#home seller in usa

[3liza]

here's what I've learned to never pay full price for, because people are giving these items away for free or almost free on Craigslist, Nextdoor, Facebook, at Goodwill, and on eBay (which has a local pickup section) in every sufficiently populated location in the USA.

cost of acquiring these items ranges from "carrying it home from the sidewalk" to "getting a friend with a car to help you pick it up" which is the same amount of effort as going to IKEA for worse quality that costs more, with the notable exception of it being a pain in the ass to coordinate with craigslist sellers, and you often have to wait and watch for what you want to actually show up. it took me about a year to find an acceptable gamer chair left out on the sidewalk, for example. but they cost $100+ new, so I chose to wait.

a lot of this stuff is the kind of thing you don't necessarily intend to keep, just to use in transitional housing or until you can afford a better one.

1. printers of any kind. basic office inkjets are free. ink is easily refillable or has generic ink cartridges way cheaper than brand name for any inkjet up to about 2015, not sure how difficult the newer smart printers are to hack but there's no reason to own a newer one because printing technology has not improved since about 2005. you want a color laser for making zines and wheatpastes? it's on Craigslist RN and someone's mom is desperate to get rid of it

2. bedframes

3. desks

4. tables

5. chairs

6. bookshelves, nice oak bookshelves that don't bend like al dente spaghetti when you put books on them, are rotting on sidewalks rn because they didn't fit in someone's house. go get them

7. scanners. I find a working scanner by a dumpster at least once a quarter, and I don't pick them up because I already have one that I picked up from a dumpster years ago

8. hot tubs. everyone thinks they want a hot tub and that the maintenance and upkeep will be worth it, and they are wrong. Craigslist.

9. sofas, with the caveat that if you are in a bedbug region like New York State you need to be very confident in your bedbug screening skills

10. quality leather shoes. these last forever and are expensive new. eBay is best for these

11. plates, glassware, silverware. all of these are able to be sterilized to whatever standard you feel comfortable with but if you eat in restaurants you've already put a fork in your mouth that hundreds of people have drooled on so try not to fool yourself

12. televisions and computer monitors

13. houseplants. similar to the bedbug warning above, you need to screen these for pests like fungus gnats and mealybugs

14. dressers, wardrobes, china hutches, cabinets, chests of drawers, etc

15. mirrors

16. clothes hangers

17. moving boxes

18. mattresses to a certain extent. I don't like secondhand used mattresses but unstained, unused mattresses are surprisingly common, especially since the foam mail order mattress boom started and people keep getting told by the mattress companies to just get rid of/keep any mattresses they want to return for flaws or wrong sizes or whatever. bedbug warning on this obviously

19. sheets and towels. you gotta launder them obviously

20. basic clothing, especially for kids. normie type clothing is so numerous people often just throw them away because they can't get anyone to take them

21. kitchenware like cooking utensils and pots n pans. don't use chipped or scratched Teflon/nonstick if you can help it. everyone needs one basic steel chef knife, which can be sharpened and maintained indefinitely. people throw these away CONSTANTLY

22. household consumables like laundry soap and dish soap. people often accidentally buy the wrong brand, scent, or develop allergies and want to get rid of extra

23. pet supplies like collars, leashes, dog crates, litter boxes, litter itself, dog beds, toys, carriers, etc

24. medical equipment of all kinds. people who take care of all kinds of patients end up with tons of leftover, sealed, miscellaneous stuff when that person recovers or dies, and they often give it away. adult diapers, hospital beds, IV stands, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, fracture boots and splints, knee braces, canes, catheter packs, ice packs, heat packs, sterile paper sheeting, gauze, slings, over-the-door stretching and rehab pulleys, mattress protectors, etc

25. washers and dryers, both the basic household cube type and the small twin tub or rock tumbler type. people upgrade these when the old ones are still working, just squeaky or a little weird or sometimes just old

26. vacuum cleaners. secondhand ones are sort of icky but you can get rid of the ickiness by wiping them down with a rag and isopropyl alcohol inside and out. use an exacto or utility knife to slice off the hair and string wrapped around the roller. buy a new filter on Amazon. people throw away vacuums that work perfectly all the time because they don't actually know how to clean them out or do maintenance. bedbug and pet hair warning obviously

