I have heard on this discussion board numerous rules that apply to upcoming a$$emblies. Some are designed to stop people from meeting the opposite sex; others, to make sure everyone is always ready to recruit new members into the scam. Here are some I have heard of:
(1) Sitting together with your congregation. I heard that some KM inserts have been urging those whose congregation has cleaning assignments to sit in the section that they are assigned to clean. This makes meeting the opposite sex more difficult, and it makes it harder for someone to fake making the a$$emblies by showing up for the first morning and then walking out. It also makes the a$$emblies blur in with each other, since you are not going to meet anyone special at any of them.
(2) Staying dressed up after the a$$embly is dismissed. You are supposed to go to McDonald's dressed up and with your name badges on. Supposedly, this is another form of advertising for your MLMreligion.
(3) The One Towel Rule. Using only one towel to dry your hands might save them money. However, the towels are sized for children's hands to prevent wasting an adult sized towel on a child. Men's hands are generally larger, and it is going to take more than one towel to fully dry them. It also takes extra towels to clean up the mess after you wash your hands.
(4) Staying in the building for lunch. This is so people won't take off after the morning session and not come back, perhaps using the remaining time to explore the city and its surroundings. It also limits what you can eat for lunch, since most motels lack refrigerators.
(5) Not using vending machines within the facilities. I can understand not allowing people to use the cigarette machines, since no one is supposed to smoke and people are there that are bothered by smoke. However, these are not issues for candy. Not allowing children to have any candy is rather tough, since there is no fun for them, and they are going to get restless and act up after sitting there for hours at a time. I don't think it's fair to expect children to sit there for no reward, since they are now going to have to stay in that suit once the program dismisses.
(6) Many a$$embly Hells have other rules. There are rules against candy (I can see for gum, since gum is extremely difficult to clean up and gets stuck on the floor and the seats. But candy?). They have rules against ink pens in some A$$embly Hells, since they can mark the seats. All of them have rules against running and playing, which are designed to p*&^ off the children. They have rules against using flash bulbs (who would need them anyway, with today's digital cameras). Many have rules against videotaping part or all the a$$emblies, especially now that one could put the whole drama up on YouTube or other video sharing program. You cannot wear headphones in the a$$embly Hells unless they have special arrangements for deaf people to wear them (then you put in a MP3 player or mini disc player in place of the tuner) and playing with the Game Boy during the a$$embly. Some even ban these devices during intermissions!
Anyone out there that has similar experiences? Perhaps they were extra strict on something, or had other stupid rules that are not listed here? Or new upcoming rules that you have heard about, either from the KM or from the talks leading to the Main Events?