flipper: "Even if some ARE at meetings when a local needs talk is given- there are no guarantees the person will apply what's being said to themselves."
Interesting story re: your ex, Queen of DeNile.
Pitchess Co-Gen: " he was trying to convice me to stay in my parents home and not move out"
Wow. That's unusual for someone who's getting DFed. Usually there's unofficial behind-the-scenes pressure on the parents to give adult DFed children the boot.
stapler99: "they were stated in such vague terms that it was unrecognizable what they really were about."
I think many Elders get tired of "beating the sheep" month after month. (Of course, there are plenty of exceptions.) So unless someone had just been reproved or needed to be "marked", lots of months we'd just decide to give an "encouraging" talk for Local Needs. Other months, the BOE would compromise and allow two or three separate items to be addressed in the same talk. Result? The indistinct trumpet blast you described. Please pardon my WT-speak.
SirNose586: ""What Br. [Nose] said was all very timely and useful, and something else needs to be mentioned. Halo is another game that has become very popular, and features graphic violence," said Br. P.O."
I guess he really showed you who's Boss.
tracylee: "You decided to wear THAT to the meeting?" and I would ask what was wrong with it, they would just say something vague like, "Don't you think it's a WORLDLY style of clothing?"
TACTIC SUGGESTION FOR WATCHTOWER: Stop encouraging "older sisters" to counsel younger ones on dress and grooming. Just let UNSPOKEN peer pressure take it's course and continue to picture nerds gardening in khakis and big dresses in the literature.
watersprout: said re: the belly button piercing Local Needs talk: "Would they have to announce your name to mark you?"
No. Marking talks never mention the person by name. (WT legal dept at work there I'm sure.) That's why we invited the "marked" moocher over for dinner, since we didn't personally know who the moocher was.
WTWizard: "my favorite was when they were starting small fires in the bathrooms."
First time I've heard of that particular method of dealing with boredom at the meetings.
manthedan: "I had to endure countless local need parts on the new KH build,"
As found sheep suggested, were these money begging talks?
jadeen: "My brother, sister, and I got in trouble for playing D&D. "
Oh yeah. Dungeons & Dragons is positively dripping with demons. Just as bad as a Ouija Board. (I doubt we'll ever see an article about how the idio-motor effect works.)
MrFreeze: " dangers of the internet and apostate sites"
Watchtower's biggest foe. Glad you made it out.
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NOTE TO FLIPPER: Phew!!! I don't know how you do it. It's a lot of work to reply to everyone.
Thanks everyone for your replies.
om