JeffT

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Posts by JeffT

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  26

  All Watchtower Brooklyn sales in 37 NYC doc pages + spreadsheet

  by Corney in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have compiled 32 real property transfer reports (“reports”) and 5 recording and endorsement cover pages (“cover pages”) that are ny city public records and available online on a836-acris.nyc.gov site.

  37 pages, 38 properties, $2.2bn, one society... enjoy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ryaj_4ihgs1uoyeptkbzdbmw9rd12dmf/view?usp=sharing.

  see also spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1acdsqfusm5mi2zatfn87ksxmvrdzh0wfxg9nlomdszw/edit?usp=sharing.

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  JeffT

  Setting up an LLC for each property is a common tactic among real estate investors. I've worked for several companies that did exactly that. NYC (and most other big cities) attract lots of foreign money. I'd be surprised if there are any big stories in the buyers, for them it's just a another transaction.
  
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  42

  2018-Annual Service Report!

  by Atlantis in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if this has already been posted just disregard.. 2018 annual service report one in english and one in spanish.

  other news included.

  zipped folder.

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  JeffT

  My accounting brain always wants to look up a key stat. This year it took 7,363 hours of field service to produce one baptism. That's three and half years of full time work to make one baptized publisher.
  
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  21

  Are Jehovah’s Witnesses a Cult?

  by Tahoe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i realize this is an older posting on jw.org, but i’d come across it again after reading holden’s thread.

  quoted below, so no need to visit the website.. _______________________________________________________.

  no, jehovah’s witnesses are not a cult.

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  JeffT

  "Cult" is verbal shorthand for "A religion different from mine." It's just a word, this question has come up a million times here and elsewhere, and it will come up a million more. The response will tell you more about the person answering than it will the religion.
  
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  21

  It would be nice if this forum went back to the basics

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  not to offend or impose my opinion.

  but simply i would like to see just news and insights from the local congregation to the top organization level of: downsizing, closings, c.s.a.

  personal experiences,unscriptural doctrines of the org.and direct commentary of the above.

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  JeffT

  I left the Witnesses before the internet existed. Even though both my wife an myself were converts, and those had experience outside JW land; returning to Earth was not an easy journey. I am sure it is much more difficult for born-ins. I would think that reasonable and appropriate open discussions of such matters as politics and entertainment are a great to help to those that have not ever been able to do so before. Topics like that might really help some in the exit from the Watchtower, and are therefore proper for this board.

  If it doesn't interest you, don't read it. There isn't a test at the end to see if you read it all.
  
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  72

  Did you know Banks create money out of thin air?

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  banks create money “out of thin air.”empirical studies have been undertaken to prove this thesis and this is the conclusion:.

  in the 5,000 year history of banking, banks have been thought of as “deposit taking institutions which lend money”.. 1. what is the legal reality?

  banks don’t take deposits and don’t lend money.the public is under this false impression on purpose because the language of banks is not legal language.. so--what is a “deposit”?a deposit is not actually a deposit.

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  JeffT

  The Wells Fargo problem was not "creating money (or credit) our of thin air." It was fraudulently creating false paperwork to create bogus accounts, for which the creators received bonuses they weren't entitled to.

  If you want to see credit created out of thin air look at the student loan program (which is ultimately run by the government). The government is backing loans to people with no credit history and a speculative future ability to repay the loan. However the money is going into the hands of educators who are a very powerful political block, and the students have to pay it back, they can't even get rid of the debt in bankruptcy court.
  
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  29

  "The Branch did not approve of us to get a video security system"

  by James Jack in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this was the reply i was given by our coordinator at our recent kingdom hall security meeting.. he explained that they aren't allowed to buy any appliances or do any changes to the kingdom hall without branch approval.

  "we put in our letter that a video security system could be purchased for around $600 locally and an app could be downloaded for the attendants to monitor the cameras what's going onoutside.

  " they said;" such a system would not be needed in our area of the country, if standard protocols of security are followed as outline by the branch.

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  JeffT

  Do they realize that doing stupid stuff like this makes it impossible for them to claim they're not responsible for what goes on in the local congregations?
  
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  72

  Did you know Banks create money out of thin air?

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  banks create money “out of thin air.”empirical studies have been undertaken to prove this thesis and this is the conclusion:.

  in the 5,000 year history of banking, banks have been thought of as “deposit taking institutions which lend money”.. 1. what is the legal reality?

  banks don’t take deposits and don’t lend money.the public is under this false impression on purpose because the language of banks is not legal language.. so--what is a “deposit”?a deposit is not actually a deposit.

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  JeffT

  I just read the last part of the article the OP is based on. (I skimmed the first part, its mostly a rehash of the three economic theories of banking). Put simply, the "experiment" they say they conducted proves nothing.

  I'm a semi-retired accountant. They said they were going to make a credit transaction, then look to see what effect it had on the balance sheet. They couldn't find such an effect and concluded that the bank "manufactured" the money. From an accounting viewpoint it is impossible to look at one transaction and see the effect on a balance sheet without seeing what it would look like without that transaction, which they did not do.

  What they did is like trying to isolate one voice in a football stadium, and when you can't hear it, claiming the person you're looking for doesn't exist.

  The anwer to the question is: no banks cannot manufacture money out of thin air.
  
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  72

  Did you know Banks create money out of thin air?

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  banks create money “out of thin air.”empirical studies have been undertaken to prove this thesis and this is the conclusion:.

  in the 5,000 year history of banking, banks have been thought of as “deposit taking institutions which lend money”.. 1. what is the legal reality?

  banks don’t take deposits and don’t lend money.the public is under this false impression on purpose because the language of banks is not legal language.. so--what is a “deposit”?a deposit is not actually a deposit.

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  JeffT

  This thread is proof of my long-standing conviction that we desperately need economic/finance classes as a requirement in both high school and college. We end up with people that don't know how to balance their checkbooks or calculate the interest on their credit cards arguing about how the banking system works.
  
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  43

  Watchtower Tax Return

  by Tahoe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  photo credit: dallas canadathis is from only one of the corporations and before the recent kh sell offs.

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  JeffT

  How could they have liabilities exceeding assets with their business structure. Reputable accountants/attorneys would have never advised the development of the new cult compound

  
  

  Easy, they didn't listen to the accountants and lawyers.
  
  
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  12

  For those Genuinely Concerned about Press Freedom

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  our illustrious leader, justin trudeau, has just announced a half a $billion fund that will be given out to "trustworthy" news sources.. of course this will have nothing todo with the fact that there will be a federal election next year and there are plenty of bad things to highlight in the liberals record.

  they will obviously dole the money out in a totally impartial manner, even handing funding to reporters that are critical of them and trudeau.

  "trustworthy" news sources won't just be a euphemism for "writes positive stories about me, avoids negative ones".

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  JeffT

  .once he gives a public apology to the president for his obvious disrespect.

  He should apologize to the press corps for hogging the mic.