topoftheworld

My best Corps memory was being sent to Rome City to take Greek and do some repairs on one the buildings. My hitchhiking partner and I were the last to arrive: we'd gotten stuck on the south side of Kansas City for hours. We finally got a ride with a trucker who took us a hundred miles out of his way and dropped us at the front door of the campus at midnight. Whoever greeted us allowed us to take the trucker to the kitchen and get him fed, and then sent him off with a full thermos of coffee and some sandwiches. We were midly reproved for being late, but that was it-no public flogging. I loved the Greek class, and I wish I could remember name of the lady who taught it. Greek wasn't easy to learn, but she made it easy. I really remember her though, because of something she did. Our job was to "tuckpoint" one of the buildings, which happened to be across a courtyard from where the classes were being held. It was freezing cold, and we were bundled up as best we could. We had to climb two stories up on a scaffold, use hammers and chisels to knock out old mortar from the bricks, and "tuck" in new mortar with our little tuckpoint tools. We did this for a couple of weeks: four hours in the morning, and four hours of Greek in the afternoon. (Where else but TWI!) One day, it was snowing, and it was blowing, and we were just miserable. To keep our spirits up, the folks on my side of the building started to sing. I think we went through the entire songbook, Pressed Down's first album, and most of the Joyful Noise songs. Near the end of our shift, I saw our Greek teacher down below. She was waving at us to get down. I thought, oh, boy, we were going to be yelled at for singing too loud and disrupting her class. But no...she took us into the kitchen, where she had talked the staff into making up pots of hot chocolate (with marshmellows!) and had found us some donuts. She said that she knew how miserable we were out there (and had been), but that our singing had just blessed her so much that she decided to reward our efforts. Hot chocolate and donuts: a simple thing, but I will never forget that-or her. I never wanted to leave Rome City. Emporia just didn't have the same heart.

Belle, I have no idea what people are talking about when they say that TWI encouraged belief that the holocaust was a fraud. Yes, I had seen a book in the library at Emporia (I think it was "The Myth of the 6 Million), but it was one of hundreds of books, and I guess I just thought somebody had donated it and it stayed in. (Cleaning the library was one of my jobs, so I saw most of the books.) If I recall correctly, "The Hiding Place" was also there. Maybe I'm naive, but I tend(ed) to think the best, not the worst. I can tell you that during my interim Corps year my entire WOW branch went to see Corrie Ten Boom speak at a convention in Houston, and then as a group, we went to see "The Hiding Place", which had been released a few years earlier. It made a big impact on all of us, and we had nothing but positive things to say about it. I have read the book many times, and it has inspired me at some low points in my life. Never during my 10 year history in TWI was anything said on this subject. If that changed later, it is disgraceful, and in all probabilty was something LCM pushed. Just seems like something he would do. By the way, I recently acquired the DVD, and it is chock full of stories on Corrie's life. If you can, do a Goggle and you'll find a bookstore where you can get it.

Which is why we need Ted to help us with the rest of the words...somebody gots to have a copy on an old tape somewhere! Please? It's bugged me for years to not remember all the words.

Note then he joined the Hitler Youth at the age of fourteen because it was a requirement-not at all unusual for many young men in Hitler's Germany.

Raf, I love your logical mind, but sometimes humor doesn't have to be logical. Come on, give me credit for trying to make you smile! Laughter through tears helps me. Ok, how about an airline joke? An exhibitionist was preparing to board a flight to Chicago. When he approached the gate, he saw that a very attractive attendant was collecting boarding passes. As she reached toward him for his boarding pass, he opened his raincoat and exposed himself. "I'm sorry, sir", she said politely, "but you have to show your ticket here, not your stub."

If you are not familiar with the circumstances and players surrounding the death of JFK, I would have to recommend William Manchester's "Death of a President." It is extremely readable, even though it contains a lot of detail, and I find it credible because Manchester was able to talk to witnesses within the four years following the assasination (the book was published in 1967). I believe people will have conspiracy theories about any sudden or horrific loss, in part because the loss is so hard to bear, or when there is no clearcut explanation. Sometimes, tragidly, the theories will spring up from people who are simply looking for fame or notoriety. For the record, I do believe that Oswald acted alone.

