Watson, who helped discover the structure of DNA, recently stated that blacks are less intelligent than whites. Thoughts? Dr. Watson has always been an ass. Anyone who knows the story of how he and Dr. Crick stole some of their nobel-prize-winning research from their female colleague Rosalind Franklin without giving her credit will have a very low opinion of the man's judgement. Here are some choice quotes, showing the man speaks not from his scientific training but from his own prejudices: (On the...

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I used to be gay throughout my teen years and my younger years. But when i was 23 I converted to heterosexuality when i became a christian and im now 26 and engaged to a beautifull girl and i was wandering should i tell her im an ex gay or not mention it? It's always a good idea to share the general outlines of your sexual history with your partner in a long-term relationship. You don't have to get into *specifics* of exactly who you've had sex with, but you should really let her know that you used to date men. There are several important reasons to do this. First, this woman deserves to know who she's marrying, and that...

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I want a partner who wants only sex. Is this possible? What you need is the Casual Encounters section of Craigslist. You will find plenty of willing partners there. (Screen carefully!)

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Do you play The Sims 2? If so what is the weirdest thing that has happened to you? One of my Sims liked to walk around naked, even out in the yard. That made for some interesting snapshots, especially when other sims noticed her and did the "surprise jump" thing.

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After one of your sims (Sims 2) has a birthday, their clothes change. You can go to a dresser and sometimes "Plan outfit", getting only a limited number of premade clothes. Is there a way to re-clothe your sims in anything you want? Yes: you have to take them shopping. Buy them outfits in any category for their age group - everyday, pajamas, formal, workout clothes, underwear, swimsuit - and when you get them home, they can change their clothes to the new outfits using "Plan Outfit". You can also adjust your character's icon to display their new outfit using a mirror and the "change...

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Which do you think is worse, a bad comedy movie or a bad horror movie? A bad horror movie is boring. A bad comedy is PAINFUL. I don't know why this is.

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To which goddess is the Bible referring when it mentions Ashtoreth? I always assumed it was Ishtar/Astarte, the Babylonian fertility goddess. Analogues of this character appear throughout the region, among the Phoenicians and different Semetic tribes. Like Aphrodite, she corresponds to the planet Venus and to love and passion. She was referenced in the Epic of Gilgamesh, as an antagonist who persecuted Gilgamesh for spurning her love. The biblical jews...

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What was the best film that Steven Spielberg has ever produced or directed? Raiders of the Lost Ark is a perfect movie. It's not high-minded or deep, but it's flawlessly executed, and more outright fun than anything he's done before or since. It's one of my very favorite movies.

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Are u a nice drunk or a nasty drunk I'm a happy drunk - I don't stumble or get into trouble, but I do get a lot more extroverted. It doesn't happen very often, because it's kind of embarrassing. The last time I got drunk it was wine, and I started reciting poetry (!!). Fortunately there was only one person around and he knows better than to tell. ;)

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What words of wisdom have you gleaned from Larry the Cable Guy? That if you fake ignorance and a southern accent, you too can make a pile of money as an "authentic" blue-collar comedian. (In reality, Larry the Cable Guy, aka Dan Whitney, is a private school kid from Nebraska and Palm Springs, and a millionaire. The accent, the clothes, the blue collar, the anti-intellectualism, and the whole character are completely fake.)

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Ladies: If I cancelled a date with you when I came to pick you up, how would you react? How could I apologize? I would appreciate that you canceled in person (if that's what you're doing). Bringing some small gift (like chocolates) would help, and immediately making new plans so that I know you're not just backing out. But definately the chocolates. Chocolate solves everything. ;) Or something creative like a single Tiger Lily. Don't make up a story about why you're...

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If there was to be a AB Halloween party, what would you come dressed as? I really want to build a Dalek costume but I'm just not handy enough for that. :( But that's what I would be and it would be awesome. EXTERMINATE

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Is it possible to die emotionally? I've had a tragic year, and while I'm still here, I rarely feel emotion, and when I do, its fleeting... Things that would have mortified me in the past or scared me to death no longer phase me and im unsuaully calm.. Grief is tricky like this. My significant other and I, we went through this last year. He lost his sister and father, along with a friend he had been really close to, and a pet as well. And then I had a family member pass.. It was just one thing after another... and I remember, observing him, and going through it with him, that while it was happening he was terrific, supportive and clear...

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What's your favorite sci-fi tv show? Can't believe noone's said The X-Files. The ending may have been weak, but it was a great show most of the way through. Battlestar Galactica!!! Kick-ass show. Runners up: Dr. Who, ST: TNG. And Eureka is fun and trippy.

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Do you 'know' when you are in a dream? People always tell me they know when they are and then it stops but i don't see how that's possible. Yes, this happens to me sometimes. It's called Lucid Dreaming. According to some people you can train yourself to do it. I think that might actually be true, but I didn't do that myself. I started doing it when I was young and used to have a lot of nightmares. At some point I figured out that I could stop the bad dream and change it into something else. In that way I would change...

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Is there an unspoken way to determine if im in a "relationship"? There's an old adage from somewhere that if you have a standing Saturday night date, that you would have to break if you wanted to make other plans, you're in a relationship. Anyone remember where that's from? It sounds reasonable to me.

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I'm only 49, and I think I have some serious memory loss issues. What can I do to improve my memory or reduce the rate of decay? Stableboy, even if it's not anything as serious as Alzheimer's Disease this is exactly the sort of thing to let your doctor know about so that he/she can keep tabs on it. Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like what you're describing is a loss of focus/attention combined with a reduced ability to retain fine detail. That's a real problem and something to keep an...

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Do you think that Psychic Sylvia Brown is a fraud? She is the one that apprears on the Montel Williams show frequently. Well, she claimed on Larry King that she would allow James Randi to evaluate her PSYCHIC SKILZ with a panel of experts but 6 years later has yet to take up the challenge. http://www.randi.org/sylvia/index.shtml She has been proven wrong on many occassions - most recently, she claimed that the West Virginia miners would all be rescued alive from the mine collapse. Instead, they all died. ...

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The rapid growth of Wiccan witchcraft can be attributed to the same cause behind abortion, gambling, homosexuality, divorce, lasciviousness, and every other sin, apostasy (a turning away from God). Agree or disagree? Disagree. Fully. Parsing the statement: Yes, the growth of Wicca could involve rejecting the other ideas of god. This is only common sense. It's not really related to the other things you describe - I don't think Wiccans are any more likely to gamble or "sin" than anyone else. Turning away from a christian god does not cause abortion, gambling, homosexuality,...

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Is the illusion of love better than the reality of love itself? In other words, does the best romance exist in our dreams and not in real life? Both, I think. One can sustain the other when you're doing it right. Real life love is messy and conflict-filled; sometimes our fantasy helps you get through the harder times. And face it, that "I would die for you" stuff is fantasy. It just keeps your feelings strong when they may otherwise be fading away. Love without a little fantasy is going to be uninspired - the day...

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What is meant by the term "Militant Atheist?" In what way is the term different than when used to refer to a "Militant" Muslim or a "Militant" animal rights advocate? Is it a subtle slur, or is it simply indicating enthusiasm? It's used somewhat like the term "militant feminist". In other words, a feminist/atheist who refuses to pretend not to be, will be called "militant". They will also be called "militant" if they refuse to consider quitting just because that person told them to. I don't think it is related to the prostelyzation issue, I think it's more of a...

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Do my T-shirt sayings, bumperstickers, signs etc. amuse you? Are any being over-used to death? Ya got any I can refresh my collection with? No clue? See examples below, and be sure to click on them to see them well! I love the shirts at Threadless - beautifully designed, unique stuff that you haven't already seen a million times. http://www.threadless.com/ Of their "text" t-shirts these two are my favorite. But then I have an odd sense of humor.

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What celebrity you love to hate? Crazy Mel Gibson.

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In your opinion, which James Bond 007 movie is the best ever made and why? I've seen them all. And the new one is still my favorite. I love me some Daniel Craig. A few more shots of him coming out of the water in those little shorts and it would be my favorite movie, period! :P

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I am a christian and I have been dating this guy for over a year and he wants to marry me. But there is this guy at my church and I am wondering is there such a thing as love at first sight. I have tried everything and I can't seem to get him out my head Love at first sight can happen.. but sometimes the person you think you see from a distance isn't who they really are. Especially if you're already in a relationship and uncertain about going forwards. My advice would be to get to know this guy on a CASUAL basis and see what you feel about him up close. I notice you don't say anything about wanting to marry this first guy,...

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Atheists, do you beleive that there are beings seperate from Earth in the Universe? Do you beleive aliens are amongst us? Because of the enormity of the universe, it's very possible that other forms of life exist. You might even say it's likely, given the billions of years and billions of stars out there that could have developed their own life forms. Unlike Star Trek, though, these life forms would probably be very very different from us. It could be that they are so far away or so different from us...

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Do atheists "Believe" or do they just "Know"? Atheists lack belief in a god. No amount of persuasion or indoctrination has instilled this belief in us, and many of us find such a belief to be perplexing. What we "know" is the scientific facts of the world and theories about its past and future, which to us are sufficient explanation of the universe. So I guess the answer to your question is the second option; we just...

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Do you believe that the husband should work and provide income for his family and his wife should be a house wife and take care of the home and kids? Nope. In my household, I have the full-time job and my boyfriend/partner stays home and works freelance design gigs. He takes care of the house, I run the errands. I hate housework; he enjoys it. I am messy; he is neat. He likes to stay home; I like to be out and about. I earn the steady paycheck; he has more time to maintain the garden. He cooks; I get takeout. So he's basically the...

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I always find myself in partnerships with classmates(collegiate level) who use me but never actually give anything to our projects. When I cut off the work and keep it to myself I get the cold shoulder, the projects must be finished, what do I do? This used to happen to me.. people would know that I actually cared what we got on the project and therefore that I would do all the work if they slacked off. It sucked. The only strategy that ever worked was to assign them a part to work on themselves, in a way that would make them look like a fool in front of everyone if they didn't do it themselves. You have to pick a really obvious...

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Why do most Atheists use a condescending tone of sarcasm when discussing spiritual matters? In my opinion, it makes your arguments less valid when you use a facade of derision. So why do it? I wouldn't say "most" atheists do that. A few do, and they get a lot of attention for it. But that's kind of like saying most religious people are pompous jackasses based on Pat Robertson. I think because there hasn't been much voice for the atheist point of view in the past, people tend to be aggressive and come out swinging. The opposing point of view has gotten...

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Of the TV shows that just premiered this fall 2007, which is your favorite? Which was the worst? I liked Reaper, it was a lot better than I expected. Funny stuff, actually had some nice effects. Since it's on CW nobody will watch it, though. Moonlight was TERRIBLE. How is it that there are not one but two "Angel" clones this season, and yet the original got canceled for low ratings? Joss Whedon got screwed, man. Journeyman, Life, and Bionic Woman were just okay. Chuck...

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If your parent ask you to pay rent when you've reached 18 years of age, is that bad? Should I just go away and find my own place and never see them again because of this? I feel they're greedy. Consider it good practice! Your parents will be much more lenient than a real landlord as far as paying on time and probably cut you a deal as well. But if it's going to irritate you to shell out rent to your folks, you'd better find a place of your own. Don't be mad at them about it though - everyone's got to move out sooner or later, and sooner or later you'll...

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If no one cares that it is my birthday tomarrow, should i ignore everyone and buy myself some prada loafers to make me feel better, or try and engage people and force them to say 'Happy Birthday" Treat yourself! Do your favorite things, watch your favorite movie, eat your favorite food. Just spoil yourself rotten. Nobody has to know. ;) Then, the next day, casually mention that it was just your birthday and you didn't do anything special.. the people who should have remembered will feel bad and everyone will treat you to lunch or take you out. Stretch that birthday out , man! A...

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My boyfriend is racist, and I dont know how to tell him that I've done something with a black man for some X that I used to be addicted to, I didnt do it when I knew him, but he told me about his past. and now I feel guilty. Yeah, uh, the bigger question is why you're dating a racist. Who makes you feel guilty just for hooking up with a black guy. (Or is it the X addiction?) I would say this is a big stop sign for not getting too entangled in this relationship. Don't tell him anything. Don't feel guilty. Don't waste your time.

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Do you try clothes on before buying them or are you most always confidant that they will fit? Heck no, I always end up being some weird half-size so that sometimes size A will work and other times it's size B, depending on what store I'm in. I am SO JEALOUS of guys, because your clothes seem to come in sensible sizes. Pants, for example, are listed by their measurements instead of some arbitrary number and type (like, size 4 "long" or size 8 "petite")....

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What song is about depression and sadness but is not emo? I can think of lots of them.. Whenever I breathe Out, You're Breathing In - Modest Mouse ("I didn't go to work for a month, I haven't left my bed for a day straight. I haven't hung out with anyone, if I did I'd have nothing to say.") Gloomy Sunday - Billie Holliday (among many others) I see a Darkness - Bonnie Prince Billy ("Well you know I...

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Where is the place that you love the most? The place where the one I love is. (cheesy, but true)

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I remember in the 70's when "zero population growth" (couples would have only 2 children to replace themselves and not add more to the population) was very popular. Do young people now think about practicing "zero populaiton growth?" Why or why not? Y'know, I've never heard of that. But it sounds like a good idea to me! I know my parents had us kids in the 70's and they only had two themselves, so maybe they were following that practice. What I hear more of from people my age is that they're not having *any* children because there are already too many people in the world and too many children who don't have...

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My pastor told us at church last sunday that suicide is an unforgivable sin. Do you agree? It's more of a tragedy, really. Something must have gone terribly wrong...

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What do you wish someone would invent? (If money/science were not an obstacle) My answer: a boss detector to set off an alarm when your boss is approaching your desk. LOOK BUSY!!

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I am set to marry my 57 year old boyfriend. I am 18. We are in love. Im not stupid. I know the difficulties to come. Is this morally wrong? Is he a bad guy? I really love him to pieces. Hes not a sugar daddy, I have a real dad. Be serious. There's nothing inherently wrong with age-differences in a relationship. I'm much younger than my own boyfriend, so I know it can work. Let me tell you from (another) experience, though: beware of grown men who want to date teenage girls/young adults. Their motives are suspect, like others here have said. If they're not just in it for the sex and for having all the power in a...

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What song do you think has the greatest intro/opening bars ever? Rhapsody in Blue.

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Why do atheists target Christianity seemingly above all other religions? There was a very similar question here before, and I gave my answer there: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/115692 I would only add to that, that an atheist in India would probably have more to say about Hinduism, and an atheist in Saudi Arabia would spend a lot of time defending his position against Muslim believers. Wherever you are living, there is probably a preponderance of...

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What word, when used improperly, do you find the most annoying? Literally. Like when someone says to me, "he literally took my head off for that." NO HE DIDN'T. YOU STILL HAVE A HEAD. What you mean is FIGURATIVELY. AARRGHH.

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Atheists only please. Did you become an atheist after believing or did you never believe at all? My uncle became an atheist after years of being an altar boy & going to Church every Sunday & I was just curious about others When you're a kid and your family is religious, and you want to be a GOOD kid, then you have to be religious too. So I was, and I was serious about it. Went to a Lutheran grade school, summer camps, youth group retreats, church every week, prayer every night. The more exposure I had to the real world, the more I had to pull away from the church. What helped that along was that the...

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Do "Abstinence-Only" advocates annoy you? YES. If you don't want your kids in sex-ed, that's your perogative. No problem. Write the excuse note and keep them out, you won't be the only one. But trying to keep ALL the kids from learning about condoms, STDs, pregnancy, and just how their bodies really work, is an invitation to disaster. Abstinence-only education does not work, does not prevent STDs and does not...

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Can someone recommend a great new novel to read? I'm not sure how new you mean, but I'll list some novels from the last 5 years that I really enjoyed a lot: "Black Swan Green" and "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell. Very different books, both wonderful. Cloud Atlas is one of the best books I've ever read - it's a bit "difficult" though, so try Black Swan Green first. ...

