Saturday, February 03, 2007
More Reminiscence On A Saturday...
Looking for some scotch tape the other day, for an umpteenth quick fix remedy to a trivial everyday-type-of-problem, I stumbled across some masking tape instead... Now, this roll of masking tape was not the same at all, but it both did the job as it reminded me also of another roll of masking tape - from at least 20 years back...!
My penultimate year in High School was a breeze when compared to the first.
I think it was a mistake in assigning students to the wrong -make that the wrongest- school, for my first two years in H.S. that is. I and a bunch of other decent kids were somehow mixed up with the riff-raff's broods and dispatched to the prison... pardon, juvenile jail... sorry, High School named after a saint and across the street from a church and a cemetery too! Alas, the junior riff-raff was running amok during recess and lunchtime - one day, for instance, they came back from the cemetery (lost boys eat their lunch there, y'know) with a SKULL - to play soccer with it. I believe that the sight of this was my first genuine pang of repulsion and overall aversion towards certain specimens of the human species...
Compared to that, thus, my penultimate year in High School (in a different institution) was a breeze. My last year was even better. I had survived being juxtaposed with the lowest of the low; I could breathe easy among the nerds, turds, himbos and a few low-lives (junior, going on "young adult") without a care really... But I digress...
I remember a class I had back then - DESSIN TECHNIQUE.
We drew! Not quite the "win, lose or draw" way though; more like, as the name of the course implies, technical stuff! Building plans, blueprints; that sort of boring stuff! On the back of my drawings, I'd often draw caricatures of the teacher, my classmates and myself! I kept those and it is a good thing too; that way, I immortalized that entire scene that would have, otherwise, been lost forever to the uncaring sands of time (but who can blame "Father Time" for doing so, since he's seen it all and we, in that class, must not be merely a dime-a-dozen but a penny-a-gazillion to him! Having said that, I spurn "father time" and care not one iota what he would think - would if he was anything close to real, evidently. Calling time a father is the apex of idiocy if you ask me; for it is said, in the Good Book, that we shall not call anyone down here "Father" for we have ONE Father and He Is In The Heavens! Our Earthly sire aside, of course, God Is our only true Father. Forevermore! But I am digressing here, once again...)
And so, in that course, we had dire need of... masking tape!
I had bought some - whereas three quarters of my classmates had not! And so, out of the kindness of my heart, I lended them my roll every week for the first few months... I was so sure they'd buy a roll for themselves within that timespan - but they did not! After months of this, I actually wondered if I'd have enough tape for myself for the whole school year (and maybe the next year as well - if I took another course in this area? I am merely expressing a hypothesis as to what was on my mind back then, really... Since I do not recall anymore!)
And so, I told my profiteering classmates that I was cutting them off in the endless supply of masking tape...! (Hey - each new drawing required to be taped to the drawing board - all four corners, as you may suspect! We did more than one drawing per course! And the schoolyear was going to stretch from September to July! Economical teeny-weeny me was genuinely concerned there - I think! *lol*)
As it were, my concerns were unfounded - I had plenty of tape left on my roll as the year wrapped up and, on top of that, there was no other course to take there... In short, I had saved up on the masking tape for absolutely nothing! There is a lesson to be learned from all this - as there almost always is from virtually everything and anything of little significance in our lives...! ;)
I see it so often elsewhere too: people saving a precious set of bedsheets or a silky tablecloth "for a special occasion"... One that may never come! And then, these people die - and the saved up objects are left behind, unused. Likewise, saving money is wise and all - but if we have no (worthy) heirs, we might just as well spend it all ourselves! Saving oneself for that special someone is the lone exception to this; for it is good and truly paramount to try and keep as close to "sacred" the temple that we have been given for our sparkle of the Spirit (our soul) and that temple is our body indeed. (These fitness freaks that I see, who will not allow into their bodies any food they do not deem edible, and then turn around and have the morals of a Paris (or a Hilton) - well, those have it all upside down, really! But this is another digression I do believe...)
