James Thomas Rook Jr.

I think you have just inadvertently admitted why Jesus was so dead-set against looking for signs indicating how close we were to the END. When people begin trying to use various ideas from world events or astrology or scriptural interpretations to figure out when the END should come, they begin to think it could easily take several years. This creates a tendency for imperfect humans to take advantage of the remaining time left.
It's the reason why Jesus gave the parable of the unfaithful and indiscreet slaves in Matthew 24 and Luke 12:
(Matthew 24:48-51) . . .But if ever that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying,’ 49 and he starts to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, 50 the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, 51 and he will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his place with the hypocrites. There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be.
(Luke 12:44-48) . . .. 45 But if ever that slave should say in his heart, ‘My master delays coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female servants and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that slave will come on a day that he is not expecting him and at an hour that he does not know, and he will punish him with the greatest severity and assign him a part with the unfaithful ones. 47 Then that slave who understood the will of his master but did not get ready or do what he asked will be beaten with many strokes. 48 But the one who did not understand and yet did things deserving of strokes will be beaten with few. Indeed, everyone to whom much was given, much will be demanded of him, and the one who was put in charge of much will have more than usual demanded of him.
Surely, this is why Jesus made a point to say that the END could come at any time, as a surprise, during a time you think NOT to be it. How much warning did the city of Sodom get in the days of Lot?
(Luke 17:28-30) . . .Likewise, just as it occurred in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building. 29 But on the day that Lot went out of Sodʹom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be the same on that day when the Son of man is revealed.
Also, note that the expression "that day when the Son of man is revealed" is parallel to the use of the word "parousia" in Matthew. So we know that the Parousia [revelation] must happen at a time when no one can predict the times and seasons, which are in the Father's jurisdiction. (Acts 1:6-8). Jesus emphasized that we cannot use current events like wars, earthquakes, pestilence as a way to figure out the parousia. He says we would see such things, and in that limited sense they were a kind of sign that the world would see both normal things and abnormal things right up until the end. (Pestilence in one place, but men saying everything is peaceful and secure in another place.) But they could NOT give us any knowledge about the timing of the parousia.
(Luke 17:23, 24) . . .And people will say to you, ‘See there!’ or, ‘See here!’ Do not go out or chase after them. 24 For just as lightning flashes from one part of heaven to another part of heaven, so the Son of man will be in his day.
[Note again that "the Son of man ... in his day" is the parallel to "parousia" in Matthew.]
No one should be able to say, oh look at this war, "See here!" it is the greatest war ever seen, or "Look at this great earthquake, or famine, or pestilence, see there!" These things are going to happen, just like people going on with their lives: getting married, and eating and drinking and buying and selling is going to happen, too. But these are not "signs of the end." It's easy to get misled into believing such things, which is why Jesus had to warn us that this is not the Christian way to look at things.
(Matthew 24:3-8) . . .“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence [parousia] and of the conclusion [destructive END] of the system of things?” 4 In answer Jesus said to them: “Look out that nobody misleads you, 5 for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 You are going to hear of wars and reports of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. 8 All these things are a beginning [not the end] of pangs of distress.
We should expect that people will be saying "See Here!" and "See There!" about this or that pestilence or war or earthquake, etc. But this is no indication of the end. The end cannot be calculated, it could just as easily happen while people were acting as they generally have since the creation's beginning until now: eating, drinking, getting married:
(Matthew 24:36-44) 36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 38 For as they were in those days before the Flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39 and they took no note until the Flood came and swept them all away, so the presence [parousia] of the Son of man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken along and the other abandoned. 41 Two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken along and the other abandoned. 42 Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 “But know one thing: If the householder had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have kept awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 On this account, you too prove yourselves ready, because the Son of man is coming at an hour that you do not think to be it.
Note again, by the way, that the "day your Lord is coming" is paralleled with the "parousia of the Son of man." So we can't know when the parousia starts. The Parousia is coming at an hour that you do not think to be it. It's unchristian to try, and it's unchristian to use the mistake that the early disciples made as an excuse to make the same mistake today.
(Acts 1:7) 7 He said to them: “It does not belong to you to know the times or seasons that the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction.

We had our meeting online today - the entire congregation.  Most witnesses are still doing telephone witnessing.
Being 67 years of age, I already quaranteened myself before the emergency conditions were called out in my country. 
This does not mean that we stop preaching or attending meetings! Or have contact with our spiritual family! 