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What do you think of the study (Catherine Mosher and Sharon Danoff-Burg) showing that men are more likely to give up a career for love and take longer to get over a lost love than women? I think a lot of these gender-related studies are bunk, just there to reinforce our stereotypes. But I would guess that one reason the "take longer to get over a lost love" thing could be true is that men are encouraged to hold in their feelings, to suppress them... which could make it harder and take a lot longer to get over a broken relationship. Whereas a woman is more...

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What do you think of Edward Current? http://atheistdelusion.cf.huffingtonpost.com/ Yeah, I agree with Glen - this is obviously a parody. 1) It takes all of the fundamentalist arguments and dumbs them down even further to exaggerate their ridiculousness. 2) It's hosted by Huffington Post, which if I'm not mistaken is a liberal blog site. 3) It says at the end it's inspired by Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, who are famous for being rational atheists. 4)...

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Have you been following the Jena 6 case? Do you think there will be justice for these children? Here's some links about the case: http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/07/11/a-reminder-to-support-the-jena-six/ http://www.smartbrotha.com/sep/jena6.php http://www.wiretapmag.org/blogs/alerts/43172/ And some of the latest developments: Kathleen Branco responds to the furor- http://www.slanttruth.com/2007/09/06/jena-six-updates-the-pressure-is-on/ CNN video- ...

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Are women being discriminated ie should she be the house wife or should she be out there doing a real job? There's nothing inherently wrong with being a housewife/stay at home mom, but there is a danger to it. Lack of earning power greatly restricts your freedom. If that woman ever needed to change her circumstances she would have a big, big problem. Women STILL earn less on the current job market than men do (which IS discrimination), which makes it a completely rational decision to have a...

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Is there anything in the Bible that is remotely worthy of your respect? There are some passages that I think are just lovely, as poetry, as history. Song of Solomon, for example. Some of the Psalms. Revelations is a lot of fun when you read it as a metaphor for the fall of Rome. But Corinthians 13 is my favorite. Forgive me for posting the whole chapter: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not Love, I am become as sounding brass,...

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Have you got any good optical illusions. if so can you show me them please? I like this one a lot: If you are near to this picture, Mr Angry is on the left and Mrs Calm is on the right. If you view it from a distance, they switch places! (the small attached version of this looks like the opposite of the larger image- but it's the same image!) (image is from http://www.ianrowland.com/MiscPages/Mrangryandmrscalm.html)

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What's the most tactful way of telling a prying person to mind their own business? Make up a COMPLETELY ridiculous answer that is obviously untrue. This way the conversation (hopefully) ends in laughter rather than with hurt feelings.

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Do you think it is right to "out" someone against their will? Only to expose hypocrisy. If a public figure is running around proclaiming that everyone should do X, but in private that person really does Y, then I think they should be outed. Whether that's sexual behavior or religious worship or financial practices.. I think we have a right to know whether someone practices as they preach. That only goes for someone who chose to be a public...

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What is the coolest thing you have ever won? I won a cruise! Last May. It was an online entry sweepstakes and I entered once. A few weeks later I got a phone call and a registered mail legal letter. I got airfare to Miami, a hotel room, and a week on a Carribbean cruise. I didn't really believe it until I got on the plane and they had a first class seat for me. It was so surreal. And a fantastic time! So, while a lot of...

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MY ex boyfriend hits me at school in front of a lot of people but they don't say anything because there scared if i go to the teachers it will make it worse what should i do? I want him to be put away in jail if he finds out he will try and hurt me more This is assault, in case that's not already clear to you. It's illegal for sure, and you have witnesses. You have the upper hand in the legal sense - in a safety sense, the concern is to shut down the situation without intensifying it and leading to further violence. This is the worry about taking it to the police, and a lot depends on your specific situation, the psychology of your...

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I personally make my own Tomato Sauce (Gravy), but if I could'nt for some reason, what brand of pasta sauce should I purchase? Classico is decent. You can add spices to it, and it tastes really good with a spicy sausage. But I like my sauce to have some zing, so YMMV. I think Prego and Ragu are terrible - thin, tasteless, cheap. You have to add so many ingredients to make it palatable that you might as well buy a can of tomato puree instead and make your own!

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What is the difference between creationism, intelligent design, and evolution? Intelligent Design is Creationism disguised as science; both are a reaction to evolution, a scientific theory which describes the development of Earth's species over history without mentioning religion or the origins of life. Basically, ID was constructed by some creationists around the argument that Evolution is fatally flawed and should be thrown out, coincidentally making room for...

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What is the highest political office an Atheist holds in the U.S. government? How about in the world? There is one American politician currently in Congress who recently revealed that he is an atheist: Pete Stark, of California. He's been in Congress since the 70's, and is on the Ways and Means Committee. So I think that makes him the highest office-holder in the US currently. He is the first openly Atheist member of Congress, and there are no other known atheist politicians. Some...

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Whats the best invention ever?(in your opinion) refrigeration (I'm going to stop changing my answer now! lol)

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How do "super christians" ignore all scientific evidence against their religion? To be perfectly fair, they aren't the only ones. You can find "denialists" and "cranks" in all sorts of areas without even needing religion. Just look at the anti-vaccine movement, the HIV denialists, homeopathy, or UFO enthusiasts. It's frighteningly easy to convince people that there's an enormous conspiracy out there on the part of experts to lie to...

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Do you really think that Kevin Federline is an improvement in raising those kids? How will he juggle BK and being a dad? Well, I don't think his "career" will be a distraction for too long.. so there's that.

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What is the best television show you watched that was canceled without a resolution? Deadwood. Son of a $%&#*@$ Mother$#@*(&348290!! Arrghh!! *ahem* Sorry about that. Still upset. They had BETTER make those follow-up movies...

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What's your favorite quote by a noted Atheist or Free Thinker? I contend we are both atheists, I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.--Stephen F. Roberts The fact that a believer is happier than a sceptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous...

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Is the concept of ethics so difficult that it eludes so many people? Ethics mean nothing without empathy, and I think that's something many people lack. Without it, there's no disincentive to be unethical if you can get away with it.

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What TV commercial annoys you the most? I'm sorry to repeat but... That disgusting commercial for toe fungus creme!! You know what I'm talking about! With the little animated gross things that crawl under your toenail. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I seriously can't look at it.

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What TV commercial annoys you the most? I can't stand the latest Verizon commercials. They just get under my skin. The one with the repairman who tells the annoyingly cute kid all this technical gibberish that he goes and repeats to his dad in an even more annoying spot. "It's plus twenty deebee hot! It's true kwom!" STFU and just repair your stupid always-broken not-so-hi-speed line, Verizon dude. ...

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We adopted a 2nd kitten last week. the first one we only had 5 weeks and everyone told us to get her a friend. they seemed to get along at first but last night they had a terrible fight and we had to separate them. is this normal? Kittens will "play-fight" quite a bit. It looks and sounds serious but is really a "practice" fight to them. They will get all big and puffy and yell at each other and roll around, but not do any real damage. When introducing one new cat to an existing cat in the home, there can be real fights over the territory. I don't know how this is with kittens, but grown cats...

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I have a 11 mth old kitten, and he is insane. he attacks, bites, hisses and snarls and growls for no reason. i got him fixed to think that would help. and i tried the water bottle thing. i can sit and watch tv and sleep and he attacked me. please help!! Maybe he is bored? This is pretty normal cat behavior, but you can kind of channel it into more appropriate targets. Do you have lots of toys for him to play with/attack? Things for him to scratch/sharpen claws on? Do you take time out just to play with him for a little while every day? Also, is he an only kitten? Kittens together will entertain themselves all day. Maybe a friend would...

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I'm 17 and living in my dads rented house with my boyfriend, we are planning to take a kitten off my boyf's sister but I was recently advised against it as the cat could tie us down....my dads works loads and isnt home a lot. Should we take the cat? Kittens need lots of attention. You would not believe the trouble they can get themselves into. So if you know that nobody will be there to look after it most of the time, I would advise that you not do it. It would be different if it was an older cat that didn't need as much supervision. Also, kittens grow up to be cats. That's a giant DUH right there but I always feel the need to...

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In your adult life, what is the longest period of time that you've been unemployed? 8 months straight out of college, and boy was I pissed. When I went into college, the economy was booming and jobs were everywhere. I graduated when the dot-com bubble broke. No jobs. No jobs at any level, so I was competing for the entry-level jobs against people with 5 years experience on me. People I knew who had gone straight to work after high school were doing pretty good, with years...

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What male / female vocalist has the most amazing voice you have heard? Males: Rufus Wainwright and Jeff Buckley, both very distinctive and beautiful voices. Johnny Cash had a great voice, so deep and rich. Females: Billie Holiday and Nina Simone just can't be beat. Incredible singers. Currently I love Neko Case, an old-fashioned country belter with new-fashioned songwriting, impossible to pidgeon-hole. Amy Winehouse is pretty powerful as well. I like...

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Have you gone through your clothes recently and given away what you don't use to those in need? Yeah, I just took a bag of clothes to a store we have here that's like Goodwill only it donates the proceeds to AIDS research. But I don't do that nearly as often as I should. This time I'm packing my things up to move and realized I had all of these extra clothes that I can't wear anymore. I hope someone else gets some good use out of them, they were in pretty good shape.

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Why do people say that there are no atheists in FoxHoles? It's one of those knee-jerk things that people say without really thinking about it.. I used to hear it all over the place and I distinctly remember arguing about it with a youth group leader long before I was actually an atheist.. because it's based on a false and condescending assumption. It's pretty much based on defining an atheist as someone who *denies* God or Jesus....

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Is the "George Clooney way" the way to go? To decide to never get married? I don't see why not, to a certain age anyway. Serial monogamy isn't so bad, and in Hollywood it might be for the better. You never hear George Clooney having these crazy tabloid breakups where all the dirty laundry is hung out to dry. Maybe he's got the right idea. I bet, though, that he will settle down eventually when he gets older, but not make a big deal of it. Growing old is...

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Would answerbag improve with an ignore or block feature to filter out users you didn't want to see? Yes please! This site is going to become unreadable if these question floods keep up. Ignore features are a perfect solution for this without having to ban users.

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Why are atheists so opposed to questions about atheists and atheism? Why is it so anti-learning and against knowledge? Maybe people are opposed to YOUR questions, specifically, because you attack any answer you don't like. Why should we bother to answer? Also, you ask loaded questions, for you to jump on answers with a supposed "gotcha!" They drip with disrespect for the people you are addressing. The entire category is flooded with questions from you of this nature, and the real...

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Who's your favourite stand-up comedian? Of those still around, probably Patton Oswalt. Of those no longer with us, the great Bill Hicks.

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For Atheists: What is your favorite painting, drawing, or photo of scenic land, bodies of water, the sky, stars, or combinations thereof, and why? CbG is flooding this category with nonsense questions, and I'm flagging every one of them. I've never done this before but this guy has offended and personally attacked a lot of people here. There is no reason to be this belligerent. If you want to talk about art, go in the art category. If you just want to bother people, keep it up. Maybe you can get kicked out.

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For Atheists: Honestly, do you or have you ever felt hatred towards a Christian who believed the Bible was absolutely true? By Bible I mean as in what it obviously states rather than as in every single interpretation and translation carelessly made. A persons beliefs are irrelevant in the greater scheme of things - it's what a person does that matters. So yeah, I'm sure at some point I've strongly disliked a person with those beliefs, not for the beliefs but for whatever hateful action they had done that had offended me. A person justifying said bad behavior with their religious beliefs could irritate me further, because...

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Not all questions concerning race are racist or offensive! Often it can be very helpful to open a discussion. Why are some ABers quick to judge or get offended if a question even mentions race? That's true in theory (often it can be very helpful to open a discussion). But I've noticed some questions that are only perpetuating stereotypes that are unfair and untrue. I do tend to rate such questions down. There's a difference, I think, between really wanting to learn about other people and wanting to point out differences you have come up with that are strange or...

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After the recent change in points system has anyone moved on to the next level Still waiting. Granted the points aren't really that important but I miss leveling up once in awhile. That new points system really nailed me. Is anyone else still stuck?

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Do you think there is a chance that love isn't real? Could it just be feelings or chemical reactions or hormones or pheremones? Well, technically everything is chemical reactions and hormones among other things (electrical signals in the brain and all that). That doesn't make it any less wonderful or miraculous. Or any less real. (If you're asking whether love as portrayed in the movies or on greeting cards is real, that's a whole other thing.)

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Do you do volunteer work? What kind? I volunteer once a week at the animal shelter, either walking the dogs or socializing with the kitties. I'm actually allergic to cats but I've found out that I can tolerate them for short periods if I wash my hands a lot. I love getting to meet so many animals and keep them company while they're waiting for a new home! I also have helped out at the Food Bank with sorting food...

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What's your favorite soda? I miss jones! I used to drink it in college, and they sold it at the record shop I used to work at so I had it all the time. They come in bottles and in every flavor under the sun. I've given up soda for the most part, for health reasons, but if I came across some jones soda I'd have to snatch up as many as I could carry...

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Atheists, how do you deal with religious family gatherings like christenings, weddings, and funerals? I want to be there for my family's big events, but I end up feeling alienated if not totally disgusted by the service itself. How to deal? Let me give an example of what I'm talking about. Last year I went to the funeral of my beloved grandfather, who was a Lutheran. I was looking forward to reminiscing with family and learning more about what he was like when he was young. Instead, the ENTIRE service focused around what a good Lutheran he was, and how great the church is, and how everyone should come to that church. I was...

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It seems that there is a new dollar coin with a picture of George Washington on it. However, it seems that said coin is being boycotted because the words "IN GOD WE TRUST" are not written upon it. Thoughts? But it IS written on it. It's on the edging around the coin. "E Pluribus Unum" is there too. In other news, there is no "war on Christmas". And Harry Potter is not leading children to Satanism. Manufactured outrage is so 2005! ;) added: Seriously, the allegation is completely false and yet the lie gets around so much faster than the truth, and is never...

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I am a female and I would like to know how can I make my body have an orgasm? Because I'm tired of faking it! Well, don't pressure yourself about it, because that's only going to make it harder to get there. And don't fake it! How is your partner ever going to know what turns you on if you're fibbing about it? For a lot of women it's much easier to have an orgasm by themselves, and some women can ONLY do it on their own. It doesn't mean that anything is wrong with you,...

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I am straight, nevertheless, lesbian porn turns me on. does that mean i'm lesbian or bisexual? If you're turned on by women in person, then yeah, it could mean that you are. But I'll bet not, and here's why: First reason, it probably means you just like lesbian porn, not lesbians. A lot of straight porn is all about pleasing the GUY. So it's natural to be turned on by something that's all about getting the woman off! Second reason, to get theoretical for a...

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If your 16 year old daughter wanted to talk to you about sex, how would you react? what would you say? I'd be surprised! Because the 16-year-olds I know would die of embarrassment rather than talk about SEX with their MOTHER. I was certainly that way at that age. So I'd consider it a good sign that our relationship was on the right track, that they'd want to consult with me rather than with their friends or the internet. (But, y'know, if it was me, I would have brought...

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What browser are you using right now? I looooooove Firefox. When I have to use someone else's computer and have to use IE, I just can't stand it. You can customize Firefox to your exact preferences, and I've customized the heck out of my browser. I don't like clutter, and I don't want to sort through all sorts of menus, so I've set it up to be very simple. There are lots of excellent user-designed...

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Should Jehovah's Witnesses have the right to refuse blood tranfusions for their children, and does the state have an obligation to step in? This is so tough, because I really don't want the state stepping in on MY medical decisions, so why should I want them to interfere with other people's? But it seems so unfair to a child who can't help what household they were born into.. the same child who is denied medical care because of their parents' religion might have gotten the medical care they need if they were...

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I've tried God for many years and now I'm thinking of suicide, what should i do? Aside from the whole God issue - if whatever you've been doing so far hasn't been working for you, try something else. Don't give up on the possibility that your life could get better. There are so many more good experiences that you would miss if you died now. So many more blue skies. So many more delicious meals, belly laughs, wonderful pieces of music. Your life may suck...

