Posts by fulltimestudent

32

Jehovah's organization growing like never before: but bible studies are way down. Huh?

by kneehighmiah in

jw
friends

so the governing body likes to keep claiming incredible growth.

at the same time they claim bible studies are way down.

are the finally admitting what we've known all along, that they can no longer recruit outsiders?

fulltimestudent

the governing body likes to keep claiming incredible growth.

Yes! Cant you see? The main centres keep growing new buildings. That's incredible.

Just don't look at the fringes, where the buildings are disappearing.

22

Religious nuttery alerts

by Simon in

it seems like every couple of months i notice we've acquired a new religious nut and they have been posting away, annoying everyone and filling the forum with crap.

it's disheartening to see people (even moderators!

) have been having conversations with them and there are pages and pages of insults and crap - we're going to try and avoid this in future.

REPUTATION and disfellowshipping.....stories

by problemaddict 2 in

a friend of mine is getting disfellowshipped.

someone with a kind heart, and good rep. he knows how i feel, remains my firend, and we have respectful conversation.

without revealing too much, lets just say the reason he is being disfellowshipped is for family problems.

fulltimestudent

It remeinded me that part of the discipline seems to be humiliation.

Of course. Those who deviate from the way, must be taught to humble themselves under the hand of the ALL BLOODY MIGHTY GOD. Its been that way from the start of Christianity.

So those still in, who fear disfellowshipping, learn a lesson. You will be disfellowshipped by men, because you have disobeyed MEN. And, if you're family wants to discipline you also, tell them to F*K OFF, and go find yourself a new family.

112

Scientists Should Not Dismiss Genesis So Quickly

by Chris Tann in

nasa discovery proves the bible scientifically accurate.

the debate.

for decades there has been a long standing debate between science and religion as to the validity of the biblical genesis account of creation.

fulltimestudent

Phizzy: Can someone sum this long cut and paste up for us in a few words please ?? assuming you have the time and patience so to do.

I havn't! But I will observe that the above is not the first cut and paste. The Genesis story (first chapter) is also a cut and paste, cut and pasted from Egyptian concepts of creation.

I have a gut feeling that none of the above is going to convince Cofty to rush back to Church.

Nor me! But let those who need, the equivalent of an invisible friend to talk to, keep their friend.

PS: If someone uses the above stuff to prove the divine origins of the Bible, then did that same divine origin, inspire human insight into the existence of atoms?

Consider:

Around 440 BC, Leucippus of Miletus, in his lost book "The Greater World System," originated the atom concept. He and his pupil, Democritus (c460-371 BC) of Abdera, refined and extended it in future years. There are five major points to their atomic idea. Almost all of the original writings of Leucippus and Democritus are lost. About the only sources we have for their atomistic ideas are found in quotations of other writers.

Since atoms were invisible to the naked eye, the only way they could postulate the idea was through reason. And reason continues to be the way that human change occurs.

5

Make Sure You Keep Your Battery Up-to-Date

by fulltimestudent in

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2014/11/14/smart-energy/imagine-1000-gigafactories-thats-whats-coming.

so - are we really about to exit the age of fossil fuels?

should i now sell my oil shares?

fulltimestudent

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2014/11/14/smart-energy/imagine-1000-gigafactories-thats-whats-coming

So - are we really about to exit the age of fossil fuels? Should I now sell my oil shares? Life always chucks these hard decisons at me.

American-Chinese in US Politics

by fulltimestudent in

an interesting twist.. .

source: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/890424.shtml.

which leads me to think about what this development could mean to those who may suggest that china is the real king of the north?

fulltimestudent

An interesting twist.

Source: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/890424.shtml

Which leads me to think about what this development could mean to those who may suggest that China is the Real King of the North? (China as the K of the N, may I say, the most stupid thing ever uttered by people who believe really stupid stuff-grin)

1

Singapore and Chinese Armies Train Together in China

by fulltimestudent in

stumbled across these interesting piks:.

the training includes professional seminars and a company-level conventional infantry exercise featuring a live-firing demonstration.

the saf is represented by personnel from the 5th battalion singapore infantry regiment and 3rd singapore division.

fulltimestudent

I believe everyone had a great time!

1

Singapore and Chinese Armies Train Together in China

by fulltimestudent in

stumbled across these interesting piks:.

the training includes professional seminars and a company-level conventional infantry exercise featuring a live-firing demonstration.

the saf is represented by personnel from the 5th battalion singapore infantry regiment and 3rd singapore division.

fulltimestudent

Stumbled across these interesting piks:

The training includes professional seminars and a company-level conventional infantry exercise featuring a live-firing demonstration. The SAF is represented by personnel from the 5th Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment and 3rd Singapore Division. They will participate in the exercise alongside their Chinese counterparts from the PLA 179th Brigade and Nanjing Military Region.

