Brother Paul / Lipani poses for the camera:
betterdaze
JoinedPosts by betterdaze
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JW scams elderly woman, WTBT$ is beneficiary
by betterdaze inpolice: man scammed elderly woman.
by andrew gant, staff writer .
december 10, 2010 12:05 am.
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betterdaze
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JW scams elderly woman, WTBT$ is beneficiary
by betterdaze inpolice: man scammed elderly woman.
by andrew gant, staff writer .
december 10, 2010 12:05 am.
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betterdaze
Police: Man scammed elderly woman
By ANDREW GANT, Staff writer
December 10, 2010 12:05 AM
A Crescent City man scammed a DeLand woman out of more than $250,000 after knocking at her door with a Bible in hand, according to an arrest report released Thursday.
Francis L. Paul III, 46, was charged Wednesday with exploitation of an elderly person after a more than four-month investigation by DeLand police.
Paul fooled the 84-year-old woman into signing away her savings and stock holdings -- totaling about $255,000, according to the report.
Detective David Hiers wrote that the woman -- who is not being named because she is vulnerable -- was willing to sign several blank pieces of paper he handed her without explanation.
"It became apparent that (she) could be talked into signing anything," Hiers wrote.
A son visiting from California discovered the thefts in July and reported them to police, the report states.
The Department of Children & Families declared the woman mentally incompetent and police said she "suffers from the infirmities of aging."
Police said Paul -- who also goes by the name Francis P. Lipani III -- "showed up at (the woman's) door one day with a Bible in his hand" and befriended her. In an interview with police, the woman said she "liked him and was comfortable around him" and signed some papers he provided so they could "go into the lawn business together."
Subpoenaed documents from several banks -- Paul used at least seven, investigators said -- showed the beneficiary on many of Paul's accounts was theWatchtower Bible and Tract Society, an organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.
His arrest report listed his occupation as a salesman.
Paul posted $15,000 bail Wednesday at the Volusia County Branch Jail, an official said. The phone number on his arrest report was disconnected. -
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Knocking.org releases (dis)information page
by betterdaze inknocking.org releases information page on jehovah's witnesses.
beliefs, history, practices and controversies discussed.
"accurate information on jehovah's witnesses is available but you need to know where to find it.
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betterdaze
"Accurate information on Jehovah's Witnesses is available but you need to know where to find it. Knocking.org presents an award winning PBS documentary on the subject of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is pleased to announce a new information page on the subject of Jehovah's Witnesses, which provides a detailed account of the history, beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses."
Newark, NJ (1888PressRelease) January 01, 2011 - Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian religion whose modern day history that traces back to around 1879 with Charles Taze Russell and his associates. They were an independent Bible study group with loose ties to Adventist thought (not to be confused with Seventh Day Adventists).
Russell and his associates came to the conclusion that much of the teachings associated with mainstream Christianity of that time were not in harmony with the Bible. They wanted to start from scratch, as it were, and go back to the Bible to see what it really said about such topics as the immortal soul, the time of the end, paradise, hellfire, salvation and heaven. They rejected the concept of human evolution and in 1916, the International Bible Students produced the Photo Drama of Creation, which aimed to show the scientific basis of Scripture. An estimated nine million people viewed the presentation in 1914.
After Russell's death in 1916, Joseph F. Rutherford became the second to direct what became, under his administration, Jehovah's Witnesses, in 1931. His rough style and fiery manner were in stark contrast to that of Russell. With Rutherford, Witnesses placed increased empasis on house-to-house preaching. This method of evangelizing has continued until today.
The Knocking.org site, presents and unvarnished account of Jehovah's Witnesses history, beliefs and practices, that is both accurate and unbiased.
