Rivergang

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Posts by Rivergang

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  13

  I thought this would be "obvious", but apparently ...

  by Simon in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  if you want to share a conspiracy video that is going to be removed by youtube, maybe sharing a link to a copy that is hosted on youtube isn't the best plan.. who knew?!.

  social media is no longer the platform to use for controversial, alternative or "wrong think" opinions.. host it if you feel strongly about it, but don't keep posting "this video has been removed" links, it's a waste of everyone's time..

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  Rivergang

  The media certainly cops plenty of flak, coming from both directions!

  It depends mainly on ones own point of view and that of the particular newspaper or TV channel - which can range anywhere from Fox News through to the local "Red Rag", and all points in between. Much like works about history, a lot depends on whose side the writer is on. The trick is to be aware of the biases of the individual writer (or commentator), and read the passage of writing though those lenses.

  Of a particular problem is the matter of the half-truth. Just because a piece of reporting contained an error (whether it was an obvious one , or a more sublte and deliberate untruth) doesn't necessarily mean there wasn't also an element of truth in it. An example of this that many of us would be familiar with is the reaction of the typical JW to any criticism of the religion. Just one error in detail is enough to make the typical JW conclude the rest is also wrong.

  Very, very often the reality is much more complicated than just "good guys wear white hats / bad guys wear black hats". There is one hell of a lot of headgear in use around the place that comes in various shades of grey!
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  45

  What Do You Think Of Fining People For Not Wearing A Mask?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some towns in massachusetts are fining people 1000 dollars for not wearing a mask 😷 outdoors.

  starting wednesday, the governor mandates everyone from 2 years of age up, must wear a mask or get a 300 dollar fine!.

  of course some governors are recommending that you rat out anyone that doesn’t follow their orders.. i don’t like it!👎🏿.

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  Rivergang

  "a shithole like South Korea"

  Are you sure that you aren't referring to that other Korea - the one north of the 38th Parallel?

  South Korea is a modern, advanced country with one of the higher per capita GDPs in the world.
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  80

  The Fundamental difference between Islam and Christianity

  by ILoveTTATT2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ever since i came out of the witnesses, i've become very political.. i've heard lots of arguments back and forth for many things.. in the u.s. there is the argument that it is "racist" to want to deny entry to muslims.

  while there is freedom of religion, there is also the very valid concern of maintaining democracy and a justice system that is based on modern values.we as exjw's constantly quote the pew center for statistics on jw's such as: they are last place in the us for members of a religion that go to university, and second-last for poverty levels of members of a religion.

  we accept those statistics and mention them as proof of how damaging the jw's are.now, let's use the same center for some very scary statistics on islam:http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/22/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/.

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  Rivergang

  Christians have done some bloody horrible things to each other - all in the name of God and the "Prince of Peace", Jesus (e.g. Burnings at the stake, The 30 Years War, The Spanish Inquisition, to name just a few).

  It would seem that it matters not what this or that "holy book" says. The only thing that counts is the willingness of its readers to practice what they preach. And in that regard, Christians have had no better track record than anyone else. This irony was not lost on the newly converted "heathens" of the African continent, leading to the following parody of the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers"

  Onward Christian Soldiers, into heathen lands,

  Prayer books in your pockets, rifles in your hands,

  Bring the gladsome tidings, where trade might be done,

  Preach the peaceful Gospel, with the Maxim gun.

  As other posters have already pointed out, the marked divergence between Islam and Christendom (which has developed over the last three or four centuries) has little to do with the Bible, and much more to do with other factors.
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  31

  When do the 2300 days begin?

  by Kosonen in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  when to begin the countdown of the 2300 days?

  to get an idea, it could be helpful to discern when those days end relative to time times and half a time.. i see a possibility that the 2300 days end the same day as the 1260 days.

  that is because the woman in revelation 12 will be fed 1260 days.

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  Rivergang

  Where have I heard before the term "Numerology on Steroids"?
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  656

  Covid-19 (Coronavirus) - Status Update Thread

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this topic is to focus on status updates & advice (no opinion or politics please).. status.

  latest status is that it's serious, probably isn't going to be contained and most large companies are making contingency plans, cancelling large events etc... which i don't think would happen if it was just people being alarmist.

  the incubation period means it may have already spread further and infected many more people than are currently known, so expect jumps in the numbers over the coming days and weeks.. tracking.

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  Rivergang

  Should those trials prove successful, one presumes they will use to deliver the nicotine a method far safer than carcinogen smoke?

  Certainly, smoking provided no protection from the onslaught of the Spanish flu. As a comentator of the times observed "they all died in equal numbers".

