November 24, 2006
Memo to the Blogosphere:
Please, please learn to spell. Please. It's a brave new world out there, and people like me really suffer in it.
See what you can do.
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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Tempting, very tempting.
Posted by: William Teach at November 25, 2006 01:52 PM (TFSHk)
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Too bad that you can't add a spell-checker to the comment area.
Posted by: Jack at November 25, 2006 02:41 PM (oWuRb)
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On Cars
Attila and I continue to squabble about who in the family gets the next new car. I say he should get it; he says I should. It's the spending plan of the Magi, here. If I cannot get my way, here are the parameters. Please advise.
1) As cheap as humanly possible.
2) Good gas mileage, without performance that's too sucky. Must be able to take hills.
3) Decent stereo (but not audiophile-level).
4) If I can get a sunroof out of it, I'll be a happy camper. That would seem to nix a Prius, which may be just as well. Have you noticed they look like tiny sperm whales?
Posted by: Attila Girl at
08:08 PM
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Mazda3. If you ever expect to haul six people, Mazda5 (basically the same, with three rows of seats).
If this is too rich for your blood, look at a Hyundai Elantra.
Posted by: CGHill at November 25, 2006 09:32 AM (Z/965)
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I rented a Mazda 5 for a weekend, several months ago.
The driver's seat was so uncomfortable, it was literally
painful after fifteen minutes. None of the good points matter.
I bought a Toyota Matrix XR with sunroof, and 6 CD player
(some sport package or other) and upgraded alarm for
$18K out the door (internet fleet dept.) for my wife to use
for our business. She uses it for package delivery type stuff
and gets 36 MPG. She would like more performance (it's
better than Mazda 5, BTW), but she loves that 36 MPG.
It carries a LOT of crap. We use it the foothills of Southern
California. We haven't used it in the mountains.
Didn't Prius get recalled for a software glitch that caused
stalls on the freeway? Ouch!
The Hyundai Tucson looks useful.
-Bob
I don't have a car, I have a motor pool.
Posted by: Bob at November 25, 2006 06:11 PM (jZ67n)
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My daughter had a Matrix; she thought it was at least somewhat wonderful, but she complained about the lack of space. (I suspect it was a complaint by her
child about the lack of space.)
The Tucson does look pretty useful, though I have no experience with any Hyundai SUV or crossover.
Posted by: CGHill at November 25, 2006 06:47 PM (Z/965)
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I would double-check with those raffles first. You don't want to be stuck with THREE new cars!
I think Ford should give you a Ford Fusion to go along with their Platinum Blogad. You could post about it every week. Your readers could give Ford advice, like to sell Jaguar to the Chinese for $1.888 Billion. Got to stick with the lucky numbers. They can talk you down to $1.168 Billion--the road of prosperity for everyone. The Chinese know what I mean, LMA.
Posted by: Darrell at November 25, 2006 08:57 PM (S+FtZ)
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The raffles didn't work out. We're going to have to get our cars the old-fashioned way--by stealing them.
But I still want to get good value for my lack of money . . .
Posted by: Attila Girl at November 25, 2006 09:15 PM (LEEsJ)
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Miss Attila,
If indeed your finances are that tight, perhaps you should
consider a scheme whereby someone will pay you to take
over their leased vehicle?
There are several websites devoted to such, and some
discussion about it elsewhere.
Also, slightly used vehicles in very good condition are
available at autotrader.com. I used to buy one or two
year old vehicles for my business, with mostly good
experience.
-Bob
Posted by: Bob at November 27, 2006 07:19 AM (CP6tB)
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My Cousin Attila
. . . in Maryland puts to rest my doubts about Thanksgiving as a holiday. It turns out it isn't simply a
day of gluttony after all.
I have to set aside my Methodist side and affirm that a feast is a celebration of life itself.
There is nothing as worthy as this. "This is the day that the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad."
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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The Market Says "Hi" . . .
to our favorite
murdering media whore.
