Ron G.

That's exactly how I do it except for one detail...cumin. Ya gotta add cumin. I use lots of it, maybe too much, but it's a necessity.

It's becoming evident that Pat Robertson, Walter Cronkite and Tom Brokaw all have more clout with God than VPW since they all have probably spent more time under the lights. Of course they aren't great MOG's, so the adversary wouldn't attack them in such dreadful ways...which brings up the question of why God didn't deliver VP from the attack of the enemy....either way, God must love them more than VPW....right? I'm calling BS on this. I can't contribute anything over WordWolf's contribution, which is quite accurate, IMHO, except to say studio lights have been in use for decades and decades. Yes, they're very bright and yes, they're hot (which probably contributes more to eye irritation and dryness than UV), but I'm convinced VPW's claim is specious. Rank unbelievers using the lights to no ill effect. That story is just absurd, yet it still circulates among some offshoots. The myth of VPW's mogginess seems to continue unabated in some circles. HACK PTUI!

It's becoming evident that Pat Robertson, Walter Cronkite and Tom Brokaw all have more clout with God than VPW since they all have probably spent more time under the lights. Of course they aren't great MOG's, so the adversary wouldn't attack them in such dreadful ways...which brings up the question of why God didn't deliver VP from the attack of the enemy....either way, God must love them more than VPW....right? I'm calling BS on this. I can't contribute anything over WordWolf's contribution, which is quite accurate, IMHO, except to say studio lights have been in use for decades and decades. Yes, they're very bright and yes, they're hot (which probably contributes more to eye irritation and dryness than UV), but I'm convinced VPW's claim is specious. Rank unbelievers using the lights to no ill effect. That story is just absurd, yet it still circulates among some offshoots. The myth of VPW's mogginess seems to continue unabated in some circles. HACK PTUI!

My mama used to listen to "The World Tomorrow" broadcasts and take "The Plain Truth" mag so subsequently I ended up getting some of their literature when I was in college, but paid no attention to it. All I remember was there was some scandal involving Garner Ted over womanizing. It seemed like Garner Ted had a lot in common with LCM. Evidently, Garner Ted is still preaching, tho. Until your post, Mark, I hadn't thought about them in decades. Now that I think about it, when I was sorta active in the Methodist church in my pre TWI days, I remember everyone in the church was into some other outside group that, ostensibly, offered them unique insights into certain things not found in the ordinary church setting. Some got Armstrong literature while others got stuff from Oral Roberts etc. etc. etc. It seems that everyone I knew back then had some sort of peripheral "cult" involvement. Sheesh, that sure dredged up some ghosts from the past LOL

It's truly an honor to know the MOG is keeping an eye out for you. I'm envious. ...and yes, in bowling alleys the used to have little lamps with lavendar colored lights and they put the rental bowling shoes on it to disinfect them before replacing them on the shelf. EDITED TO ADD THIS... I did a google and came up with this reference among many. "Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection units operate by exposing the water to ultraviolet light. This will destroy most bacteria and inactivate viruses, but the process does not remove metals, salts, fibers or minerals. Some manufacturers assert that their UV units will also destroy spores and cysts, but the Environmental Protection Agency feels there is not enough evidence to support these claims......blah blah blah" Evidently UV emitting lights are still sold for that purpose. They also claim it deodorizes the shoes. I haven't seen this since the 60's, but then I haven't been in many bowling alleys since then, either.

I think I read that a 2,500 watt xenon lamp equipped with quartz optics could do such damage, but I'm not sure that's what was used to light the studio for VPW in the filming of his class. There are lamps that are designed to produce UV. Remember the lights they used to use to disinfect bowling shoes? Maybe those are still used. I don't know, but that's usually done on purpose and ordinary studio lights don't have those characteristics.

