Posts by gaiagirl

33

Who is your favorite animated cartoon character?

by gaiagirl in

my favorite would have to be marvin the martian (first appearance 1948).

everything about him cracks me up, from his roman gladiator helmet and kilt, to the way he walks and speaks ("that makes me angry, very angry indeed"), to the ultra cool devices he uses (suprisingly, from acme, who apparantly has outlets on mars).

a very close second, almost a tie, would have to go to droopy (first appearance 1943), who also walks and speaks in a humorous manner, and who has abilities far beyond what would be expected from his dimunitive size.

gaiagirl

My favorite would have to be Marvin the Martian (first appearance 1948). Everything about him cracks me up, from his Roman gladiator helmet and kilt, to the way he walks and speaks ("that makes me angry, very angry indeed"), to the ultra cool devices he uses (suprisingly, from Acme, who apparantly has outlets on Mars). A very close second, almost a tie, would have to go to Droopy (first appearance 1943), who also walks and speaks in a humorous manner, and who has abilities far beyond what would be expected from his dimunitive size. If you've never seen these guys, I strongly recommend the collection of Warner Bros. cartoons featuring Marvin, titled "Space Tunes" (available only on VHS at present, although I copied it to DVD for personal use). It features Marvin's body of work from the 'golden age', as well as more recent work, plus some other Warner Bros cartoons with a sci-fi or fantasy theme. Also, the complete collection of Droopy's 24 theatrical presentations is available on DVD, featuring cartoons made from 1943 up to the late 1950s. Both are simply awesome, and I would have to say that they simply don't make cartoons that good any more.

10

The girl next door (well accross the street anyway)

by darth frosty in

jw
friends

i went to this party/ social function last night (i am trying to get over my social anxieties) and i ran into a witness girl who use to live accross the street from me.

we started catching up and low and behold both of us are no longer in the cult.

she stopped in 02 me in 04 (i guess that makes her a lil bit wiser than me.

gaiagirl

Perhaps this young woman's parents just wanted her to turn out like Heather Graham's character, also a hair stylist in the film "Say It Isn't So" (quite funny, albeit with a great deal of language and crude humor). Kidding aside, the observations about education are valid, JWs don't want their kids exposed to ideas from channels other than the WTBTS, quite a contrast to, say, UU's, in which every kid is encouraged to ask questions and become as educated as they wish.

11

Wicked

by sandy in

for those who've seen this play .

is it questionable for witnesses?

i guess what i should ask is would it scare a witness?

gaiagirl

"Wicked" is about the witches of Oz, told from their perspective (I believe they were sisters). Story begins even before the Wizard arrived, and much occurs during the years when he was in Oz, but Dorothy had not yet arrived. Some magic, but nothing Satanic or demonic. More of an "earth magic" in which natural forces are used, not evil spirits.

12

Sci-fi fans or not? Speak Klingon? Or are you a face hugger?

by Crumpet in

jw
friends

it occurred to me during my meanderings through london last night that invariably boyfriends describe me in the context of science fiction.

i like geeky guys a lot so that is to be expected.

but moving on to the dubious similarities - the first called me a a face hugger - nice, unless you have watched aliens in which case you will know what a face hugger is.

gaiagirl

I read a great deal of sci-fi and fantasy, have always enjoyed it. A group of friends get together once a month and watches old sci-fi movies and tv episodes, sometimes Star Trek or Dr. Who, sometimes Logans Run or Day The Earth Stood Still. Next month we'll watch Galaxy Quest, and hopefully some cartoons featuring Marvin the Martian ("that makes me angry, very, very, angry"). Haven't been called a face hugger, but was once called a "succubus" by an ex, which is not a compliment. Oh, well.

41

Creationism hiding in plain sight

by FireNBandits in

a friend pointed out to me that "theistic evolution" is, in essence, no different than intelligent design.

both postulate a creator that is behind creation.

both use the words "creation" and "creator.

gaiagirl

Actually, kid-A makes some very good points. Every single thing which human culture has produced which make our life better than that of the beasts of the field, everything from the clothing we wear to the manner in which we control our local climate so that we don't have to shiver in the cold or sweat in the heat of summer, or worry about where our next meal comes from, came to us because WE figured it out, and NOT because some invisible spirit gave it to us or showed us how to do it.

35

Odd And Unusual Words And Expressions Used Locally Or Regionally

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

odd and unusual words and expressions used locally or regionallysome time ago, i was sending a personal message to a friend in a different country .

and using the term bubba to address him.

now in the southeastern united states .

gaiagirl

Mind = listen to (or do) what I say Switch = a small twig from a bush or tree, used for disciplining a child So, a parent might say something like "Mind me and do your chores or I'll go out and get a switch for you".