I mean, I wasn't going to comment on the current Butcher of Brentwood eruption, but this was intensely satisfying.
Thanks to Agent Bedhead.
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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To Tell You the Truth . . .
there is something deeply neurotic about someone who persists in cleaning off her glasses, and then pouring another gin and tonic, so the fizzy water jumps back up onto the lenses.
I have, um. An acquaintance. She does this sort of thing. Sisyphean, no?
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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Has your friend tried removing her glasses BEFORE she pours? Cleaning her eyeglasses after? Wearing a Plexiglas face shield? Having the butler pour? Longer arms?
Posted by: Darrell at November 24, 2006 08:51 PM (ohaAk)
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No, no. The pouring isn't a problem. It's those first several sips of the G&T that do her in.
Posted by: Attila Girl at November 24, 2006 08:56 PM (LEEsJ)
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It's those few LAST sips that do me in...
Has your friend tried a sippy cup?
Posted by: Darrell at November 24, 2006 09:14 PM (ohaAk)
Posted by: Attila Girl at November 25, 2006 04:53 AM (LEEsJ)
Posted by: Darrell at November 25, 2006 09:37 AM (n8BVp)
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Okay, I Lied.
I got more on Turkey Day.
This chick quite literally
wrote the book on roasting.
For a few years I was devoutly Kafkaesque in my approach, but now I synthesize her system with traditional roasting in order to seal in juices—yet still not turn the cleanup into a nightmare.
And yet I use her method for making turkey stock. Every single year. She rawks.
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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It's Still Thanksgiving Weekend
. . . for two more days, but I think Harrell gets the
last word on the topic.
Posted by: Attila Girl at
07:41 PM
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She's Baaaaaaccckk!
Did you miss me?
I missed you.
Posted by: Attila Girl at
06:30 PM
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I did. No offense to Cal Tech Girl, meant or implied.
Posted by: Darrell at November 24, 2006 08:43 PM (ohaAk)
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I mised you. Cal Tech Girl is nice, but I missed you.
Posted by: Chuck at November 24, 2006 11:12 PM (Z9XDk)
Posted by: I R A Darth Aggie at November 25, 2006 03:14 PM (1hM1d)
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Welcome back!
I did notice you were gone, too. I did.
Posted by: k at November 26, 2006 03:16 AM (lCUKc)
Posted by: Agata at December 03, 2006 12:37 PM (bisOc)
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November 22, 2006
If the shoe glove fits
Presented without further comment:
Posted by: Pixy Misa at
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November 21, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tomorrow morning I'm off to my aunt's place. I'm not sure she even has an internet connection in her home, much less hot and cold running WiFi. No skin off my husband's nose; he only needs the word processor.
I, on the other hand, will be Jonesing.
However, Cal Tech Girl will be checking in here from time to time, and I'll be back on Friday night, before your Tryptophan high even wears off.
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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Happy Thanksgiving, AG!
Posted by: William Teach at November 22, 2006 07:36 AM (doAuV)
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Happy Thanksgiving to all...
Posted by: Darrell at November 22, 2006 08:22 PM (aiOaP)
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So far it's been a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Whenever we have Thx at someone else's house, I usually cook a "follow-up" turkey here at home so we'll have leftovers in the house. This year, Sunday is the designated day.
We usually have our private celebration by staying in our pajamas all day, but this time, of course, I have to figure out the timing so we can leave the bird and go to mass in the morning, then come back and celebrate.
Of course, going to church is even more appropriate than staying in one's jammies.
It's all good!
Posted by: Attila Girl at November 25, 2006 04:59 AM (LEEsJ)
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Darleen Is Asking
for your favorite Thx-day recipes and tips.
Here's my tip: even if you happen to make a bitchin' pumpkin pie—and, believe me, I do—it turns out it's easier just to buy one.
So that's what I do: I may be stupid, but I'm not a complete freakin' idiot.
