Tom Strange

That's refreshing johniam... but that's not TWI is it? I remember those early days when the thought was that if folks weren't abundant sharing then they probably weren't abundantly blessed... like your guys... and our responsibility was to figure out how to help them get abundantly blessed, not put a spiritual gun to their head and demand...

Of course I do! ...and guess what? I still have the syllabus up there in that bookcase! (and my notes) My wife (non TWI) used to marvel at how I could manipulate er motivate people to do what I wanted them to do... I told her I learned it in the cult, but that now I only use my powers for good! She often wonders what other "powers" I learned... I think I'll just keep her guessing on that!

I hear ya Dave... the deforestation I've been talking about, and interested in, is not the "natural" type... I was thinking about the clear cutting of the Amazon Rain Forest, etc (like Krys referenced)... The "natural" cycle I'm not worried about...

Thank you QT. Is it an article that you could post? If any of you others have "tithe specific" literature or information, especially regarding the percentages "required" or "suggested" it would be great if you could post them (similar to how Belle posted). Thank you all...

I'm with HegotHope on this one... the witnessing "techniques" were nothing but rehashed Dale Carnegie principles (with no credit given). TWI even tried teaching their version of Carnegie to us in the Corps. I can still use er I mean win friends and use er I mean influence people with the best of 'em... You mean if they actually question the validity of the theology your trying to shove down their throats? C'mon, "Truth needs no defense" was used almost exclusively to avoid "arguing theology" with folks... and why? ...because they were arguments that couldn't be won for the most part...

I don't understand what people who do makeup have to do with global warming... do they use more pancake base? (sorry couldn't resist) I know that we've had a milder winter the last couple of years and we're also in the middle of a drought that's lasted about the same length, we're down almost two feet of annual rainfall in that same time span... are the two related? is it just coincidence? is it just a cycle? Thanks for all of the info on the deforestation... it's not a good thing, right? It's my feeling that we should be able to manufacture most of the construction items that these 'old growth' or 'rain forests' are supplying... but you're saying that they're clearing the land for crops? ...and I always remember the movie "Medicine Man" with Sean Connery where they were (kind of) delivering the message that as we lose the rainforests we lose sources of possible new medicines... or was that just 'hollywood'... What I've also taken out of the discussion so far is that there are a lot of factors at work here...

TWI would have to believe in aliens wouldn't they? Or are you just talking about the way that they're "set up and run"?

awww... you could've come to my twig... we had fun! (and occasionally even sno-cones!)

oh no simonian... it's much more complicated than that!

WHAT! nobody's gotten this yet?

GSG: I think it's couch-bling-tiger... but I could be wrong. I just can't figure out: high top - lion - dragon...

YEAH! ...it was their fault!

Baseball's Secret Formula the page at the Science Channel website.

Here's a website for you guys: Total Baseball dot Com

thanks soggie... I'll check that out!

Once you see the show it will all become clear to you! Or at least make more sense...

What about the reports that folks' abundant sharing was tracked and they were denied "participation" in certain classes if they weren't "giving" enough?

I think I saw that same treatment on "Trading Spaces" once... (not that I watch it)

well... that makes a little more sense Abi... but you guys can start it and stop it when you want to can't you? why wouldn't you just not do it until you found a clean restroom? you guys still need to work on your aim! That reminds me of a joke: One winter, while Clinton was still in office, one of the WH guards came to him in the Oval office and informed him of some disturbing news... someone had peed in the snow and written out "Bill Sucks"... so Clinton tells the guard to take him to the spot. The guard takes him out to the back lawn and there, just outside the dining room window there it is! Plain as day and clearly visible in yellow writing are the words "Bill Sucks"... Clinton is outraged! He throws a fit and starts kicking the snow so that it is no longer legible. The guard, ever diligent, asks if he wants him to collect a sample so that the urine can be tested.... Irately, Clinton snarls back "URINE SAMPLE!?! I don't want any urine sample, that's Hillary's handwriting!!!" ...or something like that...

HegotHope: here's the deal... they just finished inventory at the farm... Roz-a-blu was looking over the spreadsheet and saw that since the subscriptions to the SNS tapes was down that they had a huge overstock of cassette tapes laying around gathering dust (and going bad since they're not in a controlled environment)... So Roz-a-blu makes an executive decision! (they needed the extra income because her pool had a leak and needed to be redone) We'll put out a tape series on the most inane stuff we can think of and the few that we have left in our fold will feel compelled to buy them... especially if we make it known that "grads" need these. Hint: that's my key phrase: those still in "will feel compelled to buy them"... Anyway back to the story: Roz-a-blu tells all within earshot that she doesn't want to see this abundance of tapes on the inventory in the fall and that her pool better be finished in time for next spring... and there you have it TADA! a new and exciting series of 'abundant living' tapes! get yours now before we raise the price! it's either that or they still have stock in Radio Shack and want to make sure that cassetter players coninue to sell...

Now we're getting somewhere... I think we've all heard these things and were pressured (or saw folks pressured) into making a higher percentage 'the minimum'... I appreciate the input so far and look forward to more... shortfuse: that's a much more 'friendly' avatar!

Heck Free... I was born and raised in the state and I'd second your "happiness is Lubbock in my rear view mirror"...!

It is an incredibly beautiful song... Neal Peart writes some amazing stuff and then the way Lee and Leifsen put it to music almost makes you miss it... but this song, IMO, everything was beautiful: the words, the music, the phrasing... And of course you were right, it was on "Hold Your Fire", late eighties Rush... (and I wouldn't call it cheating either)... oh... and nice choice for a new clue! I'll let some of the (other) old timers answer...

I've got the show on Tivo... if I can figure out a way to save it to disc I will and I'll let you guys know... it really explains a lot of the thories and how the A's use it and how your BoSox won the series that year by practicing it... The main theory it all winds down to is that an out is a very valuable thing... but it makes a lot of sense after they've explained it.

Gee... is that ALL I get... just one response? ...tsk tsk... I expected so many more! Yes CW... I know what "the stance" is... I'm wondering WHY you ladies have to "assume the position" is all! Like I said, it would seem that you ladies need to practice a little "iron sharpeneth iron" in the cleanliness and etiquette department... and again I ask: Why is the "Ladies Room" such a mess in the first place? I would assume that they don't pee on their toilet seats at home, that they don't have to squat over the toilet seat at home and that EVERYTHING gets blamed on 'the guy" at home... I really do seriously wonder how the toilet seats in women's restrooms get pee on them... are there guys sneaking in there after the cleaning crews and peeing on them? or is each stall visited by a woman who just can't hold her bladder any longer and sprays all over the seat on her way down? I really do wonder (although my tongue is firmly in cheek, not that cheek)... OK now... bring it on...