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What would you do if your exfiance was getting married your cousin, and they wanted you to be a bridesmaid in their wedding? Would you do it, or tell them to blow it out their ears? Yikes. That sounds kind of insensitive. (Unless you requested to be part of the wedding, of course.) My response would be - "Sure, but I'm wearing black." ;)

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A farmer will eliminate the sick and the weak from his flock for the good of the others. Do you think families/communities/governments should cull their own herds for the greater good? The farmer isn't doing that for the good of the sheep. He's doing that for the good of wool production, or mutton production, or whatever way he's profiting off of the lives of the sheep. If you want the government, families, and communities only to think of maximizing the bottom line for the people at their head, then sure, let them "cull the herds" for their own...

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I'm bi, I have a relationship with a girl that we're keeping secret from our families, and for good reason, my family now knows and are freaking out, I can't contact my girlfriend in any way or they'll call the cops on her, we're both 17, fair or unfair? Unfair. But calling the cops is an empty threat, as other ABers have told you. It's true that while under their roof you have to follow their rules, but unreasonable rules can be bent as far as I'm concerned. As well you are nearly 18 and will no longer be under their guardianship in a few months. I'm assuming you're still going to try to see her anyway, because...

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Will the world 'wake-up' to the global warming situation before it's too late? I think we (or we here in America anyway) are too attached to our way of life to change things very easily. Just listen to some of the people in this thread! I also think too many people make too much money off of polluting factories and cars and such to allow us to make changes any time soon. If it affects the bottom line, they're not gonna do it. Only when it becomes profitable to be...

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I go from being in a great mood for a week, and then back to being mildly depressed for a few days pretty frequently. Could I be Manic Depressive or Bi-Polar? It's impossible to diagnose someone's mental condition over the internet. But from my knowledge those conditions are more extreme than what you are describing. A manic episode is more than a good mood - it's an extreme burst of energy. It's staying up two days straight to spontaneously paint your house blue. What you describe sounds more like alternating between a...

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I need help deciding if I should have my kittens declawed. I've always felt it was wrong but I can't seem to break the kittens from clawing on my couches. I have a cat tree, actually 2 of them, that they play on but they still scratch the furniture. help Please don't. It's cruel. There are a number of tricks that you can use to break them of the habit - remember, if they're still kittens then they can definately still be trained. Softpaws is one solution that many people swear by. A spray bottle is another idea - cats really don't like to get wet. But some cats will just wait until you're not around to...

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What's your favorite single line from a poem or song lyric? "It's so easy to laugh, it's so easy to hate / it takes guts to be gentle and kind." (from "I know it's over", by The Smiths) either that, or "I dreamed about you last night and I fell out of bed twice" from Ring Around The Fountain. That Morrissey can write a great lyric.

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Why do atheists use the excuse of "I've never felt God working in my life, why should I believe in Him?" when YOU have to ASK Him to work in your life? Hi there! I'm a strawman! I claim that the reason atheists don't believe in any gods is this: "I've never felt God working in my life, why should I believe in Him?" I'm an argument that someone makes up and puts into the mouth of their opponent! Because I'm easier to argue with than what their opponent is actually saying! Of course, in truth I've...

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Question for Atheists. Why are you answering questions in the Religion and Spirituality category? Generally I try not to answer questions that don't pertain to me - questions aimed at other people with the same religious point of view are generally not looking for my opinion, so I try to stay away. It seems only polite. What makes that harder is that atheism is listed under Religions as well on this site, and there is some crossover topics-wise once in awhile. Questions can also...

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I've rented a home with two other people. Only myself and the tenant I do not mind is on the lease. The other tenant pays rent but has no place on the lease. Does she have any right in the house? Do I have to go through my landlord in order to remove her? If they're paying rent to the landlord, you will have to go through the landlord to get them evicted. If they're paying you the rent, like in a sublet, then you can end the tenency, since you are the one on the lease and renting out to the other person. But anyone paying rent to the landlord has an equal right to you in the house regardless of whether they're on the lease....

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What if you found out for sure without a doubt whatsoever that God really does exist, really does love you more than anyone else did/does, and really did send His Son to die for you so that you could live forever with Him? What would be your reaction? I'd be confused, and would have a lot of questions. I mean, really, if you look at what you just said from someone else's perspective ("sent his son to die for you so that you could live forever with him") it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But, y'know, with incontrovertible proof, I'd have to go with it. Regardless of how much sense it made.

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Im a 20 yr old guy and never really had a relationship and theres this girl that i really like and she is only 15, she really likes me and i like her. is this wrong please help me. 15 is really, really young, dude. Isn't there anyone your own age you're into? Age differences matter less when you get older - when you're 30 and a girl is 25, no biggie. But 15 is a whole world away from 20 even if she's really really mature, or you're really really immature. I'm sure she's a great girl, but it would be really wrong to pursue...

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My partner says that he needs more sex.I say that I need more cuddles,kisses and affection outside the bedroom so that I will be more receptive to sex,but he says he cant do this because he will get too turned on and that I'd be teasing him.What can we do Your partner is full of crap if he equates "affection" with "teasing". If he can't be bothered to treat you well without immediate sexual gratification, he is a lousy partner. Seriously.

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What is a good medium length haircut for a heart,but yet sort of round face? That's so funny because I have the same type of face, and I just got a new haircut. I used to have extremely long hair, and two weeks ago I cut it short/medium length. I got sort of a shoulder-length bob, shorter in the back and longer on the sides, framing the face, with a side part. I *love* how it looks. But I wanted something low-maintenance, so you might like something a little...

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Why does God make atheists? *update* This question was previously located in the atheism category of the site, which explains the first part of my answer below. *update* I am hoping the mods will move this question to the Christianity section, since it is more about Christian belief than atheism. It also presupposes the existence of a god, which in this section is not a forgone conclusion. But I will add that all...

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I just found out my sister-in-law won't give her 11-year old daughter the HPV vaccine (which can prevent cervical cancer) because she thinks it gives her permission to be promiscuous. Isn't it more important to keep your child healthy? So she wants to be able to punish her daughter with cancer for having sex? Mind-boggling. I'm hoping that this reaction is a temporary trend - when the vaccine isn't so new it will be normalized for everyone to get it and we won't hear these crazy rationalizations. It's not like we withhold the flu vaccine because it gives people permission not to wash their hands......

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How do I convince my friends (a couple) to put their 16-year-old daughter (who is already dating) on birth control? They are concerned that it 'gives permission' for her to have sex. I feel it's simply prudent to prevent teen pregnancy. Personally I didn't have sex as a teenager and if my mother had tried to give me birth control I would have been mortified. Every kid is different. If the girl hasn't asked about it or indicated that there was a need, there's a wiff of overprotectiveness to putting her on the Pill this early on. If she asks about it, she should get the Pill. It could be that she should get the...

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What actress do you think has maintained her "sexiness" even past sixty? European actresses age marvelously! Catherine Denueve Helen Mirren Charlotte Rampling

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Do you feel that people who use profane words often in one sentence have a limited vocabulary and that is the reason they use them so often? Clearly you have never watched DEADWOOD! Some of the most articulate dialogue in recent memory, yet totally obscene. Ha! I love it.

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How often do you use profanity? Depending on the word, I use it pretty regularly. I use S--- and G-D- as a regular part of the vocabulary, just from hanging with a fairly salty crowd. I'll use f-- if I'm real mad. The other ones I don't even think to use. Racial slurs are absolutely out, and I hate the C-- word and the other f-- word. And I never curse in front of children or my parents.. Just to...

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Have you ever wrote your feelings in a letter to someone, and then after you've written and posted it, you then dont feel most of what you wrote - why is that and what should you do if this happens? Yeah, this is why some people do this just as a form of therapy and then tear up the letter. Because by holding in your feelings, sometimes they kind of inflate, and become bigger than they would have been on their own. In expressing your feelings they deflate to their natural size and you realize that what you thought was a huge issue was actually not that big a deal, or less important...

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A woman has wrote to me expressing a wish to have with me "a gentle, heart connected, hand holding friendship" - what exactly is meant by that? It sounds like she likes you, but doesn't want to dive straight into a relationship. I didn't word it quite this way, but the first time I met a certain fellow I sent an email with a similar sentiment, (you are awesome but I hope I didn't give you the wrong idea since I'm not looking for a relationship right now). In response he said basically, hey, that's cool, I...

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My boyfriend still talks to his ex-girlfriend, even though he knows it hurts my feelings. He says they're just friends. What should I do? Why does it hurt your feelings for him to talk to her? I'm asking honestly because it doesn't bother me when my LTR talks to his exes. It shows that he respects and cares for the people he has a relationship with, as people and not just as someone he's currently sleeping with, and that should we (heck forbid) ever seperate we will still be in touch with each other. He still...

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Most over-rated singer of all time? Barbara Streisand. She's not BAD or anything, I just don't get the worship she attracts.

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I checked my girlfriend's emails when she had left it logged on and to my utter disbelief I saw that she had sent an email to her ex boyfriend asking to go out for a football game together and he replied yes. Should I be worried? Being in touch with her ex = not necessarily worrisome. Not telling you about it = a problem. However, the fact that you're snooping through her emails tells me that you're a jealous type of guy, and she might be hiding something perfectly innocent because she doesn't want to set you off. People do hang out with their exes sometimes without it meaning that they're...

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Will an atheist ever be content with his own disbelief? I'm not sure what you're trying to ask, but I'll give it a shot. Everyone comes to their own understanding of the world, and some of these understandings are based on an eternal search for truth and knowledge. Speaking only for myself I am always readjusting my worldview to include things that I have learned over the years, and there is never a point for me at which things...

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By commuting Scooter Libby's prison sentence, does that mean that Bush is condoning treason? Tacetly, but remember, treason in Bush's eyes probably means betraying HIM, not betraying the country. Bush (or rather, Cheney) was the one who wanted to punish Joseph Wilson in the first place, for not following the party line about Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction. Wilson's wife was the most vulnerable target, and they did not seem to care that outing her would weaken our...

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I am pregnant with my first & currently 4 months along. I am afraid since I am a stay at home wife-soon 2 be mom, our child will not get to know her father well since he works. Is there any advice you could give? Depending on where your husband works, it is possible that he could get some time off. Some companies do offer 'Paternity Leave'. Or he could use some vacation time. At any rate, this would give him some time to bond with the newborn and help you out in caring for the little tyke. Starting things off with you two sharing duties equally and bonding with the child together will help...

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What are the best family films of all time, ones that the kids and adults will like? The Iron Giant My Neighbor Tortoro Kiki's Delivery Service All wonderful animated films not from Disney. I love them as an adult and kids love them too. When I was a kid I also loved these movies, and can still watch them today: Mary Poppins Bedknobs and Broomsticks The Neverending Story The Princess Bride Probably I'd pick The Princess Bride as the best overall family...

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Is it true that your fuel consumption will be less if you tailgate a big rig? I think it cuts down on wind resistence, so it's easier to maintain momentum. However, like ragland said, it's not a great idea. To really get the benefit you would have to ride much too close to be safe. Tailgating in general is kind of risky.

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Is atheism liberating? As the other answers have said, it is not liberating, in the sense that your personal responsibilities are increased. You don't "give it up to god" anymore, you are responsible for your own actions, decisions, and life. You also, unfortunately, tend to lose a lot of support system when you are not in a religious movement, and if you left one then the personal and practical...

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How does atheism cope with injustice? With action. If you don't believe "God will sort them out" in the afterlife, don't believe that the scales will be automatically balanced without your help, then you must know that it is up to human beings to create justice in this world. We have to take care of each other - noone else is going to do it. We cannot assume that the starving peoples of the world will get...

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Do you think that every time you/somebody down-rates something, they should also comment on it explaining why they think it is a bad answer? Jodie covers the issue well in her link. Another part of the trouble is that, when someone else has already made a negative comment it seems like piling on to add your comment on top of that, especially if it's just to repeat what was already said. You get tons of unnecessary "I agree" comments. If someone else already explained the problem with an answer, you should be able to...

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Are there any legitimate paid surveys online, or is it just a scam? YES! People never believe me but you CAN get paid doing surveys. Mostly you get paid in prizes instead of cash, but some of the prizes are pretty decent. Check first that you're dealing with an actual survey group and not a scam - if you have to pay to join, it's a scam. The real ones are free. The surveys are mostly related to products - companies want to get quick responses...

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I am at my wits end- i am getting married in 6 days and really feel that i want to cancel the marriage and break-up with my fiance, its not cold feet i just realise now how selfish and thoughtless he is- he makes me so mad that i actually might hit him Postpone the wedding. It will give you time to think and talk it over with people you trust. And if you have to cancel, I'm sure you will be more comfortable canceling a wedding a month or more away than a few days away. But don't worry about the guests - people will understand. I'm sure they'd rather see you cancel the ceremony than watch you get married to a guy...

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Was Seung-hui Cho an athiest? Newly released information appears to disprove this theory. From the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/18/AR2007061801732.html?hpid=topnews "Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also think Cho mentally and physically tried to transform himself into an alter ego he called "Ax Ishmael" before his...

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Right now i feel like my life's falling apart you could say im depressed. well i hate how much homework we get and that as hard as i may try i dont get awesome marks. and i just hate everything about school. what can i do? and im feeling so empty. Just remember: SCHOOL IS NOT FOREVER. Though it might seem that way sometimes. While education is important, the fact is that ten years out of high school noone has ever cared what I got in 8th grade science. I stressed way, way too much about grades when I was in school. As long as you are serious about your studies and learn as much as you can, an individual mark is not the end of the...

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What is the worst thing that can happen to a woman going in for abortion & how long does it take? These days a woman may have to make several visits rather than just one, and it can require a lot of time for travel if there are no clinics immediately available in their area. The time required may be considerable. It depends on the laws in your state and the facility that is used. Sometimes there is a waiting period required and sometimes there are additional procedures that must be...

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I just found out that my grant proposal was not awarded, what do I do to get out of the depressed mood and stop feeling like a failure? I've been there - and seen it quite a bit lately. If you're in medicine or the sciences, money is tight right now and not as many grants can be awarded. If it's any comfort to you you are definately not alone! But just remember - you're much more likely to get it when you resubmit, especially if you got some constructive feedback. Next time you'll know better what...

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Why is my level meter black? Mine is black too. I used to be able to see the rise affect as I approached the next level, but now the bag is just filled-in black instead of about half full. What gives?

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If you are an atheist or agnostic, what would convince you that God does exist if presuming that you are wrong? Why would it do so? Probably only a direct manifestation in the here and now would be convincing to me - direct in the manner described by ancient peoples, where a deity acted visibly upon the earth and conversed directly with the people, which the deity now for some reason declines to do, according to them. A believer can see the hand of a deity in any coincidence or meaningful experience, I know. So only a...

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Why are we practically forced to be ashamed of bieng white? Who is doing that to you? That's terrible. I don't know where you are now, but I don't see much of this in the US. I do see white people being asked to acknowledge the long history of terrible treatment they as a group have dished out to other ethnicities (colonialism, genocide, slavery, etc). If *that* makes you ashamed to be white, it's probably understandable. I feel...

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I believe that being homosexual is wrong, nevertheless I respect everyone for their beliefs and feelings and I try not to be prejudice against such people. But is it really necessary that homosexual people get offended when others say "that's so gay"? Well, people tend to get offended when you insult them. You just don't like being called on your prejudices. When you use "gay" as an insult, of course people who identify that way will be upset, and other people (like myself) will be offended. If you don't want to have any consequences for such behavior, tough. Maybe you should think before you speak.

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What makes a bad kisser? If you want to be a good kisser, DON'T: -try to suck my face off -choke me with your tongue -kiss me with dry/chappy lips (Blistex is your friend!) -go too fast in general - think slow and lingering, not hard and fast. That's how you get the dreaded Teeth Bump effect. YMMV, of course.

