Linda Z

I heard very few teachings on the book of Revelation in the Corps, but many on the book of Acts.

Waysider said: And by the time I got to junior high, we stuffed Kleenex in our bras to make ourselves appear not flat-chested and shapeless! Funny how fashions change...LOL Seriously, though, back to the topic...I think the article dooj posted the link to is very telling. It sounds like Michaelangelo was more comfortable with sculpting than with painting, and it appears to me that he sculpted the Pieta during a happier (or at least less unhappy) time of his life than when he painted the Sistine chapel. Plus, he was getting pressured by the Catholic powers-that-were to hurry up and finish it, so maybe some of the more grotesque features of the painting were done purposely, as a Renaissance-era version of the one-finger salute. :D Or then again, maybe he liked women in his youth and grew to dislike them as he got older. We may never know, but it certainly is interesting to ponder all this!

Way to go, Ron! $300 was just a drop in the bucket, eh?!?

I looked at your listings, Ron. Those are some exceptionally nice trucks. I could be wrong, but I'll bet you'll see a big jump in the bids just as the auctions are closing. A lot of serious bidders lie in wait to make sure they get the last bid in..."snipers." I hope that's the case for you!

act2, I'm happy for your dad!! My dad's something else. He got online and learned to use the Internet after he was 80. In addition to his eBay activities, he has many e-mail pals--mostly fellow toy collectors.

Ron, my dad's a long-time old toy collector (the toys are old and so is he). He's done very well with both buying and selling on eBay. Keeps him out of the pool hall at age 89, almost 90. :D As for Danbury Mint items, and most other marketed-to-be-collecitble doodads, people are very lucky to get back even what they paid for them. At least that's been my observation. If you ever want to sell something you think is valuable on eBay, it's a good idea to watch completed auctions for a while to see what items of similar vintage/condition are going for. I recently got $141 for a book I paid $1 for at an estate sale because I noticed furious bidding on a later edition of the same book and quickly listed my copy 3 days before that other sale ended. I was planning to sell it anyway, but noticing that other sale and jumping in there when I did improved my outcome. Garth, I still have some twi stuff to sell, so I watch what it's going for from time to time. The winning bids are all over the board. I've seen some things go ridiculously high and then not sell at all at another time. It only takes two people who really want something to boost the bids to the skies. If only one person wants it, it will go for the minimum bid. Speaking of eBay, has anyone else noticed the intrusion of ads there lately? With all the money they're making on their listing fees and PayPal fees, it ought to be ad-free. Reminds me of movie theaters that charge $8-10/ticket and then show you ads before the movie. Yuck.

It's all well and good that Wikipedia takes such a collective approach to creating what appears to be an encyclopedia. That link I posted is merely a reminder that it's wise to take care how you use it. I had to laugh, thinking about the encyclopedias I grew up with...big, heavy volumes on the library shelf, or in your bookcase at home if your parents got talked into buying a set by an encyclopedia salesman. Can you imagine sitting in the library, crossing out an entry and replacing it with your take on the subject? Somehow envisioning that scenario really cracks me up.

OK, Socksness, see what you went and did. By participating in this thread, you made the following ad appear at the bottom of the page: "Womens Support Socks." That phrase leaves a lot to be desired, grammatically speaking, but yeah, I'd say we womens support Socks...or we at least like him a lot. Back on topic: Oeno, I know you already apologized to Socks for the tone of the following post, but because I find myself nodding in agreement with pretty much everything he said, I want to respond to what you said, without reacting to the tone of it.

I use it too, for a quick starting point, but sometimes the articles are so well written that I'm tempted to believe them. The old saying applies here: Trust but verify!

I know it's come up before, but here's a link to a story that illustrates why Wikipedia is not to be trusted as the sole source of info on anything. I have a hunch there are some red-faced journalists out there! http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Irish-studen...01451.html?.v=1

Birmingham's almost twice as far from Little Rock as it is from Atlanta. Unless you want to stay in a little town, Tupelo's the closest to halfway (250 miles from Atlanta and 205 miles from Little Rock). Here's a link to some hotels in Tupelo: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=T...mp;aq=f&oq= You really shouldn't drive where you aren't familiar without a map, young lady! :) If you don't want to buy one, go to mapquest or google maps and print out the directions. Have fun!

