fodeja

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Posts by fodeja

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  19

  Darwinism's Sterility

  by ninjaturtle in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  behe on the flagellum, an irreducibly complex biological system that baffles scientists:.

  http://www.arn.org/docs/behe/mb_brresp.htm.

  what has biochemistry found that must be explained?

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  fodeja

  Does the scientific evidence favor creation or evolution?

  As the cited evidence for "creation" basically boils down to "we can't explain" it, I think this question is misleading, and possibly undecidable. Does creation start where our mental capabilities end?

  Plus, the very essence of the creation hypothesis is the existence of a creator: we cannot decide whether something is created or not unless we have a model of the alleged creator's capabilities and ways of working. You can't discuss creationism without God.

  Note that I'm not saying that scientific theories are sacred and must not be attacked, but there are useful and less useful ways of doing that.

  f.
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  30

  NGO: German BOE-Letter

  by GermanXJW in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as already stated here, participant on german board http://www.infolink-forum.de collected snailmail adresses of elders and kingdom halls and informed them about the watchtower's uno relationship.

  this happened just before the kms.

  now the wts has written a letter to all bodies of elders in germany:.

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  fodeja

  The rest of the letter is precisely the same official explanation that was sent out by Brooklyn, just translated (almost literally, as usual) to German. Library card for research, conditions for NGO association "at least in their latest version" aren't OK, so we chose to quit, yadda, yadda.

  See http://www.geocities.com/plowbitch69/wtresponse.html - it's the second and third paragraph.

  f.
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  34

  The Great Liquor Quiz

  by Beans in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is in response to our district overbeer!

  thanks valis!.

  please list your fav poisen!.

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  fodeja

  Jan, you sick Viking!

  The Austrians make a Strah rum that is brilliant too, especially the 80% edition you can't get here.

  WTF...? Eww! Stroh "rum" (rumour has that it's a waste product of papermills) isn't for drinking, it's for cooking, for heaven's sake! Cakes and flambé and things like that. No self-respecting Austrian would ever drink that stuff for fear of going blind or staining the carpet. It's by far the cheapest strong booze you can get and a popular choice of homeless drunkards, suicidal teenagers, and German tourists.

  f. (Gin & Tonic, please. All quality variants of Whisk(e)y are fine, too - yes, that includes Jack D.)
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  41

  The Great Beer Quiz

  by Beans in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there are so many good brews out there and so many countries that produce them.which are your favs?here are a few of mine.. canada: kokanee,canadian,keiths,blue.

  german beer: holsten,becks,diebels,lowenbrau,flensburger pils.

  scotland: belhaven best,tennants.

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  fodeja

  Ah, I love it when those beer threads come up . It's about time to speak up for the lesser known brands:

  Starobrno (Czech) - divine!
  Caffrey's (Irish) - smmmmooth!
  Budweiser (Czech!!) - my absolute favourite of "summer beers"
  Ottakringer Goldfassl (Austrian) - my favourite Pilsen-type brew

  As for mainstream Canadian beer, I always had the feeling it's about as taste-free as most of the US stuff (well, I had quite a bit of Sam Adams in Boston, and liked it). Just with a bit more alcohol and in those handy one-litre cans if you're in Quebec. Moosehead is very nice, though.

  But you don't know beer if you haven't been to Belgium. Paradise! Even if you manage to make it through all their beers, you can hop over to Britain and start all over again. That'll give me something to do when I retire

  f.
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  28

  A Realistic Assessment Of America - Or Not?

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is straight from today's sunday times.

  my guess is that what is written here pretty well typifies how most europeans regard america.. is it fair?

  andrew sullivan: a lesson for america-haters.

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  fodeja

  Those people are said to be down right deliberately nasty. And I seem to remember that we gave tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, <rant based on hearsay snipped>

  Some people in France, particularly in Paris, don't like anyone who doesn't speak their language. They seem to hold special grudges against Germans and Americans, but mostly it's a language thing, not an "evil America" thing.

  I spent some time in France during my teenage years. My French was bad, but as soon as I stammered what little I knew of the language, people became extremely friendly and helpful. The key was to show some effort.

  I agree people in France seem to be a bit extreme in that regard, but what would you think about a Frenchman who comes to America and refuses to speak English?

  f.
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  27

  Re: Survey for US people: America is the best?

  by fodeja in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for every person, there seem to be things they just don't understand.

  for me, it's nationalism in more than homeopathic doses.

  i wouldn't have expected to meet that much nationalism on an ex-jw board, but then, life holds many surprises.

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  fodeja

  WHAAAATT!!!!!! AUSSIES ARE KIWIS ??? !!!!!