Some of the topics covered on the Knocking Jehovah's Witness page are,
Sreading the Word - Charles T. Russell, The Watchtower Society & IBSA; Post-War Expansion; Missionary Activity and Expectation; Doctrinal Development and Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses; Jehovah's Witnesses and Entertainment Choices, Morality, Disfellowshipping; Jehovah's Witnesses Demography and Statistics; JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AND CIVIL RIGHTS; Historical Background; Jehovah's Witnesses and the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Knocking.org main page presents a 10,000-plus word article that covers nearly every facet of the topic of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is the most complete article on Jehovah's Witnesses that is available on the Internet.
In the coming months, historical photos will gradually be added to the site. We encourage journalists and researchers to use the site for their research. The information is not produced by Jehovah's Witnesses themselves, but by a team of independent San Francisco journalists.
http://www.knocking.org
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Witness returns lost money
by betterdaze in...earmarked for pastor's son's chrisitian missionary trip to haiti!.
good samaritan returns lost money.
by christian brown, staff writer.
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betterdaze
…earmarked for pastor's son's Chrisitian missionary trip to Haiti!
~Sue
Good Samaritan returns lost money
by Christian Brown, Staff Writer
Dec 30, 2010
DOWNEY – What would you do if you found $480 lying on the ground?
John Alva, 69, believes the answer is obvious – find the owner.
“It’s not my money,” Alva said. “It could be someone’s rent money or bill money…and that’s a lot of money to lose in one whack.”
Earlier this month, Alva’s sentiments were put to the test during a series of uncanny events that occurred after the longtime Downey resident discovered nearly $500 sprawled on the 8300 block of Telegraph Road in Pico Rivera.
Alva, a Jehovah’s Witness and member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Pico Rivera, was in the car on Dec. 8, driving away from his church after a morning of door-to-door evangelism when he, and a fellow parishioner, saw the money scattered in the street.
“Frank [Gierome] actually spotted the money first,” said Alva, who was sitting in the passenger seat that day. “I jumped out of the SUV…it was a lot of money – four $100 bills and four $20 bills – spread out on the street. The first thing I thought was, ‘oh no, someone has lost their rent money.’”
Concerned for the owner, Alva searched locally, hoping to find someone who had recently lost a large sum of money. Finding no one, Alva took the money to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department station in Pico Rivera where officers were surprised to see someone turn in such a large amount.
“I figured someone would be looking for it in desperation so I reported it,” said Alva who then nailed up a large sign not far from where he discovered the cash. “It said, ‘money found, call the sheriff’s department.’”
Two weeks later, Alva got a call.
Interestingly enough, the large sum belonged to Aaron Jordan, son of Pastor Steve Jordan of Cornerstone Christian Worship Center, located at 9001 Paramount Blvd. in Downey. The 26-year-old had recently raised the $480 through the church to help fund his two-week mission trip to Haiti with a Christian campus ministry.
Jordan, who was originally scheduled to leave for Haiti on Dec. 8, searched everywhere for the money, but had recently written off the idea of ever finding it.
“I’m a witness – miracles do happen,” said Jordan boldly. “It’s unbelievable – kind of an amazing coincidence. I looked every which way it could be, but about a week ago I said a quick prayer, ‘Lord, I need a good Samaritan.’ And about three to four days later, I got the call.”
After spending months raising the funds for the trip, Jordan cashed the check given to him by the church, but then soon after, the money disappeared. Jordan believes an envelope holding the money may have come out of his suitcase, which at one point was in the back of his pickup truck.
“It’s just a miracle – first – that someone even found the money and – second – that they would turn it in,” said Andrea Valenzuela, an administrator at Cornerstone and Aaron’s older sister. “The interesting thing is, the trip was postponed to 2011 due to political unrest in Haiti…so the money will still be used; it’s been earmarked for the trip.”
Detective Jeff Grant, who facilitated the case for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, said scenarios like this one almost never happen.
“It was almost 500 bucks,” Grant exclaimed. “If found by anyone else – it wouldn’t have ended up at the sheriff’s station.”
