The Durango Telegraph Opinion Piece: Purple pilgrimage (Touring Prince's Home - Paisley Park)

by AndersonsInfo in

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https://www.durangotelegraph.com/opinion/la-vida-local/purple-pilgrimage/.

purple pilgrimage.

missy votel - 09/28/2017 .

AndersonsInfo

https://www.durangotelegraph.com/opinion/la-vida-local/purple-pilgrimage/

Purple pilgrimage

Missy Votel - 09/28/2017

“Is that chewing gum?” the woman in the purple shirt at the front desk asked me, with more than a hint of disgust. “You will have to spit that out,” she scolded, handing me a box of tissues with her similarly painted purple fingernails.

I dutifully and sheepishly spit the gum out, not quite sure what compelled me to pop it in in the first place. It was especially inexplicable given that only seconds earlier, a large man in a black suit confiscated my phone. He didn’t keep it, he just locked it in a case so I couldn’t use it, but the message was clear: don’t mess.

Perhaps I was nervous knowing my every move was being monitored. Or maybe I wanted to make sure I had fresh breath when I met my idol. Or at least his remains.

As you may have heard me mention before, I’m kind of obsessed with Prince – I guess I never really gave up the dream of someday being his back-up singer or maybe eating pancakes with him at one of his late-night pajama parties. There’s something about this biggest little badass that’s hard to shake. An enigma wrapped in a riddle and cloaked in royal purple satin and lace. He could “hush” the world with a stare and rock the Super Bowl in the rain in heels that put Melania to shame.

Like many, I was shook by his death. A quiet, reclusive, Jehovah-fearing, vegetarian teetotaler, he was supposed to live forever. Then again, by rock and roll standards, 57 is pretty good. But it didn’t make the pain any less.

Thus, when I heard you could tour his colossal suburban fortress, Paisley Park, I knew it was a pilgrimage I had to make. You know, for closure (and maybe a chance to jump on his bed or at least touch his stuff.) So, using a flimsy excuse to see family, I booked some tickets to the Mini Apple and bought my PP tickets online. Before I knew it, my sisters and I were pointing the Dadmobile to the equally unrock’n’rollish suburb of Chanhassen: the Prince promised land.

Having never toured a dead star’s home (or any star for that matter), I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would there be a “Jungle Room?” Would they let us look inside his fridge or poke through his closet? Could we karaoke to “1999” in his private nightclub? Well, when we showed up, it was clear they had seen our kind before.

Before I could so much as slink off to run my hands over the purple velvet chaise, I was yanked back in line. The tour was a well-oiled and supervised machine – and can’t say I could blame them. Prince was an extremely private person when he wasn’t gyrating on stage. The rules are how he would’ve wanted them: no roaming, no dawdling, no messing things up and no photos. (That latter of which I was actually quite thankful for. After all, Prince’s home is a shrine, not a place for selfie sticks and hashtagging. #havesomerespect.)

22

ARC recommendations. Read for yourselves

by zeb in

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friends

https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2017-08/report-on-criminal-justice-released.

AndersonsInfo

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/14/clergy-who-fail-to-report-child-abuse-heard-in-confession-should-be-charged-royal-commission

"As part of 85 recommendations for reform of the criminal justice system, the commission also wants the current law changed to facilitate more admissibility and cross-admissibility of tendency and coincidence evidence and more joint trials in child abuse matters.

The commissioners also recommended expanding laws – which differ between states and territories – around mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse or suspected abuse. They want those who should have known about the abuse to be held criminally accountable, rather than only those who knew or suspected abuse was occurring but did not go to authorities."

17

Article: WBBR-AM: A “Pioneering” Radio Experiment by the Watch Tower - A revealing history of WBBR- Includes the last broadcast - April 1957

by AndersonsInfo in

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friends

http://watchtowerdocuments.org/wbbr-am-a-pioneering-radio-experiment/#more-9319.

wbbr-am: a “pioneering” radio experiment by the watch tower .

introduction to main article.

AndersonsInfo

This add'l information posted about the Watch Tower's early involvement in ownership of radio stations and the so-called "WBBR West" radio station gathered by Orphan Crow certainly adds to the story. Thanks.

And I certainly recommend reading the material at the links provided.

17

Article: WBBR-AM: A “Pioneering” Radio Experiment by the Watch Tower - A revealing history of WBBR- Includes the last broadcast - April 1957

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://watchtowerdocuments.org/wbbr-am-a-pioneering-radio-experiment/#more-9319.

wbbr-am: a “pioneering” radio experiment by the watch tower .

introduction to main article.

