OrphanCrow

Joined

• started 195 topics
• posted 4,799 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by OrphanCrow

• 
  13

  Larry Graham's motorcycle

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so i was browsing through larry graham's official facebook page, and one of the posts was that his motorcycle was for sale on ebay.

  the auction already ended, but you can still see the title of the listing:.

  "clymer harley-davidson sportster evolution, 1991-2000 (2000, hardcover)".

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OrphanCrow

  Larry Graham's Motorcycle

  Heehee

  That sounds like it could be a Country 'n Western song title
• 
  48

  Latest JW.org Statistics Are Confusing & Lack Context

  by steve2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  earlier this week a new post on this forum announced that the 2017 worldwide annual service report was available on jw.org.

  wow - that's earlier than the statistics for the 2016 service year which appeared in the 2017 yearbook last january!

  good effort, jw organization!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OrphanCrow

  redpill: I believe it's difficult for the WT to really lie about the numbers (although I wouldn't be shocked if they did), because I assume there are too many people involved in bringing in the info and numbers from around the world

  You may be right that the WT doesn't really lie (jus' a lil bit sometimes) but having a lot of people being involved in the collection of those numbers and in reporting and transcribing those numbers increases the potential for error (and/or "mistakes")

  We know from the experiences related on this board and elsewhere that the hours reported are almost always made up or fudged in some way. Right at the grassroots level, those numbers are in error

  It doesn't take much to have a tiny error at the congregation level, repeated over and over, to expand into a large error by the time that the figures are collected worldwide

  The numbers are not honest. They don't reflect what it is that they claim they do. They can't. It is impossible for there to be no errors and it is impossible for those errors not to be amplified
• 
  48

  Watchtower Releases 2017 Grand Total Figures!

  by darkspilver in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  2017 grand totals.

  branches of jehovah’s witnesses: 90. .

  number of lands reporting: 240. .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OrphanCrow

  dsp: Where does it say that?

  oops...my reply was just based on FallGuy

  eh, I be wrong
• 
  48

  Watchtower Releases 2017 Grand Total Figures!

  by darkspilver in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  2017 grand totals.

  branches of jehovah’s witnesses: 90. .

  number of lands reporting: 240. .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OrphanCrow

  TheFallGuy: they've only saved $11m?????

  Yeah, that would be a whopping savings of $1.33 per publisher. Annual savings of $1.33 and monthly, each publisher saves eleven cents

  Well done, WT, well done

  *lol! jus' thinkin'....that 'savings' most likely includes their Russian tax bill. Betcha they didn't pay that last year
• 
  15

  New Article on Bloodless Medicine

  by Lee Elder in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  here is a good article on bloodless medicine.

  i have weighed in with my thoughts, and encourage others to do the same:.

  https://sciencetrends.com/rise-bloodless-medicine-treat-cannot-receive-blood-products-religious-reasons/.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OrphanCrow

  Not quite sure what point you are making here.

  I know. That's because you didn't follow what I was saying. The first was in reference to the OP article and the second was in reference to the interview with Dr. Benson. The interview reference was cited correctly - the OP didn't cite at all
• 
  15

  New Article on Bloodless Medicine

  by Lee Elder in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  here is a good article on bloodless medicine.

  i have weighed in with my thoughts, and encourage others to do the same:.

  https://sciencetrends.com/rise-bloodless-medicine-treat-cannot-receive-blood-products-religious-reasons/.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OrphanCrow

  (Sheesh, I always feel bad after being critical of others' writings)

  I will offer a couple counterpoints to what I critiqued in my previous post.

  The authors of the article in the OP say this about low HB levels:

  Although the minimum hemoglobin level required to sustain life is unclear, a study of Jehovah’s Witnesses who declined blood products after surgery showed that some patients were able to survive with the lowest hemoglobin of 2.1–3.0 grams per deciliter, which is approximately 15-25% of normal. This suggests that even in the setting of profound blood loss, transfusions are not the only option for survival.