I'm very curious here. What kind of lights were used in the filming of that class? I've been around such studio lights (continuous high output) since 1968, including still photo, cine and television and the only place I EVER heard of someone getting their eyes burned so badly, they had to be removed was in TWI. I'm not saying it couldn't happen, but I just wonder. I knew a man a few years back who, in an emergency situaton, had to use a cutting torch to remove someone from a wrecked vehicle without eye protection. He had laser surgery to clarify his vision and I know that wasn't available to VPW back then, but the only damage was that scar tissue that was removed. I'm sure whoever filmed that class didn't use arc lighting in a studio setup. One thing I know for sure is that you NEVER position the lights in such a way as to have them directly in the subjects eyes as this would cause your subject to squint and be uncomfortable which would be counter productive. Admittedly, the only time I've ever actually been in front of the lights like that is when taking incident meter readings, but still, they NEVER shine directly into the subjects eyes. What sort of lights was VPW using then? I've heard that story for years and years and always thought it might be bullshi t (you just never know), but never questioned it until now.

Garth, I've heard quite a few say that the U.S. should have sided with the Axis then while others claim that we shouldn't have been involved in Europe at all. The logic being that had we sided with the axis, then Soviet communism would have been destroyed. I'm of the opinion, however, that had that happened, then we would have entered into a cold war with the Axis that, IMHO, would have been a LOT uglier than what we had with the soviets. I don't know what Wierwilles logic was regarding that, but prior to the war, the Soviets and the Czarist Russians, before them, were every bit as anti semitic as the Nazis. I don't know a whole lot about VPW and his views as I usually paid little attention to most of the rants and to this day, thank God I never followed thru and went into the corps. I ALMOST did, but, thankfully it never happened. VPW could easily have had some opinions that were sympathetic to nazism and I'd be somewhat interested in knowing more about that. I was generally appalled at some of the bizarre statements LCM made, but don't remember VPW getting so convoluted in his statements...or at least he wasn't as loud with it, capturing my attention. The Latin phrase is "Now you see it, now you don't" (more or less). I took Latin for several years from Jr. High school thru college and I used to sit and CRINGE (hair standing straight up) at VPW's occasional references to Latin. Remember when he said in PFAL the word "mortify" (from Mors; mortis = death) meant "blow to smithereens"? LOLOLOL The most recent thing I heard was how the old Rock Band "Iron Butterfly" were believers because "Inna Gadda Da Vida" was Latin for "In the Garden of Eden" (I think "In horto paradisi" would be close, but I don't know the word "Eden")....and this wasn't all that long ago coming from a CFFer...saying he heard it from "Doctor". I KID YOU NOT! The guy actually had the temerity to tell me that. Anyway, I'm glad Groucho started this thread and am interested in some other folks "take" on this. I'm wondering what sort of apologies he made for Hitle as I never heard any of that.

As for his lifestyle and his "apologies for Hitler, I know nothing and wouldn't venture an opinion, however being of Rootin' Teuton heritage DOES NOT qualify someone as being Nazi. That's a dreadful stretch, Groucho. BTW, I'm NOT Germanic but of Scottish heritage, so I don't have a dog in that hunt, either. I'm just sayin' you can't make that kind of judgement.

Did the chicken cross the road? Did the road merely pass beneath the chicken as it moved it's feet?

Oldies... I seem to recall a LOT more explicit pics in that class than simple nudies. Maybe you had a different version of that class, but the one I saw was fit for viewing in a booth with a pocket full of quarters. The only difference being it cost a LOT more and you had to sit there, nervously, in a crowd. Do you think Larry Flynt is a MOG, also? At least Flynt is more honest about what he's all about than VP ever was.

