One dear friend freaked out. I still want to fix that.
One other, (related to the friend mentioned above), is tolerant, but keeps me at arm's length.
The rest? I could care less. Fuck 'em.
d4g
i'm not sure if this topic has ever been posted (surely, i believe it has), but it would be interesting to revive such a topic and hear your stories!.
when my parents heard my first rant (after they told me to be home schooled when i was caught kissing a girl) they entered into a long depression that continues to this day.
my father suffers knowing his once amazing family is now divided, and my mother is equally angry.
One dear friend freaked out. I still want to fix that.
One other, (related to the friend mentioned above), is tolerant, but keeps me at arm's length.
The rest? I could care less. Fuck 'em.
d4g
my thoughts are.
1. they want to avoid being made to comply with any laws that come with anything classed as a "school" especially a school with children enrolled.. 2. the mid-week meeting has been dying in the ass for years and needs a revival.
i predict happy -clappy-sing-a-longs to be included in the program.. anyone else have any thoughts ??
WT does all things for one of two reasons: Control of members or economic reasons. These two motivators are about the organizations survival, and that is what it is trying to do. Always start from there.
In this case, I think they realized they lost control of people with respect to reliably caring for assignments and the use of "qualified" men for those parts. So in a way this is about saving face and making things appear less of a malaise than they actually are. It fits more into the control camp, albeit indirectly.
d4g
could the stopping of construction be just another ruse to squeeze money from the rank and file?.
it will certainly generate buzz like nothing else..
Pistoff - Could the stopping of construction be just another ruse to squeeze money from the rank and file?
It will certainly generate buzz like nothing else.
Maybe, but if it is nothing more than a ruse, it is a very desperate one...
d4g
as i've mentioned from time to time, i'm a retired accountant.
i have tried many times to come up with some logical, sound business reason why the wtbs has made the big changes in its financial arrangements: taking the congregations savings, the monthly donations per congregation etc.
i finally came up with the answer.. the leadership of the watchtower society is batshit crazy.
I agree 100%.
They are not well educated. They believe their own BS, (yes, they believe this crazy shit, even though they make it up, think about that...). It was only a matter of time before this blind belief allowed them to make enough bad decisions that it affected their finances.
They only reason it took over a century is because they had the benefit of tax-free status, while selling their publications, for decades. By 1990, (when their tax-free status was in jeopardy, and they began the "donation" arrangement), they were still sitting on mountains of cash and assets of all classes. 25 years have passed, the donations are not there, and the money supply is not what it was. Add to this a rapidly changing social environment that is not friendly to fundamentalist religious ideals, (and what all of that entails, specific to the WT), and you have the perfect storm.
This is really the beginning of the end, even if this phase takes another 50 years.
d4g
a good source just just told me that at morning worship today that the governing body announced that a total of 1600 bethelites will be let get go and not transferred to warwich when the last property is sold in brooklyn and all kingdom hall building projects are on hold for at least a year so that all the focus will be on the preaching work.
Between the new round of layoffs, the stopping of large construction, and the magazine reduction, (again), it is clear now that they are either in very bad financial trouble or planning to be. Like a few pointed out, the construction stoppage is a turn on a dime. They would not do that unless they realized something was very wrong.
The money grab from congregations didn't work. The pledging didn't work. The begging and coercing for money in the videos didn't work. Legal precedents were set with the Conti case that will bring further cases to court. The ARC will bring more of such cases to Australia and beyond. The construction projects are running way over budget.
Do the math.
d4g
i am noticing that when some of the ads run, the page keeps scrolling upward towards them.
this is annoying and should be addressed, as it makes some threads almost impossible to read.
have same effect on two different oss, (same browser type, firefox).
sometimes (most of the time) not clearing cookies and history will cause your internet browser to act quite strangely. I recommend clearing cookies and history, closing browser restarting site and see if it still happens.
Do this regularly.
Agree with WC about the IAMS dog food.
d4g
soooo..... going to ask that wonderful lady for her phone number tonight as per everyone's advice... first time i will ever be doing that with a non jw girl...erm...woman.
my dear female friends, what are some genuine questions i can pose to get a conversation rolling and what are some other questions/things i can ask/say to restart a stalled conversation?
i'm very very shy when talking to new people... especially someone i'm interested in, and have some social anxiety.
Not a female, but done this a few times...
Compliment, but don't overdo...
Show an interest, but don't overdo...
Be confident, not arrogant...
Works almost 100% of the time, unless she already has a bf.
d4g
i am noticing that when some of the ads run, the page keeps scrolling upward towards them.
this is annoying and should be addressed, as it makes some threads almost impossible to read.
have same effect on two different oss, (same browser type, firefox).
John Aquila - That application seems to be working well on the few pages I just tried to load that were giving me an issue before. Thanks for that.
I am a minimalist by nature when it comes to installing any application, so I only install what is necessary.
d4g
i am noticing that when some of the ads run, the page keeps scrolling upward towards them.
this is annoying and should be addressed, as it makes some threads almost impossible to read.
have same effect on two different oss, (same browser type, firefox).
I am noticing that when some of the ads run, the page keeps scrolling upward towards them. This is annoying and should be addressed, as it makes some threads almost impossible to read. Have same effect on two different OSs, (same browser type, Firefox). Not sure if other browsers are having the same issue.
heard 4th-hand, but from a full-on believer, so not likely to be an "apostate lie":.
apparently, at bethel's morning worship this morning, it was announced that all worldwide wts construction is "suspended" for an indefinite time, except for the new world headquarters at warwick.. also, the "relocation" of remote translating teams is also suspended.. finally, there will be a "worldwide" reduction in bethel personnel.. all this came to me in a non-english language, and,as noted, 4th-hand.
so it is possible something may have been lost in translation and/or in the multiple steps between bethel morning worship & me.. but if true, it would be quite stunning.
As I have been saying since they they dropped the book study, always follow the money...
WT only cares about two things, control of its members, and money. The only reason to downsize, stop construction, reduce meetings, etc. is for economic interests, since none of these things help with control of its membership at all, and in fact serve to do the exact opposite.
d4g