27. microwaves

28. refrigerators

30. lamps

31. any kind of exercise equipment including stationary bikes, ellipticals and weights/weight benches

32. any kind of piano. there's a grand on my local Craigslist for free rn

33. scrap wood and lumber

34. pallets

35. wood shipping crates

36. newborn, toddler and baby equipment like breast milk pumps and storage, bottles, bottle racks, diapers, etc. anything a little guy will grow out of fast will end up being given away

37. air conditioners, humidifiers and dehumidifiers. these will be most numerous during their respective off seasons

list updated 2/13/24 based on recent Craigslist trawling

38. jars, both canning type jars and clean food jars like from pickled or jelly bought at the store

39. rugs. most of my rugs are sidewalk finds. rugs will almost always be dirty. a decent consumer grade rug cleaner costs under $100, it's cheaper to just buy one if you have the space to store it. flushing the scavenged rug with soap, hot water, vinegar, alcohol, etc will clean almost anything but huge bedbug and allergen warning on this item

[desertdollranch]

What a week it's been. Woke up to horrible political news on Wednesday, and had to take a social media blackout for a few days just to stop being sick to my stomach and reminded of what a nightmare we're all facing here in the USA. Then more than a foot of snow fell, and my electricity kept flickering on and off all night. So I'm trying to focus on the positive things in my life as best as I can and try not to let the stress overwhelm me.

So let's talk dolls.

Last weekend I attended the Albuquerque doll show not as a buyer, but for the first time as a vendor.

My mom came over with a huge carload of things to sell. We had two tables and still didn't have enough room for everything! Most of what we sold came from her and her sister's collections, since both of them are clearing out all their 18 inch doll stuff. They are only interested in Barbie these days and so everything else had to go. I don't share their interest in Barbie and am still thoroughly enjoying my 18 inch dolls, so I did get to have first dibs on their merchandise. I didn't end up picking anything besides a couple of American Girl books.

I actually didn't sell very much, but truly I didn't bring a whole lot of things to sell anyway. Mostly some extra wigs of various sizes, off-brand doll clothing that I priced at $1 per outfit, and a few thrift store dolls (of various brands) I bought and then decided not to keep. Now I have to list my leftovers for sale online, which is overwhelming to think about, considering how hard I worked to get everything ready before the show only to have to put in even MORE time and effort to get anything sold.

Overall, selling at the show was a tremendous amount of labor for not much financial reward, so my mom and I agreed that we're never doing this again. It's so much more fun just attending the show as a buyer. And selling online is by far easier and more profitable.

But I did meet a lot of very nice customers, and that was the best part. That's something that doesn't often happen online! Everyone I sold to was wonderful. Not one person I encountered was rude or unpleasant. The other vendors I talked to were lovely as well. There were a few sellers who make/buy/sell dolls and toys year-round and do it for a living, but a lot were collectors like me who were just selling parts of their collections to make room for new additions.

Speaking of new additions. The only thing I bought at the show was a Gotz doll.

She's an 18 inch Hannah doll from 2008. She was unbelievably inexpensive (they're around $100 or more brand new), so I was pretty surprised to see her and many other Gotz dolls at her vendor's table still for sale after closing time when I swung by. Her vendor was delighted to see Hannah go to a happy home.

I may or may not make a post advertising the stuff I'm selling. I usually do okay by just listing on Mercari and letting buyers come to me. I'll decide once I'm ready whether it's worth the extra effort posting them here too.

[srbachchan]

DAY 5573

Jalsa, Mumbai                 May 20,  2023                Sat 10:06 PM

Birthday Ef -  Gopi Sheth .. Sunday, 21 May .. and the wishes of the Ef for your special day .. love ❤️

🪔 .. apologies for the belated birthday wishes to Ef Hassan Ali from Egypt for May 20 .. our affection always and all the good wishes ..

 and Ef Gopi Sheth from USA .. love and greetings from the Ef Family always .. ❤️❤️❤️🌿

“The World does not rest on your shoulders ; you don’t have to constantly correct people ; after all the onus of making everyone perfect is not on you ..”

Writers and publishers have continued to send me their books in complimentary grace .. and in my acknowledged response is a gratitude for the thought and the assurance that in time there shall be desire to read them .. the above quote being one such example .. 

The response is appreciated and further books arrive .. !