Assistant Chief of General Staff (Operations) Brigadier-General Siew Kum Wong co-officiated the opening ceremony on Sunday (Nov 2) with Major-General Wang Chunning, Commander of 12th Mixed Group Army, Nanjing Military Region.

Singapore incidentally has universal military training. All males must join up at age 18 for two years.

23

Questions concerning Deng Xiaoping

by fulltimestudent in

on another thread band on the run requested that i answer certain questions she put to me concerning deng xiaoping.

i requested another thread for that, one wasn't started so i start it myself.. i see the questions are reasonable, at least for someone who (admittedly) claims to know little about china, and i have no issues about answering them.

like all humans deng xiaoping, is a mix of good things and not so good things.. in telling deng's story, i have no wish to distort history, i see no reason to tell "outright lies about the past, or to omit facts that may lead to unacceptable conclusions or to gloss over anything with a quiet, slight admission that is buried by some other detail.

fulltimestudent

If anyone would like to know more about China's third line of defense, the wikipedia entry seems to give a reasonably balanced viewpoint:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Front_(China)

Today, in a much changed China, the need for that third line has gone. Much of it has been abandoned, as these images illustrate.

From: http://china-defense.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/the-abandoned-third-line.html

23

Questions concerning Deng Xiaoping

by fulltimestudent in

on another thread band on the run requested that i answer certain questions she put to me concerning deng xiaoping.

i requested another thread for that, one wasn't started so i start it myself.. i see the questions are reasonable, at least for someone who (admittedly) claims to know little about china, and i have no issues about answering them.

like all humans deng xiaoping, is a mix of good things and not so good things.. in telling deng's story, i have no wish to distort history, i see no reason to tell "outright lies about the past, or to omit facts that may lead to unacceptable conclusions or to gloss over anything with a quiet, slight admission that is buried by some other detail.

fulltimestudent

Before this thread gets too far behind, here's a catch up on Deng's greatest contribution to China. I cant really list the change to market driven economy as Deng's alone. I believe it was a majority decision within the CPC. Westerner's are hallucinating (based on their experience with their own pollies) when they think that in China, one person can dominate the political landscape.

Anyway, here's my selection as to Deng's greatest contribution to China.

Back in the early 50's, as happens after every war/revolution, the new government was still consolidating. They were dropped into a very dangerous situation by grandfather Kim in N. Korea - the Korean war. Forced to intervene, by Macarthur's excellent tactic of the Inchon landing and the subsequent drive deep into North Korea. The Chinese government warned that they could not tolerate a drive to the border, but Macarthur ignored the yellow light.

The rest of the war, which roughly finished up with much the same border between NK and SK, is just history. But it left an even more unstable political landscape.

The new Chinese government, fearing (justifiably, I believe) an attack on China, by the USA, entered into a longterm plan to build a "fortress China" in the south west of the country. US airpower, even then, would likely (from Taiwan bases) wipe out the east coast cities of China, with mind-boggling casualties and the only recourse was to build this armed fortress in Sichuan and Yunnan.

The problem was, that the area in which it was planned, was almost uninhabited, extremely rugged, and with no transport links. First priority, became the building of a rail link. Western rail engineers, brought into consult, said it could not be done. Deng was put in charge to get it done. And he did.

A rail link had to be built from Chongqing to Chengdu, as the first step to integrating the area into a national transport system. The railway was built at breakneck speed. It had 340 km of tunnel in a total length of 1080 km. It opened in July 1952.

The project went on to incorporate even more transport links to support the new factories that were built inside hollowed out mountains. The cost was enormous and likely distorted the Chinese economy for decades. It had one other benefit though, it set a pattern, that the leadership should have practical experience in getting things done. In the last government headed by Hu Jintao, most of the top leadership were engineers with practical experience, who had demonstrated that they could do that.

Of course, other experience may also be important, and, as I understand it, the requirement now for the top leadership, is that they must have the experience of governing two major provinces and building economic progress, before they would come under consideration by the CPC, for the top leadership positions.

Considering that most of the larger Chinese provinces may have larger populations than most western nations, we may get an idea of why China has progressed so quickly.

In the detail I've posted about Deng, I am reliant on Harrison Salisbury's, The New Emperors, Mao and Deng, A Dual Biography. (Harper Collins, London, 1992) pp 124-128.