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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Heh, cooking off the Libby's direction is my idea of cooking adventure.
Posted by: michael at November 21, 2006 07:40 PM (Dk0l6)
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On the Steps of Central Asia
At a DA meeting tonight a friend of mine who is also in one of the "chemical programs" (those that deal with physical addiction to mind-altering substances) discussed the reason he can can't drink too much coffee, or eat too many carbs or sweets.
"Because sooner or later, the thought crosses my mind that I shouldn't be messing around, and sort of running away. Because I really know how to do it right. I can run away like a champ.
"The next day, I'm smoking weed again."
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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And after that, the big chocolate bars come out.
Posted by: Desert Cat at November 21, 2006 10:38 AM (B2X7i)
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Yup: eating leads to smoking, which leads right back to eating. Anyway, I'm not talking about the ordinary user: I'm talking about those for whom it quickly becomes a compulsion.
Posted by: Attila Girl at November 21, 2006 11:01 AM (LEEsJ)
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November 20, 2006
Fundraising
It's a long story, but K is hot on the trail of a functional scooter. There is a chance that she may have to get a car with a larger trunk in order to carry it around, so let's keep hitting her
PayPal button.
She sent Attila the Hub a thank you note for our contribution, and asked how she could repay us. He replied: "there's only one way: get a speeding ticket in the new scooter."
Posted by: Attila Girl at
12:05 PM
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I learned last year when helping a cousin get ready to move to Iowa after her husband died, that there is practically NO secondary market for used scooters. People buying them almost always rely on insurance, and insurance "firms" don't deal with used equipment from private sellers. Don't pay more than 10 cents on the dollar! Check your local "Penny Saver" type newspapers, or church bulletins and the like... My cousin had two, like-new scooters--one originally costing around $8000 and the other around $4,000(she essentially paid for them on her own) She wound up taking $800 for one, and a little less for the second--after six months on the market! Too bad I didn't know then what I know now! Sorry, k!!!! Hope the advice helps, though!
And this link!
http://ksquest.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Darrell at November 20, 2006 01:30 PM (d781l)
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Aw, dang. I did it again, huh? Queen of the broken link. I'm sure I'll find the url address in there somewhere, with enough code missing that it didn't even show up . . . .
On the other hand, I'm charming, articulate and whip-smart. So there's that.
Posted by: Attila Girl at November 21, 2006 12:07 AM (LEEsJ)
Posted by: Desert Cat at November 21, 2006 10:40 AM (B2X7i)
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aHA! So this is where Darrell found me out!
My desktop has been having a little trouble loading some blogs lately and I was LMA deprived for a few days.
Thank you, Miss Attila!
And Darrell, you're 100% correct about the scooter resale market. I spent a lot of thought on the new vs. used question. I just wiped myself out scooter shopping today so there's not much of an update post - but I'll have all the gory details up tomorrow, I think.
Posted by: k at November 21, 2006 07:01 PM (lCUKc)
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Capitalism vs. Cockroaches
Two very
different approaches to improving healthcare in this country.
I love the quote from Gratzer: "The problem and the predicament of American health care can be stated in a single, paradoxical sentence: Everyone agrees that it's the best in the world, but nobody really likes it."
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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Most of the complainers that I've heard aren't complaining about the care part of "health care", they're complaining
about the "paying for it" part of health care.
I suspect that wide availability of heath insurance has contributed to the rise of health care costs, and hence
the rise in health insurance costs.
The waiting period for serious surgery in countries with
government health care systems, such as Canada, UK,
or Japan is literally a killer. Did you know that well-to-do
Japanese go to Phillipines or even Thailand for surgery?
(I trust you've already heard about Canadians and British
going to US for treatment.)
So what to do? Make enough money to get good insurance.
Life isn't fair. Government enforced "fairness" is typically
lowest common denominator.
-Bob
Posted by: Bob at November 20, 2006 05:30 PM (jZ67n)
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How's this for some additional perspective?
