The world would be a very different place without his influence.
R.I.P. Mr. Martin
Jason
done4good
JoinedPosts by done4good
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George Martin
by glenster insir george henry martin cbe (3 january 1926 – 8 march 2016) http://news.yahoo.com/beatle-paul-mccartney-mourns-second-father-george-martin-112126117.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/george_martin.
a gentleman who helped the beatles with a knowing setting for their work (alsothe piano solo for "in my life," etc.).
see his book for lot of anecdotes aboutit.
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done4good
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108
Heil Trump. Sieg Heil.
by oppostate incrowd looking like they're doing the heil hitler salute to trump when he asks for a pledge and swear their support while calling for broadening torture laws.
trump asks backers to swear their support, vows to broaden torture laws.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/05/politics/donald-trump-florida-pledge-torture/.
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done4good
A good article that describes the paradigm shift in the GOP, and why Trump has the favor he has among his supporters. Since its not written in block letters, and in WT dumbed-down language, I am not sure many Trump supporters will, (or could), read it though. (Hint: comparisons to George Wallace are not good, if that helps...)
d4g
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How many of you are health nuts?
by Harvard Illiterate 411 inthere was/is a sister in my old hall who was a pharmaceutical sales rep and she was a huge proponent of anything in the drug industry.
when someone had a headache, she was the first to say "take an asprin.
" now my husband and i are what you might call old hippies.
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done4good
I used to be over 200lbs, had borderline high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, etc, and suffered from acid reflux. I am now between 165-170, blood pressure is 120/70, cholesterol and triglycerides are way down, and don't need acid reflux meds anymore. What changed?
- I stay away from fast food, (or any other processed crap).
- Moderately work out (not a gym rat)
- Drink considerably less alcohol
- Don't eat too late in the day
- Reduced portions
I don't deprive myself of things I like. I still eat steaks, cheese, pasta, whatever. It is about being sensible, and not overindulgent.
d4g
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How many of you are health nuts?
by Harvard Illiterate 411 inthere was/is a sister in my old hall who was a pharmaceutical sales rep and she was a huge proponent of anything in the drug industry.
when someone had a headache, she was the first to say "take an asprin.
" now my husband and i are what you might call old hippies.
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done4good
Do you know the history of how lead got into gasoline?
Lead was used as a valve lubricant, (engines made for the US market before 1971 required its lubrication as they used a softer metal for valves and seats; Outside of the US market for probably another 10 years depending on country). It was also an easy way to improve a gasoline's octane, (resistance to combustion, in common use), rating. The Clean Air Act of 1970 necessitated the use of catalytic converters by 1975 in the USA to reduce carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions, (catalytic converters, again were not used broadly internationally until several years later). These require unleaded fuel, as lead produces high levels of hydrocarbons when burned that will overheat a catalytic converter, so lead was phased out after that. Lead was actually not initially removed to address the health issues caused by it directly, as very little was known about the dangers of lead in 1970. Most laws requiring its removal from household items, (e.g. paint), came around by the late 1970s.
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108
Heil Trump. Sieg Heil.
by oppostate incrowd looking like they're doing the heil hitler salute to trump when he asks for a pledge and swear their support while calling for broadening torture laws.
trump asks backers to swear their support, vows to broaden torture laws.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/05/politics/donald-trump-florida-pledge-torture/.
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done4good
OMG, you guys! "Idiots in the White House", "Dog whistle politics", "emotional appeals", what are you smoking? That somes up the campaign strategy of EVERY politician....EVER!!!
Oversimplification of the root cause of the nation's problems is what politicians do when they want votes. Politicians understand they need to appeal to the average person, (meaning average intelligence, education, etc.), and not necessarily the ones that can actually grasp the true and much more complex reasons for why we see some of the systemic problems we see. The easiest path to this usually is an appeal to fear. Blame the immigrants, blame an entire region of the world, etc. Hint: Illegal immigration and Islamic terrorism are not the root cause of anything. They are symptoms of a much more complex socio-economic and socio-political system that took decades to evolve. No president of any nation is going to undo that in fours years, much less through undiplomatic, impractical, Neanderthal means. There is a reason why Trump hosted a reality show, the audience he appealed to there are pretty much the same audience he is appealing to in the political arena. Very average people that are not likely to think through problems. A few of these people just actually might be a bit bigoted, because guess what, bigotry's roots lie in fear. This is the particular dog whistle frequency that Trump is playing, (pitched down just enough to be heard by a broader audience than the GOP typically appeal to).
The GOP is concerned about Trump, not primarily because they believe they will lose to him, (although that is looking probable at this point), rather more because they believe they will lose the party to him. It is correct the GOP have used the dog whistle a very long time. Trump is actually blowing their cover. That is not good news for the GOP moving forward beyond 2016, (regardless of the immediate outcome), as they have been unmasked as the backwards thinking, anti-science, anti-reason, group that they have long since become. The same people voting for Trump were former Tea Partiers, and Gingrich neocons before that. Trump is just the latest manifestation, (and his candidacy a symptom of itself), of a group of a fearful and mostly lazy people that would rather not bother to take to the time to correct the problems by looking at the big picture first.
In terms of the economic disparity we see, until the plutocracy we have in this country and abroad is brought under control, through reversal of Citizen's United, sensible tax policy, a better educated electorate, better public schools, etc., no meaningful changes are going to made. There are no short cuts, folks.
d4g
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Heil Trump. Sieg Heil.
by oppostate incrowd looking like they're doing the heil hitler salute to trump when he asks for a pledge and swear their support while calling for broadening torture laws.
trump asks backers to swear their support, vows to broaden torture laws.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/05/politics/donald-trump-florida-pledge-torture/.
