Isabella

Why do economists all expect this virus to shave only 1% off of China's GDP?
Isn't this sort of a big deal economically speaking or am I missing something?

Five dreary months have passed since Hurricane Dorian lay waste Abaco and Grand Bahama, and daily in the local press we hear and read of persons being dissatisfied with the pace of hurricane reconstruction.
#However, I am sure that at least ninety-five if not one hundred per cent of those who were adversely affected by the hurricane were members of churches and paid collection or tithes on a weekly or monthly basis. Consequently, it is not unreasonable to think that these churches would assist their parishioners or their congregants in some meaningful way.
#When disasters have occurred in our country, and especially since hurricane Andrew, I have been impressed by the work done by the denomination of Jehovah’s Witnesses who quickly mobilised members of their organisation, both local and foreign to expertly repair and replace their places of worship and the homes of their members.
#From personal knowledge I am aware that homeowners have only to provide building supplies, if they have the means, and volunteers, at no personal remuneration, assist in making the homes habitable.
#Surely the other denominations have members who are carpenters, masons, electricians and plumbers who are willing to devote some of their spare time to assist their members in this way?
#For, whilst repairs generally are proceeding at a snail’s pace, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have successfully repaired homes and their Kingdom Hall in Marsh Harbour will be ready for their annual Memorial service in April this year. All through the unselfish work of volunteers.
http://www.tribune242.com/news/2020/feb/13/unselfish-volunteers/

Five dreary months have passed since Hurricane Dorian lay waste Abaco and Grand Bahama, and daily in the local press we hear and read of persons being dissatisfied with the pace of hurricane reconstruction.
#However, I am sure that at least ninety-five if not one hundred per cent of those who were adversely affected by the hurricane were members of churches and paid collection or tithes on a weekly or monthly basis. Consequently, it is not unreasonable to think that these churches would assist their parishioners or their congregants in some meaningful way.
#When disasters have occurred in our country, and especially since hurricane Andrew, I have been impressed by the work done by the denomination of Jehovah’s Witnesses who quickly mobilised members of their organisation, both local and foreign to expertly repair and replace their places of worship and the homes of their members.
#From personal knowledge I am aware that homeowners have only to provide building supplies, if they have the means, and volunteers, at no personal remuneration, assist in making the homes habitable.
#Surely the other denominations have members who are carpenters, masons, electricians and plumbers who are willing to devote some of their spare time to assist their members in this way?
#For, whilst repairs generally are proceeding at a snail’s pace, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have successfully repaired homes and their Kingdom Hall in Marsh Harbour will be ready for their annual Memorial service in April this year. All through the unselfish work of volunteers.
http://www.tribune242.com/news/2020/feb/13/unselfish-volunteers/

Five dreary months have passed since Hurricane Dorian lay waste Abaco and Grand Bahama, and daily in the local press we hear and read of persons being dissatisfied with the pace of hurricane reconstruction.
#However, I am sure that at least ninety-five if not one hundred per cent of those who were adversely affected by the hurricane were members of churches and paid collection or tithes on a weekly or monthly basis. Consequently, it is not unreasonable to think that these churches would assist their parishioners or their congregants in some meaningful way.
#When disasters have occurred in our country, and especially since hurricane Andrew, I have been impressed by the work done by the denomination of Jehovah’s Witnesses who quickly mobilised members of their organisation, both local and foreign to expertly repair and replace their places of worship and the homes of their members.
#From personal knowledge I am aware that homeowners have only to provide building supplies, if they have the means, and volunteers, at no personal remuneration, assist in making the homes habitable.
#Surely the other denominations have members who are carpenters, masons, electricians and plumbers who are willing to devote some of their spare time to assist their members in this way?
#For, whilst repairs generally are proceeding at a snail’s pace, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have successfully repaired homes and their Kingdom Hall in Marsh Harbour will be ready for their annual Memorial service in April this year. All through the unselfish work of volunteers.
http://www.tribune242.com/news/2020/feb/13/unselfish-volunteers/

1368 deaths!!!   So sad...

On November 24, 2019, the Sweden Ministry of Culture concluded that Jehovah’s Witnesses “contributed to maintaining and strengthening the fundamental values upon which society is based.” It allows them to receive state funding for religious communities. The same happened in Norway a month later.
https://jw-russia.org/en/news/2020/02/33.html

On November 24, 2019, the Sweden Ministry of Culture concluded that Jehovah’s Witnesses “contributed to maintaining and strengthening the fundamental values upon which society is based.” It allows them to receive state funding for religious communities. The same happened in Norway a month later.
https://jw-russia.org/en/news/2020/02/33.html

I personally love Red Robin's "Mad Love" gourmet burger.  It must be on my top 3 list of cheeseburgers.

