I had a surprise visit this afternoon from my recently-divorced Filipina wife. Her relationship with new boyfriend is not going so well. I made her a coffee, was non-committal. She held out the hook and her not inconsiderable charms, and is no doubt trying to keep all possible options open.
But all general negative opinions about Filipinas were put away when I read this news story: http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/killed-drunk-driver-she-swept-pavement/20121223
A 28 year old Filipina was killed by a drunk driver as she swept the pavement at 0640 am. Never mind, the authorities hope to sort it out so that the killer can spend Xmas with his family.
I lived in CY 2005-2010. I had a Filipina girlfriend as well as a later Filipina fiancee who became my wife. IME, Cypriots saw Filipinas as slaves/concubines. Misogynistic, xenophobic bastards.
I have e-mailed the Phils Consul in CY, who is a switched-on US educated woman to see if there is a fund to repatriate/support this lady. I don't hold my breath for a reply.
Cyprus is going down the pan as the most bankrupt of the eurozone countries. Right now, I think it serves it right.
Sorry for the rant.
Joe Grundy
JoinedPosts by Joe Grundy
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7
Completely and Utterly Pissed Off
by Joe Grundy ini had a surprise visit this afternoon from my recently-divorced filipina wife.
her relationship with new boyfriend is not going so well.
i made her a coffee, was non-committal.
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Joe Grundy
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Why don't established religions care about Ron Wyatt's archaelogical findings confirming the Bible?
by Kosonen inwhy don't established religions care about ron wyatt's archaelogical findings confirming the bible?
what does that reveal about them?
have you any idea?.
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Joe Grundy
Leolaia:
Respect as always and thanks for this. I had never heard of this guy. Just one more 'nutter' who slipped under the radr, perhaps.
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Why don't established religions care about Ron Wyatt's archaelogical findings confirming the Bible?
by Kosonen inwhy don't established religions care about ron wyatt's archaelogical findings confirming the bible?
what does that reveal about them?
have you any idea?.
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Joe Grundy
Sorry, who's Ron Wyatt?
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Some History About Your "Conservative" Ancestors
by metatron inhttp://archive.org/stream/garsouvenirsportingguide#page/n5/mode/2up.
this is from a university of louisville archive.
it is a "sporting guide" for union veterans , widely advertised in that day.. do i have to explain the ads?
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Joe Grundy
Probably would be!
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Some History About Your "Conservative" Ancestors
by metatron inhttp://archive.org/stream/garsouvenirsportingguide#page/n5/mode/2up.
this is from a university of louisville archive.
it is a "sporting guide" for union veterans , widely advertised in that day.. do i have to explain the ads?
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Joe Grundy
NC:
I'm a bit shocked, TBH.
You're a witch and not a virgin? Not sure that I can continue this bad association!
Yours,
A guy.
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Favorite Charities
by breakfast of champions inas jehovah's witnesses, we were never encouraged to give to any charitable organizations except for you-know-who .
.. what charities stand out in your mind?
i like doctors without borders as well as my local nyc public radio stations.
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Joe Grundy
I am wary of many.
MSF would be one. I contribute monthly to the Red Cross.
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Stone Them!
by Joe Grundy ini never was a dub, but brought up going to chapel it was usual practice for sunday morning sermons to be ot based, sunday evenings were nt.. the ot is full of rules, commandments, punishments and 'stoning to death' is a feature.
sadly it's a practice still in force in benighted, religion-fuelled, backward societies even today.. i lived in cyprus 2005-2010 and did my best to learn the modern history of the island.
not inspiring.. until independence in 1960 cyprus was a uk colony.
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Joe Grundy
I never was a dub, but brought up going to chapel it was usual practice for Sunday morning sermons to be OT based, Sunday evenings were NT.
The OT is full of rules, commandments, punishments and 'stoning to death' is a feature. Sadly it's a practice still in force in benighted, religion-fuelled, backward societies even today.
I lived in Cyprus 2005-2010 and did my best to learn the modern history of the island. Not inspiring.
Until independence in 1960 Cyprus was a UK colony. The indigenous Greek Cypriot majority wanted to become part of Greece. The minority Turkish Cypriots wanted independence (under Turkish surveillance). Both formed armed groups. TMT for the Turks, EOKA for the Greeks. Both groups killed more of their own contrymen than the opposition. There is a huge and deep divide between right wing and left wing in Cyprus which continues to this day. Following independence in 1960, things didn't get much better and in 1974 Turkey invaded 'to protect the rights of Turkish Cypriots' and still occupy one-third of the island.
Cyprus is now a member of the EU and the eurozone, has applied for an EU bailout proportionately bigger than any other EU country, and has had to 'borrow' money from the pension funds of the Electricity Authority, the Telecomms Authority and the Port Authority so that it can pay public service salaries and pensions for December.
