Paddling downstream

Posted on 30. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, education, parenting

It’s hard to believe that there are still schools that practice corporal punishment, but it’s true. Today’s NYTimes article, “In Many Public Schools, the Paddle Is No Relic“, reports that some schools in Texas and other parts of the South and Midwest are using corporal punishment to discipline kids.

Tina Morgan, who works on a highway crew in rural North Carolina, gave permission for her son to be paddled in his North Carolina middle school. But she said she was unprepared for Travis, now 12, to come home with a backside that was a florid kaleidoscope of plums and lemons and blood oranges.

“This boy might need a blistering now and then, with his knucklehead,” Ms. Morgan said, swatting at him playfully, but she added that she never wanted him to be beaten like that. “I’ve decided, we’ve got to get corporal punishment out of the schools.”

Over most of the country and in all but a few major metropolitan areas, corporal punishment has been on a gradual but steady decline since the 1970’s, and 28 states have banned it. But the practice remains alive, particularly in rural parts of the South and the lower Midwest, where it is not only legal, but also widely practiced.

I don’t even like spanking, so this seems crazy to me. If you try to solve a kid’s problem with violence, you shouldn’t be suprised if that child resorts to violence to solve his own problems in the future. And the last thing I’d want is some angry teacher or administrator whacking any kid with a paddle! That’s child abuse in my book. I am simply amazed that this practice still exists in this country.

I had my weekly PTA president meeting with our jr. high principal yesterday. Part of our discussion was deciding what she could hand out as “caught being good” rewards. I can’t express how much I love that philosophy! Sure, kids mess up and need to be punished. She takes the time to discuss what they’ve done with them, and in rare circumstances a kid is suspended. But, it’s much better to encourage good behavior through rewards so that you don’t get to the bad behavior.

I saw your nanny

Posted on 30. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, cool websites, parenting

I just added a link to the “I Saw Your Nanny” blog to my blogroll. I’ve never had a nanny, and don’t hang out at nanny hot spots now that my kids are teenagers. But this site is fascinating: people write in about specific (usually naughty) things they’ve seen nannies do, in the hopes that the parents who’ve hired that nanny will read the site and take appropriate action. Sometimes people write about good nanny sightings too – those are quite refreshing. The comments often are the best part, where people debate whether the nanny was acting within reason, or whether the parents are reasonable.

Here’s part of a post from Tarzana, CA:

Your son is Jaden, 3 years old. Your nanny is approx. 40’s dark hair, does not speak English, as far as I can tell. Every time I go to the park – on weekdays and weekends, Jaden is there playing by himself and being COMPLETELY ignored by the nanny.The park is North of Ventura Boulevard, East of Tampa on Hattarras. It’s a fenced neighborhood park next to a softball field and recreation center. She puts on huge headphones blaring music and stares into space while Jaden wanders around the park alone. He’s really hungry for attention and is a sweet, articulate little boy. I wouldn’t trust this woman with my dog.

I found out about this blog in a recent NY Times article, “Memo to Nanny: No Juice Boxes.” This all makes me appreciate the time I have with my kids.

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Death and the Blogger

Posted on 29. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in technical

Great Six Chix cartoon:

The best time machine I’ve ever seen

Posted on 29. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, cool websites, my life, sports

Yesterday the New York Times sent me an email saying that their archives from 1851 – 1980 are now online. I had a blast searching for old names and dates. Here are a few things I’ve found so far:

• Birth announcements of babies that were born the exact same day and year that I was. The freakiest thing is to do a Zoominfo search on them and find out what they’re doing today.
• A wedding announcement that shows that one grandfather was the best man for his cousin’s wedding on March 7, 1941. I never even knew this cousin existed!
• I got tears in my eyes when I found articles about girls joining Little League in Tenafly, NJ in 1974. I was one of those girls.
• An August, 1937 article saying that my mom’s father was awarded an assistant teaching position at Fordham, and a June, 1952 article announcing that he was promoted in the advertising department at a pharmaceutical company.
• My grandmother’s brother’s obituary from 1971.
• A July, 1898 story about the sinking of La Bourgogne. It says the only passenger listed as dead that survived was Charles Duttweiler. Any relation to my stepfather? Some of the surviving passengers alleged that the French crew made sure they got lifeboats, leaving women and children to perish.