I didn't NOT believe the "snow on the gaspumps" story. I got snowed upon in northern Wisconsin once in August (1969, I think), and it snowed 4 inches in June right here in Leslie and Marshall, Arkansas in the 50's. I just figured since it was way up north in Ohio, why not? At that point in time, I'd not ventured further, and knew little of the world, north of Denton, Texas (except for short trips to Wisconsin and Arkansas when I was a kid), so why not? I didn't pray or anything when those two incidents occurred and I hadn't taken PFAL, yet, so God wasn't speaking to me at the time...He certainly wasn't spitting, much less snowing, in MY direction. I thought it just another anomolie. I assumed (BIG mistake) that sooner or later there'd be a news article from a local paper on display somewhere proving it...kinda like that shrine to E.W. Bullinger they had. But, of course, that never happened and I kinda forgot about it when deluged with all the other cognitive dissonance put upon us in the Way days. Groucho, I don't know that the gas pump story is such a big deal, since anomolies do occur and the fact that the snow in an old perverts imagination can be very real to him. YMMV

It's just the way things are. Recently I saw a hawk taking off about 4 feet from the ground with a baby bunny in it's talons. A few seconds later, mama bunny was running in hot pursuit, to no avail. I see snakes getting cicadas and my eggs :( , racoons getting ducks, foxes getting chickens, bobcats getting bunnies and squirrels and in the early fall, I've even seen ants herding aphids like cattle on my tomato plants. We have several predators including bobcats, foxes, coyotes, hawks, racoons etc. The black bears we have are generally scavengers. They only attack bags of garbage and dishes containing dogfood. Everything has to eat. It's just the way things are.

Okay, Doojable. I promise to be more dignified in your thread. Here are some of my personal favorites of Henri Cartier-Bresson... Henri Matisse 1944 This portrait of the great painter shows his personal environment and displays his personality as a formal portrait couldn't. Taxi Drivers in Berlin, 1932 Gestapo Infomer, Dessau, Germany, 1945 This shot is so very compelling as it displayys the gamut of emotion and expression prevalent in those post war days. Russian boy released from concentration camp, 1945 Alicante, Spain, 1932 Berlin Wall, 1963 On the banks of the Marne, 1938 Roman Amphitheater, Valencia, 1933 These are a few of Bresson's more famous images. I've always admired the stark candor and grittiness of his work. His prints were always exceptional, although that aspect can't be fully appreciated in this venue. Today, with the emergence of digital photography with it's post production editing capabilities, many traditionalists argue that true photography, such as this, is dying due to the comparable ease one can manipulate an image and change it. Those who defend this editing tell us that Bresson's images were all staged and weren't the honest representations of reality they were once thought to be. I don't know, all I know is that Bresson traveled the world with his Leica and gave us images of life in his time as a permanent record for all to see.

I came across this art forgery. Art forgeries are totally wrong and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I recently came across this shameless attempt. In 1932, Henri Cartier-Bresson (the father of photojournalism) did the famous photograph which sold for $12,500. Well, along comes somebody who has no original ideas of their own but want to cash in on greatness. Here is the original Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare. This photo "Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare", printed on 11 x 14 inch paper sold for $12,500 Okay, the following photo emerged, later, and after much study, and lab tests of emusions, silver content etc., experts determined it to be a forgery. I'm sure everyone will agree, this is just a tragedy for art to be faked for filthy lucre. HARRUMPH!!

I was once told I sounded like a log truck going down a mountain with the jake break on. I was given a CPAP a few years ago, but that didn't work so well because I'd wake up in the middle of the night with that thing blowing in my face so hard it blew my eyelids open. It was the "ramp up" kind that began as a gentle breeze and ended up a category 6 hurricane. The final solution was losing 150 lbs and starting a workout regimen. That's what worked for me. I feel well rested and content averaging 5 to 6 hours of sleep each night. That's quite a step down from my former 12. Sometimes I'm amazed at the similarities I see when I read Rocky's posts.

Can you play "Free Cell" on it?