As I have been saying these past few days on TLB Prime - and the "fable of the masking tape" emphasizes it metaphorically if not lyrically (!) I am sure - we ought to give more. We ought to be less attached to physical objects and/or "things"... We ought to be generous, altruistic, willing to share - everything we own is but ours on loan when we really think about it... Nothing will belong to us "forever" (unless someone stuffs it into our casket when the time comes...!)
Our lone "forever" riches are our SOULS - you've guessed it! ;)
Giving away earthly things will win us amends for our souls - indulgences for all the other stuff we did that wasn't exactly "right"...! That seems like the best trade-off ever to me! Out with the material, and in with the eternal? It just can't be beat! What a sweet deal! ;)
Not that we have to give all we own away overnight, like St. Francis of Assisi did. It worked for him - but that was his mission, his destiny. Nowadays, doing that would be suicide! Many a shrewd shrink would repeat that "people giving away their personal belongings to friends and family are sending out a distress signal - they may be depressed or, worse yet, suicidal" - right. Anybody ever heard of a great humanitarian shrink that gave plenty to charity? Draw your own conclusions there...!
Personally, I wonder where all my "stuff" will go to (some label theirs derisively as "junk", "crap" or worse...! It's their prerogative!)
I mean, of course, when I am no longer "around"...
Will my heirs value "my stuff" as much as I do (or once did, really)
Shouldn't I just give that stuff away while I am indeed "around" - it sure does make sense to do so! (Another anecdote, this time on that: my paternal great-grandmother had had the foresight to do just that; alas, my mother was her usual kind self and advised her to keep what was dear to her for as long as she lived. She did - she died - and the heirlooms went to the wrong hands afterwards -not at all the ones my great-grandmother had intended to bequeath them to- because, despite her foresight, she had left no detailed will...!)
As far as more common commodities go (i.o.w. - cash!) why do we want to keep it all for ourselves so damn much - when we are not even guaranteed to be able to make use of it all (heck - of even half of it) during our lifetime? It always reminds me of that passage of the Bible that makes mention of the rich man who was content to see his stocks well-furnished for the coming year (if not years...!)
And then God Spoke and He Said: "foolish one - don't you know that on this night even, I will take you. And what will your riches be good for then?" (I paraphrase...!)
Hopefully, they served to feed many of the hungry in the foolhardy overzealous man's neighborhood - and there are so many of those, hungry and poor, throughout the world - while we in the Western civilization throw away so much... It makes no sense at all. Not only do we not share what we have - but we mindlessly let it go to waste?!?
We know better than that - we may not do it, but we do know better.
Self-sustenance and the well-being of our own brood come first - that is a given. But anything in excess... You know...!? WE CAN SPARE IT - WE CAN GIVE IT!
A mere suggestion, thrown to the wind (lest it is to the wolves?!?) would be to keep the capital - but give the compounded interest to the needy? A percentage of the interest? Forego unnecessary renovations to your home, for example, to feed someone and save lives - hmm?
Besides, "to spread the wealth" is both a bit of Godly behaviour as it is also Biblical...!
AND logical! :)
After all, why else are we on passage on this earth, eh? Other than do some good...?
Link
My penultimate year in High School was a breeze when compared to the first.
I think it was a mistake in assigning students to the wrong -make that the wrongest- school, for my first two years in H.S. that is. I and a bunch of other decent kids were somehow mixed up with the riff-raff's broods and dispatched to the prison... pardon, juvenile jail... sorry, High School named after a saint and across the street from a church and a cemetery too! Alas, the junior riff-raff was running amok during recess and lunchtime - one day, for instance, they came back from the cemetery (lost boys eat their lunch there, y'know) with a SKULL - to play soccer with it. I believe that the sight of this was my first genuine pang of repulsion and overall aversion towards certain specimens of the human species...