I’m sure there are many more amazing things I’ll find in the archives. I wonder if there’s an obituary for microfilm?

Boy, three, buys car on internet

Posted on 28. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, life lessons, my life, parenting, shopping

I was so proud when my son could click and drag with a mouse at age two, but it never occurred to me that this could be dangerous. A three-year-old boy in England recently bought a Pink Barbie Nissan Figaro for £9,000 by pressing “Buy It Now” on eBay.

Mrs Neal, of Sleaford, Lincolnshire, said she had left her eBay password in her computer and her son had used the “buy it now” button.

She said: “Jack’s a whizz on the PC and just pressed all the right buttons.

“I was just horrified.

“We now have the parental locks on – and we make sure we sign out of eBay!”

The picture to the right reminds me of my son at that age. He had lots of HotWheels and Matchbox cars. In fact, he still hasn’t them, and doles them out one by one to his three-year-old cousin. (Don’t worry, I’ve warned my sister to log out of eBay at the end of each session.)

Actually, I don’t think my son would have been caught dead buying a pink Barbie car. But his sister might have…

Mammogram and mom both fine

Posted on 28. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in food, health, music

I’m not a linguist, but I’m sure that “mammogram” and “mom” both have the same roots..

Anyway, for those who read previous posts about my mom having breast cancer, I just wanted to let you know that she finished radiation and is doing quite well. In fact, she’s back East right now visiting her brother for his 60th birthday! She had to make a tough decision about whether or not to have chemo, and chose not to. Hopefully it was the right decision.

On a related note, my mammogram went well yesterday. No changes since the last one. I saw one of my fellow soccer moms in the waiting room, and when we saw Nigella Lawson on the Today Show cooking up something yummy I launched into a “Dream Dinners is wonderful” speech. Later in the visit, as I waited in my pink gown for my exam, the woman next to me couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t want to pry, so I didn’t say anything. Finally, however, when someone left with a smile on their face, she remarked that it was good to see someone could leave happy. Turns out she was there for a second time, and it wasn’t looking good. Plus, her sister had gotten breast cancer at the same age. I think the woman’s name was Mariska…I’m keeping her in my prayers.

Jane Goodall should leave the jungle and come to our high school

Posted on 27. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, education, feminism, my life, parenting, things that bug me

She would have a field day researching the over-the-top rituals some teens engage in just to ask another kid to a big dance. Our local high school’s homecoming dance takes place in a few weeks, and for many kids it’s no longer enough for a boy to merely ask a girl over the phone. Asking in person is better, but the best is when the boy comes up with an elaborate display of his ardor to convince a girl to say yes. It’s like they’re peacocks or something! Not only that, but if a girl knows in advance that a boy is going to ask them, she feels pressure to have a batch of cookies or cupcakes baked for him.

Stop right now! There’s so much wrong with this picture.

• Since when did our girls feel entitled to royal treatment? Is it the Disney Princess Syndrome? I’ve told my daughter to respect any way a boy might ask her, as it takes a lot of courage to ask.
• How do you top it? When a boy lavishes so much effort on a homecoming dance freshman year, what’s he going to have to do for senior prom?
• Maybe I’m a liberated product of the 70’s, but is anyone else even slightly surprised that boys have to ask girls? Why can’t the girls ask the boys? Maybe our town is too conservative for that.
• The pressure isn’t just on the boys: imagine how a girl would look if she said “no” after such a display. I think I heard once about a woman who said “no” after her boyfriend asked her to marry her by posting it on the big screen at a major league baseball game, but that’s rare. Ouch!

My 9th grade daughter hasn’t been asked yet, but I’ve told her to respect any way that she’s asked, if she’s asked. And no, I won’t allow her to make cupcakes. Ridiculous.

For further reading, there was a great LA Times article on the topic last year. It even quoted my friend Mo:

Mo Hurlbutt, the mother of five children ages 13 to 23, joked that the elaborateness of invitations to formal dances, including prom, can be “borderline crazy.”
 
One of her daughters was invited to prom by a boyfriend who filled her bedroom with balloons. Another was asked by a boy after a comedy sketch onstage.
 
“It’s almost become part of their culture,” said Hurlbutt, a La Cañada Flintridge resident.
 
