outnfree

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Posts by outnfree

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  4

  Inquiring Minds Want To Know :-)

  by Gerard in

  1. social
  2. humour

  if man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?

  the main reason santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.

  i went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "where's the self-help section?

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  outnfree

  Cute!
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  14

  Who is from Michigan? Plz check-in!!!

  by outnfree in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just noticed another poster who is from michigan (as am i).

  it was on jourles "name three posters you'd like to meet" thread.

  i have met a lot of jwd members, most of whom i got to know better in chat (those were the days!

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  outnfree

  And I'd be damn happy to see your grumpy ol' butt, too, Hill!

  I should be in my new place in January some time. After that, I'll have time for party-planning!
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  14

  Who is from Michigan? Plz check-in!!!

  by outnfree in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just noticed another poster who is from michigan (as am i).

  it was on jourles "name three posters you'd like to meet" thread.

  i have met a lot of jwd members, most of whom i got to know better in chat (those were the days!

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  outnfree

  
  I just noticed another poster who is from Michigan (as am I). It was on Jourles "Name three posters you'd like to meet" thread. I have met a LOT of JWD members, most of whom I got to know better in chat (those were the days!) before I met them in person.

  I would really like to have another Michigan Apostofest early next year, so I am asking all who can safely admit to living on one of our two peninsulas to check in here. I will post details later as they become available. If you don't feel comfortable posting publicly, please PM me. Thanks.
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  24

  E-Man Is Home

  by Her Ladyship in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just to let everyone know that mike has returned home after 6 days in hospital.

  he's had some extra surgery to his abdomen following his big operation last year - warranty work he calls it.

  his tummy is now smooth again - even if it is temporarily as big as homer simpsons!.

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  outnfree

  Glad to know everything worked out well for Mike!

  Thanks for posting, Christina.

  Brenda
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  23

  Simon & Garfunkel...

  by Frog in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  mainly cause i've nothing much else to do, and cause i love it so much that i fell asleep to it on repeat last night, that i wanted so share the lyrics of my fave s&g tunesimon and garfunkel lyrics: flowers never bend with the rainfall .

  through the corridors of sleep .

  past the shadows dark and deep .

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  outnfree

  Simon & Garfunkel are my favorite duet!

  I was fortunate to pay LOTS of money to see them at the Palace of Auburn Hills (MI) on their recent tour. It was a FANTASTIC show, and I was so please to be able to see them perform together as I had never seen them live before, despite being a fan since the late 60's (thanks to my older sister).

  Thanks for the memories, Frog!

  out
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  17

  Larc's Family-Placed Obituary

  by JAVA in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  larc's family-placed obituary is in the sunday, 11/13/05 "dayton daily news.

  "thornton, carl leonard 65 of oakwood, oh., passed away mon., nov. 7, 2005. carl retired as a tenured professor of organizational behavior from kettering university (formerly gmi), flint, mi., in 2000, having served there since 1986. from 1978-1986 carl was with the ncr corp., dayton, oh, last serving as director of training/development, engineering & manufacturing group, and was functionally responsible for the educational programs at 16 us manufacturing and 8 international locations of ncr.

  from 1976-1978 he served as the executive director of personnel affairs, university of miami, fl.

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  outnfree

  Thanks for posting that, JAVA.

  An impressive resume! And an engaging personality, too. I'm sad Carl no longer walks this earth, but am grateful I got to meet him a few years back.

  Again, my sympathy to you, JAVA, and his other friends, and to the lovely Jan and their family.

  Brenda/outnfree
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  24

  US Marines ... Requested by the French Government

  by hillbilly in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  president bush may send up to 5 marines for french assistance.

  president bush has authorized the joint chiefs to begin drawing up a battle plan to pull france's a$$ out of the fire again.

  facing an apparent overwhelming force of up to 400 pi$$ed off teenagers mr. bush doubts france's ability to hold off the little pi$$ants.

