thankyou for wanting to help.
i believe i have a good chance of winning this lawsuit.
the watchtower lawyers are defendants and have tried three times to have the lawsuit thrown out and have failed.
simple google search reveals that arsenic is approved by the american fda as a component for the treatment of leukemia
I read something on this a few weeks ago. Don't have the thread reference - unfortunately.
I believe the answer is that Bethany had a different kind of leukemia. Not all cancers are treated the same.
-Aude.
remember all the talks from the platform that dealt with gossip or mumuring??
in my old congregation....in just one year....one couple who was close to another couple and had been spending lots of quality time together decided to expand their horizons and partner swap !!!
one spouse in each couple was an elder's kid !!!
wife swapping, damn, im down for that too
Umm, infamous.
Do you have a wife to contribute? I mean, swap??
-Aude.
as a loyal witness, my dear departed mother sincerely believed in the "worse and worse" mantra.
somehow, despite the history.
of u.s. warfare, slaughter of native americans, dominance of urban gangs and lynching of blacks - the world was somehow better.
I've seen reports on this before. From a few different sources.
At first I didn't believe it and thought that it was just a joke. Then did just a little googling and found a whole bunch more details.
Thanks for the reminder. I think it's time to schedule an appointment myself.
-Aude.
the society has put up for sale the buildings at 89 hicks and 67 livingston (aka sliver building).
the market rate value has been estimated at $1.32-1.37 million for hicks and $3.45-3.65 for 67 livingston.
it has also been noted that the society owns 20 residential buildings.
The market rate value has been estimated at $1.32-1.37 million for Hicks and $3.45-3.65 for 67 Livingston.
Am I missing something? Those prices seem awful low. Sounds like a great bargain, actually.
How many square feet - anyone know?
-Aude.
edited to add: My brother recently bought a little 1300 square foot home for just half of what Hicks sold for. 1.3 in Brooklyn Heights sounds like an amazing bargain to me.
if you upload a photo of yourself the site will do a face comparison with celebrities' faces and tell you whom you most resemble.
kind of fun!
i resembled kate beckinsale, liza minelli and diane keaton.
Hey Nina -
That looks fun!! I'm having trouble registering, though...
Gotta try it later.
-Denise.
i was involved in several, starting when i was about 10 or 11 with jobs like sweeping up sawdust or picking up loose nails.
i loved it.
once, when i was about 22 we were building the kh south of santa barbara in carpinteria.
Cellist wrote: AudeSapere, I'm not finding fault. I'm fully aware of the difference between volunteering and donating. I realize supplies cost money, as do tools. I'm merely expressing my uneasiness at what I personally saw. What was presented to the "brothers" up front was not the same as what was being done behind the scenes. And, if they were always buying their supplies from the same "brother's store", where was the shopping around for the best deal?
Cellist -
My comments were more in reply to Nina's thread, not yours. It seemed that she was getting wound up with the thought that any money at all was paid to anyone for whatever 'line item'.
I realize from your comments in this thread that there were probably a few areas of impropriety where some could have been taking advantage of the program. Bills could very well have been padded, too.
The point I was trying to make is that purchase of materials and components and rental of heavy equipment does not make the entire program corrupt. It also, in and of itself, does not mean that - in the workings of the program - individuals were taken advantage of.
People volunteered to keep the costs down, not to eliminate all building costs.
MOST - can we say at least 99.5% (??) - were not paid or reimbursed for anything.
And, if they were always buying their supplies from the same "brother's store", where was the shopping around for the best deal?
The link for the branch manual was oddly interesting to me - Thank you, Elsewhere!!. I read part of it yesterday. Below is the excerpt that probably applies to 'shopping around'. I do have to agree with you, though that many, many halls used the same 'vendor' when building/remodeling. That's how we see the same chairs everywhere we go, coast-to-coast. I cannot comment on pricing specifics or cronyism. I'm sure it exists. But cannot prove it. And I sincerely doubt that ALL 'witness-friendly' vendors were guilty of cronyism. Surely some if not most were not gouging the local congregations.