That's a potted and simplistic history/current affairs update.
I read the 'Cyprus Mail' online daily, and this story struck home to me.
I can't make the link clickable, but it's from CM 16 Dec 2012 in a story titled 'Vindication for EOKA Traitors' http://www.cyprus-mail.com/eoka/vindication-eoka-traitors/20121216 and what it brought it home to me was this bit:
'Others might have considered themselves lucky to have been killed by a shot to the back of their head.
Savvas Menikos from Goufes died a horrific death after having been tied to a eucalyptus tree in the village church courtyard on May 23, 1958. Primary school children stoned him in the presence of the priest, according to information gathered by Michael. Eventually, they untied him, placed a stone on him so he could not breathe, kicked dirt into his mouth and urinated in it while kicking.'
That's the reality of stoning to death, my friends. Note the involvement of a Cyprus Orthodox priest (the Cyprus Orthdox Church is, IMO, one of the most corrupt and evil organisations). When you've read that, I defy anyone to sit and listen to an OT-based sermon or 'study' and NOT think about it. This was in my lifetime.
Yes, I know that this horrific practice is still going on today, but it's happening in places which (to my shame as a caring primate) I can more easily close my eyes to as they're 'places in Asia under extremist Asian religions'. Geographically, Cyprus is in Asia.
I may just print out that article and next time someone knocks on my door, dub, Mormon, whatever, I may ask them to read it THEN talk to me about their god.
Sorry about the length of this - sometimes I get a bit wound up!
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JW.org reports on the Sandy Hook shooting...
by cedars infrom the official jw website.... .
school shooting in connecticutdecember 17, 2012 | united states.
on friday, december 14, 2012, a shooting took place at an elementary school in newtown, connecticut.
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Joe Grundy
This will be my only post on this subject.
I offer my condolences to all affected by this tragedy. I have grandchildren (3, 1, 1) and although my children are adults now I can barely imagine the grief.
I was a cop for 30 years. Never had a gun, wouldn't want one. Was at the wrong end of one a couple of times.
I have no idea what the solution to all this is, or if there is one now - maybe it's gone too far.
Some years ago I was in the US working on a case. I worked with two FBI guys. One never carried his gun but it was to hand if needed. The other (much younger) carried his all the time, including to church. One guy we dealt with had 147 firearms and he and his wife slept with loaded 9mm automatics under their pillows - in a very rural, almost zero-crime area. When this guy and his wife came to the UK to give evidence we had to convince them NOT to wear bullet-proof vests when they gave evidence (he insisted on wearing his under his clothes).
When my colleague and I were off-duty on our visit, we wandered around (as you do) and ended up in some fairly unsavoury places. Unarmed, not hiding that we were police, 'innocents abroad'. We had some interesting encounters but never had a major problem, maybe because we were used to talking to people rather than getting into pissing contests.
The UK is not, of course, a paradise and we have many problems here. But I offer my sympathies to my US friends because I don't think you're living in the land of the free - I wonder if you're living in the land of fear.
No offence intended.
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Christianity gives you....ummm...ummm....exactly what?
by Terry inchristianity:.
you get struck on the cheek and you pony up for the other slap.. you pray for the enemy who wants you face down in the mud with his heel on your neck.. you get treated like pond scum but you force a smile and forgive.. .
if you are abused?
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Joe Grundy
"Do as you wish others would do for you"
This is not, of course, a Christian teaching: or, to be more accurate, it is a teaching of religions/philosophies which pre-date Christianity and was incorporated into Christianity.
'Do as you would be done by' is, I understand, a principle espoused by (and evidenced by the behaviour of) many primates (not only homo sapiens).
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Christianity gives you....ummm...ummm....exactly what?
by Terry inchristianity:.
you get struck on the cheek and you pony up for the other slap.. you pray for the enemy who wants you face down in the mud with his heel on your neck.. you get treated like pond scum but you force a smile and forgive.. .
if you are abused?
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Joe Grundy
What does it give you?
A sense of belonging, especially for the lonely.
A sense of justice in the future for those who are oppressed.
A sense of superiority for those who believe that they alone 'know the truth'.
A friend for the friendless.
Someone to talk to for those who have no-one else.
A supposed code of morality for those who need it.
Buildings, music, literature and a sense of history.
Comfort.
A sense that whatever you do, it is sanctioned or justified by your god and is therefore 'right'.
None of it is logical or reasonable, of course, but one can see how a religion (any religion) which offers all this and more could survive and prosper. All one needs to do is to surrender disbelief and critical thinking.
I suppose that my list of points above could apply to any religion and maybe that's why so many religions survive.