Compared to that, thus, my penultimate year in High School (in a different institution) was a breeze. My last year was even better. I had survived being juxtaposed with the lowest of the low; I could breathe easy among the nerds, turds, himbos and a few low-lives (junior, going on "young adult") without a care really... But I digress...
I remember a class I had back then - DESSIN TECHNIQUE.
We drew! Not quite the "win, lose or draw" way though; more like, as the name of the course implies, technical stuff! Building plans, blueprints; that sort of boring stuff! On the back of my drawings, I'd often draw caricatures of the teacher, my classmates and myself! I kept those and it is a good thing too; that way, I immortalized that entire scene that would have, otherwise, been lost forever to the uncaring sands of time (but who can blame "Father Time" for doing so, since he's seen it all and we, in that class, must not be merely a dime-a-dozen but a penny-a-gazillion to him! Having said that, I spurn "father time" and care not one iota what he would think - would if he was anything close to real, evidently. Calling time a father is the apex of idiocy if you ask me; for it is said, in the Good Book, that we shall not call anyone down here "Father" for we have ONE Father and He Is In The Heavens! Our Earthly sire aside, of course, God Is our only true Father. Forevermore! But I am digressing here, once again...)
And so, in that course, we had dire need of... masking tape!
I had bought some - whereas three quarters of my classmates had not! And so, out of the kindness of my heart, I lended them my roll every week for the first few months... I was so sure they'd buy a roll for themselves within that timespan - but they did not! After months of this, I actually wondered if I'd have enough tape for myself for the whole school year (and maybe the next year as well - if I took another course in this area? I am merely expressing a hypothesis as to what was on my mind back then, really... Since I do not recall anymore!)
And so, I told my profiteering classmates that I was cutting them off in the endless supply of masking tape...! (Hey - each new drawing required to be taped to the drawing board - all four corners, as you may suspect! We did more than one drawing per course! And the schoolyear was going to stretch from September to July! Economical teeny-weeny me was genuinely concerned there - I think! *lol*)
As it were, my concerns were unfounded - I had plenty of tape left on my roll as the year wrapped up and, on top of that, there was no other course to take there... In short, I had saved up on the masking tape for absolutely nothing! There is a lesson to be learned from all this - as there almost always is from virtually everything and anything of little significance in our lives...! ;)
I see it so often elsewhere too: people saving a precious set of bedsheets or a silky tablecloth "for a special occasion"... One that may never come! And then, these people die - and the saved up objects are left behind, unused. Likewise, saving money is wise and all - but if we have no (worthy) heirs, we might just as well spend it all ourselves! Saving oneself for that special someone is the lone exception to this; for it is good and truly paramount to try and keep as close to "sacred" the temple that we have been given for our sparkle of the Spirit (our soul) and that temple is our body indeed. (These fitness freaks that I see, who will not allow into their bodies any food they do not deem edible, and then turn around and have the morals of a Paris (or a Hilton) - well, those have it all upside down, really! But this is another digression I do believe...)
As I have been saying these past few days on TLB Prime - and the "fable of the masking tape" emphasizes it metaphorically if not lyrically (!) I am sure - we ought to give more. We ought to be less attached to physical objects and/or "things"... We ought to be generous, altruistic, willing to share - everything we own is but ours on loan when we really think about it... Nothing will belong to us "forever" (unless someone stuffs it into our casket when the time comes...!)
Our lone "forever" riches are our SOULS - you've guessed it! ;)
Giving away earthly things will win us amends for our souls - indulgences for all the other stuff we did that wasn't exactly "right"...! That seems like the best trade-off ever to me! Out with the material, and in with the eternal? It just can't be beat! What a sweet deal! ;)
Not that we have to give all we own away overnight, like St. Francis of Assisi did. It worked for him - but that was his mission, his destiny. Nowadays, doing that would be suicide! Many a shrewd shrink would repeat that "people giving away their personal belongings to friends and family are sending out a distress signal - they may be depressed or, worse yet, suicidal" - right. Anybody ever heard of a great humanitarian shrink that gave plenty to charity? Draw your own conclusions there...!
