Posts by Juan Viejo2

In the USA each major city or counties have their own building codes. Each set of building codes may change over time as the City Manager or Mayor changes. So in the same city you may see older (pre-2000) KHs without windows and newer ones with windows.

Many years ago there most building codes required a fairly large numbers of windows to allow air (before adequate cooling and heating systems became affordable). Many of these windows were not large enough to allow anyone to climb in or out, but had some movable sections to allow fresh air in and odors out during cleaning.

The main reasons the Watchtower discourages windows is (1) extra cost, (2) cleaning requirements, (3) security, and (4) to reduce distractions for those trapped inside during meetings. It also improves sound distribution inside and reduces distracting sounds from outside the buildings.

I grew up in a Kingdom Hall that had large paned windows all the way down on one side and small (bathroom type) windows on the opposite side. I notice that a recent church that had bought the old building removed or plastered over the windows except for two small vertical panes on each side of the entry doors.

Realize that most "Christian" churches, both classic and more modern, use glass windows as decorative displays that only let a small amount of sunlight in at certain times of the day. But in some USA communities, local building codes require a certain number of windows that will allow for entry and egress for fire and police and other emergency personnel. But if they don't have windows then the doors must be made of wood or other material that will allow fire department drills or axes to easily cut through in case someone is trapped inside or emergency personnel must enter for other reasons.

The bottom line is local building codes prevail, but the Watchtower would have no windows except in their highrise office buildings (view!) if they could.

JV

68

If Your JW Parent Died Would YOU Go To The Kingdom Hall For The Talk?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i would like your thoughts, please..

Juan Viejo2

I went to the funerals of both of my parents and my father's second wife - all JWs till death. Two of the funerals were held in a mortuary chapel, and the last one (my father's) in the local Kingdom Hall. I was beyond pissed at every one of them. I travel 1800 miles for each one and my father and mother got about 45 seconds of recognition. It was nice to know that they had three children and were faithful JWs for over 40 years. I won't bore you with the details because I've described the events and my reactions before on this forum. When I tell others about those events I have to wash my mouth out with soap afterwards.

I've decided that if, and when, my sister, her husband, or my niece or her husband pass away (should they precede me) I simply will not go. I will not submit to that kind of torture and another wasted trip ever again. For what? To hear the same freakin' funeral talk that is nothing more than what you would say to a stranger while going door to door.

I think of all the wonderful JWs who lived good lives, provided for their families, never committed a crime, always paid their taxes, and did their best to serve God - and they get a funeral talk that you could read on the back of a WT handbill? Some of them served most of their lives and were faithful to the end (or else they wouldn't get a KH funeral).

Paul Grundy wrote an article several years ago for one of my websites, InsidetheWatchtower.com. His experience was very similar to mine. Paul allowed me to attach the outline of the JW funeral talk that was being used at the time. Now that the WT scripts nearly every word for every talk, this may have changed in recent years, but you will be able to see exactly what I describe. I suggest that you might want to make a copy and take it along to the next JW funeral you attend and see just how close the speaker sticks to the outline.

Link to article: http://insidethewatchtower.com/doctrine/attending-my-father%E2%80%99s-funeral/

Link to funeral talk outline: http://jehovah.net.au/books/Watchtower-Funeral-Discourse.pdf (be sure to read the very last paragraph on this outline!)

JV

18

where was this quote made?

by Truth and Justice in

jw
friends

my parents and i are discussing a quote that was made many years ago.

we know for a fact that it was made.

i have exhausted all of my resources to find it, and so i come here to this fine group to ask you about this quote.. the subject is about money.

Juan Viejo2

BBonds - December 5, 2014 BOE

"...ample evidence that Jehovah is speeding up the work...the recent adjustments to Kingdom Hall and Assembly Hall construction and financing..."

"As loyal Kingdom subjects, we continue to show our support [giving donations] for Kingdom activities with all our heart..."

"...each Israelite man gave a gift 'in proportion to the blessing that Jehovah' had given him..."

"...Jehovah treasures such a giving spirit!"

Mo money! Mo money! Mo money!

JV

18

where was this quote made?

by Truth and Justice in

jw
friends

my parents and i are discussing a quote that was made many years ago.

we know for a fact that it was made.

i have exhausted all of my resources to find it, and so i come here to this fine group to ask you about this quote.. the subject is about money.

Juan Viejo2

Truth and Justice -

I am looking for that very quote myself for an article I am writing. I'm sure someone will find it for you very soon. In the meantime, here is an excellent article that covers the subject extensively and well..

http://www.jwfiles.com/wt_honesty/donations.htm

JV

8

Anybody near Los Angeles California?

by hardtobeme in

is there anyone here currently living near la?

if so, can you send me a message?.

i wish i can meet others like me, that have woken up.. thanks!.

Juan Viejo2

There is a meetup group in south Los Angeles (Downey).

http://exjwslosangeles.org

Good folks and still relatively active. Well worth investigating.

JV

10

JW.org Kiosks whats up with these? Where did this idea come?

by Crazyguy in

has anyone seen these in their area.

they are kiosks, small buildings either inside an area of a larger building like a mall or outside by themselves maybe on a major street.

not sure whats all in them but from what i can gather there a bigger fancier version of the book shelf on wheels that is so popular now.

