Sharky

Yes. I was the Bishop's Counselor doing the TR Interview when the matter ws initially brought up.
Things are not always as cut & dried as we frequently want them to be.
Much of it, even with W of W matter, has to come down to personal revelation & the revelation/counsel of you local priesthood leaders.
I do have a couple of questions or thoughts to add here though ...
1st: The Brothern interpreted "after-the-fact" that hot drinks means Tea & Coffee .... Have they ever specified a specific type of tea or simply tea?
(I'll look into tha a little more when I get to the Chapel in a little bit).
2nd: Many of the items listed in the W of W do serve medicinal purposes if use properly & correctly. The Brothern have said we should use medications etc as prescribed by a physician when they are needed & used in a prudent manner.
3rd: What does the W of W say about the use of Herbs?
Some herbs or parts there of can be toxic or hallucinagenic if used at the wrong time of the growth cycle, yet fine & healthy if used at other times of the growth cycle
4th: Is the W of W all inclusive or are there other items that would have been included if say the revelation were received to day?
Many of God's laws are not as clear cut as we tend to think or want them to be.
In my humble opinion, the W of W is one of those things.
I am to be at PEC early mornign 2nd Sunday each month. If I pass an elderly widow on the road who has a flat tire ... whihc of God's Laws do I follow. Do I attend my meetings & fullfill my duties there or do I assist this elderly women?
Is it wrong on Sunday morning when emergncy pagers sound that 2 members of Bishopric & a counselor of the Stake Pres all get up & walk off the stand to respond to a fire or medical call? (& yes, wven though we are volunteer we do receive minimal compensation for our time if the time exceeds a specified amount).
Or whem my wife gets called into the clinic & ends up working Sundays? (she's an NP & RN).
Is attending sporting events on Sunday breaking the sabbath? If so, then is watching sporting events on Tv breaking the sabbath?

I guess for me to address it from the W of W point-of-view I'd want more info, specific info, as to why the question was being asked .....
A gentleman came in for a TR Interview. I happen to know he has a cup of fresh perulated coffee each morning (a single cup, luke warm).
He brought the matter up voluntarily.
He explained that a single cup of percolated coffee each morning relaxes his muscles & relieves him of much if not all his pain (He has MS).
Those effects last well into the afternoon (more then 9 hours of relief) & he is able to function as a "normal" human being without any additional need for pain meds or muscle relaxants. He is even able to work a part time job each day.
The alternative is some very powerful chemical based man-made prescription narcotic pain meds that relieve only a portion of the pai & muscle relaxants that don't do much at all. Both type of meds leave him feeling drugged, drowsey & not able to think clearly or function or able to work his part-time job. (in reality these meds, taken every 4 to 6 hours around the clock, are probly more harmful to the body then is that cup of coffee).
Hmmmm. Stake Pres expressed absolutely no concern but he still consulted with Area Seventy a few weeks later at a Preisthood Leadership Training.
The response was to review the couple of versus that immediately preceed the W o W where it speaks of the W of W being adapted for the weak .... & to consider the fact that certain things such as alcohol & tobbaco are very habit forming & harmful even to the strong .... then a little humor, "I don't smoke because it's against the W of W but I just ate 20 Big Macs" (french fries or anything of the like would work too) neither one is good for the body or your health ..... Then he said very clearly, "Don't get hung up on details .... Apply common sense to each situation".
So, before I wade into the W of W point-of-view I'd want to understand more specifics as to why the question is being asked.
In general, the answer would be a very sound No, Green Tea Is Not Acceptable.

From a Word of Wisdom point-of-view .... ??? I'm not going to wade into those waters.
A Medical point-of-view:
ALL hot drinks, even hot chocolate & hot cider & hot herbal teas, irritate the throat. Frequent irritation results in frequent inflamation of the tissues & has a direct link to throat cancers.
The Word of Wisdom is a Law of Health, keeping your body healthy & able & your mind clear.
So, take from that what you will.

There does tend to be a BIG difference between LDS-BSA & just plain old BSA.  Anyone who works for BSA will tell you that on the computer system there is LDS-BSA & there is just BSA. 
There are politics in both arenas, some of the politics are the same (like costs) & some are different. 
 
