gaiagirl

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Posts by gaiagirl

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  11

  Jehovah's Rocking the Nations?

  by 5thGeneration in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how long can the society keep insisting that the preaching work is so successful when there is virtually zero (alright 1.5%) growth?.

  interestingly, the society has excluded the percent gain/loss column online.

  http://www.watchtower.org/e/statistics/worldwide_report.htm.

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  gaiagirl

  Is "Rock The Nations" anything like "Rock the Casbah"? Could have been a good Kingdom Melody, if the Clash had performed it.
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  42

  INTELLIGENT ANSWERS to STUPID QUESTIONS. Give yours!

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  1.what color is four?.

  2. can you be enraged and outraged at the same time?.

  3. is life being "broadcast" by the universe and we are merely "tuned" to our own particular channel?.

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  gaiagirl

  #1: What color are four WHAT? Apples? Oreo Cookies? Dilithium Crystals? #4: "Objective" is supposed to mean that the observer is not involved in events being described, but is ONLY an observer. "Subjective" is supposed to mean that the observer is also involved as a participant or interested party in events described. At one time, it was believed that an observer could be "objective" and not affect the outcome of events. Modern research in quantum physics (consider the "Shrodingers Cat" paradox) suggest that there is no such thing as "objective", i.e. that any observers will affect the outcome of events, and thus become a participant, whether they want to, or not. In other words, all objects and events are interconnected, so that no event can take place without affecting all objects to a greater or lesser degree. So, the answer to the question is that all events are "subjective", and that "objective" events do not exist. (Do I get a prize or something?)
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  52

  Why are angels always white?

  by slimboyfat in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in pictures of conventions or the new system they tend to show a mixture of races, but the angels always seem to be white.

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  slim.

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  gaiagirl

  Angels are shown as white, not to elevate one race over another, but because the brightest light which we can see is white, the apparant color of the Sun. A fire would be almost white when burning very hot, and gradually become yellow, then red before it died, leaving black embers. Black is the color of darkness, such as found deep inside a cave. The dualism in Christianity AND in other dualistic belief systems such as Mithraism links forces of Good with Light and Knowledge and forces of Evil with Darkness and Ignorance. Gods sword which kept Adam and Eve from returning to Eden was "burning". The Bible warns that evil people will be cast into darkness, where they will weep and gnash their teeth. Other deities, such as Ahura-Mazda, are represented as a burning flame which dissipates darkness. This is why one brand of light bulb is called "Mazda" (don't know if this is connected to the automobile company or not). Further, in the ancient world, the natural color of a woven cotton or linen garment would have been almost white when clean, growing gradually darker as it became dirty. Wool could be more colors because it comes from the hair of sheep, so might naturally have grey, brown or black fibers in it, but an all white wool garment would have been very special, and therefore expensive. Early tires for automobiles were white rubber, and were observed to pick up dirt from the road, developing a black band around their circumference. Since there was no way to prevent them from picking up dirt, eventually they came to be made of black rubber, with the white sidewall becoming a special, extra-cost decoration which implied that the car, and therefore the owner, was a person of importance. The idea continues in the raised white letters seen on some tires. In modern times, light is still associated with knowledge and safety. Cartoons often show a light bulb over someones head when they have an idea. Advertisements for Ford used to show a brightly lit bulb, with the expression "Ford Has A Better Idea". The symbol for the Unitarian-Universalist church is a flame burning in a chalice, dispelling ignorance through study and knowledge. Lighthouses save lives because of their bright light warning ships of dangers which await in the darkness. Children often sleep better if a small night-light is left burning, rather than allowing their room to be completely dark/black.
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  11

  Lady In The Water

  by gaiagirl in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i just saw this wonderful film, directed by m.night shyamalan, who also directed "the sixth sense", "unbreakable", "signs", and "the village".

  basically, the film illustrates some philosophical points by means of a fairy tale.

  i don't think the storyline is meant to be taken as literally true, only the points which the story illustrates.

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  gaiagirl

  LITW grew out of a bedtime story which M. Night made up for his daughters. It was kind of a "continued tomorrow night" sort of epic which went on for some time. Eventually, he wrote it as a childrens book, beautifully illustrated by "Crash" McCreery. The book illustrates in a general way how the interconnectedness works and how people can do great things. The movie illustrates the same things, but for one specific case, the subject of the story.
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  11

  Lady In The Water

  by gaiagirl in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i just saw this wonderful film, directed by m.night shyamalan, who also directed "the sixth sense", "unbreakable", "signs", and "the village".

  basically, the film illustrates some philosophical points by means of a fairy tale.

  i don't think the storyline is meant to be taken as literally true, only the points which the story illustrates.

