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[OK, that all makes sense when you think about it. First of all, we know that twi cooks its numbers, and has no qualms about using statistics deceptively to inflate their numbers, or draw attention away from the real numbers. Like when they discussed what 20% of a Way Corps group was going to do. There were FIVE grads. ONE grad was 20%. So, one grad was going to do something. But they reported what the percentages were going to do, and not how many grads. When they published a photo of them, the photo included a LOT of the staff with which they worked. The description of the photo did NOT include saying who in the photo was a grad and who was a staff, so we knew when GSCers identified a lot of the staff in the photo. So, let us review how they used numbers deceptively here. Let us remember two things before we start at this. 1) vpw himself was unable to get 1000 wows when he tried, not even for a huge event like the US Bicentennial, even after hyping it like the end of the world. So, we will NOT see 1000 wows, nor 900 wows here and now. 2) The group has had less than 3000 members for some time now, even including all children and retirees, nationally. They have NOT had a membership boom in the last few decades. The membership booms were a product of their times, when vpw was able to co-opt the Christian hippies and divert them from serving God to shilling for twi. So, membership numbers boomed until the low 1980s as a by-product of them, the people they recruited, the people recruited by those people, and so on. When the late 1980s were done, over 80% of the group was gone in two splits. Since then, there have been no more booms, nor could there be. They lost more people in the 1990s with lcm's purges- and some people who slipped away voluntarily in the face of those purges. So, how does a group with significantly less than 3000 people get to claim 3000 people attended, and how does the group with less than 900 wows get to claim commissioning 900 wows? By being deceptive with the numbers. The challenge then remains to see what they manipulated, and how they manipulated it. A leopard can't change its spots, and twi can't stop lying, not to its members, not to outsiders, not to everyone not in the inner cadre, the top of the oligarchy. ] On 8/13/2025 at 11:04 AM, Belle said: NEW KNOXVILLE — The Way International concluded its four-day festival, Rock of Ages ’25, on Saturday evening with music and a fireworks show. The event drew more than 3,000 participants from around the world, according to a release from The Way International, with attendees enjoying amenities such as a petting zoo, a splash pad, food trucks and more. The final tent meeting included the commissioning of more than 900 people to serve as Way Ambassadors for the next nine months, traveling throughout the globe and spreading the message of The Way. For more information, go to theway.org. Link to the article here. It looks like they are now editing whatever press release TWI sends to the paper. I especially like how they most likely changed the wording from "spreading the Word of God" or "sharing information on how to properly interpret the Bible" or some other TWI-speak nonsense. "More than 3,000 people" - were these people pestered over and over until they caved in and used vacation and PTO to appease the gods of TWI? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [(Hi, Belle!) So, they don't have a membership of 3000 or more, that's how many people "participated" (showed up) from "around the world". That means at least one came from another country, and significant numbers weren't fully involved, but just showed up. They claimed more than 900 "Way Ambassadors". They don't ever print a direct lie, they do what vpw did and phrase the truth deceptively, making a craft of "plausible deniability", and leaving things by implication. The truth they say isn't the truth you hear, because they lie by implication and "weasel words." So, how do we account for the numbers? We get lots of non-twi people to show up for the event, and make it sound like 3000 twi people. With enough leaning on people, they could get at least a thousand curious locals to show up for a day for a petting zoo. People leaning on family to come look for a day could account for more numbers. Then simply leave the implication-without an outright lie- that all those people are actual twi people. ] =============================================================== Twinky: 3,000 participants. Does that include, I wonder, all the staff pressganged to work on the event? Limb coordinators, etc (if such still exist), dragged in? Together with spouses and children? I'm almost surprised that there'd be 900 non-staff present. And 900 "ambassadors"? In their dreams! =========================================================== Nathan Jr: They did open this year's festival to the general public. How many of the 3000 were locals, I wonder. =========================================================================== shortfuse: They expanded the scope of the program to included "Local" Way Ambassadors. These folks went to the ROA, participated in training, and went back to the places they already live. They will do a modified version of the program 10 hours a week. "National" Way Ambassadors are more like the idea of Wows/Way D we know. No idea what the split is but suspect the number of "local" Way Ambassadors is the larger group. This most likely accounts for the inflated numbers. ================================================================================== [So, that decodes the inflated numbers. How did a group of less than 2500 get more than 3000 participants? Host a petting zoo, food trucks, and make a local carnival out of the thing, and talk locals to attend for an afternoon- even if only to attend the local carnival. Then count all of those people as "participants." How are they "from around the world"? Old twi trick- at least 1 person is from outside the US. They could even be a staffer from outside the US. Hey, staffers are required to attend, so that's a "participant." If you have 3 from 3 different countries- 1 from Canada, 1 from somewhere in South America (Hi, JR! Still being counted as from another country?), and one from Africa, like, say, the former Zaire, and you can make it sound like hundreds of people came from different countries. Most of the 3000 were never in twi, and never plan to be, but, hey, taco trucks and a petting zoo, and we have nothing better to do this afternoon, so.... When you live out away from significantly sized cities, the arrival of ONE food truck is an event, and two or more is news. (Anyone who's watched "the Great Food Truck Race" could confirm that- any time the race stopped in a small town, the entire town turned out to greet the trucks because that was the event of the season.) How did they get more than 900 "ambassadors" when twi in its heyday couldn't pull that off, with attendance now a sliver of attendance then? Well, redefine "ambassador." They don't have 900 people able to uproot and shill for twi even if they had 900 willing to do it. So, make it so that only a handful of them have to uproot and shill for twi like everyone expects. For, say, the other 888 of them, call them "ambassadors" and make the requirement a few hours a week where they live, and lean on everyone to do it. Eventually, through squeezing the members, and easing the requirements- probably more than once until the numbers rose- you could get that many. So, with enough deceptive massaging of numbers, that's how you get those results, and that's how twi manufactures a story. Frankly, I'm surprised they laid out enough cash to get a petting zoo and food trucks. They must have wanted to seem relevant really, really badly, to have actually given up cold, hard cash to do it.]

