Posts by kaik

150

Start A Butterfly Garden!

by Bonsai in

jw
friends

time to take a break from debating religion.

take in a breath of fresh air and be healed by the wonders of nature around you.. how many of you have a garden?

how many have a nice flower patch to go with your vegetable garden?

So, I spent a couple hours to mulch my flowerbed; I use cedar barks as I had bad experience with other types of the mulch in the past. So far, rodeos do not bloom yet, but I think they will open up their flowers in 10 days. We had near frost temperature last two days, and some leaves look burned by it, but the date-time high was close to 70F today, so I hope all will be ok. What is interesting that my bleeding hearts and pink phlox started to bloom early, while forget-me not, lily of the valley, and astilbe did not. They usually bloom in May.I planted some calla lilies, they are hit or miss, some year they will bloom, and some year I do not even know I have them in the flowerbed. I am on the northern edge of the climatic zone, and they do only well on sunny side of the house, and shield from the cold air.

150

Start A Butterfly Garden!

by Bonsai in

jw
friends

time to take a break from debating religion.

take in a breath of fresh air and be healed by the wonders of nature around you.. how many of you have a garden?

how many have a nice flower patch to go with your vegetable garden?

kaik

We had here in USA warm December, and real winter did not arrive until middle of January. I had only one snow storm and March was seasonally warm/cold. However, April is cold and I think there will be a lot of damage on plants if we do not get warm. It is already warmer in the Czech Republic than here in my part of USA.

I have bunch of camellias. Three of them were ordered from camellia society and I think they are East Asia origin (Korea or Japan). I have one camellia that the origin is from Turkey/Iran and it is deep red. I will take picture shot of it over the weekend. I never get the chance to enjoy camellia much because squirrels love to eat the buds. I usually have only a few left on top of the shrub. So far, I have not lost camellia and I also had one transplanted around the yard. The hardest shrub to grow is gardenia, and I will not replace them anymore. I had entire row of them for years, but last year I lost every shrub.

Last year I planted lilac so I am curious on the flowers and fragrance. I have also anise tree, but it never bloomed for me. My ideal garden would be Provence French with gardenia, lavender, hydrangea, but the climate is not the same. I also have a lot of clematis, but they do not grow as thick as they do in the Czech Republic. My grandmother had entire courtyard of her farmhouse covered with clematis, but I am happy that my plant climbs two to three feet.

52

What does the rise of Donald Trump tell us about the USA?

by fulltimestudent in

i thank one of my former lecturers for drawing my attention to this overview.. after some 100 years, living out its "manifest destiny" dream, as the hegemon of the world, what has this 'dream' done to/for the usa?

the approaching presidential election provides an opportunity to examine this question.. and what of all the appendage organisations (like the wts) that rode across the world on the hegemon's coattails?.

the answer may be here: http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/trump-authoritarianism.

kaik

FTS

Many Americans do admire Putin. They love how he dealt with opposition, suppression of gay rights, wars against ISIS, that he is anti-European and anti-catholic. They associates his dictatorial tendencies with strong leadership (regardless that he made Russia less relevant and poorer), and they think man like Putin in White House will return old glory of USA as was during the Cold War.

52

What does the rise of Donald Trump tell us about the USA?

by fulltimestudent in

i thank one of my former lecturers for drawing my attention to this overview.. after some 100 years, living out its "manifest destiny" dream, as the hegemon of the world, what has this 'dream' done to/for the usa?

the approaching presidential election provides an opportunity to examine this question.. and what of all the appendage organisations (like the wts) that rode across the world on the hegemon's coattails?.

the answer may be here: http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/trump-authoritarianism.

kaik

Trump rides on disconnect of the population with an Obama presidency, while utilizing large part of conservative voters who do not affiliate with right-wing evangelical extremists. Many, if not the majority of Americans live have lower per capita in 2016 than they had it in 2008. Actually adjusted for inflation, it fell to 1996 level. This only shows the depth of the recession, but also terrible performance under GWB.

Population that stands behind Trump is made of the population, which has experienced an overall decline of their living standard. Of course, Trump will not be able to do anything about it, but people do not care, and believe that he will do something. It is just mass delusional hysteria that there is someone who can turn thing around for them. Many Democrats felt the same to Obama. I see Obama as just another politician, I had not expected much and did not get disappointed.

Trump's external policies are totally foolish and will spell a disaster for the American security and interest. He treats his election as a TV game show. What USA needs is a leader with vision, unlike many Trump supporters want him to be a strong man like Putin in Russia.

14

Feeling Betrayed?

by stuckinarut2 in

this is the way many of us feel no doubt: feeling like we have been betrayed by a faith that has hidden so much from its believers, and covered up some serious past and present teachings and practices.. and yet, we are the ones treated with disdain, contempt or suspicion due to fading from activity!.

simply amazing that we have had to make a conscious decision to stand up for what is right and not be a part of the organisation for genuine and sincere reasons.

and yet they slander us, malign us and make us look like the ones with the problem!.

kaik

I am not sure if I feel betrayed or deceived or both. WT had ruined my family life, my childhood, and happiness. My biological father left us and moved to life with his mom where he soon died from a cancer. My siblings did not talk to me for years, got children that I do not know. They certainly broke my trust, and deceived me for 20 years. WT faith is built on deceit, lies, brainwashing and mental abuse, and terrible organizational self-worship.

