Not out of the woods yet.
If you're the praying sort ...
the Old Oligarch and I could really use a few today. Thank you, thank you, in advance.
UPDATE: 7/27/04: Our initial conversation went amazingly well. Eerily well, I must say, such that it is clear to me that God was involved here. The O.O. tells me that we have received what is technically known as "actual grace," as opposed to several other different flavors of grace that have been described. But we have a few more days here and are hoping things continue to go smoothly with the relatives. So if you can continue to pray we would still greatly appreciate it. Thank you!
UPDATE: 7/27/04: Our initial conversation went amazingly well. Eerily well, I must say, such that it is clear to me that God was involved here. The O.O. tells me that we have received what is technically known as "actual grace," as opposed to several other different flavors of grace that have been described. But we have a few more days here and are hoping things continue to go smoothly with the relatives. So if you can continue to pray we would still greatly appreciate it. Thank you!
"He will stand between your children and the homosexuals." - RobinsonforCongress.com
- Thanks to Cacciaguida for telling me about Vernon Robinson, a proud son of North Carolina.
- Thanks to Cacciaguida for telling me about Vernon Robinson, a proud son of North Carolina.
Too funny - Sen. John Kerry spoke about the plight of the American worker when he traveled to Detroit earlier this week, a safe message for the blue-collar workers who build cars there.
So it was a little strange that the campaign picked as its press-pass logo for its Motor City tour the gleaming showcase car of a foreign auto company — Rolls-Royce...
So it was a little strange that the campaign picked as its press-pass logo for its Motor City tour the gleaming showcase car of a foreign auto company — Rolls-Royce...
For the past 2 days I have been harassed in the course of my work by a lawyer who has repeatedly accused me of lying, interrupted me when I attempted to respond to her accusations, attempted to trick me into saying things I did not intend to say, and generally behaved more rudely than I have seen anyone behave since I was under the age of 12. Congratulations, legal profession. You're turning out some real winners.
The sad thing is that if she had approached me civilly and we had had a discussion about her issue, it would already be resolved. But because she is not rational and I cannot trust her to treat me with any regard, I have to refer her to our lawyer, who is out until next week.
I was raised that you never, ever accuse someone of lying, EVEN if you are 100% certain it is TRUE, on the off chance that you might, might possibly be wrong, and then have slandered that person and of course mortally offended them. I am so affronted that this person has accused me of lying simply because she assumes the worst possible explanation for an event, and has then gone to other organizations I work with and told them the same thing (although they will immediately see that several of her assumptions are incorrect and probably begin to doubt her entire statement) that I want to puke. Correcting her puts me in the position of having to prove a negative, which actually can be done IF I can track down the people responsible for the event she is upset about, when I don't even know who they are. And I'm sure, when she finally has the truth bashed into her thick skull by a third party, that it won't even occur to her to apologize to me, or to correct the slander she has spread about me and my organization to other people. So I'll have the pleasure of doing that.
And you all wonder why I am a misanthrope.
The sad thing is that if she had approached me civilly and we had had a discussion about her issue, it would already be resolved. But because she is not rational and I cannot trust her to treat me with any regard, I have to refer her to our lawyer, who is out until next week.
I was raised that you never, ever accuse someone of lying, EVEN if you are 100% certain it is TRUE, on the off chance that you might, might possibly be wrong, and then have slandered that person and of course mortally offended them. I am so affronted that this person has accused me of lying simply because she assumes the worst possible explanation for an event, and has then gone to other organizations I work with and told them the same thing (although they will immediately see that several of her assumptions are incorrect and probably begin to doubt her entire statement) that I want to puke. Correcting her puts me in the position of having to prove a negative, which actually can be done IF I can track down the people responsible for the event she is upset about, when I don't even know who they are. And I'm sure, when she finally has the truth bashed into her thick skull by a third party, that it won't even occur to her to apologize to me, or to correct the slander she has spread about me and my organization to other people. So I'll have the pleasure of doing that.