“It’s a little intimidating for the guys,” Hurlbutt said. “Personally, I don’t know what’s wrong with a phone call. But I have been out of high school for many years.”

High school. What an adventure!

Jesus Camp sneak preview

Posted on 26. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in movies, religion, things that bug me

I saw a sneak preview of Jesus Camp last night at the Laemmle theater at One Colorado in Pasadena. A few thoughts:

• Becky Fischer, the camp director, is a very effective children’s minister. She’s passionate about what she does, and does an amazing job of teaching what she is trying to convey.
• I wish that people wouldn’t try to destroy the wall between church and state. I believe that one of the great things about our country is that it affords freedom to everyone, regardless of religion. How can they think that we’d be better off if Americans were forced to be Christians?
• Of course the parents in the film want their kids to go to the “Kids on Fire” camp. We all want our kids to adopt our beliefs, or lack thereof.
• There wasn’t much (any?) humor at this camp. Maybe it wasn’t shown on the film. These people seemed dead serious all the time. And when the kids used the language of their elders they appeared to be programmed robots.
• I think God is at my Presbyterian Church, even though some of the people in the film would consider it a “dead” church since people don’t speak in tongues and jump around in the middle of services.
• As for tongues, it struck me as odd that Becky could say “Now it’s time to speak in tongues.” Doesn’t the Holy Spirit decide that? But, then again, I’ve never spoken in tongues, so who am I to know?
• Many of the people in the film seemed quite paranoid to me. For example, they’re convinced that the public schools are filled with evil. I beg to differ.
• Most of all, the evangelicals in the film were at war! What ever happened to “blessed are the peacemakers“? They spend so much energy on protesting and so little (none in the film) on helping the poor like Jesus did.
• Why does the IRS go after All Saints in Pasadena and not after some of these churches or camps? I don’t know if “Kids on Fire” is a non-profit, but if they are, how do they get away with having a cardboard cutout of George Bush at the altar?

As a moderate (actually, they’d consider me liberal) Christian, I came away from this movie scared that people who aren’t Christians will think that all Christians are like this. It gives me more sympathy for moderates in other religions where the fundamentalists get all the press.

Here are some of the more insightful reviews of the movie that I’ve seen:

• God’s Boot Camp? A film on kids’ religious experience creates a furor, divides Christians. (LA Times)
• Brainwashed in the Blood? (Christianity Today)
• Children’s Boot Camp for the Culture Wars (NY Times)
• Digg

Mental manicures

Posted on 25. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in my life

My husband says that some of the women in his office were talking the other day about what a man looks for in a woman. They said they’d read that men look for women with well-maintained nails. He said that what he had looked for was a woman who read a lot.

So, I guess it’s ok that I’ve had exactly two manicures in my life, and both were when I was in wedding parties. Phew!

It’s like having a local Ansel Adams

Posted on 24. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in art, books, cool websites, education, environment, my life, parenting

Yesterday I went to Ron Dietel’s photography exhibit at the La Canada Flintridge Public Library. I’ve seen his work before at local silent auctions, so I knew it was going to be good. But, I was impressed at HOW good it was! He takes photos with a WWII-vintage box camera, and develops them himself. I’ve always been a fan of Ansel Adams (I even met him after a lecture in college), and though I’m no photography expert, I think Ron’s photos would make Ansel proud. He’s got a great artistic eye, and is very careful in the developing process. Many of his scenes were of local spots such as Descanso Gardens and Eaton Canyon, but there were many from other parts of California also. You can see his Flickr portfolio by clicking . I believe Ron’s exhibit continues at the library until next weekend.

I purchased two prints for my husband for his birthday. (He doesn’t read my blog, so I’m safe saying this.) All purchases benefit the La Canada Flintridge Educational Foundation, but even if they didn’t, I would have purchased them anyway.

Ron is on a roll, by the way. He’s the author of the recently-published book, . I started it the other night, and it has lots of great parenting tips. We’re discussing it at our next .

Grandpa’s getting a cable modem

Posted on 23. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in my life, technical

How cool is that? My mom says that my grandfather and step-grandmother are getting a cable modem. He’s 92! They’ve had email for years, but have used dial-up from their home in the Poconos.

I’m so proud!! 

