View allAll Photos Tagged dysfunction
Almost 11 years living and working in Yosemite National Park, I’ve never seen it so bad. The Workplace Mobbing, Incompetence, Waste, Fraud, Corruption, Public Safety, Cover-Up and Extreme Retaliation. Even Gang Stalking, yes I wrote Gang Stalking; it’s a real thing. My neighbors and coworkers have it perfected, even management gets their licks in.
Oh, and if you want to call BS on Gang Stalking; take a good look at the hate in this country. I’ll give you an example from this morning (10-4-19). I had injections to my spine yesterday afternoon, for a work related back injury. I was still a little groggy from the anesthesia this morning, but still went into work. As I opened the back door to my building, at 5:35 am, my neighbors had a big brick waiting for me again. This brick was placed about a foot from the door, in the dark; in hopes I may trip over it and fall down the steps. Once I arrived at my workplace, it got way worse. These are some of the people you and your family members may have the pleasure of interacting with.
Peeps, I don’t want your sympathy. I want to give you an idea how vile and vindictive these people truly are and tell the truth about what goes on here in Yosemite National Park.
Just a little update: this morning (10-6-19), I had a coworker tell me everybody at work wanted to beat me up. This is just a typical day here in Yosemite; as guest continue to express their anger and frustration about the extreme incompetence and dysfunction. And, my neighbors continue to fake cough, stomp, slam, do what they can to deprive me from any relaxation or enjoyment. But if these guys want to continue to act like amoral, unethical, adolescent bullies; I’m not going to try and let it ruin my day. I spoke to some very nice foreigners today and they are getting a good picture of what America is becoming.
The Truth about Yosemite National Park: flic.kr/p/2hJ7Rye
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carved from the sea waves
rare & unique photo from my mobile phone
(no photo effect or edit)
my cell sometimes produces very special, unique and rare photographs ... it does it on its own ... maybe by some dysfunction of it. Decolorizes the reception in a unique way almost black and white and gives some different colors to the ones it removes. The final picture is unique and rare. With no editing and no effects you can see these photos ... there is a limited photo watermark on my photos and my name because I'm interested in exhibiting the templates.
All rights are reserved. No material appearing in these links may be reproduced without permission.
Όλες οι φωτογραφίες είναι πνευματική ιδιοκτησία μου και έχω τα αποκλειστικά δικαιώματα ( copyright ).
Απαγορεύεται η οποιαδήποτε χρήση των φωτογραφιών μου από τρίτους χωρίς την άδεια μου.
2015/2016/2017/2018
christina minopoulou: © melissalli
Welcome our release for ACCESS event
K&S - // There for me // Bento pose
Event starts on Sep 12th
TAXI - ACCESS
TAXI - ACCESS ~ Camsim 1
TAXI - ACCESS ~ Camsim 2
TAXI ACCESS Demo Area
Love,
Your K&S Team
K&S:
________________________________
Credits:
1. DOUX - Circe hairstyle
2. TETRA - Serenity Jacket
3. Teased - Delice Criss Cross Top
4. Gaia - hazel unzipped shorts/
5. toksik - Strife Bandage
6. - Vermilion - Tough Love (Wrist Cuff, Garter)
7. [ SpotCat ] Adhesive plasters - Bento-rings
8. LewDie - Neck Belt
9. RAWR! Sin Necklaces
10. TECHNOFOLK_Dysfunction Tattoo Set.
People's Republic of the Alternative
The flag for the State of Despotism, State of Decrepitude, State of Decay, State of Dysfunction, State of Discrimination, State of Xenophobia
pbs.twimg.com/media/DGv_3qdU0AE1-GN.jpg
pbs.twimg.com/media/DGv_4SKVwAEvPhz.jpg
"A mind is a terrible thing to waste" - So is the opportunity to enjoy a decent education. This asshole has wasted both:
i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03209/kimhair-kim_32...
media.gq.com/photos/5583c94509f0bee564424fe8/3:2/w_800/st...
Cuts for Commies:
cdn.images.dailystar.co.uk/dynamic/1/photos/87000/List-of...
A gentle reminder about copyright and intellectual property-
Ⓒ Cassidy Photography (All images in this Flickr portfolio)
driftwood
rare & unique photo from my mobile phone
(no photo effect or edit)
my cell sometimes produces very special, unique and rare photographs ... it does it on its own ... maybe by some dysfunction of it. Decolorizes the reception in a unique way almost black and white and gives some different colors to the ones it removes. The final picture is unique and rare. With no editing and no effects you can see these photos ... there is a limited photo watermark on my photos and my name because I'm interested in exhibiting the templates.
