Posts by Marvin Shilmer

15

10% of pregnant JW accept blood

by richard in

an article in the professional journal obstetrics & gynecology (sep 2004) indicates that, if need arises, almost 10% of pregnant jws would agree to accept packed red blood cells while another 40% would consent to a variety of donated blood products.

health care proxy was available in her chart.

39.3% agreed to accept a variety of donated blood products,.

Marvin Shilmer

Hello, Richard

You write:

"You may be right, although the research mentioned in Marvin's contribution is from 1995 and indicates the same amount of dissent."

Though the 10 percent figure from Gyamfi/Berkowitz study reminded me of the 10 percent figure from the Benson study, the two conclusions point to what may be a noteworthy distinction.

In the Benson report the 10 percent is of JWs under immediate duress of poor health. In the Gyamfi/Berkowitz report the 10 percent is of JWs not under immediate duress of poor health.

There is a probability this indicates a significant move to the left from the WTS' teaching. This is because the latter 10 percent essentially voice a 180-degree disagreement with WTS teaching up front, without any imminent threat of poor health. This may signal an increase in a kind of dissent. That is to say, the dissent evidenced in the Benson study might be a dissent based on fear/emotion whereas the dissent evidenced in the Gyamfi/Berkowitz might be dissent based more on analytical/objective review.

Marvin Shilmer

15

10% of pregnant JW accept blood

by richard in

an article in the professional journal obstetrics & gynecology (sep 2004) indicates that, if need arises, almost 10% of pregnant jws would agree to accept packed red blood cells while another 40% would consent to a variety of donated blood products.

health care proxy was available in her chart.

39.3% agreed to accept a variety of donated blood products,.

Marvin Shilmer

Hello, Richard

The review by Drs. Cynthia Gyamfi and Richard Berkowitz demonstrates that the WTS does not speak for all JWs on the subject of blood, and the article states this very well.

The 10 percent figure in the Gyamfi/Berkowitz review of JW patients willing to accept packed red cells reminds me of another study published by Dr. Karen Benson showing that a full 10 percent of JW patients in her review accepted blood or blood products forbidden under the WTS' blood doctrine. (The Benson article is available online at http://www.moffitt.usf.edu/pubs/ccj/v2n6/article13.html ) The Gyamfi/Berkowitz also cites an earlier review involving Dr. Berkowitz finding that when a JW develops an obstetric hemorrhage the patient has a 44-fold increased risk of dying because of refusal to accept transfusions.

It should be noted that of the roughly 10 percent of JW women who agreed to accept whole blood in the Gyamfi/Berkowitz study, none of them actually received a transfusion. According to the article, none of the 10 percent gave permission to transfuse whole blood under the duress of blood loss. That is, these women of their own accord and without imminent threat of poor health gave permission to transfuse whole blood! This is a slap in the WTS' proverbial face!

Marvin Shilmer

26

A logis puzzle, based on a true story

by stevenyc in

jw
friends

you're a contestant on a tv game show.

the host has three boxes, a,b, and c. .

one of the boxes contains keys to the star prize, a car and the other two are empty .

Marvin Shilmer

I can?t watch this thread any more without commenting. It is absurd for anyone to think that changing one?s selection from C to B increases the odds of winning!

When three options were available the person had a 33 percent chance of winning. Period.

When the options were reduced to two, and the person?s choice was among the two, the chance of winning just became 50 percent regardless of whether B was selected over C. Period. The mere fact that options had been reduced is what changed the odds of winning, and not what choice the individual made!

Marvin Shilmer, who is annoyed by bad statistical math

6

Help Please

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

can anyone here pleased translate the following for me?

i believe it is in an african dialect of french.

from web site http://www.assisesrwanda2001.be/060309.html: tharcisse seminega : oui, comme je l'ai dit, on se rencontrait dans le bus et souvent il discutait avec des collegues, parce que moi souvent je me taisais.

Marvin Shilmer

Howdy, misspeaches

I appreciate your assistance. Earlier I used various online translators (google, babelfish, etc.) and got pretty much the same as you. To me the answer to my question about Tharcisse Seminega is sure. It looks like he was a JW at the time of his rescue. But knowing the nuances of language and translation, and the notorios limits of online translators, I am still looking for a human translator who can translate the paragraph, or at least the SECOND sentence of it.