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Who do you want to replace Bob Barker? (the price is right) Noone. They should just rerun the old shows. Wouldn't that be fun?

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Is there an easy or simple way to learn multiplication? My daughter is struggling!!! My dad taught me using a chart like this one. He quizzed me on random problems and scooted his finger around the chart so I could see how it worked. With lots of drilling I got it down right.

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What is an otaku? Otaku used to be a derogatory term in Japan for an overly obsessed fan, commonly of anime; the root-meaning of the word refers to someone who spends a lot of time at home (because they're pursuing the hobby they're obsessed with). In America the term is a badge of honor, for someone particularly knowledgeable or enthusiastic about Japanese animation. It's sort of like the...

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Know of any good anime with a dog or animals in it My favorite anime dog is Ein, from Cowboy Bebop.

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Why do people get turned on by hentai? Wouldn't they rather watch real porn instead? Some of the appeal might be that, since it's all imaginary, no actual people were harmed or exploited in the making of the product. It's just drawings. They're both kind of skeevy, but I imagine that's a factor. Some hentai is just beyond the pale and truly vile, but then again so is some porn.

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Does anyone remember the Japanese cartoons years ago? How come they always made the eyes look so big? Remember Speed Racer? The big eyes are more expressive. It's also more endearing, in the way that baby animals are endearing, because the proportions are all off. Baby animals will have these giant heads, or giant paws, or big watery eyes, and tiny little bodies. We're kind of programmed to take to those qualities. Anyway, the idea is to get you attached to the characters. Current Japanese cartoons...

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Has anyone seen "excel saga"? what's your oppinion of it - just dumb or hilarious? The more anime you have seen, the more hilarious Excel Saga is. The more episodes of it you watch, the closer it gets to "just dumb". It doesn't sustain very well. It just killed me the first time I saw it, though. So funny.

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Do you prefer to read edgar alan poe or shakespeare? I enjoy Edgar Allan Poe, but he's no Shakespeare. He has the benefit of being a more recent author in a more modern idiom, and I don't think he'll have the staying power of Shakespeare, whose work will live forever. It's sort of a matter of whether you prefer the Innovator or the Master. Poe did a lot of innovative stuff in both poetry and short story; he basically...

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What are the reasons for living? -chocolate -coffee -driving down a long highway with windows down and stereo blasting -music -hot tubs -a good wine -massages -all the books you still have to read -all the films you still have to see -paintings -kittens -laughing so hard your stomach hurts -walks in the woods -happy memories -the chance that you will be happy again, someday

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Is an Atheist a Pagan? I believe Pagans are polytheistic (believing in several gods), while atheists don't believe in any gods. So no, atheists are not pagans. It's tricky, though, because the term "pagan" was basically coined to refer to any number of religions that were not in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and to any person who did not immediately convert to Christianity. Kind of like the...

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Do you find the terms "evolutionist" and "freethinker" less socially awkward than "atheist"? Evolutionist is a fake term as far as I'm concerned, the only people who use it are people determined to categorize scientific belief as a pathology. Which it isn't. And as has already been pointed out, plenty of deists (even - gasp - Christians!) accept scientific findings on evolution, so it's not even a useful label. I actually think Freethinker is kind of obnoxious. So is...

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How did you learn about sex? I found The Joy of Sex hidden on my parents' bookshelf. Behind many other books, turned around backwards. I said: "Ewwwwww!" and put it back. But returned to it many, many more times, later, in secret. Anyone else do this?

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Ladies, how can you stand wearing high heels (and thank you for doing it!) I can't - never wear them if I can help it. They ruin your feet.

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Ok I applied at a new job and got hired, then after filling out the paperwork the boss had the nerve to ask me to sleep with him, Of course I said NO!! It's a good job, and I could use the pay increase but what should I do? You definately don't want to work for this guy. But technically you were hired by the company, not him. You could go to human resources for this, let them know you've been hired but you wouldn't be comfortable working with this man because he's made some unwelcome advances. If there's another department or supervisor they could put you there instead, and let them...

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How should I handle a backstabber at work? I had this happen once. It was very frustrating. Here's my advice: Save all the evidence, and cut off unregulated communications as much as possible. Save the emails. Try copying all the emails you send to someone like a supervisor or a coworker that you're both cool with, including all of the previous thread. Only interact with the person in situations where there will be...

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Do you think athiesm is a lack of beliefs? Why or why not? Atheism is defined by a lack of belief in a deity. Such belief is simply, entirely absent in an atheist. It may or may not be replaced by logic or skepticism or rationality or the like. However, an atheist may believe in any number of other things. They may believe in the sanctity of life in and of itself, for example. They may believe strongly in a cause, like peace, or protecting...

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Should atheists go to work at Christmas and Easter? Sure, technically our benefit time or whatever you want to call it can be used for any particular day in most companies, so if you don't have a religious reason not to work you can choose whether to come in or stay home. There are plenty of other religious holidays too, like Yom Kippur, where some people take off work and others come in. There are plenty of Jewish holidays scattered...

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Regardless of how you personally feel about the Blasphemy Challenge, do you think it helps the cause of non-believers, freethinkers, etc.? From what I've seen, I think of it more as a freeing experience for the people who undertake it.. to stand up and declare what you believe and don't believe, and to shake off the fear that had been pounded into many people from childhood that an angry deity will strike you down if you make a wrong move. I don't personally think that's a healthy belief and enjoy seeing people...

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True or false: God does not control anything, it's all odds and probability! Not odds and probability, cause and effect. Odds and probability are things that human beings use to predict what's going to happen in the future, from our tiny vantage point as helpless little residents of a dangerous planet. But nature chugs along as a mighty unfeeling engine and whatever happens to us is a byproduct of that process. Looking backwards, we can calculate how likely or...

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What grounds do atheists base their morality? Mainly the same places theists do: from their experiences, from their upbringing, from their friends and family, from personal reflection and from the wisdom of those who came before. There is an enormous range of study going back to ancient times concerning this subject: philosophy and ethics. Different people may have different traditions they find relevant; I lean towards Kant, the...

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If you don't believe in God, who or what do you worship? Why do I need to worship anything? I have appreciation for the natural world, for the love I feel for the people in my life and the love they return to me.. I appreciate human ingenuity and the incredible machines that are our bodies.. Looking at the definition of "worship" I suppose I could say I have "admiration and reverence" for life, which is the most precious...

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So do you think Falwell is singing in heaven or burning in hell? (cnn.com: Jerry Falwell dies at age 73) Being that I believe in neither, I think he's simply gone. Had he been murdered or perished in an accident or in some other way taken before his time, I might feel badly for him and for his family. However, he died of relatively natural causes in his 70's, and had a long and successful life. In that light, I do not feel bad to say : he was a horrible human being who actively...

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What are some of the hardships in interratial relationships? And do you feel that because of these hardships ther relationship should therefore be best avoided? The reactions from strangers and potential lack of support from friends and family is definitely a hardship, although one that can be lived with. A largely unacknowledged hardship is the burden of growing up in a racist society and having to carefully extract all of the unconscious baggage that goes with that. No matter how anti-racist one wants to be, we all were subjected to damaging...

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Atheists: I'm not being snide or pushing buttons, but do you have an anthem? Because spiritual people connect through song, so if there was a strongly atheist song, would you celebrate it? Thought inspired by 'It's All Nice on Ice' by Modest Mouse ... There's not really an anthem that atheists use to feel connected to one another except in a general human way. In terms of a song that sums up an atheist's view of life, John Lennon's "Imagine" does wonderfully. He just totally captures my view. If there was no such thing as "heaven", for example, people would have to live their lives the best they could...

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Can someone recommend a good cheap pair of headphones with good sound quality? You CANNOT beat these for the price: Coby CV200 Digital Stereo HP w/ Bonus Earphones & Carrying Case $9.98 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008VF77/102-7428427-2332935 (the bonus earbuds are useless, it's the stereo headphones that I recommend) Great pair of headphones - only drawback is that they might not last as long as a more expensive pair, but again, for that...

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Why do atheists complain about religion when most of the organizations in the world to help people with poverty or aids are ran or started by people with religous backgrounds? Atheists don't help the world out. Here are some charities that are unaffiliated with religion: American Red Cross United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Doctors without Borders (my charity of choice) Oxfam International Second Harvest United Way of America The Humane Society 4H The Sierra Club Heifer Project International American Cancer Society Amnesty International The American Foundation for AIDS...

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I have two children, 3 years old and 4 months old. My Family keeps bothering me about writing a WILL. I don't think anything is going to happen, but should I anyway? Yes yes yes!! At least select a guardian for your children... These days, it's good to set out your medical directives as well, just so that it's clear to your family members what your wishes are. You can do this in a will too, I believe.

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My family has made the decision to sell my 83 year-old grandma's house. We haven't told her yet because she still thinks she is going home one day (this is never gonna happen). Should we tell her? If we do, how? It's a tough one - it's disrespectful to do it without telling her, but selling the house may be a real necessity. The tricky part is that it can be VERY difficult to pay for a care facility without selling the house. Some of these places can be very expensive - worth the money, one hopes, but an ongoing drain on the finances. Maintaining the house while also paying for the care...

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What is the funniest sitcom? No love for Arrested Development? An acquired taste for sure, but that show never failed to crack me up...

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Does it matter if your significant other proposes to you without a ring? Think of it this way: you can pick out a ring together, later. It sounds more romantic to me to shop for the ring together, and this way you get some input into what ring you get. Remember also that the diamond engagement ring only became a tradition in the mid-20th century. Look up De Beers diamond company and their ad campaign "a diamond is forever", which suggested that if he...

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How do i make my boyfriend propose to me? i mean i know i can force anyone.. but surely there's something i can do to speed up the proccess!? i know that he wants to get married If you're fairly confident he wants to get married, why not propose yourself? Women propose a lot more often than you think. Also a lot of couples just kind of mutually agree on getting engaged in casual conversation, like, "hey, what do you think about getting married?" "hmm, maybe after I graduate next summer.." etc. That whole "down on one knee with a...

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Can anyone tell me of a REALLY good anime series that is worth buying? I love anime but I want to make sure that I'm getting my money's worth.(all kinds of anime) My "bookshelf anime" list here has three criteria: great anime, that can be collected in a single reasonably priced set (so about 26 episodes), that has a strong ending. (I specify strong ending because I've been disappointed by quite a few series in the end.. particularly when I bought .hack/sign, loved the beginning, and got to the non-ending that you have to play the video...

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Was Seung-hui Cho an athiest? Apparently his family was Christian and he attended a Christian church. He claimed to have been mistreated by his young peers at the church. Whether that drove him to leave the religion, to leave the church, or just to be pissed off, is kind of unclear. I suppose this is the next checkbox in the "what variety of freak was this kid" game - first you can blame his Asian-ness and...

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For those of you who don’t believe in Jesus Christ or God; what do you have to lose by believing? What a weird question. I mean, you could make that argument for anything under the sun that doesn't cause you direct harm - what do you have to lose by bowling? Giving up red meat? Moving to Fiji? You imply that we should do everything that doesn't lose us something, but unfortunately our lives are limited and we can't do everything. We select the things we choose to do based on...

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I just saw a news story concerning the American political initiatives to encourage 'purity' in young girls before marriage, in the form of 'purity balls'. 17 year-old girls take their FATHERS as their date. What are your thoughts on this? Besides being deeply weird? And creepy? It's rather explicitly an attempt to drag us all back to the days when women belonged to their fathers until they were traded over to an eligible young man for marriage. The whole point is to demonstrate that the girls belong to their fathers, and for them to pledge their chastity to their fathers, and that they will relinquish that chastity...

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If i believe god exists, but i don't like him or trust him, am i still Christian? Interestingly enough there WERE offshoots of Christianity waaaay back in the first few centuries post C.E. that were the same way. They followed the teachings of Christ, but believed that the God of the Old Testament was evil. They thought Christ was leading the people AWAY from the old teachings, which they saw as barbaric. Marconism - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcionism Gnosticism -...

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I understand that Atheists dont believe in God but do they believe the devil exists? Speaking only for myself, no. Right and wrong, good and evil, all come from within us humans. We all have to decide whether to hurt or help our fellow man and we can't blame it on a devil.

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Do you think an atheist or a Christian needs more faith to believe what they believe? The only thing that defines an atheist is a LACK of belief in a deity. An atheist doesn't need faith at all. That's sort of the point.

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If a basketball is tipped by an opposing player to you while your standing out of bounds, whose ball is it? The person who knocked it out of bounds - the person who tipped it to you. Unless you grabbed the ball while still in bounds and traveled out, or reached inbounds with your hands and grabbed the ball without bringing yourself in bounds as well, it's your ball.

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Do Atheists believe in the "soul"? Is there a definition they'd use? Some do, and some don't. It's a philosophical as well as religious topic, and it's not a consistent belief among atheists as far as I know. I go back and forth on it. I certainly don't believe in a soul in the traditional sense, of something that floats around in the ether and enters the body at conception and leaves at death, to heaven or to the next life or nirvana or...

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Do any of you regularly read newspapers, or do you rely on electronic media to find out what's going on in the world? My RSS feeder pretty much covers it. I also listen to the local NPR station and their feed of BBC world news. Between internet and radio I'm easily on top of things. The newspapers haven't figured out yet that they're scooped left and right by faster media and should focus more on in-depth reporting. I will pick up the Boston Globe once in awhile when they have a...

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What's the thing you hated most about your youth? Other kids. It's weird but I never did know what to do with children even when I was one. I always hung out with the grownups, helped the teacher, etc, and was in a hurry to grow up.

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Ive been an athiest for a few years now, i am still debating on wether to tell my family or not. my whole family, mom's and dad's sides are catholic. I feel like i'll break their hearts if i tell them. Especially my grandma, she works at a church. Honestly it depends on how important it is to you to be identified as an atheist, or a non-believer, or simply a non-catholic. While you shouldn't feel that you have to hide who you are, many family members would probably perceive any such announcement as an attack not just on a religion but on family tradition and possibly on the way you were raised. Unless you have an intent of making...

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If I said a teapot orbitted the sun, but you were unable to detect it by telescope, would my saying it is there be enough to convince you it was there, especially if I had a book written 1000+ years ago to support my theory? Not if an anonymous person on the internet said it. But if I had been raised from birth to believe so, and had lots of people around me to reinforce that belief constantly, it might take me 20 years or more to figure out that the probability of there being a teapot orbiting the sun is slim-to-none.

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Why do Homosexuals get so upset if someone doesn't agree with there lifestyle? (We all have freedom of choice, even the ones who disagree) Besides the physical and legal persecution specifically experienced by the gay community, noone likes for someone to criticize their "lifestyle" from the outside. I don't suppose you would like it very much if I publicly disapproved of your, Charmaine Jay's, specific spending habits, and declare that they make you a bad person and that you should be forced to change. How...

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How powerful is propaganda? The most powerful propaganda of all is that which is not recognized as propaganda, but simply accepted as truth without consulting other sources. Particularly that which claims that anyone who says otherwise is crazy or evil. There is no knowledge that is so dangerous in itself that you should not experience it yourself; it is either true or untrue, and the truth will set you free. Read...

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Its been said that Rome fell because family life broke apart, due to moral breakdown. Is this happening in our modern world today. Who exactly among historians has come to that conclusion about ancient Rome? Citation please? Because I was made to understand, in my history courses, that Rome fell for a variety of reasons mainly having to do with overzealous military expansionism. This is a companion myth to the "Greek civilization fell because they were too homosexual" tripe, also a completely ahistorical...

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They said a prayer on the Senate floor today for the people and familys of the kids killed or hurt at the Virginia 'Tech shooting. If you are an athiest, are you against them doing this or is it ok because of what happen? I wish there was a more inclusive way for them to commemorate this terrible event, without endorsing a specific religion. But I'm not up in arms about it. It's certainly appropriate to acknowledge a tragedy and offer thoughts and sympathy for the families involved. Naturally individuals will do this from their own religious/philosophical viewpoints. If we had more non-christian...

