Posts by Razziel

40

A Question For the Guys...

by Quendi in

this thread was inspired by the "a question for the ladies..." thread and anybody is welcome to post.. if you are now free and clear of the wts, how have your dress and grooming changed?

i'll start the ball rolling by saying that i made some changes that i really like.

i'm down to two suits and they are only for job interviews and perhaps some solemn occasion.

Razziel

Closet full of suits and 150+ ties that are never worn. But the few times I DO need to wear one, I've got plenty to choose from.

18

Is The "American Dream" is over?

by cantleave in

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-american-dream-is-now-a-myth-2012-6.

one of the most distressing aspects of the state of the us economy is the decrease in social mobility.. it is much, much harder now than it used to be for americans to improve their circumstances.. in other words, if americans are born poor, they're overwhelmingly likely to stay poor.. similarly, if americans are born rich, they have a much better chance of staying rich than someone born poor or middle class.. no one minds inequality as long as one's station in life is a function of one's own decisions and effort.. when inequality becomes the luck of the draw, however, if becomes much more profoundly unfair.. america's social mobility is now not only one of the lowest in the country's history--it's one of the lowest in the first world.. if that doesn't change, the fundamental promise of america for the past 250 years will disappear.

the country will no longer be a place in which you can control your economic destiny.

Razziel

How did I miss this thread. The American Dream of upward mobility is now largely a myth. Yes it's possible, it's just not likely.

We mistakenly think that if we simply try harder and redouble our efforts, someday we can eventually "join the club", and so instead of trying to break down barriers between classes, we allow them to be built higher over time, since it's not the size of the barrier that bars us, it's the level of our own individual determination.

The mentality is I don't want to level the odds in the lottery, because someday I'm going to hit the lottery.

I don't want to hinder the unfair advantage of the wealthy because someday I will be wealthy, so when I hinder them, I am hindering myself. I don't want to help people get out of poverty, they could have what I have if only they would work harder and overcome their disadvantages.

Shit rolls downhill by the way. The poor envy/admire the middle class and rich, and the middle class envy/admire the rich. The middle class largely despises the poor as useless idiots (lazy), and don't think for a second the wealthy don't largely despise the middle class in like fashion as useful idiots (mindless consumers and propoganda bearers).

Over time it becomes more difficult for individual determination to overcome class barriers. It's human nature; if you are able to make it to the top, you build a moat to protect yourself and your heirs from competition by whatever means necessary.

I would like to see more wealthy people have the cojones to leave their estate to charity and make their children earn their way in life by merit. That would make a remarkably different world.

24

German court rules religious circumcision on boys an assault

by mind blown in

wonder how jw germans get around the blood/issue doctrine?.

http://news.yahoo.com/german-court-outlaws-religious-circumcision-172728400.html.

circumcising young boys on religious grounds amounts to grievous bodily harm, a german court ruled tuesday in a landmark decision that the jewish community said trampled on parents' religious rights.. the regional court in cologne, western germany, ruled that the "fundamental right of the child to bodily integrity outweighed thefundamental rights of the parents", a judgement that is expected to set a legal precedent.. "the religious freedom of the parents and their right to educate their child would not be unacceptably compromised, if they were obliged to wait until the child could himself decide to becircumcised," the court added.. the case was brought against a doctor in cologne who had circumcised a four-year-old muslim boy on his parents' wishes.. a few days after the operation, his parents took him to hospital as he was bleeding heavily.

Razziel

I think I would have my son circumcised as an infant just so he wouldn't have to go through all the "Dude, wtf is wrong with your ding-dong?" comments as a teen in the locker room.

17

Texas father who killed daughter's attacker won't face charges

by coffee_black in

jw
friends

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47882983#.t-hd0bdaaf4.

.

coffee .

Razziel

There was never a chance the grand jury would return an indictment. They just did it to cross their T's and dot their I's. In Texas, catching someone in the act of committing certain felonies allows you to use deadly force to stop it.

From the penal code:

Sec. 9.32. DEADLY FORCE IN DEFENSE OF PERSON. (a) A person is justified in using deadly force against another: ....

(B) to prevent the other's imminent commission of aggravated kidnapping, murder, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated robbery.

26

What are us baby boomers in for ? your opinions please !

by caliber in

jw
friends

please see video's .

http://www.chatelaine.com/en/blog/post/39095--retirement-at-80-more-baby-boomers-have-to-stay-in-the-workforce-longer .

the woman at the centre of a landmark court ruling in b.c.

Razziel

(but then again one study will often shows another study wrong it seems to me !)

That's because they are often false to begin with!

26

What are us baby boomers in for ? your opinions please !

by caliber in

jw
friends

please see video's .

http://www.chatelaine.com/en/blog/post/39095--retirement-at-80-more-baby-boomers-have-to-stay-in-the-workforce-longer .

the woman at the centre of a landmark court ruling in b.c.

Razziel

The ebbs and flows of society within history are longer than a few years or even a single generation. The general trend for civilization in recorded history is up. But within that trend there are peaks and valleys that may span up to several generations. There are periods of peace and stability that have lasted for hundreds of years (like the Pax Romana). Then there are entire centuries plagued by wars, famine, and plague.