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  gaiagirl

  I just saw this wonderful film, directed by M.Night Shyamalan, who also directed "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable", "Signs", and "The Village". Basically, the film illustrates some philosophical points by means of a fairy tale. I don't think the storyline is meant to be taken as literally true, only the points which the story illustrates. The story is making the points that we are connected, in the sense that small things which we do can have large influences on the lives of others, and that ordinary people can individually and cooperatively do extraordinary things. The story involves the manager of some apartments, who spends his days solving problems for his tenants. He has a secret as to why he works at such a job, revealed later in the film. One day he almost drowns in the swimming pool, loses consciousness, and is saved by a water nymph who lives in a room which she made under the swimming pool. He learns that she has been sent to inspire someone, a writer, to finish his book, which will become very influential, and change the course of human history. But she doesn't know how to find the writer. And there are very bad creatures who wish to keep her from completing her mission, and prevent her from returning to her home and fulfilling her own destiny. In helping her complete her mission, ordinary people rise to greatness. The story is told in a slow but beautiful manner, showing how even the most mundane people have something to contribute. There were portions of the film which were so moving I could hardly catch my breath. LITW received poor reviews from many critics, and didn't do well at the box office. I decided that critics didn't like the film because of two things: Shyamalan cast himself in a significant role in the film which some might see as arrogant, although I didn't. Also, one of the most annoying, least helpful characters in the story is a film critic, and meets a very unfortunate ending. If I had to sum up this film, I would say it was beautiful to the point of being magical, intensely moving, and very bittersweet.
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  11

  The "perfect human" being ...

  by Frequent_Fader_Miles in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  according to the jw belief, what definition/explanation were you given for the concept of "human perfection"?

  what exactly would make a "perfect human" ... well... perfect?.

  i remember once when i was a child, my mom told me that when i decided on my adult profession, i should make sure it's one i would be able to use in the "new system".

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  gaiagirl

  I never considered "perfect" humans as being unbreakable, just that they would heal perfectly when injuries did occur, sort of like the cheerleader on "Heroes".
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  29

  OK, my dealing-with-heckler skills need work! (stand up comedy)

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i went to the bar again tonight for my 4th appearance at the open mic comedy event.

  my last three sets went fine, got plenty of laughs, and i felt good about them.

  tonight i thought some folks from work were going to be there so i was using old material that had worked previously.

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  gaiagirl

  How about... heckler: "you're an asshole". comic: (borrowing line from Monty Python) "And I fart in your general direction".
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  9

  Musings about geology, "deep" time, and humans

  by Alpaca in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  one of the most humbling things a person can do is to stand at the base of a tall (hundreds of feet) outcrop of fossil bearing sedimentary rocks, wiggle out a piece of rock, and look at the fossils...knowing that they have not seen the light of day in 350 million years (give or take a few million, lol).

  ordinary concepts of time disappear with these kinds of numbers, hence geologists resort to the term "deep time.

  " when you take the mental step back to try and grasp "deep time" it makes you realize how puny and insignificant the human species is.

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  gaiagirl

  Another idea that seems to go away when one thinks about deep time is the anthropocentric notion that the earth was created FOR us. When we see how long other species existed, unchallenged, and then realize that, but for a volcanic eruption or stray asteroid, they might still exist today, it rather takes some of ones breath away. Humans have existed as a species for less than 500,000 years, and that is being generous with what one considers human. Our "civilization" has existed for much less than 10,000 years. Consider whales, large brained sentient beings which have existed for more than 50 million years. Or consider crocodiles, which have existed almost unchanged since BEFORE there were dinosaurs. If another 6 mile diameter asteroid struck the planet tomorrow, who would survive, humans or crocodiles?
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  10

  Pre-Historic Video Games for those quiet afternoons....

  by kid-A in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  for anyone that can actually remember these games: pacman, tetris, frogger, space invaders, asteroids...... they are all available here, free and no downloads required:.

  http://www.80smusiclyrics.com/games.shtml.

  man i'm so old...... .

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  gaiagirl

  My favorite "old" game was Venture, sort of a very early version of Tomb Raider, in which the character (an orange dot which could shoot arrows) had to enter the rooms of a building and grab the treasure, while avoiding whatever spooky creatures were in the room. I used to play the game at a restaurant where I used to eat.
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  58

  Jesus' Tomb... Has it been found?

  by Elsewhere in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it's a long shot to prove such a thing... i'm curious how this will pan out.. .

  http://time-blog.com/middle_east/2007/02/jesus_tales_from_the_crypt.html.

  february 23, 2007 6:55 jesus: tales from the cryptbrace yourself.

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  gaiagirl

  I have heard from a reliable source that the actress Audrey Tautou is an actual descendant of Jesus : )