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  outnfree

  Ohmigosh, skyman! You cannot be serious!!!!! (At least I know hill is "reporting" 'tongue in cheek'!)

  The French do NOT hate Americans. The French DO think differently than Americans, and mistrust our patriotism because to them it could lead to nationalism which is a short step away from the fascism that they endured (and Vichy imposed) during WWII. I have been to France several times and have never encountered a shred of personal hatred because I am American. The French loudly and passionately debate politics all the time -- which is something that makes most Americans uncomfortable. You know -- politics being one of those things, along with religion and death, that just isn't discussed in polite American society because it leads to bad blood. The cultural difference is that a Frenchman can attack another's religion or politics and still be best of friends after the stimulating debate is over.

  Most African countries are old French colonies. The French Constitution of 1958 created the Fifth Republic as well as the "Communaute francaise." Each former colony was asked by then President de Gaulle to choose, by popular referendum, to join the Community. Only Guinea refused. In 1961 the French people voted "yes" to a referendum to grant independence for Algiers, after a particularly nasty civil war, as well as making Algerian citizens (former colonials) FULL citizens of France in 1962. While the Community ceased to exist in the 1960's as other colonies became independent, most today are part of the "Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie" which is a group of 56 French-speaking countries who reap the benefits of technical assistance, financial aid, and military protection from France.

  The current situation in France has been festering a long time. Culturally, of course, the Algierians were Muslim and the French largely Catholic, and integration has not taken place as speedily as one might have hoped (of course, racial profiling doesn't exist HERE, does it? ). The banlieux are like "the projects" in many American cities -- poor, hopeless, with their citizens feeling there is no way out to a better life.

  And yet, there exist so many dissatisfied second generation immigrant families precisely because, of all the countries of Europe, France has historically had an open immigration policy. This open policy tightened up considerably in the 1970s, when the recession hit and rising unemployment caused France's borders to be closed to non-European immigrants in 1975. Nonetheless, illegal immigrants continued to make their way into France. In 1977, President Giscard d'Estaing's centrist government offered an incentive of 10,000 French francs to an foreigner who would agree to permanently return to his or her country of origin. It met with little success.

  Many French are concerned by the large number of immigrants, whom they see as invaders. Factors such as high unemployment, the impression that one is not safe in the big cities, and a general distrust of things Muslim, profoundly influenced French attitudes towards its Arab immigrants, and the 80's saw an increase in racism and xenophobia. This backlash led to the rise in power of the extreme right-wing National Front party led by Jean-Marie Le Pen.

  In the 1999 census, there were 4.3 million immigrants in France. Of those 3 million are foreigners and 1.3 million French citizens from countries outside of France. At that time, these immigrants represented 8% of the French population and 16% of the population of the Ile-de-France Region. Low-paid French laborers feel threatend by these immigrants who are willing to take the lowest paying jobs in France. But is is the second generation immigrants who have the identity crisis which has led to the current unrest. Some desire to be accepted as truly French, but despair because they are not, and others proudly cling to their cultural differences. They are lost in a Neverland where they feel neither French nor Arab.

  Among the 3 million immigrants who are not citizens, there is a debate concerning the right to vote. In some communities, these immigrants make up as much as 30% of the population and pay local taxes, but are excluded from voting in municipal elections. Paradoxically, the European Parliment already approved a law in 1989 that permits European immigrants from other countries within the European Union to vote in municipal elections, while immigrants who come from non-member countries are excluded from voting in those same elections. At the moment in France, a foreigner must become a naturalized citizen before being permitted to vote. The thing that most upsets the French vis-a-vis immigrants is their refusal to adopt the values of their host country. The French have a fierce desire to keep their country culturally "pure." Hence, the establishment of the Alliance francaise which rules on the correct usage of the French language (in 1883), and the "Toubon Law", passed in 1994, which forbids the use of English words in all administrative documents and public advertisements (to counter the Anglo-Saxon influence and American cultural imperialism), to cite just two examples.

