Search

Archive for July, 2009

The Sheeple Spoke (Sort Of)

Posted by Melvin Jones on July 19th, 2009

Expensive

I’m almost fully recovered. I got FTP operating again, I have my beloved image editing capability back, I’ve got e-mail (both accounts) and I can run iTunes. Life’s pretty good. However, one fellow isn’t really enjoying life that much.

It looks like Reverend Braxton doesn’t get to have as cushy a job as he had hoped.

You remember Braxton right? He’s the fellow who was getting a sweet deal from Riverside Baptist Church (though it’s not really a Baptist church, it’s “ecumenical”) in Manhattan. When I say “sweet deal” I mean his compensation package, in addition to approximately $400K in wages and perqs also included a $5k health club membership and $21K in tuition for his children and another hundred thousand for miscellaneous stuff.

Whether out of envy or a true sense of outrage, some of the more vocal sheeple rose up and sued to get the man out of office. While I won’t argue the propriety of the suit, the net effect was that Braxton decided to resign as the church’s well-paid hireling.

I can see these people are conflicted. Riverside apparently has a reputation as one of the most liberal churches in the area. Folks like Charlie Rangel (a crook if ever there was one) is, apparently, a member there. Braxton does a great job on social and political issues. He gets along with every one (as long as they don’t insist on an orthodox view of Jesus Christ), and he’s a great public asset. But apparently, the $600K+ figure was just a little hard for some of them to swallow.

It’s always good to see the sheeple revolt. I just wish the reason for the revolt would be one of doctrinal differences, not just an objection to the bottom line.

I guess it’s a good start though.

Comcast Stinks

Posted by Melvin Jones on July 6th, 2009

I do so dislike computers and computer related stuff.

My modem died Thursday evening. My Comcast modem died. When I called, they said “We’re sorry sir. But we can have someone out to your house on Monday between the hours of 11 am and 2 pm.”

Of course, the library was closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so I couldn’t get to a machine connected to the internet. As a result, I sat in my house, not going out, launching my browser over and over in the irrational hope that something other than “Cannot Find http://www.pulpit-pimps.org/wp-admin/edit-comments.php” would appear. Alas, nothing else came up.

I couldn’t check comments, I couldn’t make any more postings, I couldn’t check my e-mail. I was completely out of touch with the rest of the world.

As a result, I actually edited five chapters from a novel I’m writing. And I got some extra reading in (working on the latest volume of the Honor Harrington series and “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”), and I went flying (though I couldn’t check the weather on the internet). And of course, my eternal nemesis, television, put in a strong bid for some of my time.

Anyway, the technician is supposed to get out to the house to fix us up this morning, or this afternoon. We’ll see how it goes.