33

Disturbing/Puzzling Skit at JW Function Last Night Plus Odd Choice of Music

by Cadellin in

so i attended a fairly large jw gathering last night with my active, elder husband.

it was a good-by party for a former special pioneer couple who have been demoted to reg pios and have now moved to a larger city to find work.

anyway, there was music and skits.

kaik

Sad is that these children will never see the promised paradise. I was a child back going for the first time to school when my JW aunt told me that I would not have to worry because Armageddon will arrive before the school will start. I am now in middle age group, my aunt is long dead, and two generations had been born since 1975.

20

A Sincere Question Regarding Macroevolution

by jacobm in

jw
friends

i have a sincere question related to macroevolution:.

microevolution happens on a small scale (within a single population), while macroevolution happens on a scale that transcends the boundaries of a single species.

despite their differences, evolution at both of these levels relies on the same, established mechanisms of evolutionary change:.

kaik

Macroevolution can be observed over a long period of time, but much longer than humanity can record its knowledge. Microevolution was already observed in various diseases caused by bacteria and virus. Syphilis, HIV and other pathogens have been observed to change over the small period of time. Macroevolution from Ice Age, had changed many large species in time of 12000 years. You will not recognize majority of cultivated products from apples to prunes to hops from the original plants that existed just 7000 years ago.

43

Real Prophecy vs. Watchtower Prophecies

by Perry in

while we had our eyes fixated on our "one-time" idol the watchtower and their false prophecies like the generation of 1914 that wouldn't pass away, 1975 etc.

; a number of real prophecies were unfolding.

we just weren't taught to look for them.

kaik

How does your interpretation of the passage in Isaiah differ from the Jewish interpretation? How could somebody decide which is correct?

I could ask my Jewish M-I-L for her explanation, but again, what has human activity common with some so-called miracle? Israel has one of the most educated population in the world, which could figure out how to minimize impact of ancient deforestation. They were not driven by any divine order, but necessities. It is not the only country in the world that has been doing the same. Austrian empire already implemented a large scale forestation program in 1840's onward, because many areas started to experience desertification like in the Viennese basin after they drained most of the lakes for sugar beets. Again, Israel climate is still in danger with increasing temperature in ME and there is so much they can do with climate. Micro-climate will not save them in the long run if ME and Levant will continue with rising temperature and drop of rainfall. Nonetheless, due plate tectonic, much area will be uplifted in couple million years, Mediterranean sea will disappear, while Red Sea will become ocean.

Evangelicals are looking for signs, even places where they common sense will dictate otherwise.

43

Real Prophecy vs. Watchtower Prophecies

by Perry in

while we had our eyes fixated on our "one-time" idol the watchtower and their false prophecies like the generation of 1914 that wouldn't pass away, 1975 etc.

; a number of real prophecies were unfolding.

we just weren't taught to look for them.

kaik

the majority of members on this forum have all but given up on God. Sad to say but true.

Not sure what are you referring to in regards of Israel. Israel is a democratic country where people of Jewish faith share life with Muslims, Christians, and one of the largest proportion of self-declared atheists in the world. Israeli does not automatically equate Jew, and not every Jew is an Israeli. The majority of Jews are not Israeli. It shows only how many of the evangelicals are delusional. Additionally, if anyone wants to operate with a New Testament in regards to the Jewish faith, it only shows his or her ignorance of Jews. To Jews, it is irrelevant, nonsense addition to their own holy writings. Jews do not recognize it as their holy book and do not really care much about it. So any fulfillment mentioned in the New Testament toward Israel is only someone's fabrication.

The fact is while many things have improved in the world, many other things have gotten worse yet they are ignored.

Yes, humans are making the world generally better. The life expectancy had risen, child mortality decreased. Instead starvation, people get obese. Even the poorest countries on this planet are plagued by obesity. In some extremely poor countries (Mauritania, Paraguay, Djibouti) has one of the largest obesity rates in human history where 1/3 of the adult population is morbidly obese. Living standard today is incomparable to the living standard of our grandparents. While there are a lot things to improve and not every move forward is good, overall, the life is indeed better. But as the development goes, it is never linear and there will be some regressions like it happened in the 1930's or today as a result of the Great Recession. All these steps are happening regardless of the faith since the Neolithic time and certainly since the Renaissance.

43

Real Prophecy vs. Watchtower Prophecies

by Perry in

while we had our eyes fixated on our "one-time" idol the watchtower and their false prophecies like the generation of 1914 that wouldn't pass away, 1975 etc.

; a number of real prophecies were unfolding.

we just weren't taught to look for them.

kaik

Sorry, but I have a hard time equating secular reforestation efforts with the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.

I do too. Reforestation is driven by both economic means and environmental necessities. Israel is an advanced economy and they can figure it out the needs without reasoning from archaic scripts. Currently a large part of Central Europe is experiencing similar trend, and the region is far more forested in 2016 than was at any time since the middle of the 18th century. People do not use wood as much as they used in medieval times where most the Hapsburg empire was cleared of a majority of its forests.