CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL
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Posted by:
Nik ®

05/31/2007, 04:15:32
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CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL; ROBERT MENDICK CHIEF REPORTER

31 May 2007
The Evening Standard
(c) 2007 Associated Newspapers. All rights reserved

The former head of a religious cult is involved in raising funds for this year's Lord Mayor's appeal.

Prem Rawat, who has acquired vast wealth after years of being worshipped by millions of followers, is listed as a 'key supporter' to the annual appeal, the Evening Standard can reveal.

Tomorrow Mr Rawat will give a speech to dignitaries and adherents at an invitation-only event at Guildhall in exchange for donating £25,000 to this year's fund.

The money will go to a series of good causes including the international charity VSO.

Mr Rawat's involvement has raised eyebrows. Formerly known as the Guru Maharaj Ji, he enjoyed huge support in the Seventies and Eighties as spiritual leader of The Divine Light Mission, a religious cult which set up communes across the world.

Mr Rawat, 49, was known to his disciples as the 'Lord of the Universe' and considered a descendant of God. He was a teenager when he first came to the UK from India in 1971, but fell out with his mother and other cult members when at 16 he married one of his students, a 25-year-old American.

Mr Rawat, who has since gone on to form the Elan Vital educational charity and the Prem Rawat Foundation, is understood to be flying into Britain from his Malibu home for tomorrow's event. Ian Haworth, of the Cult Information Centre, said today: 'This is a group about which we are concerned. We have received complaints over the years and it is one we are familiar with.' Former disgruntled followers of Mr Rawat - 'premies' - accuse the guru of funding his lifestyle with their donations, a claim vigorously denied by Mr Rawat's supporters.

He lives in a Californian mansion, is said to own a number of expensive cars and a multi-million-dollar yacht.

The City of London said Lord Mayor John Stuttard had left the vetting of donations to VSO, the charity which sends volunteers to work in the developing world. A VSO spokeswoman said: 'Prem Rawat Foundation approached us earlier this year because they wanted to support the Lord Mayor's Appeal.

'Due to shared development goals they had pledged a donation of £25,000 towards the appeal which is going to support VSO's work in Mozambique. Obviously when deciding to accept or refuse donations we apply our ethical fund-raising policy. This donation has been subject to that policy.'

She added: 'It is very rare we would refuse money.'

According to its website, the Prem Rawat Foundation is 'dedicated to advancing the lectures, speeches, writings, art, music, humanitarian efforts, and public forums of Prem Rawat'. The Foundation lists initiatives in developing countries.

A spokesman for Elan Vital, a charity to support his teachings and works, said any suggestion he had profited from members' donations was 'ludicrous'. The spokesman added: 'There is no question of it [the Guildhall event] being used in any way to raise money or recruit. This is about raising money for the Lord Mayor's appeal. It is ludicrous to think there will be anything else going on.'







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Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL
Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- Nik Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
arthurchappell ®

05/31/2007, 05:16:24
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May well write to the Evening Standard myself on this one - it would be funny if it wasn't disturbing - politicians seldom care who the money comes from if the cheques are big enough. AC



http://www.lulu.com/content/757452 My book on Maharaji -  BRAINWASHED! A CULT SURVIVOR'S TALE

Arthur Chappell arthur@chappell7300.freeserve.co.uk

 My Space. http://www.myspace.com/56954240

Web site  www.arthurchappell.clara.net/

 




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Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL
Re: Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- arthurchappell Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Nik ®

05/31/2007, 07:44:59
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>politicians seldom care who the money comes from if the cheques are big enough<

The article does not implicate any politician - it's the Lord Mayor -  an honourary position, who has been suckered in.