On travels beyond our shores, while trundling up to the Gate of departure at Airports, there was keen desire to stop by at the book store en route and rush through the best sellers of the time , acquiring some , and on the flight home, the desired wish of putting my name on the first page, the destination where the book was acquired, time and date , the flight details from and to .. and a quick rummage through the pages ..

Travel restricted .. the book stores in abeyance  .. 

BUT ..

Now, substituted, by them arriving voluntarily at the door step .. or rather on your desk .. 

How wonderful .. 

And the practice of the writing on the first page continues  .. 

Fascinating , is it not ..

Yes and the fascination gets justified when in the library storing Babuji’s books , you quite by chance come across one that has been signed and dedicated to you, with a short message .. 

One such , came across to me by the Wife .. a bit moth eaten but still in some legible condition .. marked to me from Cambridge in 1953 , during his study there for his thesis ..

A habit I never forget and pursue to date .. with the hope that some day the next generation , if it still shows interest in reading books and not internets, shall be chuffed at coming across one such roster , with some glee ..

In BHS, Allahabad - the Boys’ High School - in the year 1953 -54, when I was in the 4th or 5th Std., and Babuji was in England for his studies, I wrote to him that I had entered the Boxing ring in School, to enhance the Cock House points of my House, the Blue House .. and that after one successful bout, had got defeated in the next one .. and that my physical condition against a stronger opponent had given me a black eye and a bleeding nose  .. 

Some several days later - several, because parcels and letters came by boat then  - a book arrived for me ..  on boxing .. and inside on the first page was his signature, the date of purchase and destination and a quote from him :

“ Good hard blows are delights to the mind “ !!! 

On a visit to St Catharine's College, Cambridge during a shooting stint in England around the early 2000′s to see the College Information manual, and seek Babuji’s name , I was, on coming to know I was there, accosted by the Faculty Members of the College  and invited over for a cup of tea and a chat .. and I narrated this incident to them .. 

It was the heartiest laughter I had ever witnessed from a Britisher .. they are a bit reserved , aren’t they .. 

But .. I discovered that tales of a fight, any fight, seem to attract their attention rather more prominently than fish and chips  !!  

I depart .. शुभ रात्रि  ! 

A very early call tomorrow for work, in order that I can finish in time and drive rapidly back for the GOJ !

Amitabh Bachchan

[mightyflamethrower]

What do we know about the shooter behind the attack on Donald Trump?

Biden: 'It's simple people: Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy and another four years of him would be detrimental to our country...'

Editor’s note: This article contains graphic images that may be unsuitable for some audiences.

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) The FBI identified the failed assassin of former President Donald Trump as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa.

Crooks appeared to live with his parents, Matt and Mary Crooks, and may have had an older sister, Katherine, according to online records. Attempts Sunday morning to reach the number listed as the family’s home phone were unsuccessful, and the mailbox was full.

However, CNN reportedly reached Crooks’s father late Saturday, who said he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” and would “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before speaking about his son.

Many of the details about Crooks and his possible motives remained unclear. But Headline USA was able to verify according to records at the Federal Election Commission, that Crooks was previously donated money to a radical leftist organization, the Progressive Turnout Project, in 2021.

Although he used the notorious left-wing aggregator site ActBlue, which many dark-money billionaires and foreign nationals are suspected of abusing to hide illegal campaign donations, Crooks—who was 18 at the time—earmarked his $15 donation specifically for the PTP.

The abundance of video footage and witnesses led to a flood of information Saturday on social media following the attack, which occurred at roughly 6:15 p.m.

Several eyewitnesses reported seeing Crooks crawling on the roof of a building outside the perimeter of the Butler, Pa., rally, including at least one man who told the BBC he desperately tried to alert authorities but was ignored.

Footage also showed a sniper with a clear line on Crooks in the seconds before he fired appearing to delay his reaction, which has fueled some criticism, as well as a few conspiracy theories.

Trump adviser Roger Stone also posted an alternative identity of the alleged shooter, prior to official confirmation, which more closely resembled the photo of the dead man than photos of Crooks, who appeared to have different colored hair.

Meanwhile, Laura Loomer, a conservative activist and journalist, suggested that Crooks had previously been featured in a commercial for the woke investment firm BlackRock while in high school.