Sorry seems to be the hardest word

Posted on 22. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in cool websites

There’s a great, short video on aish.com about apologizing. It’s a vivid depiction of how hard it is to say you’re sorry, but how important it is too. I found out about this from the Character Counts newsletter I receive.

Truly Evil Foods

Posted on 21. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in health, parenting, sports

That was the title of one of the handouts we received when Jill Brook, the owner and nutritionist at Diet for Health, spoke at our kids’ cross-country meeting the other night. There weren’t many surprises on the Evil Foods list, but it was disappointing to see Regular Cheese there. I knew Regular Soda was Evil, but she also said that Diet Soda is Semi-Evil. Bummer!

It was great to have someone who’s a nutritionist and an athlete speak to the kids. Not only was she a great public speaker, but she had lots of credibility with the kids. Her other handouts included a Best Choices Menu, which gave about a dozen healthy food choices for each meal or snacks, and 10 tips for being a healthy runner.

My favorite tip was the last one: “Remember the 3-bite rule. Almost all of the flavor is in the first 3 bites of any food, so fill up on fuel foods and then enjoy 3 bites of fun foods.”

Now THAT will take discipline!!!

Chemical reaction

Posted on 20. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in education, parenting

I was a little flustered yesterday when my 8th-grade son asked me to quiz him on Chemistry. That’s one subject I could never completely wrap my brain around in high school. Thankfully, he had made up flashcards. Unfortunately for him, his brain seems to be a lot like my brain. So, we resorted to pictures to muddle through. Here’s our helpful hint for isomers:

“Any of two or more substances that are composed of the same elements in the same proportions but differ in properties because of differences in the arrangement of atoms.”

Get it? They have the same elements, but arranged in a different way. The picture for ester was equally silly. It showed a hippie lady named Ester (an organic compound) with a bottle of alcohol in one hand and some organic acid in the other. Ester partied in the 60’s, and was made up of alcohol and organic acid. Anyway, it helped us remember. It’ll be interesting to see how he does on his test.

Fire in local mountains

Posted on 20. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in my life

A fire started yesterday in the mountains above La Canada. It scorched at least 250 acres. Here’s a picture I took soon after it started:

By evening flames were visible from town. Thankfully, we couldn’t see smoke when we woke up this morning, so the firefighters are clearly doing a great job. There’s a story about it in today’s Pasadena Star News.

Craigslist is our newest amigo

Posted on 19. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in education, my life, parenting

Today’s Pasadena Star News sums up my husband’s linguistic background quite well:

“According to researchers from UC Irvine and Princeton University, only 7 percent of Mexican-American immigrants’ grandchildren speak fluent Spanish.”

His parents didn’t teach him Spanish, and the little bit he learned at school isn’t enough to help our daughter in her high school Spanish II class. I took many years of French, but no Spanish, so I can’t help her either.

Her Spanish class is turning out to be really tough. But our daughter really wants to keep up and learn the language well, so when I asked her if she wanted a tutor she said she did. My husband’s office had incredible success last week posting a file clerk position on Craig’s List, so I decided to check there to see if there were any local tutors. I found two, emailed them, and the next morning I heard from a local tutor who recently retired after many years of teaching Spanish. He’s tutored lots of kids of people I know, and I’m sure he’s who I would have found anyway if I’d just emailed friends. My daughter saw him for the first time yesteday, and he’s fabulous.

Viva Craigslist!

Water for Elephants

Posted on 19. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in books

is one of those books that I couldn’t put down because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened at the end, but then I was frustrated that there wasn’t even more of it to enjoy. Sara Gruen somehow manages to realistically and seamlessly depict a man in his 90’s with flashbacks to his days in the circus. There are engaging plots in both the present and the past, and both surprised me at the end. I’d recommend this book for gals and guys, but not teens…let’s just say the circus people weren’t quite the Moral Majority…

Being Asked to Vote Without Data

Posted on 18. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in politics, things that bug me

I’m starting a new category today: Things That Bug Me. If anyone has a solution for anything in this category, please comment!

My first entry is Being Asked to Vote Without Data. I just received a letter from my term life insurance company asking me to vote for its officers. I have absolutely no idea who these people are or whether they’re the best choice or not, so I’m tossing the letter. (pause – gone!) I apply this technique to AAA elections, mutual fund elections, and stockholder elections. I also refuse to vote for judges if I can’t find information about them, e.g. from the ABA.

