The New American Bible for Catholics: With Revised New Testament and Revised Book of Psalms by Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
Book Reviews
The Electronic Christian: 105 Readings from Fulton J. Sheen.
Author: Fulton J. Sheen
Rating: 5
Review: Bishop Sheen laid out the Catholic Faith in a concise order that was easy to read and worth the reading. In this book, he took his "better" readings from his TV and radio shows and put them "in order" here for one to learn about Christ and the Catholic Church. Bishop Sheen's life in Christ and his teachings of Christ in the book are very well done. I highly recommend this book.
A Listening Church: Autonomy and Communion in African Churches
Author: Elochukwu E. Uzukwu
Rating: 5
Review: This book looks at religion on a regional basis. The Author is one of the first African's I've read or heard from that places as much blame on slavery on his own people and Europeans as he does on the Americans. He goes into detail on how he would like to see the Catholic Church improve their presence in Africa by allowing the traditions and history of Africa show within the Liturgy of the Church. I fully agree with his concepts and feel that the Church should do so across all of it's areas!
Get More Referrals Now!
Author: Bill Cates
Rating: 3
Review: While the book covers a great concept, I'm not sure I like how it is written. The author is way to wordy, and doesn't tell the story very well. The concept of referrals is great, and some of what he says has strong merit. Not a well written book, but a great topic to write on!
Robert Jordan, born James Olver Rigney Jr., passed away yesterday. He is the author of a great series of books by the group title of “Wheel of Time”. This series of 11 books, each book over two inches thick, the 12th was in the works, would hold me in their grasp until I finished them.
Back in the day of MUDs (Multi User Dimensions, which are text based on line games in which you “hack and slash” for treasures and wealth) I had the idea of building a ROM based MUD using the Wheel of Time as the theme. I wrote Mr. Rigney (as Mr. Jordan) for his permission to use the theme, and in VERY short time he answered back that he would be happy for me to have the first electronic representation of his books as a game. Let me tell you, I was VERY happy to hear this! Four months later I had the game up and running, and it stayed up for about 5 years. When I shut down, I had over 500 players “registered” (all free) and at any given time, there would be about 100 of those on line playing. Several months after I was on line, other people started building Wheels related MUDs, but there was only one or two others that had Mr. Jordan’s permission to do so!
Ok, it is WAY too early to be having CHRISTMAS commercials!! Yep, I heard my first one today, for a Christmas play, with the Rockets, to be done down here in Miami in mid November. Just WAY too early for Christmas to start playing on the radio! Let’s get back to the birth of Jesus, and get away from all the buying, etc. And let’s do away with commercializing Christmas so early in the year!
I am going to add “news clips” and “videos” inside some of my post, as appropriate. They start out with a short ad, then go into the clip. Yes, if I get over 1000 people PER ad, that actually watch the clip I’ll make a penny or two. So, if the subject catches your attention, please watch the ad and video!
To start out, one of the seasons I don’t like, Christmas, because of the flurry of Commercialism, here is a presentation about Christmas, which I do LOVE for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ!
(Depending on your connection, your computer memory, etc, this may buffer often. Please watch through the add at the front at least. )
Ok, I understand that banks are in business to make money for the owners of the bank, just like any other business. But, the fees they charge just drive me nuts!
One of the most annoying fee they charge is the one they charge a person when someone writes this person a check, and the person takes it to the bank on the check to cash. Now, this person with the check written to them doesn’t bank at this bank for one reason or another. So, when (s)he goes to cash the check they are hit for a, normally, $5.00 fee to cash it, “because you don’t have an account here”. This is out right theft.
And here is why I feel this is wrong. So, I go to cash a check that is written via a Bank X account. I don’t like Bank X for reason or another (non close to me or what not, or another bank had better hours, or had a better “gift” at sign up, etc, and there are many hundreds of banks!), so I don’t have an account there. I am now having to pay a penalty for not banking with them, instead of the person that banks with them paying a penalty for banking with them instead of my bank.