4

DID SOME OF THE ANIMALS ON NOAH'S ARK CARRY POXVIRUS?

by badboy in

jw
friends

i was reading an article in nature magazine about the origins of various diseases afflicting humans and how animals are the origins of these diseases.. an interesting thought,if those viruses didn't exist when noah built his ark, where ,how and when did they originated?.

i wonder how a jw would answer that question..

gaiagirl

I was asked to review a video which was based on the writings of Zecheria Sitchin. I watched it and was impressed with the very high production values, obviously someone went to a lot of trouble to make the presentation very slick and attractive. However, there was all kinds of scientific flaws and physical impossibilities. Basically, Sitchins work is an extension of Velikovsky's, with the idea was that many of the plagues and catastrophies mentioned in the Bible had actually happened, but not for the reasons mentioned in the Bible (i.e. not because an angry God made them happen). The "scientific" explanation offered was that the Solar System had rearranged itself drastically within the past few thousand years, based on the interpretation of some ancient symbols. In this video, the claim was made that some planets had passed within a few hundred miles of Earth (without the mutual gravitational tug destroying both planets), planets had orbited each other, or orbited Earth, some planets orbited with their axis always facing the Earth (physically impossible, try it with a gyroscope). And it doesn't really answer the question of "how did life begin", but just moves the origin to some other world, i.e. if Earth was seeded by aliens, how did THEIR species begin? I don't see this as "tangible evidence", but as "wild speculation", hardly a more satisfying explanation that saying an invisible spirit made those events happen. It amounts to just a different "made up" story as an explanation, with no "hard evidence" to support it. Since the topic of radiometric dating was brought up, I'll mention that it does at least follow the scientific method, radiometric dating is repeatable in any lab in the world. The half-life for carbon 14 or any other isotope is ALWAYS the same. It is reasonable to conclude the age of a fossil based on the radioactive isotopes present in the rock layer which contains that fossil. If you are interested in learning about how science works, I recommend any book by Carl Sagan (Dragons of Eden, Demon-Haunted World, Broca's Brain, Cosmos) over the works of Sitchin

82

Have You Ever Met A "Celebrity" or Actually See One Face To Face?

by minimus in

jw
friends

while i was in new york i walked by two men and one looked like the comedian jackie mason whom i adore.

i looked at him and said, "i just wanted to say how much i enjoy your shows.

i've seen you perform a number of times".

gaiagirl

I met and briefly spoke with Polish singer Basia at a record store in Chicago, very warm, friendly woman.

16

Goldfish in Aquariums

by DazedAndConfused in

jw
friends

i am at the end of my rope.

i lost my favorite "bubble-headed" goldfish.

i have one goldfish left.

gaiagirl

What size tank do you have, and what kind of filter are you using? I used to have 7 goldfish in a tank, they lived for years until they got so big that the filters could not keep up with their podigious waste generation, so I put them in a pond in the back yard. You need to understand that there are beneficial bacteria which colonize a tank, and process the ammonia which is in the fish waste. However, it takes a few weeks to make a good bacterial colony. Until then, the water quality will not be optimal, because there simply aren't enough bacteria to keep up. You can the help the bacteria grow by changing NO MORE THAN 20% of the water each day or so. This is in order to prevent too great a shock, and to allow the bacteria to grow. Also, DO NOT OVERFEED your fish. If you give them more than they can eat in five minutes, then there is too much food in the tank, which will cloud the water. I feed my fish once a day, no more. DO NOT use an undergravel filter. These just suck wastes down below the gravel, where it collects and fouls the water. Use a filter with a bio-wheel, such as the Emperor 280 or 400 (depending on the size of the tank), or a Penguin, both made by Marineland. Finally, DO NOT use gravel in the bottom of the tank. Food falls down into the gravel where fish can't reach it, and where it rots. Use either sand, or "Eco-Complete" aquarium soil (great for live plants). Anubis plants are very hardy and don't require as much light to be healthy as other plants. I hope your goldfish survive, however in the event that they don't, I suggest you try tetras, which don't poop nearly as much, come in many colorful varieties, and are quite hardy as well.

54

Would You Kill Some One If Your Government Told You To?

by frankiespeakin in

how far do you allow the government tell you what to do?

do you allow governemt to make those dicisions for you?

gaiagirl

I don't believe many would kill another "just because" their government told them to, however many do kill others because they allow themselves to be convinced that "the others" deserve to be killed. To put the situation in a more specific light, assume that someone (government agents, etc) asked you to kill O.J. Simpson Whether any individual would accept this assignment would depend on whether they felt that O.J. really deserved to die. Some might reason, "No, he's been acquitted in court, so it would be wrong for me to kill him", others might reason, "He was most likely guilty, and justice demands that he die as payment for murdering his wife." And there are numerous positions between these extremes, such as "I don't know if he is guilty or not, so can't judge whether he deserves to die." as well as many others. Even is someone feels that "the others" deserve to die, they may not personally want to be the instrument of vengance, preferring to leave that task for someone else.