I love living in a democratic society, but I don’t need to vote for everything. And, if I do need to vote, I’d like to have the information to make an informed decision. No wonder the incumbents usually win – people feel safe voting for them!

Power to the people – but they must pay!

Posted on 18. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in my life

Ouch! My relaxing Sunday afternoon was marred when I opened my current Edison bill to find that we’re being charged $714.22 for a month’s worth of power. Yikes! Our usage was almost the same as it was a year ago, but the bill is over twice as high. I called Edison, and they said that rates have doubled or tripled in some cases. Scary stuff.

I signed up for the level pay plan, so at least I won’t be too shocked anymore. And then I turned off the air conditioner. Until the temperature inside reached 84 degrees…

Canine Americans

Posted on 17. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, my life

I recently heard that Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle said that dogs should heretofore be referred to as “Canine Americans.”  A quick internet search showed this to be true – it’s all over the blogosphere. But referring to a blog wasn’t enough for me: I wanted a better source. Lo and behold, I found a press release from the Humane Society that states that Pacelle said it as a joke at the beginning of a speech.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) asked the Animal Agriculture Alliance to lighten up and find its sense of humor, after the group falsely reported on a speech by The HSUS’s president and CEO. The agribusiness trade group, perhaps stung by recently losing a range of issues to The HSUS, posted a piece on its web site falsely reporting that HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle urged animal advocates to pursue “animal guardianship laws to replace animal ownership laws” and falsely reported that Pacelle “suggested using the term ‘Canine Americans’ instead of dogs to emphasize the rights of these animals” at the Taking Action for Animals Conference held in Washington over Labor Day weekend.

An audio recording of the conference makes plain that Pacelle said nothing of the kind. Pacelle opened his lecture with a joke, poking fun at the idea of political correctness and getting a roaring laugh from the crowd, stating that some people “don’t want you to call a dog a dog anymore; they want you to call him a Canine American.” Pacelle was just getting a laugh to lighten the mood of a conference that discussed some serious cruelty issues.

Pacelle is a fan of late night talk shows, and thought he would try his hand at some humor. The animal advocates loved it, but the agribusiness group apparently cannot take a joke. Even though he got a great laugh from the crowd, Pacelle is going to keep his job as CEO and not pursue a career in professional comedy.

The HSUS is very happy to refer to dogs as dogs, though it will occasionally refer to them as “pooches,” “canines,” “mutts,” or even “hounds.”

Well, I rather like the term “Canine American.” I’ll make sure to use it on holidays and when my pooch does something particularly noble or loveable. As you can see from the photo above, my sweet little mutt fits the part quite well.

Overheard at club soccer game today…

Posted on 17. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in parenting, sports

The following were all muttered or shouted by parents to children:

• “What an idiot!”
• “Where’s our defense?”
• “You know, you played like crap today.”

My favorite was from the coach to a parent:

• “Relax! I don’t want to hear from you anymore today.”
• To which the parent replied, “Oh, you think I’M the problem?”

This is only a small subset of the negative remarks I heard. I wasn’t writing them down, and frankly, I wanted to watch the game. To be fair, I heard many positive comments also. But, I think some of these folks feel that if they say positive things sometimes, they have a license to say whatever negative things they want.

It gets to our boys after awhile. They lost 4-1.

It clearly got to me too. Not fun, especially since I had woken up early and was missing church to be there. I need to organize that Positive Coaching Alliance speaker to come again.

On a happier note, I love that Soccer Mom image from Cafe Press!

University places Stanford Band on indefinite provisional status

Posted on 16. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, my life

Heard this one on NPR yesterday, and easily found it online:

Stanford University has placed the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band on indefinite provisional status as a student organization and has appointed an interim director to lead the group while the university determines the conditions under which the privileges of the Band will be fully reinstated.

These measures were announced on Thursday, Sept. 14, by Vice Provost for Student Affairs Greg Boardman as a result of intentional destruction by Band members of the Band Shak this summer.

