Posts by JeffT

30

I just had a thought about the new KH design

by JeffT in

i've been trying to figure out the purpose of the new (bland, commercial style) building that the gb is pushing.

it is not a design that attracts attention, nor does it offer a lot in future resale value.

it will be more difficult to build than the wood residential style buildings, meaning they can't use their cheap unskilled labor force for a lot of the work.

JeffT

As I've said, I have a real estate background. Making money in flipping properties requires doing something to the property that makes it more valuable. This style of building doesn't have anything that can be upgraded. The only value that will change is the land under it.

In commercial buildings, landlords have a fair amount of say in the allowed uses in the building. Exceptions to discrimination laws are available (at least in the US) for properties owned by religious organizations. I used to manage a medical office tower owned by an order of Catholic nuns. Their leases had specific language about what uses they allowed in the building.

I don't think that part would be a problem for the WTBS in this. And they have a proven track record in passing off BS to the membership no matter how it smells. I'm sure they could convince most of the R&F that this was Jehovah's provision for paying for the world wide work.

30

I just had a thought about the new KH design

by JeffT in

i've been trying to figure out the purpose of the new (bland, commercial style) building that the gb is pushing.

it is not a design that attracts attention, nor does it offer a lot in future resale value.

it will be more difficult to build than the wood residential style buildings, meaning they can't use their cheap unskilled labor force for a lot of the work.

JeffT

I've been trying to figure out the purpose of the new (bland, commercial style) building that the GB is pushing. It is not a design that attracts attention, nor does it offer a lot in future resale value. It will be more difficult to build than the wood residential style buildings, meaning they can't use their cheap unskilled labor force for a lot of the work. So why do it?

It occurs to me that KH's are not used for large chunks of the work week. Why not rent the space when there's no JW's in it? Lots of companies are always looking for mid-size conference type rooms that they can rent for retreats, training sessions, team building and the like. Lots of 12 step programs rent space in churches. MLM's could use them for sleazy sales pitches (OK, they're already used for that, why not make money at it?).

How, you ask, do they companies explain the fact that they're meeting in a KH? Easy, they point out that its cheap and available. Even use of two or three afternoons a week could yield a thousand dollars a month, which of course will have to go back to HQ.

I think it could be a money maker.

90

Some screenshots from new KH meeting!

by pixel in

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they just put up a link to watch a replay of the "new kh meeting", here some screenshots.. .

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JeffT

I've been in investment real estate since the mid 80's. This kind of generic structure is easy to sell because it can be put to all sorts of uses. It also doesn't command much of a sale price for the same reason. There is absolutely nothing about this to attract anybody's attention.

The only part of what I saw that might be a money maker down the road is the parking lot. That first picture has way too much parking for that style of building. A buyer would want to rip out half the parking lot and put in two more buildings. And I would buy something with that roof only in an area like Arizona where I wouldn't expect much rain or snow.

However, I agree, it is now obvious that the WTBS has gone into the real estate business big time, I'm just not sure they know what they're doing.

27

Christian bakery ordered to pay $150 000 to gay couple

by cofty in

an oregon bakery that refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage has lost its appeal..... the judge has ordered 'sweet cakes by melissa' to pay $150 000 damages to rachel and laurel bowman-cryer.. discrimination is illegal, and religious superstition is not an excuse.

how long before jws land in court under similar circumstances?.

JeffT

Viviane being a democrat is a choice, do I get to refuse to bake cakes for them? How about atheists?

As I said, I'm conflicted on this one. I want my daughter to have the wedding she wants, but I do not like the idea of the government forcing people to do things they dislike. As Simon said, would you want these people to bake your cake? It's like hiring a Death Metal band to sing romantic classics at the reception. (OK, I know one of you clowns is going to say that sounds like fun ). And this was in freaking OREGON, its not like its going to be really hard to find a different bakery that will meet their needs.

