Alms For The Poor

My friend Penny has gotten me to be a regular reader of San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll.

I'm normally right in step with him, but today's was truly a demonstration of his skill and art. Today's column JON CARROLL - Tuesday, December 23, 2003.

Initially, I shook my head and thought, "no way - the wrong thing to do." But after a moment and thinking about what he'd said, he brought me around.

We're all experts in how other people should get their lives together. There are the worthy homeless and the unworthy homeless. You may concentrate on the adjective, or you may concentrate on the noun. I'm a noun guy.

From my perspective, charity isn't about the people you're giving to, it's about YOU. Yes, there are effective organizations that help with all sorts of problems. There are scams and crooks. But charity, giving, is a form of mindfulness. As Mr. Carroll says, it has to be enough to hurt, even just a little, so you'll notice. An alm, a physical demonstration of one's awareness of others.

Happy holiday's, all.

Does Anyone Think This Is Fun?

I admit, there's a lot of things I just don't understand, but this is going right at the top of my list:BlogShares - Fantasy Blog Share Market

How exactly is this any fun? Set us a fantasy stock market to predict the popularity of blogs?

Although I must admit that I was flattered to learn that I had 2 stock holders!

Of course, if it's anything like the real stock market just because they own stock doesn't mean that they, or anyone else for that matter, actually read this stuff.

Tomorrow: the meaning of life revealed and many sexy complications.