Queen Esther

Over Piranhas in the Amazon River! Beat that for dangerous!! ;-)

I love this 

@Arauna  Thats similar my thinking too...  Soon we shall see it !  

I read a few days ago that the number of Muslims in Europe is 50 million.  Now this may sound islamophobic but bear with me and you will get my point. 
As true Christians we know that all false religions get actively involved in world politics (Rev 17 - 18).  The Christians who love their politics and guns voted for Trump and allowed their fear of Islamic terrorism (the need for "security" ) to influence their vote.  We also note that Russia was contacted prior to the elections and there is mounting evidence of them influencing the vote with false information..... I think Putin is trying to destabilize USA and Europe (he hates NATO).  Russia have only their own interests at heart - not a grain of benevolence there! 
Russia annexed Georgia and part of Ukraine without the world doing anything - USA looks weak.  This has given Russia incentive to flex its muscles further by breaking prior agreements regarding the building of certain weapons.   They have also made alliances with Iran and now have access to ports in Syria.  China has also flexed its muscles by building islands in seas that previously did not belong to them.... and have built runways and ports on them.......so the world powers are all posturing like cocks.  The mega-ton nuclear bombs that Russia has, boggles the mind. 
Trump indicated that he does not want to be part of NATO (but now has changed this thought)  because he dare not let go of his alliances.  It has been the alliances of America with the rest of the world (its bedfellows) that has kept the balance; for renegade nations were intimidated not to go too far to destabilize the order.   It would therefore be fatal for trump to isolate America and become inward-looking.
Islam has taken the future Kingdom of Jehovah and it has made a false replica of this.  Islam (and all its eschatological beliefs) believe that Islam must expand to fill the earth and their version of law (Sharia law) must be instituted all over the earth to bring peace to the earth. We know this is a lie because Shiite and Sunni muslims hate each other.  They will work together and fight together to take over fast territories and then start fighting each other as soon as they have achieved this goal. (Syria is a good example of this, as is Yemen ).   Iran and Turkey are also vying with each other to establish the next Islamic caliphate - both treat their own people ruthlessly even though Iran purports to be a Theocracy.  (Many totalitarian states rising up - some like iron and some like clay - as in Europe)
We have good evidence of how Sharia law works in Saudi Arabia  (they have been spreading Salafist ideology throughout the world in the last 30 years and many mosques in Europe and America belong to their front organizations.)  Pockets of no-go zones all over Europe and England have already been taken over by Sharia law - it has been allowed to rule without any restraint in these areas.  (83 areas in England and 55 in Sweden are two statistics that come to mind.) Women and children have no rights and men have more than one wife (and receive state benefits for up to 4 wives and their children with each wife!..).  Imams have more powers than the pope because they can call a death warrant on any Muslim or public figure which insults Islam.)
My point is this:  If Europe is in any way destabilized by conflict .... it will create a vacuum wherein we will see the sudden rise of an ISIS- like organization in Europe and it will spread fast with much violence to Canada and many other countries -  just like it did in Iraq and Syria. The behavior we saw in Irak and Syria will be repeated..... but this time there will be no place for refugees to flee to.
We are definitely in the time of the end - that is for sure.  Jehovah may put it into the heart of the political entities to turn against all religion before this clash of civilizations comes to Europe....But they first have to realize the security issues..... and so far they  seem to be 'blinded' and are adhering to resolutions given by the EU and UN. 
Trump may be the man who will broker a peace deal in the middle east and proclaim far and wide that we now have "peace and security" - which will be false of course!  He has the right personality for it!  Sudden chaos will descend.  Governments will then take steps to curb religion.   No more recruiting / preaching and loyalty to your government comes first!  
This is just speculation of course.....  But all I am sure of is this: the doomsday clock is moving closer to midnight than the secular world suspects. ...