All rights are reserved. No material appearing in these links may be reproduced without permission.
Όλες οι φωτογραφίες είναι πνευματική ιδιοκτησία μου και έχω τα αποκλειστικά δικαιώματα ( copyright ).
Απαγορεύεται η οποιαδήποτε χρήση των φωτογραφιών μου από τρίτους χωρίς την άδεια μου.
2016/2017/2018
christina minopoulou: © melissalli
A street child in Bangladesh is a young person "for whom the street (in the widest sense of the word, including unoccupied dwellings, wasteland, etc.) has become his or her habitual abode and/or source of livelihood; and who is inadequately protected, supervised, or directed by responsible adults”.
Bangladeshi children are being pushed onto the streets due to extreme poverty, lack of access to contraception, and lack of education. From a governmental perspective, childhood poverty in Bangladesh may also be the result of corruption, dysfunction, and neglect.
Street children do not have definite living or sleeping places, and many die young due to neglect, malnutrition, and disease. They can sometimes be seen selling flowers, books, or knick-knacks on the street, especially to cars stuck in traffic. As elsewhere, street children often do not have access to healthy foods, which leads to the consumption of unhygienic food. Starvation is an ever-present problem in the region, and each year, approximately 110,000 children die of water-borne diseases in Bangladesh.
Biman Bandar train station
Dhaka
Photography’s new conscience
Ruby.
March 8, 2001- July 6, 2015
Rest peacefully my dear, sweet, Ruby Darlin’.
Ruby was diagnosed with Canine Cognitive Disorder earlier this year. Until recently we were managing it very well and she was active, alert and present.
Last Thursday (when I made this portrait) she took what seemed to be a sudden turn for the worse. She was up and down but mostly very disoriented over the weekend. With conflicted feelings and much heartache I helped end her misery on Monday and I buried her yesterday (Tuesday). I'm barely able to post this or any other image of her now.
I could choose to say nothing here, to post no image, but there are many who have followed our dogs over the years and shared in the joys, so I feel it is right to share this as well. So thank you all very much.
There are many more happier pictures of her in
Game Of Thrones Houses II - House Lannister of Casterly Rock: "Hear Me Roar" from Game of Thrones
Who's your favourite Lannister? I've just finished rewatching Season One AGAIN and good god, that season is so perfectly crafted and well-executed (and so was Ned, sorry I couldn't help myself). I swear fealty to House Stark, but House Lannister have so many more layers of dysfunction and deceit, and are each very interesting characters. So yeah if you want to, lmk your favourite Lannister in the comments
L-R:
- Kevan Lannister
- Tywin Lannister
- Tyrion Lannister
- Cersei Baratheon (née Lannister)
- Jaime Lannister
- Lancel Lannister
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Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 Editing: www.watermark.ws
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I don't know why my hipbones are sticking out in this, they don't even exist.
Yesterday's hurt was from my dad. I just don't like mentioning him because he isn't my "dad." He isn't my "father" either. Really, he was just the sperm donor.
Today was lovely and wonderful. I read I Am an Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler in about two hours last night. I sent my uncle an email thanking him for it, and I loved his reply. Maybe I'll post it here. Maybe not.
I volunteer at church with a boy who has autism. It was difficult today. His mother loves me though, so that felt good. And someone gave me one of the greatest compliments I've ever received.
Then I went on a little over six mile bike ride on a greenway. Towards the end it started to rain, and life felt worthwhile.
It is my brother's birthday today, and despite the dysfunction of everyday experiences, I could tell he felt special and that's all that matters.
Rainy Sundays in soft, ugly sweatshirts fill me up.
Edit: Fuck being okay. Today's the day I wish I had never been born.
facebook.com/michmutters
Early self portraits with Decim8, Snapseed & Iris - original image taken with native cam
What started out as a lackluster Christmas for me became a very blessed one. We hear lots of Christmas stories over the years, some good, some bad, and I'd like to share mine.
