Excellent hummus, stuffed grape leaves, think Lebanese food, Mediterranean, olive oil.
YUM
welcome to canada from one immigrant to another !.
calgary is welcoming it's first refugees from syria and iraq so tomorrow i'm going to take all the winter clothing that we have and donate it to a women / children's charity.
it's not much (well, actually, it's a huge pile ... everything from when we first moved over!
Excellent hummus, stuffed grape leaves, think Lebanese food, Mediterranean, olive oil.
YUM
welcome to canada from one immigrant to another !.
calgary is welcoming it's first refugees from syria and iraq so tomorrow i'm going to take all the winter clothing that we have and donate it to a women / children's charity.
it's not much (well, actually, it's a huge pile ... everything from when we first moved over!
I join with Simon saying, Welcome, Syrian friends! From Nova Scotia, where some of you may arrive :)
Refugees should have arrived in TO last night.
There's a central drop-off and online lists for donations. We will be welcoming about 1,500 refugees to the province.
I'm going to ask my Syrian friends if they know anyone, once the people are arriving. We have a Syrian resto here already, that's my friend's place. I have some winter wear ready, hoping it's before Xmas.
These are exciting times, and I'm happy to be part of something positive. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, too.
xx
tal
i really don't know anything about what hackers do.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hacker_(computer_security).
in the computer security context, a hacker is someone who seeks and exploits weaknesses in a computer system or computer network.
hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, challenge or enjoyment.
There are "Anonymous" vids on youtube claiming that the JWS are a target I was reading files this morning, that are accredited to Anonymous; files of JW cases being discussed. I don't know if it's for real.
I don't belong to exJW facebook groups that discuss JW or are 'activists', but friends do. It was an open group, so saw the posting on my friends' feed to the right of my screen, and clicked the file. Quite realistic.
born to be conned - new york times.
when people want to believe what they want to believe, david sullivan, a professional cult infiltrator, told the commonwealth club of california, a public affairs forum, in july 2010, they are very hard to dissuade.
and the reason it happens (and often happens to the most intelligent people) is that human nature is wired toward creating meaning out of meaninglessness..
It must be my Vulcan side that's never been conned, but I'm not buyin' it.
tal
what do they contribute to humanity?
what do they contribute to any part of society?.
why are people paying for a scam?.
They do NOTHING.
Just for the hell of it, I looked up Billy Graham.org, to see what that extremely wealthy and powerful 'ministry' does to help the suffering. Guess what? Nothing. He has ministries, and chaplains.
So the JWS aren't the only ones!
Religion is a snare and a racket. Hmm, I wonder who said that? Oh yeah, that old drunken swine, Rutherford.
tal
i've found it interesting that- imho- most of the politically vocal ex-jw's at this website seem to lean left.
i'm personally pretty centered- right on some issues, left on others, but overall have a pretty cynical view of all political/religious leaders.
i find it somewhat ironic that people who leave such a dogmatic group like the witnesses become so politically dogmatic.
Looking back over the years, I'd say it's a sign of current USA politics. During the GWB administration, there were quite a few vocal right-wing posters. Remember, that was during 9/11 aftermath, and the subsequent invasion of Iraq, - emotions were running high, and the American people wanted vengeance.
The flame wars and heated debates recently, tend to be between deists and avowed atheists. Political wrangling has died down (except for racial and gun-control issues, which are always hot topics). It will be interesting to see if things heat up in 2016. For some entertaining reading, go back to the 2004 pre-election threads. Oh yeah, lots of right and left vehement discussions. : D
As for the JWS, to me, they are conservatives. They are pro-rules (laws), anti-choice, pro-capitalism and harsh punishments for crime, including the death penalty, anti-gay/lesbian, anti-marijuana, anti-peace movement, hate Rock and Roll, etc. Don't let their phoney 'pacifist' stance on war convince you they are liberal thinkers. That is just another form of controlling the 'sheeple'.
Ponder that for a while - I used to think all exJWs were like me, ie. a flaming, bleeding-heart liberal (as I've been called, here, years ago. lol!), but no. Many are very conservative, "Tories", we call 'em. In the USA they are called the GOP or Republicans ...... oh and also the Libertarians are right-wing as well. (Not that there's anything wrong with that! hehehe)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj3VphK9AMk
That's my take on it.
t
in this experiment, mice were given a perfect environment in which to live.
for the mice you would think this was 'paradise'.
but due to their nature it did not take long for this to become a horrible place to live.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z760xny4vm.
I would love to live forever in paradise with no crime, hunger, illness, etc.
As long as there were only ~50 individuals of my choosing who mostly left me alone, unlimited books, music and diversions.
I could handle that, rebel8. :P
t
in this experiment, mice were given a perfect environment in which to live.
for the mice you would think this was 'paradise'.
but due to their nature it did not take long for this to become a horrible place to live.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z760xny4vm.
VI - funny that we are discussing this, as I read an article on population control in the last 2-3 weeks. I wipe my history often, but shall see if I can find it by looking around on google. I don't read 'scientific' or political blogs, so it would be .edu or .gov, or in a bona fide onine news outlet, etc. It discussed a case study of some country or population that was headed for overpopulation crisis, and certain factors naturally come into play, that levelled things out on their own. Also spoke of China, and how the attempt at population control has backfired, big time. Hmm. Very interesting stuff, and made a lot of sense.
My personal opinion is that we have already interfered with nature. If we could change, and use technology to help people lead better lives. Example: Food. If we returned to family farms (which take up very little acreage, planting methods can be used that naturally control pests, crop and grazing rotation, all good things for people and earth) and started to *mostly* eat local foods and fresh local produce, thousands of jobs would be created. Factory farms, with their disease-ridden populations and shit pools that endanger the water supply, would be gone. The waste of so much food that is thrown away because it does not meet supermarket standards? That waste alone, would feed all of our hungry and aid the working poor in Canada.
This would require a new monetary system. Deconstruction of multi-nationals would be required. Economic and political power-seeking would have to become a 'bad thing'. Different solutions for different regions, continents, countries, etc. World cooperation, a true global economy free from exploitation of those who need help and support the most.
In other words, we need a global paradigm shift. We need to see the Earth and all life on it, as one huge ecosystem of which we are a part. Instead of being bent on conquering, we should be focused on co-operation. We have the technology. We just need the will.
Thank you, and good nite! :P
"You may say I'm a dreamer; but I'm not the only one."
Even physicists speak of levels of planets, that evolve into higher forms of consciousness. It's a small part of science that Star Trek and 'first contact' is based on. I feel that this paradigm shift has begun. Things will get worse before they get better, and not in my lifetime. But I do feel that humanity, and our planet is in a state of flux, and the final outcome will be progress.
tal
Edit: Further, let's take a look at antibiotic resistance and superbugs. Salmonella is now developing deadly antibiotic-resistant strains. And it's everywhere in poultry. In North America, it is particularly rampant. Even backyard chickens can have salmonella. We don't know what the next superbug will be, but populations could be greatly reduced by a plague or virus that we just ... canNOT ... cure. Period. Perhaps 60% of the population will have a natural resistance (like shingles, for example), and they will survive. *shrugs*
had a conversation with my jw mother the other day.
she has been baptized for over 50 years.
i've been out for 30 years, but because both my mother and mother-in-law are jw's i keep up with all things jw.
possum
That's one way we know ... it's a cult!
how does this happen?http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/08/aviation/malaysia-aviation-airport-abandoned-aircraft/
JWDaughter
My room mate and I had a discussion when I first viewed the story, and that's what she said! (me, that is, to him) .