Carborendum

Sequence of posts: Emmanuel Goldstein commented that the vaccines have not actually been "approved". They're for emergency use only. Thus making us all guinea pigs. NT said that he was a guinea pig (i.e. had received the "unapproved" vaccine) and described that process as including a LOT of blood being drawn. I said, therefore, I cannot get the vaccine (for trial on guinea pigs) because I cannot have that much blood drawn from me. If I misinterpreted what anyone said, please clarify. But I assumed that what these two individuals wrote were correct. If what they said was not correct, then my conclusion would likewise be incorrect.

No, not the vaccine. The fact that in this preliminary stage (what I gathered from what you said about the quantities of blood being drawn from you) receiving the vaccine means you are also required to have huge quantities of blood being drawn at frequent intervals. It is THAT part that I can't do.

That is a good point. Ironically, all the more reason to need the word "with".

A funny thing happened in our Come Follow Me discussion last night. The subject of "being one" came up. My son asked,"How am I supposed to 'be one'?" I noticed the complete absence of "with others" or "with the Lord." Then I suddenly realized that I'd never heard the commandment to "be one" combined with the word "with". I did a search on the phrase "be one with". Only one time does it appear in all of scripture D&C 31:2. And this indeed talks about being united with family in the gospel. Nowhere does that phrase appear as "being one with the Lord." Nowhere does it say the Father and Son are "one with each other." They are merely "one." Why? I'd say it could be a linguistic quirk in Hebrew or Greek. I don't know. Maybe. But in English? Only tradition does the phrase "be one" necessarily mean "be united". So, what if it means something else? Could it? Would it be plausible? I went on to think about two alternatives. "One is the beginning" "someone has to start." Starting at the beginning means humility. Starting means one must lead. Starting from nothing and leading means strength and power. Entropy vs Order Entropy is about making everything the same. Entropy is decay. It is Chaos. Eternal life is about order. It is about identity. "Remember who you are." It is about being unique "God is one, for there is none like him." The Lord binds man to free man. Satan frees man to bind man. Maybe "Being One" is more about these things than "united". The Father found us and saw that we had the potential for "intelligence." What does that mean? What if it means that we could have identity. It meant that we could have power (The Glory of God is Intelligence). Maybe it does include the concept of being united. Maybe there are more than one applications of the phrase. Maybe I'm really far off with all this. But it hit me pretty powerfully last night. And I can't shake it. This is a nascent philosophizing in my head right now. But I feel like it could be much more. Thoughts?

I apparently have a medical reason to NOT receive the vaccine. I have unusual vein structure. While it is still possible to give blood, the technician needs to be particularly skilled in order to get it to work. Otherwise, I end up getting stuck several times in both arms before they get it right. You can't do that every few weeks or else the blood vessels collapse.

I think the Thanksgiving letter is a perfect allegory to the OP. The substance of what each is asking for is not the problem. It is the method and "A-TI-TOOUUUDDD" with which it is being done. Just as Marney (BTW, the video is for entertainment only/not real, and I believe the original letter to be merely a caricature of some realities.) had some great ideas and advice, what Gramma Bear wants people to do is a wonderful goal. But the force behind it without mutual consent is what is creating the tension. Before I moved to Texas, we had a very close knit extended family. It worked because everyone understood boundaries. We got together for things we all mutually agreed would be in our best interest. We shared responsibilities. We took turns with hosting activities. And if someone opted out one day (or many) for whatever reason, we didn't butt into each others' lives to see why. We all benefitted from the experience such that we all looked forward to the activities. We really were a Norman Rockwell painting. I think this is what Gramma Bear wants to have. But she is taking the method of shoe-horning in order to make the dream a reality. That ends up being more of a disturbed slumber. The dream needs to grow organically. And it has to be with mutual ideals & goals. It doesn't happen because one person is going to force everyone into a gilded cage of Utopia.

I don't know the original reasoning. But there are some practical reasons why 24 hours is a reasonable time. 1) Since we fast both food AND WATER, it is not healthy to go beyond 24 hours without water. Yes, we can survive. But some health impacts occur after that time period. 2) It is a convenient timeframe that we can practically manage on a large scale. The fact that we tend to do it on Sundays decreases the chances for scheduling interferences, etc. 3) There is a physiological & spiritual response around the 19 to 20 hour period that can be realized. Long explanation. But it is during the last few hours that some very interesting things tend to happen.

