under the radar

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Posts by under the radar

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  102

  How do you make a living?

  by paulnotsaul in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since most of us believed it was right around the corner, how many of you went to any secondary schools or training?

  what do you do now to survive?

  are you working or unemployed?

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  under the radar

  Pilot for "major" airline since 1987, captain since 1995. Mostly in the lower 48 (US), with a few intra-European trips thrown in. Will be transitioning to our biggest, longest range plane beginning next monh, after which it'll be almost exclusively long range international flying. A lot of non-stops between the US and major cities in southeast Asia and western Europe, with a few non-stops between Asia and Europe as well. I'm looking forward to it.

  A LOT more interesting than banging on doors pestering disinterested people with tripe I don't even believe myself. Of course, I haven't actually done that for many years (thank goodness!), but I can guarantee you I will NEVER do it again.
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  20

  Opinions on Streaming Netflix......

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my hdtv sits just feet behind the wall that houses my computer.

  i have a g-router for my laptops in the house.. i thought of running hdmi interface to my tv, but alas no hdmi outport on my computer.

  i used to use a laptop with vga, so considered doing the same with my desktop, but alas no vga port on my desktop computer.

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  under the radar

  IMHO, if you want a Blu-ray player, just buy one with built-in Netflix capability. Almost every maker has one, and they usually cost no more than one without.

  If you don't need a Blu-ray player, I think the new version of AppleTV is the way to go. Like most Apple stuff, you take it out of the box and it just works. My (-N) router is in the basement and the AppleTV is on the second floor. It streams Netflix perfectly.

  Good luck getting your HDTV set up.
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  18

  Study Participants Wanted

  by JW_Researcher in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  please contact kira directly if you're interested.. .

  my name is kira harris and i am a phd student at edith cowan university.

  the aim of my research is to further the understanding of the disengagement process through in-depth interviews with participants who self-identify as ex-members of entatitive social groups.

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  under the radar

  Hi everyone! Just my two cents worth...

  I emailed Kira and she promptly got back to me and arranged an interview. Everything is as stated. It is undoubtedly on the up-and-up.

  She called me here in western Canada from Australia at a time convenient for me. Took about an hour to do the very professional interview. Painless. Even enjoyable. I told her to feel free to get back in touch if she had any more questions or needed anything clarified.

  If you want to help someone conducting serious research in furtherance of their education, drop her an email and offer to participate. You won't regret it.

  An additional benefit: this study could demonstrate that many ex-JWs leave for perfectly legitimate reasons. We're not all disgruntled sex-crazed drug addicts. I believe the vast majority just come to the realization that it is in fact NOT the "Truth®" and choose not to live as hypocrites or slaves anymore.

  Radar
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  55

  WT article on ''never have we said Jehovah has said"

  by Aussie Oz in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  been going nuts looking for this.. i am sure i have read, and probably saved, a quote by them about not being false prophets but i am buggered if i can find it anywhere in search, google or my own pc.. can you help?.

  i think its 2009 but not sure, where they have the line 'never have we said ''jehovah has said'' when ...'.

  a link or pdf or scan or cut n paste, etc would be great!.

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  under the radar

  Here's a good one.

  The Watch Tower of July 15, 1894, page 226 said:

  "We see no reason for changing the figures; nor could we change them if we would. They are, we believe, God's dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble. We see no reason for changing from our opinion expressed in the View presented in the Watch Tower of Jan. 15, '92." (NOTE: That is 1892, not 1992.)

  Just one of many, many times the Society implied that relying on and obeying them is the equivalent of doing that to Jehovah. Presumptuous and arrogant, if not outright blasphemous statements.

  Radar
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  106

  Flying to Orlando tomorrow, my daughter is in the hospital

  by coffee_black in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my daughter is in the hospital with pneumonia, and possibly a blood clot in her lung.

  they'll be testing through the night...apparently, her heart is enlarged as well.

  she is scared... and if her jw father catches wind of it, he will be there trying to intefere with her treatment... he lives close by to her, so i'll be flying down in the morning....to head him off at the pass.

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  under the radar

  Hi Coffee!

  I am so sorry to hear about your daughter Ali. By the way, she is gorgeous! I hope with all my heart that she recovers, and quickly! She is very lucky to have Mom flying to her rescue. Just knowing that her kids are being looked after properly will make her feel better.

