Posts by Band on the Run

18

Aspartame apparently makes my guts ache...

by TD in

i was experiencing mild abdominal pain in the evenings and just on a whim, tried eliminating diet soda and other drinks sweetened with aspartame.. i don't drink a lot of soda, but when i do, i tried mexican coca-cola sweetened with old fashioned cane sugar instead.

--no more pain.

but now i'm climbing the wall with cravings.

Band on the Run

I'm a diabetic. Even when I was underweight, I consumed diet sodas (God, Tab was worse than extreme thirst) b/c of the calorie laden sodas. I am a carb fiend. Carbs will slowly kill me. My doctors have repeated warned me about using aspartame. It causes a host of acute side effects and some troubling long term effects. I've found it almost impossible to stop. The diabetes has me so deprived and I hate plain water. Military people go ballistic about soda and diet soda in particular. I've vowed so many times to cut it from my diet.

Recently, I tried Stevia diet tea. I prefer the taste. The Stevia is very dilute. It has a cleaner taste on the palate. All the package crap is aspartame. Equal tastes one trillion times better than the earlier artificial sweeteners. Diet Coke is slightly different from Coke. Tab was atrocious. Lemon lime wasn't too bad. I've read aspartame is addictive. And I wholeheartedly believe it from my experience. Maybe it needs to be tapered. I became physically addicted to opiates during a pain siege. You can cut back slowly and feel almost no withdrawal until the last little bit or you can face sheer hell for months. Cold turkey has you on the run.

B/c of my OA and diabetes discussions, I've repeatedly heard actual people say they spent 2-3 weeks of utter agony with cravings and withdrawal. Once you pass that period, they say the cravings are minimal, if at all.

How does the FDA sllow tco he sale of such products? We don't have informed consent. Americans pay the salary of the Surgeon General. The tobacco program worked. Maybe removing it from shelves if authoritarian but print warnings on the cans and other containers.

Good luck and feel better.

57

The Writing Department's use of "Exclamation Points". Anybody else find their use cheesy? Or motivating possibly?

by miseryloveselders in

jw
friends

something i've been meaning to ask for a while since coming here, is wsup with the writing department's use of exclamation points?

i'm no literature buff or anything, but to me personally, the exclamation points cheapen whatever they're trying to get across.

here's some examples from the new jeremiah book.. how thankful we can be for the teaching done by christian shepherds!.

Band on the Run

We should be grateful multiple exclamations are not used. If everything is exclaimed, nothing is exlaimed. I've been curious for decades about a related issue. The WT has a uniformity of style. Is there a master editor or template? I know little about publishing details. The WT squelches the writing styles and emphases of individual writers

As much as I had to admit it, I grew up in a poor area where only the library had books. The Witness lit did help my reading comprehension. National Geographic, our only mag, also was crucial. And the distorted, unrelaible, out of context historical facts had just enough truth in them that I excelled in history compared to my classmates.

Considering the above, I would have preferred playing in the green grass with other kids. After preschool, my bvro and I were ostracized for not owning heavy weapoonry to play.

26

Boy Denied Communion Because of Cerebral Palsy

by whereami in

jw
friends

can't you just feel the love!!!

!kevin castro's grandmother calls priest's offer of annointing of sick 'offensive' .

a catholic church turned away 8-year-old kevin castro of floresville, texas, from his first communion because he had cerebral palsy, according to the boy's family.. when the rev.

Band on the Run

I can almost hear Jesus making a parablel of this situation. The Church serves a cultural function. People have different sorts of worship styles. The grandmother must take First Communion not as a canon law, doctrinal thing but as an affirmation that her grandson is a full Roman Catholic. I heard of a preist refusing to marry a parapalegic b/c he could not function sexually. Since Constantinte, the church universal gets caught up in rules and definitions. The priest may be legally correct, as Pharisees were, but Jesus set a different standard.

Probably no one met harm. Maybe the gm did not realize the church training was necessary. 98% of my public school was Catholic. I still remember how frantic they were to memorize their catechism class. I was so jealous that I could be a girl bride. Christ would err on the side of inclusion. Without all these rules, traditon and authority the Catholic church would not have its unique flavor. Failure to communicate.

The holy oil could mean that he is somehow lacking. He is not lacking in God's sight. Isn't oil used for things besides illness and extreme unction? When I've seen it used, only sick people or those with sick family and friends come forward.