I used to think that a LOT. Part of a line from that old classic song, Alice's Restaurant, by Arlo Guthrie came to mind frequently when I'd hear teachings..."A third posibility we hadn't counted upon" (That phrase always went thru my head in Arlo's voice and I NEVER, EVER attributed it to "the adversary"). It became obvious that we were being conditioned to accept these arbitrary "new lights" of wit, wisdom and brilliant research so as to believe we were privy to some inside information unavailable to the unwashed masses. I got this early on, but it became VERY obvious during the LCM years. It was a typical ploy used by many organizations and frequently by popular media to make people feel informed without actually informing them. You're the first person that I've seen to express this. As for buying into the ball of wax, I stuck around as long as I did because I made some wonderful friends, I enjoyed the small fellowships and learned a few useful things. I had read E.W. Bullinger before I ever heard of TWI and enjoyed being able to find others who studied and enjoyed Bullinger and I could wallow in it. The main thing that offended me was the adoration of VPW and later, LCM and the perverse notion that whatever fell out of VPW's mouth equalled the Word of God if not superceding it. I got SOOO sick of hearing "Doctor sez...Doctor sez...Doctor sez" until it turned my stomach. This is why I have no interest in CFF or any other "Doctor sez" ministry. Even without all his sexual predations etc., he was still just some guy that read the Bible...nothing more. I felt that way then with no sense of guilt or having been "tricked" and I feel that way now.

I said that in my first post. This is why you, who evidently used kind of an eclectic mix of approaches, had such good success. I began my regimen with a blood test..one of those where they take a big vial of blood and you get a printout of EVERYTHING and then I studied it and learned all I could regarding my tolerances to fat, cholesteral, sugar etc. etc. I think this information is necessary before embarking on a strict Atkins type diet. I'd tried that earlier with some unfortunate results. Just one word here....METAMUCIL. When considering the thing about exercise vs. weight loss, we must remember that when you exercise, you tend to replace fat with muscle mass which is much heavier than fat and consequently, you can end up weighing more, yet losing a few inches from your waist and other places in the process of "toning up". I also agree cardio isn't all it's cracked up to be. Weight training is far more effective, but cardio on "off days" keeps you limber and helps with energy. I say "off days" because I've found it somewhat counter productive to do weight training every day. Every other day works better for me. I went bicycle riding with Andrew last Friday and crashed on the pavement causing some shoulder problems, so I haven't been doing much of anything except walking a lot, since, but it's getting better and I'll be back on schedule Monday. Something else that has helped me quite a bit....Americans (and I guess most everyone else), for whatever reason, have gotten into a cultural habit of begnning the day with a small breakfast (or maybe no breakfast at all which is the worst thing you can possibly do), medium sized lunch and a large evening meal. We should do just the opposite and allow our food to fuel our daily activities, beginning the day with our largest meal and tapering down to a small evening meal or even snack, NEVER going to bed full. Yes, Sudo, calorie intake is important. You simply can't eat 60 rib eye steaks each day or consume 35,000 calories of protein each day and expect to lose weight, especially with little or no vigorous ecxrcise. Some other things that have been beneficial to me... I weigh myself each day at about the same time, wearing about the same thing and with the scale in the same place on the floor. I keep a diary of everything I eat throughout the day and the time I ate it. Consistency is important, as a persons weight can fluctuate as much as 10 lbs. throughout the course of a day and this has to be taken into consideration. This is especially true in the summer when we drink a lot of fluids and sweat a lot. Rocky, do you know some way to measure BMI with a degree of accuracy without having to go to a special clinic? If so, I sure would appreciate the info.

For the record, you are absolutely correct. Notice I said WHITE rice, flour etc.