This is all just part of Rawat's legitimacy project see:

http://www.prem-rawat-critique.org/legitimacy.htm







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Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL
Re: Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- Nik Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
arthurchappell ®

05/31/2007, 19:13:35
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Lord mayorship is very much a 'political' office - it tends to ake the mayor chief spokesman for borough/metropolitan councils.



http://www.lulu.com/content/757452 My book on Maharaji -  BRAINWASHED! A CULT SURVIVOR'S TALE

Arthur Chappell arthur@chappell7300.freeserve.co.uk

 My Space. http://www.myspace.com/56954240

Web site  www.arthurchappell.clara.net/

 




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Just how did Prem Rawat acquire his wealth?
Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- Nik Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Cynthia ®

05/31/2007, 06:19:11
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A spokesman for Elan Vital, a charity to support his teachings and works, said any suggestion he had profited from members' donations was 'ludicrous'. The spokesman added: 'There is no question of it [the Guildhall event] being used in any way to raise money or recruit. This is about raising money for the Lord Mayor's appeal. It is ludicrous to think there will be anything else going on.'

They protest too much.  Just how did penniless little Prem Rawat gain his wealth?  I wonder who the "spokesperson" is.  How is it that Prem rawat got a free jet airplane when he was 22, including pilot license training at no cost to himself personally?    

This is the kind of thing that can come back and bite a politician in the rear end.  Bill Richardson-D who's the governor of New Mexico, is running for president.  He issued a proclamation for Rawat. 







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That is the key question
Re: Just how did Prem Rawat acquire his wealth? -- Cynthia Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Lp ®

05/31/2007, 11:03:24
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He's basically gambling that he can get his followers to support his effort to alter his image and impress important people, so that he
 can impress more unimportant people and get them to support his effort to altar his image.

It must be a worry to them all.





Modified by Lp at Thu, May 31, 2007, 11:35:20

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Already heard that story so many times !!
Re: That is the key question -- Lp Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Jean-Michel ®

05/31/2007, 12:26:26
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Since 1971 in fact - and so many times.

The result: the pathetic figures we've all seen.

The fact is Rawat has nothing to offer, except his wallet for you to fill. And a pathetic god figure nobody actually believes in !

That's the reality. Very sad for the people still involved, and the few poor souls that might be trapped.














Modified by Jean-Michel at Thu, May 31, 2007, 12:26:45

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That's it, in a nutshell, Jean Michel
Re: Already heard that story so many times !! -- Jean-Michel Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Lp ®

05/31/2007, 18:11:05
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"The fact is Rawat has nothing to offer, except his wallet for you to fill.
And a pathetic god figure nobody actually believes in !"





Modified by Lp at Thu, May 31, 2007, 18:12:27

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What?
Re: Just how did Prem Rawat acquire his wealth? -- Cynthia Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Axis ®

05/31/2007, 21:45:10
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Bill Richardson-D who's the governor of New Mexico, is running for president.  He issued a proclamation for Rawat. 

Where did you read about this?







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Re: What?
Re: What? -- Axis Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Cynthia ®

06/01/2007, 06:46:22
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Here's the press release.  Happened in 2004.





Related link: Richardson
Modified by Cynthia at Fri, Jun 01, 2007, 06:48:22

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thxs
Re: Re: What? -- Cynthia Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Axis ®

06/01/2007, 09:29:31
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Obvioulsly, the help he asked for in Aurora, Illiniois, USA, in the late 90s, in a very controlled environment where only people who had laready received the techniques of K (or keys, as he call it this days to confuse the Googlers) materialized.  In that program he "invited"  (chew our asses making us feel guilty if for any reason we did not wanted to cooperate and to be synchronized with his desires) EVERYONE to support his "new" propagation face.  He named many professions, saying that he needed all type of people to help him and he went to say "I even need dummies".

Politicians need money to run their campaigns, Rawat needs more money, I'm sure his kids want their own planes, etc., so. some creative premies must have explained this to Rawat who in turn, I'm sure, as in Michigan, he is taking advantage of many grants available so he can make himself even richer, because as he professes, he is such a succesful investor.  With so many servants ready to give their time freely to help him grow richer, hey, he is "within" the earth/usa laws.  That is fine with me, what I do have a problem with, is that we live in the same couintry and he needs more light to shine upon him.  He deserves to be known as the cleverest (is that a word) guru of all times.  For him, that can be a compliment, but hey, what does he know about morals?  The gain justifies the mean and in his upside reality, money constitutes what makes a person, so, lets let him enjoy his little belief system.  I wish him the peace and happiness I know he lack.  His lates face is scary, to say the least.

