Posts by betterdaze

from sky and telescope, online version: "this year the moon will be nearly new when the geminids peak on the night of december 13-14. the shower's radiant, the point in the sky from which they all seem to originate, is near castor and pollux.

betterdaze

Here ya' go... http://meteorshowersonline.com/quadrantids.html. They provide a viewing chart. Let's hope the weather cooperates!

~Sue

20

Legally prevent minor chidren being baptized? Anybody done it? can it be done?

by Aussie Oz in

jw
friends

i am about to go into mediation with the ex to negotiate new child access arangements.

i was wondering about being able to negotiate this.

i may also end up going to court so it would be good to know if this ever been done.

betterdaze

Here's a recent case in the news. Good luck.

~Sue

Dec 11, 2009 7:57 pm US/Eastern

Dad Barred From Taking His Jewish Baby To Church

Wife Says Taking Daughter To Christian Service Will Confuse Child

CHICAGO (CBS) ? A father has been hit with an unusual restraining order: Keep his daughter away from any religion that is not Jewish. After the girl's parents split up, the father went to a Catholic church and had the girl baptized, CBS station WBBM-TV reports.

Joseph Reyes, 35, had his daughter baptized and sent his ex-wife a picture of the ceremony.

Rebecca Reyes says she only learned of her daughter's Baptism when Joseph sent her the picture, and that he sent it out of malice. Joseph Reyes denies this.

"I sent it because Rebecca asked me for pictures," he said.

Rebecca Reyes says she wants her daughter raised Jewish, and that her husband pledged to do so, even going so far as to convert to Judaism himself.

"That's not accurate," he responded. "I'm not going to call her a liar, but … at the very least she's mistaken regarding that conversation."

But Rebecca Reyes says it's her estranged husband who made the mistake when he had their daughter baptized. In her petition, she argues that if he's allowed to raise the child in any faith other than Judaism, he will cause their daughter irreparable harm.

"I wouldn't harm my daughter simply to somehow spite my soon (soon)to-be ex-wife," Joseph Reyes said. "That's silly and ridiculous."

Reyes' divorce attorney, Joel Brodsky, said when he first saw the petition for a temporary restraining order against his client, he couldn't believe what he was reading.

"I almost fell off my chair," he said. "I thought maybe we were in Afghanistan and this was the Taliban. This is America. We have a First Amendment right of freedom of religion."

The restraining order asks the judge to bar Joseph from taking his daughter to church. According to the petition, failure to restrain him will "continue to the emotional detriment of the child."

Rebecca and her attorneys declined to go on camera but they did release the following statement: "We stand by our petition. We feel the judge will do whatever is best for the child."

The attorney for Joseph Reyes says he will appeal Friday's order.

9

Does Watchtower Participate in Interfaith Movements?

by cameo-d in

quote:.

"... parliament of the world's religions brings together religious and civic leaders from dozens of countries.

the fifth such parliament convened in december in melbourne, australia, and brought together 10,000 "people of faith, spirit and goodwill" from 220 different faiths and 80 countries.

betterdaze

No part of this world? Watchtower lawyer an interfaith delegate. Alan Gallina, a Human Rights Specialist with the Office of General Counsel for Jehovah's Witnesses.

College of St. Elizabeth, a Catholic institution. Jolene Chu (Secretary/Director, Jehovah's Witness Holocaust-Era Survivors Fund).

~Sue

19

RED ALERT!! RED ALERT!! Meteorite shower tomorrow night!!!

by ziddina in

jw
friends

[blast!

can't make the title 'red'...].

from sky and telescope, online version: "this year the moon will be nearly new when the geminids peak on the night of december 13-14. the shower's radiant, the point in the sky from which they all seem to originate, is near castor and pollux.

betterdaze

Thanks for posting this, Ziddina! I missed it because of the cloudiness, too. But there's always more...

December 21 - The Winter Solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere at 17:47 UT. The Sun is at its lowest point in the sky and it will be the shortest day of the year. This is also the first day of winter.

December 31 - Full Moon & Partial Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. NASA site.

January 3, 4 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower. The Quadrantids are an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower usually peaks on January 3 & 4, but some meteors can be visible from January 1 - 5. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation Bootes.

Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events - 2010 from Sea and Sky.

Eclipses During 2010
In 2010, there are two solar and two lunar eclipses:
• 2010 Jan 15: Annular Solar Eclipse
• 2010 Jun 26: Partial Lunar Eclipse
• 2010 Jul 11: Total Solar Eclipse
• 2010 Dec 21: Total Lunar Eclipse

~Sue

5

Respected Jehovah's Witness groomed and molested young girls over years

by betterdaze in

respected jehovah's witness groomed and molested young girls over yearspublished date: 15 december 2009. by olwen dudgeon.

a respected jehovah's witness who served as an elder betrayed the trust placed in him by abusing young girls.. james michael o'brien followed one schoolgirl into a kitchen when she was alone away from adults making tea at meetings he was hosting.. .

he pulled her towards him, sexually assaulted her and began to kiss her.. .

betterdaze

Respected Jehovah's Witness groomed and molested young girls over years

Published Date: 15 December 2009
By Olwen Dudgeon

A RESPECTED Jehovah's Witness who served as an elder betrayed the trust placed in him by abusing young girls.

James Michael O'Brien followed one schoolgirl into a kitchen when she was alone away from adults making tea at meetings he was hosting.

He pulled her towards him, sexually assaulted her and began to kiss her.

On another occasion he conducted a further sexual assault, Richard Wright prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court yesterday.

She felt very angry about what was happening because adult worshippers in the Kingdom Hall "had a significant amount of trust placed in them", he said.

A second girl said when she was aged between 10 and 11, O'Brien touched her many times over her clothing when they were together for religious activities.

She described how she too was helping in the kitchen on one occasion when it happened, while on others they were out in Pontefract making calls door to door.

She said he sexually assaulted her in a lift, while travelling in a car and while looking at a computer together.

The court heard he also admitted offences against three other girls when they visited him or when he was helping to look after them unconnected to his role as an elder.

He told an 11-year-old he would teach her to kiss properly and proceeded to kiss her. He also told her to close her eyes when he kissed her to "make it sexier."

With his final victim he also touched her regularly, with the incidents becoming more serious, and on occasions getting her to touch him.

O'Brien, 60, of School Road, Chequerfield, Pontefract, who the court was told is no longer associated with Kingdom Hall, was jailed for six years with an extended four years further on licence.

He admitted 13 charges of indecent assault, one of engaging in sexual activity with a child, one of sexual assault and a further sexual offence.

Sentencing him, the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier QC said he considered O'Brien posed a risk of further offending since the charges covered more than 30 years "which is more than half of your life".

He said O'Brien had developed a "pattern of grooming" which evolved, increasing his sexual activity in seriousness as he moved on to different girls.

He used the "cloak of religious activities" to abuse some of the girls, in doing so betraying the responsibility placed in him as an elder in the community.

John Nixon representing O'Brien told the court he was ashamed and remorseful.

As a result "his marriage has disappeared and he has been stripped of many possessions, being made bankrupt".

9

Letter from Michael Moore to Pres. Obama, and Pres. Obama's response

by glenster in

http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2009/11/michael-moore-exchanges-letters-with-obama.html.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/30/809109/-an-open-letter-to-president-obama-from-michael-moore.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/30/809130/-an-open-letter-to-michael-moore-from-president-obama.

betterdaze

What parody beks? Here's the source of the letter from Michael Moore's own site.

~Sue