In December of 2005, I went for my 6 month cardiologist visit. I had to wait a long time, so out of boredom, I snuck out to the local store and picked up a couple donuts and a cappuccino. I came back and munched them contentedly until they called me. When I went in for my obligatory pre appointment weigh in and BP/temp check, I weighed in at 320 lbs. WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT!!??!!320 lbs!!??!! That was a huge shock to me. 320 lbs! I realized it was time to either make some serious changes or get fitted for a coffin made from a piano box. My cardiologist, although sympathetic, was no help at all as he's about 5'8" in every direction. I waddled home and made some serious decisions and changes. After eliminating sugar, white flour, pasta, white rice, potatoes etc., I weighed about 270 in this photo. Since then, I've lost about 90 lbs and weighed in this morning at 182. I explored many options, including the Atkins diet and learned all I could learn about nutrition and how it applied to me, since I'm of the opinion that what might work for one, might not work for another since not everyone metabolizes their food the same way. This photo was taken in June of '07. Although I'd gone down to about 190, I now had all this extraneous skin and flab. If you don't exercise regularly, you tend to lose muscle tissue and retain fat. Since I have a workout buddy, Andrew, and together we do weight training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Cardio on Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks to this regimen, the extraneous stuff is going away. Some things that worked for me... Decide the minimum amount of calories your body requires each day to maintain your activity level. Divide that into 5 or 6 meals each day, never allowing yourself to feel hungry. When you feel hungry, your body goes into "famine" mode and stores whatever you eat as fat at the expense of lean muscle tissue. Each morning, I begin the day with some simple exercises and then reward myself with a milkshake made up of a glass of 2% milk with one measure of whey protein supplement (chocolate flavored), 1/2 banana and occasionally a raw egg all whipped up in a blender. This kicks the metabolism into high gear and helps use your food efficiently while giving more energy throughout the day. Sudo is right about the sardines, but I personally prefer the little fish steaks (herring) in Louisiana hot sauce. I go to the baby food aisle and buy the little finger meat sticks. Thery're low calorie, high protein and don't have all the salt and msg that is in Vienna sausages...and taste a LOT better. I only use olive oil and REAL butter for cooking and salads etc. Peanuts, avacados, hard boiled eggs, apple cider vinegar, canned salmon, and red peppers are your friends. Enjoy them. Just some random thoughts.

Last month, my 2nd oldest boy bought himself a new .357 magnum revolver. Here he is practicing with it. He can't seem to hit much, but it looks intimidating enough that he shouldn't have to. Portra 160 NC What happens when you pin targets to a tree and shoot it enough times? It falls down. Portra 160NC Here is the town near where I live. Leslie, Arkansas, population 481 or so. It's 7 miles away which is good because I don't like being too close to densly populated urban areas like that. Fuji 400 Each year, Leslie holds a festival and here is a shot from the egg toss compettition. Fuji 400 The whole town turns out and everyone is treated to free pinto beans and cornbread prepared by the retired sheriff. Fuji 400 Here is a kid named Mikey. He can really eat some beans! This is a lady sitting in a field. I don't know is she likes beans much or not. The subject didn't come up. Fuji400 A couple of years ago, I had a goat. That same year I started 100 Roma tomato plants. When I was anticipating lots and lots of delicious tomatoes for my salsa, home made ketchup and tomato sauce, the goat ate every damned one of my seedlings. CAUTION: cheap digital image of goat taken with cheap digital camera The goat died of lead poisoning (see photo 1) and now resides on this wall where he poses for photographs like this one. He did make some wonderful chili! Fuji 400 A couple of weeks ago, I went to a car show to get some shots to sell to participants and prize winners. Portra 160NC I made a few bucks, but the highlight was when I was standing by the prize winners line taking photos, the lady handed me a plaque. I told her I didn't have a car in the show, but she gave me the plaque, anyway. I took my plaque and went out on the parking lot to my '84 Blazer, raised the hood and had Andrew shoot this of me with my prize. It's the first and only award I've ever won at a car show. Fuji 400

And many more!

Happy birthday to one of the more erudite posters here. I always appreciate your input.

Yesterday, on the Ovation TV channel (I have Direct TV satellite), was showing a history of photography intermixed with profiles of various contemporary photographers. Among them was Gregory Crewdson and it documented one of his shoots. Quite interesting, really. Anyway, three somewhat controversial photographers were mentioned...Sally Mann, Jock Sturges and David Hamilton. I've always found their work to be disturbing and inappropriate, although they're widely accepted in the art community and make a helluva lot more $$$ that I ever did. They're quite well known and respected in the art/photo community and I have to admit, Hamilton is a master with color rendition and composition. I won't go into what they do, you can Google and find out for yourself. Maybe I'm being too "old fogeyish" here, but I'm curious what others think. Are these three genuine artists or ??? Ovation TV is airing a one hour documentary on Sally Mann this week and I think PBS did one a while back. What do the GSer's think?