They are from about 1910 per a poker chip dealer I spoke to.
that wanted chips that could be their own style and denomination.
Todays poker chip manufacturing can use any graphic they
they don't have to use the antiquated symbols anymore.
Doug B.
(rowek at softcom.net)
I know that poker chip were used as AA tokens, or at
least in Germany. When I was there they had a chip
system based on the plain poker chip (no circle, no
triangle):
BEGINNER - WHITE
The first poker chip was called the surrender chip.
It was white and was given to all new comers. The
new comer was told that "White is the International
color for SURRENDER. Now would be a good time to
surrender yourself and place your care in the hands
of God. However, should you return to drinking it may
also represent the color of the sheet that will place
over your cold dead body." Often we had to order
rolls of "just white" poker chips.
ONE MONTH - RED
The second chip was red and given at the one month
period. People with one month were told that "Red
is the international color for STOP. Now would be a
good time to stop your stinking thinking, stop
your old behaviors, stop playing with your old
friends. However, should you return to drinking,
then the color red could represent the color of
your front windshield as you're ejected from the
car."
THREE MONTHS - GREEN
The third chip was green and given at the three
month period (we had no two month chip). People
with three months were told that "Green is the
international color for GO. Now would be a good
time for you to go to more meetings, go read
your Big Book, go and talk to a sponsor, or go
and help another. However, should you return to
drinking, then the color green could represent
the color of your liver during autopsy."
SIX MONTHS - BLUE
The fourth chip was blue and given at the six
month period. People with six months were told
that "Blue is the international color for PEACE.
By now, you've been off the sauce long enough
for the 'fog' to lift, the steps have begun to
change you, and you may be at last experiencing
moments of serenity. However, should you return
to drinking the color blue could represent the
emotions felt by family and loved ones who knew
that behind the booze was a fine human being."
NINE MONTHS - YELLOW
The fifth and the last poker chip was yellow and
was given at nine months of sobriety. People with
nine months were told that "Yellow is the
international color for CAUTION. By now you
know a lot about AA and staying sober. In
someways, you may actually know enough to be
dangerous. This is a time to exercise extreme
caution in what you do and think, stay close
to the fellowship and pray. However, should you
return to drinking, then the color yellow could
represent the color of your jaundiced eyes the
mortician preps you for viewing."
______________________________
FROM: "M.Eaton"
(meaton1287 at rogers.com)
I was watching a tv episode one day and it was
set in a classroom. On the blackboard in the
background was "Homework - Chapter 5 -
How It Works". It is always possible that
one of our legion of members was sending
a "hello" message.
Just a theory - Murray Eaton
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++++Message 3294. . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 10: Bill or Hank? Another
clue...
From: johnlawlee . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/26/2006 2:58:00 PM
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AA History Lovers:
I took another look at the December 1938 Big Book "Prospectus"
developed by Hank and Bill. The first part sounds like Bill Wilson,
the second half, Hank P. The non-alcoholic Trustees weren't keen
on financing a basic text, reasoning that Hank and Bill had no
experience in publishing. Tell a drunk he can't do something, and
what happens? Hank and Bill made of tour of publishing houses, to
get background and troll for an advance. Hank and Bill were both
autodidacts [self-taught]. They were innovative guys. A third of the
Works Publishing stock was given to Bill as author and a third
to Hank as business manager. Hank tried to hawk the remaining third
at meetings, with very limited success. Ruth apparently got shares,
in lieu of some of her wages. It should not be surprising that the
AA members were unenthusiastic about buying stock in a book that
hadn't been written. Many of these same members had already been
ruined financially by the stock market collapse of 1929.
There is an important clue about Chapter 10's authorship in the
December 1938 Prospectus. The last line of the page entitled "The
Present Program" indicates that "ten chapters [of One Hundred Men]
have now been written." The missing chapter was either Chapter 5 or
Chapter 10. Everyone agrees that Chapters 1 and 2 were the first
ones finished, and the drafts of those chapters were used to try to
coax an advance from publishers. Bill's talks indicate that the last
Chapter he finished was Chapter 5, How It Works. The Prospectus does
not indicate the name or subject matter of the missing chapter. Can
anyone in this forum identify the month Bill wrote up the 12 steps?