I wish I could say I’m surprised, but I can’t. I was in the Band for a week back in ‘81, and transferred over to The Stanford Daily when I didn’t feel comfortable doing s** exercises at the Ohio State game, I didn’t drink the toxic blue liquid, and they didn’t take the p**** film out of the projector when they were supposed to be showing band routines (which were edgy enough.) I love the Band’s spunk and energy, but I think many of them go overboard too much. It’s a shame – they could be awesome if they didn’t.

How shameful that they’ll miss the first game in the new stadium. Actually, I think they should be allowed to perform, but minus the people who trashed the Band Shak. After all, if a few football players did something equally bad before a game, I bet the whole football team wouldn’t be punished for it.

My poor computer…

Posted on 15. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in technical

was automatically updated by Microsoft the other night. The screen said something like “Your computer will turn off automatically. Don’t do it yourself.” It said that for 12 hours. I finally gave up and turned off the power. Ever since then my sound hasn’t worked and it freezes 4 out of 5 times I turn it on. It took me an hour to get to my email today.

Sigh. This isn’t the first time it’s happened. Last time my Media Center stopped working. It still doesn’t work, even after paying the tech guy to look at it and getting a new video card.

Maybe it’s time for a new computer. What a waste. But I’ll still need to get this one fixed first so I can use it as a backup.

Where do you fit?

Posted on 14. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in cool websites, politics

We teach our children that it’s wrong to label other people, and yet it’s a natural human tendency to want to put people in specific categories. And sometime, we even find out more about OURSELVES by figuring out what category others would put us in.

Such is the case with the Political Typology test from the Pew Research Center. (Thanks for the recommendation, MotherPie!) It doesn’t take long to complete, but this test has a very well-considered, comprehensive list of questions. It lists me as a Liberal. Guess that makes sense, though I’m cautious about that label because I don’t agree with everything people think a Liberal would, and I don’t completely fit the demographic they describe. It’s good to know how my views compare to others, however.

Bedtime Beats: The Secret to Sleep

Posted on 13. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in music, my life, parenting

The UPS man just brought me my new “” CD’s. They contain relaxing classical music set to 60-80 beats per minute, about the same as a human heart. They say these songs are perfect for falling asleep to and help produce a sound sleep.

I can’t wait to load them on my daughter’s iPod – she says that even when she goes to bed, she doesn’t fall asleep for awhile. (see previous post about teen sleep habits) She listens to classical music now, but I think this will be better since there won’t be any loud timpanis or fast trumpet solos to wake her up again.

I love the warning on the CD case: “Not to be listened to while driving!”

How many hits am I getting?

Posted on 13. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in my life

Couldn’t resist putting up this Pearls Before Swine cartoon. It pretty much sums up the blogger’s dilemma: is anyone out there reading this???

 

Does God Want You To Be Rich?

Posted on 12. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, religion

Great article in this week’s Time magazine titled Does God Want You To Be Rich? It’s about pastors who preach a Prosperity Theology: if you believe, you will be rewarded with material wealth.

For several decades, a philosophy has been percolating in the 10 million–strong Pentecostal wing of Christianity that seems to turn the Gospels’ passage on its head: certainly, it allows, Christians should keep one eye on heaven. But the new good news is that God doesn’t want us to wait. Known (or vilified) under a variety of names–Word of Faith, Health and Wealth, Name It and Claim It, Prosperity Theology–its emphasis is on God’s promised generosity in this life and the ability of believers to claim it for themselves. In a nutshell, it suggests that a God who loves you does not want you to be broke. Its signature verse could be John 10: 10: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

The article goes on to say that three of the four largest megachurches subscribe to this. The notable exception is Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church.

Fellow megapastor Rick Warren, whose book The Purpose Driven Life has outsold Osteen’s by a ratio of 7 to 1, finds the very basis of Prosperity laughable. “This idea that God wants everybody to be wealthy?”, he snorts. “There is a word for that: baloney. It’s creating a false idol. You don’t measure your self-worth by your net worth. I can show you millions of faithful followers of Christ who live in poverty. Why isn’t everyone in the church a millionaire?”

I agree with him. While I appreciate the material blessings I have, I try to constantly remind myself that they are not what gives my life meaning. And if being rich was so important, why did Jesus spend so much time with the poor? After all,

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

I love how the article sums it up:

If God does want us to be rich in this life, no doubt it’s this richness in spirit that he is most eager for us to acquire.

