ABC Wednesday, G, for Greed and Gluttony

                                         Gluttony

Greed and Gluttony.
When a friend of mine became a widow more than a decade ago, she was really devastated. Not only had she lost her partner and best friend, her mate to whom she had been married for 36 years, but she had to handle financial situations, such as making her tax declaration, managing bank accounts, and selling all her husband's shares, for she didn't want to lose money on shares. She didn't know anything about them. Then a friend of hers asked her, if her son-in law was allowed to do her bookkeeping, because her daughter and son-in-law were in rather needy circumstances. The widow was delighted! Of course! Now she got the help and advice she needed of somebody she knew well. The bookkeeper and his wife were friends of the widow. He helped her repair things in her house, all kind of things her husband and children used to do. After some time the bookkeeper asked something in return. Would she be so kind as to lend him some money? He wanted to buy a property for his wife in order to insure her of a regular income, when he had died. He was more than 20 years older than she was and not in good health. Of course the widow lent him a large amount of money. And the grateful bookkeeper did more odd jobs in the house. Later on he asked for another loan. In the beginning he paid the interest and repayment of the two mortgages, but after a while he stopped paying the repayment of one of the mortgages. He now was in full control of her bank account. She didn't know how much she owned as the bank didn't send bank statements any more, for he did internet banking. He promised her to copy the statements, and so he did twice. He remained kind and helpful and the widow trusted the bookkeeper without any doubt. Years later it was found out that he had embezzled a very large amount of money for his own good. This was a real eye opener. And the widow found herself a good lawyer and summoned the bookkeeper to appear in court.
Greed is an excessive desire to possess wealth or goods with the intention to keep it for one's self. Greed - like lust and gluttony - is a sin of excess. Greed is inappropriate expectation. However, greed is applied to a very excessive or rapacious desire and pursuit of wealth, status, and power.

As a secular psychological concept, greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth.

Gluttony, derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of waste. In some Christian denominations, it is considered one of the seven deadly sins—a misplaced desire of food or its withholding from the needy.


With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started round 9 of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar. This week we are looking for words beginning with G.

Welcome to Our World Tuesday! This meme continues in memory of the work of Klaus Peter, whose "that's My World" brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our  logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar. Thank you Team of O. W. T.!

Our World Tuesday, ABC Wednesday, Y for Yellow

The letter Y is having its turn, but .... it is always a very difficult letter, however I thought by myself:"Why shall I not choose for a simple solution?"So off I go with one simple word! Yellow!" It's a beautiful colour! Very sunny and it makes the world look happy.
But still the word Yellow is often used in an unfavourable way.

Wikipedia:

Yellow journalism, or the yellow press, is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers.Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism. By extension, the term yellow journalism is used today as a pejorative to decry any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional or unethical fashion.

^{Yellow Fever is a dangerous disease of tropical parts of the world.}

 ^{The Yellow Peril was the supposed danger that a large number of people in eastern Asia will take over the western civilizations.}

The word Yellow is used in an unfavourable way in all those instances. However, I love this colour! It represents a happy sunny environment. It is the beginning of spring, when the first daffodils are showing their faces. Many spring flowers are yellow!

 With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar . Thank you Roger for all the work you are doing for us.This week we are looking for words beginning with IJ or Y.

ABC Wednesday, R for Remarkable

A few years ago I read a most remarkable story ! After 93 years a christmas card found at last its way to the address it was meant to be delivered to. The person it was directed to, had died in the meantime, but her sister-in-law, Bernice Martin, accepted the card. The card,representing Father Christmas and a young girl, was posted in 1914 and was delivered a few days before Christmas, but 93 years late. Of course the one cent stamp was no longer sufficient and more stamps had to be added.Where it had been in the meantime is a mystery. It would be nice to invent a story in which this card played a major role. A love story for instance. When I was still teaching, I told half a story and asked the class to finish it, which resulted in the nicest stories. Some of those pupils were very talented, and used their imagination in such a way, that I realised ,that they could have become great writers.Is there anybody among you who can tell me what happened with this card between 1914 and 2007? Next week we can choose the three best stories!