If Bill's quick writeup of the 12 steps on his bed occurred prior to
December 1938, then it is probable that Chapter 10 was the missing
chapter.
love+tolerance
john lee
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++++Message 3295. . . . . . . . . . . . Are there recordings of Lois Wilson
speaking?
From: George Cleveland . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/27/2006 9:52:00 PM
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Hi there,
I am blessed with a great collection of recordings of Bill Wilson.
Listening to the spoken words of Bill and other long-timers (in some
cases before they were long-timers) is a wonderful resource. Thanks to
our technology these days, we can hear these people breathing in our
ears. And the message of 50 years ago is the same as today.
I have been wandering through Google and all the links that Glenn and
others have provided. Can someone direct me to where I might find
downloads of Lois' talks? Are there recordings of Anne Smith?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
George Cleveland
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++++Message 3296. . . . . . . . . . . . Working the Steps/Program
From: Dean C . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/28/2006 2:10:00 PM
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I've searched the text in the front part of the book ("Alcoholics
Anonymous") and don't find the phrasing "working the Steps"
or "work the
Steps" or "work the program" anywhere.
What I find is "the steps we took," "practice these
principles," "accept and
practice spiritual principles," "apply spiritual principles,"
"spiritual
answer and program of action which a hundred of them had followed,"
"follow
our program," "following the program ," "give themselves
to this simple
program," "let up on the spiritual program of action,"
"a practical program
of action," "go through with the Twelve Steps of the program of
recovery,"
"Let the alcoholic continue his program," "he may go for the
program at
once," "try our program," "falling down on his spiritual
program," "the wife
who adopts a sane spiritual program, making a better practical use of
it,"
and so on.
The word "work" is used to convey a result, as in "It
worked!" Or, it's an
action based on what we've learned, as in "if an alcoholic failed to
perfect
and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others.
Or "a design for living that works in rough going." Or "we
try to put
spiritual principles to work in every department of our lives." (And so
on.)
To me, "working the Steps" has a connotation far different from
what's in
the book. It sounds difficut, unattractive, for one thing. And "work
the
program" sounds, to me, well, conniving, as in "work the
system," or like
what a comedian or salesperson or politician might do: "work the
crowd,"
"work the room."
Perhaps in other geographical areas, "work the Steps" isn't heard.
It's
pretty much all that is heard here.
Does anyone know when these "work" phrases crept into our AA
vocabulary? (Or
where it appears in Conference-approved literature?)
Thanks!
-- Dean Collins
Monterey Peninsula, California
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++++Message 3297. . . . . . . . . . . . Author of "It Might Have Been Worse"
From: edgarc@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/30/2006 7:56:00 AM
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We are working thru all the stories in our bb and step
weekly meeting. The West Baltimore AA site has been
most helpful in providing information about the
authors, but not all of them.
Next week, we read It Might Have Been Worse. West
Baltimore gives us Chet Rude as the author, but
little more beyond what is in the story. Anyone
have more information I can bring to the meeting? Or
another source for the authors of those stories?
Thanks in advance
Edgar C, Sarasota, FL
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++++Message 3298. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Are there recordings of Lois
Wilson speaking?
From: Cindy Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/29/2006 8:20:00 PM
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From Cindy Miller, Robert Stonebraker, Joe Adams, and K D Dew
______________________________
FROM: Cindy Miller
(cm53 at earthlink.net)
Greetings!
In answer to your question: I don't know if there
are any recordings of Anne Smith--but I do have
at least one recording ("Classic Talks"-Dicobe Tapes)
of Lois in my vast Al-Anon collection! ;-)
-cm
______________________________
FROM: "Robert Stonebraker"
(rstonebraker212 at insightbb.com)
George,
The Akron Intergroup offers an album with five
historical CDs, one of these is titled: "A Message
To Bill And Lois." At this point Ann Smith, Dr.