Jst2laws,

You and I had similar thoughts? The thought is frightening, for me!

By the way, knowing your interest in quantum mechanics, have you read Roger Penrose?s new book The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe? I think you?ll find it fascinating. He thinks he has solved the problem of why a quantum particle can be in two (or more!) places at one time yet larger objects cannot be in two places at one time. His theory is novel and testable, though it is yet untested.

Marvin Shilmer

6

Help Please

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

can anyone here pleased translate the following for me?

i believe it is in an african dialect of french.

from web site http://www.assisesrwanda2001.be/060309.html: tharcisse seminega : oui, comme je l'ai dit, on se rencontrait dans le bus et souvent il discutait avec des collegues, parce que moi souvent je me taisais.

Marvin Shilmer

Can anyone here pleased translate the following for me? I believe it is in an African dialect of French.

From web site http://www.assisesrwanda2001.be/060309.html :

Tharcisse SEMINEGA : Oui, comme je l'ai dit, on se rencontrait dans le bus et souvent il discutait avec des collègues, parce que moi souvent je me taisais. Souvent je me taisais parce que je suis témoin de Jehova de religion et j'ai comme principe que je ne dois pas me mêler de politique. C'est pour cela que je me gardais de me mêler de leur discussion mais je les écoutais et souvent il discutait avec une collègue qu'on appelait Rose MUKANKOMEJE et des fois, ils avaient même vraiment des propos assez énergiques et violents. Alors, ils discutaient surtout au sujet du rôle que les Tutsi, surtout ceux qui étaient à l'intérieur du pays, avaient à jouer dans l'attaque des Inkotanyi, des rebelles, de la diaspora, et NTEZIMANA, d'après lui donc, il était de l'opinion que les Tutsi de l'intérieur avaient une part à jouer, donc ils étaient complices, qu'ils étaient complices de cette guerre, des rebelles et ce qu'on ne partageait pas, l?opinion que ne partageait pas MUKANKOMEJE qui lui disait qu?il fallait faire la part de ce que font les rebelles et la part de ce que font les Tutsi de l'intérieur. Parce que les Tutsi de l'intérieur, la plupart ne savait même pas d'où venait cette rébellion ; ils ne savaient pas comment l'attaque avait été organisée. Ils ne devaient pas être tenus responsables de cette attaque ou tenus pour complices et voyez donc, quand on a ces idées, on risque de culpabiliser des gens qui ne sont pas coupables et de les prendre pour responsables de la guerre et cela est prêt à inciter les gens à les haïr et même à les tuer parce qu'ils les rendent responsables de cette guerre dont ils ne savaient rien. Et finalement.

Was Tharcisse Seminega a JW at the time of his rescue in Rwanda, or his he a JW now?

That is the question I hope to answer based on the interview posted at the site http://www.assisesrwanda2001.be/060309.html . At this web site Tharcisse Seminega several times refers to Jehovah (Jehova) in his interview. Do any of these references reveal his professed religion at the time he was protected by JWs in Rwanda?

Thanks for any help.

Marvin Shilmer

8

B.C. cancer patient still seeking care in U.S.

by ezekiel3 in

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/articlenews/story/ctvnews/1115906797052_19/?hub=canada

cancer patient still seeking care in u.s.

ctv.ca news staff.

Marvin Shilmer

Earlier, from the JW lawyer:

"She does not want a blood transfusion, but she wants to live," said Brady. "She wants the best medical treatment, but she wants treatment by those who have given this type of treatment without blood transfusions. It's a matter of choice."

Then, from the teen JW patient:

"I don't want it," she said, of the blood transfusion doctors will administer if they believe it's warranted. "It's based on God's word. He told us to abstain from blood and we need to obey his commandments."
"He created us and that's the least I can do for Him," she said of her desire to follow the biblical directive refusing blood.

Now, from the US doctor:

LaCorte says that the patient and her family realize that there is still a possibility that a transfusion may at some point be the only way to keep her alive but she has still signed on to the treatment.

So much refusing treatment that could include blood transfusion! So much for supposedly obeying God?s commandments! So much for doing the least one can for Jehovah!

If the above information is not sufficient for officials to see how this little girl has been manipulated by WTS legal eagles, then they are blind!

Marvin Shilmer

10

The selective hearing of the WTS

by ozziepost in

ever noticed how the wts seem to emphasise some bible texts (out of context, of course!

