fulltimestudent

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Posts by fulltimestudent

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  194

  Is Being a “Manly Man” a Bad Thing?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so much is said regarding men , in a negative way.

  shaving commercials are now lecturing us as to how bad we really are.

  men should be less masculine.

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  fulltimestudent

  A previous poster posited the view that if we were in a situation where we were being attacked by terrorists we may be looking for some 'manly males' to defend us.

  Throughout history there are many examples of women fighting in as deadly fashion as men. For example, in Greek mythology, the Amazons (Greek: Ἀμαζόνες, Amazónes, singular Ἀμαζών, Amazōn) were a tribe of women warriors related to Scythians and Sarmatians.

  
  

  They had a reputation for being brutal and aggressive, and their main concern in life was war.

  Another example! It was the custom among the Khitan, (or Qidan as they are known in Chinese, who were a nomadic people originating in eastern Inner Mongolia), for men and their wives to ride into battle together.
  

  In S.E. Asia women were also warriors. * https://www.crcpress.com/Women-Warriors-in-Southeast-Asia/Rettig-Lanzona/p/book/9781138829350 )

  And, in many modern nations, women serve in the armed forces

  For some Asian States today see: https://thediplomat.com/2013/03/women-warriors-break-down-barriers-across-asia/2/

  So why make our cultural norms the only correct cultural view and totally ignore the myriad other cultural norms that can be seen in history.

  PS. When I was young and first associating with the JWs, a friend has a bible study with a man, whose wife would bash him with a hammer if he went to meetings.

  That (written with a smile) is the sort of person I want near me if I'm attacked by terrorists.

  Our western cultural concept of women as weak and defenceless is a distorted view that is not supported by history.

  If you want to girls - go get the terrorists!!!!
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  11

  Australia Day.

  by zeb in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  happy oz day all ye fellow aussies..

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  fulltimestudent

  Don't always go to National day celebrations, but I did last night. Went to the ABC (owned by the Australian government) organised Australia day concert held at Circular quay.

  Better than any I've been to in the past, that were organised by commercial TV networks.

  Great to see that it was quite inclusive, with some Indigenous people features along with many migrants telling their stories. And interesting to hear the National Anthem sung in an Aboriginal language.

  Fireworks were quite impressive also:
  

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Vttx8nO-o
  
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  2

  Why did One of Jewish Cultures Most Important (but not named in the Bible) Influences Die?

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  who is that influence?

  why alexander the great, of course.

  why was he such an important influence on the development of judaism (and later on an influence on early christianity)?.

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  fulltimestudent

  Who is that Influence? Why Alexander the Great, of course. Why was he such an important influence on the development of Judaism (and later on an influence on early Christianity)?

  Because he conquered much of West Asia and opened the way for Hellenic (Greek) culture to influence both Judaism and early Christianity.

  So what killed this relatively young man? Previous theories often saw alcoholic poisoning as the likely reason.

  But Dr Katherine Hall, ( A senior Lecturer at the Dunedin School of Medicine NZ and a practising clinician) claims that the most likely explanation, is that Alexander died as a result of a neurological disorder Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS).

  DR Hall collected all the extant ancient information on Alexander's death and argues that GBS offers the best explanation.

  You can read the abstract for her paper in the current bulletin of The Ancient History Bulletin. If you want to read the full paper, it will cost you $1 (its an Open Access Journal)

  Abstract: "The most striking feature of Alexander the Great’s death is that, despite being extremely unwell, he was reported to have remained compos mentis until just before his death. Combined with evidence that he developed a progressive, symmetrical, ascending paralysis, it is argued that he died from a sub-type of the autoimmune disorder, Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), most likely induced from a Campylobacter pylori infection. GBS could also account for the reported lack of decay of his body, and his death may be the most famous case of pseudothanatos, or false diagnosis of death, ever recorded.""

  https://ancienthistorybulletin.org/
  

  Of course, we will likely never really be able to confirm what killed Alexander, but GBS seems to fit.

  Footnote: If Alexander had not conquered West Asia, those young Levites ( in Maccabean times) in the temple, may not have wanted to get naked at the local Greek gymnasium or try to disguise their circumcised penises. Greek may not have been spoken by any early christians, And Paul may not have decided that he could get better results from preaching to gentiles than to Jews.
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  194

  Is Being a “Manly Man” a Bad Thing?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so much is said regarding men , in a negative way.

  shaving commercials are now lecturing us as to how bad we really are.

  men should be less masculine.