Personally, I wonder where all my "stuff" will go to (some label theirs derisively as "junk", "crap" or worse...! It's their prerogative!)
I mean, of course, when I am no longer "around"...
Will my heirs value "my stuff" as much as I do (or once did, really)
Shouldn't I just give that stuff away while I am indeed "around" - it sure does make sense to do so! (Another anecdote, this time on that: my paternal great-grandmother had had the foresight to do just that; alas, my mother was her usual kind self and advised her to keep what was dear to her for as long as she lived. She did - she died - and the heirlooms went to the wrong hands afterwards -not at all the ones my great-grandmother had intended to bequeath them to- because, despite her foresight, she had left no detailed will...!)
As far as more common commodities go (i.o.w. - cash!) why do we want to keep it all for ourselves so damn much - when we are not even guaranteed to be able to make use of it all (heck - of even half of it) during our lifetime? It always reminds me of that passage of the Bible that makes mention of the rich man who was content to see his stocks well-furnished for the coming year (if not years...!)
And then God Spoke and He Said: "foolish one - don't you know that on this night even, I will take you. And what will your riches be good for then?" (I paraphrase...!)
Hopefully, they served to feed many of the hungry in the foolhardy overzealous man's neighborhood - and there are so many of those, hungry and poor, throughout the world - while we in the Western civilization throw away so much... It makes no sense at all. Not only do we not share what we have - but we mindlessly let it go to waste?!?
We know better than that - we may not do it, but we do know better.
Self-sustenance and the well-being of our own brood come first - that is a given. But anything in excess... You know...!? WE CAN SPARE IT - WE CAN GIVE IT!
A mere suggestion, thrown to the wind (lest it is to the wolves?!?) would be to keep the capital - but give the compounded interest to the needy? A percentage of the interest? Forego unnecessary renovations to your home, for example, to feed someone and save lives - hmm?
Besides, "to spread the wealth" is both a bit of Godly behaviour as it is also Biblical...!
AND logical! :)
After all, why else are we on passage on this earth, eh? Other than do some good...?
Link
Friday, February 02, 2007
Gesundheit!
"And the little baby panda grew up fast and strong
Link
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Subdivisions
Is it so hard to ask around for proper guidance these days?
Of course, in these days of individualism and "me-myself-and-I" prevailing with near-absolutism, maybe it really is too darn difficult to ask anyone for the slightest bit of help - since everyone else will likely be found to be twice as self-absorbed as yourself! Such is the world today...!
Some examples of peeps who should have tried, still, against all odds and -maybe- hope too:
-MySpace's friendly exec, Tom (is it?) - he should have asked a true Frenchman to translate this bit right here: "des explications sur les tags basiques d’HTML" - he would have then found out that it should have read "des explications sur les données de base en HTML" (although "tags" can also be translated into "onglets" in another context...!)
I'll take this opportunity right here to lambaste the "CSS man" - a friend of Tom's- who dares either lampoon or outright rip-off my trademark Luminous (\ô/) Luciano ™ signature by signing off his sporadic stuff quite anonymously indeed (but never luminously) with simply "(^o^)"...
I should sue you, CSS man! *lol* But I won't! (\ô/)
-Florida voters might not have learned their lesson yet - but I tell you, snowbird-lovers and hurricane survivors - if you suspect that those gusts of wind that sweep down upon you with frightening regularity have rattled your brains in the slightest way (not to mention co-habitating with those slimey snowbirds...) - YOU MUST SEEK COUNSELING BEFORE HEADING OUT FOR VOTING AGAIN!
Nobody wants to blame it on you folks once again when the wrong guy (or gal) gets the four-year mandate, but...
-One last category before I have to fly outta here...
Whoever has the time to come up with these intricate designs (see below) using only what a standard keyboard has to offer...