) but completely ignore or minimise others?.

"is there anyone sick among you?

Marvin Shilmer

Howdy, Ozzie!

I appreciate and agree with your conclusion about the WTS selective vision and hearing, but I think your example is not a good one for the point.

It seems to me the text you cite is informing of Christian men praying in behalf of a sick friend and also taking practical action to help alleviate suffering by application of oil/grease, which was a common medicinal remedy in antiquity.

I have observed as much in rural areas where experienced and trusted Christian men among JWs were called to the scenes of various sick individuals suffering from radiant burn, dangerous ingestion of hot pepper, and fever. In each case the substances applied contained some or a lot of oil and were given to help impede suffering. I'll never forget the terrible experience of a small child who had eaten raw hot pepper. The chemical burning started in and around the mouth and proceeded to include skin body-wide. The child was in terrible straits of suffering and the parents did not know what to do given there were no medical facilities available and the family was desperately poor. The parents did all they knew to do: they sent for two trusted overseers of their congregation. Both men took one look at the child and immediately took lard from the family's food stores, stripped the child naked and greased his entire body. They also prayed to calm the child and parents. Within about 15 minutes the childs suffering diminished because of the application of lard. Within an hour the child's skin color was back to normal and he was sleeping restfully on clean sheets (also provided by the overseers).

A more contemporary version of the same thing is when experienced and trusted Christian men offer practical help to aid in helping a literally sick person. The proverbial grease on the head might be something as common to us as recommending an application of ibuprofen by an experienced person in the face of inexperience. When this is done by trusted and experienced Christian men who also take the time to pray with a family or individual there is tremendous comfort brought to an individual's emotional and, hopefully, physical wellbeing.

Marvin Shilmer

34

How long is a cotton picking minute?

by Elsewhere in

jw
friends

.

sometimes i hear someone say: "hold on just one cotton pick'in minute....".

i'm wondering, is a "cotten picking minute" a "bored" minute that feels like a long time or is it a "busy" minute that seems to fly by?

Marvin Shilmer

Additional Thought

Some of my forefathers were farmers. I remember once as a very young lad picking cotton by hand and asking my Uncle--a cotton farmer--how long it take to fill the bag strapped over our shoulder, because to me it seem to take forever. (In fact I don't know that I ever completely filled one of those huge bags, though I watched many "field hands" do just that.) He replied, "It takes as long as it takes." I believe his response relates to the term "cotton-pickin minute" so that the expression "Now wait a cotton-pickin minute!" takes on the meaning of demanding as much time as it takes share the fact of a matter.

Marvin Shilmer

34

How long is a cotton picking minute?

by Elsewhere in

jw
friends

.

sometimes i hear someone say: "hold on just one cotton pick'in minute....".

i'm wondering, is a "cotten picking minute" a "bored" minute that feels like a long time or is it a "busy" minute that seems to fly by?

Marvin Shilmer

Cotton-Pickin Minute?

To say, "Now wait just a cotton-pickin minute!" is an objection that says you want to offer a rebuttal by way of explanation. The term is a demand for equal time.

Marvin Shilmer

15

AJWRB

by Lee Elder in

.

we have just published a newsletter for those who follow the blood issue.. it can be viewed here:.

http://www.ajwrb.org/newsletter/april-05.html

Marvin Shilmer

Hello, LS

Here is a starter reference on leukocytes in mothers milk: http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/29.html

You write:

AJWRB always says this but the Society has NEVER mentioned hemoglobin by name. Why does AJWRB consistently say this when there is nothing that the Society says about hemoglobin?

The WTS says that accepting fractions from red cells is for a Christian to decide. In other words, JWs are required to respect JWs that conscientiously accept fractions from red cells. Hemoglobin IS a fraction from a red cell. The WTS does not cite hemoglobin by name because saying that fractions from red cells is for each Christian to decide covers the use of ANY fraction from red cells, and hemoglobin IS a fraction from red cells.

By the way, researchers with AJWRB have taken the precaution of speaking directly with administrators at the WTS working in its Hospital Information Services department in Brooklyn, NY. These administrators readily acknowledge that accepting transfusion of a hemoglobin therapeutic is up to the individual JW to decide without any threat of religious repercussion from the WTS or local JWs whatsoever. You can call them yourself at 1.718.560.4300.

Marvin Shilmer