I know that there is superior power and that it will eventually Rawat will pay and receive accordingly, so, no worry.  I wish him the best.  wink... okay, I'm going back to enjoy my organic vegetable garden before heading to work.  I prefer the little things in life; LP, keep those photos coming.

Money is the root of all evils.  Who said that?







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Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL
Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- Nik Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
tommo ®

05/31/2007, 07:44:33
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Nik,

'Tomorrow Mr Rawat will give a speech to dignitaries and adherents at an invitation-only event at Guildhall in exchange for donating £25,000 to this year's fund'

bet that is covered by a few hundred 'adherents' paying anything up to £200 in 'donations' to be there..   plus if Rawat really cared about the Lord Mayor's appeal he would save the cost of his jet fuel, make double the contribution and just send a letter to be read out

Tim







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Not to distract but here's a bizarre coincidence
Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- Nik Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Jim ®

05/31/2007, 13:05:35
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Searching the Evening Standard's website for the article to see if there were any comments, I looked for "Rawat" and look what I found:

Angelina's bodyguards in hit and run

13.10.06

 Add your view

 

<br ab>            
<br ab>

Angelina Jolie's bodyguards have been involved in a hit and run in India.

Witnesses told police the Tomb Raider actress' two body guards ran a red light in their black 4x4, hit a couple on a motorcycle and drove off.

The guards were following Angelina's car as it ferried her from her hotel to the film set of 'A Mighty Heart', in Pune. The couple have not yet been named.

On Wednesday Angelina's car knocked over a cyclist while trying to dodge paparazzi.

The cyclist, 19-year-old Mittal Rawat, wasn't seriously injured. He reportedly said: "One vehicle knocked me off my bike but just sped away."

Meanwhile, Angelina has sparked a race row after being cast in A Mighty Heart as the mixed race widow of murdered US journalist Daniel Pearl.

The casting decision has angered black campaign groups who are furious a white woman has been chosen for the role.

One website, blacklooks.org, claims: "It is 2006 and I had assumed that the days when white actors took on roles of black people had long passed away."

In the film – which is being produced by the actress' boyfriend Brad Pitt - Angelina plays French journalist Mariane Pearl, who was five months pregnant when her husband was kidnapped by Islamic extremists in Pakistan in 2002. The Wall Street Journal reporter was later beheaded.

What are the chances, eh?







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Here's the comment I posted
Re: Not to distract but here's a bizarre coincidence -- Jim Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Jim ®

05/31/2007, 13:20:27
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What a strange coincidence that the only other high-profile westerner involved in a hit-and-run with an Indian cyclist also concerned a fellow named Rawat! Only the Rawat in that case was the cult leader, Prem Rawat (a/k/a Maharaji) who ran over a cyclist while rushing to the Dehli airport.  In that case, the cyclist was killed and Rawat pretended he wasn't driving.  Instead, a peon devotee of this "Lord of the Universe" took the rap.  Read all about it on:

www.ex-premie.org





Related link: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/article-23370675-details/Angelina%27s+bodyguards+in+hit+and+run/article.do
Modified by Jim at Thu, May 31, 2007, 13:21:29

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Wow, you're right! That's amazing, Jim!
Re: Not to distract but here's a bizarre coincidence -- Jim Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Jim ®

05/31/2007, 14:50:30
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You mean that the very day that the Evening Standard runs a story on Rawat there's another story in the paper about a rich American involved in a hit-and-run in India with a cyclist where one of the two parties, the victim this time, is named Rawat! 

That's incredible.  I don't believe it.  I just don't.  Come on, you're making it up.