27

Christian bakery ordered to pay $150 000 to gay couple

by cofty in

an oregon bakery that refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage has lost its appeal..... the judge has ordered 'sweet cakes by melissa' to pay $150 000 damages to rachel and laurel bowman-cryer.. discrimination is illegal, and religious superstition is not an excuse.

how long before jws land in court under similar circumstances?.

JeffT

I have mixed feelings on this subject. Wife and I are in the midst of planning a lesbian wedding for our daughter and I would not want to hear some one say they won't serve us. On the other hand, using this as precedent, somebody could sue an African-American bakery for not serving a KKK event. It's going to cut both ways.

27

An interesting comment given by an older brother during the prayer yesterday.

by My Name is of No Consequence in

i have been a regular visitor to this site for several years now.

i never really felt the need to set up an account and post...until now.

at the close of yesterdays meeting, an older brother gave the prayer.

JeffT

When I got out of college for the second time in the early eighties (as an accountant), desktop computers were just coming into widespread use in small businesses. Because I was just out of school I had received some good training in using the computers. I worked with a lot of old-school green eye shade type accountants who had a really hard time adjusting to the new technology. Some of them took night classes and tried to keep up, a few decided they were washed up and went into a different line of work. For those not used to them, it can be a very hard transition.

I can only imagine how frustrating it is for people who several years ago did not feel the need for such “gizmos and gadgets”.

It's worse than that. A few years ago the WTBS was telling them they should not learn this technology, that it was unneeded, a waste of time, and would lead to apostasy and porn addiction. Now they're being told to use it in field service and they don't know how, nobody is teaching them and I'm sure they feel like the older accountants I knew, washed up. Another tragic example of the Watchtower screwing up people's lives.

13

Is Watchtowers view & practices currently split in two? Split leadership direction?

by thedepressedsoul in

i've been deeply following jw "culture" the last 2 years and i am getting the impression that the leadership is currently split in two different directions.

on one hand you get this sense of a happy, joyful and less strict religion and on the other hand there is still this strict, harsh religion of the past.

let me explain more.. there have been a lot of video's lately that show dancing in kingdom halls, bethel dancing to the "happy" song, jw.org downplaying their beliefs and making it sound like daisies.

JeffT

I started to write a blog post a while back on this subject, and gave up for lack of information. The big question is: is this deliberate or the actions of a confused organization? I don't know and neither does anybody else due to the lack of transparency. We're left trying to read tea leaves.

I've seen organizations of various sorts go into this kind of split personality behavior when the leadership is divided. It is very possible that we're seeing a war between the PR/business side of the operation and the service dept/religious bunch on the other. In this scenario the business people have seen the numbers and know they need to build a broader organization so they are trying to mainstream the religion. At the same time the hard core religious types are trying to continue the tight control mechanisms.

Or it could be they've just decided to say one thing in public and do something else entirely in private.

70

Be nice to theists - they are victims of their genes

by cofty in

identical twin studies show there is a strong inheritable component to religiosity.

thomas bouchard studied identical and fraternal twins raised apart and tested them on religious attitudes.. the correlation for the former turned out to be 62% compared to just 2% for the latter.

his colleague.

JeffT

I wouldn't. Neither am I sorry for people who are theists. Why are you?

I'm just pointing out that both sets of people got to where they are by the roll of the dice when the sperm hit the egg. If this study is correct the atheist didn't get to his position by virtue of superior intellect any more than the believer got to his via superior moral character.

70

Be nice to theists - they are victims of their genes

by cofty in

identical twin studies show there is a strong inheritable component to religiosity.

thomas bouchard studied identical and fraternal twins raised apart and tested them on religious attitudes.. the correlation for the former turned out to be 62% compared to just 2% for the latter.

his colleague.

JeffT

If religiosity is determined by genetics, so is non-religiosity, it just means that religious people don't have the religion gene. It would be equally valid to say "feel sorry for atheists they're victims of their genes."

13

Victoria/Vancouver/Seattle

by happysunshine in

hey everyone!.

i live in victoria (canada).

anyone in my area?

JeffT

I live in the Seattle area as well.