I'll probably try to take a nice long bicycle ride. This year I will avoid the trails along the Potomac River on the Northern Virginia side as much as possible as those get congested with people camping out early in the day to wait for the fireworks. I learned that last year. But I might ride/cruise around the National Mall in the evening time to get a look at the fireworks. I'll probably go up to Ben's Chili Bowl and get a chili dog at some point too. I hope they are open. Chili dogs are American, aren't they? I caught part a documentary on one of the PBS stations here last night about hot dogs. It was like the third time I've seen it being shown, but in one segment they show this hot dog eating contest they have at Coney Island, I think, every 4th of July. Don't care for the eating contests, but I did get the urge to have a chili dog.
maxwell
JoinedPosts by maxwell
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34
What Are Your Plans for the 4th Of July???
by minimus inas americans, we have a day to celebrate our country's independence.
what will you do on the 4th??
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66
Was music better years ago than today?
by JH in.
so, was music better years ago, or is it better today?
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maxwell
I'd have to agree with Abaddon. You have to ask what is better. Everyone has their preferences or favorites.
I like jazz and my favorite type of jazz is the bop that was hot in the 50's and 60's with players like John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, etc. Since not many people play that kind of music today, I suppose I'd say that music then was better than is today. But then not many people played that kind of music in the 1920's. So I'd also say that music in the 50's and 60's was better than music in the 1920's although the swing and jazz music that was happening in the 1920's led up to what came out in the 50's and 60's.
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seat belt laws !!!!!!! argh!!!!
by heathen injust wondering how many people here feel that the seat belt law is mandatory for safe motoring.
i can't stand this law myself as if you only forget to put one on the police are happy to pull you over and detain you and write you a ticket.
this is one of those things that i think if there were a public vote over, it would not exist .
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maxwell
I agree with the laws. I have also heard that argument that people don't need to be protected from themselves as long as they are hurting no one else. I haven't thought or studied that issue very much, but I get the feeling that that particular viewpoint is too simplistic since we have many laws which do just that.
I grew up wearing seat belts. My parents always made us do this, so it's normal for me. I feel funny without one in a car. Ironically, my dad did take me for a ride on his motorcycle a once when I was about 5 years old. I did have a helmet and the ride was only about half a mile down the street to be dropped off with a friend of the family before school. Also I and my two younger sisters rode in the back of his pick up truck numerous times when we were under 10 years of age. I don't think he'd do that now, but thinking back, strange that my parents allowed that and yet insisted on the seatbelts when were in the car. Just something people did then and nobody thought anything of it, but you can easily see how a kid could fly out of there in an accident.
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Do you like cops?
by JH ini know many people who don't like cops and even give them all kinds of names.
some may be nice, but many think they are superior to the ordinary citizen.
i see so many doing radar on bottom of hills where automatically you will go over the speed limit.
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maxwell
For the most part, yes. I think some departments do have problems with racial profiling and brutality. There have been some demonstrations here, where I think the police went overboard and overreacted. In the case of dealing with demonstrators who won't cooperate, I can understand human frustration, but I think overreacting in such a situation is problem that should be corrected. There are times when I think it's necessary for the cop to pull out his billy club and crack some heads and there are times when you just need to drag the person away in a firm controlled manner.
On the other hand, I definitely think cops are needed. I generally feel safer when they are present. I've had a couple of speeding tickets in places where suddenly it drops from 45 to 30. But still the law is the law. If you decide to break the law, just be ready to pay for it. I live a couple of blocks from a police station. Sometimes I hear them scream by at night, but I'm glad they are there putting up some resistance to the bad guys.
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Did Any Of You Ever Believe In The Explanations Of JW Prophecy?
by minimus inas a born and raised jw, i was taught that not only did we have the truth but we also had the keys to understanding of bible prophecy.
i was able to explain the gentile times timetable, the reason for 1914,etc.
but there came a time when i really came to appreciate that i had no real foundation for these "truths".
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maxwell
I believed the JW prophecies. And I understood some of them. For example, if someone gave me the series of scriptures that gave us the 1914 date and I know the starting date of 607 BCE (which, of course, most of us now know is not accurate), then I could probably explain it. Just a little math there and make sure that you know there is no zero year. One thing I did always wander was how they connected the scripture in Numbers that says "a day for a year" with scriptures in Isaiah or Daniel which gave prophecies in days. But then I thought, well the dates work out and I suppose this is where the holy spirit is guiding the Governing Body, so I accepted it as one of the things that came through those guys from Jehovah. Now, of course, I'd wonder why does God have to speak in a code that he only deciphers for a few people.