I would just like to add:  If one studies the bible and interesting idea comes to the fore.  God did NOT want them to build cities so early after the flood - he told them to spread out!
Nimrod was in opposition to Jehovah because he not only lead them to built 'many cities' in Babylon and Assyria (as indicated in genesis)  but started an empire.  Originally he hunted lions to keep people safe but became a leader and then became very powerful. In ancient Babylonian culture as well as the Assyrian culture, kings regularly hunted lions to prove their power as king.  Look at some of the Assyrian reliefs in the London Museum of antiquities.....(they are online). Later on ... they used to breed lions for the king to hunt. The word " Nimr " also has connections to the tiger. 
Why was it wrong to build cities which we today call "civilization?"     It immediately divides peoples into a class system.  A ruler with his religious leaders to back him up (as in ancient Babylon) with the  religious order controlling many sectors of the economy such as grain storage etc. These religious leaders then built an entire system of worship around a person or persons.... and they controlled the wealth.  In my studies of ancient Babylon I soon realized that the zodiac was paramount in their religious system and superstition and spells were the order of the day.  They studied every movement of the stars and planets and their mathematical calculations were extremely advanced so that they could use it for predictions - for the king.  When to go to war -when to make alliances etc.   
Within cities one also immediately gets diversification of permanent jobs...   The potter makes pottery (mass production); the cotton producer dies his material in massive urine dams.....   This not only leads to rich and poor but also brings dirt and disease in cities.  Hogs used to roam in Babylon's streets to clean up rubbish.   Massive food cultivation leads to depletion of the ground. 
Today Babylon is arid because of the salt in the ground due to over irrigation by the irrigation channels.  They built a network of irrigation channels to cultivate crops.   Yes - and you get slaves - because the king needs people to do the hard labor of building water channels  and palaces etc.  And what about the building of walls for protection because more wealth brings greater chance of being attacked!   It seems to be a vicious circle!
 Jehovah called Abraham out of a 'city' where the moon god was prevalent as the chief deity.  City-states became the norm everywhere and many of these made war against each other.  Soon after Abraham left Ur - Ur was attacked and had major destruction! 
Abraham trusted in Jehovah and had protection from him.  He also came out from the pantheon of Gods that were everywhere!  Babylon was famous for its shrines just like Rome had shrines everywhere to its gods.  Abraham looked forward to the 'city' of Jehovah (many city states had a king-priest because religion and the king were closely bound together.)
I love reading about agriculture and have read that small, diversified farms are the best way to farm.  Diversity of animals and diversity of crops....  I think we will do this in the new system.   Hi rise cities may become something of the past!
Yes, Babylon was responsible for many of the false teachings and most civilizations still adhere to many of its teachings in our modern era.  Fortunately - we only have to adhere to the bible to serve Jehovah well.  And while it is interesting to know where these things come from (1 Co 8:1 "now concerning food offered to idols....... knowledge puffs up.")  Knowledge of false religion is not the most important aspect of our worship to Jehovah. 
Like good English - one does not learn bad English to know what is good - one learns good English and then one can discard bad English when it is spoken. 

A  nice  preaching  idea...
 

Πέμπτη 16 Φεβρουαρίου    εδάφιο της ημέρας
Ο Θεός είναι αγάπη.—1 Ιωάν. 4:8.    
http://wol.jw.org/el/wol/dt/r11/lp-g/2017/2/16  
Μάρτυρες του Ιεχωβά    
    
Thursday, February 16    daily text
God is love.—1 John 4:8.    
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/dt/r1/lp-e/2017/2/16  
Jehovah's Witnesses    
    
Jueves 16 de febrero    texto diario
Dios es amor (1 Juan 4:8).    
http://wol.jw.org/es/wol/dt/r4/lp-s/2017/2/16  
Testigos de Jehová    
    
Quinta-feira, 16 de fevereiro    texto do dia
Deus é amor. — 1 João 4:8.    
http://wol.jw.org/pt/wol/dt/r5/lp-t/2017/2/16  
Testemunhas de Jeová    
    
Четверг, 16 февраля    СТИХ НА ДЕНЬ
Бог есть любовь (1 Иоан. 4:8).    
http://wol.jw.org/ru/wol/dt/r2/lp-u/2017/2/16  
Свидетели Иеговы    
    
Czwartek 16 lutego    tekst dzienny
Bóg jest miłością (1 Jana 4:8).    
http://wol.jw.org/pl/wol/dt/r12/lp-p/2017/2/16  
Świadkowie Jehowy    
    
Jeudi 16 février    texte du jour
Dieu est amour (1 Jean 4:8).    
http://wol.jw.org/fr/wol/dt/r30/lp-f/2017/2/16  
Témoins de Jéhovah     
    
Donnerstag, 16. Februar    tagestext
Gott ist Liebe (1. Joh. 4:8)    
http://wol.jw.org/de/wol/dt/r10/lp-x/2017/2/16  
Zeugen Jehovas    
    