_
___________@@@@@@___________@@ @
__________@@@____@@@_______@@@@@
________@@@__ ______@@_____@@@@@@@
________@@___________@@__@@@______@@
________@@____________@@@__________@@
__________@@________________________@@
____@@@@@@______@@@@@___________@@
__@@@@@@@@@__@@@@@@@_________@@
__@@____________@@@@@@@@@_______@@
_@@____________@@@@@@@@@@_____@@
_@@____________@@@@@@@@@___@@@
_@@@___________@@@@@@@______@@
__@@@@__________@@@@@________@@
____@@@@@@_______________________@@
_________@@_________________________@@
________@@___________@@___________@@
________@@@________@@@@@@@@@@@
_________@@@_____@@@_@@@@@@@
__________@@@@@@@
___________@@@@@_@
____________________@
____________________@
_____________________@
______________________@
______________________@____@@@
______________@@@@__@__@_____@
_____________@_______@@@___@@
________________@@@____@_@@
________ GO BRUINS GO! ________
...._______ ..__________....._____
_______/ .- , '_________`. -. ..____
_______.. ` /`__________' .. ' /____
________`-/___'a___a`___..-'________
_________|____, '(_)`.____|_________
_________..___( ._|_. )___/_______
__________..___`.__, '___/_______
__________.-`._______, '-._______
________, '__, '___`-'___`.__`.____
_______/___/___________..___..__
_____, '____/_____________..___`._
___, '_____|______________|_____`.
__|_____, '|______o_______|`._____|
___`.__, '_.-..____________/-._`.__, '
_________/_`._________, '__.._______
__.""-._, '______`._:_, '_______`., -"".
_/_, -._`_______)___(________'_, -.__.
(_(___`._____, '_____`.______, '___)_)
_.._..____..__, '________`.____/___/_/
__`.`._, '_/_____________..__`._, ', '_
___`.__.-'______________`-.___, '__
__________ GO BRUINS GO! __________
Well... You must be a die-hard fan of the classic Hasbro Lite-Brite thingie - on top of a die-hard Bruins fan, buddy! ;)
Although BOTH are quite compatible with The Luminous Blog,
I must still say that...
People like you need only ask around for other people's ideas on how to find more practical hobbies! Hobbies that may yet change things around the world more concretely, y'know what I mean?
Volunteering is a good start! :)
+++
Link
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Illogical Ineptitude In The World Today...
Everywhere I look these days, I see it and it irks me, as ever...!
I am pleased whenever others see it too: like this Senator (from Nebraska, is it? And a fellow Republican too...!) who criticizes Dubya's administration for even being there, in Iraq... Indeed, the USA should not intersperse themselves at all in the whole process there - but we all know what they are really there for, don't we?
More illogical crap I notice, randomly now:
- This inept food chain store company that holds different banners - under one banner, advertised as "the cheapest basket overall", you can purchase an item cheaper, as a single unit. In the parent banner, even when complying to its rules (which forces the consumer to purchase four or up to six units in order to get "the best price" possible there) the very same product winds up costing more! And it sure is the same product; for, need I remind you that we are talking about the very same chain store company - only two different banners or brands of it! It makes no intrinsic sense to have this happen INTERNALLY - how can they possibly not be aware of their own prices?!? They may have the different concept venues if they want - but they must maintain an inherent logic to it all! Even if only cents make up the difference, it should be cheaper per single unit at the place where buying four or six of them is required - NOT AT THE OTHER PLACE WHERE THERE ARE NO SUCH HASSLES OR DEMANDS...!!! BE LOGICAL, PEOPLE!!!
(And a logical customer will boycott these dumb illogical stores, managed by inept illogical administrators!)
- There's also rampant incompetence and lack of logic amply evident in the entertaining field, of course; it is seen in the miscasting of so many parts, in the mishandling of so many properties that deserve a fairer shot and in the mismanagement of resources and talent left and right! No other industry is so ineptly managed as the entertainment industry - but it needs not even saying anymore; for everybody knows that!