Bob, Smitty and his wife are making a recording
to be delivered to Bill and Lois Wilson on a then
new fangled recording device. Each of them speak
only a few sentences but it is a charming recording.
Also, on this CD is two of Dr. Bob's talks:
(1) at Detroit in 1948 and (2) at Cleveland in 1950.
Write to:
Akron AA Audio Archives
775 North Main Street
Akron, OH 44310
Email www.akronaa.org/archives
Bob S.
______________________________
FROM: Joe Adams
(sober_in_nc at yahoo.com)
I, too, love to hear the voice that gave use the
words, and I download many many many free files in MP3
format from http://www.xa-speakers.org, including
historic Bill, Bob, Lois and other key speakers.
Another good library to hear things online in
real-audio format from
http://www.aaprimarypurpose.org/speakers.htm.
I am not aware of any recordings by Anne ... and will
be watching the list to see if anyone has better
information.
______________________________
FROM: "K D Dew"
(kddew at bardstowncable.net)
I know of one free recording try this link:
http://www.aaprimarypurpose.org/speakers.htm
Down the page about 3/4 of the way there is
a link to "Lois W." it is Lois Wilson.
Here's another link:
http://amottapes.com/
but they charge
Kevin
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++++Message 3299. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Working the Steps/Program
From: emily baker . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/29/2006 7:44:00 PM
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From Emily Baker, Lynne, Kimball, Jaime Maliachi,
Jon Markle, John Lee, Anders, and K D Dew
______________________________
From: "emily baker"
(EBAKER at bak.rr.com)
Or,
Participate in the discipline of the steps.
______________________________
From: Gotogo2002L@aol.com
(Gotogo2002L at aol.com)
faith without works.........is dead?
It is an action word........how does
one improve his spiritual life, without
thoroughly following the steps as laid
out in the big book.
half measures avail us
nothing......................
LOL Lynne
______________________________
From: "Kimball"
(rowek at softcom.net)
LMAO
took
practice
accept
apply
action
follow
following
give themselves
go through with
go for
try
falling down
adopts
practical use
If you can't see work here, you're
not looking!
______________________________
From: "Jaime F. Maliachi P."
(jmaliachi at megatopexercise.com)
Dear Dean: good day and 24 hours of sobriety
to you.
My name is Jim Maliachi, and I am alcoholic
anonymous since 12 years. You are right in one
sense about your point of view. But I remember
some expressions of Dr. Bob and good Veterans,
that book include "if your man drink, he help
you to show how do not work the program, if he
does not drink he help you too because he show
you how it work..." May be in Akron area was the
site where it start to be the phrases with
"work".
In Mexico City we used to say "practice" the
program, and "work" the defects of character.
BUT work the steps means (to me), to practice
them. There are not difference between those w
ords, at least, it just is important one thing:
How I change my way to be, to think and to live.
Make it simple.
Thanks a lot for your tolerance.
Jimbo.
Jaime F. Maliachi Pedrote.
servidor y amigo.
______________________________
From: Jon Markle
(serenitylodge at bellsouth.net)
I realize that in some areas, the word "work" has
some awful and negative connotations. I think
that's just a matter of attitude and not necessarily
scientific . . . And that aversion appears to me
to come directly out of treatment clinics where
in groups, the word "work" is often suppressed and
substituted with "suggestions", or similar.
My personal opinion (not fact) is, that's a wimpy
excuse for getting someone else to do the work for
the alcoholic. But, that's just my personal opinion
and not based on any sort of fact, except my own
experience! My sponsor told it to me this
way, "Jon, if you work it, it's yours, you own it.
If I work it, it's mine and I'll take it with me
when I go."