Juan Viejo2

Does anyone know where one or more of these can be found in the USA? Knowing the price of land and clear space in downtown areas in most cities, these places must have to pay horrific rental fees. It's one thing to roll in a temporary stand and set up a card table in a public square, but to put up a semi-permanent kiosk in any major downtown area in a city must be prohibitively expensive.

JV

28

Brother Knorr's Cadillac and other secret perks

by tim hooper in

back when i was a wee lad, my dad told me that the brothers in brooklyn had voted to purchase a cadillac motor car for the sole use of the then president, nathan h knorr.

he'd got this information from the london bethel, him being a chum of the then branch overseer, pryce hughes and his pal ron drage.

religious leaders of non-profit sects are supposed to take a vow of poverty!.

Juan Viejo2

I owned several Cadillacs in my working years. Why? Because I needed the room inside and in the trunk they provided. i had three daughters and a step-daughter and we all traveled together on vacations and other trips. I also had a middle management job with a public utility and was expected to have a car that I could use to take high management people to lunch and to meetings. I usually owned one that was 2 to 4 years old because I could not afford a new one.

But the cars I loved to drive were my 1974 Datsun 260z and my 1981 Toyota Corolla. Those were good cars and fun to drive. The Caddies were crap with leather seats.

In recent years, even though I am older and can afford a Cadillac or Lincoln or even a Lexus, I've found that my favorite car is still my 1995 Toyota Camry. It has 210K + miles on the odometer, but it starts every time, has a nice ride, and everything works. I drive it several times a week and the damn thing won't die and it's now 20 years old. I also own a recent model of Hyundai Sonata - a very good and reliable car. But when my wife and I bought it a couple years ago we drove everything out there - including some high-end models. The difference between the Sonata we bought and most of the other cars we drove that cost tens of thousands more were insignificant. For my wife, most of the others were far too technical and we realized that she would never master the use of the more complex radio and navigation systems.

Looking back, other than the big trunk and extra seating space (in those days all cars had bench seats in front and back), the big Caddies, Buicks, Lincolns and Chryslers offered no advantages at all. In fact, they were harder to park, more expensive to insure, used more gas, were far more expensive to maintain and for the most part were ugly. I remember my subordinates at the public utility I worked at laughing at me when I pulled into the company parking lot in my 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood. "Here comes Mr. JV in his 'Jew canoe'!" So for me, other than space for my family, having a big car was not much of an advantage, but more of an embarrassment. My then wife loved riding in the car but preferred to drive her VW bug to work. A small woman, she really hated driving that beast, because it made her look like a 12-year old driving a truck.

Cadillacs, Chryslers and Lincolns, big Mercedes and BMWs were not very good cars - and were not that much fun to drive.

Some of you might think that for the WT leaders being chauffeured around in a big Caddy or Lincoln would be a big deal. My guess is that except for Rutherford who proudly showed off his Cadillacs, for the others it might have been more embarrassing. I think that is why most of the cars leased by the Watchtower's own auto rental companies are most Buicks (and equivalents). Big, comfortable, etc. - but not too flashy - especially for COs, DOs and Branch Overseers. Not sure what they drive and ride in in Europe. Does anyone here know?

JV

15

Any Veggie Juicers Here?

by SnarlingRaven in

i have been juicing off and on for a couple of years ever since i saw a the documentary, sick, fat, and nearly dead, and my health has taken a remarkable upswing.

no doubt in my mind that drinking live celled water rich green veggie juice is one of the best things you can do for your health and longevity.

time is sometimes a thing, and don't always have the time and patience to juice the veggies and clean up the juicer parts.

Juan Viejo2

BTW - one more thing...

I have a friend that you all know and love - someone who contributes here very regularly. She sends me emails with health information and articles about food and medical treatments almost every week.

While my wife has little or no (let's just say "no") interest in my ex-JW activism, she loves what this famed lady sends us nearly every week and keeps everything in a special folder for future reference.

Just goes to show you that even ex-JWs can have other interests besides undoing the damage caused by our cultish friends at the Watchtower. JWN is proof of that...

JV

15

Any Veggie Juicers Here?

by SnarlingRaven in

i have been juicing off and on for a couple of years ever since i saw a the documentary, sick, fat, and nearly dead, and my health has taken a remarkable upswing.

no doubt in my mind that drinking live celled water rich green veggie juice is one of the best things you can do for your health and longevity.

time is sometimes a thing, and don't always have the time and patience to juice the veggies and clean up the juicer parts.

Juan Viejo2

My wife and I started juicing after we saw "Sick, Fat and Nearly Dead." We bought the right kind of juicer and strainer for that style of juicing and it was truly amazing how fast the weight dropped off of both of us.

While neither of us would be classed as morbidly obese, or probably not even "obese" at all in the general sense, we were both 20 to 40 pounds over our target weights. My doctor was concerned about my weight as I am a heart patient, have had surgeries and am on medication. She was concerned because my numbers were sneaking up to the point where I could become diabetic as well.

