Max Divergent

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Posts by Max Divergent

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  16

  Yay ... another exam out the way, just one more to go !

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've just passed another exam and now have one more to go before i can add "mcse for windows 2003" to my 'credentials'.

  these last few have been a bit of a slog 'cause active directory and infrastructure stuff are not really my thing.

  i originally intended to just do the developer ones and then added the mcdba because, well ... some of the exams i'd already done counted towards that, then i could just do a couple more for mcsa ... oh look, now i only need another ... well, you know how it goes.

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  Max Divergent

  That's really great! Being in Canada would make sure you're always on top of the Americans!
  
  I'm working full time and am struggling to do one unit a Semester! That makes it 12 years to do a 3 year degree... better pull the finger out - maybe unplug JWD :-) I think Aust has reduced the immigration points for skilled people since unemployment is at an all time low and economy growing 4 or 5% pa.
  
  Good luck!
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  16

  Yay ... another exam out the way, just one more to go !

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've just passed another exam and now have one more to go before i can add "mcse for windows 2003" to my 'credentials'.

  these last few have been a bit of a slog 'cause active directory and infrastructure stuff are not really my thing.

  i originally intended to just do the developer ones and then added the mcdba because, well ... some of the exams i'd already done counted towards that, then i could just do a couple more for mcsa ... oh look, now i only need another ... well, you know how it goes.

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  Max Divergent

  Is that a four year degree? Where do you want to emigrate to?
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  16

  Yay ... another exam out the way, just one more to go !

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've just passed another exam and now have one more to go before i can add "mcse for windows 2003" to my 'credentials'.

  these last few have been a bit of a slog 'cause active directory and infrastructure stuff are not really my thing.

  i originally intended to just do the developer ones and then added the mcdba because, well ... some of the exams i'd already done counted towards that, then i could just do a couple more for mcsa ... oh look, now i only need another ... well, you know how it goes.

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  Max Divergent

  That's very cool. What are you doing at uni? Nothing in hands on computing I hope? If so, choose very carefully as there's not much product based stuff at undergrad level that's going to push you technically. Maybe electrical or computer systems engineering?
  
  I went to uni with guys with your sort of learned background: some of them just swaggered about, scored 95% in every exam, won every prize but learned very little and came out as self-satisfied arseholes resting everything on speaking fluent binary or somthing. It's hardly the purpose of tertiary education, and may or may not pay off in the end.
  
  For example, I was on a selection panel for a network admin guy recently. It was a sought after job being based in a resort town with a good salary.
  
  We overlooked guys with Masters in Comp Sci, or a 92% course average in IT, or who'd consulted to Fujitsu and every other blue ribbon vendor and had a swag of MS/Novell/Linux exams, or who interfaced with computers through USB ports they'd installed up their their nostrils - we hired a former boilermaker who did a tech course in IT after a back injury. He's a decent bloke, communicates well, and will be useful to the organisation apart from flicking swiches to make servers serve and viruses die.
  
  But maybe you're doing American Politics, or American History since 1215 or somthing interesting? :-)
  
  I did an Info Systems degree, now teach IT (including CCNA [there's a fun exam for you!!], A+ and Server+) and am studying Law (the connection being obvious, of course :-)
  
  Regards, Max
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  22

  Test for Americans ... could you be British? (quiz)

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. humour

  (taken from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/3914531.stm).

  1. a pretty london girl invites you up the apples and pears what do you do?

  a) immediately accept - it's the best offer you've had in ages.

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  Max Divergent

  ...why do many British say 'Mack Donalds' when it's written 'McDonalds'?
  Well, I knew Liz's sord makes you a Sir and that the sun dosn't normally shine in Manchester, but the rest of them I went d) 'Dunnno what you're talking about'!!
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  160

  What are Americans taught about U.S and what do you really believe?

  by sleepy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  just wondering what exactly americans (u.s.a) are taught about their country in school .do you really salute a flag, do you swear allegiance to the country.

  are you taught that you fought for freedom, and that america is the land of the free, etc etc?

  do you actually believe what you are taught?

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  Max Divergent

  "Well, when you boarder only 2 nations, one of them being culturally similar to you, you don't really have that opportunity [to travel to other countries]"
  
  My country is an island that borders no other (Australia), but overseas travel is seen as an essential part of a person's education and development to broarden their outlook beyond the narrower constraints of our little corner of the world.
  