Last year, I adopted two adorable kittens, Ragnar and Freja. At a year and a half, they are still pretty raucous, so I opted not to put up my big tree, with all the special ornaments that I've collected over the years. My fear was that they would climb it, and destroy hundreds of dollars worth of irreplaceable items and memories in the process, as kitties are prone to do in their youth. So, I sent my brother, Shawn, to pick up a little table top tree and a few ornaments instead, so we could have something Christmasy, and wouldn't care if the cats demolished it!
What I had in mind was a 3-4 foot tree, that sitting on a table might look almost as big at eye level as a regular tree, and give us more of a Christmas feel. Well, Shawn grabbed a little tree that said it was 36" high, and some ornaments that were more regular size, and a tree topper that was really designed for a 5 foot tree. I knew when I saw the boxes that this was going to be a challenge, but didn't realize how much of one until the day I went to set everything up!
Okay, I started to open the top of the box the tree was in, when the BOTTOM of the box came open, and this 2 1/2 foot long, black, slug-like thing came sliding out and plopped on the floor! I took one look at that thing and almost began cursing my brother! I picked up the stuck together wad of blackness, and nearly cried! Pulling it's stand out of the box, I read the box, too, and yes. It said "black christmas tree". I thought to myself, "WHY on earth would anyone want a BLACK Christmas tree!?" I almost cried at the prospect of this sorry Christmas, and thought maybe it wasn't too late to just put up the regular tree and take my chances! I knew, though, that this wasn't a good idea, at least not THIS year, and so I started assembling the mini tree.
Well, the tree ended up being about 35" tall in the stand, but was still pretty dinky looking. The ornaments were really too large for it, but I put them on there anyway. Okay, I looked at the tree top and thought, this just isn't going to work! I tried, anyway, but it was hopeless. The giant star was too heavy and big, and flopped right over. On top of that, the cord to plug it in was only about a foot and a half long, and there was no way for me to plug it in anywhere!
The next day, I stopped by a Dollar General and grabbed some tiny Christmas ornaments and a small star that would at least stay put on the top of the tree and sort of look like a topper! Once everything was on there and it was plugged in with the fiber optics glowing, it didn't look bad. The black still bugged me some, but it's okay at night. You can at least imagine it's a dark green! With packages around it, it didn't look completely stupid, and felt a little festive, although certainly one of the least attractive trees I'd ever had!
My family celebrates on Christmas Eve. We like to open presents by the light of the Christmas tree. Seemed like almost a joke this Christmas! Having been sick with a respiratory bug for a couple of weeks, I would get winded when I did much of anything, too, so I barely dusted and did a little vacuuming for the holidays. My brother was supposed to mop the floors, but he had work, and then he was the one who did the cooking- his "famous" open faced, Reuben sandwiches, which took hours of prep work, so when I got off work and came home and found the floors dirty, I was ticked about that, too.
Two of my nephews walked in the door with my brother, and suddenly none of it mattered. We spent the afternoon and early evening chatting, running to the grocery store for corned beef, and enjoying each other's company. When the third nephew got off work and came over, we ate, and what a meat feast it was! After that was opening the presents, which was a blast, and I found myself not wanting the night to end!
How different this was from a month ago. Thanksgiving was awful for me. I had an argument with my brother, and was in a crummy mood. I decided not to even spend the day with my family, and drove to Titusville to eat by myself at Village Inn! I didn't really know how Christmas was going to go, but there was no way I was going to play Scrooge again! I didn't know if my family would harbor grudges against me, or not. They didn't. I didn't. It was a day of realizing how much we loved each other, and how we enjoyed giving each other gifts that would make the others happy. It was a great day.
Most families have a certain amount of dysfunction to them anymore. The "perfect" family, if that ever really existed, seems to be impossible to find, but I think if we think about it, those we care the most about, who care the most about us, are worth the petty squabbles and the difficult moments. We don't always get along, or want to be with each other, but when they are no longer around at all, how lonely life really becomes! Kids move away, friends get promoted and move, and parents die. Then we realize how much we really loved. Too bad we can't always see that BEFORE the tough stuff comes!
This Christmas could have been the worst one ever. It turned out to be one of the best. My sorry, little black tree wasn't the focal point. WE were. Dirty floors and all, it was truly wonderful!
I hope you all had a marvelous holiday season with your loved ones. Now we look forward to the new year 2017. May God bless you all in it, and may it be full of the love, peace and happiness you've always wanted!