And you all wonder why I am a misanthrope.
Thomas Sowell: The grand fallacy: "People without the slightest knowledge of economics or the slightest experience running a business will boldly assert that women are paid only 75 percent -- or some other percent -- of what men make for doing exactly the same work.
Think about it. If an employer could hire four women for the price of hiring three men, why would he ever hire men at all?
Even if the employer was the world's biggest sexist, he could still not survive in business if his competitors were getting one-third more output from their employees for the same money."
Think about it. If an employer could hire four women for the price of hiring three men, why would he ever hire men at all?
Even if the employer was the world's biggest sexist, he could still not survive in business if his competitors were getting one-third more output from their employees for the same money."
U.S. Catholic Bishops - Pro-Life Activities: "At the same time, I had been confronted by literature from Priests for Life. It had been inserted in our parish bulletin and it spoke of the abortifacient nature of the Pill, Norplant, and DepoProvera. This in conjunction with a homily from our pastor about the lies propagated by Planned Parenthood made me start thinking; although initially I confess, I was thinking that our pastor had really 'over-reached' on that point and medically couldn't be right. I thought, 'wouldn't I have learned that information in seven years of medical school and family medicine residency training?'"
A link to a company that SUCKS.
FlexAmerica takes my COBRA payments and is supposed to pass them on to Unicare, my health insurer. Sounds easy, right? Well, twice now I have had payments declined because "I'm not insured." Until I call FlexAmerica and Unicare to remind them that the $600.00 I sent them last month says that I am, in fact, insured.
It's also nice to know that if I was really uninsured, NO ONE WOULD THINK TO TELL ME THAT, so I am just waiting to get hit by a car, thinking I would be covered, when that's not the case.
Let's not forget that they don't accept credit or debit cards, only checks, and that these checks cannot be sent in more than one month in advance for those of us who prefer a little peace of mind.
Thank you, FlexAmerica, for being the worst company I have ever had to deal with.
It's also nice to know that if I was really uninsured, NO ONE WOULD THINK TO TELL ME THAT, so I am just waiting to get hit by a car, thinking I would be covered, when that's not the case.
Let's not forget that they don't accept credit or debit cards, only checks, and that these checks cannot be sent in more than one month in advance for those of us who prefer a little peace of mind.
Thank you, FlexAmerica, for being the worst company I have ever had to deal with.
Gullibility Revisited, part 2 - "When I first came into scientology I simply hadn't developed much ability to identify and challenge basic assumptions. I hadn't learned well that a hypothesis can sound like a stroke of genius, but still turn out to be dead wrong when subjected to a test of proof, and that this applies to social and philosophical as well as 'physical' hypotheses. These things weren't taught well where I went to school. They still aren't taught that well as far as I know, despite the nominal move toward 'critical thinking.' Maybe it would cause too much pain and turmoil by threatening too many cherished ideologies to teach these things well to kids, but it would have helped me to avoid the scientology trap.
Instead of identifying and challenging, I, like many others, made a horrific mistake. It seemed to make sense and to work for others, so I accepted it tentatively and decided to see if it would work for me. After all, this was the basic line being given out by the people promoting scientology to me at the time: 'You need it. It's the only thing that can solve your problems. Give it a try. See if it works for you!' At the time I sensed no danger. I didn't know that people could promote something false with such verve. I didn't know that some people could wildly exagerate and falsify their experiences with such wholesome sincerity. I didn't see that I had anything to lose. After all, I thought, what's so bad about giving something a try and seeing if it works? If it doesn't work, won't I soon realize it and leave? But there are several reasons why this DOES NOT hold true in ultra-manipulative, genuinely evil groups like Scientology...
Since leaving the scientology I've realized that hubbard and the scientology elite practiced and practice a kind of lying that was completely effective against me and other members I knew. Essentially, Hubbard claimed to be fighting the things he was actually trying to bring about, and claimed to be promoting the things he actually worked to destroy."