Giovedì 16 febbraio    scrittura del giorno
Dio è amore (1 Giov. 4:8)    
http://wol.jw.org/it/wol/dt/r6/lp-i/2017/2/16  
Testimoni di Geova    
    
donderdag 16 februari    dagtekst
God is liefde. — 1 Joh. 4:8.    
http://wol.jw.org/nl/wol/dt/r18/lp-o/2017/2/16  
Jehovah’s Getuigen    
    
Torsdag 16 februari    dagens text
Gud är kärlek. (1 Joh. 4:8)    
http://wol.jw.org/sv/wol/dt/r14/lp-z/2017/2/16  
Jehovas vittnen    
    
16 Şubat Perşembe    gunun ayeti
Tanrı sevgidir (1. Yuhn. 4:8).    
http://wol.jw.org/tr/wol/dt/r22/lp-tk/2017/2/16  
Yehova’nın Şahitleri    
    
E enjte, 16 shkurt    shkrimi i dites
Perëndia është dashuri.—1 Gjon. 4:8.    
http://wol.jw.org/sq/wol/dt/r41/lp-al/2017/2/16  
Dëshmitarët e Jehovait    
    
Четвъртък, 16 февруари    ТЕКСТ ЗА ДЕНЯ
Бог е любов. (1 Йоан 4:8)    
http://wol.jw.org/bg/wol/dt/r46/lp-bl/2017/2/16  
Свидетели на Йехова    
    
Joi, 16 februarie    textul zilei
Dumnezeu este iubire. (1 Ioan 4:8)    
http://wol.jw.org/ro/wol/dt/r34/lp-m/2017/2/16  
Martorii lui Iehova    
    
Huwebes, Pebrero 16    teksto ngayon
Ang Diyos ay pag-ibig.—1 Juan 4:8.    
http://wol.jw.org/tl/wol/dt/r27/lp-tg/2017/2/16  
Mga Saksi ni Jehova    
    
    

God is love.—1 John 4:8.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/dt/r1/lp-e/2017/2/16
Love is God’s dominant quality, his most important one. Jehovah does not just possess love—he is the personification of it. How wonderful it is to know that the Creator of the universe and of all living things is a God of love! Everything he does is guided by that quality. The warm, benevolent affection that God has for his creatures assures us that all his purposes for the human family will be fulfilled in the best possible way and will result in the greatest benefit to all who come under his rulership. For example, out of love Jehovah “has set a day on which he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed,” Jesus Christ. (Acts 17:31) We can be confident that this will come to pass. For rightly disposed and obedient humans, favorable judgment will result in a truly blessed future that will go on and on throughout all eternity. w15 11/15 3:1, 2

God is love.—1 John 4:8.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/dt/r1/lp-e/2017/2/16
Love is God’s dominant quality, his most important one. Jehovah does not just possess love—he is the personification of it. How wonderful it is to know that the Creator of the universe and of all living things is a God of love! Everything he does is guided by that quality. The warm, benevolent affection that God has for his creatures assures us that all his purposes for the human family will be fulfilled in the best possible way and will result in the greatest benefit to all who come under his rulership. For example, out of love Jehovah “has set a day on which he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed,” Jesus Christ. (Acts 17:31) We can be confident that this will come to pass. For rightly disposed and obedient humans, favorable judgment will result in a truly blessed future that will go on and on throughout all eternity. w15 11/15 3:1, 2

@JW Insider  Thanks  so  much  for  your  very  good  explanations !

Oh  yes,  thats  not  far  from  the  town   Thank  you  for  the  great  link  Eoin  Joyce,  now  I've  a  good  view  over  all !

Yes,  that  is  true !  I  would  miss  different  animals,  where & how  they  go  serving ?  They  need  a  helicopter,  bec.  its  looking  little  like  a  jungle   Many  questions...  hahaha  But  our  Brother's  made  of  sure  a  very  good  choice ! 

Governing Body member M. Stephen Lett mentions The Librarian in his Facebook post
Needless to say it caused me to smile widely.
Agape!
The Librarian
Via

@JW Insider  Thanks  so  much  for  your  very  good  explanations !

@Jay Witness  Thank  you  very  much !

