Twinky

I'd say two shoes is a pretty mild answer to millions of bombs thrown on Iraq by Bush. Ahh - who started this throwing business, anyway?

Borax laundry soap ... tell me more, LT. Is it a block of soap, a powder, or what? Carpet is in my shed up the garden pending cleaning. It's a nice carpet. Shed is a bit pongy now though. Probably won't do anything with it till Spring - will have to dry the carpet somehow. Good point about wetting themselves. Another cat I had was so terrified of cars (no reason) that on being caged and transported by car to the vet's, he messed himself and then got it all in his fur. Not a nice clean-up. I will line the cat carriers with newspaper and towels (for comfort) but of course they will also absorb any bodily fluids. That's supposing I can get the cats in them. Geisha, when I first got them, I had them on Rock Rose and Mimulus (one is for terror, the other for general scaredness) - both components of Rescue Remedy. Might need to try that again.

Be fair, Ham. Give some examples if you think this is true. When everyone was getting ready for RoA (early 90s), I saw quite a few of the "executive types" out offering to help for the evening work sessions. And also working hard in the day, on things that wouldn't be their "normal" work. They did it because they wanted to. RoA prep was a very busy and generally quite fun time. There were other "executive types" who also volunteered for extra work but were doing their normal jobs on evening overtime. Maybe I still have rose-tinted glasses in that area, but I do think there were "executive types" who genuinely had a heart for the work who weren't in the inner corrupt circle.

With $55m in the bank (see other threads), they could afford a very superior cardboard box!

What's this about bonuses? Just a guess, Skyrider, or got some hard fact behind that? What would they get a bonus for, anyway? Can't be for winning new people to the word, folks at HQ didn't get the opportunity, preaching to the choir/converted. Maybe because of the number of people they ran off...?

You know, the poor pay and housing conditions wouldn't have mattered at all - if only it was part of "having all things in common." You know, if LCM hadn't been living in luxury in the Chalet but in one of the trailers, like the other families - perhaps sharing with another family. Or they lived in Founders Hall and shared a kitchen with other staff. And the BoT got their new clothing from Plurality Palace. And their vhehicles were hand-me-downs from other generous supporters. I don't recall any staff members having much money spare for discretionary spending. Especially golfing fees. Didn't the requirement for a pay cut take place after PoP when a lot of people left? Then, supplies of stationery, etc, were all centralized and people had to ask for a single pen. (That's good, in a way, because people can stockpile huge amounts of surplus stationery in individual departments.) Notta, How horrible it must have been in WP to have to transcribe LCM's Corps Night rants, when he really let off steam. Did you have to do it, expletives and all? They were rich in people and poor in pay. Staff worked very hard, but some I know were also desperately bored because there really wasn't the work to do at certain times of the year.

Does anyone know any really effective and quick ways of sedating cats? Not involving prescription-only medicine? Recently I sewed a hem on some garment and must have dropped a threaded needle on the floor. I fed the cats this morning and as usual Crypto neatly hoovered round the dish in case anything had fallen out. She found something and ate it. What she ate was the thread with a needle still attached. I hadn't noticed it at all. So there is Crypto, trying to swallow the thread, with this needle hanging about an inch below her mouth. Now I'd like her to learn some new tricks, but sword swallowing isn't one of them. Would she be captured? Would she heck! A small animal with four legs is much swifter to move than a gallumphing human with only two legs. I chased her round and round the house and she hid under this and behind that. So many small places to hide!! I couldn't catch her with a jacket or towel to throw over her, nor with a sort of "cat catcher" lassoo devised for the purpose out of a plastic tube and a dressing gown belt. Eventually I realised that I don't need to catch her, just get near her mouth. She will hand-feed with the right temptation and I found a little ham and she very warily (after some time) but eagerly sidled up to get the ham. I was afraid it might encourage her to swallow the thread and needle a bit more but happily on the third attempt I was able to feed a little ham and hook my little finger round the thread and pull it out. It was a big needle, on 8" doubled thread!! My plans had been to visit my mum over Christmas, taking the cats with me in the cat carriers. That means - catching both of them. I have the carriers on display so they will get used to them, with tasty things in them, but this may not work. They are very cautious. I went to the vet to enquire but all they can let me have without prescription is Feliway. There are quick-acting sedatives but these are prescription-only - which means catching Crypto to take her to the vet. But the sedative would be so that I can catch her! No problems with Tuxedo. She walks up to me and over my computer desk and is relatively easy to catch and doesn't fight me any more. Does anyone have any suggestions, please?