I have several friends who make money by building and investing in property. It definitely beats the stock exchange - as long as one does not overpay for the property and the location is good.
My best friend supported her family with construction work. Yes, a woman with her own company and she did preaching when she could.
My husband thankfully had his heart attack in Sweden otherwise all our savings would have been wiped out  in USA.  He was only 61 years old.   
Nine days hospitalization five years back in Florida for a bout if pneumonia cost a friend  almost 70,000 dollars. She was only 45 years old...... and that is without the Bill's for the doctors.  So one bit of sickness can wipe out the profit on a property overnight.
I do not think it is wrong to save in this way for some health event...... I did it myself.  Nothing wrong with being prudent.  Young people who have no hospital bills to pay do not realize how expensive it is. Cancer treatment is quite sketchy if one does not have good health insurance and Medicare does not guarantee the best treatment. 
A holiday property next to the sea is also not a sin - although you really try hard to make it look this way.  
If I decide to leave a property in my will to the organization it is my business and if I do some prudent business on the side I am fulfilling proverbs 31... by being a smart wife.... whether I am JW or not.
Yes, if all my thinking is consumed by a "love " of money or the accumulation of wealth ..... then it would be a sin. But it is not wrong to earn money by your personal endeavours while serving God. Abraham obeyed God and showed exceptional  faith and God blessed him materially.  So do a little finger pointing in Abraham's and Jacob's direction!
I personally think that showing jealousy of another's success is an even bigger sin than making money by prudent and honest endeavours. Also the petty research to try and malign another persons reputation is also a sin. 
What did all this research and wasted time  prove?  Not much......it only shone a light on the intent of the presenter.

I can see being in isolation has cracked you lot up already 
As for James' question :-
If a JW votes in a national election ... will there be congregational sanctions against him?
Answer : Not right now because all meetings are cancelled. 

If you like, you may be able to vote for Andrew Cuomo, seeing as you are so eager to vote. You can vote for him. In the best of times, he is a nanny, and now that it is the worst of times, he has gone into overdrive, oozing his concern for everyone, and there are many who are blown away by his caring (and contrast him with Trump, who is so heavy of tongue that some wish they would get Aaron to fill in for him). I am seeing in comments to his tweets: Cuomo for President. There is a hashtag for it. This crisis is made to order for him, as he does best when there is no scrutiny whatsoever about the price tag. Someone speculated that if Biden gets the nod, it will somehow end up being AC running the show—probably starting with a VP nomination.
You would like him, James. He would tell you to be cautious with your chickens in case there are any health risks to living in close proximity to them. He tells New Yorkers to bundle up when it is cold. He explains how when the temperature drops it can get dangerous to be out in the weather. He refers on occasion to the ‘family of New York,’ notwithstanding that one family member wins the Nobel prize and another family member lands in the hoosegow for knifing yet a third. They are all family members. You would make a good family member, too. 
This is human government, James. Do your bit to smooth his way. Or do your bit to oppose him and smooth someone else’s way. He will take your guns, probably. On the other hand, by doing so he may be saving you a lifetime of trouble, for if you use one and kill/injure somebody you may spend the rest of your days fending off litigation of one sort or another.
Savor in the blessings that human government can bring, if you like.

Peter was a rock ... but Simon was a rock AND an island.

Inadequate attention has been paid, and is being paid, to the signs of the prophet Simon. In his writings, he declares how people will live in these latter days that include plagues:
”Hiding in my room, sacred in my room, I touch no one and no one touches me.” - Paul Simon
He continues, indicating where people may find relief:
”I have my books. And my poetry to protect me.”
Let the reader use discernment. The ‘books’ he is referring to are the 66 books of the Holy Bible. The ‘poetry’ consists of the poignant remarks he posts right here on the worldnewsmedia forum.

My favorite circuit overseer—an old fellow—long ago said that he doesn’t argue with trinitarians. “I’ve never convinced one,” he said.
I’m struck by the verse that has cropped up a few times recently on how ‘wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled.‘ Trouble is, if you apply that verse to anyone, they just turn around and apply it to you, as Tom Henry discovers multiple times every week.
Let whoever it is be firmly convinced in his own mind’ Paul said somewhere. It will have to be one of those things you leave in God’s hands, and see whether the blessings flow to wherever you have chosen to be. To quote an odd expression of Jesus: ‘where the carcass is, there the eagles will gather.’ Fine carcasses where i hang out, I think.
My books—I think all of them—include contact information with the proviso that I’m not an arguer. “Sometimes people disagree. He can live with that,” I say in the third person of myself.
God knows if he is a trinity or not. For atheists, he knows if he exists or not. For characters here, he knows if he has a ‘true anointed’ to pull from his sleeve or not. He knows if he is going to have all the heavenly bodies stand on their heads so we can draw conclusions or not. He knows if his home base is a Facebook page or not. I’ll preach truth as I know it and throw all the rest on his lap. He can handle it.