We have lived in relative stability since WW2. Perhaps that will go on. Perhaps that will not. But it's been less than 70 years since WW2. The period of stability and prosperity that we've experienced since then is still short compared to similar periods in history, but it's long enough for us to forget many of the lessons we've learned.

A fundamental mistake every generation makes in youth is to say "we are different", "we are special". Maybe we are. But history shows that when something rocks the boat, "civilization" can degenerate very quickly into base survival instincts, which are not pretty.

Humanity is perpetually marching towards something better, but I think it's a mistake to take comfort too deeply in the facades of comfort and stability we build for ourselves. Fundamentally, we are still animals, and it takes less than most people imagine for that part of our lineage to reassert itself.

26

What are us baby boomers in for ? your opinions please !

by caliber in

jw
friends

please see video's .

http://www.chatelaine.com/en/blog/post/39095--retirement-at-80-more-baby-boomers-have-to-stay-in-the-workforce-longer .

the woman at the centre of a landmark court ruling in b.c.

Razziel

if you have invested intelligently (whatever that means)

The first investment book I read about a decade ago, was coincidentally, called The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham, published in 1949. I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn about investing. That was followed by his (and David Dodd's) book Security Analysis, published even earlier, which teaches among other things how to read a company balance sheet and income statement. That was followed by some of Peter Lynch's investment books, which reinforces with documented examples many of the key points found in Graham's Intelligent Investor.

26

What are us baby boomers in for ? your opinions please !

by caliber in

jw
friends

please see video's .

http://www.chatelaine.com/en/blog/post/39095--retirement-at-80-more-baby-boomers-have-to-stay-in-the-workforce-longer .

the woman at the centre of a landmark court ruling in b.c.

Razziel

I think the baby boomers will have it better than the next few generations that age after them. Economic growth at it's core is based on population growth (# of consumers), which in turn drives job growth and a skilled labor force. With the retirement of the boomers from the workforce, we are left with a contraction in both general workforce population, and in those with highly specialized skills in the US for the immediate future.

This is already a problem in many specialized engineering and technical industries. There are many unfilled job openings because there are no qualified candidates, and the liability is too high to hire those who are not qualified through either many years experience or PhD level education. I know many engineers (not managers, just regular senior design engineers) who are still working in their 70's and 80's, not because they have to, but because no one is qualified to take their place, so companies are offering generous compensation to work them well past retirement age.

The demand for highly specialized skills will increase and drive wages for those jobs higher (which we will probably fill with educated foreigners), while the majority of the unskilled domestic workforce will have to compete for a decreasing number of service and retail oriented jobs due to the contraction in consumer demand.

US economic growth has been helped by emerging global markets, but the double-digit growth rate of many of those economies (i.e. china & india) has cooled off in the past few years and will approach a more sustainable and terminal growth rate in the coming years. This will be partially offset as other Asian and African countries come out of third world conditions, but they just don't have the population (i.e. consumers) that China and India did.

This may eventually correct itself without some form of global turmoil, but probably not before a couple of decades of stagnant or slightly declining economic growth.

I personally think we're headed down the same road as the Roman Empire. The middle class was fleeced until it eventually fragmented. The financial divide between the Patricians and the Plebs became so great, that the Patricians could basically subsidize the existence of the Plebs, i.e. a welfare state.

Call me crazy, but though the players and technology has changed, I think we just repeat history.

20

First potential relationship since leaving WT, and I've been well screwed over.

by ronweasley in

hi all i'm new to this, i joined because from what i can see this is the best ex jw forum out there.. anyway i'm male, 20, live in uk and left the wtbts after 2 years of being a student.. there was this girl called natalya and she has really took me on one hell of a ride.

she was very helpful in my exit, because she often had debates with me and tried again and again to help me see sense.

anyway we dated before i found the truth and to be honest, i never really stopped having these feelings for her even though we fell out a few times.

Razziel

Listen to the relationship advice from the guy whose handle is a phallic shaped fruit. Being rejected by a female for another male provokes an evolutionary response. You either suck it up and make excuses, becoming a lesser male, or you get angry, channeling that energy into bettering yourself, gaining confidence in the process, to become more of an alpha male. If you follow the lesser path, you'll always be insecure, and trying to convince girls why they should be with you instead of someone else. If you take the alpha path, you will be self-confident, and they will be drawn to you instead.

102

Is the Borg "really" guilty in the Candace Conti case ???

by RubaDub in

full disclosure:.

i am an active (2-4 hrs/month) 3rd generation jw hovering under the radar.

been posting here for 10 years.

Razziel

You know how some of these things sometimes used to get "reported to the authorities"? By an elder calling the police department from a pay phone with an anonymous tip containing very few details. They've technically met their obligations and assuaged their consciences, yet ensured authorities have virtually nothing to base an investigation on, if they don't just think it's a prank call. But from the elders POV, they've reported it anonymously and left it in Jehovah's hands to determine whether the authorities pursue it.