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Why did my answer to this topic disappear? It was there 3 hours ago. Did the Scientologists have it pulled? http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1114 Well, I've got a pretty good idea of which user flagged my answer for removal - it was the same user who I was responding to in my comment with a fact that he didn't want known and had no good response to, so he just had my whole answer removed. A user that just signed up yesterday to boot. (I know because their profile says they removed a comment today, April 11). I'm really...

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Who isn't a christian on here? Atheist. I kick ass in bible trivia though. :) Let's keep this going, there's got to be lots of us. edit: did everyone here get rated down, or just me? funny.

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When I read the Bible I want to read it in the correct context. Should I be concerned about all these different names for God or are they all referencing the same thing? Like ELOHIM vs. YHWH. Are these the same but just diff languages? According to biblical scholarship those two names are from two different traditions active among the tribes of Israel - in the northern kingdom they used one name (Elohim), in the southern kingdom they used another (Yahweh). Because the Bible was written using stories from both kingdoms, it alternates between the two names. It is in reference to the same deity of course, but slightly different...

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My car wouldnt start just made clicking noises so thinking it was a drained battery I tried to jump start the car. Nothing. So I recharged the battery checked all my connections and now when I try to start the car no clicking but my radiator fan turns on? Does your instrument panel light up or radio come on? Could it be an ignition problem? How old are your sparkplugs? I'm not a car expert but I've had both of these problems in the past, easily fixable (I hope for your sake!)

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Why do people seek answers to religion from strangers on the internet? I think because religion can be a very hot-button subject, and because people can be embarassed to ask certain questions of people they know in real life. Asking anonymously on the internet is a way to get other people's input without facing confrontation or embarassment. Also, there is a much wider variety of opinion on the internet than what is usually available to a person in their...

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Is it strange or bad to be 18 and still a virgin? Because friends I didn't even expect to lose it before me have. Not at all. I was 21 when I lost it. I was waiting for the right guy. When he came along, I was so glad I waited. In ten years noone will know or care when you lost your virginity - it is honestly not a big deal.

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Do you believe in chivalry, or that men and women should treat each other the same? Like dertster said - kindness, not chivalry. The concept of chivalry is weird and outdated - it goes back to a time and a social class where women were basically pets to be gifted from their fathers to their husbands.. "chivalry" was merely a way for rich men to win the choicest show pony by making *reallyreally* tiny gestures of kindness (like spreading your cape in a mud puddle,...

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Ad nauseum - (To the point of making one sick)is a Latin phrase we have taken into English. What other ones can you think of? A few more: ad hominem deus ex machina habeas corpus gratis edit: a lot more legal terms like affidavit and alibi are latin too, I believe.

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Has anyone had a ganglion before? It's like a lump under your skin, usually on a tendon or on tissue that lines a joint. What did you do to make it go away? I used to have this when I played the violin. It was pretty big and grew on the back of my left hand on the tendon for my ring finger. I was prone to tendonitis in that wrist and the whole area was quite sore. This was from repetitive stress of practicing violin for hours a day in college, which can inflame your tendons and encourage fluid-filled cysts to grow. I tried all sorts of things to...

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What's the funniest joke you've ever heard? Q: What do you call a woman with one leg longer than the other? A: Eileen. edit - awwww. I thought it was funny.

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What is the best English band of all time? (If you say Oasis, I will automatically discredit anything you ever say on AB ever). It comes down to: 1. Beatles 2. Rolling Stones (pre 1980) 3. Led Zeppelin 4. The Smiths 5. Everyone else

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Is it possible for a 270 pound person to lose 150 pounds in 3 1/2 months, by drinking water and slimfast. The other answers have been right on the money. You can't lose that much weight in that amount of time and be healthy. Don't lose weight as a way of getting someone back. Do it for yourself. My own piece of advice is this: while you are doing whatever you decide to do to lose weight, there are other things that you can do to look better in general and be more comfortable with...

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Is marriage, as a social institution, becoming obsolete, or is it evolving? It will have to evolve, or it will die out. A lot of people my age, particularly women, are reluctant to get married as it has more drawbacks than benefits. There are still some scary laws on the books in some places, such as one that says it's impossible for a husband to rape his wife (I guess because he should automatically get sex from her whenever he wants, or something). A lot of...

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Is Jack White part of both the Raconteurs and the White Stripes, or did he leave one? He's in both. He switches back and forth.

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I am teaching my cat how to walk on a leash has anyone else ever done that? I haven't done it but I've seen it done in the city. I think it's a good idea. I'm afraid to let a cat run loose in the city, and they can get very restless in your place if it isn't very big. Apparently you have to start young, and give them time to get used to wearing a leash before you try walking them with it. Just let them wear it around the house. Then try...

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A friend of mine was raped recently while at work. She just found out that she is pregnant, and has every reason to believe that the child is the product of that rape. Is it right for her to abort the child? If you're her friend, you will support her either way. She has to decide if she can love a child unreservedly who was conceived in such an awful way. She will also have to face being FOREVER tied to her rapist by giving birth to his child, whether she keeps it or gives it up for adoption. She has to honestly think about if she can happily endure 18 years with a constant reminder of her...

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What's the one product every child needs? Diapers! Unfortunately. Man, those things are expensive.

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Can you love and be in love with someone you don't find physically attractive? There are lots of kinds of attraction. A very wise man told me years ago that there are three: 1) Physical Attraction 2) Emotional Attraction 3) Intellectual Attraction Any relationship based on just one of these isn't going to work. Two is better, and three is ideal. Your feelings about a person, your physical attraction to them and whether you're on the same mental...

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Do you have any respect whatsoever for Rosie O'Donnell? Not after that "ching chong" business, no.

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I can never stay comfortable during long flights with the awkward position of the seats and the small space that we get. I don't like to stay still, does anyone have a suggestion? I have long legs and this bothers me a lot too. I tend to request seats in the exit row when I get to the terminal, where there is more legroom. In the very least I request an aisle seat, where I can stretch out when I start to get cramped. Also if you check in electronically when you get to the airport you can sometimes switch your seat to one with more room, like the bulkhead or the...

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My mp3 songs has different sound level ( but bit rate is 128), how can I manage them in same level? Read this article: Alpha Geek: Whip your MP3 Library into shape http://lifehacker.com/software/mp3/alpha-geek-whip-your-mp3-library-into-shape-part-i-+-level-the-volume-230105.php Basically they recommend using a program called MP3Gain to put all your songs to the same sound level. This program has worked well for me.

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I just had a baby boy- it's been 1 week and the baby's father still hasn't seen the baby (due to issues w/his mother) and now some of my close guy friends want to visit. Is it bad for another man to see the baby before the father-should I make them wait? Huh? It's a baby, not a duckling. He's not going to imprint on the first guy he sees.

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Is there a way to download someone else's music onto your ipod from their computer/itunes without deleting what is already on your ipod? (your music will not be the same as theirs) Yes, it is possible, but a little tricky. Apple has set up the iPod to only load from one computer at a time. You'll have to download some freeware to work around this, which is generally frowned on by Apple. If, in the process, you mess up your iPod, Apple won't want to help you fix it. I had the same problem only it was on two of my own computers - I made the mistake of using an...

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Do you think that abortion is murder? No. An embryo is not alive in a legal sense, therefore taking the action of ending a pregnancy, which leads to destruction of an embryo, is not murder. We don't issues certificates and social security numbers to every embryo, because we acknowledge that it would be be ridiculous. We don't celebrate the moment of conception, we celebrate the day of birth. This is the only...

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How do you feel about a law banning the smacking of children? This is likely to become law in New Zealand, despite there being a majority of the public against the bill. Well, it's assault if you hit a stranger.. why is it ok to hit your child?

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Why is my computer running slowly. (No viruses found, 141 Gb free space)? As others have recommended, check for spyware and adware, and check your task manager (push control+alt+delete ONCE) to see what is running. Sometimes if I really need to speed things up in order to run a complicated program, I will use the program End It All to shut down ALL non-essential programs running in the background. This is a free program - google it. Finally, you can run a...

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Do you think that people are prejudiced against Wiccans? In my experience Wicca tends to be ignored in religious discussion, which is a prejudice in itself. People just don't know much about it. I remember the case recently of the deceased soldier in the US and how they had to fight for months and months to be able to put a wiccan symbol on his grave in Arlington Cemetary. Other soldiers automatically receive a cross or a Jewish star, but our...

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Why is Athiesm under religion on AnswerBag... sorry this just doesn't make sense to me. I wish it was under Philosophy or something like that. I don't consider it a religion, it's really more of a philosophy or way of thinking about life. I can see why they put it there, because it is related to religion, but I think that the topic would be much less contentious if it was listed elsewhere.

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Do you think that people are prejudiced against atheists? whoops, this was a comment that went in the wrong box. please delete. move along, nothing to see here.

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Has anyone taken the Myers-Briggs personality assessment, and what was, or is, your "type"? (Introvert/Extrovert; Sensing/Intuition; Thinking/Feeling; and Judging/Perceiving.) INTP Introverted Intuitive Thinking Perceiving There's not supposed to be very many of us in the general population but I bet we are more common on the internet.. it helps with the Introverted thing.

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What is your favorite poem? Wow, we've got an amazing collection here! And yet several of my very favorites have not yet been mentioned.. no Auden, no Thomas, no Larkin.. Allow me to enter one more: The World State Oh, how I love Humanity, With love so pure and pringlish, And how I hate the horrid French, Who never will be English! The International Idea, The largest and the clearest, ...

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What are your favorite quotes? "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for." Robert Browning "Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison." Thoreau "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret...

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Whats your favorite bible verse? "Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never...

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Can you ever recover from a broken heart? A real broken heart.. I don't think you do. You just learn to live with it, like a limp or a scar. Once you've recovered enough, you will love again. We're gluttons for punishment that way. ;)

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I'm a teen & selling drugs is the only way for me to make money. What will you say to convince me NOT to sell drugs? What do you need money for? You're a teenager - haven't you got someone putting a roof over your head, food in your stomach, and clothes on your back? Please tell me this isn't so you can get cool sneakers or an ipod or some other nonsense. Kid, those are non-essentials. If you're willing to risk your future on a pair of shoes, you're a moron and you deserve what...

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Is it ethical for a teacher to hold a pop-quiz on Senior Skip Day and give everyone an F on the quiz? I don't think it's ethical, and here's why: The teacher is certainly entitled by the rules to punish students for skipping their class, which is part of the reason for pop quizzes. (If you're missing classes, you won't know the material or you'll miss the test entirely). But, people are entitled to a make-up exam when their absence is excused by the school....

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In the last month, several "superbaggers" have left AB. They seem to be predominantly adults. That may be irrelevant. They have found the discourse "disappointing." Any theories on why the exodus? Has AB become "insensitive or hurful" to you? Perhaps this new design will help. I like the way that social questions are separated out from the serious questions. If we could all police that, it will be a more satisfying system for everyone. Before the serious questions and answers were being drowned out by non-serious, often inane questions posted mostly for points. Maybe now this will be easier to sort through.

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Whats the best way to cheer yourself up when you're feeling depressed? Go for a walk. It's good to get yourself moving, and sooner or later you'll see something to make you smile. Also, something I personally do is volunteer at an animal shelter. All those lonely animals need hugs, and nothing can make you feel better faster than a fuzzy kitty hug. If you are me. Anyway.

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Do you prefer a quickie to a long over nighter? Long sessions are nice but there's something to be said for spontaneity. Gotta love those sudden bursts of passion.. like when you're getting ready to go out somewhere and they just look so good.. :D A few minutes later you're out amongst polite society and no one is the wiser.. hee.. Underappreciated, the quickie. Quality, not quantity, my friends.. :D

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Why would an Atheist spend so much time and energy talking about "God", when they don't believe that "God" exists in the first place? I'm sure it must seem like an atheist is always talking about religion, but truly, that's only because we only identify ourselves as atheists when the topic of conversation is religion. I mean, when else would we bring that up? It's not like we sit around at home and gossip about religious people. And I'm sure you have had MANY non-religious conversations with atheists...

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If christians have funerals at churchs, where do athiest have funerals at? Funeral homes, a lot of the time. With cremation, though, you can have a memorial service just about anywhere that's meaningful to the person who passed. Somewhere they might want their ashes spread, maybe.

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What's the worst thing someone could say to an Atheist? Here's one I've gotten recently.. "don't be sad - he's in heaven now!" I know you mean well, but.. NOT COMFORTING

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I'm an atheist, and my family is trying to bribe me to go to church. Should I go? What is your opinion if I do? If I don't? Has this ever happened to you? Do you think it is hypocritical for an atheist to participate in church to appease someone else? Fortunately there is not an atheist "Final Judgement" where you are rooted out for not being a proper atheist. ;) There aren't any rules, and you can only be hypocritical by telling other people to do something that you wouldn't do yourself. So, it's not hypocritical to participate in a church service as a non-believer, and people do it all the time. I go along when...

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Can a 16 year old girl date a 22 year old guy? Depending on the laws of her state, she can. But it's not advisable. Any twenty-something who wants to date teenage girls is either not trustworthy or very immature. This is experience talking - don't do it.

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Why do atheist care what anyone believes as long as they are free? Basically we don't. As long as we're all free to be religious or not religious, and my rights aren't being restricted, it's cool. Some people might feel that churchy people are being deceived and manipulated by religious leaders, and might try to talk people out of religion for that reason. I'm not one of them, though. I don't presume to know why you believe...

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Would you consider your life to be a comedy or a drama? oh shoot, the question changed. never mind. :(

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Why do some people live on the streets? The majority of homeless people are only homeless for a very short time, and basically go unnoticed. These are working people and families who hit a run of bad luck and lost their home. They stay in shelters or in their car until they can get the money together to live somewhere, either on their own or with help from charity or the government. There are also teen runaways who live on...

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Hi, THis is kinda crazy... I need to know what people think about this. Will someone go to hell for having feelings for another man while married. Also will the other guy go to hell for having feeling towards the married women? Well, keep in mind that I'm not religious when I say this.. I think in any long-term relationship you are bound to notice other attractive people, and I think it's fairly harmless. You're human, you're a sexual being, it's natural. Idle thoughts will not hurt anyone. Feelings for someone else are more of a problem. If you want to qualify it as a sin, you could say...

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I'm gay, and I want to know the truth on the amount of people on average who are okay with it and who have a problem with it. Thoughts? It would be interesting to identify people's ages with their answers here.. I know in my family all of my older relatives, parents, grandparents, uncles, etc, are pretty homophobic and against gay rights.. and yet somehow my siblings and cousins and I all wound up supporting gay rights to various degrees. Generational change, my friends. That's what keeps us moving forward. Anyway,...

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When should someone lose their virginity? I don't think there's a specific age, just a matter of maturity level and finding the right partner, and being mature enough to find the right partner for your first time. Don't be in a hurry to "get rid of" your virginity. I know the feeling, but there is no set age for when you should do it. It is perfectly okay to wait until you meet a person who really rings...

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Why do so many dog walkers get cross with their dogs when they come over to you in a friendly manner? Because some dogs want to run up to EVERYONE and say hello. And (for whatever reason) some people do not like dogs, and don't want dogs running up to them even in a friendly manner. They will get upset with the person walking the dog for this. So the dog walker wants to be careful who their dogs goes near. But I'm sure if you give them a wave they would be happy to bring the dog...

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There are many complete anime sets (Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Eva) showing up on Ebay in 3-disc or smaller sets, as opposed to the usual 7- or 8-disc sets. Are these 3-disc sets legitimate or bootlegs? They are bootlegs. Especially on Ebay, if you see a one-box set sold super-cheap it's either a bootleg or it "fell off a truck". Check how many disks are on the set available on Amazon, and that should tell you if it's legit. Remember, with a legit company you can complain if the quality's not good, with a bootleg DVD it's the luck of the draw. Sometimes...

