Posts by Terry
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52What does the rise of Donald Trump tell us about the USA?
by fulltimestudent ini thank one of my former lecturers for drawing my attention to this overview.. after some 100 years, living out its "manifest destiny" dream, as the hegemon of the world, what has this 'dream' done to/for the usa?
the approaching presidential election provides an opportunity to examine this question.. and what of all the appendage organisations (like the wts) that rode across the world on the hegemon's coattails?.
the answer may be here: http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/trump-authoritarianism.
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The two elders threaten my sister again
by opusdei1972 inas i reported here in this forum, some time ago, my sister was constantly harried by two elders so as to be submitted to a judiciary committee for apostasy.
these two elders were constantly hounding her in the street when she walks to go to her job.
so she had to send them a notary letter in which she wrote that she would attend the judiciary committee only with her attorney.
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Terry
The Elders usually take a page out of the lazy lawman's guide to getting the Perp to rat on himself.
By sitting an accused person down and pressuring them to unburden, the Elder provokes the hapless publisher to give up details, loose ends, tidbits, fodder for further investigation. Additionally, by bullying, taunting and deliberately making faluse accusations, the Elders hope to provoke a statement of insult and rebellion, insubordination and self-admission of disaffection to the Organization.
"I have no comment on that" and "I have a right to my own peace of mind which you are disturbing with your uninvited requests. Please desist" might be two things she'd want to practice saying:) -
52
What does the rise of Donald Trump tell us about the USA?
by fulltimestudent ini thank one of my former lecturers for drawing my attention to this overview.. after some 100 years, living out its "manifest destiny" dream, as the hegemon of the world, what has this 'dream' done to/for the usa?
the approaching presidential election provides an opportunity to examine this question.. and what of all the appendage organisations (like the wts) that rode across the world on the hegemon's coattails?.
the answer may be here: http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/trump-authoritarianism.
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Terry
Los Angeles is larger than most countries of the world with about 500 square miles. This means you can seldom describe the weather specifically and truthfully at the same time.
America has over 300 million people. What those people think can seldom be described specifically and truthfully at the same time.
Trump followers say nothing about "America" any more than Russellites said anything meaningful about America.
Category mistakes are not straightforward – they are pragmatically inappropriate because they suffer from presupposition failures. -
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IS DOUBT always an indication of moral failure---FAITH vs. DOUBT?
by Terry inis doubt always an indication of moral failure-- faith vs. doubt?.
human survival depends upon a rigorous balance between perception and the means of testing first impressions.
nature’s own test is that of eater and eaten.. inside the food chain, predators blend with their surrounding habitat.
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Terry
I know I am a better person today than I ever was as a JW.
Now that's a helluva statement for an agnostic apostate to make!
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172
Are You Raising An Introvert?
by darth frosty inits not easy being an introvert in an extrovert worldespecially when youre a kid.
it is even more difficult if none of the adults in the kids life recognize that the child is an introvert.
this doesnt happen only when the childs parents are extroverts, but also with introverted parents who have never understood their own introverted nature.. .
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Terry
I was extraordinarily introverted until I reached Federal Prison and got the opportunity to study two fantastic people--and to imitate their approach to social interactions.
I learned to "fake it" until the behavior became normalized.
I don't think you can learn personality development from a book or a lecture. It has to be modeled by flesh and blood with whom you have daily contact.
To this day, internally and naturally, I am an introvert. But, like a reformed alcoholic, I take it one day at a time:)
People who know me well, would swear in a court of law I'm lying about introversion. I take that as a tribute to how well I've learned my lesson :) -
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The Remarkable Story of Lili Boulanger
by Terry in_____________the remarkable story of lili boulanger____________.
there are stories that cannot be written and shouldn't be told because the truth of those stories cannot be embraced on first hearing.
this is the life of a real person who appeared and vanished as though only dreamed up by an overly emotional writer.. lili boulanger was born to a father 77 years old, yet they formed an adoring bond almost from the moment she drew her first breath!
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Terry
Yes, indeed! Her work reminds me how many a genius was born and died in obscurity. Mozart came close. Van Gogh owes his fame to his brother's wife!