Thank y'all very much. PurpleDays, yes that would be fun. Brit BBQ perhaps? (LOL) LU, Copenhagen - thanks! Ham - too funny! We had some fun and games this morning. RG - thanks, where do you get all those things from??!!

Why d'ya recommend Firefox, Wolfie? And what would be the "small adjustment"?

Are there really 320 people on staff at HQ? How do you know that? Whatever do they all do?

Thought I'd have a dive into Chat tonight but when I tried to get in, my computer complained about Fatal errors. SO I clicked on the links that are set up on the Cafe page which take you into the Sun Microsystems pages. I've done this before and think I just deleted Java recently on tidying up my computer, or maybe CCleaner tidied it up for me. Anyway, what do I need to download now? This computer uses Win 2000 and IE. Have Firefox too but don't really use it.

Good post, Jeff.

Read your blogs and the comments afterwards. Some neat comments. You have a lot to give, John. Whatever made you effective in TM will make you effective now. Only much more so. (I echo my post 76.)

Well. This is my thousandth post. What a lot has happened since post no.1. And the time before that when I was just lurking, and reading and reading and reading... Farewell, Waybrain. Hello, peace of mind. Hello, tenderness of heart, compassion, kindness. Hello, enjoyment of life. Hello, humility and patience. Hello, thinking ability, questioning ability, pondering and exploring the depth of love shown to me. Most of all: Hello, Dad. Sorry I got sidetracked there. You never stopped looking out for me, though Hello, Big Brother. Sorry I lost sight of you, too. You never stopped looking out for me, either. Thanks to all the Cafe denizens who have shared their stories, shared advice, shared kindnesses, helped sweep out the refuse, clear out the cobwebs, and hang new pictures on the wall.

They changed their minds about sex outside marriage being okay? It's not okay now? What chapter and verse are they using for that? How do they square that with the previous teachings that it IS okay? Have they said what is allowed - a hug, a kiss (gulp, what sort?), no touching, no touching below the waist? I guess they can't actually come out and say, "WE WERE WRONG" because officially the "sleep with whoever you like" doctrine was never official policy even though widely practiced among the "spiritually mature." What, are they going mainstream about something :blink: ? Dorian: It's almost surprising that the Way haven't tried ousting you anyway, putting pressure on her to get a new room mate. They really don't like their people living with "unbelievers" which includes Christians that go to mainstream churches. They may take the view that it makes your roomie weak.

Gosh, I hope nobody took this seriously, that TWI was teaching diplomats :blink: Hope the link that I included made it clear it was not TWI the cult. Though both are good at forms of doublespeak. Good point, Potato. How scary! ********* Anyway, now: back to our regularly scheduled topic. Redundancies in: bus driving dept; snow crew clearing round bus. Since they no longer hold RoA, do you suppose they still have all that stuff in the warehouse, the chicken frying machine and all the other RoA stuff? That could be a new job/reassignment. Selling all that off. Anyone know if The Way Woods were grown as a forestry venture? Or are they just nice trees?

Well done! Pleased for you. Go Hammy!!!!

Dammit, they're everywhere. At the bottom of the page was a random advert - "Download The Twi Course Used to Teach Diplomats - $39.95". The class is pretty cheap these days, then. For diplomats. From an organization with the diplomatic skills of ... a sledgehammer. http://www.langocity.com/courses/twi_cours...CFUoa3godnFw5iQ

John: that's a pretty intense posting. Thank you for sharing. There are unfortunately so many of us here who can relate to it at similar levels. Had you posted that about your time in TWI you would have immediately got much sympathy. You are right that cult survivors have more in common than not. You have also put a lot of stuff on your website that is self-disclosing and helpful to others. Sometimes I look at your web pages and think, "Oh, yeah, I know that one!" - something that's not quite been covered at the Cafe, or something that wouldn't quite fit into words. John, you said cman was cryptic in his postings. He always has been and simply alludes to his difficult story. His posts have ever been such. There must be issues there that he is struggling with. We all have the same story and yet it is so intensely personal that it can be very difficult to talk about. Perhaps your lengthy post will encourage him to open up a little more, at least to himself. Anyone who has not looked at John's website will find helpful material. Free. John offers a service to those who might be in need. If any of the people John has helped still visit at the Cfe, perhaps they might care to post and let us know if he's genuine. Other posters here make - products - or write books - and offer them (selling them, sometimes) to others at the Cafe. Wow, are they advertising, then? Kahler, Skedgell, others with their "cult experience" books? What about other books mentioned in the Reading Room ("Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse"? "Toxic Faith"?) Have others found their books helpful? I only know John through his posts at GSC but I have PMd him occasionally (as I might with any poster here) and my PMs have been responded to promptly and politely and not pushing anything. He's not a "drive by" like JAL. Other non-TWI people like Brushstroke are welcome and have a perspective to offer, too. So pack up the food fight and play nicely with the froth on the cappuccino.