Ultimately, check stubs and bank receipts inside of the envelope, found by Alva, helped investigators link the money to Cornerstone Christian Worship Center.
“The detective said, ‘the money was found by the only honest person in Pico Rivera,’” said Jordan with a laugh. “But I’m extremely appreciative. I couldn’t be happier, it was such a blessing.”
Nevertheless, John Alva believes he’s no hero, but rather maintains he only did what was right.
“I’m very happy he got it back…to lose that much money at one time is very difficult. No one has ever given me $480,” Alva said jovially. “I’m glad the money was returned – that’s the important thing.”
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Published: December 30, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 37 -
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Post Songs of Rebellion, Change, Peace & Love - You-tubes Welcome !
by flipper in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyhvpb8g45y&feature=related.
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Post Songs of Rebellion, Change, Peace & Love - You-tubes Welcome !
by flipper in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyhvpb8g45y&feature=related.
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betterdaze
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF3D2oiy6YA&feature=related
We Weren't Born To Follow
Songwriters: Bon Jovi, Jon; Sambora, Richie;
This one goes out to the man who mines for miracles
This one goes out to the ones in need
This one goes out to the sinner and the cynical
This ain't about no apology
This road was paved by the hopeless and the hungry
This road was paved by the winds of change
Walking beside the guilty and the innocent
How will you raise your hand when they call your name?
Yeah, yeah, yeah
We weren't born to follow
Come on and get up off your knees
When life is a bitter pill to swallow
You gotta hold on to what you believe
Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow
And that your saints and sinners bleed
We weren't born to follow
You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
This one's about anyone who does it differently
This one's about the one who cusses and spits
This ain't about our livin' in a fantasy
This ain't about givin' up or givin' in
Yeah, yeah, yeah
We weren't born to follow
Come on and get up off your knees
When life is a bitter pill to swallow
You gotta hold on to what you believe
Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow
And that your saints and sinners bleed
We weren't born to follow
You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah -
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Religious group, environmentalists battle over preserved land in Edison
by betterdaze inwarwick, ny.. .
ramapo, ny.. .
edison, nj.
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betterdaze
Warwick, NY.
Ramapo, NY.
Edison, NJ.
This little riverfront parcel in Teaneck I posted about before.
See a pattern yet? The Watchtower is determined to build on environmentally sensitive lands which fall under pre-existing land and water preservation statutes. I've seen this here all my life, specifically with Hasidic Jews, and later the burgeoning Asian churches who took a page directly from their book and followed suit. Enter the Watchtower.Comment from one of the readers:
"Many years ago, this whole area was a gem. 100 year old trees, lots of wildlife, hiking trails and natural water ways. Little by little, greedy developers like Nick Visco and Edison Township politicos allowed the area to be encroached and decimated by horrific developments. Years ago, Edison was mostly sprawling farm land and woods. Dense development zoning, driven by the same people (including local politicians which voted for this zoning), that owned this land, produced postage stamp lot sizes with large (3500 square foot homes) homes right on top of one another which enriched both the landowner and developer and produced the hyper populated area, which we all know today. One word summarizes it all…Disgusting."
~Sue
Religious group, environmentalists battle over preserved land in Edison
Published: Sunday, December 26, 2010, 6:30 AM
By Brent Johnson/The Star-Ledger
EDISON — It’s church vs. nature.
For years, Jehovah’s Witnesses have planned to erect a kingdom hall in Edison on one of the last private tracts of land in the Dismal Swamp wildlife sanctuary. The 3-acre property was donated by the widow of a prominent developer.
But there’s a problem: Because the property is landlocked, the religious group needs to build an access road through 1/10th of an acre of township land preserved as open space.
The issue has sparked a more than year-long debate. Environmentalists have tried to stop the project. Others say it’s an issue of religious freedom.
