catchthis

Joined

• started 31 topics
• posted 337 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by catchthis

• 
  21

  National Average = Quotas

  by zack in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the national average for publishers reporting feild service time in the untited states is just under 10 hours a month.

  this has become the de facto standard for every member of the congregation.

  if one fails to produce at the rate of others, he is "weak", his service is "divided", he puts the things of "this life" in "first place.".

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  catchthis

  Don't forget that to even think about going to Bethel, you had better be putting in pioneer hours at least the year prior of applying -- unless you have some outstanding, rare trade or craft that the WTS desperately needs.
• 
  43

  ARE YOU A COLLECTOR? OF WHATEVER??

  by orangefatcat in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so does anyone like to collect things, such as stamps, or figurines, cards, pottery or whatever?

  i am a person who is a little pack rat, and i must admitt i have some cool collections, such as a my 1920 royal doulton minature toby's and waterford crystal wine glassses.

  i have alot of pottery and earthenware that i also enjoy.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  catchthis

  Oenophile and Numismatist

  For the scientifically illiterate.....I'm a cork dork and a rare coin hoarder, respectively.
• 
  16

  Ethics Test!!!

  by upside/down in

  1. social
  2. humour

  i stole this from a very anti-g.w.bush friend of mine and modified it a little..... enjoy!.

  ethics test.

  this test only has one question, but it's a very important one.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  catchthis

  Too easy. Every good photo journalist worth his salt is now using some type of digital SLR camera. Go ahead and snap it in color and then convert it B&W later if you want to.
• 
  33

  What is the Real Financial Cost of a Circuit Assembly?

  by FairMind in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my congregation along with about thirty others attends circuit assemblies at a facility that is owned by the organization (a converted school).

  this building also has a section that serves as a kh for three local congregations.

  i have noticed that when the financial reports are read at the assemblies that the expense (which is not detailed) is always around $4,000.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  catchthis

  Now they have their own Assm Hall which cost tens of millions.

  The first time I stepped foot into that "Education Center," I was blown away. They spared no expense. The place is even a small museum of sorts. They had very old(and very rare) books, magazines, phonographs, etc. inside glass cases. Rosenberg, TX is the place. I wouldn't doubt that they spent over 10 mil for it.
• 
  33

  What is the Real Financial Cost of a Circuit Assembly?

  by FairMind in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my congregation along with about thirty others attends circuit assemblies at a facility that is owned by the organization (a converted school).

  this building also has a section that serves as a kh for three local congregations.

  i have noticed that when the financial reports are read at the assemblies that the expense (which is not detailed) is always around $4,000.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  catchthis

  It has been mentioned here many times before --- You will never hear the brother say, "...and we have a surplus in the amount of $$$."

  Instead, they ALWAYS say, "...which leaves us with a deficit of $$$." I would love for someone to prove me wrong(record it).

  Dig deeeep mah bruthas an sistahs!!
• 
  76

  Leaving the Truth - Songs to Destroy Your Faith By

  by tetrapod.sapien in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  as some of you may know, i am a recently self-deconverted jw.

  the experience of deconversion was at times emotional.

  i have compiled a list of songs i would listen to on those emotionally turbulent occasions.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  catchthis

  Many people consider the elders as "spiritual police." Soooooo......

  F**k tha Police - NWA
• 
  14

  The Apprentice - Watchtower version

  by catchthis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  being a fan of the tv show the apprentice, i love to "play along" to see if my ideas would work with what the teams are tasked to accomplish.

  many times, their ideas are totally off.

  other times, the executives they are tasked with providing a presentation to feel that they had 'hit a home run.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  catchthis

  Being a fan of the TV show The Apprentice, I love to "play along" to see if my ideas would work with what the teams are tasked to accomplish. Many times, their ideas are totally off. Other times, the executives they are tasked with providing a presentation to feel that they had 'hit a home run.' On some occasions, the apprentice's ideas are incorporated into the marketing campaign of the company represented.

  Let's play our own version of The Watchtower Apprentice. Mr. Trump has been given the green light to work with the WTS. The task is to come up with ideas to reduce operating expenses company wide, but to keep the amount of "spiritual food" flowing roughly the same. Spiritual food is exactly what it means - the Awake(fluff) reduction to once a month is an example.

  I'll start off. Back in December, I ran through a few ideas of what I would do if I were in charge. One of those ideas was actually used by the WTS recently....and I have no ties to Brooklyn for insider information, I swear!

  Should we cut back on the magazine distribution timeframe? How about combine the WT and Awake into one magazine? Instead of twice a month, how about just once? This alone would cut expenditures on printed materials by almost 50-75%.

