jp1692

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Posts by jp1692

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  20

  Did you learn how to debate in school (or elsewhere)?

  by compound complex in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  last night i was taking another look at the term "dialectics":.

  the art of investigating or discussing the truth of opinions: discussion; debate; logical reasoning; etc.. the dialectical method is, at base, a discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to establish the truth through reasoned arguments.. while i intend to do further research on my own, what is your own experience regarding preparation for debate, the do's and don'ts, maintaining your cool, .

  i ask, in part, because i observe that some online debaters present facts and figures and use sound reasoning while maintaining their decorum; many do not.. thank you..

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  jp1692

  The Dialogues of Plato are a good place to start, particularly his Euthyphro.
  
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  73

  Punctuation within and without quotation marks

  by compound complex in

  1. social
  2. physical

  http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/quotes.asp .

  would someone please make this link clickable?.

  cc.

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  jp1692

  Lately I've been discussing with some of my 9th and 11th grade students the role of punctuation in written communication.
  

  It's interesting to see the wheels turning in their brains when they realize the significance of the fact that punctuation is ONLY a feature of writing. You'd think they'd know that, but it's generally not explicitly taught, and -- if it ever was -- it was so long ago for them that they've forgotten.

  For most people, punctuation is just one of those things that is "there." In my experience, most high school students are proficient with only the most basic aspects of punctuation: how to begin and end a sentence. That's it. Beyond that, it's all guess work for them.

  En dash, em dash, semicolon ... forget it!
  

  Furthermore, since a lot of "the rules" of punctuation are little more than conventions (which often vary from place to place and over time), most people just wing it -- if they even give it much thought at all.

  I'm pretty good at these kinds of things and I still have to look a lot of it up. And I kind of hate that because -- even though I recognize the importance in clear, understandable writing -- it breaks the flow.
  

  Knowing that CoCo (who is an acknowledged Jedi/Zen master in these areas) will probably be reading this post, I find myself very self-conscious of every aspect of my punctuation, grammar and syntax! LOL

  BTW: Yes, I'm aware I did not use an Oxford comma in the previous sentence. I've never been a fan. I'm not a pedantic prig about it, I just don't like it much. As long as people are consistent with their usage (or lack thereof), I don't really care.

  It all comes down to two things:

  1. Does it make sense?
  2. Does it have style?

  Everything else is just filler.

  YMMV

  PS: I kind of hate that I can't do a proper em dash on this forum when I use my laptop to post. Oddly enough, it works fine when I post on my phone but not when I use my laptop. The idiosyncrasies of software and technology only further complicate punctuation matters.
  

  Go figure!
  
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  8

  Old Bethelities

  by new boy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my book is going to my editor this week.

  just a few lose ends to deal with.. does anyone here knows what has happen to any of the following ex-bethelities and hopefully ex-jehovah's witnesses.

  mark bivins.

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  jp1692

  I know Mark Bivins.
  
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  34

  Growing a beard

  by Coded Logic in

  1. social
  2. physical

  i've always been currious as to how i would look with a beard so i've finally committed to doing it.

  over the next 30 days i'm going to grow out a full chin to ear beard.. .

  ps:  any suggestions or advice on how to grow a beard would be much appreciated!.

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  jp1692

  I like "long stubble" or a "circle beard" (which most people call a goatee where I live).
  
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  131

  Do Jehovah's Witnesses Accept Evolution?

  by jukief in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  by evolution or by creation?

  by evolution or by creation?

  "the bible is a myth" and "evolution is true".

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  jp1692

  How did we get here from the OP question: "Do Jehovah's Witnesses Accept Evolution?"?
  
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  34

  Growing a beard

  by Coded Logic in

  1. social
  2. physical

  i've always been currious as to how i would look with a beard so i've finally committed to doing it.

  over the next 30 days i'm going to grow out a full chin to ear beard.. .

  ps:  any suggestions or advice on how to grow a beard would be much appreciated!.

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  jp1692

  Get yourself a good beard & mustache trimmer.

  I have a Wahl with multiple attachments. It really helps the grooming!

  • Wahl Beard & Mustache Trimmer

  
  
  
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  14

  Registering with JW.org

  by mann377 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so the wife was sick and stayed home from the meeting.

  she tuned in through the phone so she could listen.

  she had the phone on speaker and therefore i could overhear what was said.

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  jp1692

  If ya' can't beat 'em, join 'em!

  Let's review: It's a cult!
  
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  21

  Terrific movie monologue from "Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri'

  by Captain Schmideo2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just watched this movie last night.. the premise of the title and film centers around the mother of young girl, who was raped, murdered, and set on fire by an unknown killer.

  convinced that the local police could be doing more, she erects billboards outside of town, calling into question the efforts of the town's beloved chief of police.

  this does not sit well with the other townspeople, and soon, the town priest comes to visit and admonish her.and after hearing him tell her if she came to church more regularly, she would be able to find the peace and resolution she needs over her daughter's death, she delivers this speech to him:.

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  jp1692

  Without spoiling the ending, it just felt as if the two main characters, Mildred (McDormand) and Rockwell (Dixon), go in a direction that is so inconsistent with their characters moral arc that I found it jarringly unbelievable.

  Also, the lack of resolution alone didn't bother me--I can deal with that because it's real and how life actually usually is. But it was frustrating BECAUSE of the sudden, jarring change in character development.

  *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT ***

  It really didn't work for me that Dixon seemed to be redeeming himself and then he and Mildred go plan to kill someone that probably deserved it, but was absolutely NOT connected to the rape and death of Mildred's daughter. For similar reasons, I found it inconsistent that Mildred would suddenly become a vigilante a la Paul Kersey (Bronson) in "Death Wish."

  Previously, her anger was justifiably directed at the unknown person that killed her daughter and then understandably projected it on the Police Department for failing to identify a suspect, let alone bring one to justice.

  When she was verbally assaulted in her store (by the creep that Dixon later mistakenly thought to be the perp) she basically just stood there and took it in silent rage. For her to later decide to go all "Death Wish" on the guy and become a vigilante seemed inconsistent with her character and not particularly believable or satisfying.

  *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT ***
  
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  131

  Do Jehovah's Witnesses Accept Evolution?

  by jukief in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  by evolution or by creation?

  by evolution or by creation?

  "the bible is a myth" and "evolution is true".

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  jp1692

  Actually, JWs DO accept evolution. They believe--without critically examining how foolish it is--that all present living organisms are the offspring of the animals (sea creatures excepted) that were on Noah's ark.

  This belief would require a much more aggressive and accelerated form of evolution than that posited by any evolutionary biologist. In other words, JWs and all other fundamentalist Christians believe in a form of evolution that took place in a few thousand of years instead of the many millions or even billions of years posited by evolutionary biologists. Let that sink in.
  

  That being said, the important issue for JWs is not whether living things change over time--that well-established fact is unremarkable in the respect that it should have little or no consequence for a fundamentalist Christian of any stripe--but rather how life began in the first place: the origins of life.

  How did life begin?
  

  While biologists are certainly interested in that question and have some ideas, it is not directly related to the issue of biological evolution over the course of time since life's inception.

  But the majority of JWs are not educated and/or intelligent enough to appreciate this very important distinction.
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  14

  New light

  by poopie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  june at article now it's ok to say a greeting?.

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  jp1692

  Vidiot, thanks for posting the link to the “tug on the leash” thread. It’s one of my favorites!