I remember this exact same claim from someone I corresponded with years ago who was a big proponent of "Bible Codes" in the Hebrew Text. By skipping and choosing consistent numbers of Hebrew letters, she could prove that Jesus was in the Hebrew Scriptures in expressions that could translate to "Jesus is God" "Jesus is Messiah" etc.
Showing her how she was including the modern Hebrew text majuscules which were not in the original Hebrew text, but only in the Masoretic, was a worthless exercise. Showing her that, based on statistical letter frequencies, she was seeing what anyone would ordinarily expect statistically was also to no avail. (Among other arguments.) Most of the time you can't make any headway with persons who believe something ordinary is extraordinary. But I finally did the math and showed her that it was just as likely that we would find cases of "Jesus is Satan" "God is Satan" etc. She denied that this was even possible. Of course, if I had shown these examples to her instead of merely positing their existence mathematically, she would have still found a way to deny that they had any significance after being shown. But getting her to deny that such expressions could ever exist at all (using her same rules for "Bible Codes") was the key, as she had to admit it when it was proven later.
I'm saying this because I never really expect to convince the person who promotes ordinary things as if extraordinary. But it can sometimes help others "on the fence" avoid the same trap. It was a very unusual and unexpected experience to actually have been able to convince a strong and vocal Bible-codes proponent, in that case.
I see your view in almost exactly the same way.

If I could get over the stunned realization that you are SERIOUS about this .. I could have a have a good, long, extended, knee slapping, fall down and lie on the floor gasping for air crying jag belly laugh.

The message sent wasn't clear enough - sorry. It was merely a thought about those who do not pay attention to Jehovah's words at Psalm 115:16). "As for the heavens, they belong to Jehovah, But the earth he has given to the sons of men." The world isn't much concerned about what the Bible says in this respect. Not many even read it, or even believe what it says. I was wondering - not about their being resurrected, but whether they will indeed, be resurrected. Ignorance about what the Bible says is no excuse, its available over most of the world. I was wondering whether Jehovah WOULD consider resurrecting any who may die on other planets. They are already planning to colonise Mars.
 

The first amendment ONLY applies to the actions of the Federal, State, and Local Governments, etc. restricting the speech of individules or legal entities.
IT DOES NOT APPLY TO  NON-GOVERNMENT CENSURE OF INDIVIDUALS
Your Boss may fire you for saying something he does not like, or I may throw you out of my house for speech I do not approve of.
... the same with the "owner" of this blog.
You cannot legally discriminate against someone on the basis of race, creed color, or national origin, etc. .... there is a list .... ... but you CAN discriminate against anyone for being too tall, too short, ugly, or stupid.
.... or snarky, and mean spirited, etc.
 
 
 

Infinite variety ...
I have been considering putting an index finger from each hand under my lower eyelids, and pulling down while crossing my eyes.
I am fairly certain this will discourage any handshaking.

Has anyone heard of the following:
To avoid passing on sicknesses to others, or as a precaution, when someone holds offers their hand to greet us, we in return should put our hand on our shoulder then hold out an extended elbow to indicate that we are avoiding contact with our hands.

Well, it’s not as though one needs only swallow a pill and that’s the end of it.
”Stop being anxious” Bro Morris quoted Jesus at the Regional from Atlanta, and then reiterated: “Just stop it!” as though you would scold a child - planting the notion that it ought to be possible.
Pssstttttt !    Ah.....that Miller is good.
Where is that verse—it’s there somewhere, find it for me, about wine existing so that mortal man can forget his woes as the need arises.

This was inevitable.
That is why soon the most precious metal may soon be lead, with a brass casing.

“We made Miller the number two selling brand in the country and everybody said, ‘No one will drink that stuff.’ - Mickey Spillane

I don't really know. My youngest son speaks and writes Chinese fairly well and has been writing to some friends in China. They are working under the assumption that some persons CAN get it again, but that it was extremely rare and probably based on getting a variant the second time. South Korea has also reported second infections. 
Japanese "experts" have been reporting on NHK (like a Japanese "BBC") that the United States already had 4 or 5 variants of the virus, during the time that China did not yet have a second variant. Of course, even though Japan "hates" China, and is politically allied with the US, many Japanese have accepted as a "given" that this is evidence that the United States was already carrying the "first" and up to four branches of the virus, while China started out with only 1 of the branches in Wuhan, Hubei. Therefore, their "experts" are saying it must have come from the United States.
At any rate, if the United States is carrying more variants, then it's more likely to suffer second infections (on the variant theory). [I assume, but don't know enough about it, that if an infected "variant 2" coughs on an infected "variant 4" that this is one way that a "variant 5" might be produced.] It's not known how well the antibodies built up from one (survived) infection might help fight a second. Also, it's possible that before testing was widely available, that some who were counted among the infected, were actually coincidentally suffering from another type of flu during the "first" infection.
Tentatively, these Chinese friends of his say that they have all been through weeks of self-quarantine, and several provinces are finally going back to work. But they know that the outbreaks could happen anytime, anywhere. Even if second infections were NOT possible, there are still over a billion Chinese people who never got it in the first place, and are just as susceptible as those who already got it earlier.

