“Affection is desirable. Money is absolutely indispensable!”

Is this really true? I also often heard “Money doesn’t guarantee happiness, but without money you are guaranteed to be unhappy”

Oh, well..

by Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

While reading ask oneself:

1. Could I spend this time no better?
2. Are there better books that would edify me more?
3. Are the lovers of such a book as this the greatest lovers of the Book of God and of a holy life?
4. Does this book increase my love to the Word of God, kill my sin, and prepare me for the life to come?

1. Tidak pernah puas dengan apa yang ada padanya. Hidupnya dikuasai oleh filsafat ‘untung-rugi’, suatu kehidupan yang berorientasi pada keuntungan pribadi.
2. Dijangkiti penyakit mengasihani diri (self-pity). Setiap kesulitan yang dialaminya dalam hidup tidak membawa ke dalam proses pembentukan serta pendewasaan yang sehat, malah sebaliknya semakin menyatakan suatu kehidupan yang sangat mementingkan diri sendiri.
3. Lupa bahwa pemeliharaan Tuhan dalam hidupnya telah dibuktikan pada masa-masa yang lampau. Dengan kata lain, tidak mengingat kebaikan Tuhan yang telah diterima).
4. Hidup berorientasi pada solusi permasalahan dan bukan pada pengenalan akan Allah. Baru bisa bersyukur setelah masalah yang dihadapi berlalu, namun masalahnya manusia tidak pernah lepas dari masalah.
5. Gagal mengaitkan setiap momen dengan penyertaan serta pemeliharaan Tuhan dalam hidupnya. Lebih memikirkan kondisi hidup di sini dan sekarang, sehingga yang dilihat semata-mata adalah realita yang tanpa Tuhan.
6. Keangkuhan hidup. Memiliki tuntutan/standar hidup yang terlalu tinggi sehingga hidupnya banyak diwarnai kekecewaan karena tidak dapat mencapainya.
7. Tidak sadar bahwa sebagai manusia berdosa sesungguhnya tidak berhak untuk mendapatkan kebaikan apapun di dunia ini. Segala kebaikan yang diterima selalu ditanggapi dengan sikap taken for granted.

According to the talking heads, the ECB is going into a race with the US Fed for lower rates. This has been the spin basis for the gold decline based on the spin of lower interest rates in Euroland to produce a euro decline.

1. Whatever the gold price was to do on the downside will end by the first week of May.
2. The US dollar is going to trade at .5200.
3. The euro will trade at a minimum of USD$2
4. The gold price will trade at $1650 on or BEFORE January 14th, 2011.
5. $1024 was the first price block on the first move above $1000.
6. My job is bottom identification, not tops, because there is no top to the gold price for a long time to come. I gave you $1024, but that is as close as I will come to calling any top before the top.
7. Even the article below is written backwards to confuse. If you can’t spin it, confuse it. What it says forward is that the ECB will not get into a race with the US Fed on lowering rates.

Source: http://www.jsmineset.com/ARhome.asp?VAfg=1&RQ=EDL,1&AR_T=1&GID=&linkid=6102&T_ARID=6157&sCID=204&sPID=2&cTID=0&cCat=&PRID=0&cSubCat=&archive=&highstr=&UArts=

Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario: Jeffrey won’t be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy’s dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy’s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has affair with psychologist.

Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario: A foreign student fails high school English.
1957 - He goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2007 – His cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and his English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. He is given a diploma anyway.

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
2007 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny’s Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary.  Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

Source: http://www.jsmineset.com