  Here were a few other ideas I had:

  • Electronic Distribution - Allow downloads of the magazines/KM's from WT.org? How about letting those who have the means to pay for it distribute the magazine articles/KM's to the brothers and sisters that would like to help in keeping printing costs down for the Society? This could be a positive. Many brothers and sisters love to make meeting and assembly binders and then distribute them for free. This gives them the feeling of being important, needed in the congregation. Competition between brothers to "print first/distribute first" could be a problem though. E-Books? Pages can be printed out for personal or book study use. Shipping costs related to magazines and books could also be reduced exponentially.
  • Magazine Placements - Since no known exact ratio exists with regards to magazine placement and to what ends up in the trash, I think it may be safe to guess that if 20 million magazines are printed, roughly 13-15 million are dumped within a 3 month period? Why not just scale back magazine production to cover one per publisher and roughly 1 or 2 for field service use - primarily for return visits or bible studies ONLY. If electronic distribution is used, 'encourage' the publishers to lower their magazine orders per month. Instead of focusing on magazines in FS, use tracts. Magazines are practically given away in FS without ever mentioning the donation arrangement anyways. Tracts are more to the point and generally give the reader the reason for the visit. Most witnesses offer the Awake by briefly mentioning an article, but then barely show the cover of the Watchtower and then they mention "and we're also offering it's companion, The Watchtower." The Watchtower is usually seen by the householder as a freebie with the Awake.
  • Books - Keep the smaller format coming. The larger size chewed up too much in printing costs. Going paperback was brilliant. The small size also helped reduce weight related shipping costs. Instead of offering one new book each year at the DC's, mix it up a little and offer a brochure(already doing this). Every few years bring out a new book to excite the publishers. A brochure can say just as much as a book can when it comes to "new light."
  • Kingdom Hall for Sale - In larger cities, if the KH is not already being used by 3 or more congregations, think about consolidating the region/area to do so. Dedicated publishers will drive a little extra to be at the meetings. Real estate is where the money is at. KH's, with property, can be sold for $200-300k in most areas. If the money crunch really comes, then do as other religions do - meet in people's homes. Book study groups could remain the same for all meetings. A new meeting format would need to be created if this were to happen. If congregations are instructed to sell off their KH's, then that will be the sign of the end for the WTS.

  So that's a start. What other ideas would you come up with to cut expenses?
• 
  40

  Attendant ever treat you like a child at convention?

  by avishai in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the last straw for me was when an attendant grabbed 22 yr. old me at a cnvention and told me to come inside it was time for it to start.

  i said no, and he got in my face.

  anyone else get told what to do as an adult?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  catchthis

  How about those black on white signs that said "Quiet Please," "Keep Moving," and "Please Find Your Seats." Like clockwork, those signs would get raised above everyone's heads by the attendants. The Find Your Seats sign would be used during the 10 minute musical interlude just before the morning session would begin and also right after lunch just before the afternoon session would begin.

  The Keep Moving sign would be used by roving attendants - the ones that would walk circles around the corridors. This was to encourage herding everyone to keep walking and not to clog up the corridor by talking with your friends. These signs typically were only seen during the lunch break.

  And of course the Quiet Please sign was also for the roving attendants circling the corridors. This sign was to used to bring about guilt for speaking too loudly in the corridor when walking with a friend. You would only see these signs during the assembly parts.
• 
  29

  Please share your Quick Build Experiences here...

  by jeanniebeanz in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  .

  many of us have shared in these projects, and honestly, some of my best and worst memories of the 'friends' were had at these crazy events.

  will you please share some of your experiences at quick builds?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  catchthis

  Only two experiences come to mind....

  1. Back when I was working a construction trade, my co-worker and I were volunteered by our JW boss to do one of the processes after the drywall was completed. My co-worker wasn't a dub but I was. I, of course, was more than happy to contribute my time and experience for free seeing that it was for a quick build. We did our normal jobs during the first part of the day and then hit the KH in the afternoon. Now get this - my boss wasn't going to pay my co-worker for his time on the quick build. Back then, even I could see this was wrong. After much arguing going back and forth, my boss finally agreed to pay my co-worker for his time. Duh.

  2. At another congregation, our old hall was a doublesided trailer that we outgrew. During the new quickbuild, I helped out on the rock work that was added to the lower part of the building. This project was spearheaded by the PO since that was his trade. Anyways, I'm spreading the cement on the wall and puting the slate rocks into place, working right next to the PO. I was doing a very nice, clean looking job whereas the PO was slopping the rocks up quickly and leaving extra concrete oozing out. I was using my fingers to smooth out the concrete between the rocks - it looked really good. After about 30 minutes or so, the PO turns to me and says, and I will always remember this: "It looks like you're a perfectionist when you work. I hate perfectionists." I think my jaw might have opened in shock when he said that. I couldn't believe someone in his position would even say such a thing. I just pursed my lips together and calmly said, "Fine." I put down my trowel and walked away, rinsed off, and went to my car and left. Even a few years later until I moved away we never really 'clicked' with each other.
• 
  18

  Partners in The Truth (website)

  by catchthis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i noticed the website below here on the google ads and wanted to see what type of people were advertising themselves on it.

  lo and behold, someone doesn't think too highly of the ones who are looking for a mate!

  just read the "general information" section.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  catchthis

  I noticed the website below here on the Google ads and wanted to see what type of people were advertising themselves on it. Lo and behold, someone doesn't think too highly of the ones who are looking for a mate! Just read the "General Information" section.

  http://www.partnersinthetruth.com/index.php?page=view_profile&id=1455 (cut and paste the link)

  Now did they pay for that space??