  Note that no citation was offered for the profound "suggestion" that they offered. None. No citation. Just a "suggestion" based on a study that they didn't cite.

  Then there is this which comes from an interview with Kaaron Benson, a doctor who has treated JWs with cancer:

  Other groups of researchers have looked at larger patient populations. One study, which was reported in 2002 in Transfusion, looked at more than 2000 surgical patients with postoperative hemoglobin levels of 8 g/dL or lower who had declined red blood cell transfusions for religious reasons. This study found that as the hemoglobin level fell to 7 g/dL or lower, the adjusted risk increased 2.5-fold for every 1 g/dL decrease. When the hemoglobin level fell to 3 g/dL or lower, the in-hospital mortality at 1 month was 64%. This study did not find any immediate adverse effects as long as the patients’ hemoglobin level was greater than 7 g/dL.

  and then, at the end of the article, we find the citation for the above quote:

  Carson JL, Noveck H, Berlin JA, Gould SA. Mortality and morbidity in patients with very low postoperative Hb levels who decline blood transfusion. Transfusion. 2002;42(7):812-818.

  Now, let's take a quick look at what the authors of the OP article have to say about JWs with cancer:

  Although not associated with overt blood loss, patients with cancer can also benefit significantly from bloodless medicine. Modern-day chemotherapy can have impressive cure rates in some cancers if treated aggressively. However, this often results in chemotherapy-related side effects as well as severe anemia and low platelets, from which patients may require significant transfusions in order to survive their treatment.
  This poses a challenge in those who can potentially be cured but decline blood products, because modifications to chemotherapy (such as dose reduction), while more tolerable, may compromise the ability to attain cure; the management of these patients is extremely complex and should be considered on a case-by-case basis. In patients for whom the goal of treatment is not curative (ie, a “palliative” strategy), we recommend adjusting the chemotherapy in such a way so as to not require transfusions. Notably, small studies and case reports of Jehovah’s Witness cancer patients have reported favorable response to treatment when supplemented with aggressive supportive measures and shear tolerance of significant anemia.

  Then, let's read what a cancer specialist, Dr. Kaaron Benson, has to say about cancer treatment for JWs:

  These patients are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality caused by severe anemia and thrombocytopenia. Years ago, our hospital did a retrospective study of the 58 Jehovah’s Witness oncology patients we had seen at our hospital from October 1986 through February 1994. Of the 15 patients who had transfusion requirements, 9 refused blood. One older woman had a postoperative stroke and a young woman died, likely because of the combination of severe anemia and thrombocytopenia. Long-term prognosis also may have been affected. We did find that younger patients were more likely than older ones to accept transfusion, and parents were more likely to accept transfusion for their children than for themselves.
  We found that 10 of the 58 patients we evaluated had their treatment limited because of their refusal of blood. For example, surgery was restricted or not performed, chemotherapy was withheld or the dose was lowered, or radiation therapy was withheld because the physician did not want to create a situation in which the patient would need a blood transfusion.

  
  
• 
  15

  New Article on Bloodless Medicine

  by Lee Elder in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  here is a good article on bloodless medicine.

  i have weighed in with my thoughts, and encourage others to do the same:.

  https://sciencetrends.com/rise-bloodless-medicine-treat-cannot-receive-blood-products-religious-reasons/.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OrphanCrow

  Yes, Lee, this does seem to have the appearance of being a "good article".

  I spent some time trying to track down the authors and trying to figure out why the article was written in the first place.

  A couple things seem a bit "off" to me.

  First, the little plug at the end of the article says this:

  This study, Treatment of individuals who cannot receive blood products for religious or other reasons was recently published by Carlton D. Scharman, Joseph J. Shatzel, Thomas G. DeLoughery in the American Journal of Hematology.

  The medical doctors who are purported to have authored this article, would and should know that this article is not a study, isn't even close to being a study, and it doesn't even follow proper referencing and sourcing for the material that they have presented. A doctor that is worth even a tiny bit of their salt should and would use good references. These authors didn't. They didn't reference one single tiny little bit of information that they so readily put out there for the public to lap up and consume.