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Why do people that don't watch anime often times think it's childish and stupid? What makes some "cartoon" any different from a regular TV show, except for the fact that it's drawn? This used to be a problem for all animation. As Disney became more of an institution in the US they cemented the idea of animation as a children's entertainment. But in recent years some adult comedies (The Flintstones, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama) have kicked in the door as far as animation for adults. I think a lot of the reason this continues to be a problem with anime is...

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My xhusband committed suicide, before he did this he signed over the home his mom bought. the state said this woman paid 25,000 dollars for it. she won't let me or the kids have our personal belongings. do we have any rights? Wow, that's a rotten situation. I'm not a lawyer but as far as I know the purchase of a house does not entitle someone to everything contained within. If you have proof that the items inside the home are yours (receipts, bills, even photographs of you with them) gather it all up. With the details you've provided if you are not allowed to collect your things you should contact the...

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Which is better, Subbed or Dubbed? Subbed, always. Even when there is a decent dub cast, and there are some English voice actors around now who are pretty darn good, I still prefer the original Japanese actors. It's often a matter of cultural shadings, the English translation often doesn't quite capture the meaning right and the English actors often portray the characters completely differently than in the original. ...

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What is your favorite anime? I'll be the oddball: Revolutionary Girl Utena. Hands down. I love how it starts out as a cheerful Rose of Versailles takeoff and turns into this surreal psychosexual mindf*ck.

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What do atheists believe about creation? Creation is a religious term, and a religious way of explaining why the world is the way that we see it now. Many ancient peoples had such stories. Sometimes they involved starting from nothing and explaining how the world was made. (Like the greeks, where the earth and the sky hatched from an egg and fell in love with each other, and between them made everything there is). (Also the aborigines...

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Why is Sigmund Freud respected even though he's mostly dismissed? He was there first. That's how it tends to work in the general population, regardless of how well the theories stick within the discipline.

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If you feel that Christians are wrong for trying to convert athiests, why? IMHO, when religious types try to convert other people, it's *annoying* but not neccessarily wrong. I might think someone is an obnoxious jerk for trying to convert me, because here's someone who doesn't know me at all (And it would have to be a stranger, because my friends know better!)trying to tell me that I don't live correctly, and implying that who I am is going to...

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Wouldnt it be nice if AB displayed a flag icon next to your avatar so you can see who's from which country? Absolutely - I know I sometimes tend to assume that everyone else is from the same country as me, and that leads to some confusion in the questions and answers. It could be an option in your profile, to select a flag to represent your national affiliation. If you don't select a flag, it wouldn't display anything. Great idea!

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I need experience working with children to take my early childhood education class. Any ideas where I can do this? I think that most day cares (in Ohio) require licenses. How about after-school programs? I don't think you need a license for that, and as a student I bet you could be a volunteer or intern on a program. There should be all ages of children there. You could also work for something like a puppet show that entertains children. You wouldn't get as much time with each child, but you would see LOTS of kids.

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Last Semester, I had a teacher who would often bring up his relgious views, continue to insult atheists and said that every atheist was a communist. What would you of done in that situation? This is really against the regulations of most schools. It would be the same if he got up there and said "All Christians are idiots" - the teacher is making a hostile environment for their own students and impeeding their ability to learn. If there is some way to anonymously voice complaints, I really believe you should do so. This teacher is not likely to stop doing this and will...

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My friend Pierced her belly button herself and i was with her when she did it and well it didn't bleed a lot and it barely is red is that normal? I think it can be normal, but your friend should be careful. I've seen people who pierced themselves get nasty infections. She will have to keep the area VERY clean, disinfect it a lot, and if anything unusual happens like swelling or oozing, see a doctor. I don't imagine a belly button should "bleed a lot", when pierced, if you do the piercing correctly there...

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What, or who, does your avatar represent? Mine is a screencap from FLCL. I looked for the right pic of Haruko for some time. I love that character and how this cap has her looking up to no good. :D She kind of blazes in, stirs things up, and disappears. She's totally nuts. She's completely uninhibited. She's probably an alien. She carries a base guitar and when not playing it uses it for a kickass weapon. She...

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Have you seen the DVD, "The Secret?" Will you use that power? Salon kicked this pretty hard in a recent article. Sorry to do a paste-by but they pretty much summed it up. http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2007/03/05/the_secret/index_np.html ----- Worse than "The Secret's" blame-the-victim idiocy is its baldfaced bullshitting. The titular "secret" of the book is something the authors call the Law of Attraction. They...

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Do you think that people are prejudiced against atheists? Well, here's one person who is: "It’s time to stomp out atheists in America. The majority of Americans would love to see atheists kicked out of America. If you don’t believe in God, then get out of this country. The United States is based on having freedom of religion, speech, etc., which means you can believe in God any way you want (Baptist, Catholic,...

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If you a complete athiest, and don't believe in God, but you pray to him to do well on the next test, or to have something go right in your life, does that make you a hypocrite? No, but it does make you kind of confused. Your question's a contradiction - you're not an atheist if you believe there's a god out there to grant you favors.

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If you're an atheist, will you still say things like "Oh My God!" and what not? I was always taught not to do it. Taking the lord's name in vain and whatnot. So in kind of an irony to your question, I say it a lot more now than I did before I was an atheist. (Before: Never:: Now: once in awhile). But I'm much more partial to the s-word, when I'm mad. :D

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If you are an athiest why did you become one? Well, I didn't come out of the womb with a religion any more than I came out singing the alphabet. Like many I was subsequently trained in the religious tradition of my community (Lutheran, and later Methodism). It took awhile to unlearn it, but once the childhood indoctrination wore off enough to look around me clearly it had to be done. And believe you me, I was heavily indoctrinated,...

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What runs in your family? Here's an odd one: on my father's side of the family, passed down to my sibling and I, we all have a particular tooth missing. It just never grew in. Weird, huh? I had a fake one put on so you can't tell. Diabetes also seems to go back a couple generations. I get tested for it every few years.

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Who has the most distinctive voice in music today? You can't get more distinctive than Tom Waits. On the girls side, Neko Case has an instantly recognizable voice and serious pipes to boot. As for those people on the radio, sure, some of them have pipes, but they all sound the same. Pitch correction and heavy processing will do that.. Edit: shoot, I should have said Cat Power.

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Are you personally doing anything to help the environment? Walk. (I don't own a car).

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Are there any home remedies that I could use to unblock my sinuses? Spicy food, dude! Also just rinsing with water (or saline nose spray) can help with sinus pressure, if your passages are open enough for it. If not, a hot steamy shower. A lot of sinus problems are caused by nasal passages drying up, or at least in my case they are. A humidifier is helpful this time of year.

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What's a good comeback when someone says to you "Why are you so fat"? My general answer for rude questions like that is, "why are you talking to me? Do I know you?" My really rude reply, which I just think to myself when in the gym surrounded by skinny girls, is "Yeah, but I can lose the weight. You are never going to grow boobs, stick-girl." :D

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Do you use MySpace? I finally gave in and made one a few weeks ago. http://www.myspace.com/144882565

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Do you have any favorite protest songs? Bob Dylan has a lot of amazing protest songs. But I don't think anyone's mentioned Neil Young yet.. he had a number of good ones, like "Ohio": Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We're finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio. It's funny, a lot of people talk like protest songs ended in the...

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Did you gain or lose Expert status in any categories with today's update? I lost my one Expert category, atheism. I'm kind of sad about that. :( Guess I should post more.

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Is it possible to get a pirate copy of Windows Media Player? Would this work to your advantage, or against it? Sure, but I don't know why you'd want to. VLC player is much better, and free. http://www.videolan.org/ For just about every software that microsoft makes there is a shareware version out there that is better.

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How is "freedom just another word for nothing left to lose"? - Janis Joplin No committments = freedom. Freedom = nothing to tie you down. You can do what you want, hit the road, follow your dreams, without having to take anyone else into account. Also there's no chance of rejection, or of losing someone you love, because there's isn't anyone you care about enough for them to be able to hurt you like that. It's safer this way, somehow, but...

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Do you know of any songs that are the very definition of insanity or the path towards? "Climbing Up the Walls" by Radiohead. Creeps the hell out of me. Pretty much the soundtrack to losing your mind. That scream Thom gives out at the end makes my skin crawl.

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What's your favourite R.E.M. song? My list: -Radio Free Europe -Driver 8 -South Central Rain -Electrolite -Swan Swan H -Don't Go Back to Rockville My favorite REM album is actually Automatic for the People but I love those early songs.

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Does anybody know how to make a myspace page look totally awesome? if yes.. How? Most MySpace pages kind of make my eyes bleed.. but there are some websites that have nice free designs for you to use. I'm using this one: http://www.iloveyourspace.com/MYSPACE%20LAYOUTS.html Find a layout you like and copy the html into your "about me" box.

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Have you seen the DVD, "The Secret?" Will you use that power? No and no. I believe positive thinking can help you achieve goals but this seems more like magical thinking to me. From what I'm told "The Secret" says that your thoughts will manifest themselves in your surroundings, like magic, rather than your thinking powering the actions that will bring you success. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_thinking Keep in mind...

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In some countries, like Australia, the rates of organ donations are very low and people are dieing unnecessarily because no organs are available. What can be done to encourage people to become organ donors after they die? I wish I knew. I wonder if it would help for organ recipients to be more public about the benefits of organ donation. My favorite aunt had a kidney transplant 2 years ago.. she is middle-aged and has been ill for years and since she got her kidney the difference has been just incredible. No rejection problems, she can eat normal food now, and can go back to normal activities of living that...

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What do you think about Pascal's Wager? When I was in the middle stages of leaving religion behind, I did use Pascal's Wager for a little while as a rationale of hanging on to god-belief, even once I'd left the church. I can still see the logic behind it, and it's a good argument. However, it makes one assumption that I can't agree with. Pascal's Wager assumes that there is a cost to not believing in god...

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If you are an atheist and you needed help badly, would you pray? When I was very young I would pray for every little thing.. especially at the end of the day, I would do what we used to call "lifting your troubles to god". When I was really scared (like when a tornado was coming) I would pray a lot. Later on, though, when I sorted through my knowledge and experiences and readings on the religion and those sort of things, I realized that my...

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What is your favorite candy? Nestle Crunch is definately my favorite. Something about that particular chocolate and the rice bits just hits the sweet spot.

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An honest question: Why does it seem that atheists bash Christianity heavily compared to other religions? Is this just me? Well, I try not to "bash" religion personally. But I will agree that I argue with Christians over politics a lot more than I do with Jewish people, or Wiccans, or Hindus. My explanation is this: When Jewish people try to pass laws to keep me in the house from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday, because their religion requires it, I will argue with them. I am not a Jew. I...

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An Atheist friend of mine said she would believe, if I could show her proof. Is there a way to show her? RockAngel, this sounds like the sort of thing I would say to a friend if I was trying to gently end a conversation on this subject.. If, say, a well-meaning religious type that I had a personal relationship with was trying to convince me to turn from my atheist ways, I would say such a thing for several reasons: 1) to show that I don't have a problem with their religion, I just...

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I just found out my daughter is smoking marijuana. I want her to stop, but just telling your teen ager to stop doing something is not realistic. Any ideas on what I can say or do to get her to think about what shes doing? What would have worked for you? A lot of people just don't think there's anything wrong with using marijuana. It's certainly very helpful to some people who have chronic painful conditions. I've never done it myself, but I know plenty of otherwise-law-abiding, productive members of society who smoke the occassional joint without dropping dead or murdering anybody. I guarantee your daughter probably knows a...

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Why are people interested in the personal lives of celebrities? I always figured it was because people like to gossip, and celebrities are so well known that you can do this anywhere.. unlike, say, gossiping about your coworkers at home. You can go almost anywhere and say to a perfect stranger, "can you believe Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband is the father of Ana Nichole Smith's baby?" and boom - instant conversation for ten minutes. Also,...

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I turned off the pc last night, this morning it will not turn on, the monitor says that it is in power save mode, I have unpluged it from the wall to see if that will reset it but no luck. Any advise would be welcomed. Check your connections between the monitor and the PC? I think in XP it has a mode like this that you can exit from by pressing the space bar.

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What is your opinion on Eddie Murphy's movies, particularly the ones where he dresses up as obese men/women? I'm particularly tired of these shamelessly unfunny caricatures of "big, sassy black women". Martin Lawrence did those "Big Mama" movies, Tyler Perry built a freaking industry for himself on it, and Eddie Murphy is leaning on that same trope more than ever. I mean really, if it's actually to "honor" the black grandmother figure like Tyler Perry claims,...

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Can we post CONGRATULATORY kudos to our first AB Maestro? I suppose now you're going to insist on being called Maestro... ;)

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My computer runs slow and when you click to go into somthing it takes a few mins before it opens and it will even say not resopnding it will do this alot what should i do? If you have any anti-spyware programs like Spybot or AdAware, run them. If not, they're free - do a google search and download both. Adware can slow down your computer a lot. I have a feeling you'll be shocked to see how much you've accumulated. If all else fails, run a defrag.

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How many partners have you had? (I just want to see the average on here) One. Although there were also many bad dates, unrequited crushes, and one mild stalker before that. I'm just choosy. ;)

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What would your porn star name be? (It's the name of your first pet + the street you grew up on.) Pouncer Westwood. Apparently I'm a cowgirl stripper in an oldtimey saloon or something.

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Ive been with my bf for 10 years (im 24) we live together but i dont want to ever get married. do you think this is wrong and why? I think it's entirely possible to be successfully monogamous and happy without marriage. BUT you have to be sure you're on the same page about it, because if one party is actually waiting patiently for a proposal that's a serious hitch in your happiness. Communication is key! A good friend of mine has been in a relationship for eight years and she DOES have the goal of being...

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If you could blow up the world with the flick of a switch would you do it? Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Now - if you could make everybody poor, just so you could be rich, would you do it?

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CSI, CSI:NewYork or CSI: Miami? The original's the best. Better cases, better actors, better production all around. But for unintentional hilarity, you can't beat CSI: Miami. David Caruso makes me laugh my head off -he's the Shatner of our generation. The whole thing is ridiculous and overdone and full of campy awesomeness. Seriously, it's the best comedy on TV. ;) I tend to forget that CSI: NYC even...

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What do BC and AD stand for in terms of a calendar year? The Gregorian calendar uses B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini, meaning "in the year of our Lord") to count years forwards and backwards from the conjectured birth date of Jesus Christ, with no "0" year. Amusingly enough the birth date of Christ is now estimated to have occurred in 5 B.C. Modern texts in particular subjects (such as science and history) will...

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Make up an excellent haiku that starts with my name, please. Elitheeli, how many syllables are in your name? I'm guessing.

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So, YOU, how does it feel to be TIME MAGAZINE'S 2006 Person Of The Year? Be Honest. I feel like Time magazine is increasingly irrelevant and trying to suck up to internet-centered people like us who don't need traditional media anymore. I'm not going for it.

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Do you say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"? I work with a variety of people of different faiths and honestly I can't always tell which is which, so... this year I tend to say Happy Holidays. It feels awkward, though. When I was younger I worked at a Jewish organization and I still went around saying "Merry Christmas" out of habit. Noone was offended but I did get several gentle corrections from coworkers who celebrated...

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Some say that Ab has become a site dedicated to socializing and opinionated banter, do you agree? I think that's been going on all along, it just kind of floats around the site in various sections as a natural process.. There are the serious answer-seeking questions and there are the contentious opinion-bating questions and they're pretty easy to tell apart. Individual users will find what they need. The whole personal grudges thing kind of needs to be handled, though. It...

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What's your position on DRM (Digital Rights Management)? Do you think it's going out of control, is it just fine or do we need more? DRM is a dirty word to computer users everywhere. It's already lost Sony a considerable amount of money as many CD collectors (like me) refuse to buy their cds now because of the way they cripple them with DRM. Companies like Sony will encode their CDs with junk so that you can't play them on your computer, and you can't play it on your MP3 player. Well, I PAID for the cd and I...

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Which horror movie character freaked you out the most and why? Not a movie, but on Buffy The Vampire Slayer the episode with The Gentlemen made me hide behind my couch. OMG. Scariest in a movie = Come PLAY with us! Forever, and ever, and ever...

