1500 Short of a Megachurch ?

These so called "megachurches" have always kind if fascinated me. As I grew up on Sunday mornings, the shows from these places were the only thing on.

Over the decades we have continued to see the leaders of these churches, and the churches themselves crumble under their own weight and own sins. A few remain popular, like Joel Osteen in TX as well as some others, but the major seem flush with controversy.

What I am curious about is the part where this congregation falls 15oo short of a megachurch ? Really? Who is making these numbers up, hopefully not our government ... I would think they have better things to do, especially e Dems these days as they prepare to take a beating

Amplify’d from www.nytimes.com

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — The 10,664 windows did not get washed this year at the Crystal Cathedral, the iconic glass church founded by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, one of the original religious broadcasters. Volunteers are tending the church’s 40 landscaped acres, now that the gardeners have been laid off. And its renowned Christmas pageant — with live camels and horses, and angels flying overhead on cables — has been canceled for now.

Mr. Schuller said that when he came on board, a meticulous effort to straighten out the membership rolls found only 900 to 1,100 regular congregants at Crystal Cathedral — which would mean that it was about 1,500 people short of even qualifying as a megachurch. (The church spokesman, Mr. Charles, said Mr. Schuller’s figures were misleadingly low because he counted only those who attended every week. He said the church currently has about 10,000 congregation members.) Read more at www.nytimes.com

 

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/bOLbJ8

Vince Gray Ward 2 Town Hall

I was not able to vote in the recent Primary in DC since I am registered independent, but I will say that I was a Fenty supporter.

I do like however, the work Vince Gray has done to get out and listen to the residents of DC through these town hall style meetings he has been conducting in each ward.

Here is the lastest one from Ward 2. I am going to watch,a s you should to see what he has to say.

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

See more at www.youtube.com

 

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/a7KZPd

Is the Next American Generation Destined for Reduced Expectations

I am scared.

Scared for the future of the country and the effects of our current economic situation on the next generation. I am, I feel, the last of the generations where it was assumed that we would just automatically do better than the one before us. And for the most part that has born out to be true.

But I fear those times are coming to a sudden end. While our troubles have not hit the depths, or the deflation, that the Japanese are facing, I fear that the toll that our situation is taking on the next generation could be long lasting and hard felt. Honestly, I am scared for my children and hope like hell that things can turn around for them by the time they get old enough to enter the job market, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will not.

As you can see from the NY Times article, the recent economic struggle that Japan faced has created a culture of "essimism, fatalism and reduced expectations". They have resigned themselves that this is how it is and it will not get better.

Is that the direction we are headed ? I sure the hell hope not, but all great societies hit their tipping point and I just wonder if we have hit ours.....

The scary part about all of this is that one of the tools Japan used to battle recessions was called "Quantitative Easy" which is basically flooding the economy with cash made out of thin air ... we see where that got the, a large dose of deflation. This Quantitative Easing is being considered by many in the government and economists here in the US as the next step to turn the economy around.

Good idea ?, I think not, just read the article and decide for yourself.

Amplify’d from www.nytimes.com

OSAKA, Japan — Like many members of Japan’s middle class, Masato Y. enjoyed a level of affluence two decades ago that was the envy of the world. Masato, a small-business owner, bought a $500,000 condominium, vacationed in Hawaii and drove a late-model Mercedes.

Few nations in recent history have seen such a striking reversal of economic fortune as Japan. The original Asian success story, Japan rode one of the great speculative stock and property bubbles of all time in the 1980s to become the first Asian country to challenge the long dominance of the West.

Just as inflation scarred a generation of Americans, deflation has left a deep imprint on the Japanese, breeding generational tensions and a culture of pessimism, fatalism and reduced expectations. While Japan remains in many ways a prosperous society, it faces an increasingly grim situation, particularly outside the relative economic vibrancy of Tokyo, and its situation provides a possible glimpse into the future for the United States and Europe, should the most dire forecasts come to pass. Read more at www.nytimes.com

 

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/9WzLsL

Verizon Bundling iPad with the MiFi

I got an interesting marketing email from Verizon this morning announcing the upcoming sale of the iPad.  This was not the interesting part, rather, it was the fact that they are promoting a bundled price that includes a 16GB iPad along with their MiFi mobile hot spot device.



Whats interesting about this, to me at least, is the fact that Verizon is using its current hardware, the MiFi, to bundle with the iPad (which they will only have the wifi version not the 3g version AT&T has).  Without this, Verizon would sell the iPad, make minimal profit from the sale of the device and thats it.  There is no recurring subscription fees from a wifi only device as far as Verizon is concerned.  However, by bundling it with the MiFi, they will lock the consumer into a mobile interent subscription service fee giving them the recurring income that they need to maintain.  pretty smart move, and this is from someone who despise these companies ;)

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/ducTsC

Maybe the Recovery Act Should Have Been Spread Out a Little More

Being a DC resident and working in Gaithersburg, I spend a lot of time driving in, around, and through the city. In a word it has become a mess. It seems that DDOT DC has taken it upon itself to start a road construction project on every damned road in the city. Whether it be the 12th St project, the 18 St closure, it seems that around every turn and up every road there is a road project underway.

It seems that the city got a load of Recovery Act $$ and went absolutely wild. Now I think DDOT in DC does a pretty good job, but someone must be responsible for scheduling these projects , no ? It was like kids on christmas morning who got a big cash present ... Budget not only your money, but your time and schedule while thinking about us regular folks trying to get around the city

Please

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/crh4yr

Bikes Are Accountable to the Laws Too

One of the most frustrating things about living in the city is traffic, cars and bikes.  Oddly enough both are accountable to the lawas of the road