Kosonen:
Time of the end?
I could just as easily speculate ...ALSO ... without any basis, that those who survive the coronavirus, will lose the "ability" to age.
Both ideas have no basis in reality.

The first amendment ONLY applies to the actions of the Federal, State, and Local Governments, etc. restricting the speech of individules or legal entities.
IT DOES NOT APPLY TO  NON-GOVERNMENT CENSURE OF INDIVIDUALS
Your Boss may fire you for saying something he does not like, or I may throw you out of my house for speech I do not approve of.
... the same with the "owner" of this blog.
You cannot legally discriminate against someone on the basis of race, creed color, or national origin, etc. .... there is a list .... ... but you CAN discriminate against anyone for being too tall, too short, ugly, or stupid.
.... or snarky, and mean spirited, etc.
 
 
 

You are right. Although China made early mistakes, as expected, they were not as bad as the mistakes made in the United States (also, as expected). Today, the United States has officially reported more active cases than there are active cases in ALL OF CHINA. There are now less than 7,000 active cases in the province of Hubei alone, where the vast majority of Chinese cases had been. Now that the US has passed China and France in the number of active cases, it appears to be ready to pass up Iran, too, which will likely put the US on par with Italy very soon as the two nations with the highest number of cases.
Of course, there will also probably be lot of Americans who will selfishly think it's OK to just let this thing catch fire and then burn out. Some stock market analysts have already hoped it would just be allowed to infect the entire country quickly so that they can get back to trading. Others have said it would be good as a way to take care of excess population. And others just think it's the best way to dilute the virus, letting everyone go to school and work as if nothing had changed. Direct comparisons to the common flu often have one of more of these perspectives behind it.
I trust China's numbers, and South Korea's and Taiwan's numbers more than other countries so far, because they did more preparation and testing as soon as they knew what they were dealing with. Also, the Diamond Princess cruise ship ended up producing a kind of test lab, so that we know more about the virus in a fairly controlled environment. It seems pretty obvious that when there is a lot of testing, knowledge, communication, and preparation, that the virus will still kill up to 1% of those treated for the infection. Where there is a lack of preparation, testing, and communication, the virus will likely kill from 3% to 8% of those seriously infected.
Therefore allowing it to "burn" rapidly and hopefully fade is a recipe for upwards of 8% deaths among those officially tested/treated. But handling it like China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Germany, can keep deaths down to 1%. Germany, Austria, Czechia, Switzerland have remained well under 1% deaths so far. Korea and Taiwan (and Diamond Princess) have kept it close to 1%, as did China everywhere except the Hubei/Wuhan province for which they were not prepared, and ended up with 5% deaths for those infected.
People probably won't want to look at how well China handled this after the first few days of mistakes, because this is a perfect setup for racism. But other countries can at least look to Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, etc. Of course a lot of countries are evidently too full of hubris and too full of profit-mongers to focus clearly enough on solutions.

No idea about the 'first amendment' as I'm not American I'm English. As for the 'rules' of JW open or closed forums I've no idea.
I've always thought this forum was open to anyone JW or not. @Witness is not a JW and a few others aren't either. Maybe there are some that never were JWs on here. It matters not to me who I'm sharing comments with, I do not discriminate. 
Jesus said to 'love your enemies' and the Org always used to say 'continue putting up with one another', so that's how i see it. 
But in honesty I don't think I've been excessively rude or offensive, unless I'm just getting less sensitive. And as you say its just 'banter', whether ex-witness or JW. 
I think there is a closed JW 'inner chamber' here for JWs only, if you would prefer to be in that. Though I would think it would be very boring.  Even @TrueTomHarley comes out to play here sometimes as he gets bored in there. 
Christian love to you Tom Henry, I mean you no harm. 

This was inevitable.
That is why soon the most precious metal may soon be lead, with a brass casing.

Lord, that fellow is a moron! Post a comment about the Corona virus and the worldwide financial collapse and he attaches a laughing emoji to it!
Does it not remind anyone with a shred of decency of Jesus words? 
“How long must I continue with you? How long must I put up with you?”
He really is losing it.

You need to meditate on what I just finished saying.
You are smart enough to derive correct answers from what I have already said ...... if you work at it.
Those determined to remain clueless will almost always succeed.