Spoletta

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Posts by Spoletta

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  46

  Do You Trust The News Media?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  obviously, trump doesn't.

  but do you?

  do you think that they are generally fair, unbiased and honest?.

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  Spoletta

  Dagney

  I agree with you, she is undoubtedly leftist, but I've found that her claims aren't hard to verify. She's not getting her info from strange conspiracy sites.
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  16

  EU court upholds an employer's right to ban religious symbols

  by careful in

  1. social
  2. current

  first i should say that i do not like islam for multiple reasons, not the least of which is the moslem treatment of women.

  still, the free exercise of anyone's peaceful observance of their religion, including moslems, trumps my personal preferences.

  also, living in america, i evidently enjoy a greater degree of religious liberty than i see in recent years in continental europe, something that continues to baffle me.. today the european court of justice, the same group that has stood up for the rights of jws, has decreed that it is ok for employers to ban the wearing of religious symbols among employees.

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  Spoletta

  I happen to enjoy interacting with people of other cultures and religions when I'm out and about. But that's just me.

  I have no problems with a certain dress or fashion code, as long as it's implemented fairly. Certainly you wouldn't want to alienate any of your customers.
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  46

  Do You Trust The News Media?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  obviously, trump doesn't.

  but do you?

  do you think that they are generally fair, unbiased and honest?.

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  2. 
  3. 
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  Spoletta

  If the media was restricted to reporting equally on both the left and the right, that in itself would be biased. Let's say that one candidate lied 5 times, and the other 30 times. Should the media only report 5 lies by both to be fair? There is nothing I know about journalism that advocates that position.

  Trump benefited greatly from the incredible free advertising he got due to his unorthodox (to put it nicely) campaign. It was disproportionate to that received by other Republican candidates, and he reveled in it. He can hardly complain now that he is still getting attention.

  Hillary is no longer in the picture to deflect scrutiny, and Trump is generating a lot of news, good or bad, depending on your inclinations.

  I have no problems with the MSM skewering the Left. I just don't see liberals engaging in as much self destructive behavior as the conservatives. They are certainly not sitting by quietly and allowing the Republicans to get everything they want, but it's no worse than what happened during the Obama administration.

  It would be great if the media simply presented the facts on both sides and allowed us to make our own decisions, but that is unlikely. I think, however, that a fair minded individual can glean a fair idea of what's actually going by starting their search at NPR, PBS and BBC, then examining the claims of both the left and the right.

  So, yes, in general I consider the media be reliable enough to place my trust in the overall picture that they paint.
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  7

  The Democrats respond to Trump

  by glenster in

  1. social
  2. humour

  "i'm a proud democrat.

  but first and foremost, i'm a proud republican...anddemocrat..and mostly american.

  " https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jx8padyzmc.

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  Spoletta

  Just the type of humor I expect from the right. Vulgar, mocking, and arrogant. I suggest you watch Trevor Noah or Stephen Colbert if you're interested in intelligent, witty commentary.
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  8

  Ugg took aspirin?! - Perhaps ...

  by LoveUniHateExams in

  1. social
  2. current

  interesting article in the huff post uk today - scientists in australia have been studying the tooth enamel of neanderthals (homo neanderthalensis).. from the article: .

  dr laura weyrich, author on the paper, said: “genetic analysis of that dna locked-up in plaque, represents a unique window into neanderthal lifestyle ― revealing new details of what they ate, what their health was like and how the environment impacted their behaviour.” .

  ... neanderthals who lived in spy cave ate wooly rhinoceros and wild sheep ... those from the el sidron cave ate a largely vegetarian diet of pine nuts, moss, mushrooms and tree bark.. and perhaps the most interesting: one of these vegetarian subjects had a dental abscess on his jawbone, and a diarrhea-causing parasite, and was self medicating with poplar - a plant that contains salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin.. (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/neanderthals-used-aspirin-to-self-medicate_uk_58c13a4fe4b0ed71826a4151?utm_hp_ref=uk; http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news91022.html)..