- And then there is the damnable I.T. industry! After all, we are in the Information Age, aren't we? But for such well-read eggheads and brainiacs, why are they so poorly informed ultimately, huh?!? Few of them seem to have a single clue as to what the consumer really wants! They devise all-new software without thinking of the problems that might arise - for doing so would eradicate the vital opportunity for the company to make a bundle while trying to "fix" those problems by selling "patches", additional software or other quick fixes for a substancial fee, of course...! What a racket - one that seems logical -as profitable- on the surface... But, really now, don't they realize that a truly smart consumer will simply tire of all this crap and look elsewhere before long? It is not like Microsoft and its Windows Vista is the only show in town, you know...! ;) Just ask Apple, Nokia, Hewlett-Packard, Quanta, AsusTek and the rest of the IT 100...!
None seem to be any more "close to their customer" than the other though... :(
If they were so "in touch" with their customers' needs, they'd have made it all a whole lot more affordable a long, looooong time ago...! ;)
That's for starters...!
- Nowhere though is it more apparent indeed than in the pathetic world of politics! They say one thing, they do the opposite. All decisions made are so very self-serving as well... Not one bit of decency left, it would seem... Smoke and mirrors are used to fool us into thinking there still is some, and the more gullible among us will fall for it too and actually elect or even re-elect the scoundrels! Such convincing swindlers that they are, I understand... I wouldn't know though, because I do not lend a ear to their empty promises nor to their meek attempts at passing themselves off as great leaders who genuinely care about "their people"...!
I could go on - It seems also illogical to leave out so many more guilty parties out there - but this is enough for now, as I am out of time here...!
Leave some for the next blog! ;)
Link
I am pleased whenever others see it too: like this Senator (from Nebraska, is it? And a fellow Republican too...!) who criticizes Dubya's administration for even being there, in Iraq... Indeed, the USA should not intersperse themselves at all in the whole process there - but we all know what they are really there for, don't we?
More illogical crap I notice, randomly now:
- This inept food chain store company that holds different banners - under one banner, advertised as "the cheapest basket overall", you can purchase an item cheaper, as a single unit. In the parent banner, even when complying to its rules (which forces the consumer to purchase four or up to six units in order to get "the best price" possible there) the very same product winds up costing more! And it sure is the same product; for, need I remind you that we are talking about the very same chain store company - only two different banners or brands of it! It makes no intrinsic sense to have this happen INTERNALLY - how can they possibly not be aware of their own prices?!? They may have the different concept venues if they want - but they must maintain an inherent logic to it all! Even if only cents make up the difference, it should be cheaper per single unit at the place where buying four or six of them is required - NOT AT THE OTHER PLACE WHERE THERE ARE NO SUCH HASSLES OR DEMANDS...!!! BE LOGICAL, PEOPLE!!!
(And a logical customer will boycott these dumb illogical stores, managed by inept illogical administrators!)
- There's also rampant incompetence and lack of logic amply evident in the entertaining field, of course; it is seen in the miscasting of so many parts, in the mishandling of so many properties that deserve a fairer shot and in the mismanagement of resources and talent left and right! No other industry is so ineptly managed as the entertainment industry - but it needs not even saying anymore; for everybody knows that!
- And then there is the damnable I.T. industry! After all, we are in the Information Age, aren't we? But for such well-read eggheads and brainiacs, why are they so poorly informed ultimately, huh?!? Few of them seem to have a single clue as to what the consumer really wants! They devise all-new software without thinking of the problems that might arise - for doing so would eradicate the vital opportunity for the company to make a bundle while trying to "fix" those problems by selling "patches", additional software or other quick fixes for a substancial fee, of course...! What a racket - one that seems logical -as profitable- on the surface... But, really now, don't they realize that a truly smart consumer will simply tire of all this crap and look elsewhere before long? It is not like Microsoft and its Windows Vista is the only show in town, you know...! ;) Just ask Apple, Nokia, Hewlett-Packard, Quanta, AsusTek and the rest of the IT 100...!