One issue related to costs, the LDS Church has policies regarding fund raising, what can & can not be done to raise funds & a limit of the number of times per year, etc ... church policies are more restrictive then are those held by BSA regarding raising of funds.  As a result, the costs all too often fall to the parents in LDS-BSA whereas with non-LDS groups there are frequently sponsors (i.e.: local businesses) that will work with the troops & cover or help raise many of those costs.
 
So some of those politics you are tired of may actually be tied into the LDS sponsorship of BSA troops rather then with the functioning of BSA itself.

Some select areas will see a some differences in the curriculum for 2015, mostly in that they will be presented (taught) more in the same format of the youth program that was rolled out a few years back ... this is part of a development process for an adult curriculum change, though like LDSValley said, the material being taught is not changing so much as is the way it is being taught.
The test is not on names & dates & places, rather the test is in our understanding & application of the Principles of the Gospel, our ability to incorporate them into our day-to-day lives and to teach others the Gospel not just by spoken word but also by actions/example, through the direction & guidance of the Spirit.
My Stake President stated it very clearly ... Teach by the Spirit & teach the spirit of those things in which we are instructing.  The Spirit giveth life, the word or getting hung up on the details taketh life.   
 
Many of the lessons I encounter tend to be full of speculation of what is/was meant by something & frequently veer off-topic& even offend some as a result ... I find it interesting that such emphasis is placed on the words rather then the spirit.  The greatest strength in testimony does not come from someone else telling us or debating their belief or interpretation of the meaning, but rather through our own personal study and prayer seeking out the meaning.
 
As for buying the Teachings of the Prophets series ... I don't think the church will ever do away with access to the electronic versions, rather just the opposite, they are promoting the electronic versions.  Electronic format readily reaches beyond the membership much farther & faster then do the printed books. 
For me, I use the electronic versions all the time; however, I also have the complete set on the bookshelf ... I get a few reminders every year (severe spring T-storms & heavy winter snows that knock out the power for several days at a time), those electronic versions are not always accessible when you need or want them ... & without electricity & being snowed-in for several days, it gets pretty boring without board games to play (I HATE board games) & books to read.

Okay, so I read the OP & the only thought that really sticks with me with all 3 points ...
 
Can we ever really be happy & joyful for our own riches (however big or small they may be) if we can not be happy & joyful for others when they are able to accumulate such riches?
If we can not experience happiness & joy for others then how can we ever expect to find happiness & joy (& in turn peace) with what all that we have?  

Some select areas will see a some differences in the curriculum for 2015, mostly in that they will be presented (taught) more in the same format of the youth program that was rolled out a few years back ... this is part of a development process for an adult curriculum change, though like LDSValley said, the material being taught is not changing so much as is the way it is being taught.
The test is not on names & dates & places, rather the test is in our understanding & application of the Principles of the Gospel, our ability to incorporate them into our day-to-day lives and to teach others the Gospel not just by spoken word but also by actions/example, through the direction & guidance of the Spirit.
My Stake President stated it very clearly ... Teach by the Spirit & teach the spirit of those things in which we are instructing.  The Spirit giveth life, the word or getting hung up on the details taketh life.   
 
Many of the lessons I encounter tend to be full of speculation of what is/was meant by something & frequently veer off-topic& even offend some as a result ... I find it interesting that such emphasis is placed on the words rather then the spirit.  The greatest strength in testimony does not come from someone else telling us or debating their belief or interpretation of the meaning, but rather through our own personal study and prayer seeking out the meaning.
 
As for buying the Teachings of the Prophets series ... I don't think the church will ever do away with access to the electronic versions, rather just the opposite, they are promoting the electronic versions.  Electronic format readily reaches beyond the membership much farther & faster then do the printed books. 
For me, I use the electronic versions all the time; however, I also have the complete set on the bookshelf ... I get a few reminders every year (severe spring T-storms & heavy winter snows that knock out the power for several days at a time), those electronic versions are not always accessible when you need or want them ... & without electricity & being snowed-in for several days, it gets pretty boring without board games to play (I HATE board games) & books to read.

I would review the law of tithing in the Doctrine and Covenants and then counsel with the Lord to see how He'd like you to proceed. Enjoy your retirement.