How many people manage to acquire such a richness of spirit? It’s a great goal, and far more worthy than accumulating wealth.

Five years ago today…

Posted on 11. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in my life, politics, technical

…I woke up, turned my computer on, and saw the awful news on my AOL homepage. I’m so far away here in California, but I wept with the rest of the nation when I saw and heard all that happened. And it took weeks before I could sleep through the night…and yet, I know I’m lucky.

I was back in NJ for my 20th high school reunion a few weeks before September 11, 2005. Here’s a picture I took of my kids from the observation deck of the Empire State Building on Aug. 22, 2001:

We’re lucky something like this hasn’t happened again. I hope it never does, but I’m not optimistic. And I’m usually a pretty optimistic person…

Missing persons

Posted on 07. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in my life

I’ve lived in at least 20 places in my life, and eight of them were before I graduated high school. (All of those were in New Jersey.) Along the way I’ve lost track of some really neat people, and I’m curious about what they’re up to these days. So, in case any of you are Googling yourselves or know these people, please let me know!

• Danny Brennan (Daniel Brennan). Friend from North Arlington, NJ in early elementary school. Moved to Wayne, NJ, around 1970. Probably born in 1964. He’s the boy in the yellow hat in the picture. Gotta love the formal wear for my 7th birthday party! I think everyone did that back then.
• Lisa Giordano. Friend from Tenafly, NJ. Brother: Ben Giordano. Sister: Leslie Giordano. Probaby born in 1961 or 1962.
• Mlle. McLean. (Suzanne McLean? Suzanne MacLean? Is Suzanne even her first name??) Awesome jr. high French teacher at Knollwood School in Fair Haven, NJ. Got married and became Mme. Lambert. (Suzanne Lambert?) She’s the reason I stuck with French for the next eight years.
• Richard Fennell. Child genius. Probably born in 1963. Jr. high friend in Fair Haven, NJ. Moved to New York state (Syracuse?) in 8th grade.
• Bob Besse (Robert Besse). Church friend who lived in Little Silver and then Rumson, NJ. Went to college in Maryland. Probably born in 1962 or 1961.

My kids are so lucky: they’ve lived in the same town since preschool. When their friends move, they keep in touch by cell phone or email.

At least I have my sister as my friend since I was little! Oh, that’s right – she’s MOVING!! Thank goodness for the phone.

Happiness blogger

Posted on 06. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, cool websites, religion

I found a cool blog today from a link in a Wall St. Journal article: The Happiness Project. Here’s how Gretchen Rubin describes her blog:

I’m working on a book, THE HAPPINESS PROJECT–a memoir about this year, during which I’m testing every principle, tip, theory, and scientific study I can find, whether from Aristotle or St. Therese or Martin Seligman or Oprah. I’m gathering these rules for living from everywhere I can, and I’ll report what works and what doesn’t. This happiness blog is part of my larger project.

Recent posts describe her Extreme Nice Week to her husband for their anniversary, and dealing with a wait at the Indian Consulate.

The article in the WSJ that she wrote was titled, “Money Can’t Buy Happiness? This Blogger Begs to Differ.” She points out that although money doesn’t strictly buy happiness, it can buy things like good healthcare, vacations with friends and family and the ability to give to charity that make life more enjoyable. She points to statistics that show that wealthy people are generally happier, and says that one’s satisfaction regarding wealth is relative, and depends upon the wealth of peers.

This paragraphs sums it up:

The secret is to be smart about how you splurge. Spend money toward things that promote the components of happiness. The hedonic treadmill means that loading up on stuff, though gratifying for a moment, isn’t a lasting source of happiness. Instead, spend money on your relationships, your health, and your experiences.

It isn’t really surprising that money, spent the right way, helps buy happiness. As economist John Kenneth Galbraith noted, “Wealth is not without its advantages, and the case to the contrary, although it has often been made, has never proved widely persuasive.”

Hmm. What would Jesus say to all of this?

When I was in jr. high, our health teacher, Mrs. Kubaitis (I even remember her name!), asked us to write about what we wanted to be someday. I thought long and hard about it, and decided to say, “Happy.” I got a “C.” I tried to explain to her that I was taking the assignment seriously, but she didn’t believe me. How could I have known I wanted to study industrial engineering and design websites?

Well, at least I’m happy.