Posts by core

17

The Charity Commission for England and Wales

by link in

in another thread outoftheorg said he was unaware that all congregations in the u.k (except scotland) were registered with the charity commission for england and wales.

the following link will take you to the first web page of the names of all these congregations.

it shows the name of the presiding overseer (correspondent), his address and often his telephone number.

core

As I recall, the reason given for charitable status was simply that we were a non profit organisation that was set up for Bible education and religion , serving our community . Charitable giving, as in aid to the poor, simply did not come into it.

What actually was involved was that all congregations adopted a "Constitution" written by the branch office and in which the cong effectively loses control of an of its destiny/propery/funds etc if the society wants to step in at any time.

By adopting this standard constitution congregations handed control (legally) to the society and on a plate - it was another con - at the time elders were being told that the Charity Status ensured security for operations in the UK if things became difficult in Europe (the FrenchTax case etc) - what was really behind it was the control that passed to the society over congs property etc after the constitution was adopted.

398

Wasn't Saddam ousted for doing precisely this sort of thing?

by Simon in

utterly disgusting.

those responsible should be lined against a wall and shot.

publicly.. i think that would win more hearts and minds than bombing cities and using gunships on civilian areas.. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4855930/.

core

Hatred between Arab and Jews clearly dates back to Bible times when "God of Peace" destroyed everything/one in way of "his" people - situation described at Jericho was an act of terrorism - nothing less - hardly surprising that centuries later bitter hatred exists. Another reason for doubting the existence of a "loving" God

23

I wrote a letter of complaint about a Witness....

by Dolllie in

and sent it to the watchtower society.

the witness was/is a "racist".

i was told by her that i could not go to the local kingdom hall, or have a copy of the watchtower or awake because i was black.

core

Dollie

Service Desk at Bethel will send the letter to the local elders who will probably try and visit you and use the usual placibos (as already mentioned) "leave it in Jehovahs hands" "..imperfct men" "you were mistaken" etc etc

398

Wasn't Saddam ousted for doing precisely this sort of thing?

by Simon in

utterly disgusting.

those responsible should be lined against a wall and shot.

publicly.. i think that would win more hearts and minds than bombing cities and using gunships on civilian areas.. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4855930/.

core

Simon probably has you down as a "niggler"

Englishman - for one moment before reading that a second time I thought you were doing a Ron Atkinson

Sad to see the polarisation of views leads to such heat - but then variety is the spice of life - like ~~many~~ some American troops/airmen Simon shoots from the hip before engaging thinking process fully - and thjose who leap to defend the flag at all costs do the same - perhaps JWD should sign up as an NGO to the UN - with this sort of internal ~~conflict~~ debate we should be able to solve the Middle East problems, third world debt, water shortages etc etc etc

398

Wasn't Saddam ousted for doing precisely this sort of thing?

by Simon in

utterly disgusting.

those responsible should be lined against a wall and shot.

publicly.. i think that would win more hearts and minds than bombing cities and using gunships on civilian areas.. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4855930/.

core

Showing outrage at the treatment of prisoners is not anti-american - why do so many Americans rush to label criticism as being "anti-american" ?

Same flawed logic as in UK politicians brand those with genuine concerns regarding immigration as "racist" (until yesterday that is and Tony B spoke common sense - unusually for him)

Are the Iraqi people better of now that under Saddam - as Bush says (in summary of his words) - "most of Fallujah is operating normally and is peaceful" - what planet is the man on?

BTW must be said some of the (many I hope) Troops from whatever country are genuinely helping the people of Iraq - their "colleagues" who perpetrate war crimes damage the good name and reputation of the many

10

The New European Constitution: the Last Battle for Britain?

by Realist in

jw
friends

the new european constitution: the last battle for britain?

no nation has successfully invaded britain since the norman conquest in 1066. in effect, the european union may be about to do what the spanish armada, napoleon and hitler attempted but failed.

many do not realize that the identity and sovereignty of the grand old british nation may be in serious jeopardy.

core

Britain has suffered from EU membership as a result of the rules aimed at enhancing the farming communities of France and Germany (CAP) at the expense of the rest of the EU - Britain is a net contributor to the EU - it pays more in than it gets out - also the mind-numbing regulations ( I believe several thousand a month) which emanate from the EU are rigorously applied in the UK whereas from what I can see in France etc the authorities take little notice of such things

Britain now has few local family Bakers / Butchers etc etc - not just because of Tesco and the supermarkets but because of EU legislation -

1 example

A couple of years a go a Health Inspector ordered a butcher to stop using his wooden "block" to cut meat on as it was not "banned" by EU dictat (not UK Parliamentary Law but EU directive) - at great cost the block was replaced with new plastic surface - which the butcher knew would be unsuitable but it complied with the law - recently the same inspector visited and ordered the buther to buy "a wooden block" as that was now the approved surface for working on - the inspector was reminded of her earlier visit but could not see how ridiculous this was. Incidentally - all butchers and many other traders are not allowed to have premises in which room corners are not curved (for cleaning) and thousands of bakeries closed after that was applied - bet no French Bakery worried about the rules though......

