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Charity degrades those who receive it and hardens those who dispense it.
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Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
What God Wants From Us
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178 pounds
One day last week while I was out in the scrubland just East of Tucson tending to Eva, the front doorbell rang, which upset Eva to no end and provoked a fit of tremendously loud barking as she sped across the hardened tile floor to face the door. When I finally got her settled down on the carpet in the adjacent parlor, I went onto the front porch and faced the two young boys, both about nine or ten years old, each holding a tin can with slots in the tops and the word HAITI printed on the sides.
"We're collecting donations for Haiti for our church," the tallest of the skinny kids told me in a high pitched, quavering voice as he thrust his can in my face.
"What's wrong with Haiti?" I asked him.
"The children are all starving and they had earthquakes," he answered.
"Where is Haiti?" I said.
"It's a place where poor people live on the other side of the world," he said.
"If they are on the other side of the world then why should I give them money? I said.
"Because God wants us to," he said.
Well, I stayed out there talking with the two boys for some time.
When I came back inside Eva sidled up to me with her tail wagging.
"I took care of it, baby," I assured her, and she ran off in search of her favorite tug-toy, somehow knowing, probably by the tone of my voice, that we would be playing happily together for the next few minutes or so.
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Did You Know . . .?
Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor of television, hated his invention until he saw the moon landing broadcast on it in 1969.
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HISTORICAL EVENT
The school's natural gas bill averaged about $300 a month. Eventually, officials at Consolidated School were persuaded to save money by tapping into the wet-gas lines operated by Parade Oil Company that ran near the school. Wet gas is a type of waste gas that is less stable and has more impurities than typical natural gas.
At 3:05 p.m., a Thursday afternoon, the 694 students and 40 teachers in attendance at the Consolidated School were looking forward to the final bell, which was to ring in 10 minutes. Instead, a huge and powerful explosion, which literally blew the roof off of the building, leveled the school.
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WORD FOR TODAY
correlate
verb
1. To put or bring into causal, complementary, parallel, or reciprocal relation.
2. To establish or demonstrate as having a correlation: correlated drug abuse and crime.
3. To compare things and bring them into a relation having corresponding characteristics
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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
(Mar 18, 1926 - Mar 14, 2010)
Peter Graves was an American film and television actor. He was best known for his role in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973 (original) and from 1988 to 1990 (revival). His elder brother was actor James Arness (1923–2011).
(born March 18, 1963)
Vanessa Williams is an American singer, actress, producer and former fashion model. In 1983, she became the first African-American woman crowned Miss America, but a scandal arose when Penthouse magazine bought and published nude photographs of her. She relinquished her title early and was succeeded by the first runner-up, Suzette Charles of New Jersey. Williams rebounded, launching a career as an entertainer, earning multiple Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award nominations. She is the most successful Miss America winner in the field of entertainment.
(born March 18, 1979)
Danneel Harris is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Shannon McBain on One Life to Live and Rachel Gatina on One Tree Hill.
(born March 18, 1980)
Sophia Myles is an English film and television actress. In 2001, she got a small role alongside Johnny Depp as his on-screen wife, Victoria Abberline, in the thriller film From Hell. She had a supporting role in the 2003 film Underworld and its sequel Underworld: Evolution. In 2003, she played the schoolgirl lead in the thriller Out of Bounds and she also played Lady Penelope in the Thunderbirds. In 2006, Myles co-starred with actor James Franco in Tristan and Isolde, playing the role of Isolde.
Myles appeared as Madame de Pompadour in a 2006 episode of Doctor Who, "The Girl in the Fireplace". She co-starred opposite Max Minghella, playing his love interest in 2006's quirky comedy film Art School Confidential. Also in 2006, Myles appeared in a BBC TV adaptation of Dracula; she played Lucy Westenra alongside Marc Warren, David Suchet and Dan Stevens.
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Too many have dispensed with generosity in order to practice charity.
--Albert Camus
NASA TV
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Charity Is Willingly Given From The Heart
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There is a constant barrage of charities soliciting money by way of radio, television, the Internet, and via the telephone. Some of them actually pass on some or all of the donated funds to the group they represent. One must be vigilant in checking out the validity of the solicitor to whom you send money.
Sometimes a donation to a small organization goes further, does more good, and brings more satisfaction to the donor than a gift to the larger solicitors.
I first saw the advertisement for Youth On Their Own (YOTO) while walking past a sign at a city bus stop here in Tucson. Youth On Their Own supports the high school graduation and continued success of homeless youth by providing financial assistance, basic human needs and guidance.