After the death of her twin sister Bonnie, Piepsi sufferd from loneliness. She lost some weight and was very choosy with her food. One morning we noticed, that she started runnig into the furniture. A physical examination and a blood test revealed that she had a serious dysfunction of her kidneys and that she suddenly went blind. She got some pills from the vet, but after 4 weeks there is still no improvement, but at least it is not becoming worse. The blindness is no problem, within a few days the orientation in the house was no problem anymore. Sometimes we believe she could see something, but this could also be an illusion. Our main concern is the dysfunction of her kidneys. We hope there will be some improvement within the next weeks.
Today's We're Here Challenge: Christmas Dysfunction
I ran some errands today & did some shopping, all while getting a lot of wonderful views of the snow in the mountains.
“...just going to lay here while my bed deflates.”
(I’m projecting my executive dysfunction on her, oops!)
Everybody brace for a long montage of Dania marching through her ship! I’m almost done sorting photos to continue the story.
In other news, I’m in love with Dania. She is so gorgeous, and a lot of fun! I should do a proper review eventually.
(( Catch up on the story from the beginning in the MothershipTrouble Album: flic.kr/s/aHsmTGKkdc ))
As I search for sanity in this world of dysfunction I stubble upon hope; an article exposing the Toxic work environment in Yosemite National Park. Others are speaking out about the harassment, bulling, retaliation, mobbing in our National Parks. Yosemite’s Superintendent abruptly resigned among the investigations of sexual harassment, retaliation and bullying in Yosemite.
There was an article in the Merced paper saying there would be investigators in the park last week to further their investigation. It stated the Department of Interior, Inspector General’s Office has asked for victims to come forward and contact them. I asked Yosemite’s Law Enforcement how to contact them and was rudely told they had nothing to do with it. When I asked a Law Enforcement Officer how to contact those investigating, explained how I was being harassed, bullied, mobbed, my vehicle vandalized and my residence illegally entered; I was rudely told that with all the investigations maybe it wasn’t true, maybe I should just leave. Over a week ago I went to the Yosemite's National Park Admin office and asked to speak or make an appointment to speak with the acting Superintendent to discuss the waste, dysfunction, incompetence, harassment, bullying, retaliation and misconduct of employees. I was given the runaround, couldn’t make an appointment, was told I’d be contacted; still waiting.
I have ruffled a few feathers; every low-life, half-wit and simpleton in Yosemite has bumped up the stalking, harassment, bulling, misconduct and Law Enforcement intimidation. I’m not and will not be intimidated; I will continue to expose this culture of toxic behavior.
Here is a link to an article addressing this Toxic behavior I your National parks:
•The truth about Yosemite: www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Sexual-Harassment-Common-in...
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Orto Botanico di Padova, a 1997 inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Site & Europe’s oldest botanical garden.
7 of 12.
We are in the garden biodiversity greenhouse so now too many plant shots including this brightly coloured blue Lotus Flower.
Despite the many claims of blue lotus flower’s health benefits, there’s only limited research on the plant.
Historically, it’s been used recreationally and medicinally, with most advocates claiming it can improve sleep, reduce anxiety, assist with erectile dysfunction, and act as a natural aphrodisiac.
Folkloric
- Red leaves are used to expel worms.
- Fruit is said to be purgative.
- Leaves mixed with oil are rubbed onto the breast to relieve mammary pain.
- Bark is used for gastric ailments, bilious diarrhea and dysentery.
- The sap of young leaves mixed with the kernel oil has been used for the treatment of leprosy.
- Bark decoction has been used for the treatment of gonorrhea and stomach cramps.
- Leaves are applied to rheumatic joints.
- Juice of young leaves used for scabies and other cutaneous diseases, headaches and colic.
- Leaves macerated in oil has been used for tonsillitis.
- In Sri Lankan folklore, juice of tender leaves used for pains, including headaches.
- In India, the bark is used as a diuretic and cardiotonic; leaves used for headache.
- In Nigeria, leaves macerated in palm oil used for tonsillitis; stems and bark used for sexual dysfunction.
- Seeds have been used for sexual dysfunction.
source: stuart xchange
Here we go again! Persistence and consistence!
Oh dysfunctional me ... but it's all good dysfunction! Really!
This is at Rideau Ferry Yacht Club Conservation Area.
It was a mild day yesterday with lots of sunshine.
This is at the beach on Lower Rideau Lake. There was a bit of activity on the ice with a number of people locating their ice fishing huts on the frozen lake.
I know they will have a fun season fishing throughout the winter.
I don't play on the ice. I do not have the knowledge or experience.