Legislation such as "The Working Time Directive" requires employers to keep copious records (for years) about who worked when and for how long - what breaks they had etc etc etc

Now another regulation from the EU bans traders accepting cash in amounts greater that 10,000 euros as a money laundering protection - customers who use large amounts of cash have to present their EU Passport and the trader must copy this and report any suspicions to the Police. Accountants must report clients to the Police if they discover trivial errors in company accounts - all rules from Brussels (the EU)

Latest is that any UK employer must see the Passposrt of all new employees and make a copy - if he does not then he faces 7 years in prison.

10

The New European Constitution: the Last Battle for Britain?

by Realist in

jw
friends

the new european constitution: the last battle for britain?

no nation has successfully invaded britain since the norman conquest in 1066. in effect, the european union may be about to do what the spanish armada, napoleon and hitler attempted but failed.

many do not realize that the identity and sovereignty of the grand old british nation may be in serious jeopardy.

core

Think Tony (Blair) has pushed his luck with this as when (years away) the Referendum is held most I know will use the opportunity to give TB two fingers and the same to the EU which has brought nothing but trouble to the UK and its people/businesses - no we have more in common with the US than with Europe (notwithstanding my view that Bush is a war criminal - as is Blair)

13

Have The British Ever Been First At Anything?

by Englishman in

jw
friends

1701 jethro tull, english agriculturist, demonstrated the advantage of thorough soil cultivation, and, with the invention of the first practical mechanized seed drill, initiated the practice of drilling rather than broadcasting seed.. 1704 the first alphabetical encyclopedia was the lexicon technicum/technical lexicon.

compiled by john harris.. 1705 edmond halley, english astronomer.

he not only identified the comet that was later to be known by his name, but also compiled a star catalogue, detected the proper motion of stars, using historical records, and began a line of research that, after his death, resulted in a reasonably accurate calculation of the astronomical unit.

core

Englishman - What brought this on - was it St Georges Day?

11

Before You Bequeath Your Property To "The Society"..

by Englishman in

jw
friends

..be aware that it could be auctioned to the highest bidder.. the pic is of the house that the assistant local po lived at until his death some weeks ago.

like many witnesses, he decided to name the watchtower society as the sole beneficiary of his will.

astonishingly, the house has been put up for auction instead of being put on the market via an estate agency.. this means of disposal ensures a quick sale to a cash buyer with a minimum of delay.

core

Core, are you saying that the rise in the housing market is closing the gap between the value of auctioned and non-auctioned properties and if so what kind of percentage figure can you put on the difference?

Yes - gap is closing as "inexperienced" (and possibly foolhardy) individuals join the race to buy properties to let. In the NW of England recently over 2,000 people are estimated to have tried to get into an auction for property that used to get an attendance of a few dozen - the frantic and unexplained lunatic prices (double the auction guide price) have impacted all properties in the area.

As a guide to the difference it is impossible to say as regional variations are significant.

For those buying property at auctions they should ensure they get a solicitors sellers pack for the property and stick to a price as highest bid they calculate beforehand and not get carried away by the euphoria of the auction.

11

Before You Bequeath Your Property To "The Society"..

by Englishman in

jw
friends

..be aware that it could be auctioned to the highest bidder.. the pic is of the house that the assistant local po lived at until his death some weeks ago.

like many witnesses, he decided to name the watchtower society as the sole beneficiary of his will.

astonishingly, the house has been put up for auction instead of being put on the market via an estate agency.. this means of disposal ensures a quick sale to a cash buyer with a minimum of delay.

core

As a "Charity" the society can receive bequests free of Inheritance Tax - an individual who tried to sell this property for less than the valuation set for probate would have to pay IHT tax on the amount over the IHT threshold (assuming other property/money etc took this estate over the £265k limit), regardless of the amount raised at auction, - so individals are not really able to use the auction method to sell as any shortfall below the value set by/or agreed by the district valuer, would carry a potential tax liability.

On the difference between auction price & "usual selling" price - this had changed dramatically in the last 6 months with buy to let properties forcing the housing market higher.

Lesson from this is how sad to see an entire lifes value and worth used by an anonymous group who will claim all the charity benefits but have no charitable deeds at all. - as on another post - check your will and remove the WT, local congs etc from any bequests you make.