Modified by Jim at Thu, May 31, 2007, 14:57:05

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No, it's true. I'm NOT making up anything!
Re: Wow, you're right! That's amazing, Jim! -- Jim Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Jim ®

05/31/2007, 14:51:02
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Jim, that's India !!
Re: Wow, you're right! That's amazing, Jim! -- Jim Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Jean-Michel ®

06/01/2007, 02:11:07
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I assume that God got his records mixed up and made some terrible mistake.









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Omniscient fallibility?
Re: Jim, that's India !! -- Jean-Michel Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
lesley ®

06/01/2007, 15:21:12
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No no I think we have to consider the possibility that God wanted Jim to make the connection...

Of course that begs the question why!






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Re: God is just catching up
Re: Wow, you're right! That's amazing, Jim! -- Jim Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
ocker ®

06/01/2007, 15:26:58
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What God really wanted to do in the first place was have
"Prem Rawat" run over and killed by a rich American while cycling in India before he could offend Him anymore with his being, the offensive porions of which are too legion to list, but as any Gnostic knows JAHWEH is not omnipotent and looking at the state of the world he's obviously also dyslexic. So as He reads the Evening Standard, He's just found out about the mistake He made in India all those years ago and He tried to fix it. Third time lucky ...






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Major Donors Invited?
Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- Nik Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
JHB ®

05/31/2007, 13:42:41
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I received this snippet which I can't confirm the accuracy of but it sounds like the sort of thing Rawat's cult would do:-

The invitation to the major donors said-'For your eyes only. Do not show this email to anyone else.'

Donation required £197.00 Approx







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Re: Major Donors Invited?
Re: Major Donors Invited? -- JHB Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Axis ®

06/01/2007, 09:40:43
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Yeah, they had those in Miami and a few of us were upset that we couldn't go.  Right George, Miami, remember?  to have the oportunity to be insulted in private, even kicked on your balls by the master, to be called names by god, that would be such a grace for any devotee.  Ding it, we missed so much!

God needs money JHB, what is wrong with that?  I heard him say many times that the world function on money, jsutifying that his servants had just finished a USA tour for premies only asking for money.  OF COURSE, Rawat never, never asks for money.  He attends where he is invited only; he is innocent, as he has never, never touched a dollar bill.  Why should him?  Other happily can do it for him.  I thanked him for reminding me illussion can blind a devotee and that as he said in those days, education was stupid, as our goverment officials.  Money is dirty after all, except for him. 

Too bad I burned all my videos.  Ding it!







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The Appeal of the Lord of the Universe
Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- Nik Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
PRC ®

05/31/2007, 16:41:49
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Following on from the above thread and the article in today's Evening Standard the Prem Rawat Critique website has been updated.

PRC







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Re: Rawat's Conundrum
Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- Nik Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
ocker ®

05/31/2007, 16:42:32
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Rawat want's respect, public acknowledgement of his greatness but he is stuck in a difficult position. Any attempt to get too much publicity can blow up in his face as this attempt has. Maybe his advisers thought he was now so much yesterday's news that no newspaper would recognise him.

I'm pretty impressed that the Evening Standard published this article. Are they in a crusade to embarass the lord Mayor? That's 250,000 people who might have read the story, that sure beats handing out DVDs for publicity, doesn't it?

Bring on the Times and Guardian, the more news story about Prem Rawat the better.






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Re: 35 years Ago in the Evening Standard
Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- Nik Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
ocker ®

05/31/2007, 20:41:25
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http://www.ex-premie.org/gallery/news/1971/es170671.html


Evening Standard - Thursday, June 17, 1971





SWATHED
IN FLOWERS

13-year-old Guru Balyogeshwar

Srï Sant Ji Maharaj

is welcomed at Heathrow Airport today.



Hallelujah!
The

mini Guru, aged 13,

cometh



"THEY
ARE not," said a stern Heathrow Airport official, "playing
their bells, conches, flutes or horns in the arrival
building."


And he added : " We do not intend to have clarinets,
tambourines, cymbals or anything else that jangles. They may
say he's the Lord, but as far as we are concerned he's just
an ordinary passenger."