I do not trust the ice. I am alive because of that. Enough said.
I visit here often. Especially in the winter. During the frozen months the people are here for a walk, with or without a dog. It is a good place to chat with people and learn about their journey, their story, their life.
The gift that is given to us by this place is a serene moment in time.
There is an indescribable benefit or quality to the gift of nature.
It is all sensory though. You feel the wind against you. You hear everything. Sometimes there is no sound at all.
It is a feeling. An experience.
When I am here alone, it is mine. It belongs to me.
I pick up the garbage. How dare they? How could they? They don't get it! Maybe if they come here enough, they will start to understand.
You should come and experience it. It will touch you. It will comfort you. You will appreciate it.
Siesta Lake, taken with 3 exposures, bracketed in 2 stop increments, layered in Photomatix Pro5, final edit in Lightroom CC.
Siesta; meaning sleep, is something I get very little of. The more I speak out and post about Yosemite’s Toxic work and living environment, the more it’s mobbing community retaliates. I go to work early and many days come home exhausted. I lie down to take a nap and my neighbors rally to stomp through the hall, in front of my room and at my door, slamming pots and pans, drop heavy things on the floor; anything to keep me from sleeping or relaxing in any form. Many times, one of the housing staff will show up to rally them into a frenzy, you know like they used to with “lynch mobs”, trying to add validity to their unethical and illegal behavior. As I started writing this they started stomping on floors. Harassment and retaliation are allowed in Yosemite national Park. I’m told I can move; I’ve moved 3 times in almost 10 years, what don’t these people get? That’s just their scapegoat.
Sadly, for years here in Yosemite they’ve been hiring like minded people. These people are supposed to be stewards of this magnificent park; many are far from such. There is hardly a day that goes by that I don’t apologize to a guest; because of incompetence, waste, extremely poor management, filth, dysfunction, fraud and employee behavior. It’s embarrassing to watch grown men and women act as if teenagers or younger. Their actions directly impacting the guest experience and the preservation of the park. These same men and women spreading hate for someone they don’t even know.
We have come to a bad place in America. If you would like see just how bad; come work and live in Yosemite National Park for a season.
I love this country and this park. I could give up and quit; that’s not me. It was not my father or my mother. I’m going to stay, continue to expose the Toxic working and living conditions, try to make this a better park for all that work and live here. What are you going to do Mr. Superintendent?
What is happening in Yosemite is WRONG!
Yosemite’s current Superintendent is: Michael T Reynolds
Nominated Director National Parks Services is: David Vela
• The truth about Yosemite 2016 to current: www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Yosemite-Chief-Retiring-Ami...
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Perfect timing for today's theme of Christmas Dysfunction, in celebration of the accidents, trauma, mayhem and disappointments caused by Christmas. Percy, our rooftop Christmas penguin, succumbed to the winds last night, and greeted me from the driveway. Oh dear.
The Jersey Shore is littered with these ice cream stands for Kohr’s and Kohr Brothers (long story of family dysfunction behind that split….) Every boardwalk has at least one, preferably multiples. Nikomat FTn, Washi R, Adox Scala reversal kit.
Les médecins du Service de Santé Publique étaient postés aux alentours des escaliers pour détecter ceux qui devaient être retenus pour un examen médical plus approfondi. Les plus expérimentés pouvaient détecter les signes d'une grande variété de maladies ou de dysfonctionnements. Quand un médecin soupçonnait une maladie ou désordre mental il écrivait à l'aide d'une craie une lettre sur le revers ou l'épaule de la personne concernée.
ENGLISH :
5000 than 10 000 people are inspected daily by officials of Ellis Island. Sort among immigrants was performed on arrival. Newcomers formed a long line that went up to the recording room. The doctors of the Public Health Service were stationed around the stairs to detect those to be retained for further medical examination. The more experienced could detect signs of a wide variety of diseases or dysfunctions. When a doctor suspected a disease or mental disorder he wrote with chalk a letter on the back or shoulder of the person concerned.
NB
Mes photos sont des photos de photos que j'ai faites dans le musée. My photos are pictures of pictures I made in the museum
Staff of Programmes Ltd, London, England. Dateline: mid-1980's.
Programmes Ltd. was the UK's sales sensation of its time. These people could sell anyone practically anything, legal or not: they worked insanely hard and made their company the industry leader in about two years. No wonder they quickly won Britain's top phone marketing award.