We live today in an era in which everybody has the opportunity to be heard and loved. There was no internet at the time of Lili Boulanger. I suspect, were it not for the fame of her sister, I wouldn't have discovered her or her story and music. -
52
What does the rise of Donald Trump tell us about the USA?
by fulltimestudent ini thank one of my former lecturers for drawing my attention to this overview.. after some 100 years, living out its "manifest destiny" dream, as the hegemon of the world, what has this 'dream' done to/for the usa?
the approaching presidential election provides an opportunity to examine this question.. and what of all the appendage organisations (like the wts) that rode across the world on the hegemon's coattails?.
the answer may be here: http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/trump-authoritarianism.
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Terry
The Topic has as a premise a basic fallacy.
It is a Category Error.
Talking about "America" is like talking about "Christianity" because there ain't no such thing--except as a concept.
The article you referenced feels like it was penned by a fringe radical POV rather than a neutral journalist. I did some checking.
Vox senior correspondent Amanda Taub
in each of the articles I've read takes the point of view that Terrorists were created by their victims. That's right, blame the victims.
Radicals exist within every microcosm in some degree.
We are not supposed to blame ISLAM for terrorists, right?
Then why blame America for Manifest Destiny?
Manifest Destiny? Are you serious?
The phrase appeared in an article in a very obscure magazine in Texas in 1845. The article was on annexation of Texas--not the World at Large! It was published in the July-August edition of the United States Magazine and the Democratic Review.
Not one person in a thousand would have read it. It couldn't have influenced people who didn't read it, could it? No.
So, it's silly to extrapolate backwards through actual history and try to make this a rallying cry of an entire nation.One wonders how solution oriented it is to lock the barn door after the horses have run off.
This approach to problem solving harkens back to a time when women who were rape victims were blamed for wearing the wrong clothes because it meant they were "asking for it." This is wrong-headed for rape and just as wrong for terrorism.
What does the USA have in common with a rape victim? Both have been terrorized by radicals.
Is the entire population of the U.S. guilty of "Asking for it?"The people of America have little or nothing to do with the policies of a President and his Military advisors and their often Jingoistic exploits abroad. Most often, the really unfortunate Black Ops, such as under Reagan (Iran-Contra) aren't even known by the President himself!
So, forgot the hegemony as far as dragging the American people into it.
Ideology splits people down the middle!
What Dems do the GOP decry. What the GOP does, the Dems decry.
Half the country, at any one moment, is displeased with what the other half is enthusiastically endorsing.Hillary lovers don't appreciate Bernie Sanders. Bernie lovers are dead set against HIllary.
The Republican establishment really dislikes Ted and Donald down to their toenails.The voting population is pretty much stuck with lousy choices, no matter what.
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Steven Hassan's interview on a new fictional cult film, "The Path" Fact-Checked: The Ugly Truth Behind Real-Life Cults
by AndersonsInfo inhttp://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/03/the-path-cults.
the path fact-checked: the ugly truth behind real-life cults .
part of hassan's interview: "a lot of the older cults that have been around for a really long time, like the jehovah’s witnesses, for example, and even the mormons, are having a really hard time with young people growing up in the age of the internet, because they’ve been basically telling lies to their followers about their history, and now people can easily find out what’s true and not true, and look at their own literature and copies of their own literature.
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Terry
The first thing which struck me about THE PATH is how authentic the structure and dialogue felt. TV and movies almost never get religion right. Two things authors cannot do, 1. Write smarter than they are 2. Create believable "spiritual" situations if they are non-believers.
This TV series comes closest to being Scientology without simply stealing or parodying. I find it compelling. -
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"But WHY would you want to know those things??"
by stuckinarut2 ini ran into an older sister who has always been very sweet.. it was a friendly chat...yet she pushed for a reason why my family have been missing from meetings for some time.
the question was deflected, until it just had to be said: "well, there have been some troubling and disturbing issues about the society especially the way things were handled during the royal commission, as well as many other issues".. she quickly cut in and said "but why would you want to know these things?
its best not to research and look at those sort of things - so we don't get upset!".
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Terry
Why would you want to know those things?