John said: I probably wasn't clear about why I included that quote. The reason I did was because you have a “cult recovery expert” on your panel, and it seems to me that they tend to see brainwashing behind every bush (sorta like twi saw a devil spirit under every rock). I didn’t mean to imply or assume that you’re one of the “mind control” proponents. It appears, however, that your third panelist is. I hope you don't think we're trying to give you a hard time. I was concerned so I felt the need to say so. I'm sure you understand that many of us spent too many years keeping quiet when we had questions and doubts. Maybe that's why we so readily voice them today. :) I hope people get a lot out of your Webinar if they choose to participate. I also hope you'll keep a leash on that "cult recovery expert."

brainfixed, what you said here: ...really made me smile. That's terrific. Waysider: I have thought about it. I'm quite sure an ex-Scientologist could help an exwayfer and vice versa; the method of helping is what I question. I don't think the "mind control" explanation for everything that ever happened to anyone in a controlling religious group or a non-mainstream church or Amway or anything else is a valid one. I think indoctrination is a more accurate description than mind control. How people choose to "un-indocrinate" themselves and how far is a personal choice. IMO, to blame mind control for the choices we made prevents us from ever honestly examining our own role in some of the paths we took and keeps us from looking at why we made those decisions. Edited to add: I don't mean to say that every bad thing that happened to anyone in twi was because of their own decisions. Not at all. But learning where our vulnerabilties are/were (our own individual frailties...not some cookie-cutter image of a "cult victim") can go a long way in preventing us from being taken advantage of or made to feel like pond scum ever again.

Maybe I was too nice. I did a little Googling after I made my earlier post. Here are some links to articles about "cult recovery specialist" Joe Szhimhart. http://info_3.tripod.com/cultaware_unzipped/cases2.html http://www.cesnur.org/2001/CAN/appendix_A.htm http://www.reason.com/news/show/34495.html The quote below is from the third article, about the surge in "cult experts" coming forward after the Heaven's Gate suicides (my emphasis added): "Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman, authors of Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change, were interviewed by everyone from Reuters to *Rivera*, despite the fact that, by their own admission, they had no idea what this Heaven's Gate group was. Their expertise lay not in knowledge about this cult, but in their theory of how cultic "mind control" works. This theory, a variation on the long-discredited notion that cult members are incapable of free choice, did not add much to anyone's understanding of the tragedy." Bingo! One-size-fits-all solutions. Fool me once....

Paw, you probably won't like what I'm about to say, but I feel the need to say it. I think your intentions are good and probably John's are, too. But I'm a little concerned about this Webinar thing. I get the impression that people who have talked on here about the benefits they've received from therapy participated in one-on-one therapy. I believe that for those who need help regaining their confidence and/or their bearings, that can be a good way to go. What concerns me about an "anti-cult" Webinar, with no face-to-face contact, involving a group as large as 85 people, is two things: First, some people probably need intensive, individualized therapy with a good psychologist or psychiatrist. Second, anything short of that could quite easily feed a vulnerable person's tendency to simply exhange one brand of indoctrination for another, one set of authority figures for another. It's Pawtucket's site, and he can allow what he wants to allow. If he wants GSC to be one of several ex-cult groups used to advertise the services of a therapist and a "cult recovery specialtist," that's his choice and his privilege. Frankly, I don't know why a trained, licensed therapist has to drum up business that way, instead of the usual advertising, referrals, and word-of-mouth. Maybe it's because it's more of a cause than a business venture. The fact that one of the presenters is a "cult recovery specialist" tells me it's a cause, a crusade. I was wary of those before twi, and now I'm even more wary. $25 isn't much money, and I have no beef with anyone offsetting the costs of putting on a Webinar and making a few bucks. All I know is that when the companies I deal with put on Webinars, it's for one purpose and one purpose only: to drum up business; or in this case, maybe to drum up more adherents to the cause. And to those participating in this Webinar, please remember that just as something wasn't true just because a twi hot shot said it, nothing is true just because any other "expert" says it, either. If this thing appeals to you, then get whatever benefit you can out of it, but don't forget to buckle on those thinking (for yourself) caps. :)

The CDC is responsible to alert the public of any health threats that they see emerging. I get that. If they didn't warn us and the worst case scenario unfolded, then everyone would be screaming, "Why didn't you warn us?" It's one of those damned if they do, damned if they don't situations. I admit that I get tired of the constant coverage of this latest threat on the news and the panic caused by the barrage of doom-saying. But it's good to know the threat is out there so that if you get the symptoms, you know to get yourself checked. In some of the more vulnerable among us, that could make the difference between life and death because complications of the flu, any flu, can be very serious. It's a two-edged sword. I don't think there's any way to convey the potential seriousness of the spread of such an illness without causing people to feel a little jittery. Avian flu didn't turn into as big a deal in the USA as some predicted, and thank God for that. I'm hoping that public awareness will keep the spread of this latest bug at a minimum. The bottom line is that I'd rather be warned that there's a tornado heading my way, even if it veers off in another direction, than not be warned and be out sunning myself on the roof when a big swirly black cloud sucks up my house!

