shazdancer

Hey, TWI, What are you afraid of? That we might give you cooties? Whatever happened to "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world?" Afraid that we might TALK to people, maybe even convince them to leave? Innies take note: they don't think much of your ability to make reasoned decisions. Afraid we might cause a disturbance? Where's your spiritual perception and awareness? You guys can't operate revelation anymore? I wanna go and see if I am on the list. :D Boo! Shaz

Not to be more like "a man," but more like the man Wierwille. You know, the man who didn't think that sex was a personal thing between himself and his wife. So stop taking it so personally, you women. Just take it. -- Shaz

It would have been more up front and honest, and almost no one would have signed up.

Hi, Rejoice, so sorry to hear you went through living with someone with narcissistic personality disorder. I did also, and it can be a nightmare. I think of that when I think of Mrs. Wierwille. But it is also a living hell for the narcissist himself, who has built up this false image to be admired because his real self is so wounded. So in using and wounding others, he tries desperately to keep them from wounding him. No real friends, because he won't let them get close to him. They say that narcissists often mellow as they get older, perhaps realizing that their masks are not working, perhaps just not having the energy it takes to sustain all the lies anymore. Perhaps this is where Wierwille found himself -- alone, due to his own fault. He could have been a better man. But not even Christ was enough inspiration for him to be that.

Whoa, I go on one little gymnastics competition, and looks what happens while I'm gone! Thanks, WW, for digging up my post on the other thread about this. Okay, dovey, you said the brochure says... Sounds to me like "their desire, ability" means the desire and ability of the Corps graduate, not the desire and ability of the BOT.Now, how does all that apply in my case? I went in with the agreement that I (and spouse) would be Recognized Family Corps. He wanted to go on Staff as a chef, and not take field assignments. They wanted him on that basis. We spoke about this goal during the in-res year, and no one told us our goals were incorrect. Right after we graduated, he was assigned to Staff/kitchen at Rome City. I was assigned there also. Then they realized that he had not resolved his drinking problem. VPW himself kicked us out. We were "re-assigned" to Phoenix, just to live there and be close to the LC, who had supposedly kicked this habit himself. That guy decided he didn't want to help my husband. And the LC didn't last there himself much longer than half the year. My spouse's disease continued to progress, which included financial problems and violence. I was kicked out, too. I had done nothing wrong. I was given no support. No one called or wrote to check on how I was doing. A Family Corps couple took over, offered no help. Another Corps couple took over. The wife suggested that if I washed my hair more often that my spouse wouldn't want to go out drinking. Even he said that was an absurd thing to say. Two years later, I was contacted by another new guy who told me I was to submit to a Corps evaluation. When I protested that we had been taken on as Recognized Corps, he said that, "Dr. had never wanted there to be a Recognized Corps." I refused to fill out the form, or submit to an evaluation from a guy who I'd never even met before. It was either that year or the following, I got a form letter from VPW, asking why I hadn't attended Corps week and the ROA. I answered with a considered and respectful letter. He returned it, scrawling across the top of it that he thought I was "bitter." All during that time in Phoenix, I had run a Twig, helped a WOW family, participated in an apprentice Corps person's theater production, worked part-time, raised 2 babies, and coped with my spouse and his disease. I honored my commitment, but TWI didn't honor theirs. All the talk about the "Corps household" and standing up for one another... And lest you think I am "bitter," I'm not. I was stunned by Wierwille's letter when it happened, but now I'm thankful for it. He showed his true stripes to me, and I was able to walk away from TWI before I got hurt worse, as so many others had been. I left in 1985. Regards, Shaz

Geez, and what about those poor schmucks who don't have God's-accurate-word in Swahili? Mandarin? French? What, God isn't spitting in their direction? Aw c'mon Raf, I thought "la de da de dee" was pretty funny. Mike may be narcissistic, but he DOES often have a sense of humor. Shaz

I'd always thought the "lifetime of service" referred to making one's self available to serve GOD, not TWI. I'd thought the Corps commitment was mandatory for the 4 years of training only, then you would have access to Corps teachings and meetings for as long as you were a part of TWI. Or in my case, 2 years of training, as hubby and I made it clear that we were planning to be Recognized Family Corps. I assumed that assignments on "the field" were something you could choose to take or not, like a job recruitment. My diploma says "Recognized Family Corps," given to me by Wierwille and M*yn*h*n at a graduation ceremony, so I guess someone thought that I had made a 2-year formal commitment and graduated from it. But then, everything changed.... Regards, Shaz

Hi WW, I think tale-telling can be made clear by several means other than saying, "This is phony:" by body language (wink, wink), by tone of voice, by situation, by reputation (comedians), or by the absurdity of the facts. Your bridge jumper joke (heard it before) fits that last bill. When Wierwille talked about Johnny Jump-up or Maggie Muggins, no one thought he was speaking the truth. But when a tale-teller declares something in a truthful manner to give himself validity, now there is a problem. Yes, I'm talking about fairytale snowstorms. Regards, Shaz

Thank you, Frank Sinatra. dmiller, that was a very old joke! ;) Shaz

Welcome, freelady, 1974 was a long time ago. My first time through PFAL was about then, too. (1972) I'd be curious as to what you think of PFAL now, as an older adult. I'm sure you can't help but notice things about his ability as a public speaker, as well as the content of the class itself. I remember some good things from the class, and some things that I would take issue with today. I'd be interested in how you see it. Regards, Shaz

Seth, since your profile says you are 37, I don't think it's old age, not yet! I sent you a PM. Take care, Shaz