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1536556.ece
Ivar Bolin spent the final weeks of his life being driven from hospital to hospital, and died in the family cabin while waiting for a cancer operation.
Posted by: Bob at November 20, 2006 07:03 PM (jZ67n)
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Very compassionate. Bascially it's being said that poor people, working class people, people who aren't affluent, really don't deserve to get decent medical care. Yeah, very compassionate.
Posted by: SR at November 21, 2006 06:55 PM (BL9En)
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No. What's being said is that health care costs have risen to the point that non-catastrophic care is terribly, terribly costly, and that this reflects manipulation by the government.
Most of the cons I know feel we should only "insure" for the potential Big Things (like we do for house fires, and the like), but pay for check-ups and routine tests ourselves. And that if government got out of the game, these routine procedures would be affordable.
What is wrong with a population that is willing to pay to get its cars serviced, but not willing to pay for cholesterol tests? Where are our priorities?
Posted by: Attila Girl at November 24, 2006 06:04 PM (LEEsJ)
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Hey, Guys.
Here you go. Make your wives
happy.
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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Lefty guys need to be studying up on this prior to
December 22.
Posted by: david foster at November 20, 2006 12:27 PM (/Z304)
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Thanks!
BTW, the link for "Fifty Mistakes WOMEN Make When Having Sex" doesn't work...In fact it's gone missing! Oh, I forgot! Forget I mentioned anything!
Posted by: Darrell at November 20, 2006 01:38 PM (d781l)
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I'll bet I could write that.
OTOH, we must face facts: one pertinent fact here is that male sexual response is fairly straightforward, and female sexual response isn't.
Men are simply a lot easier to please in the sack. There is still some variation in what they like, but 1) they mostly like a lot of the same stuff, and 2) it's easy to suss out the variations.
Posted by: Attila Girl at November 21, 2006 12:20 AM (LEEsJ)
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The variability in the female of our species makes any such "how-to" a starting point, at best. My personal experience? How about a woman that doesn't want to orgasm?(She believed they were for super-special times in her life, one she should be able to count on a single hand on her deathbed, and was actually pissed when she had one the first time(didn't give her theory then, only withdrew, thinking it a fluke) we were together, and two the second time..) Or one that needed it quick, basically move the minimum of clothing to make it possible then finish in a couple of minutes at a lightning pace. Stupid me, I managed to go a half-hour our first time and almost an hour the second(with a quicker recovery than I ever had before) ). I was beaming(internally) like a fool at my "accomplishment" when she told me that it was worse torture than fingernails on the blackboard--and she felt like slapping me in the head and telling me to finish already! And foreplay or postplay? Forgetaboutit!!(And no, guys, I won't give you the last phone number I had for her...besides it was 23 years ago!)
The point is this--whatever we like, we have to find someone that likes the same thing or it is doomed from the start. Or decide whether it's worth 'settling', if our 'wants' are that far apart, and learn to adjust...
Posted by: Darrell at November 21, 2006 09:24 PM (ffkS2)
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It will take me weeks to memorize this list. Is it this complicated for chimps?
Darrell writes:
"How about a woman that doesn't want to orgasm?(She believed they were for super-special times in her life, one she should be able to count on a single hand on her deathbed...."
There's more than one of them on this planet? Amazing!
I dated a woman who was a "good Catholic girl"--really. The farthest we went was oral sex, and she wouldn't let herself have an orgasm until we actually had sex, which would require us to be married.
Me being a "good Lutheran boy" had no internal barriers.
Posted by: Sean Hackbarth at November 22, 2006 07:37 PM (4N9K6)
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November 19, 2006
Officially Under the Weather.
Yesterday I got a couple of headaches during the day, but I didn't think much of it: I figured it was dehydration. Got light-headed a few times as we were setting up for the big monthly meetings. And my runny nose I chalked up to being in a meeting room with too many donated/dusty couches. Got chills though, late last night: my teeth chattered.