[coffinup]

"Why shouldn't I just get a casket from Costco?"

This is a question that comes up a lot when faced with casket prices. You go into a funeral home to make arrangements for a loved one, you're confronted with the high price points of caskets and coffins, and think to yourself, "well, these are just the ones the funeral home is selling. I could probably find one cheaper elsewhere."

Part of the rules and regulations set to us by the FTC is that we can't dissuade families from buying things from outside the funeral home, with very few exceptions. If someone said they were going to buy a casket from Amazon, I legally couldn't dissuade them from doing that. I could, however, explain to them the benefits to buying a casket from a funeral home or casket manufacturer if I wanted to.

Now that being said, I'm going to briefly give my honest opinion of alternative containers and caskets from other sources. Since this is an informal setting, I'll give my two cents.

I'm sure everyone has, at some point in their life, bought something at a cheaper price from somewhere and had it not be super great. You run the risk of a cheaper solution not being as well-made, and the same can be said of caskets. Caskets are, at the end of the day, a manufactured product. That means you could very well find a good alternative, or you could get something that didn't exactly match what you thought you were getting. The other risk is shipping; casket companies and funeral homes use very specific carriers, or even dedicated employees, that are trained in proper handling and delivery of caskets. Batesville has specialized delivery trucks that are designed for overnight shipping and are specifically designed to HOLD caskets. A common carrier or an Amazon carrier probably aren't going to have these specialized trucks, and would ship a casket like they would ship anything else. Now that might work just fine, but there's more liability involved. When a family orders a casket from an outside source, we explain to them that they have to be present when that casket is delivered. So when it arrives, we have the delivery person unload it and we don't touch it until the next of kin arrives, and then they have to watch us open it. That way, we can prove that any damage or mistakes were part of the seller/carrier, and not inflicted by us. When a family buys a casket from us, we don't have to do this. It's logistically easier for the funeral home AND the family.

Funeral homes legally have to be extremely upfront about the quality of their caskets, if you go to a funeral home that has physical examples of the caskets they provide, that's a good sign. It means that what you're seeing is what you're getting.

Something to keep in mind with online retailers is that at best, you have a couple images of the item you're purchasing and the item you get is extremely similar to the one in the picture. At worst, you get a retailer using an image from another seller and shipping you a similar item that may not be exactly the same, but is close enough. Actually, there was someone I heard of in recent years that thought they were ordering a full-sized casket and instead got a child-sized plastic prop instead. Whoops! Always check the product dimensions I guess!

USA based casket manufacturers have to hold to a certain set of safety standards and manufacturing expectations. For instance, you would reasonably expect that when pallbearers lift a casket, the bottom of the casket isn't going to fall out like in that clip from I Think You Should Leave. You probably would also expect the handles to not rip off, the lid to close all the way, etc. Funeral homes and casket manufacturers are always ensuring that a casket will function as intended and is built to high-quality. A massive online retailer or big box store MIGHT not have the same quality standards.

The primary problem we see with caskets ordered from third party sources is damage during shipping, and delayed shipping. The main problem with this is that if we have to order a new one, that might be a cost that we either have to eat, or gets put onto the family (who was trying to save money in the first place!), and it might push any scheduled services back, or cut it close. Which is just adding more stress onto an already stressful situation. Just like with a car-seat, we can't guarantee that what looks like a superficial scratch might not go deeper and be worse than it looks like on the surface.

The third and last point I will make is about the price: A lot of the time when you add up the item cost and overnight or rushed shipping cost, the final price may not actually be all that much less than if you bought it from a funeral home or manufacturer. Now when I say this, I'm mostly referring to what you would think as a traditional casket, like this one. (Fun fact: when I searched for images of caskets, Amazon was one of the first results to come up.)

There are a TON of options for what is referred to as "alternative containers" that come from reputable sources that do sell their products online. like wicker caskets. I have absolutely nothing against people using a non-casket container, in fact, I would encourage it if it makes the experience more personalized and meaningful. The main thing I would ask the family to consider is, if there is any doubt about how sturdy the container is, that it be just used for viewing and not have pallbearers. But even if they do want pallbearers, we can easily use a church truck or a bier to move the container with the person inside of it, so as long as the container can withstand that, then we're good.