The owner was trying to say that it had only 30K miles on it, even though Wierwille drove it cross country and back how often? And Don W drove it "since at least the early 80’s?" And the motor had to be REBUILT before 30K? More like 130,000, I'll bet. No wonder it got no takers at that price. But yeah, sticking Wierwille's name on it might have been an incentive for some. Using his name would make the item come up on an eBay search for TWI books, tapes, and other memorabilia. A lot of pople just type "Wierwille" into eBay's search engine. Not much bidding on most "Martindale" artifacts, though. ;) Regards, Shaz

My son and I fell out of our chairs on this one, from last year's animated movie "Madagascar:" [the zebra character wants to run away from the zoo and go to CT:] "What does Connecticut have to offer?" "Lyme disease." And as a former Connecticutite, this one from the remake of "The Stepford Wives" two years ago: The creator of the robots says, near the end of the film, "Where could I create a town full of robots, and no one would notice? {smiles} Connecticut!" So true.... Shaz

Troll alert.... Thanks for spotting it, Oak. Regards, Shaz

My town's got them at a couple of lights, but they can only issue a warning if you violate one, until they change the law. Shaz

I suppose Brokeback Mountain wouldn't make the list... :D I'm curious about your post. Is this a church-related activity? To what purpose? Regards, Shaz

Hi pond, Answer why you joined a CULT and didn't know it, and I will tell you how some of us women could get mixed up in lousy marriages. Regards, Shazdancer

Oh dear, ladies, aren't we glad those days are over! My second hubby tried to control me, but I was having none of it, oopsie for him! He was very jealous of any guy near me. On TWO occasions, he told off guy believers for touching me -- not sexually, mind you: one gave me a friendly push as I went up stairs, the other jokingly put his leg on my knee when I told him to make himself at home at our outdoor fellowship. He later "confronted" those guys, apparently so nastily that they never came to my fellowship again. On another occasion, I was speaking to a male colleague on the gymnastics floor at work. Next thing I know, hubby has shown up, and he's on the floor (where he wasn't allowed), staring at me! 'Course, the standard he felt I should follow did not pertain to him, as I found out when I came upon him sitting knee-to-knee with a young student of his photography class, or another time when he was moaning as a female Twiggie gave him a shoulder rub. At the time, I had no idea where this guy got such ethics, as I had been out of TWI since the mid-80s, and knew nothing about the sexual hijinks of the BOT. Waydale clued me in. Ex-hubby went back "in" about the time we broke up. (Yeah, yeah, I drove him to it!;)) But the fun didn't end there. He has sent me a letter more than once since, saying that I should "be reconciled to my husband." He has invoked the name of Jesus Christ in telling me what I should or shouldn't do. I guess he still thinks he owns me somehow. :blink: Now, since he was my second marriage, I guess he meant I should return to my FIRST husband! :D Boy, his wife is sure gonna be surprised to see me.... There's more, and it's weirder, but you get the idea. Regards, Shaz

Unreal. They feel they need to "help" you for 17 months??? Just when I thought i'd heard everything about how weird TWI was/is, I hear another one that floors me. Like socks, I can't imagine what I could write back to them for the next 17 months (they don't have enough people for a 2006 class?). Snacks! I'm not sure what it speaks to: Are the followers that dense that they need someone checking up on them for a year and a half? (unlikely) Are the administrators that dense that they can't operate without someone doing that to them, so they're just passing the control along? (possible) Do the administrators only want people at the upper tier to be those who would put up with this kind of micromanagement? (Dingdingding, Shaz!) Bagpipes, so glad you're out of all that. Regards, Shaz

Do any of you hunters know how close Whittington had to be to have birdshot embedded in his chest, through his clothes? Shaz

Thanks for the concern, you guys. Actually, the tinnitus in my case is pretty mild, the sounds are pretty faint. Sometimes, the sound is downright soothing -- sounds like spring peepers! :D Most times, it sounds like cicadas in the distance. It only "bugs" me in situations where there is already some other background noise (like the lights in the gym or a TV on) and someone tries to talk to me. And some kids' voices are just not on my frequency! :blink: I go on Friday to see my PCP, and will get a referral to have my ears re-checked, to see if there's been any change from a year ago. But my PCP will be happy to see how far I've recovered since my Lyme relapse: lots better energy, lost the weight I'd gained while sick, joints are improved, etc. Regards, Shaz

Meniere's Disease This covers it pretty well, including a mention that atypical Meniere's mught be Lyme. For you and pond both. So Dot, hold on a sec, you've got vertigo, migraines... anything else going haywire? Anything not from the neck up? And a nephew with Lyme (with a Y, named for the town of Lyme, CT, lucky them). Does he live near you? And BTW, is he seeing/consulting someone who knows how to treat this stuff? (You may want to PM me with the answer to that, a little off topic). I've got mild tinnitus in my left ear, along with some hearing loss. It was worse last year, went way down with treatment for Lyme and coinfections. Lots more to say, but enough for now -- beddie-bye time! Shaz

Hi, Sudosuda! I think of it rather, thank God I was able to learn a few good things, in spite of a leader who abused many. I can't see it as being thankful for his life and ministry. He taught important things at times, despite his less-than-Christian intent. Regards, Shaz

It was supposed to be snowing here by now, but I guess it's too busy in North Jersey.... No biggie, I've got a fridge full of groceries, so bring it on! But I think Scrabble club is gonna be out for this afternoon :( Pass the cocoa, Shaz

Can your friend establish that she had the product name first? If she can, then it's hers, though a rich competitor for the name may force her to spend a lot of money in litigation. If she doesn't want to fight it, make sure that the name she chooses is unique, then establish a date for first use, like an ad in a newspaper (that has a date on it) or something. Like Raf said, the person who can prove he had it first is the owner. Registering it is just one way to put a date on the ownership and deter copycats. Regards, Shaz