My wife is fairly tall and slender, so her weight was all in her stomach. She hated that and exercise just didn't work for her at all. Overall she is good healthwise, but has arthritis in her hips that makes sustained exercise and long walks very uncomfortable for her.

So while the juicing as shown in the SF&ND movie was effective weightwise, we soon grew tired of the taste of nothing but green vegetables and apples.

So we gave it up and gained all the weight back and then some. You can see that we are very typical USAers.

Then my wife saw a demonstration of the heavy duty Vitamix mixer. Damn thing was priced at nearly $600 USD. She told me that she really wanted it and would like to use it for juicing again. I told her that she could buy it only if she promised to really use it regularly and for juicing at least part time.

She went out and found a book that promoted juicing, but the kind that uses the whole fruit or vegetable and also allows for some regular meals to go along. Bingo!!! That did the trick for us. I am down nearly 30 lbs. and she lost over 20. And it all came off evenly. We still lose about 1 to 1.5 lbs. a week and are very close to achieving our goal weight. My doctor indicated that she no longer considers me in danger of going into Diabetes and is very happy with our progress. My cardiologist is totally happy and told me to keep doing what I am doing because all of my numbers are right where he wants them.

To be absolutely truthful, we go off the diet quite frequently. For example, we hosted Thanksgiving this year and had several family and guests over. We went traditional - roast turkey, rolls, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and ice cream, and copius amounts of wine (mostly reds). The males in the group had a whiskey on ice while we all watched football on the wide-screen TV.

Next day I was up 3 lbs. My wife was up 2 lbs. After our guests left we went back to our juice regimen in the AM and leftover turkey sandwiches in the PM. Four days later we are back to our goal weights and feeling great. We will probably juice twice a day for the rest of the week just to get back on track.

Here's the difference from the SF&ND diet: We mix green veggies (kale, spinach mostly) with berries (frozen blue berries, strawberries, mixed berries) with fresh banana, frozen pineapple and guava. No added sugar or salt, but she does add some flax and chia seed to the mix. We also add some unsweetened almond milk (vanilla) and maybe a few nuts that we have leftover. She adds some filtered water and ice and grinds it up. We each drink one large (10-12 oz) glass of that mix. It is delicious and is easy to digest. Unlike the SF&ND diet it doesn't get old and become a burden.

My wife will also exchange a regular meal for another "drink" in the evening made from almond milk and Spiru-tein protein drink. It too tastes good, goes down easy and is quite filling. Our regular meals are made up of scrambled eggs and turkey bacon / or baked chicken thighs and fresh mashed potatoes / or a frozen Chinese mixed veggies with meat / or fresh salmon or white fish when available. We avoid pasta unless we are guests at someone's home. We eat a lot of avacados when they are in season and try to have oranges, bananas, and tangerines as side treats every day. We snack on nuts (mixed or cashews). Our treat at night while watching TV is a few squares (4-6) of Trader Joe's dark unsweetened 50% chocolate.

While my wife has mostly given up all alchohol (it inflames her athritis), I continue (with my cardiologist's blessing) to have 2 glasses of red wine (merlot, pinot noir, syrah) that I sip in the evening between 6 and 9 PM while working on the computer or watching TV.

Bottom line is that my wife and I are losing weight, not holding on to anything when we go offline for a day or two, feeling extremely well and are rarely hungry. Unlike the SF&ND diet that was burdensome and after a day or two felt like we were drinking medicine and not healthy food, this diet really works for us. If either of us goes over or has to eat out with other folks, we just come back and do a day or two of "green drink" and "chocolate protein drink." In a couple of days we are back on the mark.

While the above diet may not work well for families with children, it should work very well for singles and married couples not having to feed others besides themselves. The diet is not expensive - even though almost everything we eat is fresh, organic, and non-GMO. We buy fresh every 2-3 days in small quantities. Above all, we do not nag each other if one of us opts for going out and having Mexican or Chinese one night on the spur of the moment. We just do two drinks the next day.

The book my wife uses for her green drink recipes is Green Smoothie Joy by Cressida Elias (list $14.95 USD). Everything she suggests tastes great.

Above all - we feel great (we are both over 70 anos) - our doctors are very supportive and happy with our progress. My cardiologist has moved my regular checkups out from 3 mos to 6 mos because my numbers are so good and consistent. i've dropped 30 lbs since Xmas 2013 and expect to maintain that weight range through the holidays this year.

And we do cheat. Most weeks I will go out one night and buy a full length Subway sandwich for each of us. We will eat one half for dinner that night and the other half for dinner the next night. Our other meal for the day will be a green drink. This breaks up the monotony. Believe it or not, the next morning I see little or no weight gain after having a 6-inch subway the night before. Your results may differ...

One last thing: We are trying to be consistent (except for bananas and citrus fruit) to try to go 100% local, organic, and non-GMO on our veggies, fruit, dairy and meat. We eat very little processed food like chips or anything that comes in a box.We don't go crazy or deny ourselves if we can't find everything in that category during a trip to the grocery, but those are our preferences. I have to say - the food really does taste better and the cost (for two old folks) is not significantly higher.

JV