None seem to be any more "close to their customer" than the other though... :(
If they were so "in touch" with their customers' needs, they'd have made it all a whole lot more affordable a long, looooong time ago...! ;)
That's for starters...!
- Nowhere though is it more apparent indeed than in the pathetic world of politics! They say one thing, they do the opposite. All decisions made are so very self-serving as well... Not one bit of decency left, it would seem... Smoke and mirrors are used to fool us into thinking there still is some, and the more gullible among us will fall for it too and actually elect or even re-elect the scoundrels! Such convincing swindlers that they are, I understand... I wouldn't know though, because I do not lend a ear to their empty promises nor to their meek attempts at passing themselves off as great leaders who genuinely care about "their people"...!
I could go on - It seems also illogical to leave out so many more guilty parties out there - but this is enough for now, as I am out of time here...!
Leave some for the next blog! ;)
Link
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Luminous Nostalgia
I am not too fond of either name this gent bore - "Cat" and "Yusuf" - but this song (that he released in his "pre-Islam period") makes me wish I had a certain someone still around to counsel me, listen to me...
Hug me. Advise and counsel me.
Never could get enough of a trinity of lyrical anthems from the beauteous Barbra - there's "Somewhere"; there's "The Way We Were"; and then there's this one - click above to find out which one it is...! (Oopsy-do now; YT is making it hard to do, eh?)
And some Johnny Cash...
One should always listen to some Johnny Cash - a little bit each and every day!
Seems like many a fickle Hollywood personality wants to have the reputation that they do - lest they genuinely love Johnny as we do...?
R.I.P. Johnny.
Don't toss and turn in your grave over them...!
You know better than that anyway, Johnny - you and all the Johnnies that crossed over so far... :)
+++
Link
Monday, January 29, 2007
lwf
You guys have heard about the nWo - the nwa - the awa - the nba - the nhl - mlb - ovw - wcw - ecw - wwa - wwe - the wwf... Well, none of these compares in the slightest way to the lwf!
The lwf and bjn -both- pretend to know aaaaall about salvation... aaaaaall about it!
Yes - I'll be a paperboy/barker for a day (lest it is - a hawker? But never a huckster - no!) and I'll shout out the magic words: learn aaaaaaaall about it!!!
Hmm... Can any man really know all about these holier-than-holy elements?
The slightly tongue-in-cheek style of the quizzes found on the lwf's site makes one wonder... Recently this was the question they asked to their very own luminous visitors:
But what is the interest of speaking with Eve? If you're a woman, you might want to ask her "why did you have to make it so that child-bearing is so darn difficult for us all?!?"
And if you're a man, you will hope that she gives you an apple - is that it?
An apple - not an iPod now! ;)
I find it pretentious from Jehovah's Witnesses, random Bible students, Christadelphians, gurus-r-us and their like to profess to KNOW IT ALL - and to be able to tell the rest of us "aaaaaaaall about it"...!
Televangelists act arrogantly - they are smug in their demeanor - and THAT is simply NOT how a man of God should be!
(Or woman of God - granted! Hello there, Joyce Meyers! ;)
And when they revert to being showmen - their preaching being much more like stand-up comedy rather than actual Gospel-spreading - I actually have the opposite reaction to that which they hope to trigger; I stop listening!
There is a time and a place for everything - showmanship should come before or after. Not that a sense of humor cannot be manifested at all times; it does enliven things up quite a bit - but if "entertainment" is the way touted as the safest means to reach out to a bored and blasé audience, then it has to be done properly. And that is not by mixing genres! Educational entertainment is still the best method; a multi-mediatic presentation that shows and doesn't merely tell about Christ and how to follow Him! But the Meyereses, Hinns, Robertsons, Grahams and other "ministers" know it would cost too much moolah to put together...
So they would rather bank on their own spectacle, à-la-Comedy-Central Night at the Improv...