26

Boy Denied Communion Because of Cerebral Palsy

by whereami in

jw
friends

can't you just feel the love!!!

!kevin castro's grandmother calls priest's offer of annointing of sick 'offensive' .

a catholic church turned away 8-year-old kevin castro of floresville, texas, from his first communion because he had cerebral palsy, according to the boy's family.. when the rev.

Band on the Run

I was anointed with holy oil frequently during my illness. First, I'd travel around and do the Episcopal service and then lie and do the Catholic circuit.

I did not pay attention to this detail which is a big difference. Episcopa; priests make the sign of the cross when very young children are brought up during communion. So maybe the priest isn't the devil.

Details count.

20

What are your thoughts on marrying later in life?

by cult classic in

my 2nd-time widowed fil is remarrying this summer at the age of 73. his fiancee is a never-before-married woman in her mid-50s with one adult son.

his children are pretty mad about the upcoming nuptials.

they feel the woman is a gold digger.

Band on the Run

Is financial gain worse than sexual gain? Maybe some people are more introspective about their motivations. How does anyone truly know, esp. not a party to the marriage. It bothers me that women are seen as gold diggers. Typically, if hubbie had to buy a wive's services on the open market, he would be in bankrupt in short order.

Children often feel they are entitled to the great wealth, which is rarely great. Maybe they just get used to no one else being in the picture. People get very worked up about the money but not other issues. Law, tradition and it may be old canon law assumes the wife is the partner in the marriage. Remember Jesus talking about one body. It is very difficult to disinheirit a wife. Very easy to get rid of children. Children and wife are different relationships. There are always prenupitals, too.

I could be wrong but I sense that there was more sanctity towards marriage when I was young. Children stayed in their place. They aren't entitled to any money. If a parent wants to bequeath it, it is out of kindness. And one should be gracious and not criticize the paltriness of the gift. If you die without a will, intestate succession occurs. The government has a preference scale and your money is automatically distributed. It is sort of a default will. I can't recall what the scenario is for a wife and children. I'd have to look it up and it would be different in any state.

Wills are very hard to write properly. It is the largest malpractice area for lawyers. As someone posted, people make wills anticipating the status quo will continue and never update them. There are some rather petty rules about signing, handwriting but all the details are taken very seriously. Many times the very opposite of the testator wishes happens.

Now if we were discussing my mother, in particular, I might be appalled.

78

How (not) to destroy a thread and turn it into a battleground

by Terry in

jw
friends

we are adults here and don't want jwn to reflect a hostile enviornment for lurkers who may.

wish to learn about the watchtower.

many first timers might be very curious to discover whether.

Band on the Run

Sorry. I skimmed the exploitation of children thread. May I ask is this proposed legislation or has it become law? There are federal child labor laws. The FDR court packing drama started with child labor laws. If there is a conflict, the federal law prevails.

It is a very disturbing issue. Maybe those of us who live in the state, can write to our representatives.

78

How (not) to destroy a thread and turn it into a battleground

by Terry in

jw
friends

we are adults here and don't want jwn to reflect a hostile enviornment for lurkers who may.

wish to learn about the watchtower.

many first timers might be very curious to discover whether.

Band on the Run

It strikes me that this forum is often alpha male, ballsy. I have no idea of the female.male percentage. Only an observation. I'm ashamed of the time I spend here. I am addicted. The shame has nothing to do with the forum. Excessive time is spent here. It is so easy to isolate using the Internet as a social tool.

I am grateful it exists. It would be nice to feel that I have a choice not to read. The silly part is that I never imagined there would be a JW forum. Thick, I guess. It makes perfect sense. I stumbled upon this site from a link wtihin a link within a link in wikipedia. The edit tab there shows quite an interesting, ongoing struggle.

26

Boy Denied Communion Because of Cerebral Palsy

by whereami in

jw
friends

can't you just feel the love!!!

!kevin castro's grandmother calls priest's offer of annointing of sick 'offensive' .

a catholic church turned away 8-year-old kevin castro of floresville, texas, from his first communion because he had cerebral palsy, according to the boy's family.. when the rev.

Band on the Run

PS When I was deathly ill, I clung to life in a NY Cathedral. It was very common for a bridal family to call the cathedral on a Thursday and announce they would marry at the high altar with family flying in from diverse parts on Saturday. Many people like the venue and traditoin. The altar and side chapels are already booked.