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done4good
However, it would've been nice to have him as the GOP nominee; it would have ensured a future Democrat President.
I wouldn't worry about that. The GOP is unelectable in the general election. Election for the presidency, (thankfully), does not work anything like the House. A true majority actually has to win - What a concept!
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Heil Trump. Sieg Heil.
by oppostate incrowd looking like they're doing the heil hitler salute to trump when he asks for a pledge and swear their support while calling for broadening torture laws.
trump asks backers to swear their support, vows to broaden torture laws.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/05/politics/donald-trump-florida-pledge-torture/.
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done4good
Let me ask all of you Trump supporters one thing: Have you heard of dog whistle politics?
I will give you all the benefit of the doubt that you are simply misguided ex-JW political neophytes. That is a better outcome than you actually being tuned into the dog whistle, trust me.
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Only a few days ago I was entirely lost and without hope the rug was pulled out from under me
by elderess inonly a few days ago i was walking around the house in a mindless wander thinking if i needed to seek professional help.
then i got the courage to seek the comfort of complete strangers on the internet and found a world of support here on this website.
thank you simon and whoever else has made this website possible.
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done4good
What a great story!
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Could we ever see a GB member disassociate?
by pleaseresearch inwe saw it with raymond franz.
but do you think we could ever see one of the current gb members or future ones, make the same choice?.
to leave, and expose it..
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done4good
To answer the OP, it would be extremely unlikely.
As mentioned, Ray Franz did not disassociate. However, he did have the moral character to challenge the prevailing direction the organization had long since been following. He was intelligent, articulate, well connected, (Freddy's nephew), and just a bit naive. He was also young by standards of the day, (around 50 when the GB was formed in 1971).
The GB of the '70s were of a very different era, and came to power for different reasons than their current existence is being allowed for today. Pre-GB, (1971), Knorr had 100% control of the organization. Knorr also trusted in his little buddy, Fred Franz, unquestionably in areas of doctrinal concern. Due to the 1975 hysteria, (created by F. Franz), the presidency was about to run the organization off a cliff. The board of directors saw this threat, and knew it had to act to perform damage control long before 1975 came around. The board promoted itself to become the "Governing Body", (prior to 1971, any reference to the board of directors as a governing body, used the non-proper lower case reference), absorbed the president and vice-president to save face with the R&F, (the presidency was vehemently against the arrangement, as they saw it for what it was, essential mutiny), and by Jan 1, 1976, (not a coincidence), assumed 100% control over all of the organization's business. Ray was one of an additional 11 added to that board between 1971-1974.
That was the Governing Body that Ray attempted to challenge. A new, untested, somewhat disorganized group of 18 members. While this group may have been formed to prevent the corruption that existed among the presidency, at the end of the day, no progressive reforms were ever made in the organization. The authoritarian structure remained, and it simply refracted itself from a small concentrated oligarchy of one or two, to a new group of 18. Ray was not a lone wolf, however he, (and perhaps Swingle and Sydlik), were not able to overcome the inertia of the authoritarian structure. Since Ray was the most vocal of any would-be reformer, he was pushed out.
I added the above for context. Today, the corporate structure, business model, and purpose of the GB itself are very different from what they were in 1970s or 1980s. A Ray Franz type incident today would be a true black swan event, not impossible, but very improbable. If it were to happen, it would shake the organization to its knees, and for this reason alone, a structure has been created to prevent it from happening.
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Jehovah's Witnesses: A Clear Decline
by Hadriel init is rather clear that the internet is to put it mildly, wrecking the world of the watchtower bible & tract society.
if not for foreign language i doubt there would be much growth at all.. digital trends and analytics are very real.
i live this analytics world i assure you to some degree you can take it to the bank.
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done4good
Why is it every time this is discussed, people take either extreme? It is always either "the religion is going to be gone in 10 years, (or less)", or someone points out how some fringe group like the Amish or Christadelphians still exists, (the latter does not even spell check), so the WT will be around in current form forever. Neither extreme is correct.
The facts:
1. The religion has undergone major changes in the last 10 years in response to a changing society around them, (unless of course you subscribe to Ayn Rand's theory that society does not exist. Then I can't help you...).
2. All of the changes have been reactionary or tactical in nature, not strategic. Tactics eventually fail, given enough time. This is probabilistic in nature. A long-term strategy would need to be developed for their long-term existence, and this the WT does not have. Authoritarian organizations rarely do, and eventually die out because of it, as social evolution takes place.
3. Moore's law, (including all technology that it has promoted, internet, smartphones, etc.), is having a significant effect on society in general, accelerating the pace of that evolution, and all organizations, groups, or individuals that resist the changes brought by it appear more ridiculous all the time, (just look at the republican party today). The intelligent and otherwise sane ones slowly depart, causing a "brain drain", leaving only the crazies. This further drives out the remaining sane ones, which creates a positive feedback loop that leads to further instability.
On the other hand:
4. Religions die hard, so nothing immediate is likely to befall the WT.
5. Religious beliefs are also difficult to overcome on a personal level, if one has much invested in them. By nature, authoritarian groups require significant investment of personal resources, so this happens almost by default with a religion such as the JW.
I have said this many times on this forum recently that a tipping point has likely been reached where it has at least become highly unlikely, if not impossible for any non-born in/raised in person to become a JW. The days of making intelligent, educated converts is over. This is a good indicator that the organization is in a long-term demise. That demise will take time, probably several decades. They will eventually wither away, but likely exist in some form as the fringe groups mentioned.
d4g