I slept 17 hours, and I'm still sniffly, dehydrated, and tired. So it's either some sort of little bug, or post-stress exhaustion. Yet tomorrow and Tuesday will be crunch days, so I'm "power-resting" right now. I need to get a lot done before we drive up to the Bay Area on Tuesday.
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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It's a bug. It's been going around Tucson. I seem to be in the last stages. Fortunately it is not too severe.
I was "under the weather" about a week, but never really got full-blown sick. It's one of those things though, if you can't get the rest you need it usually blows up into something worse.
So sleep, sleep, whenever you can. And drink plenty of citrus juice.
Posted by: Desert Cat at November 19, 2006 06:41 PM (xdX36)
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You let your resistance drop and a virus saw its chance to pounce. You have to stay well-rested always. As a bonus, recent studies indicate that 9 hours sleep may lower your body fat levels and improve general fitness.
I suggest that everyone of our age keep on the lookout for shingles. I had it in July/August and it's not an experience I'd like to relive. Warning signs of an onset? Look for swollen/painful glands--like in the armpits and neck and itching and pain on the skin of your midsection. A few days later, red spots will appear--and in a few hours become pustules. YOU HAVE TO GET YOURSELF TO A DOCTOR AT THIS POINT AND GET A PRESCRIPTION FOR ACYCLOVIR. It won't stop it completely, but it will shorten the duration and may prevent SOME pustules from completely forming. It will try to encircle your body like a belt. Anything you can do to stop this will help, because you will not be able to put any pressure on those areas, like you have to do when you sleep. I had to stand/sit upright for almost a week at one point. IT is not a new infection. If you've had chicken pox, this is the sequel. That virus that caused chicken pox--herpes zoster--hid among your nerves and spine waiting for an opportunity to resurface. AND THIS TIME, there's no mercy! The pustules you see are NERVE FIBERS INFLAMED--nerve fibers that travel deep inside your body.The pain will last 24/7 until your body can get rid of them--eight weeks in my case. In the meantime, all nearby nerves respond sympathetically--GIVING YOU DEEP PAIN!!! For weeks! Deep pain, like when you have an inflamed appendix/pancreas/gall bladder--your body doesn't know the difference. Consider this a baby-boomer warning!!!!! You'll thank me for that presciption, I assure you!
Posted by: Darrell at November 19, 2006 09:51 PM (KEBp7)
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November 18, 2006
Join the Fun!
Insty is running a
poll on which of the two main political parties is going to blow it worse during the course of the coming "two-year dumb-off."
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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Rangel, Pelosi, and Murtha have taken the early lead. Hillary is about to bring up her version of health care. It will be hard for the republicans to out screw up.
But it is early and we have two years left.
And we still have the middle east playing the dark horse to screw up the whole thing. Watch for the Iranian president to attack Israel. Terrorist organizations to take over Lebanon, and N. Korea to act crazier then they are doing now.
As the ancient Chinese curse goes, "May you live in interesting times".
Posted by: Jack at November 19, 2006 08:41 PM (7YRKt)
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November 17, 2006
Calling All Christians
A woman from my writer's group asks how those who live a religious life reconcile taking a vow of poverty with the relationships all Catholics have with Rome, and its concentration of wealth.
I'd also put the same question to Protestants whose denominations are particularly prosperous: hwo do you process the Lord's admonitions about how dangerous wealth is, and justapose that with some members of the clergy living large? What about the pastor who ministers in a poor neighborhood, and lives as his congregation does, versus the minister in a wealthier area, whose fundraising activities demand that he eat at nice restaurants, etc.?
Posted by: Attila Girl at
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In our faith group (the Church of Christ), we simply let the careers of those who become too wealthy or famous be our object lesson; whether in the brotherhood or without, when their heads get turned by money or fame, their souls get turned away from the Lord's ways.