Somehow that made sense to me . . . So, I "work
it"! LOL
The one phrase that immediately comes to my mind
is page 88, (Third Ed), "It works--it really does.
We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God
discipline us in the simple way we have just
outlined. But this is not all.
There is action and more action. 'Faith without
works is dead.' The next chapter is entirely
devoted to Step Twelve."
I'm not sure this is what you are looking for,
though. But, it seems clear to me, at least,
that "working" is a semantic expression of the
process that involves, learning, practicing and
putting to use the skills necessary to enable
the sufferer to have the desire to drink
permanently removed, become not only sober, to
recover, but also to remain sober, recovered
and usefully whole.
But, that's just my take on it . . .
Jon Markle
Raleigh
______________________________
From: "johnlawlee"
(johnlawlee at yahoo.com)
Dean:
We hear "working the program" constantly in
Pittsburgh. It's street slang, oily politician
rhetoric. Similar to "working the crowd" or
"working the room". Very manipulative language.
The only place I've seen "working the steps"
in the basic literature is ONE reference in 12and12,
near the beginning of the chapter on step 10.
12and12 basically says that as we worked the first
nine steps, we now begin to LIVE them. I've long
believed that the better view is that the steps
"work" us, they transform us, irrespective of our
original motives.
The 10th step promises in the Big Book seem to bear
that out ["it happens automatically..."].
john lee
______________________________
From: anders
(serenityodaat at yahoo.se)
Hiya Dean!
I did a very quick and rough word count of the basic
text (first eleven chapters and doc's opinion) and
found some 60 references. At least 75% of them was in
the term "action" or "labour", simillair to the
examples below:
"Particularly was it imperative to work with others
as he had worked with me. Faith without works was
dead, he said" - p. 24
"...He is the Principal, we are His agent..."
"...We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He
provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and
performed His work well..." - p.75
"But this is not all. There is action and more action.
'Faith without works is dead.' The next chapter is
entirely devoted to step twelve." - p. 100
"WORKING WITH OTHERS
PRACTICAL experience shows that nothing will so much
insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with
other alcoholics. It works when other activities
fail." - p. 101
______________________________
From: "K D Dew"
(kddew at bardstowncable.net)
I'm not claiming to be any kind of expert, of
course, but it was explained to me that the term
"working the steps" comes from the phrase in the
9th step promises..."they will always come true
if we work for them."
http://www.nokama.com/bigbook/
The above link is to a searchable website of the
big book. There are 101 references to the word
"work." One might derive "working the steps"
from some of the sentences in the BB in which
the word work is used.
Kevin
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++++Message 3300. . . . . . . . . . . . Significant April Dates in A.A.
History
From: chesbayman56 . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/4/2006 1:43:00 PM
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April
April 1935 - Dr. Silkworth told Bill to quit preaching at drunks and
tell them of obsession and allergy.
April 1950 - Saturday Evening Post article "The Drunkard's Best
Friend" by Jack Alexander.
April 1958 - The word "honest" dropped from AA Preamble, "an
honest
desire to stop drinking".
April 1966 - Change in ratio of trustees of the General Service
Board; now two thirds (majority) are alcoholic.
April 1970 - GSO moved to 468 Park Ave. South, NYC.
April 1, 1939 - Publication date of Alcoholics Anonymous, AA's Big
Book.
April 1, 1940 - Larry J. of Houston, wrote "The Texas Prayer",
used
to open AA meetings in Texas.
April 1, 1966 - Sister Ignatia died.
April 2, 1966 - Harry Tiebout, M.D. died.
April 3, 1941 - First AA meeting held in Florida.
April 3, 1960 - Fr. Ed Dowling, S.J., died. He was Bill
W's "spiritual sponsor."
April 7, 1941 - Ruth Hock reported there were 1,500 letters asking
for help as a result of the Saturday Evening Post Article by Jack
Alexander.
April 10, 1939 - The first ten copies of the Big Book arrived at the
office Bill and Hank P shared.
