Posts by Nickolas

129

The secret things men hate about being men

by FlyingHighNow in

jw
friends

these are hastily thought up facts and then some stereo-typical reasons, in response to sam's why men seldom get depressed thread.

feel free to add ones that have been missed.. men:.

have to shave everyday or they look like miami vice wannabe's.. have to register for the draft.. have to keep up that macho image for their buds.. have to pretend to love beer.. to them, size is an important issue.

Nickolas

Did someone leave the front gate open?

Shamus, you are apparently suffering from a crisis of identity, or perhaps just from ignorance. You are an orangutan, I am a bonobo. We are apes. Neither of us is a monkey. You can tell the difference between monkeys and apes quite easily, because we have no tails while monkeys do. Reach around back of yourself and give it a little feel. No, not in front, Shamus, that's something else. In back. Feel anything? No? See? You're an ape. A dumb ape, but an ape nevertheless. Now, go outside and play. Good boy.

81

A roaring current of change.... Is The Watchtower in the process of a major overhaul of their religion?

by koolaid-man in

jw
friends

a roaring current of change..... what is going on at the world headquarters of jehovah's witnesses?

in the last couple of years unprecedented changes in policy, procedure, and doctrine have been coming forth in rapid fire sequence.

this uninterrupted episode of new information is beginning to backfire for the rank and file witnesses.

Nickolas

If they're happy, what's it matter to anyone else?

That's actually a good question, DOC, but what is the cost of that happiness? The cost to the individual happy Witness is substantial in itself, loss of identity, loss of freedom of thought, movement and expression, loss of some of the greater pleasures in life, loss of friends and family who have broken away. There is also a cost to others. Call it collateral damage. The shunned ones, the children whose lives were sacrificed to the blood idol by their parents, the older people who didn't get married and have children themselves because of the hollow promise that the New System was just around the corner and whose generation did indeed "pass away", the non-JW spouses and children who are denied a normal life against their will. From my perspective, the happiness of someone matters a great deal if it depends on consuming the lives of themselves and others.

129

The secret things men hate about being men

by FlyingHighNow in

jw
friends

these are hastily thought up facts and then some stereo-typical reasons, in response to sam's why men seldom get depressed thread.

feel free to add ones that have been missed.. men:.

have to shave everyday or they look like miami vice wannabe's.. have to register for the draft.. have to keep up that macho image for their buds.. have to pretend to love beer.. to them, size is an important issue.

Nickolas

First I can't believe I read all of this thread. Second - I'm not going to lock it

We all thank you, Lady Lee, for your tolerance. It has been an interesting thread, indeed.

363

So me, of all people, had a religious experience

by sabastious in

jw
friends

i was sitting in my garage, as i often do, to chill out and i actually ended up becoming angry.. so here i am, in my garage, kicking it on the stool for the drum set that is in there (i am a pianist/composer, not a drummer).

i start to think about all the crazy stuff that transpires on this planet.

we have all seen shows and heard stories or maybe even witnessed events that don't add up.

Nickolas

The lesson, Tammy, is we often see what we expect to see and fail to see what we are not tuned in to seeing. Another, related, example is change blindness:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38XO7ac9eSs

129

The secret things men hate about being men

by FlyingHighNow in

jw
friends

these are hastily thought up facts and then some stereo-typical reasons, in response to sam's why men seldom get depressed thread.

feel free to add ones that have been missed.. men:.

have to shave everyday or they look like miami vice wannabe's.. have to register for the draft.. have to keep up that macho image for their buds.. have to pretend to love beer.. to them, size is an important issue.

Nickolas

Men:

Have to shave everyday or they look like Miami Vice wannabe's. Bullseye.

Have to register for the draft. Not if they're peace loving Canadians.

Have to keep up that macho image for their buds. Are we talking Budweiser, here?

Have to pretend to love beer. But, but, I do love beer.

To them, size is an important issue. Their brains get twisted in knots wondering if it matters to women. We must be talking about beer guts, right?

Need little blue pills. 40% of men need them after 40 and over 70% need them from 70 on and for some the blamed pills dont' work for them at all. Then, I guess that 100% will need them after 100. Damn. Not looking forward to that.

Blue pills cost at least ten dollars a piece. Unless you buy the Indian knock-offs, then they're a buck and a half.

Men: don't get the credit they deserve for being class A nags. Poor fellas. Think governing body and elders, the champions of the art of nagging. Um, ok.

Men: they get stuck with wives who just never, ever can cook, clean, or bail them out of trouble like their mommies. Mine is a great cook and housekeeper, and never has to bail me out. Now mommy, she was a great nag.

Men: neck ties. Ugh. Two points for you.

