Posts by konceptual99

17

Britain Branch Relocation Project - 7 BOE's

by wifibandit in

2016-08-16 branch relocation project - key events.

2016-08-17 branch relocation project - personnel needs.

2016 key events programme.

konceptual99

Whilst costs may be a factor I am not sure this is the primary driver.

With Warwick, I get the feeling that time was more of an issue. The facilities are much bigger than what is happening in the UK now and I don't think they wanted the lack of a new home to prevent the sale of the NY portfolio. The use of contractors has helped ensure that the facilities are ready in time for them to move out and realise the capital invested in the NY bricks and mortar. Relying on volunteer labour for a project of the size and timescales of Warwick would have meant a very elongated process.

Of course they will want to sell and move out of London as well however they are already giving it a four year time line which is a really long time to build a warehouse, some offices and a glorified Travel Lodge. They don't need to use contractors as it is likely they can get the needed resources from the congregations. They save money, get a longer time frame to beg for money and have time to get the right deal for the London portfolio. Win-win for them.

15

The UK WTS companies' accounts documents for 2015 are currently available to download and here's information plus links

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

the uk wts companies' documents for 2015 are currently free to download from the uk government's companies house website.

the person who sent me this information said that it appears they are testing a new form of the website, so access to documents may in the future revert to a pay per file system.

therefore, he advises getting copies of documents as soon as possible, as he doesn’t know when the testing phase will finish.

konceptual99

I've just done a skim of some past years data to see if there are any obvious trends or patterns and TBH I can't see anything outstanding. For example, in 2012 IBSA had voluntary income of £28m, not far off last year's amount, and this was before the KH grab.

I don't really have time to try and look at all the data but even then I think really it needs some expert accounting analysis before you could hope to come up with anything concrete. The WTS is expert in moving money around the world and in using things like building projects to pull in dosh so it really obfuscates many of the conclusions that might otherwise be more clear.

My personal opinion is that they have plenty of income and cash on hand to keep going for years and years. The only thing that would really hurt is large legal settlements and they are super expert at keeping those things in the legal system for years.

15

The UK WTS companies' accounts documents for 2015 are currently available to download and here's information plus links

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

the uk wts companies' documents for 2015 are currently free to download from the uk government's companies house website.

the person who sent me this information said that it appears they are testing a new form of the website, so access to documents may in the future revert to a pay per file system.

therefore, he advises getting copies of documents as soon as possible, as he doesn’t know when the testing phase will finish.

konceptual99

Thanks for the information Barbara!

I've not looked at the figures closely enough but the IBSA accounts show voluntary income of around 32m, 10m (!) up on last year. I don't know if any of this incorporates funds from other countries either directly or via one of the other UK WTS entities but that's an extraordinary amount of money per capita.

I would imagine that a large amount of this is due to the money grab from the halls where they have had bulk transfers of cash stashed in congregation accounts as well as substantial monthly donations from each congregation. If this is the case then I would suggest that their strategy is to replace the income from literature with the back door rent on the halls.

I also suspect that expert analysis will reveal they are moving the money around to avoid it being somewhere where it could be extracted through litigation and/or a change in their tax status.

37

Second in the Medal Table - Well Done TeamGB

by konceptual99 in

can't believe it - gb is currently second in the medal table, with more golds and silvers combined than even china.

given the size of the nation it's an incredible achievement and we have won in some sports where other countries typically dominate.

i can't imagine we will stay in second but i am happy to enjoy the moment.. well done to the whole of team gb!.

konceptual99

Almost half of the US and Australian medals have come in the pool. Only 6 of the US medals have been won in gymnastics.

37

Second in the Medal Table - Well Done TeamGB

by konceptual99 in

can't believe it - gb is currently second in the medal table, with more golds and silvers combined than even china.

given the size of the nation it's an incredible achievement and we have won in some sports where other countries typically dominate.

i can't imagine we will stay in second but i am happy to enjoy the moment.. well done to the whole of team gb!.

konceptual99

The support for Olympic athletes has been excellent and part of the legacy from the build up and delivery of the 2012 games. Money is focused to where success is likely which has led to "have and have nots" situations plus athletes with performance drops have seen funding go which can be harsh.