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC, and we must thank Roger too for the weekly job to find our ten bloggers we have to visit and read their posts. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar . This week we are looking for words beginning with R.

ABC Wednesday, B for Birthdays

Birthdays need to be celebrated. I think it is more important to celebrate a birthday than a successful exam, a promotion, or a victory. Because to celebrate a birthday means to say to someone: “Thank you for being you.” Celebrating a birthday is exalting life and being glad for it. On a birthday we do not say: “Thanks for what you did, or said, or accomplished.” No, we say: “Thank you for being born and being among us.”
…
Celebrating a birthday reminds us of the goodness of life, and in this spirit we really need to celebrate people’s birthdays every day, by showing gratitude, kindness, forgiveness, gentleness, and affection. These are ways of saying: “It’s good that you are alive; it’s good that you are walking with me on this earth. Let’s be glad and rejoice. This is the day that God has made for us to be and to be together.
Questions:
1 How were you given your name? Do you like it?
2 Do you have a "name day"in your culture?
3 Does your name have an equivalent in English?

Various cultures name their children in different ways.In many Catholic countries children are often named after saints. There was even a time that some priests would not allow parents to name their children after film stars or football players. In the past parents were only allowed to name their children after excisting names in my country, but now we often see the strangest names, which are all invented by the parents. In many countries, where infant mortality is very high, parents only name their children when they reach the age in which the chances of survival begin to increase. Until that time they are referred to by the number of years they are.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting posts in the tenth round of ABC Wednesday, click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with B.

ABC Wednesday, Z for Zorro

Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media.

Zorro (Spanish for fox) is the secret identity of Don Diego de la Vega , a nobleman and master living in the Spanish colonial era of California. The character has undergone changes through the years, but the typical image of him is a dashing black-clad masked outlaw who defends the people of the land against tyrannical officials and other villains. Not only is he much too cunning and foxlike for the bumbling authorities to catch, but he delights in publicly humiliating those same foes.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with Z.

ABC Wednesday, H for Honesty.

The tulip is the most honest flower. It does not promise empty promises and it is simple and exactly what it looks like.

I often asked myself:"What is honesty?" Is it saying what you think. May be! Is it saying what you think without being asked to give your opinion? Only when it's a positively kind remark. If I don't like something, I don't say what I think unless it's a political or religious statement and then only if I don't hurt someone's feeling., but never about somebody's house or clothes or blogs. Lots of people think that you must be honest in the sense of criticizing all the time without being asked.Well, no! There is no need to do that. Ignore the things you don't like, and there is always something that you like in one's house or on one's blog.
A friend of mine used to say when he didn't like something in my house:" It's interesting!", because he knew that I like my house and he didn't want to hurt my feelings. He was a kind man, a good friend. So what do you think about honesty?

Here are some quotes of famous people!

If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. ~Mark Twain

Who lies for you will lie against you. ~Bosnian Proverb

No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar. ~Abraham Lincoln
Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure there is one less rascal in the world. ~Thomas Carlyle

A half truth is a whole lie. ~Yiddish Proverb

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or

Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with H.

ABC Wednesday, G for GREED and GLUTTONY

The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things is a painting attributed to Hieronymus Bosch, completed around 1500 or later.

 

Greed and Gluttony.
When a friend of mine became a widow more than a decade ago, she was really devastated. Not only had she lost her partner and best friend, her mate to whom she had been married for 36 years, but she had to handle financial situations, such as making her tax declaration, managing bank accounts, and selling all her husband's shares, for she didn't want to lose money on shares. She didn't know anything about them. Then a friend of hers asked her, if her son-in law was allowed to do her bookkeeping, because her daughter and son-in-law were in rather needy circumstances. The widow was delighted! Of course! Now she got the help and advice she needed of somebody she knew well. The bookkeeper and his wife were friends of the widow. He helped her repair things in her house, all kind of things her husband and children used to do. After some time the bookkeeper asked something in return. Would she be so kind as to lend him some money? He wanted to buy a property for his wife in order to insure her of a regular income, when he had died. He was more than 20 years older than she was and not in good health. Of course the widow lent him a large amount of money. And the grateful bookkeeper did more odd jobs in the house. Later on he asked for another loan. In the beginning he paid the interest and repayment of the two mortgages, but after a while he stopped paying the repayment of one of the mortgages. He now was in full control of her bank account. She didn't know how much she owned as the bank didn't send bank statements any more, for he did internet banking. He promised her to copy the statements, and so he did twice. He remained kind and helpful and the widow trusted the bookkeeper without any doubt. Years later it was found out that he had embezzled a very large amount of money for his own good. This was a real eye opener. And the widow found herself a good lawyer and summoned the bookkeeper to appear in court.