Like a ship so far from home Drifting aimlessly alone storm tossed by the troubles of this world... That and the chorus is all I can remember. Maybe Ted can help us. Ted?

Sorry-lost track of time!!! "The hills are alive with the sound of music..." as Kurt shows his dimples! Geez..what made you think of that? I love that movie! And it's been 40 years! Thank God for DVD..those commercials were driving me crazy!

I don't chat often, but when I do, I enjoy the flash better. It just seems to more inviting than the live. It was a little tough to learn the tricks, but I caught on (with help from a very patient Hap).

'Cause then it wouldn't be a funny story!

Er--NO!

I know you guys are to smart to fall for this stuff. When I get this garbage in the mail, I have a habit of looking it up on the web to see if anythings been reported. So, today, I get the Sweepstakes Clearinghouse vouchers, and just for fun, I looked up up. Sure enough, even though they've been warned and fined before, they keep going. Read this: Here Hope that worked. Anybody you know fall for these or similar crooks?

Not a silly question, and no, they probably are not. Doesn't seem to matter: I get mono only as I am recording: during playback-I get stereo. The real test will be when I burn it: then I'll see what kind of quality I have. I set the songs up a WMA instead of WAV: seems to play pretty well. Next challenge: how to share selected tunes, like to people here, since I don't have a web site.

I think ya'll scared him away. BTW-for the record, Mark: I never saw that "training guide" until it showed up here: if it became TWI 2 or 3 required reading, then I apologize: where's it from?

....and the fact that LCM and gang wasted no time going ballastic over the "alleged" homosexual population, while making no effort to publicize and forewarn others in the household about the pedophile among them.

Mon-ty pie thong hoe lee jail One of the images didn't show up but .... Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail Did anybody get my mad gab line?

Hey, Sudo: chill. Newbie's just asking where the bs started-he's not saying he believe's it!