Homeless youth ages 13-21 need school supplies, too! Did you know there are nearly 4,000 homeless youth in Tucson and Pima County? Arizona ranks number 1 in the country for percentage of kids dropping out of high school.
Last year, YOTO served over 1100 homeless youth and 254 seniors celebrated a 96% graduation rate. This represents a 60% increase in the number of students we served from the year before. We fully expect to serve the same number of students – perhaps more – in this upcoming school year. Help the homeless youth in our community graduate by participating in YOTO’s Back to School Challenge.
Youth On Their Own
1660 N. Alvernon Way
Tucson, AZ 85712
520.293.1136
This is a worthy organization doing worthwhile work.
Read more at the YOTO website
If I won the lottery I'd start a charity that helped little family hardware stores, cobblers, and fruit shops open in city centers.
--Alexei Sayle
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I ran across a website called The Awl and found an article written by Kenneth Goldsmith that at first appeared to be ridiculous, foolish, worthless. I read it anyway. Now I don't know if I have discovered a surprisingly profound piece of wisdom, or if I have once again been sucked into the ever-present maw of modern-day scam-art.
Here is the first paragraph:
I am a dumb writer, perhaps one of the dumbest that's ever lived. Whenever I have an idea, I question myself whether it is sufficiently dumb. I ask myself, is it possible that this, in any way, could be considered smart? If the answer is no, I proceed. I don't write anything new or original. I copy pre-existing texts and move information from one place to another. A child could do what I do, but wouldn't dare to for fear of being called stupid.
This piece is supposedly written by a writer about writing. I wonder . . .
Kenneth Goldsmith is an American poet. He is the founding editor of UbuWeb, teaches Poetics and Poetic Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, and is a Senior Editor of PennSound. In 2013, he was appointed the Museum of Modern Art's first Poet Laureate.
Being Dumb by Kenneth Goldsmith
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TRIVIA
The king of hearts on playing cards is the only king without a moustache.
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HISTORICAL EVENT
Approximately 80,000 people were killed as a direct result of the blast, and another 35,000 were injured. At least another 60,000 would be dead by the end of the year from the effects of the fallout.
There were 90,000 buildings in Hiroshima before the bomb was dropped; only 28,000 remained after the bombing. Of the city's 200 doctors before the explosion; only 20 were left alive or capable of working. There were 1,780 nurses before - only 150 remained who were able to tend to the sick and dying.
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WORD FOR TODAY
charity
noun
1. Provision of help or relief to the poor; alms giving.
2. Something given to help the needy; alms.
3. An institution, organization, or fund established to help the needy.
4. Benevolence or generosity toward others or toward humanity.
5. Indulgence or forbearance in judging others.
Note: After her recent unmasking as the writer behind the pseudonym Robert Gailbraith and the crime novel "The Cuckoo's Calling," author J.K. Rowling announced on her birthday (July 31, 2013) that the worldwide publishing royalties from the book will be donated to The Soldiers' Charity, a British charity that provides support for soldiers, former soldiers and their families.
I'd call that a true act of charity.
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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
(Aug. 6, 1917 - July 1, 1997)
Robert Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer. Mitchum rose to prominence for his starring roles in several major works of the film noir style, and is considered a forerunner of the anti-heroes prevalent in film during the 1950s and 1960s.
(Aug. 6, 1911 - April 26, 1989)
Lucille Ball was an American comedienne, model, film and television actress and studio executive. She was star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life with Lucy, and was one of the most popular and influential stars in the United States during her lifetime.
(Aug. 6, 1928 - Feb. 22, 1987)
Andy Warhol was an American artist who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s.
(born August 6, 1976)
Soleil Moon Frye is an American actress, director and screenwriter. Frye began her career as a child actor at the age of 2. When she was 7 years old, Frye won the role of Penelope "Punky" Brewster in the sitcom Punky Brewster. The series, which debuted on NBC in September 1984, earned consistently low ratings but the Punky character was a hit with young children. After NBC canceled the series, it was picked up for the syndication market where it aired for an additional two seasons ending in 1988.
After the series ended, Frye continued her career in guest spots on television and supporting roles in films. She attended The New School during the late 1990s, and directed her first film, Wild Horses, in 1998. In 2000, she joined the cast of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch as Roxie King, Sabrina Spellman's (Melissa Joan Hart) roommate and close friend. Frye remained with the series until its end in April 2003. She has since continued her acting career working mainly as a voice actor. Frye also voiced Aseefa in the animated series Planet Sheen.
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The charity that is a trifle to us can be precious to others.
--Homer
NASA TV
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