congregations keep a bigger balance
but isn't 5,000 to 7,000 euros ALREADY a fairly big running cash balance to have in a non-interest bearing current account?
darkspilver
JoinedPosts by darkspilver
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17
Are congregations in Spain suffering an increase in banking fees since Watchtower 'seized' their bank savings?
by jwleaks inremember a few years ago watchtower literally 'siezed' all individual congregation bank savings around the world above what was needed to cover basic kingdom hall monthly expenses?
a new march 30, 2017, boe letter has just gone out to congregations in spain, which, more or less, explains that congregations bank account funds no longer entitle congregations to reduced banking fees.
(see copy of actual paragraph below.).
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darkspilver
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17
Are congregations in Spain suffering an increase in banking fees since Watchtower 'seized' their bank savings?
by jwleaks inremember a few years ago watchtower literally 'siezed' all individual congregation bank savings around the world above what was needed to cover basic kingdom hall monthly expenses?
a new march 30, 2017, boe letter has just gone out to congregations in spain, which, more or less, explains that congregations bank account funds no longer entitle congregations to reduced banking fees.
(see copy of actual paragraph below.).
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darkspilver
It looks interesting - but I'm not familiar with banking in Spain and it depends with what you are comparing it with.
But a basic sniff around throws up the following which seems to be a TYPICAL observation:
Bank charges in Spain are quite high and free banking is very rare. It's quite common to be charged for everything, including withdrawing money from ATMs. When using ATMs you need to check what the charges are as they vary between systems.
Congregation accounts should still be running with a regular balance of around 5,000 to 7,000 Euros - which isn't bad - it is also unlikely they will 'default' and go overdrawn - they also probably have a lot less transactions going on than a typical personal account?
So the next question is what do the congregations have to pay for - and how many payments do they make.
I note that you have not included a copy of the attached banking agreement showing the costs (and ideally the previous agreement showing the previous costs)
BTW there is also the following paragraph in the letter:
A favorable aspect of the new agreement is that all the conditions included are centrally registered for all of our accounts. Until now, some of the conditions had to be recorded manually at one location and another. When this was not done, commissions were often charged outside the terms of the agreement, and then it was necessary to request the manual refunding of these. In many cases the refund was not possible or was only attained with great efforts. This same situation recurred again and again, until the conditions were registered permanently at all those locations. Now, as we indicate, the bank has confirmed that all the conditions of the agreement have been recorded in a centralized way for all our accounts. We believe that this technical advancement will avoid the greater part of the incidents.
It seems that the individual banking branches are much more 'independently' run, even within the same company, than what might be expected in other countries.
There is zero costs for transfering monies between WT entities - ie between congregations (for example to a KH Operating Account when a KH is shared) or sending contributions etc etc to Bethel.
If there is a cost in paying bills (such as utility bills) then, if the congregation has funds, what is to stop them paying anually rather than quarterly?
Also - as long as there is a robust audit trial (with two signatures on everything), what about using donated cash to pay bills - though the US S-27 says you shouldn't.
Bank charges are interesting - Spain is one of the PIGS? -surely high bank charges ENCOURAGES residents to use a cash-based system? And a cash-based system is much more open to tax-avoidance issues - and I believe the BIG issue in Greece at the moment - to help stop tax avoidance - is the requirement that bank payments be made for paying wages, NOT cash.
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INNOCENT!! - JW walks free after 20 YEARS in jail
by darkspilver inafter spending 20 years in jail for attempted murder in a compton shooting - this week marco contreras was declared factually innocent and released.. for now, he said, he was looking forward to two things: good mexican food and april 11. he’s a jehovah’s witness, and that’s the day his denomination will remember the anniversary of jesus’ death.. .
question: how many witnesses to the crime where there?.
contreras’ attorneys say an eyewitness inaccurately identified him as the gunman, although he’d been at home sleeping at the time.
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darkspilver
The forensic evidence which freed him would be of absolutely no use if he had been disfellowshipped.
Can you explain what forensic evidence helped to free him please??
I'm not familiar with this case - but the LA Times article makes NO reference to any forensic evidence - simply the piecing together of eye-witness testimony?
There is no mention of 'forensic' blood matching, DNA testing, fragments of clothing, hair, shoe prints etc or any other forensic testing etc of material evidence found at the crime scene etc etc.
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INNOCENT!! - JW walks free after 20 YEARS in jail
by darkspilver inafter spending 20 years in jail for attempted murder in a compton shooting - this week marco contreras was declared factually innocent and released.. for now, he said, he was looking forward to two things: good mexican food and april 11. he’s a jehovah’s witness, and that’s the day his denomination will remember the anniversary of jesus’ death.. .
question: how many witnesses to the crime where there?.
contreras’ attorneys say an eyewitness inaccurately identified him as the gunman, although he’d been at home sleeping at the time.
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darkspilver
After spending 20 years in jail for attempted murder in a Compton shooting - this week Marco Contreras was declared factually innocent and released.