I have been told in the past that I could “deposit it in your own bank, there would be no fee”. Ok, what about those of us that don’t have, nor want a bank account? (I have one, just not in this State, I move around so much, and I am X military, so I use USAA, which is one of the best bank systems out there!)
This fee, just like many of their fees, is pure highway robber as far as I’m concerned. But I guess the fees are better than those banks that won’t cash THEIR ACCOUNTS CHECKS at their tellers unless YOU have an account there too. Isn’t THEIR check LEGAL TENDER in THEIR BANK? That is my understanding anyway!
Oh well, some banks just shouldn’t be around… (You hear that Chase?)
A few weeks ago I set up a Yessy account to try to sell two of my paintings I have (see original post here). You get a 14 day free trail to see if you want to keep using it. So, I set up the free account.
On day 13 of the 14 days, I figured that it would probably not work for me, so I followed the instructions to shut down the account, as I did not want to be charged $59.00/year for something I didn’t think was working for me. On day 15 I went back to my account to check it out. Hmmm… My two paintings were back in “Active” status, and being shown again. I canceled it yet again.
The next day I was charged for the account, which I had now turned off twice. I sent a customer support email to Yessy asking what happened. They informed me that I had not canceled the account and gave me instructions on how to cancel. So I click on the link they provided (which took me to the same place I had been to twice before) and sure enough the account was active again. I clicked on it and shut it down for the third time.
Now, I admit my first email was a bit cranky, saying that I would like my money back. Their response was not friendly, but not overly unfriendly. Their second response was that I had not canceled again, and that there would be no refunds.
After being told I didn’t know what I was doing, I informed them that I was stopping payment/contesting the payment, and would pass it on to legal action if need be.
I then get this from them at the end of their reply to my comments:
If you still put the blame on us, then all I can say is be prepared for
the karma and hopefully someday you’ll learn to take responsibility for
yourself instead of pointing fingers.
Now, my Ph.D. is in Comp Sci, and my specialty is in data security and integrity. For the last several months I’ve been working on a program that would reside on the computer (or a “monitor” computer) and track all action, time stamping the traffic with a special logarithm that is “secure”. I had the program running on my laptop for testing purposes and “fine tuning” the code. I went back and looked at the days involved, and sure enough the page, each time, showed me that I deleted the site each time, not turning it back on in the middle. I informed “Doug”, the guy that has been emailing me, about the software and today I get this email:
I challenge you to send us your proof and make us eat our words. If you
make me upset enough, I may also be inclined to waste more time by
combing our logs for your activity.
Doug
Isn’t that great customer support!? If he sends me the physical mailing address, I’ll take the time to remove those items that were captured that have nothing to do with the event, print it out and mail it to him, just because, but the main thing I will be doing is say:
STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!! VERY POUR CUSTOMER SUPPORT, AND THEY WILL CHARGE YOU EVEN IF YOU FOLLOW THEIR REMOVAL PROCESSES!
I recently started watching news again, something I have not done in several years for various reasons, via the web. I am finding why I stopped watching news before has not gotten any better, and is probably worse now.
In every news event I watched, all I saw was a STRONG, one side presentation against anything to do with the Republicans, or a VERY strong presentation for the Democrats. I watched one “Today” event where the host tried to “railroad” the GOP representative for his take on the Craig event, and wouldn’t let the guy answer the question, unless the answer was what he wanted to hear. The guy held his own though and put the Host into his place.
What happened to the time where the press was SUPPOSED to post BOTH sides of the story WITHOUT taking sides? Yes, I understand that the news people have sides, and yes, I think they have the right to say their side AS WELL, but that has not been happening.
There are some Republican talk show host that do just as bad!
BOTH political parties are on the wrong track, both calling the kettle black, when they are just as black (no racial slur there, we’re talking about a cooking pot!!)!! Come on folks, play it straight, have equal requirements for both parties, quit calling the other side a lier if you are lying, which most are, and let’s ALL start telling the truth, doing the right thing, and make this country the great country it use to be. (Don’t get me wrong, we’re still better than most countries out there!)
The United States is quickly trying to go the way of the Roman Empire! Wake up folks, smell the decrease of our fame!
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