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  Spoletta

  Still Totally ADD

  You're right. As a child of the 50's, the mid 60's to the 70's are kind of a blur for me.
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  14

  Are JW's Getting More Comfortable Discussing Politics?

  by freemindfade in

  1. social
  2. current

  just curious if anyone else has observed a more willingness by witnesses they know to openly discuss politics (out of the context of the "truth")?

  i have noticed it within my own microcosms of jws i know.. have you observed this?.

  i am sure with this last years political climate it's hard for anyone to resist chiming in.

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  Spoletta

  My wife has always been very careful when we've talked politics in the past. Ever since the inauguration, being the empathetic, kind person she is, she's been very vocal about what she's been seeing. There's a once hidden ugliness in this country that really disturbs her.
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  16

  The Guardian: In Russia, the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses begins all over again

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2017/mar/09/in-russia-the-persecution-of-jehovahs-witnesses-begins-all-over-again.

  in russia, the persecution of jehovah’s witnesses begins all over again.

  giles fraser.

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  Spoletta

  This is definitely the work of a Police State and should not be condoned by anyone. Though I disagree with much of the Watchtower dogma, they should be allowed to express their beliefs. Whether people agree with them or not, people should be allowed to profess their faith. Let society at large accept them or reject them. Hopefully, in an enlightened world, people's eyes will be opened and they'll make wise choices as to the faith or non faith they choose to follow.
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  8

  Ugg took aspirin?! - Perhaps ...

  by LoveUniHateExams in

  1. social
  2. current

  interesting article in the huff post uk today - scientists in australia have been studying the tooth enamel of neanderthals (homo neanderthalensis).. from the article: .

  dr laura weyrich, author on the paper, said: “genetic analysis of that dna locked-up in plaque, represents a unique window into neanderthal lifestyle ― revealing new details of what they ate, what their health was like and how the environment impacted their behaviour.” .

  ... neanderthals who lived in spy cave ate wooly rhinoceros and wild sheep ... those from the el sidron cave ate a largely vegetarian diet of pine nuts, moss, mushrooms and tree bark.. and perhaps the most interesting: one of these vegetarian subjects had a dental abscess on his jawbone, and a diarrhea-causing parasite, and was self medicating with poplar - a plant that contains salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin.. (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/neanderthals-used-aspirin-to-self-medicate_uk_58c13a4fe4b0ed71826a4151?utm_hp_ref=uk; http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news91022.html)..

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  Spoletta

  I recently read a fascinating online magazine article that tried to show a more realistic view of Neanderthals. They pointed out that one of the first reconstructions was done using the skeleton of an older, very arthritic individual That's why early models portrayed them as stooped and gnarly looking.

  Later models show them as very robust humans who could walk around in a suit or dress and be considered ugly but otherwise normal.

  Someone commented(and rightly so!) that they would have looked even better if the artists hadn't given them hair resembling the Troll dolls from the 70's.
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  32

  What is having the biggest impact on the watchtower Bible and tract society?

  by UnshackleTheChains in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hi all.. this is a reasonable question and would love to know what you think is having the biggest impact on watchtower.

  there is a plethora of websites talking negatively of watchtower.

  there are the never ending court cases regarding child abuse allegations.

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  Spoletta

  joe134cd. I agree, you have the ability to test the veracity of every Organization statement instantly at your fingertips.

  Plus, any Witness that tries researching outside of the Watchtower literature will eventually come across apostate websites, and out of curiosity (unless they're extremely strong willed), will find out things that might start them on the path out.
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  32

  Baptism at 10 years of age! March 2017 broadcast

  by stuckinarut2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  (i wanted to put this in the child abuse section of the forum!).

  we have seen that during the march 2017 broadcast, m stephen lett has openly praised children who get baptised as young as 10!.

  so lets summarize why it is wrong to push child baptism (not far off "infant baptism" that jws condemn other churches for).

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  Spoletta

  I'm not so sure it's peer pressure as much as parent pressure. After all, how many other 10 year old baptized kids would there be in a regular congregation?

  On the other hand, it's kind of a feather in their cap for parents of young baptized publishers("Look how spiritual our family is!").