  Two things should ease your mind, even if just a little. First, since she's obviously an adult, her dad nor anyone else has any say in her treatment. So unless she invites them, the HLC and anyone else her dad's friends might send can just take a hike. And unless she has a current "Blood Card" on file with the hospital, her dad's religious convictions are completely irrelevant. In the absence of written proof otherwise, the doctors and hospital staff can safely assume she would want whatever treatment(s) will give her the best chance of a complete recovery. In fact, they would be remiss if they didn't pull out all the stops.

  Second, even if she has pneumonia and her heart is enlarged due to the stress or whatever, the most likely course of treatment will be medication and rest and probably hydration... not surgery. With all the latest advances in medicine at their disposal, and since they apparently caught this situation relatively early, the doctors have an excellent chance of "fixing her up" real soon.

  I know anything I could say would be little comfort to a worried mother, but rest assured that you and Ali have all the prayers and positive vibes your friends at JWN can muster coming your way. Take care of Ali and the little ones first, yourself too, of course, and then keep us informed as you have the chance. We're all there with you in spirit.

  Warmest regards,

  Radar
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  51

  My Dad's passing

  by happyexjw in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  quite a while ago i wrote about my dad who has been living with prostate cancer for 13 years with secondry bone cancer for the last 2 years.

  we all thought he was going to leave us back in april when he had a bad chest infection.

  i was talking about wanting to be able to say some words at his funeral.

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  under the radar

  Dear happyexjw,
  
  I am so sorry to hear about your dad. I hope you find some comfort in that he went peacefully in the end, surrounded by his loving family.
  
  I am appalled, but not shocked, by your treatment at the hands of your JW relatives. Their whole lives revolve around their version of the "Truth" and they are taught to treat with disdain any who do not fit into their little mold of how a "True Christian" should think and talk and act. I am so sorry you had to put up with their self-righteousness... especially at a time Iike that.
  
  I lost my own father in May, his brother the previous February, and the brother's wife in June. I was specifically disinvited to the customary gathering after my father's service, even though it was to take place at a restaurant open to the public. I was warned there would be a "scene" if I showed up. Since the vast majority of those who would be there would be Daddy's friends from the congregation anyway, I gracefully bowed out without a fuss. But it still hurt. Mind you, I am neither DA nor DF (though truth be told, that's only a technicality). It just alternately saddens and infuriates me when ordinarily kind and loving people turn into cold unfeeling martinets just because one no longer shares their precious beliefs and superstitions.
  
  You would think a person truly "Christian" at heart would suspend his judgmental, self- righteous attitudes at a time like that, particularly when it comes to other family members. I grieve with you that the words and actions of some in your family actually made a time of sorrow even worse.
  
  Please accept my condolences in the loss of your father. May you find some measure of peace in the knowledge that he now knows the truth about the "Truth" (whatever that may be) and that he is no longer suffering.
  
  Radar
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  211

  Ray Franz has had a stroke

  by coffee_black in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just setting the record straight.

  there is another thread that notes a claim on wiki that said that ray has died.. he had a stroke yesterday, and is in the hospital.

  he is still alive.

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  under the radar

  I am so sorry to hear of Ray's stroke. I truly hope he is not suffering, and that his wife can be comforted by her friends and family. I, too, believe that Ray is a good man, faithful to what he believes to be true, and that he has tried throughout his life to help others as best he can. His seems to have been the sole voice of reason and sanity in the Watchtower hierarchy. If only the leadership had heeded his advice and adopted his attitude to truth (as opposed to The Truth®), they wouldn't be experiencing the mass exodus they're seeing now. And sites like this wouldn't be necessary.

  I began seeing the discrepancies and outright ludicrousness of certain Watchtower teachings over 20 years ago. But Ray, through his books, helped me to see "behind the curtain." From him I learned how the Governing Body actually works, and verified what I already felt in my heart: that this really was a man-made religion, more and more focused on maintaining their control of the masses rather than dispensing real truth. If the worst happens, this strong and reasonable "voice in the wilderness" will be stilled, but the message (through his books) will continue to ring out, and will never be forgotten.

  Godspeed, Ray. And Cynthia, all my love and respect are with you. May the peace of God sustain you in your hour of grief.
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  16

  Reverse Witnessing - 101

  by Jim_TX in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  on the weekends, i am usually found - in the mornings - at the local coffee shop - where i study - and madly write my new ideas - or expand on old ones.. it is a time when i put to paper all of the thoughts of the past week - and dream up new ones for the next one.. anyway, on sunday mornings, there is a retired schoolteacher lady who - with her husband show up after their church services and have breakfast.

  she will usually try to find an open pair of seats at the counter next to me - to talk with me.

  this morning, they sat next to me, and she began talking (which usually interrupts my solo quiet time).. during the chatter, she asked me if i was into sports when i was in school.

