@ David M

Its just a number game but deviding the 900 Million by the average fee by lets say 33.000$ this would be around 27.000 students ... lets say four year course thats 6500 students hmmmmmmm

THE LATEST OF FESTIVALS

It seems that one would already surmise you are not going to make you target. you could only make this target of this was pre 1990 when we had a ton of youth. Then assemlbing so many youth would have been " How they could pay the air fare?" Now its all about filling the seats.
Looks like there will be more Men and Woman in the audience after all


SEE MEMO --- HID THE IDENTITY ON PURPOSE

We would like to announce some exciting changes regarding the Youth Culture Festal being held at the………. We have received feedback from parents of youth, especially those traveling long distances, who wish to accompany their children . We have also heard from many men and women who want to accompany their youth guests. Many have shared that it would help encourage more youth to participate and confirm their travel to our historic youth festival.
As a result, the mezzanine level (the upper level seating) will be opened to the men and women who are accompanying their family youth/ESD members and/or youth guests. The arena-level seating (the best seats in the house) will continue to be reserved for the youth, youth . Please see a summary of the changes below:
1.
Parents/Guardians of Youth members attending as a participant or performing in the festival:

Two parents/guardians per family may attend with their children who are of youth age. Those parents/guardians must complete the application form and register/confirm as a participant under “Parent of Youth.” Please note that parents will be sitting on the mezzanine-level. In addition, please have parents register and confirm at the same with their youth division children. If the youth has already registered, please let us know when the application is filled out.

2.
Men & Women’s Division who bring Youth Guests:

In consideration of the cost involved in traveling longer distances to the venue, any men or women’s division member … who promotes one (1) or more youth guests to travel to the festival, may also register themselves to attend together with their youth guest. For members of … Zone, any men or women’s division member who promotes two (2) or more youth guests to attend the festival may also register themselves. Please note that the sponsors will be sitting on the mezzanine-level. In addition, these men and women’s division members should register and confirm themselves and their guests at the same time. -- MY NOTE SO ITS A PRIZE TO BE won . Ohhhh if get so many youth I get a seat , I seat I still pay for.
3.
District Promotion Incentive Program: (see memo Terr-006 for more info)

Every district will be able to obtain seats for representative men’s and women’s division members in their district based on the number of paid confirmed YMD and YWD (youth) for the festival. There will be 1 seat for every 5 paid confirmed youth MOST DISTRICTS DO NOT HAVE 5 YD...in their district. The more confirmations a district has, the more seats will be given. These individuals will now be sitting on the mezzanine-level, rather than at a satellite location. Please note that this does not include ESD confirmations as both parents/guardians already have the option to attend together with their ESD child.

4.
Parents/Guardians of ESD attending as a participant or performing in the ESD Fan Dance at festival:


The current policy of one parent/guardian per family sitting together with their ESD children in the arena-level still applies. However, now the other parent/guardian will also be able to be seated in the the mezzanine-level. Also, guests who are of elementary school age are welcome to come together with ESD members and ESD parents/guardians who are already registered. In addition, please have ESD parents/guardians register and confirm themselves at the same time as their ESD children.
. To summarize, those categories of men and women’s division members listed above will be able to sit inside the……on the mezzanine-level. However, as this is still a Youth Culture Festival, youth/ESD attendance is our priority. Therefore, in the event of an overflow of youth on the arena-level, the men and women’s division members will be asked to move
Also, with these changes, a new application form has been created for each zone to assist in confirming each individual.
We sincerely hope this helps your efforts for promotion of the festival so that we can ensure the absolute victory of our youth. If you have any questions, please contact your zone office.
Thank you very much for all your efforts!

Thanks for posting that, Blue Lady! It sounds like SGI is getting very desperate to fill seats at Rock the Era.

This is copied from the link that Rothaus posted on page 171 of this thread:

Soka Gakkai finances:

[nccsdataweb.urban.org]

------------------------Beginning of Quote---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Organization Details
1. Name & EIN
Soka Gakkai International USA (952265667) -- Google
2. Street
606 Wilshire Bl
3. Location
Santa Monica, CA   90401
4. County
Los Angeles County, CA
5. Ruling date
( Approximate year when founded.*)
1968
6. IRS type
501(c)(3) - Public charity: Religious, educational, charitable, scientific, and literary organizations...
7. Legal basis for public charity or private foundation status (FNDNCD)
10 - Church
8. NTEE
Q99 - International, Foreign Affairs & National Security N.E.C.
9. Most recently completed fiscal year (TAXPER)
12/2008
10. Total revenue
$0
11. Total assets
$0
 ---------------------------------End of Quote-------------------------------------------------------------------

Total revenue -- Zero! Total assets -- Zero! As Anticult asked many pages back, how can this be? There's Soka University, the Florida Nature and Culture Center, various community centers, valuable real estate in California and Hawaii. If SGI really doesn't own the Florida Nature and Culture Center, the Santa Monica Headquarters, the New York Community Center, etc., then who does? If SGI has no revenue, then what happens to members' donations? Does SGI Japan own all of the SGI-USA assets?? Has SGI created multiple layers of fake organizations or corporations?

SGI USA can't possibly have zero revenue and zero assets.