Ask for the "Campfire" sauce for your steak fries. Yummy. It is basically a mix of BBQ and Ranch I'm told.

Now that I read again it seems that it had nothing to do with that 🤭
 
Do left and right brain dominant mean anything? Why viral shoe illusion theories don't really work
The message read: “if ur right brain is dominant, u will see combination of pink and white color,and if ur left brain is dominant, u will see it in grey and green color. Try with ur loved ones, very interesting.” (sic)
As engrossing as this theory is, it's completely false.
In fact, the idea that one is either left brained (more logical) or right brained (more creative) is untrue.
Carl Zimmer explained to VeryWell magazine: "The pop psychology notion of a left brain and a right brain doesn’t capture their intimate working relationship.
"The left hemisphere specialises in picking out the sounds that form words and working out the syntax of the phrase, for example, but it does not have a monopoly on language processing.
"The right hemisphere is more sensitive to the emotional features of language, tuning in to the slow rhythms of speech that carry intonation and stress."
Why do I see one colour and not another?
So why do some people see pink sneakers and others see grey?
Speaking in the frenzied aftermath of "the dress" debate, neuroscientist Bevil Conway attempted to explain why the dress was being perceived so differently.
Speaking to Wired, he said: "Your visual system is looking at this thing, and you're trying to discount the chromatic bias of the daylight axis... people either discount the blue side, in which case they end up seeing white and gold, or discount the gold side, in which case they end up with blue and black."
Liverpool University's Paul Knox, meanwhile, explained that the colour difference could be due to the lighting qualities of the device being used to view the picture.
"What meets the eye is light at given wavelengths that then stimulates several distinct pathways that process these different wavelengths," he explained in a 2015 journal. "That’s what the brain interprets as colour but its complicated by things like the device you may be viewing the photograph on, the lighting in which you’re viewing the photograph and what’s going on inside your head; your own expectations.
https://inews.co.uk/news/science/left-right-brain-dominant-what-mean-side-meaning-test-shoe-colour-illusion-815225

via .ORGWorld News

More people have died from the Wuhan coronavirus than the 2003 SARS epidemic
The death toll from the novel coronavirus has surpassed that of the 2003 SARS epidemic.
Fatalities from the Wuhan virus climbed past 800 today (Feb. 9), officially topping the 774 deaths attributed to SARS, as millions of people in China prepare to get back to work after an extended Lunar New Year holiday. The overwhelming majority of those deaths, 780, have occurred in China’s Hubei province—home to the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak—and all but two have been in mainland China.
The first known death from the coronavirus outside of China was a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan who died in the Philippines and was thought to have had other preexisting health conditions. A 39-year-old man with an underlying health condition also died in Hong Kong.
A 60-year-old American woman who died at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan on Feb. 6 was the first confirmed non-Chinese death from the illness, the US Embassy said. A Japanese national in Wuhan, a man in his 60s, is also thought to have died from the coronavirus, though the local hospital he was taken to on Jan. 22 couldn’t confirm the cause of death.
The number of people infected with the Wuhan virus globally surpassed that of SARS (8,098) last month. More than 37,000 people worldwide are now thought to have been infected, most of them in mainland China. It’s still too soon to say how deadly the virus is.
Read more: https://qz.com/1799591/wuhan-coronavirus-death-toll-surpasses-that-of-sars/?utm_source=YPL&yptr=yahoo