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  under the radar

  Hey Jim,

  I guess your JW childhood experience was more intense than mine. And I thought I missed out on things! My dad was a very zealous but good-hearted elder who did in fact have a thoughtful and reasonable side. I played in the band in Jr. High and was the Class Salutatorian at my High School graduation. But college was never encouraged or even seriously considered as an option, despite my 4.0. Of course I would Pioneer! It was just expected... almost inevitable.

  Just wondering... why were you not allowed to march across the stage at your graduation? I've never heard of a Witness family prohibiting that before. Did yours give you any kind of reason? There are plenty of weird and pointless no-can-do's in JW world, but that's going way beyond anything the Society ever said in print. I'm very surprised.

  Anyway, my condolences for what you went through as a child. And congratulations on coping so well and putting it behind you. You're a survivor!

  Regards,

  Radar
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  35

  I miss my Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer 2

  by garyneal in

  1. social
  2. humour

  was reminiscing with a friend on facebook about our past and the thread concerning windows 7 got me thinking about the hours i spent writing programs for my trash 80 computer.

  any other nerds like me who miss the old hardware?.

  or does anyone miss anything from their younger days (not necessarily computers)?.

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  under the radar

  I am surprised so many of us had computers "way back when." My first was a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1, which I bought in '80 or '81. It had the Expansion Interface, which allowed you to bring the memory all the way up to a whopping 48K (yes, that's right kids, "K") and connect floppy drives. I started out with 2 of the official Radio Shack TRS-80 35-track single-sided drives (5.25" floppies) and later upgraded to two 80-track double-sided floppy drives (I don't remember the manufacturer, maybe Siemens). Back then, disks came in single- and double-sided AND single- and double-density. A double-sided, double-density drive was a good as it got.

  My first game cost me about $10 (and I still have it!). It was a "shoot down the aliens" kind of thing, but it could simulate a human voice and say, "Die, Human!" Remember, that was before there was any such thing as a sound card. TRS-DOS (the operating system) had its limitations, and I upgraded to something called DOS Plus when it first came out. I think I even have the old disk and manual for it up in my attic somewhere.

  I learned how to write in BASIC using Dr. David McLean's book. Never was much good at it, but I did write a passable work scheduling program for myself and a very elementary computer version of the MasterMind game I already had. That was a cool game. You can still buy the real MasterMind game, both the electronic and the physical versions) in stores today.

  Don't remember if I still had the Model 1 by then or had upgraded to the Model 4P, but I got a 300 (!) baud Hayes modem as soon as I could and signed up for CompuServe. Kind of an early internet. Later got a 1200 and then a 2400 baud Hayes modem. Still have them, mint condition. Bids, anyone? Anyway, I joined and experimented with several BBS's those first few years, but CompuServe was by far the best and most user friendly. Wonder if they're even still around? I think my UserID was something like 71143,54. Weird...

  Anyway, thanks for the memories. I haven't thought of that old first computer of mine in years. I eventually sold it, and I'm sure it's in somebody's attic even as I type this. Model 1's still show up on eBay once in a while, and I know the Smithsonian has one.
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  73

  RANDY WATTER'S DAD JUST DIED

  by Mary in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  randy watters, owner of freeminds.org father just died a couple of hours ago from pneumonia and alzheimers.

  he was 86 years old.

  as randy has been tireless in his efforts to help countless people come out of the wts, i would like to express my sincere condolences to him at this time.. .

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  under the radar

  Randy,

  I am so sorry to hear about your dad. I too have learned a lot and benefited from your efforts to free others from Watchtower tyranny.

  Your writings about your father and your relationship with him ring very true for me. Indeed, my own father is at death's door. Today we are moving him to a nursing home for hospice care. Nothing more can be done but to keep him comfortable.

  Please know you have a great multitude of friends who wish to comfort and console you in this hour of grief and sadness. And we will be here for you in the days and weeks ahead as you learn to cope with your loss. May your memories of the wonderful times you shared and the love and wisdom he bequeathed to you sustain you as you mourn his passing.

  My best to you and yours,

  Radar