This could be common knowledge, but it's trivia nonetheless. In 1999, ESPN began a series titled "SportsCentury: Countdown of the century's 50 Greatest Athletes". Each week, a different athlete's profile was shown, highlighting his career and impact on the sport. Number one on the list was Michael Jordan. Personally, I would agree with that choice. Of the 50 Greatest Athletes selected, there was only one non-human. Who was the athlete who finished higher on the list than Walter Peyton, Sandy Koufax, Julius Erving or Ben Hogan? Hint: It's not Godzilla or the Road Runner.

"Tubthumping", thanks to the oldies channel on the radio.

I think her challenges to those traditional assumptions have merit. I don’t disagree with her. Jesus being white is laughable. I am presently convinced by the textual and manuscript evidence against those anti-women verses being authentically Pauline. Paul was a radical. Later scribes couldn’t handle it, so they added verses, even forged whole epistles, to MAKE Paul fit like a glove on their misogynistic hands.

Jammin' in the basement on a Saturday night...hehe!..

In case anybody's interested, here's the latest Annual Return to the Charities Commission for TWI in the UK. charity-search (sorry, the page cannot be copied & pasted). Look at page 1 under Achievement and Performance. And Vern, Crommett and Lombardi are still trustees (Rivenbark has resigned) together with some puppet local trustee.

We do know that Paul took elements of Greek philosophy and turned them on their heads. I don't know if a lot of churches teach that sort of stuff. I haven't heard it taught. This woman really knows a lot of Bible and challenges so many assumptions and claims, especially about a white Jesus, white male privilege; and the oppression of weaker groups within community, specifically women, LGB communities, lower paid workers and those unable to work, and immigrants. Have a look at some of her other stuff and see what you think.

Interesting bit about Cato. It seems the later scribe who added verses 34 and 35 was familiar with his popular injunction.

Monte Mader | Deconstructed, former Alt-Right Christian Nationalist Here's one of her snippets that popped into my Facebook feed, about 1 Cor 14 (women being silent in the church) - no way for this woman!!! (2) Video | Facebook

I thought you folks might be interested in this woman's take on a lot of so-called Christian dogma. She calls herself an "exvangelist." Monte Mader - YouTube

I don't know if this is the right place for this thread. I started in in Questioning Faith, more for atheists, but moved it here. What this woman does, really, is question accretions around Bible dogma or theology and point out historical facts or logical fallacies/hypocrisy. I don't know whether she has beliefs in any doctrinal position; but she does call out (let's be kind) misunderstandings, from a Biblical point of view.

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(Content Moved elsewhere) (I can't see how to delete a thread started in the wrong place)

They're probably counting the future PFAL grads in that total because, once they see the wonderful greatness of the word, they'll be certain to sign up, as well. (I threw up a little in my mouth as I typed that last part.)