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What is the worst beer that you have ever tasted? I can't stand cheap beer at all - Coors, Budweiser, Bud light, Busch, Rolling Rock, it all tastes like something you could scoop out of the toilet. (Sorry for the visual). Miller was the worst. UGH. It may be cheap but it doesn't save any money because you have to drink a ton of it to get over the horrible taste and to feel any effect. I thought I hated beer all through college...

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What is your favorite Johnny Depp movie? Mine is the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, POTC: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Chocolat... I love him in Benny and Joon. The Buster Keaton bits he does are really wonderful.

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Question for Atheists:If you're in a mixed religion marriage(now or in the future)do you let your religious spouse take over that part of parenting.Or join it. Interesting how you consider religious education a part of parenting - not surprising, just interesting. To me it's an elective, easily substituted for with an ethical/philosophical framework. I plan to neither get married nor have children, but if those things somehow happened, I would probably leave it up to the kid whether s/he wants to do, say, Christmas services with their other...

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What will be downfall of the Human race? Refusal to plan for the future. (added: I'm kind of lumping in a lot of things there, like taking care of our environment, developing resources like energy for future generations, preparing for eventualities like disease and famine, cultivating peace in the shadow of technologically advancing warfare, remembering the dangers of overpopulation and the inevitably violent conflicts of a...

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Why do some women not like men opening the door for them if they are being a gentleman and nice? If I'm carrying three bags of groceries, it's nice. It's helpful because I would have had trouble opening it otherwise. If you're going through the door ahead of me and hold it open as a casual gesture, that's cool and thoughtful. If you trip over yourself rushing ahead of me in order to get to the door first and hold it open for me, IT'S STUPID. I'm...

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Does anyone use Last.fm? I do! I love it, although it takes awhile for the system to pick up on your tastes. You have to feed it enough tracks first. But I love the tag system - I can search by tags like 'New Wave' or just 'sweet' and get a stream of appropriate songs.. blah blah blah here's my spot: http://www.last.fm/user/lizvelrene/

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Are there any of your questions or answers on here that you really wouldn't want a friend or family member to see? I don't think my family members would be very happy to see me listed as the expert in "atheism". They've all accepted that I'm an east coast liberal weirdo now and not coming back to the midwest and to my methodist/lutheran upbringing, and I'm pretty happy with that much progress... I keep quiet on the whole "no god" thing though. They don't...

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What is the worst song ever? I have the answer. It is "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas. Stupid, obnoxious, lame, and featuring the most non-talented pinup girl ever to ruin a perfectly good hip-hop group. CURSE YOU, FERGIE!! *shakes fist in the air*

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I had an album in the mid '60s called L.O.V.E. the jacket pictured two black bassists. Can anyone tell me the name of the artists? I bet you are thinking of the band Love - they were around in the 60's-70's and they were awesome. Arthur Lee was the main mover behind the band, the singer and songwriter and a dreadfully overlooked genius of the psychedelic era as well as in the pantheon of black rock and roll artists. Love was a major inspiration for more famous groups like The Doors, and their most famous...

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Do you think the rich countries of world are sharing enough of their riches with the third world? My problem with the relationship between the 1st world and the 3rd world is that 1st world countries exploit the natural resources of the third world and THEN don't share the profits with the people who actually live there. Whether it's sweatshop labor, oil, diamonds, or lumber, exploitation of the 3rd world is wrong no matter how much more comfortable it makes our lives in the...

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What is the saddest movie you have ever seen? "Grave of the Fireflies" So beautiful and so sad. It's an animated movie and if you have any children or any affinity for them it will break your heart into teeny tiny pieces. I'll leave it to Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" essay to describe the film, but part of what makes it so effective is that the man who made it lived through this situation in WWII...

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How good is the firewall in XP? Does it do any good to add ZoneAlarm to work with it? Is it needed? I love ZoneAlarm, personally. Once you get used to the way it pops up, it's no bother, and it has blocked quite a few intrusions that would have gotten through my XP firewall. I haven't gotten a single virus or intrusion since I installed it. But mine works in tandem with AVG Anti-Virus, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Ad-Aware, so those might be covering some holes as well. (All...

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What is your favorite poem? My ulterior motive for posting this question is finding new poems to add to my poetry.doc file where I cut-paste poems that I like. :) I have added quite a few from these answers!! Some of my favorites have already been listed, so I'll just add this one by Anne Sexton: Her Kind I have gone out, a possessed witch, haunting the black air, braver at night; dreaming evil, I...

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What is the greatest lyric of all time? My favorite single line/couplet is: "I dreamt about you last night / and I fell out of bed twice..." -The Smiths, "Reel Around the Fountain" For a full song I'd have to go with this one. It's almost scary how timely it is right now even though it was written over 40 years ago! (I'm sorry it's so long) ---- "It's Alright Ma,...

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What is your favorite Simpsons quote? Me fail English? That's unpossible!

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Which movie would you refuse to see/watch? Any movie that revolves around: - a "brilliant" and "charismatic" serial killer (irl most of them actually have the personality of a rock) in a game of cat-and-mouse with grizzled detectives while leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. - a group of young people wander into a strange place where a deranged killer kills them off one by one in increasingly creative and...

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I'm in my early 20s. Right now I live with my parents. My dad is verbally/emoitonally abusive towards everyone espeically my submissive mother. I'm in the position to move out, but should I leave my mom to endure the wrath of my father alone? I say leave. While you love your parents and want to keep the peace, right now your number one responsibility is yourself - you're still developing emotionally and this kind of behavior is poison. Get yourself settled somewhere safe and focus on getting your adult life started on your own. Counseling may be a good idea if that's possible, because you haven't exactly had the...

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How many of you recognize the woman featured on my Avatar?? She looks a little like Eleanor Roosevelt.. it's hard to tell in these tiny avatars.

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What would you do if you were suddenly and inexplicably David Byrne? Put on a BIG SUIT. And be awesome.

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What's the name of this song: its a female singer (I think) with a sort of spooky-sounding dance beat and the refrain sounds like "The boy never gets older."? There's a song by the Raconteurs that contains those lyrics - but the singer isn't a woman, it's Jack White from the White Stripes. So it might not be what you're thinking of. Here's the lyrics just in case: "'m pulling down questions from my shelf I'm asking forgiveness I ain't asking nobody but myself and I want you to know this and I...

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Are there better places to shop for cheap airline tickets, besides travelocity or orbitz.com? http://www.expedia.com has been my travel website for a few years now - fast, easy to use, the descriptions are accurate and I've never had an issue with them. They're especially good for if you will also be purchasing a hotel room, because you can get a discount on your plane tickets that way sometimes. I have also heard good things about http://www.priceline.com, though I have...

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Does drinking milk really help you go to sleep? Warm milk, yes. Or at least, that was how my mother did it. Personally I'm fonder of chamomile tea. The herb Valerian is also useful (you can get it at the drug store).

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Do you think scars are ugly or give character? I'm a bit undecided with mine... I vote for "give character." They make you unique. And are signs of your time on this planet and what you've gone through on it. Same for lines and wrinkles, too, in my opinion.

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My favorite old t.v. show was M.A.S.H., whats yours? BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (That's by far my favorite but I also like House, Lost, Heroes, Jericho, The 4400, Medium, and Bones.) (Am I a geek? Yes.)

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Is there a "quick fix" for a pulled Quad muscle in the leg? Assuming you haven't seriously injured it (no swelling or lumps, I assume?) there are a few steps you can take to get it feeling better. - Heat (you ice an injury, to decrease swelling and numb the pain, you heat a sore muscle while it's healing to relax it, for the most part). Use a heating pad (they're cheap if you don't have one) and don't put it directly against...

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How are you responding to that new tract you recently received entitled "The End of False Religion is Near!"? It's just as entertaining as the previous predictions by the Jehovah's Witnesses of the end of the world. Armageddon was also supposed to strike in 1914, 1915, 1925 (this time the dead would return first, lead by "Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old"), 1975 (a particularly disappointing failure of the world to end), and some general time point before the...

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How can I study without getting distracted? I can't seem to sit in one place without doing something else aside from studying. Usually when studying or working I try to gather up everything beforehand that I might possibly want or need, so that I have no excuse to get up and walk away - like drinks, snacks, extra pens, blanket, etc. Just kind of bundle yourself up with the knowledge that you'll be "camping out" in that one spot for a few hours. This kind of preparation helps me prep my mind for a long...

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What does the phrase "Catch 22" mean and what is its origin? Catch 22 was a novel by Joseph Heller. It described a situation where, in WWII, you could be excluded from combat if you were crazy. However, the very process of wanting to leave combat proved that you were sane, therefore you had to keep fighting. The phrase has been adopted to describe a no-win situation often caused by crazy rules/laws that contradict themselves or each other. Another...

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What's the artist or title of the French version of "My baby shot me down"? What is the original version? Nancy Sinatra did a song called "Bang Bang! My Baby Shot Me Down" - here are the lyrics: I was five and he was six We rode on horses made of sticks He wore black and I wore white He would always win the fight Bang bang, he shot me down Bang bang, I hit the ground Bang bang, that awful sound Bang bang, my baby shot me down. Seasons came and changed the time When I grew...

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What rock songs contain the word or are about Sunday? Not technically a rock song, but who's more rock'n'roll than Johnny Cash? "Sunday Morning Coming Down" Well, I woke up Sunday morning With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt. And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, So I had one more for dessert. Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes And found my cleanest dirty shirt. Then I...

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There is a song used in many beach commercials and more recently in an ad for a lottery. It is relatively slow and relaxing with no lyrics, just humming. What song is this? You could also be describing Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" - when they use it in commercials they sometimes only use the part where he's humming. Beautiful song.

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What is the purpose of the 'void if removed' tab on lottery scratch cards? My guess has always been that it was so the same scratch-off card couldn't be cashed in twice. The tab is removed once the prize has been collected.

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What is the saddest song you have ever heard? Someone already said "Tears in Heaven" - that's not even a type of music that I like but the story behind it makes me choke up every time. SO SAD. Another one is "Nothing Compares 2 U" sung by Sinead O'Connor. I hadn't heard this song in years, but when I listened to it recently I found it devestating. It just perfectly expresses the desolate feeling of a...

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Who decided that absence of proof equals proof of absence in reference to the existence of God? The talking point you're referencing is from the Intelligent Design crowd, who have devoted themselves to taking down Science a peg in order to promote their god. This is rather silly and unnecessary, as plenty of scientists who are christians will tell you. The statement you use is based on a misunderstanding of how science works - and the more they insist on trying to use science to...

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Should I be concerned if my boyfriend has called me by his ex wife's name in conversation? No, I don't think so. Some people just do this. My father does this with everyone's name - he's called me by my aunt's name, my brother by his uncle's name, and we've both been called by the dog's name on several occasions. I think he just tends to switch around "family" names when he's not paying attention to what he's saying. My...

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Are people born gay? Edited to add: This question originally said something quite different- I think it originally said, "can a straight person choose to be gay?" I've now changed my answer to reflect this. To address the question as written now - I think all behaviors are ultimately learned in one way or another through social conditioning and the psychological impact of experience. However,...

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Who is Lilith? And what is the story behind her regarding the creation story? The story AntigoneRising gives is correct as far as what I've been taught. There are many alternate stories about the creation that were common in midevil times but have fallen out of favor nowadays. Adam actually had three wives according to some forms of apocrypha. The first wife was never given a name - Adam watched her be created by God, but was so disturbed by the sight that he...

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Is BYU considered a good college? Considered by who? In a general sense, you can get an idea from the US News and World Report rankings at the website below. (BYU is #70 on this list) http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php But as tjatherton says, it depends on what your major is and what future career you have in mind. Every university has its strong departments and its...

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Will anyone love me for who I am? Well, who are you? You have to answer that question yourself, accept that answer, and be confident in that answer. If you do that, then anyone you are with will see who you really are, shining through, and you will know by their actions how they feel about you.

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If soooo many people believe that thier god has been around forever then first of all that means is that were entertainment and second why couldn't it just have been the universe has been around forever? I'm not sure I understand your question, but here's Mark Twain on the subject: from LETTERS FROM THE EARTH "This is a strange place, and extraordinary place, and interesting. There is nothing resembling it at home. The people are all insane, the other animals are all insane, the earth is insane, Nature itself is insane. Man is a marvelous curiosity. When he is at his very...

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How could a scientist believe in God? My husband's father, a geologist, was a great scientific mind. Now he is 75, attends church, and reads the Bible. Is he senile? How could someone turn their back on fact? Since this is in the Atheist question category I'll take a crack at it.. Whether someone is religious or atheist generally has nothing to do with intelligence. I can tell you from experience that there are plenty of stupid atheists and smart christians/jews/hindus/etc out there. Someone like you or I has found no factual basis for religion and conclude that there is no point in it,...

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I have a lot of weight to lose and I'm not very athletic. What is a good type of exercise that I can do and keep up with? Walking is good exercise, and you can work it into your daily schedule. Skip the car or the bus whenever you can and just walk to work/lunch/the store. If it's too far to walk to work or school or anywhere else you go daily, just take a walk around the neighborhood. Once you get used to walking places as a habit you can start stretching out the distances you go. With walking you...

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What is the best book for a beginning Scientologist to read? It is essential to read the following website before you get involved with Scientology: http://www.xenu.net/roland-intro.html For a book, you can try this one - A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics, and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed http://www.amazon.com/Piece-Blue-Sky-Scientology-Dianetics/dp/081840499X/sr=8-3/qid=1159151119/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-4031021-8119268?ie=UTF8&s=books You can...

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How do I turn off manner mode on Verizon wireless LG cell phone? I have the same phone - hold down the * button.

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What are some really fun ways to exercise? Dancing. Go out on the town or try a beginners dancing class, or just turn up the music and shake yr groove thing.

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Is it normal for a woman who was raised naive of the male anatomy to be sexually excited only by the female anatomy? It depends on what your experience has been so far. It could be that the sexual stimulation you've had so far has been strictly visual, like on television and movies and pictures. In this culture, sexuality is expressed almost exclusively through the female form. In the media, the formula is almost always Naked woman = sex, naked man = comedy. If you've never been in close proximity...

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Does racial diversity really make people more sensitive and understanding towards race? The more interaction between the races, the less strife there is between them. Mere diversity doesn't help if everyone's keeping on their sides of town. This also goes for sexual and gender identity divergence. The more we work together, the more we see that we're all just people in the end. Stereotypes are also more easily dispeled when you have plenty of examples around you to...

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When will the worldwide population stop increasing? When we run out of food to feed everyone, space to house them, etc. Or, preferably, when birth control methods become acceptable enough and available worldwide to keep the population at a sustainable level.

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Why do rock stars and musicians always marry models? Even Bob Dylan! I totally agree with yohoho05 (and Bobby, geez, what was up with that Victoria's Secret commercial?? You dirty old man, you. lol) but I want to add something else: A lot of creative types were outcasts when they were young. They were nerdy, or weird, or in trouble a lot, or just introverted. They probably didn't get to date the pretty girls at first, or endured a lot of rejection....

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Why does my husband tell me to 'figure out a way to make money' when it was his choice for me to quit my job and stay home with kids? Every argument I get slammed for not working, and he never shows any respect or thanks for giving up my job. This happens in many marriages when the wife stays at home to support the husband in his career. Of course, he will argue that he goes out to work in order to support you at home, but that doesn't take into account all of the work you do to raise the kids, keep the house, cook his meals, wash his clothes, and other time-consuming activities that you have taken over. Perhaps if you and the...

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If immortality were possible, would life be more or less precious if you could live forever? The word "precious" usually indicates to me that it is a rare or scarce commodity of value. Something that's one of a kind, irreplaceable, is precious. Something that is common and renewable, is not. Our lives are more precious because they are short; if they lasted forever, they would be less so. But each life is still unique and not reproducable, so they would still have...