The main point I'm trying to make is this: when you order a product from a massive retailer that doesn't specialize in caskets, you run the risk of the manufacturing standards not being up to the same standards, and you run the risk of spending more money than you originally thought. Funeral homes HAVE to be up-front about the exact costs of everything. I'm sure everyone's familiar with the fact that online retailers especially can tack on a lot of hidden fees. Because big-box and online retailers aren't subject to the Funeral Rule (because they aren't selling services AND merchandise, just merchandise) they can hide things in fine print and tack extra costs under a "service fee" label.

That being said, there is nothing stopping you from using an alternate container. And often funeral homes have a running list of alternate containers that they can help provide to. Many people are surprised to hear that yes, you actually CAN just have a cheap plain pine box, and the funeral home can have it shipped same-day or overnight.

If you have something specific in mind, it can't hurt to ask the funeral director if they have a source for what you're looking for. You might be surprised! A good funeral home will keep an up-to-date and running list of a lot of options when it comes to containers, service venues, officiants, etc. Even if someone hasn't ordered a six-sided wood coffin in years, we still always know exactly where to get one if someone asks. If someone wants their loved one laid into their old canoe, I'd allow that and inform them and my staff about how we'll go about handling that. You also should never be embarrassed to just straight up say "what's the cheapest option?". There's a WIDE range for prices for caskets that are still beautiful. You also do not HAVE to have a casket to have a burial!

TLDR; buying a casket online might seem like a tempting prospect, but you have to be warry because massive online retailers don't have the same standards. If money is the issue, you do not have to have a casket; ask your funeral director about alternative options!

As always,

Memento Mori

[bath-bedroom-ketchen-garden]

Homedics Tabletop Water Fountain, Home Décor Soothing Sound Machine - Automatic Pump, Deep Basin & Natural River Rocks. Indoor Zen Relaxation for Office, Living Room, or Bedroom, 8.25” Tall

About this item

Decorative Tabletop Fountain: Bring a calming, zen, and decorative feel to any room; 3 tiers create a gentle soothing flow of water replicating the sights and sounds of a tranquil spring

Easy to Use: Quiet, built-in, submersible pump automatically circulates the water, keeping it free of algae buildup; plug the corded power supply into an outlet to turn on; flip the off switch to turn off

Artistic Design: Asian-inspired 3-tier design; unique lighting feature creates a soft reflection; natural river rocks can be added to any tier or to the extra-deep, open-style basin

De-Stress Anytime: Use it to unwind after a hard day, drift off to sleep, meditate, or practice yoga; display it in your baby’s nursery so they can enjoy its sounds and soft glow as a night-light

What’s in the Box: (1) EnviraScape Silver Springs Relaxation Fountain, (1) Set of River Rocks, (3) Leaf Tiers; (1) Power Cord & Adapter, (1) Pump Cover, Water Pump & Fountain Base, (1) Quick-Start Guide

Product Description

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No

Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.1 x 7.25 x 8.25 inches; 1 Pounds

Item model number ‏ : ‎ WFL-SLVS

Date First Available ‏ : ‎ August 15, 2007

Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ HoMedics

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000QTUJXS

Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA

Best Sellers Rank: #1,884 in Home & Kitchen 

[goldenpinof]

Facebook announcements (from venues, promoters, organisers and etc.) _ Europe

this post is gonna be updated with each new post from anyone. if there's something interesting going on, the city is gonna have a separate post/thread with screenshots and links. if i provide a link to the venue it means there's a TI page on it (and the link is to this page). if the venue didn't make a page for us, i highlight it.

Europe has screenshots in this post as an example of how i would do it ideally. starting from USA/Canada (that are in a separate post) and all updates are gonna be linked to screenshots posted on a different blog (because of Tumblr limits). this post aka Facebook announcements is divided by tour legs (also because of Tumblr limits).

all 4 posts (for 4 tour legs) are gonna have this disclaimer, yes. is this still confusing? yes.

if there's a major update, i'll reblog this post and add it to the cities that have something new.

any corrections or missing information are welcome as always.