I'm a Sunday School President 
 
The Gospel Principle book changed a couple of years ago.
I just got the 2015 curriculum order in and it is a new President of church book of course, that is the only change this year.
The Sunday School Youth Classes changed 2 years ago as well.
 
What is changing is how we teach classes. We've done 2 training sessions in the Ward so far and I've had a couple from the stake.
 
A focus more on bringing the spirit into the room and less on the facts and figures.
 
As an example it is more important to feel the spirit and believe that young Joseph Smith went into the sacred grove and spoke with God. His age and the date it happened is nice to know but not as important.
 
And yes the church is encouraging us to make more use of multi-media and to use more of those resources where we can. For example we ordered less President of the Church Manuals and are encouraging members who use electronic means to NOT take a manual.
 
Manuals for other classes will change at some point but nothing has been said as of yet.

When you put money into a 401K or Social Security or even savings, you do with the hope that when you start drawing on those funds that you will actually be getting significantly more then you pay in.
Those added earnings that you end up with have not been tithed in any way even if the original funds were tithed.
Just for the ease of simplification, I prefer to pay tithes on the gross & when we do draw on retirement funds we again pay tithes on those funds even though the original investment was already tithed.
Keeping it a simplified process, even if I pay a little extra, works best for me.

There are similar problems in many wards, perhaps not to the extent that is being described by the OP, though there are such divisions in most wards.
Generational Culture has A LOT to do with it.
It is more apparent in wards that have a large older population & a large younger population with a fairly definite gap in the middle-age group. Utah has a lot of those, what had been longstanding wards where the older members have lived there for decades, the older member decreasing & young families are moving in.
The Older Generation was raised and taught with certain expectations, certain things that one does, certain ways one dresses and acts.
The younger generation were raised & taught with different levels of those same things.
My Generation, or rather what I learned as a teenager by observing my dad:
-When you know you are going to be giving a priesthood blessing, you dress appropriately, as in church dress. Most of the younger members of the EQ don't practice that.
-You make your home teaching visits in church dress.
-If you are accompanying the missionaries on a visit, you dress accordingly.
-I was taught that when you are in the bishopric or conducting in quorum or blessing your baby etc, you dress in a suit not just dress shirt & slacks.
The way one dresses not only sets a certain tone, it helps one act in a certain way, & in turn invites the Spirit rather then detracts.
Seems most of the younger generation either were not taught those things or didn't learn them or simply don't care.
But, that is obviously a Generational Opinion as I am rapidly entering that "Older Generation" group .... for some reason though I still prefer attending EQ even though I should be attending HP, maybe I feel younger when in a room with all those "kids".

You are correct that in the US payments made direct to Salt Lake COB (regardless of how those payments are made) do not show on your local records.
The Full Tithe Payer question is a legitimate question.
Enquiring beyond that is walking a very fine line as they are not to deviate form the standard recommend questions; however, if the bishop has 1st hand knowledge or significant reason to believe something that may raise questions regarding your worthiness, he may & can enquire in a "broad sense".
So asking how you pay your tithes could possibly be legitimate as he may have known that your records at the ward level shows no tithes paid.
That said, once you said you pay direct to Salt Lake then his enquiry should have stopped & the recommend interview continued with the remaining questions.
Per Church Policy at COB, local leaders are not to promote nor discourage paying tithes & offerings directly to COB.
Discussing your concerns with the Stake President may be an okay thing to do.
If you do, you may want to have the donation confirmations that COB sends each month & year available. The Stake Prez probly won't care to look closely at them, I would guess a cursory glance would be sufficient.

My wife says that phrase A LOT!
Sometimes it's a "justification" she tells herself.
Sometimes it is meant as that she is okay with something & she wants to believe God is okay with it as well.
Then there is the, you can choose to believe what you want to believe, I choose to believe _____ & we'll know who's right soon enough, until then it's between me & the Lord so quit judging me!
So I think it means a little different to each person & most likely each person puts a little twist to what they mean by it depending on the specific circumstances.
I think in general it is a way of saying:
"Quit Judging Me! That is something between me & the Lord, & does not involve you!"