AndersonsInfo

Whoops, thanks Hoser. Good stuff that, like Orphan Crow, I never saw before.

17

Article: WBBR-AM: A “Pioneering” Radio Experiment by the Watch Tower - A revealing history of WBBR- Includes the last broadcast - April 1957

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://watchtowerdocuments.org/wbbr-am-a-pioneering-radio-experiment/#more-9319.

wbbr-am: a “pioneering” radio experiment by the watch tower .

introduction to main article.

AndersonsInfo

I enjoyed the research and writing the history of WBBR as much as many of you who have expressed interest in reading about it. Although we are unhappy with our past membership in the Watchtower Corporate religion, it can't be denied that the history is fascinating, especially in light of what we see happening now.

Thanks Orphan Crow for your post regarding some of IBSA's history in British Columbia which I'll add to the original article that appears on Watchtower Documents.

And, TheWonderofYou, thanks for the additional material about WBBR and the link to Hatzfeld's recollections. I met and interviewed him while I was doing research for the "Proclaimers" book. Have to say he was like an "invisible" presence at headquarters, spending most of his waking hours doing something in the mechanical communication rooms, no matter where and when in the development of the history of JW broadcasting until he died.

Hatzfeld was one of many men involved in the history of the Watchtower who worked behind the scenes to make people with unforgettable voices and presentations like Rutherford, Franz and Sydlik important in the JW world during a key time of growth in the religion. These support people as well as the "characters" out in front are long gone and the Knorr/Franz/GB administrative religion they participated in are gone too, only to be replaced by a floundering non-charismatic leadership with a message that has little appeal to hook new members and to keep the born-ins happy. What we are watching is the demise of what was once an important American religion whose innovative history should not be forgotten but never repeated.

Article: Vincent Viola, ... plans residential building at Watchtower site [124 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn]

by AndersonsInfo in

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friends

https://therealdeal.com/2017/07/21/vincent-viola-trumps-first-pick-for-army-secretary-plans-resi-building-at-watchtower-site/.

vincent viola, trump’s first pick for army secretary, plans resi building at watchtower site.

the 101 apartments will replace 237 dorms.

AndersonsInfo

https://therealdeal.com/2017/07/21/vincent-viola-trumps-first-pick-for-army-secretary-plans-resi-building-at-watchtower-site/

Vincent Viola, Trump’s first pick for Army Secretary, plans resi building at Watchtower site

The 101 apartments will replace 237 dorms

By Kathryn Brenzel | July 21, 2017 05:00PM

The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ building at 124 Columbia Heights (credit: Getty Images) and Vincent Viola

Vincent Viola, the billionaire trader who was President Trump’s first nominee for Army Secretary, plans to turn a Jehovah’s Witness dormitory in Brooklyn Heights into apartments.

Viola, the CEO of Virtu Financial, purchased the property at 124 Columbia Heights last year for $105 million. According to plans filed Friday, the building’s 237 dorm rooms will be replaced with 101 apartments.

HS2 Architecture is the architect of record. Salvatore Caiola, a contractor listed as a representative for the owner, didn’t return a call seeking more information on his role on the project.

6

Christian Times: Jehovah's Witnesses consider European court appeal after Russian Supreme Court upholds ban on sect

by AndersonsInfo in

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friends

http://www.christiantimes.com/article/jehovahs-witnesses-consider-european-court-appeal-after-russian-supreme-court-upholds-ban-on-sect/72529.htm.

july 19, 2017the jehovah's witnesses expressed its plans to appeal to the european court of human rights in strasbourg after the russian supreme court upheld a ruling that banned the sect and declared it as an "extremist" organization.

"we plan to appeal this at the european court of human rights as soon as we can.

AndersonsInfo

http://www.christiantimes.com/article/jehovahs-witnesses-consider-european-court-appeal-after-russian-supreme-court-upholds-ban-on-sect/72529.htm

July 19, 2017

The Jehovah's Witnesses expressed its plans to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg after the Russian Supreme Court upheld a ruling that banned the sect and declared it as an "extremist" organization.

"We plan to appeal this at the European Court of Human Rights as soon as we can. All legal avenues inside Russia have been exhausted," Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a member of the European Association of Jehovah's Christian Witnesses, told Reuters.

Sivulskiy said that the sect strongly disagreed with the court's ruling, but it had no option but to comply.

The latest court ruling would allow the Russian government to liquidate the 395 Jehovah's Witnesses congregations and seize the sect's properties.

David Semonian, a spokesman for the sect, issued a statement saying, "it's very concerning that despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, powerful elements within Russia continue to frame our organization as extremist."