Europe (September 2024):

general promoter (link to the website) - A Comic Soul - announcements, and events created for Stockholm, Helsinki and Oslo. they did fix Copenhagen's venue on some banners later

Antwerp, Belgium (link to the venue):

venue's (Stadsschouwburg Antwerpen) announcement (event was not created)

organiser's (LiveComedy.be) announcement + event created

ticket seller's (ticketmaster.be) announcement (event was not created)

Copenhagen, Denmark (link to the venue):

venue's (K.B. Hallen) announcement + event created

local promoter's (All Things Live) announcement + event created

ticket seller's (billetlugen.dk) announcement + event created

Berlin, Germany (link to the venue):

no venue's (Tempodrom) announcement or event

local promoter's (d2mberlin GmbH) announcement (event was not created)

nothing on the ticket seller's (eventim.de) page

Warsaw, Poland (link to the venue):

no venue's (Progresja) announcement or event

local promoter's (FKP Scorpio) announcement and sold out status + event created

nothing on ticket seller's (eventim.pl) page

Frankfurt, Germany (link to the venue):

no venue's (Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt) announcement or event

local promoter's (d2mberlin GmbH) announcement (event was not created) (look at Berlin for screenshots)

nothing on the ticket seller's (eventim.de) page

Stockholm, Sweden (no page on the venue's website; home page):

no venue's (Stockholm Waterfront) announcement or event

local promoter's (Shownight) announcement + event created

ticket seller's (eventim.se) announcement (event was not created)

Oslo, Norway (link to the venue):

venue's (Folketeateret) announcement (event was not created)

don't see any local promoter existing

nothing on the ticket seller's (EventimNorge) page

Helsinki, Finland (link to the venue):

venue's (Kulttuuritalo) announcement (event was not created)

i don't see any local promoter existing (note on the seller's site: The promoter, not Lippupiste Oy, is responsible for the event offered. The event is carried out by the promoter, who also issues the tickets. Lippupiste Oy is only acting as a ticketing agent on behalf of the promoter. - which is funny because usually they write promoter's name and here they just... don't). update: local promoter's (W&T Comedy) announcement (event was not created)

nothing on the ticket seller's (lippu.fi) page

[prabhatheblogger]

Helfinch Introduces Advanced EV Charger Cables for the USA Market

Helfinch, a leading innovator in the lighting and electrical industry, is proud to announce the launch of its latest product line: the advanced EV charger cables specifically designed for the USA market. These cables embody the company’s commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction, making them one of the best choices for electric vehicle (EV) owners in the United States.

Advanced Features for a Superior Charging Experience

Helfinch’s EV charger cables are packed with the latest features to ensure a reliable and efficient charging experience for all EV users. Here are some of the standout features that make Helfinch EV charger cables a top choice:

1. Durability and All-Weather ProtectionHelfinch EV charger cables are built to withstand the toughest conditions. With the highest Ingress Protection (IP) rating, these cables are dust-tight and protected against powerful water jets, ensuring they perform exceptionally well in any weather condition. Whether it’s rain, snow, or extreme heat, Helfinch cables maintain their integrity and functionality, providing peace of mind to users who need to charge their vehicles outdoors.

2. Smart Charging FeaturesThe smart charging capabilities of Helfinch cables set them apart from the competition. These features allow for efficient energy use, ensuring that your vehicle is charged optimally without overloading the power supply. Smart charging also provides users with the ability to schedule charging times, monitor energy consumption, and receive notifications via a user-friendly app. This level of control and convenience enhances the overall EV ownership experience.

3. Fast Quick ChargingOne of the most critical factors for EV owners is the speed of charging. Helfinch EV charger cables support fast quick charging, significantly reducing the time it takes to charge your vehicle. This feature is particularly beneficial for those who need to recharge their EVs quickly between trips. With Helfinch, you can get back on the road faster, making these cables ideal for both daily commutes and long-distance travel.

4. Extra Long SizesTo accommodate various user needs and charging setups, Helfinch offers its EV charger cables in extra-long sizes of 10, 15, and 20 meters. This range of lengths ensures that no matter where your charging station is located, you will have enough cable to reach your vehicle comfortably. This flexibility makes Helfinch cables suitable for a wide range of residential and commercial charging applications.

5. Multiple Color OptionsUnderstanding the importance of aesthetics and customization, Helfinch provides its EV charger cables in four distinct colors: Yellow, Green, Black, and White. This variety allows customers to choose a color that best matches their personal preference or vehicle color, adding a touch of personalization to their EV charging experience.

