Posts by Scorpion

6

Monkey See Monkey Do

by Scorpion in

start with a cage containing five monkeys.

inside the cage, hang a. banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it.

before long, a. monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana.

Monkey See Monkey Do

by Scorpion in

start with a cage containing five monkeys.

inside the cage, hang a. banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it.

before long, a. monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana.

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a
banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a
monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon
as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water.

After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result
all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when
another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to
prevent it.

Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and
replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to
climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack
him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb
the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it
with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The
previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise,
replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth.
Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.

Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were
not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the
beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys
have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever
again approaches the stairs to try for the banana. Why not? Because as far
as they know that's the way it's always been done around here.

And that, my friends, is how a company policy begins.

Does this remind anyone here about the Watchtower and the way they operate?

Scorpion

Valentine's Day

by Scorpion in

what is valentine's day?

is it christian?

all these answers and much more information is found in this post.

Scorpion

What is Valentine's Day? Where did it come from? Is it Christian?
All these answers and much more information is found in this post.
Enjoy learning!

This is from the site http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/valentine

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are
exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But
who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday?

The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded
in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of
romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges
of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.

So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with
this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least
three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom
were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who
served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II
decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives
and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of
potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree,
defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers
in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered
that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may
have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman
prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the
first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed
that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been
his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement.
Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he
signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use
today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the
stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and,
most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the
Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England
and France.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle
of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or
burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that
the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast
day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize'
celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome,
February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a
time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them
out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt
throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of
February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus,
the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders
Romulus and Remus. To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an
order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the
infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to
have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then
sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. The
boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the
sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women
and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful,
Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was
believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year.
Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the
city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would
then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year
with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498
A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-
Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was
commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the
beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the
middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance.

The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem
written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was
imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle
of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the
manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.
Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer
named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of
Valois.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated
around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth
century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes
to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the
end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters
due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an
easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct
expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates
also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending
Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-
made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland
began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion
valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second
largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion
cards are sent for Christmas.) Approximately 85 percent of all
valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States,
Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom,
France, and Australia.

Picture captions:

Cupid, the child-like, winged deity often associated with our modern
Valentine's day, is the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. In
Greek mythology, Cupid is known as Aphrodites's son Eros.

There are varying ideas about what actually became of Valentine.
While some say he was beheaded, others contend that he became sick in
prison and died. In 1835, the remains--or what are believed to be the
remains--of St. Valentine were given to an Irish priest named Father
John Spratt by Pope Gregory XVI, after Spratt inpressed the Pope with
his passionate preaching during a visit to Rome. The gift, in a black
and gold casket, can still be viewed every Valentine's Day at the
Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin, Ireland.

***************************************************************

A portion of the site
http://www.soundvision.com/info/valentine/history.asp

Pagan origins of Valentine's Day

The first information about this day is found in pre-Christian Rome,
when pagans would celebrate the "Feast of the Wolf" on February 15,
also known as the Feast of Lupercalius in honor of Februata Juno, the
Roman goddess of women and marriage, and Pan, Roman god of nature.

On this day, young women would place their names in an urn, from
which boys would randomly draw to discover their sexual companion for
the day, the year, and sometimes the rest of their lives. These
partners exchanged gifts as a sign of affection, and often married.

Christian Influence

When Christianity came onto the scene in Rome, it wanted to replace
this feast with something more in line with its ethics and morality.

A number of Christians decided to use February 14 for this purpose.
This was when the Italian Bishop Valentine was executed by the Roman
Emperor Claudius II for conducting secret marriages of military men
in the year 270.

Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those
with wives and families, so he outlawed marriage for young, single
men, who made up his military. Valentine defied Claudius and
performed marriages for young couples in secret. When his actions
were revealed, Claudius put him to death.

Another version of the story says that Valentine was a holy priest in
Rome, who helped Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they
were often beaten and tortured.

Valentine was arrested and sent to the prefect of Rome for this. He
found that his attempts to make Valentine renounce his faith were
useless, and so recommended he be beaten with clubs, and later
beheaded. This took place on February 14, 270.

According to the Catholic encyclopedia, there are at least three
different Saint Valentines, all of whom are Christian martyrs of
February 14.

One of them is described as a priest from Rome (as mentioned above),
another as bishop of Interamna (modern Terni), and the third from
Africa.

It was in the year 496 that Pope Gelasius officially changed the
February 15 Lupercalia festival to the February 14 St. Valentine's
Day to give Christian meaning to a pagan festival. The holiday become
popular in the United States in the 1800's during the Civil War.

As well, Pope Gelasius ordered a slight change in the lottery for
young women that would take place during the pagan festival.

Instead of the names of young women, the box would have the names of
saints. Men and women were allowed to draw from the box, and the
purpose of this was to copy the ways of the saint they had selected
for the rest of the year.

***************************************************************

More links to the history of Valantine's Day.