John Figlar/New Jersey Local News ServiceRobertSpiegel, executive director of Edison Wetlands Association, Jill Weislo,
an intern from Manchester, England, and David Wheeler, director of
operations for Edison Wetlands Association, spot a bird while giving a
tour of the Visco parcel in the Dismal Swamp last year.
The most recent chapter ensared the Edison township council. The panel voted in October to deny the Jehovah’s Witnesses permission to seek approval from the state for the road. A month later, the council reversed its vote.
The road’s fate is now up to Green Acres, an arm of the state Department of Environmental Protection that oversees open space.Lloyd Tubman, a land-use expert, said it won’t be an easy decision.
“A township cannot discriminate against a religious facility, nor can the state,” the Flemington-based attorney said. “But that does not mean it had to do whatever a religious entity requests. A religious purpose doesn’t necessarily trump open space.”
Edison officials promised the road years ago to developer Nicholas Visco, said the religious group’s attorney, Stephen Barcan, a member of the Wilentz law firm. But Barcan said the agreement was never finalized before Visco died. In 1994, the land where the road would have gone was designated for open space.
Eventually, Delores Visco sold 10 acres to Middlesex County, keeping three acres for the Jehovah’s Witnesses.But last month, environmental groups lobbied the Edison council to find another piece of township land for the hall.
“The Dismal Swamp is one of the jewels of New Jersey,” said Jeff Tittel, president of the state’s chapter of the Sierra Club. “Protecting this habitat is crucial.”
Though council president Charles Tomaro feared the Jehovah’s Witnesses would sue the township, the council shot down the project, with three members voting no and three abstaining.
But a month later, the issue was again on the council’s agenda, This time, dozens of Jehovah’s Witnesses — and Delores Visco herself — pleaded for the council to change its mind. They said members travel to Metuchen and Plainfield to worship, and a town as large as Edison needed a hall.
“I am at a crossroads,” said Sudhanshu Prasad, one of the council members who switched his vote. “But I will support the right to own property and the right to worship, even though I am an environmentalist at heart.”
Now, the Edison Wetlands Association is researching whether the second vote was illegal.
“The way this was done raises a lot of legal and ethical questions,” said Robert Spiegel, the environmental group’s president. “They have been trying for many years to build on this property. Now, they’re playing the religion card.”
The council’s vote merely allowed the issue to move to the state. The DEP has the final say. Barcan said a hearing date hasn’t been set. -
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Jehovah's Witness crimes - Interactive Map/Database
by rifter inhello friends, rifter here from jwr.. i'm starting a new project using google maps to plot locations, news articles and other sources regarding high-profile crimes committed by jehovah's witnesses, and other related reports.
the project will be ongoing, and much of the data so far is based on articles posted in the in the news section of jwr.
i will soon be adding data from additional sources whenever possible.
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betterdaze
Many thanks from a news nerd, rifter!
(I once recommended a Google news search on "Jehovah" to a diehard JW and they replied: Why? Satan runs the Internet.)
Ha!
~Sue
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Well, I just finished reading Crisis of Conscience thanks to IssacAustin!
by Botzwana ini couldn't put it down!
very informative.
i agreed with it all.
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betterdaze
Is there one available in spanish? My mexican wife wants to read it
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Spanish JW admitted to Foundation for Pluralism and Coexistens".
by InquiryMan ini found this interesting information in the 2010 report on international religious freedom.
the government has taken steps to integrate non-catholic religious groups through the foundation for pluralism and coexistence.
the foundation provides funds to minority and religious groups to promote religious freedom and dialogue.
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betterdaze
For some context on both sides:
Minority religions are asking the state not to fund confessions
Las religiones minoritarias piden al Estado que no financie confesiones
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Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses … high, high
Mormones y testigos de Jehová... arriba, más arribaIf the Mormons and JWs are now accepted as "deeply rooted" (if not mainstream) Protestant and/or Evangelist religions, what's to stop Scientologists and Moonies from claiming the same recognition and publically funded benefits?
~Sue