From the Branch Manual (Chapter 22-4 & 5) - it's also how I maintain my professional and personal vendors - (and, thankfully, so do my own customers):
31. BUYING WISELY: The one who buys goods or services should remember that he is spending funds provided for the Kingdom work, and therefore he should be desirous of obtaining full value for the money that is spent. Often an item which can be obtained at a cheap price will actually end up costing more in the long run due to excessive waste, short lifespan, frequent time- or production-consuming breakdowns, unavailability of parts, etc. ….
32. When choosing suppliers you should look for those who are well established and will back up their products. Usually this means the items will cost somewhat more, but the extra cost is well worth the investment . Generally it is best to stay with a reliable supplier and not be switching from one to another. Because they can depend on your business, they may be able to effect savings in their purchases which they will pass along in the nature of discounts. And in the event of shortages they will usually give preferential treatment to valued customers who cooperate with them and pay their bills on time. Though it is good to check with other suppliers from time to time in order to check the prices of your present suppliers, it is well to bear in mind that some merchants will artificially lower prices in order to wean away a prospective client from his competitor. Later he will raise his prices again. Generally your present supplier will work out an agreeable price with you if he knows that his price is too high. For the most part it is usually best to keep prices and suppliers as proprietary information and not reveal them to competitors.
Red lettering highlighted by AudeSapere.
Respectfully to all who participated,
We did good work. And we enjoyed it at the time. I think that was the point of this thread.
-Aude.
i was involved in several, starting when i was about 10 or 11 with jobs like sweeping up sawdust or picking up loose nails.
i loved it.
once, when i was about 22 we were building the kh south of santa barbara in carpinteria.
Volunteer refers to the actual labor and each person's incidental travel expenses.
Donation would refer to equipment and materials. Surely you were not under the impression that all materials were donated?? If they were, what was the 'loan' for??
Some materials were donated. Most were purchased. They were purchased either at going rate or a discounted rate. (Branch manual covers society guidelines for acquiring materials and supplies.)
Many individuals donated various supplies and many were purchases. Sometimes purchased from witnesses, sometimes not.
I don't think is an area where you can attack anyone for the roles they played or didn't play in getting the job done. It was nice of you to volunteer when you could. I hope you got something out of the experience. (If not, then I guess you stopped participating.)
Most everyone I know enjoyed the opportunity and understood that most materials and equipment come with a pricetag.
-Aude.
.
re: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/11/110135/1.ashx.
my my my... i was bumping around the internet and i stumbled onto the 2005 financial statements and reports for the watchtower society of australia.
I don't know what 'normal' should be but these seemed odd to me:
560,900+ for Field ministries automobile assistance
-1,391 for Shepharding (actually fits in with how little 'shepharding' is done) pitifully small deficit for a religion that is bleeding from membership loss. Guess shepharding is just not as important as buildings, land, printing presses and automobiles.
Administrative Services: The total of $8,475,779 includes $8,142,277 for overseas aid. (hmmmm)
Watchtower Travel Agency - WTF??!!?? And it looks like there is a surplus or $45,000+ australian
Looks more and more like a publishing company with a few 'side businesses'.
-AudeSapere. (Dare to Know; Dare to have wisdom/understanding)
i was involved in several, starting when i was about 10 or 11 with jobs like sweeping up sawdust or picking up loose nails.
i loved it.
once, when i was about 22 we were building the kh south of santa barbara in carpinteria.
So if a "brother" had a business or a skill that utilized certain machinery or equipment he could "volunteer" for a Quick Build and still bring home money? Interesting.
I didn't see that anyone said money was brought home. Reimbursed for materials is very different. Big machinery and heavy equipment is expensive to rent and expensive to transport. Some components have a relatively short life span. Usually the biggest expense in any project is labor. The organization rarely pays for any labor. That's the volunteer part. 'Materials' is a different story. (See the Branch Manual - posted the other day) -Aude.
many of you may remember me from "back in the day".
i hope you guys are doing well.
if any of you guys know where i can find the website or streams that are the basis for just about every new tv show and commercial that you see these days it would be very helpful.
You'll be glad to know that I have been clean for over a year, and have recently started my own business building staircases. For the first time ever I can say that I am truely happy.
Best news all day.
This is such a wonderful and supportive place. I have to agree with you.
Congrats on one year sobriety!!
-Aude.