Valantines history/symobols/phobias and stuff!
http://www.brownielocks.com/valentinehistory.html

History of the Valentine Card
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Stream/4771/history.htm

The history of ....
http://cupidscorner.virtualave.net/history.html

http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/valentinesday/default.asp

http://www.theholidayspot.com/valentine/history_of_valentine.htm

1

Things my mother taught me

by Scorpion in

1. my mother taught me .

to appreciate a job well done .. "if you're going to kill each other, do it outside.

i just finished.

Scorpion

1. My mother taught me
TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished
cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL .
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you! into the
middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
"Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not
going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an
accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM .
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
! 'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't
exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION
.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who
don't
have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
" Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, They are going to freeze
that
way."

19. My mother taught me ESP .
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are
cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come
running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
" Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a
barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite : my mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

4

Somebody Said

by Scorpion in

subject: somebody said...... .

somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby .

somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, normal is history.

Scorpion

Subject: Somebody Said......

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby . . . somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, normal is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct. . . somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring . . .somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will "turn out good". . somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices . . . somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother . . somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.

Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first ...somebody doesn't have more than one child.

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books . . . somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery .....somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten.

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back . . . somebody never organized seven giggling Girl Scouts to sell cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married....somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home. .... somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her....somebody isn't a mother.

Pass this along to all the "mothers" in your life!!!

1

Work Out Advice

by Scorpion in

the doctor told me "physical exercise is good for you.

should do it, but my body is out of shape, so i have worked .

easy daily program i can do anywhere: .

Scorpion

The doctor told me "Physical exercise is good for you." I
know that I
should do it, but my body is out of shape, so I have worked
out this
easy daily program I can do anywhere:

Monday:
Beat around the bush.
Jump to conclusions.
Climb the walls.
Wade through paperwork.

Tuesday:
Drag my heels.
Push my luck.
Make mountains out of mole hills.
Hit the nail on the head.

Wednesday:
Bend over backwards.
Jump on the band wagon.
Balance the books.
Run around in circles.

Thursday:
Toot my own horn.
Climb the ladder of success.
Pull out the stops.
Add fuel to the fire.

Friday:
Open a can of worms.
Put my foot in my mouth.
Start the ball rolling.
Go over the edge.

Saturday:
Pick up the pieces.

Whew!
What a workout!
You are invited to use my program without charge!!

1

What a difference a Century makes, IS IT POSSIBLE?

by Scorpion in

what a difference a century makes, is it possible???

the year is 1902 ... one hundred years ago ... .

what a difference a century makes!

Scorpion

What a difference a Century makes, IS IT POSSIBLE???

The year is 1902 ... one hundred years ago ...
what a difference a century makes! Here are
some of the U.S. statistics for 1902:

The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47
years.

Only 14 Percent of the homes in the U.S. had a
bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York
City cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only
144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10
mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were
each more heavily populated than California.
With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was
only the 21st-most populous state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel
Tower.

The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents an
hour.

The average U.S. worker made between $200 and
$400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn
$2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a
veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year,
and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took
place at home.

Ninety percent of all U.S. physicians had no
college education. Instead, they attended medical
schools, many of which were condemned in the
press and by the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were
fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee cost fifteen cents
a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a
month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people
from entering the country for any reason.

The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona,
Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska
hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea
hadn't been invented.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

One in ten U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only
6 percent of all Americans had graduated high
school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all
available over the counter at corner drugstores.
According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the
complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,
regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is, in
fact, a perfect guardian of health."

18 percent of households in the U.S. had at least
one full-time servant or domestic.

There were only about 230 reported murders in
the entire U.S.

Just think what it will be like in another 100
years.
.It boggles the mind....

14

Complete Bible Student website list

by Scorpion in

.

http://www.network54.com/realm/present_truth/truthlinks.html

for those interested in bible student research and the teachings of c.t.russell.

Scorpion

RR,

At least you have a sense of humor. Something I can't say about another Bible Student who we both know.

And you know as well as I, that there are several that are still interested in the Bible Students associations. I have individuals at times ask me questions about the Bible Student beliefs and ask for information. Don't worry RR, I know what you are probably thinking.

I wish to thank you again for the copy of the 1898 Zions WT page 231.

Scorpion (Stan)

14

Complete Bible Student website list

by Scorpion in

.

http://www.network54.com/realm/present_truth/truthlinks.html

for those interested in bible student research and the teachings of c.t.russell.

Scorpion

http://www.network54.com/Realm/Present_Truth/truthlinks.html

For those interested in Bible Student research and the teachings of C.T.Russell.

69

Jesus is God

by SwedishChef in

here is a large collection of verses which prove the deity of christ:.

isaiah 6-7 6. for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called wonderful, counseller, the mighty god, the everlasting father, the prince of peace.

7. of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of david, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.

Scorpion

avishai,

I have two daughters, 16 and 14 and a son that will be 13 December 28th.

You said: It says He had a problem w/ it, coz' he would'nt do it sober.

Where does the passage say this avishai?

I read that Lot got drunk on wine that his daughters gave him. This happened two nights in a row and his daughters lay with him.

Either Lot was a light weight as far as handling his wine or the wine given him was some powerful stuff. I have to agree with you though, for this to happen to Lot twice in two nights looks a bit suspicious.

Scorpion