April 11, 1938 - The Alcoholic Foundation formed as a trusteeship for
A.A. (sometimes reported as May 1938)
April 11, 1941 - Bill and Lois finally found a home, Stepping Stones
in New Bedford.
April 16, 1940 - A sober Rollie H. catches the only opening day no-
hitter in baseball history since 1909.
April 16, 1973 - Dr. Jack Norris presented President Nixon with the
one millionth copy of the Big Book.
April 19, 1940 - The first AA group in Little Rock, Arkansas, was
formed. First 'mail order' group.
April 19, 1941 - The first AA group in the State of Washington was
formed in Seattle.
April 22, 1940 - Bill and Hank transfer their Works Publishing stock
to the Alcoholic Foundation.
April 23, 1940 - Dr. Bob wrote the Trustees to refuse Big Book
royalties, but Bill W insisted that Dr. Bob and Anne receive them.
April 24, 1940 - The first AA pamphlet, "AA", was published.
April 24, 1989 - Dr. Leonard Strong died.
April 25, 1939 - Morgan R interviewed on Gabriel Heatter radio show.
April 25, 1951 - AA's first General Service Conference was held.
April 26 or May 1, 1939 - Bank forecloses on 182 Clinton Street.
April 30, 1989 - Film "My Name is Bill W." a Hallmark presentation
was broadcast on ABC TV.
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++++Message 3301. . . . . . . . . . . . Resentment quote In Big Book Story
From: Mel Barger . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/2/2006 8:58:00 AM
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Hi Friends:
I would like to know the exact source of a wonderful quotation on dealing
with
resentment that appears in "Freedom From Bondage," a personal
story in the Big
Book. The personal story was first used in the 2nd edition, published in
1955,
and has been retained in the 3rd and 2nd editions, which indicates that the
editors felt it was of superior quality.
Here's the quotation, which can be found on p. 552 of the 4th (latest)
edition. The author said she found it in a magazine article and that it was
about getting rid of resentment. It was by a prominent clergyman
He said, in effect: If you have a resentment you want to be free of, if you
will pray for the person or the thing that you resent, you will be free. If
you
will ask in prayer for everything you want for yourself to be given to them,
you
will be free. Ask for their health, their prosperity, their happiness, and
you
will be free. Even when you don't really want it for them and your prayers
are
only words and you don't mean it, go ahead and do it anyway. Do it every day
for two weeks, and you will find you have come to mean it and to want it for
them, and you will realize that where you used to feel bitterness and
resentment
and hatred, you now feel compassionate understanding and love."
The author went on to say it worked for her then and worked for her since
and
worked every time she was willing to work it.
Who was the prominent clergyman who authored this quotation? My guess is
that it was Norman Vincent Peale, who became very prominent with his 1952
publication of that blockbuster, "The Power of Positive Thinking."
He was a
good friend of AA and even devoted a large part of one chapter in that book
to
AA. But does anyone know where the above quotation appeared? It had to be
before 1955, because that's when it first appeared in the Big Book. It was
in a
magazine with the word "resentment" on the cover, as this is what
caught the Big
Book writer's attention. It might have been in Guideposts magazine and
slightly
different from the quotation shown above, as the author used "in
effect" in
presenting it.
It's a great quotation, by the way, and ought to be put on a card and passed
around at meetings, especially when resentment is the topic. Come to think
of
it, I think I'll do that for my group her in Toledo and any of the History
Lovers could easily download it from this message and circulate it in their
own
groups.
LOL to All,
Mel Barger, Toledo, Ohio
~~~~~~~~
Mel Barger
melb@accesstoledo.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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++++Message 3302. . . . . . . . . . . . Jack H. (sob. 1958) passed away...
From: Mike Custer . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/3/2006 7:16:00 PM
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Sad to report that Jack Holt passed away.
Jack's sobriety date was March 6, 1958.
48 years of sobriety. There is a memorial
site with information about his service here
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