Posted by: John at November 17, 2006 05:18 PM (y1Zrd)
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It isn't the money. It's the love of money that corrupts. There's nothing wrong with being filthy stinkin rich. It's how you live your life that counts.
Which ought to include a generous portion of charity if you are, in fact, quite comfortable materially. No hard and fast rules here, it's just how the universe works. You let your head get turned by wealth, and your soul suffers.
As to wealthy ministers, they are suspect by default in my book. If you're living better than your flock, you are a thief, and no true shepherd. That goes for big name telly-e-vangelists as well as rich denominations like the Catholic Church. It doesn't matter if you're an individual or a worldwide organisation, we were admonished to not store up our wealth on earth.
On the other hand, if you're a habitual giver, it is very likely that God is going to bless your stinkin' socks off, because he's found in you a conduit through which to bless others.
And if your pastor is doing fundraising by hosting wealthy parishioners at expensive restaurants, I...words just fail me. That's wrong on so many levels. First, parishioners spring for the *pastor* not vice versa. Second, fundraising ought not be a separate activity from preaching, teaching, and ministering. Once your congregation gets hold of the truth that you can't out-give God, then support for the church becomes a mostly non-issue.
Posted by: Desert Cat at November 17, 2006 06:23 PM (xdX36)
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Purveyors of Poverty Vows are immediately suspect of simply being on the opposite side of the same
corruption coin. Pride in poverty vows is a virtue?
Or is it simply sinful pride, the handmaiden of envy?
I am not a Catholic, but an old Catholic priest once told
me that material abundance always follows Spiritual
abundance (witness Job and Abraham). As does healing,
etc. "By their fruits ye shall know them." No fruits, no Spirit. That simple.
On a decidedly non-Christian note,
I appreciate the way Wallace Wattles dismissed poverty:
"WHATEVER may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich. No man can rise to his greatest possible height in talent or soul development unless he has plenty of money; for to unfold the soul and to develop talent he must have many things to use, and he cannot have these things unless he has money to buy them with."
...
"There is nothing wrong in wanting to get rich. The desire for riches is really the desire for a richer, fuller, and more abundant life; and that desire is praise worthy. The man who does not desire to live more abundantly is abnormal, and so the man who does not desire to have money enough to buy all he wants is abnormal."
...
"To live fully in soul, man must have love; and love is denied expression by poverty."
The excerpts from are "The Science of Getting Rich",
(decidedly non-Christian)
the book may be read online at
http://wallacewattles.wwwhubs.com/rich.htm .
-Bob.
Posted by: Bob at November 17, 2006 06:59 PM (jZ67n)
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Oops, that last bit should have been
"The excerpts are from ..."
Also the " (decidedly non-Christian)"
was a cut and paste error that snuck in, and should have
been omitted.
-b
Posted by: Bob at November 17, 2006 07:28 PM (jZ67n)
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Relationship Catholics have with Rome? Wealth? Where? The buildings? The art and other things created by artists(or commissioned by patrons)designed to glorify God and donated to the Church for safekeeping and to be enjoyed by all for generations to come? That wealth isn't what economists call liquid(closeness to cash). You got to see Pope John Paul II's quarters last year in his final hours. A simple room, no larger than an average master bedroom, with a plain double bed, a small plain desk and a couple of chairs. He was known to have simple tastes as well--familiar food for him-country-style Polish and Italian food.
The question itself is based on anti-Catholic sentiments. No religious organization has ever given more to the poor than the Catholic Church. If the buildings/land/art had been sold when originally donated to the Church, defying the givers' wishes, very little money would have been raised and that money would have been long gone. And I would be willing to bet, so would the buildings and art. And, yet, the poor would still be with us. Funny how that works. The clergy and other religious devote their lives to helping others--I've known many. Sixty years of always being there for others with no compensation other than daily meals and a new shirt and a pair of pants every year. And a pair of shoes every couple of years. Oh, and five dollars a month for stationery and postage to keep in touch with family and friends. Wow--now that's a life of luxury!