Most of them would not have succeeded as stand-up comedians though, so much is clear. There would have been no developmental TV deals for sitcoms that would repeatedly air via syndication or through a myriad specialty channels, even years after production has ceased... There would have been zilch - nothing - nada for these guys, if comedy was their sole and unique thing...! They are lucky that the faithful are an indulgent audience - one that also embraces sub-par singing talent - all to please Christ and praise His Name...!
When all is said and done though, these so-called ministries are not truly advancing Christ's Cause as much as they are providing a career and steady remuneration for themselves and their buddies...!
So many things have been done in Christ's Name, you know...!
Oh, well - He Is Keeping Score! ;)
Link
The lwf and bjn -both- pretend to know aaaaall about salvation... aaaaaall about it!
Yes - I'll be a paperboy/barker for a day (lest it is - a hawker? But never a huckster - no!) and I'll shout out the magic words: learn aaaaaaaall about it!!!
Hmm... Can any man really know all about these holier-than-holy elements?
The slightly tongue-in-cheek style of the quizzes found on the lwf's site makes one wonder... Recently this was the question they asked to their very own luminous visitors:
"With which of these Biblical characters would you like to have a conversation?"And the options offered were:
PaulHmm... What is Eve doing there? Why not have Adam as well? Or Abel... And Cain while you're at it! Throw in Judas Iscariot why don't you - after all, Mel Gibson believes that he is the "most faithful apostle"...! Mel is a Hollywood star - he must know what he's talking about! Hey - he's a Lethal Weapon! He's Mad Max! Ok - I am digressing now - yet again! Sorry! :(
David
Judas
Moses
Simon Peter
Eve
But what is the interest of speaking with Eve? If you're a woman, you might want to ask her "why did you have to make it so that child-bearing is so darn difficult for us all?!?"
And if you're a man, you will hope that she gives you an apple - is that it?
An apple - not an iPod now! ;)
I find it pretentious from Jehovah's Witnesses, random Bible students, Christadelphians, gurus-r-us and their like to profess to KNOW IT ALL - and to be able to tell the rest of us "aaaaaaaall about it"...!
Televangelists act arrogantly - they are smug in their demeanor - and THAT is simply NOT how a man of God should be!
(Or woman of God - granted! Hello there, Joyce Meyers! ;)
And when they revert to being showmen - their preaching being much more like stand-up comedy rather than actual Gospel-spreading - I actually have the opposite reaction to that which they hope to trigger; I stop listening!
There is a time and a place for everything - showmanship should come before or after. Not that a sense of humor cannot be manifested at all times; it does enliven things up quite a bit - but if "entertainment" is the way touted as the safest means to reach out to a bored and blasé audience, then it has to be done properly. And that is not by mixing genres! Educational entertainment is still the best method; a multi-mediatic presentation that shows and doesn't merely tell about Christ and how to follow Him! But the Meyereses, Hinns, Robertsons, Grahams and other "ministers" know it would cost too much moolah to put together...
So they would rather bank on their own spectacle, à-la-Comedy-Central Night at the Improv...
Most of them would not have succeeded as stand-up comedians though, so much is clear. There would have been no developmental TV deals for sitcoms that would repeatedly air via syndication or through a myriad specialty channels, even years after production has ceased... There would have been zilch - nothing - nada for these guys, if comedy was their sole and unique thing...! They are lucky that the faithful are an indulgent audience - one that also embraces sub-par singing talent - all to please Christ and praise His Name...!
When all is said and done though, these so-called ministries are not truly advancing Christ's Cause as much as they are providing a career and steady remuneration for themselves and their buddies...!
So many things have been done in Christ's Name, you know...!
Oh, well - He Is Keeping Score! ;)
Link
Sunday, January 28, 2007
En lieu et place de "Statistics Sundays" - les Nouvelles! Le Vrai Pouls des Gens - Et De Leur Folie Collective! :)