La decisión final de Darren Collison está cada vez más próxima. Según informa Adrian Wojnarowski, de ESPN, el ex de los Indiana Pacers ha fijado una reunión con su agente, Bill Duffy, en la que determinará de forma definitiva si busca regresar o no a la NBA. Esta tendrá lugar a principios de la semana que viene, y en caso de que la decisión sea positiva comenzaría la ronda de reuniones con Lakers y Clippers.
Collison anunció su retirada el pasado verano, una noticia que sorprendió a propios y extraños debido a que su edad (31 años por aquel entonces, 32 ahora) y su juego no invitaban a pensar en un adiós al baloncesto. En su última temporada, Darren promedió 11,2 puntos y 6 asistencias, y cuando parecía que podía ser un hombre muy codiciado como base suplente comunicó que abandonaba la competición para centrarse en realizar acciones solidarias con los Testigos de Jehová.
El propio Collison ha disparado recientemente los rumores con su presencia en el Staples el pasado jueves, pues se le pudo ver junto a Jeanie Buss, propietaria de los Lakers, viendo el duelo que enfrentó a los angelinos y a los Rockets. Cuando se le preguntó si esto tenía alguna relación con su futuro, optó por eludir cualquier referencia a ello: “Simplemente he venido a ver el partido. He conseguido los mejores asientos de todo el estadio” afirmó.
(Fotografía de portada: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
https://www.nbamaniacs.com/rumores-nba/darren-collison-se-reune-con-su-agente-para-ultimar-su-posible-regreso/

https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania-grand-jury-investigating-jehovah-witnesses-sex-abuse-cover-up-20200209.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/02/08/jehovahs-witnesses-under-investigation-pennsylvania-attorney-generals-office/2425260001/

https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania-grand-jury-investigating-jehovah-witnesses-sex-abuse-cover-up-20200209.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/02/08/jehovahs-witnesses-under-investigation-pennsylvania-attorney-generals-office/2425260001/

https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania-grand-jury-investigating-jehovah-witnesses-sex-abuse-cover-up-20200209.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/02/08/jehovahs-witnesses-under-investigation-pennsylvania-attorney-generals-office/2425260001/

@Isabella Interesting. I didn't know they did that either. I usually order Pepperoni and Onion. I like the mix.
I am assuming the pepperoni is normal... 😉
 

Looks great, here I don't buy from Little Cesars because when I asked for that one which has all the ingredients including grounded meat, I noticed it contained soja, I'm fine with soja but they should tell customers that they mix beef with soja I guess to reduce costs,  not telling customers is like a estafa in my humble  opinion 

Found on Facebook.

The organization allegedly directed elders in all of its United States congregations to send detailed reports on members facing an allegation of sexually abusing a child to its headquarters.
Since the late 1990s blue envelopes from Jehovah’s Witness congregations across the country have been sent to the organization’s headquarters. But, it’s the information inside those envelopes that contain damaging secrets. 
The blue envelopes contained detailed reports of members within the religion accused of child molestation. Officials scanned those documents into a database of files for each congregation, according to a sworn deposition by an official with The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society obtained by Reveal, the website for the Center for Investigative Reporting. 
But the specific details within that database have largely remained a secret—despite court orders and calls from the public to release its contents, leading some to accuse the organization of concealing suspected child abusers. 
The child abuse files were collected after the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society—the organization that oversees the Jehovah’s Witnesses—sent a request in March 1997 to all of its United States congregations requesting that each congregation write a detailed report about anyone within the religion who had been accused of child molestation and send it to the headquarters in the special blue envelope, according to The Atlantic
Full article: https://www.oxygen.com/the-witnesses/crime-news/jehovahs-witnesses-keep-secret-database-of-potential-sexual-predators

The rebel Luhansk People's Republic – which denies registration to many religious communities including all Protestants – threatens to cut off gas, electricity and water to places of worship belonging to unrecognised communities. The rebel authorities have allowed the only Catholic priest to return to the territory, but have not said if he can remain permanently or only for three months.
In 2019 the rulers of the unrecognised self-declared Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) in eastern Ukraine cut off or threatened to cut off gas, electricity and water supplies to religious communities which had a recognised place of worship but which failed to gain registration under LPR laws. Gas supplies were cut off in 2019. In late 2019 the LPR authorities also threatened to cut off electricity and water supplies.
"Officials argue that they cannot supply gas, electricity and water to organisations that don't officially exist, as they can't have contracts with them," Baptist Pastor Serhii Moroz told Forum 18 (see below).

In December 2019 Culture, Sport and Youth Minister Dmitry Sidorov, revealed that of the 195 registered religious organisations, 188 are from the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate. The others are Muslim, Old Believer, Jewish and Catholic. No Protestant, Jehovah's Witness, Hare Krishna or other communities are allowed to get registration 
No registration – no gas, electricity, water
Religious communities which had a recognised place of worship but which failed to gain registration under LPR laws had their gas cut off in 2019, Baptist Pastor Serhii Moroz, who is originally from the region but now lives in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, told Forum 18 on 4 February 2020. In late 2019 came the threat that electricity and water too would be cut off.