Let every religious group sell all their assets and hold Sunday services under the viaducts and expressway overpasses. See you there! If Father John isn't up yet, give his cardboard box a nudge...He'll appreciate it.
Posted by: Darrell at November 17, 2006 09:09 PM (8gtuV)
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It isn't the money. It's the love of money that corrupts.
THANK YOU. DC, everyone always loves to misquote that - and in the process, miss the whole damn point.
Posted by: k at November 17, 2006 10:18 PM (lCUKc)
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And Bob - I disagree with you and Wallace Wattles, absolutely, totally, completely.
Posted by: k at November 17, 2006 10:23 PM (lCUKc)
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Darrell makes a point that can be broadened to a point that eludes the Left to this day. If we simply grabbed all of the wealth of the US and gave it to the poor, it would serve to feed them for only the briefest time, and also increase the number of the poor by 300 million.
Posted by: John at November 18, 2006 06:46 AM (vfKsS)
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"Vows of poverity" is not Biblical. Roman Catholics equate poveity with piety and holiness, which have no basis in the Bible.
While Fundamentalists view properity as a ministry. To be good stewarts of what God has given you.
Many men of faith were wealthy, and they were able to use that wealth for good.
Posted by: Bloggermouth at November 18, 2006 09:37 AM (Hg20K)
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"Blessed are you poor; the reign of God is yours" (Luke 6:20).
"None of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his possessions" (Luke 14:33).
"Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps. Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Luke 9:23-24).
"To labor to earn one's own keep is right, to desire more is covetousness."The Rich Fool(Parable).
"Why so large a cost, having so short a lease
Dost thou upon thy fading mansion spend? . . . within be fed, without be rich no more."Shakespeare's take on the above.
And so many more. The point is possessions in themselves are neither inherently good or bad; it is the choices that one makes concerning them that determines their significance. Two basic strands of thought permeate the gospels- renunciation is absolutely necessary for a disciple because possessions can be an obstacle and a danger in the spiritual life. And the proper use of material goods that are nonessential to the disciple is to be manifested in the positive act of helping those in need.
That being said, if we all had nothing-if we gave it all away-the only help we could give would be good intentions. And Luke might have invented communism. Putting a number on what John(above) said, if we took away the wealth of everyone in the world who was "rich"(I think defined as a $million or more)and divided it up among everyone remaining--each person would receive a grand sum of $600, according to the last calculation I recall. And that doesn't factor in all those possessions hitting the market at the same time--which would deflate their value immensely. Not to mention the lack of buyers that situation would create.
Posted by: Darrell at November 18, 2006 10:26 AM (OwUxV)
11
Malachi 3:10
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
Job 42:10
After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.
Genesis 18:18
Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
Matthew 7:9
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
-B
Posted by: Bob at November 18, 2006 04:53 PM (jZ67n)
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"Vows of poverity" is not Biblical. Roman Catholics equate poveity with piety and holiness, which have no basis in the Bible.
Oh, contraire. I would say that it is very Biblical.
A man may have two masters. He will hate one and love the other.
For that reason, most Catholic priests are not married.
A matter of...rendering to God what is God's.
Posted by: I R A Darth Aggie at November 18, 2006 06:30 PM (1hM1d)
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Hm. I do think the person who posed that question may not have thought it through completely.
But the degree to which wealth is/can be consistent with spiritual growth is an interesting one.
My own emotions are mixed: on the one hand, I think some detachment from the pursuit of wealth is a sign of mental health/spiritual strength.
On the other hand, idolizing poverty can, in practice, have disastrous results: producing things people want and need often leads to prosperity, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The attitude that prosperity is evil in and of itself is simply wrong-headed.
I guess I believe in material comfort as a positive thing, provided it isn't pursued single-mindedly and without ethics.
Posted by: Attila Girl at November 18, 2006 09:44 PM (LEEsJ)
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