Instead of identifying and challenging, I, like many others, made a horrific mistake. It seemed to make sense and to work for others, so I accepted it tentatively and decided to see if it would work for me. After all, this was the basic line being given out by the people promoting scientology to me at the time: 'You need it. It's the only thing that can solve your problems. Give it a try. See if it works for you!' At the time I sensed no danger. I didn't know that people could promote something false with such verve. I didn't know that some people could wildly exagerate and falsify their experiences with such wholesome sincerity. I didn't see that I had anything to lose. After all, I thought, what's so bad about giving something a try and seeing if it works? If it doesn't work, won't I soon realize it and leave? But there are several reasons why this DOES NOT hold true in ultra-manipulative, genuinely evil groups like Scientology...
Since leaving the scientology I've realized that hubbard and the scientology elite practiced and practice a kind of lying that was completely effective against me and other members I knew. Essentially, Hubbard claimed to be fighting the things he was actually trying to bring about, and claimed to be promoting the things he actually worked to destroy."
Slowly, the principle of non-contradiction starts to sink in.
Squelching dissent no way to aid the local Catholic Church: "Maybe the uneasiness toward Bishop DiLorenzo is an overreaction on my part. But in the few weeks he's been here, it seems he's given me two choices: Shut up and stay a Catholic, or protest and leave the church. "
On the wall of the ladies' restroom -
"Please do not take the air freshener. It belongs to the State of Texas."
Straight Guy With The Catholic Eye: Kerry's Folly: "Frank Joseph, MD had this to say in a recent e-letter:
"If the majority of bishops who were reluctant to deny John Kerry Holy Communion even though he embraces the proposition that women should have the right to have their unborn children killed, they should no longer be hesitant, because Kerry now admits that human life begins at conception.
This admission as to when life begins coupled with his advocacy for killing these same human beings should be all the evidence that the weak bishops need to know, to not only deny Kerry the Eucharist, but to publicly excommunicate him.
No longer can bishops claim ignorance as to the spiritual mindset of Kerry. If bishops cannot see that Kerry is doing the work of satan, then the Pope should defrock all but six.
This admission by Kerry presents a whole new ball game. If he is not excommunicated after admitting that human life begins at conception, then the American Catholic Church can no longer claim to be Catholic. It is being pulled into hell by these lukewarm bishops who refuse to follow Canon Law for political reasons only. They want Kerry to be president. There can be no other explanation.
Whatever happened to their commitment to the Word of God, 'Thou Shalt Not Kill?'
It is obvious that John Kerry does not believe in this Commandment; and if he is not excommunicated, it is also obvious that the bishops, with the exception of six, also do not believe in the Word of God."
"If the majority of bishops who were reluctant to deny John Kerry Holy Communion even though he embraces the proposition that women should have the right to have their unborn children killed, they should no longer be hesitant, because Kerry now admits that human life begins at conception.
This admission as to when life begins coupled with his advocacy for killing these same human beings should be all the evidence that the weak bishops need to know, to not only deny Kerry the Eucharist, but to publicly excommunicate him.
No longer can bishops claim ignorance as to the spiritual mindset of Kerry. If bishops cannot see that Kerry is doing the work of satan, then the Pope should defrock all but six.
This admission by Kerry presents a whole new ball game. If he is not excommunicated after admitting that human life begins at conception, then the American Catholic Church can no longer claim to be Catholic. It is being pulled into hell by these lukewarm bishops who refuse to follow Canon Law for political reasons only. They want Kerry to be president. There can be no other explanation.
Whatever happened to their commitment to the Word of God, 'Thou Shalt Not Kill?'
It is obvious that John Kerry does not believe in this Commandment; and if he is not excommunicated, it is also obvious that the bishops, with the exception of six, also do not believe in the Word of God."