  Nyahahaha! That's what happens when you call me a Yank, Ozzie! Or was that a Yak?

  f.
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  27

  Re: Survey for US people: America is the best?

  by fodeja in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for every person, there seem to be things they just don't understand.

  for me, it's nationalism in more than homeopathic doses.

  i wouldn't have expected to meet that much nationalism on an ex-jw board, but then, life holds many surprises.

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  fodeja

  julien,

  What I don't understand is why the rest of the world seems to get so offended at American arrogance. ...
  The whole thing reminds me of unpopular kids in High School who resented, disliked, or assumed the worst about popular kids just because they were popular or rich.

  as we're all in the same boat (or classroom) together for the rest of our lives, we might as well try to understand what our neighbours think, and why. When one kid in class always makes a point of telling everyone he's the best, richest or anything-est kid in class, it'll get on your nerves at some point. You might react defensively, you might want to slap him to shut up, you might become curious and try to understand why he's doing that. Maybe he isn't arrogant, maybe you're just misunderstanding him.

  Get my point?

  drahcir yarrum: your opinion is certainly interesting, but it makes me want to ask those questions again: what do you really know about those "socialist" countries?

  f.
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  27

  Re: Survey for US people: America is the best?

  by fodeja in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for every person, there seem to be things they just don't understand.

  for me, it's nationalism in more than homeopathic doses.

  i wouldn't have expected to meet that much nationalism on an ex-jw board, but then, life holds many surprises.

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  fodeja

  Thanks for all your responses so far; I really appreciate it.

  Though I've spent some time in the USA (must be about 7 months total), I've never really, directly asked people about this.

  Quick note for Amazing: you asked "Do you see any comparable pattern?"

  The point is that I see a difference here: there's the "it's my homeland" or "no place like home" kind of patriotism which I understand quite well. What's puzzling me is the belief that this specific country is, by some usually unspoken standards, objectively the best in the world.

  f.
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  27

  Re: Survey for US people: America is the best?

  by fodeja in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for every person, there seem to be things they just don't understand.

  for me, it's nationalism in more than homeopathic doses.

  i wouldn't have expected to meet that much nationalism on an ex-jw board, but then, life holds many surprises.

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  fodeja

  For every person, there seem to be things they just don't understand. For me, it's nationalism in more than homeopathic doses. I wouldn't have expected to meet that much nationalism on an ex-JW board, but then, life holds many surprises. It boggles my mind how people can say things like

  America is the best place/nation/country of the world

  or something to that effect. It seems to be an idea that's injected in the bloodstream of every US citizen at a young age.

  What I'm curious about is not the feeling that "there's no place like home" (which most people probably have, wherever they may come from). The thing I'd like to know about is what seems to be a widespread belief that the United States simply is, objectively, the best nation of the world or the best place in the world to live.

  I'm stating my opinions up front: I don't believe there is such a thing as a best nation, and I'm quite convinced that people who believe such things are simply ignorant about the rest of the world. I also tend to think that there is a classic form of selection bias at work here: people who don't hold such strong opinions don't make themselves heard as much; they may well be a silent majority.

  Of course, I may be wrong. So, please tell me:

  1) Do you think the USA is the best country in the world, and can you tell us why (not) in one short sentence?

  2) What are your criteria for comparing countries?

  3) Do you think you are well-informed about the rest of the world?

  4) Are you making an active effort to inform yourself about the rest of the world, or do you listen to and watch what's presented to you?

  5) What is your primary source of information about other countries?

  6) Do you think your primary source of information gives you a fairly accurate, unbiased, and complete picture of other countries? Why?

  7) First-hand experience: have you ever been to any other countries/continents of the world, and for how long? Can you share some experiences with us?

  Thanks,

  f.

  (grammar corrections due to Kiwi complaints )
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  16

  No Speaka Da English? No Live In England!

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  should the uk toughen up on it's immigration policies?

  should immigrants be able to speak english?

  this is clipped from today's guardian:.

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  fodeja

  If they want their own cultures so bad, then stay where that culture extist. If they want the benifits of living in Britan, then they should accept the whole package.

  So, what's British culture then? Queen Elizabeth or Johnny Rotten? WestLife or the Rolling Stones? Lager or Ale? Andy McNab or Rosamunde Pilcher? Tories or Labour? Wales or Scotland? Cricket or football?

  If you start judging the "cultural compatibility" of foreigners applying for citizenship, you must draw up a cultural standard and apply it to all citizens.

  A bit like the JWs and their pseudo-multiethnicity, isn't it?

  f.