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  fulltimestudent

  em1913: "That's not because I'm hawwwwt baby, it's because these little turds think they're putting me in my place, whatever that might be."

  You've got a cool reaction to these kids. But assuming your right, how did they learn this behaviour. Why would the want to put you into any place? Was it instinctive? Or was it a cultural meme, passed on by male relatives or associates?"

  Your response is common. In China, the same sentiment is expressed when someone calls out, " diu lei lo mo! (屌你老母 or 𨳒你老母), "go f*** your mother!_

  But repartee aside, without understanding why such young men are motivated to act like this, we may never change what appears to be deep-seated behaviour.
  
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  16

  Artificial Intelligence and 2019

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was intrigued by a forecast made by damo academy, the in-house technology and science research arm of china's, huge e-commerce business,, alibaba.. they seem to be predicting the following technology trends for 2019 and that artificial intelligence would continue to be the ho area of progress.. so what do any techies hanging out here think?

  safe predictions?

  wild guesses?

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  fulltimestudent

  Simon: "What gets hyped as AI is invariably pattern matching. I've yet to see any example of AI that is actual AI. It's all hype. Computers can pattern match against increasingly complex models with masses of data at high speed ... but it's not intelligence."

  Thnx for your comment Simon. I guess that is indicative that your opinion on AI remains about the same as when this was last discussed.

  But, I wanted to ask, Is pattern matching (of any type) a mark of some sort of intelligence. ?

  Here's an extract from a Wikipedia on the topic: (and apologies for such a long cut and paste).

  "In psychology and cognitive neuroscience, pattern recognition describes a cognitive process that matches information from a stimulus with information retrieved from memory.[1]

  Pattern recognition occurs when information from the environment is received and entered into short-term memory, causing automatic activation of a specific content of long-term memory. An early example of this is learning the alphabet in order. When a carer repeats ‘A, B, C’ multiple times to a child, utilizing the pattern recognition, the child says ‘C’ after he/she hears ‘A, B’ in order. Recognizing patterns allow us to predict and expect what is coming. The process of pattern recognition involves matching the information received with the information already stored in the brain. Making the connection between memories and information perceived is a step of pattern recognition called identification. Pattern recognition requires repetition of experience. Semantic memory, which is used implicitly and subconsciously is the main type of memory involved with recognition.[2]

  Pattern recognition is not only crucial to humans, but to other animals as well. Even koalas, who possess less-developed thinking abilities, use pattern recognition to find and consume eucalyptus leaves. The human brain has developed more, but holds similarities to the brains of birds and lower mammals. The development of neural networks in the outer layer of the brain in humans has allowed for better processing of visual and auditory patterns. Spatial positioning in the environment, remembering findings, and detecting hazards and resources to increase chances of survival are examples of the application of pattern recognition for humans and animals.[3]

  There are six main theories of pattern recognition: template matching, prototype-matching, feature analysis, recognition-by-components theory, bottom-up and top-down processing, and Fourier analysis. The application of these theories in everyday life is not mutually exclusive. Pattern recognition allows us to read words, understand language, recognize friends, and even appreciate music. Each of the theories applies to various activities and domains where pattern recognition is observed. Facial, music and language recognition, and seriation are a few of such domains. Facial recognition and seriation occur through encoding visual patterns, while music and language recognition use the encoding of auditory patterns."

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattern_recognition_(psychology)

  
  
  
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  194

  Is Being a “Manly Man” a Bad Thing?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so much is said regarding men , in a negative way.

  shaving commercials are now lecturing us as to how bad we really are.

  men should be less masculine.

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  fulltimestudent

  None of the information in my last post, however explains why I could sometimes use the term, "toxic" masculinity.

  If you object to the term, I ask why?

  Consider, In Australia, in the last two years, a woman a week has been murdered by her husband, de facto, partner or whatever term used to describe their relationship

  And only last week, and attractive young Israeli exchange student was raped and murdered by a young man. This led to a number of protests demanding that the streets be made safe for women to walk alone at night. No-one explained how that can be done, though.

  But the elephant in the room question is, Why do some men do things like that? Is it an instinct hidden deep in our collective psyche, inherited from our ancient ancestors?

  Or, is it a cultural meme, shared by some men (but not all)? When we get in a group of men watching an attractive young woman pass by, what do you think of the too common conversation, often along the lines of, "look at that b****, I'd like to f*** her."

  If you heard such a conversation in an all-male group, what did you do/say?

  No need to comment, just reflect.