READ MORE: http://www.christiantimes.com/article/jehovahs-witnesses-consider-european-court-appeal-after-russian-supreme-court-upholds-ban-on-sect/72529.htm

2

The Moscow Times: Many Russians Don’t Know the Jehovah’s Witnesses, But They Still Want Them Banned

by AndersonsInfo in

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https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russians-want-jehovas-witnesses-banned-poll-58382.

many russians don’t know the jehovah’s witnesses, but they still want them banned.

july 13, 2017 — 14:00 .

AndersonsInfo

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/Russians-want-jehovas-witnesses-banned-poll-58382

Many Russians Don’t Know the Jehovah’s Witnesses, But They Still Want Them Banned

July 13, 2017 — 14:00

— Update: 19:49

A large majority of Russians support a ban on the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a recent poll shows.

Roughly eighty percent of those questioned by the independent Levada Center pollster said they supported a Justice Ministry ban on the religious group after it was labeled an extremist sect.

Russia’s Supreme Court formally banned the Jehovah's Witnesses in April, forcing 396 registered Jehovah's Witnesses organizations across the country to dissolve.

Only 12 percent of respondents polled by Levada were unsupportive of the ban.

17

Article: WBBR-AM: A “Pioneering” Radio Experiment by the Watch Tower - A revealing history of WBBR- Includes the last broadcast - April 1957

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://watchtowerdocuments.org/wbbr-am-a-pioneering-radio-experiment/#more-9319.

wbbr-am: a “pioneering” radio experiment by the watch tower .

introduction to main article.

AndersonsInfo

http://watchtowerdocuments.org/wbbr-am-a-pioneering-radio-experiment/#more-9319

WBBR-AM: A “Pioneering” Radio Experiment by the Watch Tower

INTRODUCTION TO MAIN ARTICLE

In 1922, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society was one of the first religious organizations to enter the commercial radio broadcasting field – a technology that was still in its infancy. Shortly after going out over the air on the initial broadcast, the Watch Tower’s second president, Joseph F. Rutherford, gave one of the very first long distance radio sermons.

That first broadcast on April 16, 1922 (from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) went out to an estimated 50,000 people listening in several surrounding states.

Rutherford soon realized that the recent invention of long-distance radio transmission could be the very tool that he could use to spread his religious message to a broader audience. He quickly went shopping for property and radio equipment to set up his own radio station. With license in hand and the call letters WBBR-AM assigned to him by the government broadcasting agency, the first broadcast from the “Watchtower” radio station located in Staten Island, New York, was on February 24, 1924.

The “Bible Students” (the name that Rutherford’s followers were known by at that time) believed it “exceedingly interesting to note that the first time the public discourse ‘Millions Now Living Will Never Die’ was delivered from Los Angeles, California, on February 24, 1918. Just six years later to the day (February 24, 1924), the ‘Watchtower’ radio station put on its initial program.” They felt this accomplishment was clearly due to God’s hand being involved in the matter.

However, after only thirty-three (sometimes stormy and often confrontational) years of broadcasting, WBBR was sold to a commercial broadcasting company. The last program by Jehovah’s Witnesses from WBBR aired in April of 1957. The directors of the Watch Tower Corporation gave a number of reasons for getting out of the broadcasting field to Jehovah’s Witnesses – formerly known as the “Bible Students.” Witnesses were told that personal contact made possible by Jehovah's Witnesses making house-to-house calls were far more effective than radio broadcasts to generate converts. Was this also “God’s hand in the matter?” Jehovah’s Witnesses were led to believe that it was – at least at that point in their history.

Now, in the early part of the 21st-century, Watch Tower has returned to the broadcasting industry in a big way – spending millions of dollars to advance their message through a technically different broadcasting medium: streaming video delivered worldwide via the Internet.

What happened to their belief that personal contact was a better avenue to make converts? Is this evidence of God’s hand in the matter to reach millions of people to promote the Witnesses message? To listen to them talk, it is. But a careful look at the historical record of WBBR, and to examine their present claims, is quite a “revelation.”