In my opinion, however, that's how success is nurtured so I am glad to see the GB Olympic authorities having the bottle to make the calls. It's something the FA could emulate.

37

Second in the Medal Table - Well Done TeamGB

by konceptual99 in

can't believe it - gb is currently second in the medal table, with more golds and silvers combined than even china.

given the size of the nation it's an incredible achievement and we have won in some sports where other countries typically dominate.

i can't imagine we will stay in second but i am happy to enjoy the moment.. well done to the whole of team gb!.

konceptual99

Can't believe it - GB is currently second in the medal table, with more golds and silvers combined than even China. Given the size of the nation it's an incredible achievement and we have won in some sports where other countries typically dominate. I can't imagine we will stay in second but I am happy to enjoy the moment.

Well done to the whole of Team GB!

3

Star Wars Icon has passed away

by Tallon in

star wars actor, kenny baker, who played the character r2 - d2 has passed away aged 81.. r. i. p. .

https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/star-wars-icon-kenny-baker-dies-r2-d2-actor-was-173408734.html.

konceptual99

Met him at a comic con about a year ago. Really nice chap but he looked frail then. Sad news.

84

Why are the atheists on this site so hateful?

by HopeEverLasting in

jw
friends

all us creationists try to do is offer true evidence that the one and only god is out there watching and looking down on us.

we present that certain scientists know the truth about god and that he is everything that we see from trees, life, weather, the air we breath, and even the most simple molecules.

but of course you atheists reject it because it is your nature to not be humble and see god because you want to rule your own life.

konceptual99

It really isn't about bullying people into a position. The problem is simple. In the vast majority of cases those who support the influence of a deity in the bio-chemical processes that support life do not present sound, reasonable and logical arguments that call into question any aspect of established scientific opinion.

To use a recent example, if we are talking about homochirality then the published scientific research is not discussed or other alternative science presented, what we get is "I am going to ignore the research and still conclude god dun it because that's what I feel like doing".

When this type of position is questioned or even ridiculed then the stock answer is "you're not respecting my opinion. You're a closed minded, atheist bully".

This is not bullying or hate. It's simply the natural reaction when anyone counters reasonable argument with logical fallacies, obfuscation and poor debating skills.

The same is true in the recent discussion about abiogenesis. No one is arguing that science has not answered the question yet. That does not mean that there is zero idea about how it could happen or that science is as far away from an answer now as they were 10, 20 or even 100 years ago.

Mocking the primordial soup hypothesis makes about as much sense as the sneering and ill-informed comments like "you can say you came from a monkey but I certainly didn't" common to many creationists when they talk about human evolution.

Robust questioning of poorly presented arguments is not bullying. Those who wish to question what has been established time and time again or make sneer ignorantly at what is still unknown simply need to come to the party properly prepared. Turning up to a black tie event in a Mickey Mouse costume will result in one being laughed at.

532

I conclude evolution is guided

by KateWild in

your qualifications are way above mine so i'd love to hear more about the specifics of what you have researched and how that supports the existence of a deity.

k99, i am not really convinced that you're interested in my conclusions.

in nature amino acids formed to then form dna.

konceptual99

Oh dear, another one of these threads goes from "god dunnit" to philosophical abstraction.

No one who is more secular in their outlook has basically said anything other than "scientific research has demonstrated that homochirality is possible after just a few iterations of an auto-catalytic reaction". There is no statement or conclusion one way or another about a deity, aside an inference that once again science fills a hole that some have previously decided to fill with a god of the gaps.

The only people coming to formal conclusions are those who wish to conclude that this part of chemistry reflects the influence of a deity.

Discussing the chemistry and the research around it is not about promoting some atheist agenda, it simply a reflection of what we find through the methodical application of the scientific method.

19

Are hot springs and saunas approved by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses?

by jwleaks in

satan’s snares today.

in the main, satan’s tricks have not changed over the centuries.

in order for christians living in the corrupt city of corinth not to be “overreached by satan,” the apostle paul gave them strong counsel.

konceptual99

Hahaha! Yet more nonsense in the WT. Thanks for the finding that one.