All of which was a bit of a dampener for the biggest crowd
of Guru worshippers ever seen at Heathrow.

Nearly 200 of them descended on the airport with garlands,
bags filled with petals and babies in push chairs - all to
meet 13-year-old Balyogeshwar Srisant Ji Maharaj.



Garlanded



When
the mini Guru, hardly 5ft. tall and wearing a plain white
robe, came through Customs his devotees fell at his feet and
garlanded him with carnations.

Then out came a massive sack of petals and he was smothered
with them as he made his way through the milling throng
helped by police.

The followers of the Guru, nearly all of them English said
they had known about him for two years. He had come to save
them from themselves.

One of them, questioned about the Guru, said: "I think you
had better speak to Charles. He's got the gift of the gab
and everything."



13-day
visit



But
Charles passed the questions on to a white-robed Indian who
said that the young Guru came from Heaven. But if you were
talking about his body that, in fact, came from the
Himalayas.

The devotees said that they all belonged to the Divine Light
Mission.

Their master is here on a 13-day visit and will appear in
London, Leicester, Exeter, and at the Glastonbury Festival
on Mid-Summer's Day.

In the end there was no live music until the Guru left the
terminal building.

Inside he made his regal way to the background of piped
airport music which happened to be a selection from The
Pyjama Game.








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Re: 35 years Ago in the Evening Standard
Re: Re: 35 years Ago in the Evening Standard -- ocker Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Premie_Spouse ®

05/31/2007, 22:21:20
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"
mini Guru"?  Guess not anymore, hunh?

"When
the mini Guru ...came through Customs
"  Wouldn't you have thought the lord would bypass customs?  If I was the LOTU, you can bet I'd skip right on past it.  Surely with all his powers of making every leaf move or not move, customs wouldn't even be a blip on the radar.

"the mini Guru, hardly 5ft. tall and wearing a plain white
robe
"  No wonder they were playing a selection from the "Pajama Game".  Could anything be more appropriate?  It must have looked like some freaky sleep over.

"his devotees fell at his feet"  Good thing that Guru Ballyhogwash never told anyone he was god, or even greater than god.  They might have just shaken hands or something, not fallen at his feet. 








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Any suggestion he had profited from members' donations was 'ludicrous'.
Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- Nik Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Steve ®

05/31/2007, 21:19:18
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 . . . any suggestion he had profited from members' donations was 'ludicrous'.

The above statement is f*#king ludicrous.

You know, just when I think I'm getting over Rawat a "spokesman for Elan Vital" makes an insane statment like this that ticks me right off.  I feel like Al Pacino. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!







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That line ticked me off too
Re: Any suggestion he had profited from members' donations was 'ludicrous'. -- Steve Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Lp ®

06/01/2007, 03:29:33
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. . any suggestion he had profited from members' donations was 'ludicrous'.

Sorry I couldn't figure out how to highlight almost every word independently.

Where else could it all have come from?
Ludicrous suggestion?

Blatantly obvious and inevitable conclusion more like.






Modified by Lp at Fri, Jun 01, 2007, 08:02:27

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I guess it all turns on the use of the word "he" !
Re: That line ticked me off too -- Lp Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
Bryn ®

06/01/2007, 05:21:46
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..or should I say "He".

I was thinking that perhaps it might actually be rather exciting to jet over from California to address the glamorous and appreciative Lord Mayor-ites of London town.

But then I thought....

"naaaah"

boring.

Love

Bryn







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HOW DISGUSTING !
Re: CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL -- Nik Top of thread Archive
Posted by:
lexy ®

06/03/2007, 09:14:34
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CULT LEADER GIVES CASH TO LORD MAYOR APPEAL

More like....

CULT LEADER PAYS £25,000 TO RAISE HIS PROFILE AND TRICK THE PUBLIC INTO THINKING HE IS RESPECTABLE !

UGH !

Is there any way of finding out what pearls of wisdom his speech contained ??  







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