For now, he said, he was looking forward to two things: good Mexican food and April 11. He’s a Jehovah’s Witness, and that’s the day his denomination will remember the anniversary of Jesus’ death.
Question: how many witnesses to the crime where there?
Contreras’ attorneys say an eyewitness inaccurately identified him as the gunman, although he’d been at home sleeping at the time. It’s an example of the unreliability of witness misidentification, said Adam Grant, another Contreras attorney.
“This is a huge problem,” he said. “It’s a thorny problem because the public considers it reliable.”
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-wrongful-conviction-20170328-story.html
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/28/man-exonerated-for-attempted-murder-free-after-20-years.html
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Shockingly sad - Ex-JW's suicide note revealed
by darkspilver inw a r n i n g !the candian national post newspaper has released a copy of the scrawled and bloody suicide note.brought up in jw family, but kicked out of the family home when he was a teenager.it's featured on page 6 of the wednesday 29 march 2017 print edition.see online for full story - please note it includes a colour picture of the suicide note.
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darkspilver
W A R N I N G !
The Candian National Post newspaper has released a copy of the scrawled and bloody suicide note.
Brought up in JW family, but kicked out of the family home when he was a teenager.
It's featured on page 6 of the Wednesday 29 March 2017 print edition.
See online for full story - please note it includes a colour picture of the suicide note -
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WT LOSES court case against hospital
by darkspilver injehovah's witnesses lose trial against neuchâtel hospital.
the swiss association of jehovah's witnesses and two of its members lose a case against the neuchâtel hospital.
they were challenging a directive on the management of patients refusing blood transfusions.. .
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darkspilver
Jehovah's Witnesses lose trial against Neuchâtel Hospital
The Swiss Association of Jehovah's Witnesses and two of its members lose a case against the Neuchâtel Hospital. They were challenging a directive on the management of patients refusing blood transfusions.
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July's watchtower leaves out some important info from a quote!
by stavro injerome over on discuss the truth has picked up on something interesting.. in the july watchtower on page 28 of the article entitled “winning the battle for your mind” the following statement is made “keep in mind that satan does not want you to think clearly or reason things out well.
because propaganda is likely to be most effective, says one source, if people… are discouraged from thinking critically.”.
the quote comes from a book entitled: “media and society in the twentieth century: a historical introduction by lyn gorman, david mclean" the watchtower however, chose to leave out a portion of the quote.. the full quote is "therefore, it is likely to be most effective if people do not have access to multiple sources of information and if they are discouraged from thinking critically.. the following sentence which the watchtower also decided was best not to include states,.
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Shocking JW murders - now they want jail time reduced!
by darkspilver insunday 6 april 1997 - 20th anniversary - thursday 6 april 2017. the greeneville sun, 25 march 2017.
2 defendants in lillelid murders want sentence reduced.
all are now adults and serving prison sentences of life without the possibility of parole.
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darkspilver
The link below includes video of the news report from yesterday.
Looks like Peter (the baby who survived) in the wheelchair at the end of the report?
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The Latest Trend in NW England: Homeschooling Your Children
by pale.emperor ini dont know if this is becoming a national thing or even globally.
but im hearing more and more people i knew from my jw days have taken their kids out of school to home school them instead.
in my sisters case she's taken her 8yo and 6yo children out already and her 3yo wont ever start a school.
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darkspilver
I really doubt that hordes of Witnesses are pulling their kids out of schools in Liverpool and the NW so they have a better chance to get good A Levels
BUT the schools don't even offer 'A' levels nowadays in Knowsley, Liverpool!!!!
The article in the Guardian from January 2017 is VERY WELL WORTH READING
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/jan/29/knowsley-education-catastrophe-a-levels-merseyside
For those unfamiliar - 'A' Levels aka GCE Advanced Levels are for 17 / 18 years olds
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GCE_Advanced_Level_(United_Kingdom)
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Australian Total Publishers for 2016 Compared to 2015?
by awake!watcher indoes anyone know what the publisher totals were for 2015 compared to 2016 for australia?
i can't find them anywhere and was wondering if the royal commission hearing had any effect on the numbers.
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darkspilver
Interesting information. How did you find this.
From the Australian Royal Commission.
It was mentioned at the ARC on Friday 10 March 2017 and is therefore 'on-the-record'.
The official witness list for the hearing listed him as follows:
Terrence O’Brien: Jehovah’s Witness Branch Committee member and current director of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of Australia
The official transcript has the following question / answer
MR STEWART: Mr O'Brien, I will start with you. Would you state your full names, your position in the organisation and your address?
MR O'BRIEN: Yes. My name is Terrence John O'Brien. My position with the organisation, as you mentioned, I'm a Director of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia. I am currently not serving as the coordinator of the Branch Committee in Australasia. I have an assignment in Papua New Guinea for 12 months, but I've kept up to date with the information to do with the Royal Commission. That's why I've come back for the hearing. So presently, I reside in the Branch facilities in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.