They expanded the scope of the program to included "Local" Way Ambassadors. These folks went to the ROA, participated in training, and went back to the places they already live. They will do a modified version of the program 10 hours a week. "National" Way Ambassadors are more like the idea of Wows/Way D we know. No idea what the split is but suspect the number of "local" Way Ambassadors is the larger group. This most likely accounts for the inflated numbers.

Dear Folks, The discussion about the positive effects of Ozempic got me to thinking about this topic. What is your opinion? The general idea is that cancers are largely caused by parasites in the body that feed on glucose and these parasites can be starved with the proper diet. Below is data from AI: AI Overview There's growing interest and research around the potential link between low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets and cancer treatment and prevention . The underlying idea is that many cancer cells rely heavily on glucose (a type of carbohydrate) for energy and growth, a phenomenon called the Warburg effect. Here's a breakdown of the key points: Glucose Deprivation: By drastically reducing carbohydrate intake (as in a ketogenic diet), the body shifts from using glucose to burning fat for energy, producing ketone bodies. This can create a metabolically unfavorable environment for cancer cells, potentially hindering their growth and survival. Insulin and IGF-1 Reduction: High carbohydrate intake can lead to elevated blood glucose, which in turn increases insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) levels. High levels of these hormones have been associated with promoting tumor cell proliferation. Low-carb diets aim to normalize these levels, potentially reducing cancer risk and slowing tumor growth. Ketone Bodies and Cancer Metabolism: Some research suggests that many cancer cells, unlike normal cells, may not be able to effectively utilize ketone bodies for energy. This could give healthy cells a metabolic advantage while simultaneously starving cancer cells. Evidence from Research: Preclinical studies (in vitro and animal models): Have shown promise, demonstrating that low-carb and ketogenic diets can slow tumor growth, reduce tumor incidence, and potentially enhance the effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Clinical Trials: Limited human clinical trials, mostly small and non-randomized, suggest that low-carb diets may be safe and feasible for cancer patients, potentially showing some benefits like reduced tumor size or improved treatment response. For example, one trial found that breast cancer patients on a ketogenic diet showed a better response to chemotherapy. However, larger, well-designed trials are needed to draw definitive conclusions. Important Considerations: Metabolic Flexibility: Some cancer cells have shown the ability to adapt and utilize other energy sources when glucose is restricted. Potential Side Effects: Some studies suggest that ketogenic diets could potentially increase the risk of tumor metastasis in some cases, highlighting the need for further research on the potential risks and benefits in humans. Individualized Approach: The effectiveness of a low-carbohydrate diet may vary depending on the type of cancer and individual metabolic characteristics. Professional Guidance: Anyone considering adopting a low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet for cancer treatment should consult with their oncologist and a registered dietitian nutritionist to ensure it's appropriate and safe for their specific situation. Disclaimer: This information is for general knowledge and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making any decisions about your health or treatment.

Of course. Engage! George

Yes. George

Mason Capwell Garry Buckman Luke Brower Tobias Wolff Jim Carroll Arthur Rimbaud Brandon Darrow Amsterdam Vallon Danny Archer Roger Ferris Frank Wheeler Dominick "Dom" Cobb

"Star Trek- the Next Generation."

Wait. The other guy... right. And it was him, not Hopper who was... right. So, I have Peter Fonda The Cannonball Run Dom De Luise

It sounded familiar until the last set. "AVENGERS- AGE OF ULTRON?"

Heart attack, brought on by obesity. Correct! This was a good example of "keep your mouth shut if you're not in charge of talking to the press." She was found in bed, with an ENTIRE, UNEATEN sandwich within arm's reach. Can't choke on something NOBODY has ever eaten, let alone yourself. The old saw about it being a HAM sandwich was just a cheap joke about a Jew choking on something non-Kosher. (Or another cheap shot about her weight by invoking a pig, take your pick.) Why do people think she choked on a sandwich? The coroner choked on the air! The media showed up with cameras and microphones. He got nervous ("he choked") and began rambling and spewing nonsense instead of checking his notes. There was a sandwich present, that's true. It had nothing to do with cause of death, unless the sandwich scared her and instigated the heart attack while it sat on the plate. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ham-and-wheeze/ It is true that she seemed to dislike answering to "Mama Cass." She appeared on game shows, and was NEVER referred to as "Mama Cass", even though it would have made the audience recognize her faster. Every single time, she was called "Cass Elliot", which was her stage name. (Her real last name was Cohen, and "Cass" came from her Dad jokingly comparing her to "Cassandra" of Greek myth.