  On the other hand, of course, if a person were looking for an excuse to restart the tobacco habit, then this would be a bloody good one!
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  656

  Covid-19 (Coronavirus) - Status Update Thread

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this topic is to focus on status updates & advice (no opinion or politics please).. status.

  latest status is that it's serious, probably isn't going to be contained and most large companies are making contingency plans, cancelling large events etc... which i don't think would happen if it was just people being alarmist.

  the incubation period means it may have already spread further and infected many more people than are currently known, so expect jumps in the numbers over the coming days and weeks.. tracking.

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  Rivergang

  In its time, the Spanish influenza pandemic saw some bizarre "cures" being attempted - which is understandable, given that medical science of 100 years ago was nowhere near advanced as it is now.

  Perhaps, though, the most bizarre one of the lot was often recounted by my gandparents, who lived on the adjacent property to where this incident took place. A local farmer decided that the best preventative to catching the flu was to take a swim through the sheep dip, which he proceeded to do - and I never thought to ask the grandparents if the guy subsequently caught the flu or not!

  Others maintained that smoking was a good preventative measure (imagine!)

  Some doctors, out of desparation,resorted to the use of such toxins as strychnine and digitalis. Self medication resulted in widespread cases of asprin poisoning, with the commonly held (though mistaken belief) that "if two are good, then four are even better" type of approach being tried.

  Two decades into the 21st Century, though, it is rather unbelievable that somebody should even have to ask if internal use of disinfectants was a possible treatment for COVID-19.
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  28

  Kids Without Rules

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i see a lot of kids that rarely get discipline.

  they are allowed to do whatever they want and if someone says something to them they don’t want to hear, they blow them off, ignore them or engage in disrespectful talk.. what’s wrong with today’s parents??

  they are producing a generation of entitled brats!.

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  Rivergang

  Every person who is currently serving a prison sentence got there for exactly the same reason - they violated Commandment No.11 "Thou shalt not get caught".

  I don't know that this is a good message to convey to children, though

  i.e. Anything is fair game, as long as you don't get caught?
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  656

  Covid-19 (Coronavirus) - Status Update Thread

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this topic is to focus on status updates & advice (no opinion or politics please).. status.

  latest status is that it's serious, probably isn't going to be contained and most large companies are making contingency plans, cancelling large events etc... which i don't think would happen if it was just people being alarmist.

  the incubation period means it may have already spread further and infected many more people than are currently known, so expect jumps in the numbers over the coming days and weeks.. tracking.

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  Rivergang

  One cannot be too complacent with this thing, if the experience of Singapore is anything to go by!

  Singapore, together with several other Asian countries, were being upheld as examples of how best to handle this pandemic. Now they are having to do it all over again.

  https://www.cnet.com/news/singapore-had-the-coronavirus-under-control-now-it-is-locking-down-the-country/
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  656

  Covid-19 (Coronavirus) - Status Update Thread

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this topic is to focus on status updates & advice (no opinion or politics please).. status.

  latest status is that it's serious, probably isn't going to be contained and most large companies are making contingency plans, cancelling large events etc... which i don't think would happen if it was just people being alarmist.

  the incubation period means it may have already spread further and infected many more people than are currently known, so expect jumps in the numbers over the coming days and weeks.. tracking.

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  Rivergang

  The term "cautious optimism" best describes the present situation regarding the anti-viral drug Remdesiver. As its manufacturer, Gilead Sciences, is emphasising:

  "The totality of the data need to be analyzed in order to draw any conclusions from the trial. Anecdotal reports, while encouraging, do not provide the statistical power necessary to determine the safety and efficacy profile of remdesivir as a treatment for Covid-19," Gilead said.
  

  Amongst the better news on the COVID-19 front is that this drug is one of a number currently being trialled. Should Remdesiver not live up to promise, the fight to develop an effective COVID-19 treatment is far from over.
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  656

  Covid-19 (Coronavirus) - Status Update Thread

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this topic is to focus on status updates & advice (no opinion or politics please).. status.

  latest status is that it's serious, probably isn't going to be contained and most large companies are making contingency plans, cancelling large events etc... which i don't think would happen if it was just people being alarmist.

  the incubation period means it may have already spread further and infected many more people than are currently known, so expect jumps in the numbers over the coming days and weeks.. tracking.

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  Rivergang

  you might think the world over-reacted based on false data and wonky models that were just wrong.
  

  Crystal ball gazing definitely tends towards being a black art, rather than a precise science!

  However, in a crisis such as this, one has to start somewhere.

  Declaring that "She'll Be Right, Mate" just because we cannot be 100% sure - and using that as an excuse for doing nothing - is NOT an option.