  I am going to bet money on this (if anybody wants to take me up on it and if they are okay with a tiny little bet just cause I am poor) and I am going to take a "shot in the dark" and say that this is a fluff piece generated by Jehovah's Witnesses themselves who have a special interest in the world of "bloodless medicine". JWs are notorious, especially in the world of blood, for soliciting the propaganda surrounding their medical investments

  Moreover, OrphanCrow would have something to say about the claimed survival rates of JWs in the study cited. Little wonder the survival rates were high because the bloodless procedures were for elective surgery where preparation is paramount .

  Okay, Steve, I will say something. What I can say about the "study cited" is that the study isn't cited at all. Not one citation in the whole article. What I can say about the "study cited" is absolutely nothing at all. The "doctors" who wrote this article didn't bother to cite anything - they just threw stuff out there and expected the reader to accept whatever they are writing. Good writing that offers solid information does not take that approach.

  You are correct in that so-called "bloodless surgeries" conducted on JWs are done on patients who are in better health than those who undergo conventional surgery. That is a known fact.

  Here is something else that is a red-flag to me when reading this article. Not once do the authors talk about any of the risks or side effects of so-called "bloodless medicine"

  And another thing (this is actually the biggest 'thing' that gets my attention...)

  Does anyone remember that court case a few months back where the court was unconvinced that "bloodless medicine" and/or "bloodless surgery" even existed? In fact, the court decided that the use of those terms was meaningless and that the field of "bloodless medicine" didn't even exist.

  That last point is the final straw that makes me take the position that this article has been generated by JWs who have a special interest in keeping the bloodless myth alive when it is actually dead in the water
• 
  19

  Is it just me or are the street sign, road,car verification excessive?

  by nonjwspouse in

  1. forum
  2. suggestions

  i must go through six of new verification screens on average before verifying.

  i seriously try harder and harder, i don't know if we include the tiny little piece of sign or not.

  i have done both,and still get another screen.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OrphanCrow

  Hi Nonnie.

  I experimented

  I use Chrome. I cleared my cache, cookies and history first which naturally signed me out of this forum. I usually just stay signed in.

  I only had to find three cars the first go around and then I had to find one more. And that was it. I was back in

  Do you clear your cache etc before signing back in? Are you able to just stay signed in? Cause that is the easiest - just don't log off
• 
  178

  Charging $150 To Tell Your Stories

  by Bangalore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/how-to-escape-from-jehovah-s-witnesses-religion#/.

  for $150: collaboration with the backer so that their story of successfully escaping an abusive belief system (300 words max) features along with others in the final pages of how to escape from jehovah's witnesses.

  the text will be written by the author but will include a minimum of one quote worded by the backer.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OrphanCrow

  For $150: collaboration with the backer so that their story of successfully escaping an abusive belief system (300 words max) features along with others in the final pages of How to Escape From Jehovah's Witnesses. The text will be written by the author but will include a minimum of one quote worded by the backer.

  So let me get this straight

  A person would write a one page story of "escaping an abusive belief system"

  Yup, that should do it - one page will encapsulate that. Of course. 300 words on "how I escaped from a cult"

  Sure. That sounds like a "back from school holidays" writing assignment

  Then, they would send their one page story (along with 150 dollars) to somebody who will re-write that story. The person who re-writes that story will include one quote from the original one page story

  Making noise and more noise

  Noisy noisy noisy
• 
  42

  Kingdom Hall ... BURGER KING?

  by sparky1 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i live in a very rural part of the northeastern united states.

  after 9 years of waiting, the local witnesses are getting their new kingdom hall.

  it is being built on a back road next to a sandpit.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OrphanCrow

  It is on threads like this that I really miss Outlaw

  I just can't seem to find the right image. The best I can do is come up with the Separation of Church and State by Phillip Hamburger. Which is really quite boring and not at all funny

  

  *to add:

  maybe this one is better