For those who are Watch Tower history addicts desiring accuracy, click on the following link to go to our WBBR history page for expanded information about the Watch Tower’s past as “pioneers” in broadcast, and multi-media methods to reach their members and generate new converts. There you’ll also find photos, video and audio resources.

http://watchtowerdocuments.org/history-of-wbbr/

JUST ADDED: Full MP3 audio of the VERY LAST BROADCAST of WBBR-AM radio in 1957 under the control of Watch Tower. Be sure to listen to both parts to catch all of that particular flash in Watch Tower history when the now deceased speakers were so sure that God was with them and Armageddon was nigh! Audio is presented uncut and in two parts. For your listening diversion, experience a most unique moment in history.

http://watchtowerdocuments.org/history-of-wbbr/

5

Armenia’s Jehovah’s Witnesses: ‘enemies of the state’

by AndersonsInfo in

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friends

tp://oc-media.org/armenias-jehovahs-witnesses-enemies-of-the-state/.

http://oc-media.org/armenias-jehovahs-witnesses-enemies-of-the-state/.

armenia’s jehovah’s witnesses: ‘enemies of the state’.

AndersonsInfo

http://oc-media.org/armenias-jehovahs-witnesses-enemies-of-the-state/

Armenia’s Jehovah’s Witnesses: ‘enemies of the state’

12 June 2017 by Armine Avetisyan

Armenian identity is so tightly interwoven with religion that it can often be heard that the only true Armenian is a follower of the Armenian Church. Contempt, discrimination, and outright hatred towards religious minorities have led to a worryingly widespread perception of them as outsiders — a threat to Armenian statehood.

Deadly discrimination

Anna (not her real name), 45, comes from Gyumri. She used to work as an Armenian language teacher in a local school, but was forced to leave after the school authorities discovered that she was a Pentecostal Christian.

‘I would never have thought that simply attending meetings of my religious organisation in my free time could be a reason for being fired from work. I was a teacher for ten years and my colleagues described me as a loved and respected professional. One day, I was invited to the principal’s office where he asked me to hand in my notice, because many parents had complained that a “sectarian” was teaching their children’, Anna told OC Media.

Anna recalls that she initially tried to fight for her rights, but eventually got frustrated and left the school voluntarily four years ago.

‘I left voluntarily, hoping I would find another job. The whole year turned out to be full of suffering. All the schools I approached slammed their doors in my face, because I was considered a “heretic”. If not for my brothers and sisters in faith, I would have starved to death’, Anna said.

Despite always being able to count on moral support from her religious community, one day she attempted to end her life, tired of the almost universal scorn.

‘I drank bleach in order to die, but Jesus saved me — thank the Lord. I am grateful to him that I now have my little shop, which makes me feel human again’, Anna said.

Anna is now earning her daily bread with trade, selling fresh produce.

‘I’m happy I’m able to help people in need. Each morning I distribute fresh and healthy produce to people in need. We must all cleanse our souls and share what we have with our neighbours’, Anna said.

Although there are no official statistics to back it up, there is anecdotal evidence that Anna’s suicide attempt because of religious discrimination is far from unique in Armenia.

Religious mosaic

According to official data, there are 66 registered organisations carrying out religious activities in Armenia.

According to the 2011 census, the Armenian Apostolic Church is the biggest religious domination in the country, followed by 93% of its 3 million inhabitants. Other Christian denominations make up 2.1% of the population, including Catholics, Evangelicals, Pentecostals and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The government considers these to be official religious organisations, although there are also several groups that only have the status of NGO, such as the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation Community or the Unification Church. Unregistered communities include Buddhists and the Hare Krishna community.

The Armenian Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and religious belief to every citizen. In theory, the rights of religious minorities are protected, yet in practice, the picture is rather different.

The US State Department pointed out in their 2015 International Religious Freedom Report that religious minorities in Armenia are often subjected to various forms of abuse — obstacles in obtaining building permits for places of worship, and discrimination in education, the military, law enforcement, and public sector employment.

The report also points out preferential government support for the Armenian Apostolic Church and negative media reports often referring to religious minorities in a derogatory manner as ‘cults’ or even as ‘enemies of the state’. It also pointed to instances of verbal and physical harassment of Jehovah’s Witnesses while proselytising.

A family torn apart by religious intolerance

‘My family happiness lasted for only two years’, Kristine (not her real name), 35, recalls with sadness. She is currently taking care of her 5-year-old son alone.

Kristine comes from the city of Vanadzor, in northern Armenia’s Lori Province. Six years ago she got married and moved with her husband to Yerevan. The first months were happy for the newlyweds, especially when they found out that they were to become parents.

‘When my child fell ill, I suffered a lot. At the hospital I met Jehovah’s Witnesses, who provided me with a lot of moral support. Over time, I began to read their books and I realised that I was living my life incorrectly, and that I needed different religious nourishment’, Kristine told OC Media.

After she decided to join the Jehovah’s Witnesses, her life changed.

AndersonsInfo

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Purple pilgrimage