Most people who understand English would have a difficulty with that. I myself said, what if I choose not to "donate" anything? - You can't take the class. - It's a fee, then; a charge. Why not call it so? - It's a donation. - No, it's not. And so began everyone's entry into the world of TWI double-speak. Now I ask: why did they call it a "donation"? Was it because if it were a charge or fee, an element would be liable to tax, on the "profit" from the sale of the class? Tax on the difference between the cost of the materials, and the cost of the class? But if a donation, could someone claim tax back on the donation that had been paid by the taxpayer? At one time, taxpayers could claim back the tax on charitable donations they had made. Receipts may be required. I think that led to abuse and is not now available; but the charities have been empowered to claim the tax back. Nowadays, charitable organisations in the UK can claim tax back on donations by taxpayers. Many places, like museums, the National Trust, schools, youth groups, tell taxpayers about this and offer a form that the taxpayer can complete and which allows the organisation to claim money back. It can boost their funds by about 17%. If TWI could not claim back the tax, then the payer (=class taker) as taxpayer should have been able to reclaim tax on the charitable donation. But I never heard of any forms being given out with the charity number on so that the "donation" could be offset. Hah! I bet that's it. Not just double-speak but some other kind of scam to minimise the tax TWI might have to pay.

Many thanks for the replies on this. Seems pretty clear it was around from the beginning, from when the WC was first established anyway. Pretty much everyone has heard about the Zero Corps, of which nothing since has ever been heard. But someone has said or at least hinted that it might be a direct result of VPW himself having been chucked out of his original church (ie, marked and avoided himself). Looks like he spent the rest of his "ministry" enjoying getting even (trying to think like a psychopath here). Another foundational nugget that he "stole" from some other church, along with PFAL and RHST!

This is a recipe from Psalmie on the Candy, Chocolate Truffles thread. Thought it bore repetition: I made these for gifts and they were well received. Make SMALL balls, as they are very rich. I put some with a little liqueur and some with coffee essence. If you don't want to drizzle white choc, finish by rolling in cocoa or choc sprinkles or icing sugar. Or anything else that looks good. Collected 12-egg cardboard egg boxes and spray painted them gold outside. Nice gift.

Interview went okay, very professional interviewers, different style from any other interview I have had. Said they would let me know by end of last week but so far nothing. But then it took them 2 months to invite me to interview. They don't move fast - well, I think the department does, but the organisation as a whole (and perhaps, therefore, Personnel) doesn't. The risk of barbecued fieldmice is still there, but I will be sure and find some tasty recipes. I understand one can also eat hedgehogs (roll in clay, roast in the embers), and also squirrels (Ham, better take care if you come!). Sausages are popular in Europe and take many fillings. Bratwurst is only one type. UK sausages (sausage links) are different again and are not like the "dog roll" type of sausage meat found in the US.

Ex10 my beautiful sister, sorry I missed posting birthday wishes and sorry also I forgot to wish you a happy birthday when we spoke on the phone! I knew it, but I blew it! You know what? You are so special that a birthday doesn't make the day any special-er. But glad you had a good quiet day. It was good to speak with you. All the best for a wonderful year ahead.

Gophers! Wow! And I thought slugs were a problem. I have some garden reorganisation to do before Spring. My back (only) garden comprises a long thin strip of land, concrete path on the right edge, lawn, then a narrow border on the left. I love cut flowers and want to widen the border, perhaps make it curvy, and put some nicer bushes and flowering plants in there. This part of the garden slopes up and away from the rear of the house and the expanse of lawn, being sloping, appears bigger than it is. Behind that is a little row of rocks and the garden levels off and there is the "shrubbery" (currently being reduced in content) with the vege garden behind. Some screens or eye-distraction devices half way up (where the garden levels off) could look nice but whatever is put there doesn't need to limit but to enhance the garden layout. The upper part of the path needs re-laying (paving slabs uneven) which is my Autumn project but so far hasn't happened yet. GC, I need your eyes on this!!