New Ultrasound Technology Sparks Abortion Debate: "But social policy lecturer Ellie Lee says the new ultrasound images are misleading. Ms. Lee, at the University of Kent, says the fetus movements are just reflexes, and do not indicate any thought or emotions.
'Unfortunately the way it's going is that they are very much being presented as images, which suggest to us that a fetus from a very early stage of development is basically just like a little tiny person,' she says. 'It's been given personhood and it's communicating the sense that it has personality, which I think is simply scientifically incorrect.' "
Oh dear. I hope that a demonstrable personality is not all that's between us and state-sanctioned murder. If so I know many post-natal individuals who are at risk.
'Unfortunately the way it's going is that they are very much being presented as images, which suggest to us that a fetus from a very early stage of development is basically just like a little tiny person,' she says. 'It's been given personhood and it's communicating the sense that it has personality, which I think is simply scientifically incorrect.' "
Oh dear. I hope that a demonstrable personality is not all that's between us and state-sanctioned murder. If so I know many post-natal individuals who are at risk.
O.O., while eating Fritos: "I'm surprised Fritos hasn't done a Braveheart-themed commercial. It could have William Wallace screaming 'Fri-tos!' Then it could cut to a shot of the torturers pulling bags and bags of Fritos out of his belly."
Later that day: "What percentage crazy do you think I am?"
Zorak: "What do you want the answer to be?"
O.O.: "Ideally, 25 to 30 percent. Or lower!"
Zorak: "Sure, that sounds fine."
Later that day: "What percentage crazy do you think I am?"
Zorak: "What do you want the answer to be?"
O.O.: "Ideally, 25 to 30 percent. Or lower!"
Zorak: "Sure, that sounds fine."
Yahoo! News - Famed Cannibal Inspires Feature Film
Von Praunheim, a 61-year-old gay activist who has made over 50 films including an erotic comedy entitled "Can I Be Your Bratwurst, Please?," said the case intrigued him as he had been studying cannibalism for the last 20 years.
"What interests me is the gay aspect, and that it's also about sadomasochistic experiences," said von Praunheim, who teaches directing at the Film and Television Academy at Babelsberg in Potsdam near Berlin.
"I don't know if it will shock people. People tend to react with disgust on the one hand and curiosity on the other. We always say I love you so much I could eat you," said von Praunheim, adding the movie would be laced with black humor.
Von Praunheim, a 61-year-old gay activist who has made over 50 films including an erotic comedy entitled "Can I Be Your Bratwurst, Please?," said the case intrigued him as he had been studying cannibalism for the last 20 years.
"What interests me is the gay aspect, and that it's also about sadomasochistic experiences," said von Praunheim, who teaches directing at the Film and Television Academy at Babelsberg in Potsdam near Berlin.
"I don't know if it will shock people. People tend to react with disgust on the one hand and curiosity on the other. We always say I love you so much I could eat you," said von Praunheim, adding the movie would be laced with black humor.
Yahoo! News - Stuck in the Office?
While certain high-end versions of Office pack in database and graphics software, most of us spend the majority of our time in three main programs: Outlook, Word, and Excel. So here are a few tips to help you get your money's worth from Office's trio of main components.
While certain high-end versions of Office pack in database and graphics software, most of us spend the majority of our time in three main programs: Outlook, Word, and Excel. So here are a few tips to help you get your money's worth from Office's trio of main components.
NEA Conference -
For the next few days I will be manning my organization's booth at the NEA (National Education Association) conference. All by myself, which is LAME. And I will be right across the aisle from these people, which should be interesting. So pray that Zorak the introvert survives this massive expenditure of emotional energy.
But who knows, it might be fun. Maybe the NEA gay caucus will fight the ex-gay caucus. Or a pigeon will fly into my booth.
But who knows, it might be fun. Maybe the NEA gay caucus will fight the ex-gay caucus. Or a pigeon will fly into my booth.
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