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If none of the major parties' candidates appeal to you, is it better not to vote at all, or to vote for a party who'll never win anyway? If voting is an expression of what you believe, it shouldn't matter whether your candidate has a chance of winning. You're not voting for the candidate because they're popular (or you shouldn't, anyway) but because you agree with them and want them to represent your voice in government. Not voting at all expresses that you have no political opinions. If that's not...

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Many people say the Lord is not real according to books, thoughts, and bad experiences. Well why do those people say that, if they never gave their life to him and had a real relationship with him? Your question is a fallacy, for two reasons. First, you assume that atheists are turning their backs on your god and ignoring him. This isn't true, and here's why. Even if we assume that you are right and there is a god, not believing in one and rejecting one are two different things. Rejecting a god means that you think one is there, but you don't want to worship it....

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Why did my brother turn atheist? And is there anything that will change his mind? There are many reasons for a person to abandon religion - the only way to know your brother's reasons is to ask him. He may or may not change his mind on the subject, it's hard to say. A lot of people lose their religion when they become adults and establish their individual identities, but go back to it when they get older or have children. But keep in mind that trying to change...

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HOW CAN I FIND OUT WHO IS RUNNING A CERTIAN WEBSITE? There is a service called WHOIS that can show you who has registered a site. This is a free service. This is very useful for determining whether a site is a scam, or whether a site that claims to be impartial is actually a commercial site, or anything else like that. http://www.whois.net/

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My boyfriend wants me to get on birth control but I'm against it, and he doesn't want to use a condom. I say no sex til we figure it out, but he's threatening to get with someone else. Is he bluffing or could he cheat? Look, if he really wants to avoid pregnancy he'd better be using a condom with EVERY girl he's with, including this other chick. Birth control pills are not absolute and the girl can always forget to take it. He is also risking STDs every time he has sex, some of which can be incurable and/or fatal. In other words, this is a BS excuse and he's trying to manipulate you into...

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My girlfriend went to a party and got drunk. Her friends brother tried to take advantage of her, and put his hands down her shorts in the spa. Although nothing happened, she still let it get this far. Is this cheating? My feeling is no. Speaking as a woman... guys trying to feel you up is something we all encounter at one time or other. Often it is not something that we encourage or want. Now that I'm a little older I find it easy to push some guy off me when he gets grabby, but a lot of young girls don't know what to do in that situation and simply freeze up. ESPECIALLY when they're...

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Where is the line in the sand for you concerning political correctness? Political Correctness is a boogyman concept generated by the far right in order to whine and complain whenever someone asks them to show some respect for others. Not sure what you mean by "line in the sand" - perhaps you mean the point at which you feel free to be rude and disrespectful to others. In that case I usually don't find it at all difficult to respect other peoples...

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How do you transfer music from iTunes to my MP3 player? If you have purchased music through the iTunes music store online, you can most easily load it onto an iPod music player. The software will automatically recognize your player when you plug it in, and you can drag and drop tracks onto your player, easy as pie. If your mp3 player is not an iPod, that can be a problem. Music purchased at the iTunes music store may not be transferred to your...

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How do you get water out of an ear? Also there is a product called Auro-Dri that is especially for this purpose of relieving water-clogged ears. You can find it in most drugstores. It consists mostly of isopropyl alcohol, which is the main ingredient of some types of rubbing alcohol but in a higher concentration. Be sure and read the package warnings (i.e. don't use it if you have a damaged eardrum etc). There are some...

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Is it wrong to be annoyed when a man who lives with a woman without being married, calls her his wife? Certainly you are free to do so, but the rest of us have to wonder why. I don't see how it's any injury to you. You mention in another comment that you are married yourself. Do you fear that when this man calls her his wife it is somehow insulting to your own marriage? Because I'm sure he doesn't mean it that way. In fact, it is a sign of his own committment to his significant other. Do you...

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Do atheists believe there will be an "end," or will things just keep going pretty much like today? Just to add to what LynfromNM and prustage have said, their answers are good.. I can't speak for all atheists because we haven't really discussed this at our secret atheist planning meetings.. (joke!) I don't know that it makes sense to talk about the universe in terms of an end and a beginning. Because of our relatively short lifespans we are very wedded to the idea of linear...

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What does it mean when your boyfriend says he's still in love but he would like to put the relationship on hold to sort himself out? Wow, I just heard this from a girlfriend of mine. Let me tell you what I told her, only shorter and more blunt: He likes you, but he wants to see if he can find someone better. In case he can't, he'd like you to wait around for awhile. In case his prospects don't look good he wants someone to fall back on. Will you get back together? Maybe, maybe not. But I would argue that you shouldn't...

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Is it bad to wash your hair every day? It really depends on what your hair is like. There are so many textures and lengths of hair and there is different maintenance for each. A problem you can have when you wash your hair every day is hair product buildup. Using conditioner every day can definately create a buildup of product on your hair that will make it heavy and unmanageable, and it's helpful to skip it once in awhile (that...

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Do you like reading the answers to question more or do you like reading the comments below the questions? I like reading the answers better. You can get a lot more detailed in the answer space. Every now and then an answer will stir up a lot of interesting comments, though. I wish there was a way to keep track of your comments so that you can come back to an interesting comment exchange.

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When is "Lost" going to be premiering? The new season will premere Wednesday, October 4. ABC will air 7 brand-new episodes, and then take a break for 13 weeks. Lost will then return for an unbroken block of 14-15 new episodes to take it to the May season finale. This new strategy is meant to cut down on repeats and clear up any confusion about when new episodes will be airing. Last season became a little confusing in the...

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Is this program medically accurate? Accurate, yes.. Realistic, not so much. From what I can tell, the medical terms and definitions are used appropriately (for the most part) and conditions are as described, if exaggerated somewhat for dramatic effect. The illnesses have all been fairly real and plausible. The procedures are basically as presented, except much faster than in real life. However, as far as representing a...

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What is an appropriate way to respond to men who shout after attractive women down the street? Whip out your cellphone-camera and catch them in the act!! The Hollaback websites are for women to report men who harass them on the streets or public transportation. It provides some much needed shaming and helps us ladies avoid the losers who do this stuff. Anyone who thinks that street harassment isn't any problem should have a look at these websites, it's a real eye-opener! ...

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What is the best course of action if someone starts to tell an offensive joke at a social gathering? It might depend on the nature of the social gathering, and how the joke teller is related to you (stranger, friend, relative, boss) but personally I find that stony silence isn't reaction enough. People tend to assume that everyone else thinks the way they do until they're told otherwise. If someone tells me a racist joke, it's because they think I'll appreciate it. That's an assumption I'll...

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I lost my virginity to my boyfriend a few weeks ago and we've had sex quite a few times, but I haven't enjoyed it. Why could this be, and how should I tell him? It was like this for me too, even with a guy I was really into. I thought I knew what I wanted from my solo sessions, but being with someone is really different. I never really enjoyed partnersex until I had a regular partner and we'd been together a good long while. My point is, it can take awhile to really work out what does it for you. Don't worry about there being something wrong with...

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After a man climaxes inside a women, is it normal for both parties to get up and clean themselves off? Funny how they skip that part in the movies, huh? They always look so shower-fresh and cuddly-perfect afterwards.. of course real life is usually a lot messier. In other words, yes, I think it's pretty normal.

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How do you get a woman to do what you want in bed? Hmm. You have a few options. For a few dollars, you can get your very own inflatable woman, very easy to maneuver. Also, I hear those RealDolls work very well, and you can design them to look like anyone you want (without the pesky personality to get in the way). In a few years, we will have some spiffy robot women who come with remote controls, then you can get what you're looking for with the...

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What anime titles are similar to Boogiepop Phantom? (Other than Lain and Haibane Renmei). Paranoia Agent is a good choice, if you haven't seen it yet. It's done by Satoshi Kon (director of Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers) and it's a really excellent series. The basic plot follows a series of assaults by a (child? monster? phantom?) skater called Lil' Slugger who attacks a series of people with a baseball bat. A large and disparate cast of characters are loosely...

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Will there be a sequel to Hellsing? The final episode left a lot of loose ends. There were a lot of loose ends at the conclusion of the Hellsing TV series, largely because they abandoned the plot of the manga (comic) series about halfway through. The last few episodes are an original plot that left a lot of of plot points vague and others dangling. The Hellsing Ultimate OVA series is coming out in Japan right now and should come to the US soon (if you bittorrent, you...

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Why do some men use the term "feminist" as an insult against women who don't agree with them? It implies that they think the idea of a woman being equal to them is either laughable or threatening, probably both. The woman who's disagreeing with him is acting as though her opinions are just as valid as a man's. In reaction the man shuts her down by reminding her of her place, and reinforces the power structure that makes his opinion more important than hers. It also implies that...

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If I can't get the prescription for the emergency contraception pill, and I turn out to be pregnant, will abortion be the last option for me? Your best option would be to find your emergency contraception, to prevent any unwanted pregnancy from initiating. Legally you should have access to the medication if your doctor has prescribed it to you - and it's a good idea to discuss this with your doctor ahead of time so that there's no delay. If some fundie nutcase denies you access to your prescribed medication, remember to take down...

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How does religion interfere with an atheist's rights? Religion doesn't interfere with an atheist's rights, but sometimes the government will in its name. When the government tries to impose laws that are based solely on a religion that I don't follow, that certainly impinges on my rights. If the US outlawed beef consumption because cows are sacred to Hindus, that's going to interfere with the cattle industry and our eating habits based on an...

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If someone doesn't believe there is a God, shouldn't they also think that everyone who believes that there is a God is insane? They don't necessarily think that they're insane, just possessing a completely different worldview. There are a lot of beliefs out there that seem completely contrary to reality as I understand it... for example beliefs in aliens, or fortune tellers on TV, or that Taylor Hicks can sing. ;) Even if I don't buy in to those particular beliefs, it doesn't mean that people who do are crazy, they...

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Is Scientology a cult? Scientology fulfills all of the criteria for a cult. To be fair, many other fringe religions do as well, but few have the marketing power of this group. A cult is defined by experts as a group with all of the following characteristics: 1. **It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate and retain its members.** (Scientology has been documented to use many of these methods such as...

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Where in the Bible does it state that suicide sends you to hell? One could argue that the commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill" could include suicide (killing yourself). If your life belongs to God and not to you, then suicide would certainly be murder in this rationale. Therefore it is certainly a sin according to the Bible. However, nowhere does the Bible say whether this is a mortal sin, a sin that would condemn you to hell, or a sin that could...

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Me and my boyfriend have different religions, and he has asked to marry me. Will our different religions affect our relationship? Having different religions does not have to have a detrimental effect on your relationship as long as you continue to respect each other and your differing beliefs. What's MOST likely to create conflict between you is if you were to decide to have children. Many couples that come from different religious backgrounds come into conflict over how to raise the children - whether in one...

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Why don't atheists want prayer in school or other public places? The American Constitution declares that there will be no establishment of national religion in America. This is for the benefit of all religious and non-religious people. When a State Religion is established it can mean trouble for those who do not follow it (which is how many Americans came to be here in the first place, way back when). Directed prayer in public places establishes religion...

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In an absolute atheistic society, how would that society develop rules when everyone believes they are the highest being in the universe? What reason would they have to listen? There have been many societies on this earth besides the Judeo-Christian western tradition, and despite the differences in their religious beliefs (or lack of beliefs) there is a striking commonality in their social structures and rules. First consider that polytheistic societies like Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt, for example, had completely different religious systems and yet respected...

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Besides homosexual activity, is there anything else in the Bible that is called an 'abomination?' Other abominations not yet mentioned: -men wearing women's clothing, or women wearing men's clothing -fortune-telling and other witchcraft -remarrying a woman that you have divorced -Loads of animals: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, ravens, owls, swans, pelicans, hawks, storks, herons, bats. fowls that creep upon the earth (insects maybe). Also "creeping things" like snakes....

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What's the origin of eating fish on Friday? The story I have often heard from catholics did involve the fishing industry and an arrangement with the Pope to increase consumption of fish. However, I don't really know if this is the truth or an old wives' tale. What is known is that the traditions of Lent, the time celebrated by Catholics and other Christians to commemorate the suffering and death of Christ, have evolved quite a bit...

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Is the atheist belief structure based on probabilities or proofs? I don't think there is a way to describe an "atheist belief structure" when atheism is basically the absence of belief. What may involve probabilities or proofs is the process of letting go of a theist belief structure, if a person was previously a god-believer and later became an atheist. In this case a person may decide that religious "proofs" are not convincing enough to sustain their...

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Does man have responsibility to his fellow man? Individualism may dictate that we each of us are unique and apart from our neighbors, but any being who exists in a society (as opposed to foraging in the wilderness on their own) is interconnected with the other members of that society. I always think of this poem in connection with the subject: No man is an island, entire of itself every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main...

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Do atheists believe in evolution? Evolution is a scientific explanation of the observed development of living species over time. It is not a belief, but a scientific tool that is used in medicine, biology, and chemistry by the religious and non-religious alike. Over the last 100 years or so scientists have come to accept evolution as by far the best and most useful explanation of life on the planet Earth. There have been no...

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Do atheists believe that Jesus Christ lived on earth approximately 2000 years ago? Because there is no "official" atheist position on anything aside from the lack of belief in a god, this particular belief will vary greatly from person to person. You will find a great deal of scholarly discussion as to the existence of the "historical Jesus", which would be Jesus/Joshua the Jewish man living under the rule of Rome who would have been executed at...

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If what I am is determined by my genes and my environment, and every part of me obeys the laws of physics, then any choice I make in life will be governed by the laws of physics. So how can anyone believe in free will? Genes are strongly influenced by chemical and environmental cues, which makes genetics much less of a blueprint for human behavior than most people believe nowadays. Genes interact with each other in very, very complicated ways, and your body is constantly changing, making neural connections, etc. Genetics is not destiny. It is perhaps a vague prediction, nothing more, nothing less. Anyone...

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When was the Book of Genesis written? The alternate theory to that of single authorship by Moses is the compilation theory (officially known as the Documentary Theory), which indicates that the book of Genesis, along with other books of the Old Testament, were assembled over a long period of time from the traditional tales of Israel by several different authors. There could have been a great many sources for the stories of the...

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People in my high school bully me and call me names. What can I do about it? As you've probably figured out, most schools are ill-equipped to help you with this. The structure of american high schools is so focused on popularity and dating (if you don't believe this, why then is prom such a big deal? Why have student government elections when they have no real power to do anything? Why all the emphasis on things like sporting events that have nothing to do...

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How could it be true that God created the Earth and man if science is discovering the origins of the universe, the days of the dinosaurs and the ice age? The idea of the heavenly creation is not challenged by the discovery of dinosaurs or the big bang. Only the methodology by which it was created. If God is all-powerful he could just as easily have created Earth millions of years ago as 4000 years ago, or to have directed the Big Bang Himself. The Israelites who wrote the Bible wouldn't have understood even the question of how galaxies and...

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How can atheists make an absolute statement (God doesn't exist) without absolute knowledge? It's interesting how a Christian and an Atheist comes at this from entirely different viewpoints. An atheist is thinking about *evidence*, not any absolute knowledge. By that measure, it makes more sense to ask, how can deists make an absolute statement (God exists) without any evidence to prove it? Because noone has "absolute knowledge", because we none of us are omniscient,...

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When were the books of Luke, Mark and John written? In comparison to many books of the Old Testament, which can be pinpointed to specific periods in time, it is difficult to date the exact dates of origin for the Gospels. It is easier to determine how the Gospels relate to each other than the precise years that they were written. It is generally agreed by biblical scholars that Mark was written first, since many of its verses are duplicated...

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Why did Friedrich Nietzsche kill himself? This is a fairly nonsensical question as Nietzsche died of pneumonia in combination with a stroke. The philosopher did become incapacitated about 10 years prior to his death due to an unknown illness which may have been Syphilis (as suggested by his doctors at the time). Late-stage syphilis can produce a range of cadiovascular as well as neurological symptoms. At any rate, this was the end...

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