  Footnote: I lay no personal claim to perfection, and do not attribute perfection to any other male or to any female.
• 
  194

  Is Being a “Manly Man” a Bad Thing?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so much is said regarding men , in a negative way.

  shaving commercials are now lecturing us as to how bad we really are.

  men should be less masculine.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  fulltimestudent

  Too many posts to catch up,,,,!!!

  First it's likely worth reading this article by Jenny Graves, who is a Distinguished Professor of Genetics at Victoria's La Trove University, and also the 2017 recipient of the Prime Ministers Prize for Sciene.

  The article was titled: "What makes you a man or a woman? Geneticist Jenny Graves explains.

  Link: https://theconversation.com/what-makes-you-a-man-or-a-woman-geneticist-jenny-graves-explains-102983

  The Conversation is a semi-academic web journal, that discusses serious issues, especially for those who want to live an evidence based life.

  There's also another article by Graves, in another issue of The Conversation.

  This article explains how key genes active early in life transform the embryo into a woman or a man, and that genes active later control how sex is expressed in physiology and behaviour.

  Quote: "But in embryos destined to be boys, the genital ridge receives a signal called the “testis determining factor” at ten weeks after conception. This signal kick-starts development of testes and suppresses ovarian development.

  If it doesn’t get the testis signal, the genital ridge waits a few more weeks, and becomes an ovary."

  Link: https://theconversation.com/how-genes-and-evolution-shape-gender-and-transgender-identity-108911

  Before that process, all embryos are more or less the same from a biological gender perspective. (But may still have different outcomes, a process that is highly dependent on the potential influence of that embryo's genes.
  

  Once we fully understand this process we can more easily appreciate the wide variety of possibilities in what constitutes both maleness and femaleness. If we do not understand that process, then we may hold some of the "strong" (but incorrect) opinions we find expressed on this topic.
  
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  10

  When Israel was living under a Theocracy ,was it a Paradise ?

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the bible books that speak of a time when the israelite`s were enjoying jehovah`s blessings , isnt it true they were still dying from old age ,sickness , and death ?

  didn`t they have a leper colony in their midst ?....yes.

  didn`t they still have the poor among them ?

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  fulltimestudent

  Half banana,

  Having seen those informative sights, I know that you at least will enjoy this romp through this religio- political background to old YHWH's excitement (wetting himself !!) at the thought of having his very own garden.

  (Please excuse my own light-hearted comments - I just had some wonderful, happifying (a word I learnt from the WT) news)

  A semi-academic web publication that calls itself The Conversation published this review of the ancient religious use of gardens in West Asia.

  Here's the link: https://theconversation.com/heaven-on-earth-the-ancient-roots-of-your-backyard-garden-108682?fbclid=IwAR0gq9Hm-0_OUQQujoa41TfVqY7mshp2m4yJY2yo7RtV_UCJk7ozj0Eh_70

  Macquarie University's Associate Professor Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides writes about this connection.
  
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  23

  Old Goat

  by vienne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  some of you may remember old goat who used to post here.

  he died last night in his sleep.

  he was 92 years old.

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  fulltimestudent

  I join in the regretful refrain, knowing full well that I'm also nearing the end of an allotted time span. though god knows who in the hell bothered yo allot me a 'span.'

  Will miss Old Goat, he was one poster, who somewhat rare posts I read consistently.
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  2

  Pseudoscience, Superstition and Sexual Abuse versus Real Science in India

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  often billed as the world's largest democracy, that description hides huge problems that many in india refuse to face up to.. let's start with the problem of sexual abuse.

  the fact that rape is likely more common in india than any other society is reasonably well known, and while other problems may compound this (as i once was metaphorically stoned to death for saying) violent rape is a huge problem.

  but few other societies would tolerate this:.

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  fulltimestudent

  Often billed as the World's largest democracy, that description hides huge problems that many in India refuse to face up to.

  Let's start with the problem of sexual abuse. The fact that rape is likely more common in India than any other society is reasonably well known, and while other problems may compound this (as I once was metaphorically stoned to death for saying) violent rape is a huge problem

  But few other societies would tolerate this:

  A headline in the UK Guardian:

  Modern-day slavery in focus

  India

  The Indian village where child sexual exploitation is the norm

  Poverty and caste discrimination mean that children in Sagar Gram are being groomed by their own families for abuse

  Link to a terrible story: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jan/14/indian-village-where-child-sexual-exploitation-is-the-norm-sagar-gram-jan-sahas?CMP=soc_567&fbclid=IwAR3Ge49gJUl1FmgSRx4Ok5jhpqsT3ZR5Di8uqoGdgW-DSsBy555b_l51Ue4