They are too proud to ask for directions so they spend 2 years, 45 days, 7.5 hours, 20 seconds driving around lost during their life times. What, exactly, is your point? Stopping to ask directions of strangers has a statistically superior possibility of being carjacked than not stopping. Besides, that's what GPS is for, so long as you can figure out how to change the voice from female to male.

They are not allowed to cry, dammit. Not even when they slam their fingers in the car door. The only time it is okay for men to cry is when their hound dogs die. Or when they spill their beer.

They cannot have tea cup toy poodles with pink toenails, pink ear bows and pierced ears riding around in their pockets. They especially cannot name them Fifi or Chiffon. You were talking about what men hate about being men, weren't you?

Have to button the top button on dress shirts. Only when they're wearing a tie ... 2 1/2 points for you.

Have to pretend they don't love quiche. I eat quiche and I am proud of it. Just don't tell anybody, k?

Have to pretend they come from Mars. Only when processing the looks of females who have that particular expression on their faces when we say something incomprehensible.

Have to pretend they don't watch Hallmark Channel and Oprah. I'd rather go to the dentist. You lose half a point.

Have to pretend they hate Nanci Pelosi and that they love Sarah Palin. You lose another point. You're down to one.

Can get woody at the most inconvenient times. Ok, you win.

363

So me, of all people, had a religious experience

by sabastious in

jw
friends

i was sitting in my garage, as i often do, to chill out and i actually ended up becoming angry.. so here i am, in my garage, kicking it on the stool for the drum set that is in there (i am a pianist/composer, not a drummer).

i start to think about all the crazy stuff that transpires on this planet.

we have all seen shows and heard stories or maybe even witnessed events that don't add up.

Nickolas

A mystery is exactly what we have here.

Nope, wrong again. A mystery is something that is not explainable, and Sab's experience does not qualify, since it can be rationalised using statistical mathematics. That said, it strikes me as remarkable that some people of faith seem consistently to get their knickers in a knot when people disagree with them, as if they consider themselves infallible. Protesting that you just know something to be true without substantiation is an empty assertion and generally without merit in any discourse. Try it in a court of law.

And, to the subject of eye witness testimony, I offer the following short video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4

34

its my bday n still cant celebrate it.... n i cant post from my phone sorry

by cyberjesus in

Nickolas

Cyber, a birthday to remember..

Hmmm. After his remark about spending a romantic evening with himself, the question is, does Cyber cyber?

34

its my bday n still cant celebrate it.... n i cant post from my phone sorry

by cyberjesus in

Nickolas

... and a romantic night with myself ...

You'll go blind if you keep doing that. Or get smitten by lightning. Or have to cut off your right hand (Matthew 5:30). Or disfellowshipped. But if you can't get a date, well, what's the harm?

363

So me, of all people, had a religious experience

by sabastious in

jw
friends

i was sitting in my garage, as i often do, to chill out and i actually ended up becoming angry.. so here i am, in my garage, kicking it on the stool for the drum set that is in there (i am a pianist/composer, not a drummer).

i start to think about all the crazy stuff that transpires on this planet.

we have all seen shows and heard stories or maybe even witnessed events that don't add up.

Nickolas

Your example lacks personal meaning since the crowd was just wowed by a simple pattern of one number over and over. My cards example contains heavy personal significance for two people: my brother and I.

Actually, sab, the connection is statistical, personally interpretive and related. The same number coming up over and over in a lottery draw is similar in effect and perception to familiar card combinations coming up over and over in your poker game. Both are statistically explainable, however remarkable they may seem. When you go about figuring out the odds of those personally significant card combinations coming up, also figure out the odds of other discrete but unfamiliar card combinations coming up and you will find that the numbers are the same.

If you and your brother watched as the deck of cards shuffled itself, you'd have a truly remarkable story to tell and I and others would be completely unable to offer plausible explanations that don't defy the laws of physics and mathematics. This particular recounting doesn't qualify as miraculous. By all means, believe and have faith if you wish, but be careful not to talk yourself into something that isn't there unless it is something you deep down really want to do. Then, well, go ahead. Enjoy the moment.

81

A roaring current of change.... Is The Watchtower in the process of a major overhaul of their religion?

by koolaid-man in

jw
friends

a roaring current of change..... what is going on at the world headquarters of jehovah's witnesses?

in the last couple of years unprecedented changes in policy, procedure, and doctrine have been coming forth in rapid fire sequence.

this uninterrupted episode of new information is beginning to backfire for the rank and file witnesses.

Nickolas

the downsizing of the printing facilities were very discouraging to me

The Watchtower didn't downsize their printing operations. They consolidated them a couple of years ago into a single facility in the Georgetown, Ontario bethel with huge, state-of-the-art twin German printing presses capable of producing more than 100,000 impressions per hour. It was an smart economic move.