I've heard marrying in an English speaking church in Paris takes years of waiting.

26

Boy Denied Communion Because of Cerebral Palsy

by whereami in

jw
friends

can't you just feel the love!!!

!kevin castro's grandmother calls priest's offer of annointing of sick 'offensive' .

a catholic church turned away 8-year-old kevin castro of floresville, texas, from his first communion because he had cerebral palsy, according to the boy's family.. when the rev.

Band on the Run

I have a strong feeling this priest caught hell, particularly, with the press attention. It does not make for good marketing. There is a big difference between mainstream infant baptism and JW dedication. What competence do infants have? Yet we baptize them and say as a congregation that we will help them keep their baptismal promises. JW is very different. It is an adult decision, very cerebral. B/c of my background I go nuts reading Bible studies but I don't feel it has much to do with my Christian faith. I'm worse than a cockroach compared to God. Paul writes of God's grace triumphing over law.

I'm certain that R C canon law contains provisions that affirm and condemn the priest's actions. What would Jesus do? A very important person said to me and to others who did church work, that God can take it. God can more than take a mentally challenged boy not knowing every detail of his catechism. Were it not for my experience, multiplied by others, I'd say the priest was ill-informed and did not have time to think through the situation.

Think of Mother Theresa, Sisters of Charity, the peace activists. Civil rights workers. A gf once said that the ignorance of the average parish priest could not be overestimated. I love formal things but sometimes formality can interfere with God's love. Maybe the boy is the one Jesus prefers. How do we know God's judgments?
God, I worship intellligence and education but they are puny compared to what might be inside that boy that we cannot apprehend b/c we are merely human.

87

Is this a forum for JW issues or a poorly designed political and celebrity site?

by Band on the Run in

it appears to me that even in the few months that i have been here there is less and less emphasis on jehovah's witnesses and anything remotely related to jws and more very poor posts about politics, foreign affairs and celebrities.

i can't omit the juvenile sex ones, which i find lacking in erotic nature.

it seems the 6th grade boys are meeting in the locker room.. the posts that involve jws have a very different tone from the drivel posted on others.

Band on the Run

People make assumptions about lawyers. I became a lawyer b/c my mom was expelled from high school at fourteen for the flag salute. Because of the real persecution the Witnesses faced during WWII and the Cold War, civil rights were extremely important to me. I saw the Witnesses victory as proof that law worked. Jiustice prevailed. My profs would politely tell me that I was naive and the Court supported power far more often than civil liberties. I had rose colored glasses. My scholarship in law s chool was for public interest law. I was drawn to the progressive political movement in high school. My parents were always pro-union despite their Witness affiliation.

When someone tells me to do good, it justifiabaly annoys me. I volunteer for a disabled rights group now. As Adam Clayton Powell said, I've paid my dues. Most corporate law firms support pro bono cases. Indeed, almost all of the ACLU cases are argued by large law firms representing multinational corporations and foreign governments. No one else could afford to do so. More should be done. Very few lawyers are ambulance chasers.

I can understand that I am not everyone's cup of tea. Many people were gracious on this thread. What I do with panties is my business. My intent was to contribute personal experience that cannot be garnered from books. Just the same as everyone else here has done.I don't parrot slogans. My goal is to use what book knowledge I have and to add personal commentary. Part of my pet peeves is peope who just copy and paste. I can read text myself. What I can't do by myself is appreciate someone's unique stories.

Sadly, I see no way to unring the bell. Someone posted a similar thread within the past two weeks. In fact, I've seen at least two such threads recently. Some of those people were savaged. I don't exist for your approval. Indeed, another poster commented what a sad commentary the lack of love on this site is to those on the fence. It is treacherous. I can only imagine that the Witnesses trigger deep buttons. From the bottom of my heart, my purpose was to join a community, casually, and learn. Many people have sent private messages thanking me for my shares. This nastiness is not universal. I had no sense of how small the core group is here. It is the hottest board I've ever seeni. Newcomers do not know my story. I apologize for any part I had in miscommunication among certain people. This not the agape Paul wrote about so movingly. If I were a doubting Witness, such posts, the pizza toppings ones, the politcal ones that are nasty ( some of them are cool) would have me running back to the KH.