Greed is an excessive desire to possess wealth or goods with the intention to keep it for one's self. Greed - like lust and gluttony - is a sin of excess. Greed is inappropriate expectation. However, greed is applied to a very excessive or rapacious desire and pursuit of wealth, status, and power.

As a secular psychological concept, greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth.

Gluttony, derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of waste. In some Christian denominations, it is considered one of the seven deadly sins—a misplaced desire of food or its withholding from the needy.


With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started round 9 of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with G.

Miners

The rescue operation of the 33 miners, who were trapped 600 metres under ground in a mine in Chili! Sorry but I got it only in Dutch.The first four miners are up now and it will take a day before they all are rescued. The fittest men go first because they don't panick easily. And after being united with their families they go to hospital where they will be examined thoroughly

See you in a few weeks!

 
 
 


Dear blogging friends, I am going on a holiday to Egypt to see pyramids, Aswan, Luxor and more interesting antiquities. We start in Caïro. I'll try to take as many photos as possible and to use them in that's My World, ABC Wednesday, Skywatch. CC and Today's Flowers, and then I hope to meet you all again. I'll be back on 1st of December and expect to be blogging in the course of that week. I shall miss you all terribly but I am sure we'll meet again in good spirits with excellent posts from you.

These photos are taken from Google.(http://www.ask-aladdin.com/images/pyr.jpg,

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/gray0239/architecture/pyramids.bmp, http://static.rbytes.net)

The Beauty of a Woman

.Que sera, sera...
2008-Mar-7 - The Beauty of a Woman...
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
The figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman must be seen from her eyes,
Because that is the doorway to her heart,
The place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows.
The beauty of a woman with time only grows.

I wish all women on Blogpost a Happy Women's Day

Watch out for a Frenchman or he''ll kiss you...

My grandson has got a new tricycle. This is better for him than a bicycle. He can keep his balance easily now and there are grownups who use tricycles for this reason. It stands to reason that he is pretty proud of it, so his father and I tried to take photos, which he likes in a way but he doesn't want to show this. My grandson is a little Frenchman, for he was born in France! So I can say:"Watch out for a Frenchman..."!

Happy Memories of the Past.

The mists of the past ...
2008-Feb-27 - The Happy Parsonage..


The parsonage in B., where my sister and her family lived for 27 years, is at least 150 years old. We spent many holidays there, during the time that my brother-in-law was a minister of the Reformed Church in this village. Two of their children were born here. My mother celebrated her eightieth birthday here and in the church opposite the house, two of her grandchildren sang and played for her. The house has 5 bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor. Downstairs are two livingrooms, a study, an enormous kitchen and a sun room. My broter-in-law has been retired since 1994 now and he and my sister live in a far smaller house now. Their children have their own homes and come to stay every now and then.
I remember that my children loved to stay with their aunt and uncle when they were young. My sister has a lot of imagination. One day she told the children that there was an old treasure hidden in a hollow tree in the garden. It was all written on an old map of the garden, but they had to look for the map first. She then suggested that such old maps are sometimes hidden in old bibles like the one she had on the mantelpiece in the largest livingroom. Of course the children went looking for the map in the bible. And lo and behold there it was: an old dirty map of the garden with miraculously enough the same trees that must have been there 120 years ago. There was also the hollow tree and when they went climbing in it, they found a real treasure. ( My sister had bought some plastic necklaces and rings in the supermarket). The children had been busy all afternoon and they had enjoyed themselves immensely.Opposite this house, which is no longer a parsonage, is the church, built in the Middle Ages.