Other prophecies I never had any grasp on. Just before I left we were going through the first Isaiah phrophecy book, which claims to explain that book of the Bible verse by verse. I haven't looked at that for some time, but it's kind of dizzying how it attempted to juxtapose actual kings in human history over beasts and over the explanation of the king of the north and the king of the south. And also interesting was how the king of the south and the king of the north were always changing and the many shifts in power between those two. I've forgotten what the point of all that was. Maybe there never was a point. Just something to keep you impressed that the GB had some kind of direct line with God.
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Making friends after leaving the org
by Leander inhas anyone else out there had problems in this area?
its been a little more than a year since i've left the jws and as expected i lost a lot of friends, while they have'nt out right declared me off limits its clear that i'm longer considered as being close company.
usually i don't mind as i've always been a quiet kind of guy, but sometimes i really miss being able to just have a good friend to talk to every now and then.
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maxwell
Yes I definitely have problems in this area. I've always been a quiet person and perhaps shy. I think I was shy in the past and just quiet now. But either way, it doesn't work well for making friends. You have to open up to people to be friends and that's something I was never very good at. I've been out a year and I still don't have any really close friends, as I've had in the past. But I think I've made some progress. I have met some people at Ex-JW meetups whom I consider friends. And the advise about finding some people with similar interests is something I've tried to follow. My two hobbies are music and bicycling. I take saxophone lessons and have gotten a few opportunities to get out and play. I have gone on a few cycling group rides and plan on joining a recreational cycling club in the area. Both music playing and the cycling with groups brings me into contact with new people. I've met some people that way, and I'm trying to improve my social/friendly skills and stay open to making new friends
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How do you want to 'go'?
by dmouse in.
of course, nobody really wants to die, but if you had a choice about how...how would you like to go?.
some people i know would like to pop their clogs after a game of golf, some in the pub with friends.. personally, i want to be shot in bed by a jealous husband when i'm 96.
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maxwell
I would like to go quickly and with as little pain as possible like anyone else. If it happened right after climaxing with some young hottie, that would be great too.
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maxwell
Yes, when I used to go to Wal-mart, and I'd here them direct security cameras to sweep a certain area, I'd feel as if they were following my movement through the store. I don't go to Wal-mart anymore. But still in other stores sometimes, I feel as if I'm being watched or followed. I try to only patronize stores that have reasonable security measures, not those with paranoid fears based on prejudice. That's not why I stopped going to Wal-mart however.
Oh?? Are we talking about JW spies. Well I know at least once in high school some other JW kid obviously saw something and told on me. (they thought I was writing the school song ) But they didn't have anything on me. Never have felt spied on since then. I know a lot of people here bash JW's. But really, most of them do have some sort of life.
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When does the paradise earth become more important than family ? and why ?
by run dont walk ini have read some sickening threads the last coupleof days, about family shunning and how disfellowshipped are treated, and even how i am treated by my family.
(lyineyes, stephaniesays, and phil and many many more).
( and i do not what to hear, i'm doing what's best for my children, because half the time the kids leave anyways, so what was the point.).
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maxwell
I agree that the lure or paradise and fear are both probably the main motivators for people considering the religion more important than family. But I also remember scriptures being read in Matthew (can't remember the exact verses now) where Jesus one must hate his father and mother to follow him and other scriptures that said one must love Jesus more than one's family. The JW party line dogma was that love for Jesus and God was the biggest motivating factor and that the paradise was a nice gift, but secondary to our love for God and Jesus. And I actually told myself in my mind that I was doing this primarily because I loved God although I wanted to be in paradise. But to be honest with myself, if there had never been in promise of reward, gift, "underserved kindness" (I've only been out a year, some phrases are still with me), I probably would not have hung around as long as I did.
On another note, I really think unconditional love is very rare. If I decide that I want to kill my mother, I think my parents would have good reason to stop loving me. However, I'm sure there are some people out there who truly do have unconditional love. I think most people would agree that religious beliefs would not be a condition for love even if it is dependent upon some other conditions..
Disclaimer: I don't have any children, so I don't claim to know how parents really feel.
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Should I Call My Father???
by L_A_Big_Dawg inmy father shunned me and my kids around 1998. i was contacted about two weeks ago, my cousin called me.
she was told by her mother that my father had a pace-maker implanted.
my aunt was the one talking to my dad, and he asked about me and my kids.
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maxwell
I've been out for a little over a year and I have JW parents although the situation isn't exactly like yours. My father did actually call me in January. Seems like a long time but we probably wouldn't call really often even without the JW stuff. I agree with everyone else. When I left, I told my parents I would always be open to talking to them no matter what they decided. My mother has kind of hinted at keeping distance but neither has told me not to call. So I plan to call every now and then as I did in the past as long as they don't say "Don't call." Sounds like you been out longer and have had more strained relations, but I think I would call in that situation.