Never mind marketing – this is about a phenomenal group of people whose story has never been told. If a history of cults in modern Britain were to be written, these people would be in it. Fact: all or almost all the staff seen here are graduates of the controversial - some would say notorious - Exegesis Seminar. Without Exegesis, Programmes would never have existed. It was these men and women who launched Programmes in Bristol and later London. They quickly proceeded to revolutionize telephone marketing in the UK. The year was 1981.
.
Founded, inspired and controlled by the charismatic Robert Daubigny, a master trainer, Exegesis copied the style and content of Werner Erhard's est training – and pushed further. Exegesis seminars were much smaller, more intense and confrontational than est trainings. Once the seminar commenced its four long days in a hotel room, you quickly realized the trainer was not like anyone you had ever met. He, or she, was ruthless. It was as if your game was up. You could not hide. Nothing had prepared me for it.
Was it disturbing? Absolutely. Was it abusive? Did it go 'too far'? I never witnessed that. The British media were extremely prejudiced about Exegesis and slammed it as a scam and worse. I cheerfully disagree.
A man needs a little madness or else he never dares to cut the rope and be free.
—Nikos Kazantzakis
If anything, I thought Exegesis did not go far enough; still, of what use would the most brilliant training be if it was so shocking that the authorities banned it?
Active in England and Wales from the late-70s to the mid-80s, with headquarters in Bristol and London, whoever was lucky - or doomed - enough to do the Exegesis Seminar, and had the nerve to endure it to the end either went through hell and came out transformed, as we used to say, or merely wasted time, money and the opportunity of a lifetime – and didn't. By normal, conventional standards it was a rash and scary thing to do.
www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/gurus.shtml
Given Exegesis' damn-the-torpedoes brand of full-frontal experiential education, toxic media reportage and ensuing notoriety were all but guaranteed. In fact, Exegesis got such lousy press it led to hostile questions in the UK Parliament. Thus, from Hansard:
hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1984/may/14/mr-ashley...
Full disclosure: I never worked for Programmes. I took part actively in Exegesis. Did I like it? No. I loved it. I hated it. I was fascinated by it, and at times disgusted as well. I wanted to get out, I wanted to stay in. It was as if we were being cooked in a cauldron of ever increasing commitment to be fully here now. My time in Exegesis was priceless, unforgettable. It invited me to experience passion, excellence, total commitment, trauma, grace, and enlightenment. If you could stand it, Exegesis was the shock treatment of your life (those barf bags under every chair in the seminar? They weren't props). Every moment was wake-up time: take full responsibility - no excuses! now! now! now! Committed exegesis graduates were like warriors without a war – or rather the war Robert had us fighting was no less than the age-old spiritual war against our own copping out, against apathy, against the fear-driven betrayal of life, truth and of love.
Your greatest gift lies beyond the door named 'fear.'
—Sufi aphorism
“The need for truth is more sacred than any other need.”
—Simone Weil
Well, that was what fired me up. Other graduates responded differently. For many, the power they discovered in the seminar was promptly deployed in business; in this, Exegesis' series of communication, and other-themed, seminars were very successful. The applications for sales were obvious, and in Programmes they were put to full use.
Reality check: if Exegesis sounds implausibly gruelling, idealistic and too good to be true, well, it was. Personal integrity was hammered into us at seminars; yet, outside, the Exegesis ethic was to go for results by whatever, uh, worked. Morality was irrelevant: ends justified the means. Even healthy and creative criticism was angrily rejected: unquestioning trust in Robert's directives and appointees trumped all other considerations. Dysfunction shadowed enlightenment in a weird duet. Largely as a result, project after project was launched with high hopes only to go nowhere.
Away from the seminar – only, there was no 'away' from the seminar – there was no escape from the in-your-face demands by staff for more sacrifice, more commitment and most of all, more registrations. We grunts, called gaspers (graduate assistant seminar programme: an ultra-committed corps of unpaid employees) were not allowed to forget that Job One was to get people, thousands, millions of people, the whole freaking world! to do the Exegesis Seminar.
"Hello, I want to offer you this unique opportunity to be humiliated, taken apart and turned inside-out in front of strangers. This is your once in a lifetime chance to totally transform your life and get enlightened."
I mean, come on. You had to be crazy, right? We were!