Rocky, it cost $7, not because of what was written on it but because of the front. The dealer happens to be an old friend, and he hadn't even noticed the message on the back. I took it back to show him today, and he was shocked, too. BTW, old postcards can cost anything from a quarter to hundreds of dollars--some really scarce ones even go into the thousands.

I can't tell you how strange it was for me to see those words, written 76 years ago by a real person. I often say postcards are a little slice of history that you can hold in your hand, but that's not the kind of history I'm accustomed to seeing, that's for sure! I never believed for a minute that claptrap about the Holocaust never happening. There was just too much evidence to the contrary. And I've been well aware of the horror of HItler's place in history since I was a kid. But somehow this made it more real.

After attending my postcard club's annual show and sale today, I sat down this evening to look more closely at the cards I'd bought. When I'm looking for cards to buy, I barely glance at the backs, and usually have fun reading the messages after I get home. One of the cards I bought today was a shocker. It's a sweet little New Year's card from Germany, showing a man standing in the snow playing some kind of horn, with holly tied to his knapsack and with two adorable pigs standing nearby. (That's why I bought it...I love pigs.) The card was dated on the front, 1933. I flipped it over and noticed a swastika where the stamp should be. I'd sort of noticed that earlier, but that hadn't set off any alarms because that symbol was widely used to signify good luck. I've seen it on many old postcards. But then I looked at the message (written in German) to see if I could make any of it out. I didn't need a decorder ring to translate the last two words on the card: "Heil Hitler." Holy sheet. PS. 1933 was the year he became Chancellor of Germany. I'm sure the average person thought he was going to save the country. Creepy.

MStar, I have photos of one of my high school friends and me on that bridge eons ago. Seeing it brings back memories of a fun trip to Boston many moons ago! Cman, I thought you were going to talk about the Waco fiasco. It was also on April 19th that the Branch Davidian compound was burned and David Koresh and many of his followers died, ending the long standoff. I guess it was fresh in my mind because I heard a brief mention of it on the news this morning. Funny, I didn't hear anyone mention on the news what happened on that date in 1775. Priorities, I guess.

Cynic, I didn't want to guess because nobody in that photo looks particularly cynical.

Although I have no doubt they played up the contrast between Susan's average appearance and her magnificent singing ability for dramatic effect, like Waysider says, it makes no difference to me. I'm glad she had her day in the sun, and I hope she gets kissed soon, if she'd like to be kissed! Not only that, but anyone who uses the word "gobsmacked" is fine in my book! Geo Aar, you hit the nail on the head. Hiway, I have a hunch Susan wouldn't be easy to ruin. And exsie, thanks for posting the YouTubes. That was the first time I saw her sing the whole song. Besides, anything that makes you happy because it makes your mom happy makes me happy, too!

What a lesson on superficiality vs. substance, eh? Doesn't it make you wonder how many times we might miss someone who has something fantastic to offer because we judge the book by the cover? I loved how she came out all spunky and confident. She clearly knew something the audience and judges didn't know. Good for you, Susan Boyle! Bullwinkl, I often hear people complaining that the news is too negative. This is the first time I've heard anyone complain that the news is giving too much coverage to something so positive. I've already heard enough about Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears et al to last me a lifetime. I hope I hear a lot more about Susan Boyle and other people like her who have so much to give if anyone will pay them any notice.

Skyrider said: Calling Rosalie an editor is an insult to editors everywhere. Rosie might read "teachings" to make sure they line up with the "present truth," but I doubt she proofreads them. In fact, I doubt she proofreads anything. I worked under her (thumb) in way pub for 2+ years, and I never saw her proofread anything. And I sure as heck never saw her pick up a pen to edit anything. Chockful: Actually, Rosie velcroed herself to DM earlier than 1986. It was at least 1984, and maybe late '83. I was on staff then, and it was quite noticeable when they became inseparable. I found it to be very curious.

The last argument I had with Ms. Rivenbark involved Ambassador 1. I signed up for one of those weekends where staff could go along if one of the trustees was flying into an area to teach. I had already put in my resignation and was soon to leave staff, but I was approved for the flight. She tried to stop me from going, but I fought her on it. I won. It was a nice plane, but WG is right...the pressurization wasn't great. I don't remember it being a rough or noisy flight, though. One of my favorite things was when Ambassador 1 would buzz the big tent at the opening of the ROA. The pilots used to get in trouble with the FAA or somebody at the local airport when they'd practice doing that, but I loved it.