The 707 also had a Middle Eastern decor, and partly for that reason, there was a rumor going around that it was being built for some Sultan in the Middle East, or a member of the Saudi royal family.  I think they actually tried to fan that rumor to deflect that it was for Rawat, who, as Cynthia will tell you, was referred to not by his name, but as "the client" at DECA.

I do remember hearing about the "Middle Eastern decor theme" but we kind of chuckled about it because how it worked was that, whatever Maharaji wanted, Maharaji got.  So, if his taste corresponds to that type of decor, well, I think that it's just the way it turns out, because there wasn't a decor theme, everthing was based on his personal design requests -- and I mean always.  No one questioned his desires; we fulfilled his desires, personally, all of the time and without exception. Talk about stress on the (slave-without-any-pay) job!  lol.

The B707 interior was light-beige, medium-beige, dark-beige, and many off-white tones, offset by dark ebony, teak, and other exotic hardwoods that were laminated onto the aircraft components and trim on the interior of the aircraft.  That's where the toxic chemicals came in that caused so many ashram premies to become so sick, because there wasn't any safety equipment, and because DECA was not a legitimate company other than being a registered corporation in the state of Florida. It was a total front.  There was no workers' compensation insurance or OSHA regulations to follow -- the Lord of the Universe is automatically exempt from any laws.  I'm not kidding.

Painters, laminators, metal plate-shop workers, woodworkers, seamstresses and others -- all the people who worked on the interior and exteior of the B707 aircraft, were in constant long, daily contact with those chemicals, including cyanide, laminates, glues, and other adhesives, and the fumes that hung in the work area of that large warehouse complex.  They only had partical masks that I know of.  I never saw anyone using respirators and the chemicals were constantly floating around in that place. I remember being curious and wanting to see how the metal plate-shop workers plated metal (one thing they did was the gold-plated toilet)  and they always told me to get out of there because it wasn't safe to breath the air.  Cyanide.

I was thinking about this yesterday and it's pretty amazing that during all those (more than once per) daily visits to DECA that Maharaji made with his entourage, that often include his wife, Marolyn and their very young kids, that Marolyn never had a say in the design of that B707. Maybe she did in private but not around us.  She just spaced around the complex following him around, nodding her head in agreement about everything.  Or she stayed in the very nice playroom had been set up for their kids.  She never said much at all.  Everything was deferred to Maharaji.

I didn't have a real high up or "honcho" position at DECA, but one of the things I was given as a job (service) was to make sure that every premie who worked there never said his name on the premises during working hours.  That's what Jim Hession told me to do andhe was the project manager.  Maharaji was always to be referred to as "The Client," and that was strictly enforced.  There was a lot at stake there and there's no way anyone wanted Prem Rawat connected to those corporations.  It was as if he didn't even exist there, but the fact is, the entire operation revolved around him.

Sometimes it sounds as if it's a story out of a mystery novel, but truth is stranger than fiction.

Joe, I'm positive we must have met at some point.  You got to Miami Beach in May of 1979 and me in April?  We both lived at the Broadripple?  We must have at least spoken to each other at some point!

Cynth