He just couldn't feel That he'd stepped on a peel. So through the glass door he went.

I think you missed the entire point of the post. It isn't about COVID. It is about government having a "valid" reason to put a tracking device in your body with personal data that they can keep track of. Exactly the point I was making. Their overt claim doesn't have to be true. It just has to be "plausible" enough to sell to the general public. And once that's done, then they can do whatever the heck they want.

There was some talk about someone saying that Martin "only" saw the plates and the angel with his "spiritual eyes." Then they went on to explain that "spiritual eyes" were basically an imagined vision. This is a lie. As far as I know, some people may have used such language (and we do as well, sometimes). But it was by no means universal. When Latter-day Saints refer to "spiritual eyes" we mean that the power of God would not allow a mortal to see divine things and live. To be able to behold His glory, we need to undergo a transfiguration (like what happened to the apostles on the Mount of Transfiguration with the Savior). When we are transfigured, our bodies are different -- strengthened -- to be able to withstand the glory of God. But the experience is no less real. If anything, it is MORE real. A perfect example is Nephi's vision and the account of Moses in the Pearl of Great price. This manner of language has been an LDS belief ever since the beginning.

Apparently, the Christian's worst nightmare is coming true. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/last-pandemic-science-military-60-minutes-2021-04-11/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7d&linkId=115939030 I do not believe a "chip" is the mark of the beast. I believe that there is a societal system that is the mark of the beast. And this chip is only a small (no pun intended) part of it. It is simply a tool to help implement the mark of the beast.

Jaimie, I'm not criticizing you directly. But I have to offer a rebuttal for others who are reading this thread. That was a twisted account of what actually happened. I've never heard of this before. Could you provide a reference? I know that after the failed attempt at calling upon Heaven, Martin admitted that he was the reason the Lord was silent, and went away to "humble himself". I don't know if that included fasting or not. But probably so. I've never heard any accounts about Oliver or David having fasted prior to the visitation. Provide a source. Really? https://www.livestrong.com/article/546782-can-lack-of-food-make-you-hallucinate/ Not a credible claim. I wouldn't find this believable if you said it about the followers of Jim Jones. But we're talking about three people who were highly educated, level-headed men who were leaders in their communities prior to meeting with Joseph. They all harbored doubts because they were wary of believing outlandish stories. They were not foolish children who could easily be tricked into anything. And he simply "talked them into" believing they saw something that wasn't there? That is not just persuasion and trickery. That is a master hypnotist at work. How many more abilities will they claim Joseph had and still be mortal. With all the claims of his critics, he almost seems like a Superman or something. Someone as good as The Mentalist only exists in fantasy land. If someone really were that good, he would HAVE to have help from above. Indeed. Jamie, I know you've behaved very well on this site for as long as I've known you. So, I'm not going to hold this against you personally. But the claims made by these "critics" twist the truth and then proceed to outright lie. I find it interesting that these men claim Joseph was a master trickster who deluded & deceived these men to believe what he said. But then the very words of their (the critics) very own arguments are outright deceptions. Do they believe that these witnesses were fools? Or do they believe that their own audience is full of fools? Depends on what the "unusual" state actually was. I know of someone who is morose and serious almost all the time. He always makes bad judgments because he looks at things from the most pessimistic perspective. But every once in a while he is in a cheery mood. And he brings forth some pearls of wisdom -- what some may call a "zen gem." Actually, that is exactly what you just did. As the link I posted above indicates, fasting for a day or so does not cause hallucinations. So, even if not "equating", you are at least drawing a parallel where there is none. It was along the lines of saying "Lions are mammals, and you're a mammal, so I should be really wary being around you." If anything, it tends to calm the "noise" of life and allow our minds to focus properly. Yes, he was. It isn't so simple as a blot of mustard that would cause something so serious as hallucinations. Hallucinations are A BIG DEAL. Your friend who saw pink elephants was not just "kinda drunk". You have to be WAYYY over the deep end to get to that stage (as you say "blind drunk"). If he did that with only a few small drinks, then he has other health issues he may want to get checked out.

Excuse me? Browning invented the 1911. He sold the patent to Colt.

Ratio of mustard seed to a lepton (it is on the order of Avagadro's number). Ratio of a mountain to a speck of dust (it is on the order of Avagadro's number).

I do the counting of persons attending in person. The other clerk checks the Zoom attendees and we add them up. So, if all those attending also attend the Zoom meeting from their phones...