OY, Fausto- your Jewish bargaining is priceless. I also like the mental image conjured by the idea of Oak trees “fucking with the squirrels” via their staggered nut release and intercommunication of the acorns.

I always thought that squirrels were in a symbiotic (or at least commensalistic) relationship with the Oak Trees because they tend to bury the acorns.

Thus, while they eventually dig up and eat a lot of the acorns they buried… They forget one or two of the acorns and those grow to become new trees.

Scatter hoarding ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scatter-hoarder ) is well practiced by squirrels. They actually can bury up to 3,000 acorns and using their internal GPS can remember the exact location even after 6-8 months. Kinda cool, huh?

Here’s a link to Animal Planets explanation of their GPS navigational system. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCBfdUhrk80

The comment about how “Oooh baby, do you know what it’s worth, heaven is a place on Earth” was to be the 8th word of Christ but couldn’t get it out in time (because He died) had me howling.

Fausto, does that mean you’re the next prophet? Time to start tithing to the Church of FOF, everybody!

I’d join!

Interesting conversation. I would like to have been more convinced to, as Craig put it, “believe in intangible, unprovable, unobservable things.” I’m always leery when 12 step program members make the distinction between spirituality and religion. The the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals along with several other courts has ruled again and again that it is a religious organization. Still an interesting conversation.

I’m also surprised nobody has mentioned that the “we are damaged” paradigm was refuted during those panel programs you guys participated in a few months back. That was revalational to me at the time. The whole we are born dirty and damaged thing reeks of Christianity as well.

Good episode today. Growing up in a traditional catholic home in Mexico made me feel ashamed and even scared me to death believing that being gay was a one-way ticket to hell. Religion has pushed many gay people away, including myself because frankly, why would I believe in a G-d that’s unforgiving or hateful, as some of these religious freaks portray him/her? I consider myself spiritual though. I like to think that there is a higher purpose and a higher entity that is watching us, and seeing what we make of our lives and how we overcome adversity and many other obstacles in life.

Spirituality often just seems like a dippy-trippy version of philosophy to me, one not based in rationality but purely in feeling. I’ll stick to philosophy.