Good point. Also, if that last aerial picture of the lake were shifted just slightly to the right, you would see IBM Sterling Forest, a place I went to every year from 2002 to 2012. (We had several contracts with them for backup, disaster recovery and key server mirrors for our data center.) It was only an hour away from our own company headquarters in NYC, and only 1.5 hours from my house before rush hour.
 

February 13, 2017 TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERS Re: Memorial and Special Talk
 
Inactive Ones: Please follow closely the instructions in the May 23, 2010, letter to all bodies of elders as you endeavor to invite inactive ones to the Memorial and special talk. As you meet with them, please convey the love and concern of the Governing Body and the local congregation. (1 Thess. 2:7, 8) Offer to help with transportation or to provide any other practical assistance so that they can be in attendance.
The 2017 Memorial will be held on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.
The 2018 Memorial will be held on Saturday, March 31, 2018.
The 2019 Memorial will be held on Friday, April 19, 2019.
 

Serve Jehovah Without Distraction
Man, who appointed me judge or arbitrator between you two?—Luke 12:14.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/dt/r1/lp-e/2017/2/15
Many things happened during Jesus’ ministry that could have distracted him, but he never succumbed to them. Early in his ministry, after he had taught the crowds and performed miracles in Capernaum, people begged him not to leave their city. But how did Jesus react to this flattering request? He said: “I must also declare the good news of the Kingdom of God to other cities, because for this I was sent.” (Luke 4:42-44) True to his word, Jesus walked the length and breadth of Palestine, preaching and teaching. Though perfect, he had normal human needs and sometimes felt very tired because of expending himself in God’s service. (Luke 8:23; John 4:6) On a later occasion while Jesus was teaching his followers how to cope with opposition, a man interrupted, saying: “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But Jesus refused to be drawn into this dispute.—Luke 12:13-15. w15 10/15 3:10, 11

(I add whatever I find online) ....

I was thinking that, but you know it doesn't seem that far from Brooklyn and there a lot of people in between.  Check Google map: Warwick Headquarters

This is a very prudent approach advised by Ann O'Maly, and I would hasten to add that even relatively modern, purely secular scholarship should be treated with caution also. After all, the term "modern" (as opposed to "antiquarian") is just a relative concept. Everything modern becomes antiquarian eventually.  But as for researching and verifying historical information on Babylonish religion to the level similar to that in the document linked below?
Well, this is not for the regular amateur, and whilst I have no criticism taking an interest in such matters (as I do myself), I suggest that most true Christians, with other priorities, might find an alternative approach more effective, one based on 2Tim 3:16. Why not save the embarrassment of arguing ineffectively on secular terms?
I like Queen Esther's approach:
Daniel chapter 1 provides an interesting snapshot of life in ancient Babylon for worshippers of Jehovah. I am sure Daniel and his friends were exposed to all manner of festivities, holidays etc., both secular and religious, during their 3-year training course in Babylonian culture. Dan 1:5. (We could all do with something similar really if we want to argue origins with secular authorities). 
But we have no reason to believe Daniel and co treated these Babylonian customs any differently than they did the dietary practices common to the level of society to which they were exposed. Comp Dan.1:8. In fact, in view of the words at De 8:3 (quoted later by Jesus), I suspect their attention to the avoidence of spritual defilement would have been even more diligent. And as they were living in the actual Babylonian environment that we seek to associate with more recent customs, there was surely no need for them to grapple with the arguments of academics to define what was or was not acceptable to Jehovah. And in view of the inherehent dangers to their spirituality in that environment, they would surely have just avoided whatever Jehovah had not commanded, would they not?.

*** g92 2/8 p. 32 Valentine Day—Where Did It Come From? ***
Regardless of the true origin of the practice, it is evident that it is rooted in ancient pagan beliefs 
*** g95 2/8 p. 27 A New Name for an Old Orgy ***
In any case, a “saintly” title cannot conceal the unsavory origin of this celebration. Valentine Day is rooted in pagan rituals and is therefore not celebrated by true Christians. 

it is also very quiet environment ..... 
 

@ARchiv@L  The  last  photo  is  looking,  like  the  Bethel  is  very  far  away  from  the  next  town,  thats  weird  I  think  -  but  very  safe  from  the  rest  of  the  world.  Its  nice  around  full  nature, a  little  similar  the  German  Bethel  in  Selters...  Maybe  other  Bethel - houses  too ?