@Tsukimoto

SGI USA can't possibly have zero revenue and zero assets.

That's why they call it the "Great Secret" law. If I had those kinds of assets, it would be a great secret for me too! :-)

Wakatta

All the more glad that I am not apart of this organization anymore, and that I do not have to buy that Stupid World Tribune anymore, cuz I know where the money is going through. Also, I am sooo glad that I don't have to participate in May contribution anymore. The Big Wigs of this organization should be ashamed of themselves. They are pimping people left and right.

This is part of an article that was published in the Boston Globe's Sunday Magazine in 1989. Back then, SGI-USA had not split with the priesthood, and was still NSA -- Nichiren Shoshu of America. Yes, I know -- 21 years ago, practically ancient history, but the point is, if SGI had this kind of money, and property in 1989, it most likely has even more now. Steve Hassan posted this article in his Freedom of Mind Center website. The whole article is much longer, and quite good.

From Steven Alan Hassan's Freedom of Mind Center

Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, May 15, 1989

[www.freedomofmind.com]

--------------------------Beginning of Quote--------------------------------------------

When District 15 of the Machinists Union decided to put its headquarters in New York City's Union Square on the market last year, it had trouble finding a buyer. The highest bid was $2.5 million -- half what the union believed the building was worth. Then, one day, NSA officials visited district president Hans Wedekin. Not only did they agree immediately to his $5 million price, but they paid for the entire amount by check. Now the attractive five-story brownstone is an NSA community center.

"It was the fastest deal I ever made," Wedekin says.

In the past two years, NSA has pumped tens of millions of dollars into buying properties in more than a dozen American cities ranging in size from New York and Baltimore to Eugene, Oregon, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. By its own count, NSA now has 55 community centers, five cultural centers, six temples, and three training centers. The most expensive purchase this year may have been a $3.2 million property in San Francisco. The school in Allston- Brighton that NSA recently looked into is assessed at more than $2.2 million. Few of NSA's properties are mortgaged: It usually pays the whole sum up front.

Where does the money come from? According to NSA, these purchases are financed by its regular income -- subscriptions, bookstore sales, and the like -- and special campaigns. Although members are not required to contribute to these campaigns, they are encouraged to improve their self-discipline by setting a substantial donation as a target and then meeting it. "It may be suggested to challenge yourself, see if you can give," says Al Albergate, a former Los Angeles Herald Examiner reporter who is NSA's public relations spokesman. "In this practice, you do get back more than you give."

Jean, the former child psychologist in Boston, says she decided to use last year's campaign to raise money for the New York center as a challenge to live within a budget. So she took a second job as a waitress and donated the income from it to the campaign.

Cult-watchers and ex-members argue that NSA exploits Jean and others like her. What makes matters worse, they say, is that members think NSA's expansion depends on their sacrifices, when it is actually subsidized by Soka Gakkai in Japan. Not only does Soka Gakkai collect huge sums from donations and bequests, but it also owns rapidly appreciating Tokyo real estate and an art museum. Its extravagant bids for Western art have helped fuel the spectacular rise in art prices in recent years.

Eager to preserve NSA's all-American image, its officials deny that it is funded from Japan. But they do not dispute that Soka University in Tokyo, an offshoot of Soka Gakkai, has made one expensive investment here that should benefit NSA. In 1986 the university bought a 248-acre estate in Calabasas, California, from the Church Universal and Triumphant, a religious cult, for $15.5 million. It far outbid the federal government, which wanted to turn the site into the centerpiece of a national recreation area. The location is intended for a four-year, liberal arts university. So far, Soka University/Los Angeles offers only English classes for visiting Japanese students.

Just down the street is a storefront office that houses NSA's spin-off companies, including Freedom Music. Its musical, This Is America, the New World, was performed on September 6 in the 2,605-seat Boston Opera House.
----------------End of Quote-------------------------------------------

But remember, NSA, now SGI, has zero revenue, zero assets! So how did they pay for a 5 million dollar building with a check!? Does anyone really believe that SGI paid for millions of dollars of prime real estate with subscriptions and sales from Ikeda's books? Could SGI possibly have sold that many copies of the World Tribune and Ikeda's Daily Guidance books?

Oh, the miracle of faith! Truly a great secret!

Quote
tsukimoto
Oh, the miracle of faith! Truly a great secret!

you mean source not secret ;-)

Both a source and a secret, Rothaus.

I just keep thinking of "Jean" in that article. She was the member who took a second job as a waitress and donated the money to SGI....when SGI was rich enough to buy a five million dollar property and just pay for it on the spot, without even bothering to get a mortgage. I also remember reading about a young mother who only had five dollars until she got paid, in a couple of days. Her leader told her that she should donate that five dollars rather than buy milk for her kids! Thankfully, the mother had enough sense to say no!

SGI-italy, what a mess.

[www.sokarinnovamento.ru]

Not great but Google translate gets the job done.

If what Nichiren Daishonin teaches about unity is true, the future generations have little to worry about the Soka Gakkai despite their great size and wealth.

Nichijew... Crying over SGI Italy's misfortunes that they brought upon themselves............NOT



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2010 09:39PM by Nichijew.