Posts by JeffT

19

Meditation, your thoughts?

by besunny in

jw
friends

hi everyone,the last couple of weeks i have been reading about meditation and have tried several times.one of the times i did a native american guided meditation and actually had a unusual experience, seeing a wolf and a man dressed in victorian clothing,of course i had my eyes closed but this was different then a dream,it wasn't scary or anything,i hope nobody thinks i'm nuts,,i was just wondering if anyone else has experience with this,,being a witness most of my life i have been checking out other forms of spirituality,and meditation has been around for thousands of years and seems beneficial to those that do it....thank you for your thoughts.

JeffT

As noted above there are many ways to meditate. Pick one that works for you and go for it. I was told something that was at once simple and profound "Prayer is talking to God. Meditation is listening to the answer."

2

Need some blogging software advice

by JeffT in

jw
friends

ok, i'm crasy.

i think i'm going to take the plunge and start a blog.

any tips on decent free software?

JeffT

OK, I'm crasy. I think I'm going to take the plunge and start a blog. Any tips on decent free software?

Thanks in advance.

17

TELL US, please, are you Pre or Post--Enlightenment in your thinking?

by Terry in

before the age of enlightenment the earth was filled with many nations living under vastly differing beliefs about the world.. .

tribes, nations and empires possessed fanciful superstitious beliefs about their own importance in the big picture.. .

religion helped man find a place among fearful gods and demons.

JeffT

My question today is largely this: WHERE ARE YOU on that vast GRAY SCALE?

I think your chances of getting an honest answer to this question on a public forum are almost nonexistent. Either that or we're all above average here.

19

This really works to shut up the elders and other do gooders prying questions

by harleybear in

jw
friends

for what ever reason i have been contacted by a number of jw's as to why i do not attend the meetings etc.

in the past i have blown it off by saying i am super busy, tired, sick etc.

i had the opportunity just last week when i ran into an elder and his wife at the grocery store to respond to their comment.

JeffT

I said this to an elder who said I should write to the 'society' and let them know my concerns

My response to that would be "what, you can't figure out something this simple on your own?"

106

Confidential Materials!

by Atlantis in

all documents of important nature such as, our kingdom ministry, boe letters, forms, or other materials will now be sent only by email or private message communications.

they will not be posted out here on the board.

if someone else wants to post them, be my guest.. .. we have no other choice in this matter, and sending out confidential documents is better when it is done privately.

JeffT

you have a PM

50

deaf masturbation youtube

by cedars in

jw
friends

JeffT

Proof that too much of it makes you stupid? Or lose control of your hands?

11

MY LIFE BEFORE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

thought i'd share this part of my story!

hope you like.. randy.

i didnt want one.

JeffT

Randy, your life before the WTBS looks and sounds a lot like mine. I was religious/spiritual but disliked church. I will take a look at the new site, I hope my life is settling down again, I'd like to contribute some writing.

This was me a couple of years before becoming a dub.

me, before the dubs

17

Circuit Assemblies - Do they make money? Convince Chas

by Chaserious in

i have seen a number of posts here stating that the wts turns a profit off cas (and das for that matter) as if it is an established fact.

i tried searching for prior threads on this, in case maybe there is evidence i'm not aware of (such as inside sources), but the search function is not too advanced so i didn't find anything.

in any event, about 4 years ago when i used to attend them it seemed that the expenses they would announce for a 2-day ca would be around $10k, and for a 1-day it would be $5k.

JeffT

I've been working as an accountant in commercial and multi-family real estate for about 25 years. I pulled some old financials and fiddled with numbers a bit. Here's what I came up with.

First, 100,000 square feet is a huge building. I think most assembly halls are smaller than that. I checked google earth and the one in Puyallup, WA is a little under 30,000. I based my numbers on 30-50K sq ft, and there is a lot of wiggle room in this depending on a lot of factors like local utility rates.

Utilities (gas, electric, water, sewer, refuse removal) would run about $30,000 a year. Garbage would only have to be picked up on Monday, and heat/ac could be turned down when the building is not use during the week. Sewer is usually based on water usage, again the building is only used on weekends. If they are on a septic system (common in areas outside a city, such as the one in Puyallup) they don't have regular sewer charges.

A commercial landscaping contract should run about 12,000 a year, but I suspect the WTBS doesn't pay that because they can make the R&F do most of it for free. Ditto janitorial.

Insurance would also run about 10,000 a year, but may they could easily get a break because its all in house use of the building. They are unlikely to face a lawsuit because some one fell down on the property. They are also unlikely to burn the building down because some one did something stupid (a common occurence in apts and commercial buildings).

I doubt they pay the caretaker much. Like most other deals with the WTBS he probably gets a free apt in the building and a stipend.

I also doubt they worry about keeping a capital expenditure fund. If something breaks or it needs a new roof or whatever, they send a letter to all the congregations that use it and tell them to pony up money.

The three biggest costs for a landlord are onsite labor, taxes and the mortage. Labor has been noted above, taxes don't apply and if there's a mortgage it is almost certainly paid to the WTBS so it shouldn't count as an expense.

Bottom line, I think they can run that bulding for about $75K a year.

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