"If we choose to close our eyes we are choosing to live in darkness."
Hypocrisy is having one set of values for others and a different set of values for ourselves. If we go from house to door expecting others to listen to disturbing facts--why would we carve out such an exception for ourselves? -
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The Remarkable Story of Lili Boulanger
by Terry in_____________the remarkable story of lili boulanger____________.
there are stories that cannot be written and shouldn't be told because the truth of those stories cannot be embraced on first hearing.
this is the life of a real person who appeared and vanished as though only dreamed up by an overly emotional writer.. lili boulanger was born to a father 77 years old, yet they formed an adoring bond almost from the moment she drew her first breath!
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Terry
_____________The Remarkable Story of Lili Boulanger____________
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There are stories that cannot be written and shouldn't be told because the truth of those stories cannot be embraced on first hearing. This is the life of a real person who appeared and vanished as though only dreamed up by an overly emotional writer.
Lili Boulanger was born to a father 77 years old, yet they formed an adoring bond almost from the moment she drew her first breath!
What now to tell you that you would believe?
What if I told you her mother was a Russian princess?
She was.
What if I said her family was swarming with musicality surrounded by great music and the finest composers and performers?
They were!
1892 was an unusual time in world history, especially in Paris.
As to Lili herself?
The remarkable French composer Gabriel Faure', her mother's music tutor, discovered the 2-year-old Lili possessed perfect pitch and an insuperable attraction to everything musical. Yes, 2 years of age when the average child is learning not to mess their own diaper and will perhaps soon be able to walk--Lili was already glowing with a prodigious promise of something extraordinary!
Her 77-year-old father was a teacher in the Paris Conservatory. Do you suppose he and his wife would see to it that Lili would have only the most sublime encouragement? Yes, you would be right! Lili learned to sing, play piano, cello, violin and harp instructed by the most finest of teachers.
By the time she was 19, Lili was competing for the Prix de Rome.
During her performance, she collapsed due to illness! She was diagnosed with intestinal tuberculosis. Now this is tragic enough already--is it not? So young, so talented and with such great promise but living in an age when the science of medicine was unequal to the task of restoring her health.
I will now disclose an even greater tragedy; she would only live 6 more years.
Her beloved father had died when she was only 6--so great a blow--and now with only a few more years to carry on with her second great love: music itself! What could she possibly accomplish? After all, this was not a time for women to rise to the top of any profession. And, being so young and so ill would prove to be no advantage. What can I say to you now that will make this story worth the telling?
Read on, my friend....read on!
First, as an aside, I shall now reveal that her older sister Nadia would grow up to be one of the great music teachers and a composer in her own right.
Among Nadia Boulanger’s students we find stellar greatness in the likes of Aaron Copland, Philip Gass, Astor Piazzolla, Quincy Jones, Michel Legrand, Virgil Thompson, Burt Bacharach, Daniel Barenboim, Robert Russell Bennett, just to name a very few!
Had Lili lived longer--what might she have done? We cannot know that, but, we can now give our full attention and consideration to the very reason I have elected to tell this story to you.
I had not previously heard of Lili Boulanger and neither have you, I suspect. Quite by accident I was researching her older sister and ran across Lili's own extraordinary music.
One cannot talk about music to others except to say idle things and to grunt opinions.
What I will do for you is one simple thing. I shall give you a reason for curiosity in exploring the compositions of Lili Boulanger--and this for a very good reason: this young ill-fated musical prodigy was fully up to the task of imbuing her own work with an incredibly intense love of life. Her music is delicate, rapturously melodic, numinous with mystical emotion and incredibly well orchestrated.
Oh, I failed to mention. . .!
Lili drove herself to recover enough strength to compete for the Prix de Rome again and was the very first woman to win the prize! Her sister, Nadia, passed away in 1979 and was laid to rest beside Lili in Montmartre.
But, enough with words!
Try her music and be transported from this Earth to a vision of oneness with life, nature and the eternal. Let the music wash over you and absorb this brief voice of a young woman so soon departed from life.
Let us celebrate her in the transcendence of her genius!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5YQD7XEaEs
Why not explore her other works as well!