  I'm no rich person, but I've been to: US (Fl, Ga, DC, NYC), UK, assorted western European countries, India, New Zealand, and Indonesia. That's a prety normal range of travel. My wife has been to many more countries in Asia and the Middle East and we'll probably concerntrate more travel in Asia from now on.
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  160

  What are Americans taught about U.S and what do you really believe?

  by sleepy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  just wondering what exactly americans (u.s.a) are taught about their country in school .do you really salute a flag, do you swear allegiance to the country.

  are you taught that you fought for freedom, and that america is the land of the free, etc etc?

  do you actually believe what you are taught?

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  Max Divergent

  Whoops... double post...
• 
  160

  What are Americans taught about U.S and what do you really believe?

  by sleepy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  just wondering what exactly americans (u.s.a) are taught about their country in school .do you really salute a flag, do you swear allegiance to the country.

  are you taught that you fought for freedom, and that america is the land of the free, etc etc?

  do you actually believe what you are taught?

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  Max Divergent

  The thread has gone from 'what do Americans beleive?' to 'these are the laws that make America what it is'... so let me comment from my POV:
  
  I reckon the western world is the western world is the western world. Maybe the more similar the secular liberal democracies are, the more noticable the local differences.
  
  I think it dosn't matter much whether there's a written Constitutional Bill of Rights or a set of presumed rights built up over time by precedent and convention.
  
  But given the choice, I'd *not* have a written Bill of Rights. Emphisis on rights is very useful in some ways, but problematic in that it seperates what we allow or prohibit from the consequences.
  
  It means, for example, that an accused person may have a 'right' to be regarded as innocent unless there are two witnesses to his wrongdoing. Period.
  
  That right that exists within the JW world leads to really bad consequences for abused children. If we have a culture of written and unviolable rights, then that's where the matter ends - the accused's rights superceed children's need for protection.
  
  I'd prefer us to say, 'the evidence is overwhelming that Mr X abused little Billy even though there's only one witness. The consequences of denying X's right to two witnesses are much less than the cost of denying Billy and all other children protection from X's abuse. Therefore we'll punish X for abusing Billy even though there's only one witness becuase that adds up to the most benificial (least bad?) net outcome'.
  
  That's what I think, although I know it is diametrically opposed to the prevailing view taught in American schools (although a leading advocate of that outlook is Professor Peter Singer at Princeton). The philisophical outlook is called hedonistic utilitarianism.
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  110

  How Many Here Are "Technically" Still JWs???... Who's Not??

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what i mean is according to the society, there are a number of persons that are "technically" "inactive" yet are viewed as jws still.

  i'm sure that i'm viewed as a witness still because i am not df'd or disassociated.....what about you??

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  Max Divergent

  I say I determine my religious identity, not some archane set of rules of theirs.
  
  I'm not known as a JW by anyone in my community and make no pretence of being a JW. Thus, I say I'm not a JW, even though I never did the DF/DA thing.
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  28

  My child's abuser tickles and plays with children after meetings.

  by BLISSISIGNORANCE in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  yep..........that's what a sister told me today on the phone.. i emailed her because she is in the pedo's congregation and knows the family of the toddler i saw the pedo with.

  i needed information and i knew she would be happy to speak to me.. after the initial pleasantries and chit chat, after her telling me how the convention talks brought out that the borg needs to be realistic with it's expectations of children, after expressing joy at my family's happiness since leaving the borg...................i asked her about the brother who's child was being pushed by the pedophile.

  when she told me there are 2 kids in the family, a boy and a girl (a perfect package for the pedo), she asked me 'why all the questions?

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  Max Divergent

  "I rang the police yesterday..." Has this guy ever been charged or convicted of a sex crime? If so (is this NSW or ACT?), the Child Protection (Offenders Registration) Act 2000 (NSW) may be useful, you'll find that at http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/ In the ACT, I don't see a specific Act.
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  23

  Well................I rang the elder.....................

  by BLISSISIGNORANCE in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  ...............except he's no longer an elder!

  i knew he'ld been removed after my reinstatement (about 4 years ago) because he had expressed to dubs regret over the handling of my case, how i was treated, etc.

  so the big elder (po) who wanted me silenced and set up the whole jc and witnesses, had little elder removed.

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  Max Divergent

  "...emailed an independant political representative who's main cause is the fight against children's sexual abuse."
  
  I guess that's Hetty Johnson. I'd be interested to know how aware she is of the JW's organisational practices in this regard. Senators are about the most powerful people in the country and she's got a good chance of being elected. A sentance in her maiden speech would go a long, long way so it's well worth lobbying her before and after the election I'd say.