  For many Frenchmen, the model is the republican ideal which looks for assimilation, for integration. This ideal is a recognized right under law, but is not always recognized in practice.

  Up until the recent riots, I could have agreed with the authors of a textbook I have used as a source for some of the facts in this post when they said: "Despite the difficulties, immigrants and especially the children of these immigrants have been integrated into French society better than one might think." While it is true that the French Republic continues to absorb immigrants and is more or les respectful of cultural differences, it is also true that racism is still present. According to a 2003 poll in the magazine Marianne, 23% of the French dislike Arabs, compared to 10% who dislike Jews. A "Sofres" poll for the same year revealed a distrust among 89% of the French towards Arabs, of 37% towards Blacks and of 10% towards Jews. Obviously, the sentiments haven't changed much and the young people are fed up.

  Too sad. And VERY complex.

  DISCLAIMER: This historical background information has been supplied in the hopes of breaking down yet OTHER cultural stereotypes which tend to alienate humans from one another instead of reminding us of our common humanity.

  Source: La France contemporaine, Third Edition, William F. Edmiston and Annie Dumeil. (Freely translated by outnfree)
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  105

  My sister Robin RIP Mar. 26, 1963 - Nov. 7, 2005

  by Lady Lee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just got some news and am still shaking.

  my sister died today.

  i hardly knew her .

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  outnfree

  ((((Lee, honey)))), I've just seen this now.

  It is a sad tale and I'm so sorry for your regretand all the ugly memories Robin's death has brought you. I believe she is in a happier place and hope that your sorrow will ease greatly as you spend time with your girls.

  Hugs,

  Brenda
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  79

  Sad news - Our friend Larc

  by Angharad in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some of you may remember larc and zazuwitts, who used to post here regularly.. .

  i heard from zazu today that sadly larc passed away this morning.

  he died peacefully in his sleep of heart failure.

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  outnfree

  ((((Jan))))

  I'm so sorry for your loss.

  Larc/Carl was my "coup" as I organized the first SE Michigan Apostofest -- he was our out-of-stater and I remember being sorely disappointed that he showed up without Zazu when his train rolled into the AMTRAK station in Pontiac.

  We had a delightful lunch at BW3 and he told me all about his team playing that Trivia Network game on most Saturdays. Then, when I brought him to Flint to check into his hotel, he took me on a tour of Riverside(?) Cemetary to share with me the wonderful sculptures that dot the landscape there. He also had me drive him around past his old digs and haunts. And bragged on his granddaughter.

  That evening, we joined the rest of the "apostates" at Chili's and, when saner people left for home, Jourles, Carl, Hmmmm and I braved an incredible downpour to "retire" to a microbrew joint on Saginaw in Pontiac. Carl was the life of the party, full of spit, vinegar and some truly awful jokes!

  Later on, when I was mulling over going to college at the ripe old age of 45, Carl was one of the biggest proponents of the view that it was NEVER too late to get an education. In fact, I think he wrote a thread that inspired me to take action. At any rate, I know he encouraged me and, frankly, it is my pursuit of a college degree that is keeping me focussed and relatively sane now that I am facing my own health issues.

  We sometimes argued, but always our conversations and posts were tempered with mutal respect for the bruised human beings we had been because of our JW affiliation.

  I felt sincere affection for Carl and for Jan, the few times that I was able to speak with the Thorntons by telephone.

  May you have peace, ((((Jan))), as I'm sure Carl has already arrived at that state.

  Sincerely,

  Brenda/outnfree
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  23

  "It is finished"; Now What is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Now What? in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just thought that i would hop on real quick to share the news.

  my fade was going very well, but i decided to end the charade.

  i started feeling deceptive, letting them think i was still a good dub when i didn't believe anymore, so i decided to initiate a meeting with the elders.

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  outnfree

  Peace is precious! I'm happy for you, What Now?.

  out