If you’ve every traveled a lot on business, you’ll appreciate this. Supposedly this is a true occurrence in a London hotel-more likely an urban myth-but still funny. Dear Maid, Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my bathroom since I have brought my own bath-sized Dial. Please remove the six unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest and another three in the shower soap dish. They are in my way. Thank you, S. Berman Dear Room 635, I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you requested. The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind. This leaves only the 3 bars I left today which my instructions from the management are to leave 3 soaps daily. I hope this is satisfactory. Kathy, Relief Maid Dear Maid, I hope you are my regular maid. Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning the little bars of soap. When I got back to my room this evening I found you had added 3 little Camay’s to the shelf under my medicine cabinet. I am going to be here in the hotel for two weeks and have brought my own bath-size Dial so I won't need those 6 little Camay’s which are on the shelf. They are in my way when shaving, brushing teeth, etc. Please remove them. S. Berman Dear Mr. Berman, My day off was last Wednesday, so the relief maid left 3 hotel soaps which we are instructed by the management. I took the 6 soaps which were in your way on the shelf and put them in the soap dish where your Dial was. I put the Dial in the medicine cabinet for your convenience. I didn't remove the 3 complimentary soaps which are always placed inside the medicine cabinet for all new check-ins and which you did not object to when you checked in last Monday. Please let me know if I can of further assistance. Your regular maid. Dotty Dear Mr. Berman, The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this morning that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid service. I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any future complaints, please contact me so I can give it my personal attention. Call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM. Thank you. Elaine Carmen Housekeeper Dear Miss Carmen, It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel for business at 7:45 AM and don't get back before 5:30 or 6PM. That's the reason I called Mr. Kensedder last night. You were already off duty. I only asked Mr. Kensedder if he could do anything about those little bars of soap. The new maid you assigned me must have thought I was a new check-in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel soap in my medicine cabinet along with her regular delivery of 3 bars on the bathroom shelf. In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24 little bars of soap. Why are you doing this to me? S. Berman Dear Mr. Berman, Your maid, Kathy, has been instructed to stop delivering soap to your room and remove the extra soaps. If I can be of further assistance, please call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM. Thank you, Elaine Carmen, Housekeeper Dear Mr. Kensedder, My bath-size Dial is missing. Every bar of soap was taken from my room including my own bath-size Dial. I came in late last night and had to call the bellhop to bring me 4 little Cashmere Bouquets. S. Berman Dear Mr. Berman, I have informed our housekeeper, Elaine Carmen, of your soap problem. I cannot understand why there was no soap in your room since our maids are instructed to leave 3 bars of soap each time they service a room. The situation will be rectified immediately. Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience. Martin L. Kensedder Assistant Manager Dear Mrs. Carmen, Who the hell left 54 little bars of Camay in my room? I came in last night and found 54 little bars of soap. I don't want 54 little bars of Camay. I want my one damn bar of bath-size Dial. Do you realize I have 54 bars of soap in here? All I want is my bath size Dial. Please give me back my bath-size Dial. S. Berman Dear Mr. Berman, You complained of too much soap in your room so I had them moved. Then you complained to Mr. Kensedder that all your soap was missing so I personally returned them. The 24 Camay’s which had been taken and the 3 Camay’s you are supposed to receive daily. I don't know anything about the 4 Cashmere Bouquets. Obviously your maid, Kathy, did not know I had returned your soaps so she also brought 24 Camay’s plus the 3 daily Camay’s. I don't know where you got the idea this hotel issues bath-size Dial. I was able to locate some bath-size Ivory which I left in your room. Elaine Carmen Housekeeper Dear Mrs. Carmen, Just a short note to bring you up-to-date on my latest soap inventory. As of today I possess: - On the shelf under medicine cabinet - 18 Camay in 4 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2. - On the Kleenex dispenser - 11 Camay in 2 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 3. - On the bedroom dresser - 1 stack of 3 Cashmere Bouquet, - 1 stack of 4 hotel-size Ivory, and 8 Camay in 2 stacks of 4. - Inside the medicine cabinet - 14 Camay in 3 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2. - In the shower soap dish - 6 Camay, very moist. - On the northeast corner of tub - 1 Cashmere Bouquet, slightly used. - On the northwest corner of tub - 6 Camay’s in 2 stacks of 3. Please ask Kathy when she services my room to make sure the stacks are neatly piled and dusted. Also, please advise her that stacks of more than 4 have a tendency to tip. May I suggest that my bedroom window sill is not in use and will make an excellent spot for future soap deliveries. One more item- I have purchased another bar of bath-sized Dial which I am keeping in the hotel vault in order to avoid further misunderstandings. Sincerely, S. Berman

Sudo---

Right on point, bowtwi!

Maybe he misunderstood...what God really said was, "I'll teach you how to rearrange other people's Words like it hasn't been done." There, see...makes more sense.

Now that's what I call a lifetime of christian service! Thanks, bro.

Well, nowadays the guy driving the rail hand cart would be subject to DOT regs, and would have been subjected to a pee test, which would have settled that issue. In my experience, any work related accident is covered by workman's comp, which is why companies pay into the state system and are fined heavily and subject to closure if they don't. Certain industries are covered under other various regulatory boards, like MSHA, in determing liabilities. In a recent incident, a warehouse driver dropped a full pallet of nails down from a third shelf. We believed he was negligent, because of his past experiences, but we could "prove" it. Two other workers were assigned to clean up the mess. They used a forklift to push a small hopper in front of the pile, and proceeded to shovel nails in it. They did not realize that the hopper had a safety chain on the back to prevent it from tipping forward, which, of course, is what it did. It landed on one of the workers feet. After months of pain and lost work, he finally lost two of his toes. So, who's liable? The careless forklift operator who caused the pallet to fall? The workers for not fastening the safety chain? The foreman who didn't make sure that the workers knew about the saety chain? The company for not making sure the foreman made sure his people where properly trained? The vendor who sold us product on defective pallets? The whole thing went to Workers Comp, and the employee was paid whatever the max was that was allowed.

(((((Jonny)))))