Yes, I took part in the drive, in 1981, to swing an election in a heavily Labour constituency of London to our very own candidate, a respectable lawyer. Unknown to the public, not to mention the dear old oblivious Liberal Party, she was in fact an exegesis staff-member taking orders from Robert. In the weeks before election day, busloads of well-dressed graduates from Bristol joined London graduates in canvassing the entire borough, door to door, clipboards in hand, scripts memorised, getting the answers we wanted.
Using my deafness as an excuse I had at first not wanted to do it, then changed my mind. It turned out beautifully, blowing away yet another old limiting belief: "I can't do canvassing because I'm deaf". Going door to door meeting all kinds of people (years later I recall how kind they were to give me their time) and asking for their vote, and often getting it, was when I first realised my being deaf is, paradoxically, a gift, also an exquisite joke, opening me to total listening, without prejudice, a listening that transcends communication and opens to – whoa! – communion. Nothing else but total listening was – is – the answer to the koan of my deafness. How perfect it was. My world was rocked! Could I have learned this by following social norms and having a conventional education? Fat chance.
“The deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion. It is wordless. It is beyond words, and it is beyond speech, and it is beyond concept.” —Thomas Merton
How grateful I am that Exegesis was almost nothing like Aum Shinrikyo, or Heaven's Gate, or People's Temple, of "drinking the Kool Aid" infamy.
Being unreasonable, risking yourself and doing the impossible was the Exegesis way. That was what I got from my encounter with Robert D'Aubigny and his students.
Incidentally, in that election the Liberal Party, the Labour Party and even MI5 never knew who we were until the votes were in and it was too late. Exegesis' candidate came second, almost winning the seat against all the odds.
Ah, memories. Yes, I witnessed the rise and fall of Microlight Engineering Ltd. (made hang-glider-like planes from imported kits), an Exegesis front company in the heart of Bristol's old industrial district. All the employees were exegesis graduates, including - fatally - its management. Its too-trusting graduate founder was soon financially ruined... Yes, I was in at the beginning of the powerplays called the Bristol Project (aim: to recruit key people in the city, and grow Robert's influence there) and the Glastonbury University project (aim: a university teaching enlightenment or whatever else Robert wanted)
Dodgiest of all – or perhaps not – was the 'Money Seminar' (Bristol, 1981) in which Robert raked in serious cash from us suckers running a one-game casino, week after week... until we wised up and clammed up. How it worked: every graduate in the room wrote down their high bid in secret and handed it to a staff-person. The highest bidder won half the total pool. To this day I remember the awful look on the face of neophyte graduate D_ R_ as he learned that he had won that night's bout with his huge wager – and that after the organization had skimmed off its hefty cut he'd actually get back about half his stake. We all cheered for the winning loser!
While not as unfortunate as my hapless cultmate I too was taken for a tidy sum before catching on. Ouch!
The wackiest Exegesis project of them all? No contest: the Total Transformation of Society – yes, this includes you, dear reader – in 4 years. Or was it two? Launched at a much-heralded gathering of all exegesis graduates, led by Robert himself, in a city-owned hall at the foot of Park Street, Bristol in 1981, it was to begin with us 'transforming' the city, and go viral from there. If I recall aright, Robert declared the project a success after two years.
Or was it one? Whatever.
Anyway, every Exegesis project more or less failed, with the glittering exception of Programmes. It made Robert D'Aubigny extremely wealthy.
homersykes.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Exegesis-Cult-1...
In 1986 Exegesis ceased operations, having transformed itself into Britain's top telephone marketing firm: Programmes.
The people I trained with in Exegesis still have a place in my heart – you never forget your first time! I wanted more, and became somewhat of a glutton for seminars and groupwork in the 1980s. Pursuing my passion for enlightenment, I went to a zen monastery in California, then on to Esalen Institute, and did the est training and its various graduate seminars. At the last est training and the first Forum in San Francisco, I assisted Werner Erhard. Curious about Werner and est? Check out:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Erhard
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMeXmFVq6cY
and
www.erhardseminarstraining.com/
At the same time, I volunteered at The Breakthrough Foundation, an est offshoot, as also the Hunger Project, and the simply transcendent Holiday Project, and as my decade of crunchy cult goodness came to a close, Ron Kennedy's 'Man Woman Training'. The last of these I did, in Russia, afforded us western participants the eerie realization that we were doing a seminar peppered with KGB agents (Moscow, then-USSR, 1989).
No, they did not exactly get into the groove.