"Officials argue that they cannot supply gas, electricity and water to organisations that don't officially exist, as they can't have contracts with them," Pastor Moroz told Forum 18.

Communities which met in church members' homes have not had gas, electricity and water supplies cut, Pastor Moroz added.

Inna Sheryayeva, head of the Religious Organisations and Spirituality Department of the Culture, Sport and Youth Ministry in Luhansk, told Forum 18 she had not heard that gas, electricity and water supplies have been or are threatened with being cut off to places of worship that have not been able to gain registration.
 
http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2540

The organization allegedly directed elders in all of its United States congregations to send detailed reports on members facing an allegation of sexually abusing a child to its headquarters.
Since the late 1990s blue envelopes from Jehovah’s Witness congregations across the country have been sent to the organization’s headquarters. But, it’s the information inside those envelopes that contain damaging secrets. 
The blue envelopes contained detailed reports of members within the religion accused of child molestation. Officials scanned those documents into a database of files for each congregation, according to a sworn deposition by an official with The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society obtained by Reveal, the website for the Center for Investigative Reporting. 
But the specific details within that database have largely remained a secret—despite court orders and calls from the public to release its contents, leading some to accuse the organization of concealing suspected child abusers. 
The child abuse files were collected after the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society—the organization that oversees the Jehovah’s Witnesses—sent a request in March 1997 to all of its United States congregations requesting that each congregation write a detailed report about anyone within the religion who had been accused of child molestation and send it to the headquarters in the special blue envelope, according to The Atlantic
Full article: https://www.oxygen.com/the-witnesses/crime-news/jehovahs-witnesses-keep-secret-database-of-potential-sexual-predators

JW Survey has obtained documents affirming that the Jehovah’s Witness headquarters in the United Kingdom has orchestrated a systematic takeover bid of all Kingdom Hall properties located in England, Scotland and Wales.
In a letter dated November 8th, 2019, the London-based Kingdom Hall Trust announced that all UK congregations will dissolve their status as individual charities and become branches of the KHT.

The Kingdom Hall Trust (KHT) is a Jehovah’s Witness legal corporation established in 1939 as the London Company of Kingdom Witnesses. On June 30, 1978, it was officially registered as a charity in the UK.
In 1994, the name was changed to the Kingdom Hall Trust.

While the KHT was already engaged in the acquisition of property used by Jehovah’s Witness church members, the latest directive “proposes” that all UK Branch Congregations relinquish their individual charity status and operate under the blanket control of the Kingdom Hall Trust charity.
Five documents were leaked, including a private letter to all elders, a separate letter to be read to congregations, and an FAQ document explaining the dissolution of congregation charities. Also included are the pre-formatted meeting minutes and congregation resolutions to be filled out, resolved, and returned to the KHT.
According to the letter presented to individual congregations, the UK Charity Commission approved the merging of all UK congregations into the Kingdom Hall Trust, with the premise that all congregations in the United Kingdom agree to these changes.
The language used cleverly suggests that the merger is optional:
“Your charity is now being invited to take part in this process and merge with The Kingdom Hall Trust. Next week a resolution will be put to all baptized members of your congregation so that you can decide whether or not to go along with this proposal.” [bold ours]
It may be of interest to the Charity Commission that congregational compliance to central directives is not optional. All resolutions placed before congregation members from the Jehovah’s Witness governing entities are passed without contest.
Financial Implications
While the Kingdom Hall Trust directors state that these changes are for purposes of simplification, the leaked documents suggest that permanent control of property and finances may be the true motivation.
The November 2019 letter to congregation members says:
“However, because elders would no longer serve as trustees, your local donations would be administered by KHT as part of its general funds. This could mean that the Trustees decide to use your donations to support the Kingdom work elsewhere in our branch territory and throughout the world to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters. This is in harmony with the equalizing explained at 2 Corinthians 8:14 “… that by means of an equalizing, your surplus at the present time might offset their need, so that their surplus might also offset your deficiency, that there may be an equalizing”.” [bold ours]
While Witnesses have always been able to donate funds to the “Worldwide” work, the latest directive appears to give the Kingdom Hall Trust the ability to extract funds normally marked for local use only, and allocate them for use by Jehovah’s Witness leadership anywhere in the world.
Read more: https://jwsurvey.org/news/jehovahs-witness-uk-headquarters-dissolves-kingdom-hall-charities-seizes-full-control-of-property-and-finances