Top Selling Variants

Helfinch offers a variety of EV charger cables, each designed to meet different needs and preferences. Our top sellers are:

**NEMA 14–50 Plug with J1772 Connector** This is the most common and versatile option for Level 2 charging in homes. It plugs into a 240V outlet and is compatible with most electric vehicles (EVs) in the US. This variant is highly favored for its reliability and ease of use.

**NEMA 6–50 Plug with J1772 Connector** Another popular option for Level 2 charging, the NEMA 6–50 plug is often used in homes with older electrical systems. It also plugs into a 240V outlet and is compatible with most EVs. This variant is ideal for homes that may not have been updated to the latest electrical standards but still require efficient and effective charging solutions.

**Tesla Compatible Connector** Tesla vehicles use a proprietary connector, but Helfinch offers J1772 to Tesla adapters that allow Tesla owners to use standard Level 2 chargers. This flexibility ensures that Tesla drivers can benefit from the superior quality and features of Helfinch charger cables without any compatibility issues.

Our Additional Features

**Amperage Options** Helfinch understands that different EVs have different charging capabilities. Therefore, we offer both 16A and 32A chargers. This allows users to choose the appropriate amperage based on their vehicle’s specifications, ensuring efficient and safe charging.

**Smart Features** For added convenience, Helfinch cables come with smart features like Wi-Fi connectivity, energy monitoring, and scheduling. These features allow users to monitor their charging sessions, schedule charging times to take advantage of off-peak electricity rates, and receive real-time notifications about their charging status.

Available Exclusively Online

Helfinch has strategically chosen to make these premium EV charger cables available exclusively through online stores, including Amazon. This decision allows the company to reach a broader audience and provide customers with the convenience of shopping from the comfort of their homes. By leveraging the extensive reach and trusted service of Amazon, Helfinch ensures that its customers have easy access to these high-quality products with fast and reliable delivery options.

Why Choose Helfinch EV Charger Cables?

Helfinch has established a strong reputation in the electrical and lighting industry, known for its dedication to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction. Here are several reasons why choosing Helfinch EV charger cables is a wise investment for any EV owner:

**1. Proven Track Record**With years of experience in developing high-quality electrical products, Helfinch brings its expertise and commitment to excellence to the EV charger cable market. Customers can trust that they are purchasing a product from a reputable company that prioritizes performance and reliability.

**2. Cutting-Edge Technology**Helfinch is always at the forefront of technological advancements. The inclusion of smart charging features and fast charging capabilities in its EV charger cables demonstrates the company’s commitment to integrating the latest technology into its products. This ensures that customers receive the most efficient and convenient charging solutions available.

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[floridareptiles1]

PARROTS FOR SALE ONLINE – HEALTHY EXOTIC BIRDS FOR SALE REPTILE STORE

PARROTS FOR SALE ONLINE

Live Parrots Pet Store is one of the largest Parrot Specie breeder reptile store and seller in the USA. We sell Parrots such as African Grey Parrots, Amazon Parrots, Macaw Parrots, Conure Parrots, Cockatoo Parrots, Pionus Parrots and Eclectus parrots for sale online. We are specialized in both hand raised baby Parrots and adult Parrots as well. Our pet store staff helps in the education of each customer and is here to assist any client that visits our pet store. We breed almost any parrot you can think of, from as small as parrotlet to as large as several species of Macaw. We want to be the #1 all Parrot pet store when anyone searches parrots for sale online and will work very hard to earn your business and support you in your ownership of your Parrot pet.

PARROTS FOR SALE – ALL LIVE AND HEALTHY PARROTS FOR SALE REPTILE STORE

We believe in weaning our baby birds based on their individual needs and rates of maturity. All baby parrots for sale online must get a good start in life, both nutritionally and psychologically. Each of our babies is given a hand-feeding formula that is best suited to their species and individual needs. They are given a variety of foods at an early age, which allows them to explore and experiment with different tastes and textures. Our babies are weaned onto a pelleted diet, various trail mix blends, fresh fruits and vegetables, cooked beans and rice, grains, breads, pastas, and nuts (for the Macaws & Conures).

BEST BIRD STORE ONLINE REPTILE STORE

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We keep them in cages in our homes, but in their natural state, they are independent birds who can seek out water over hundreds of miles through pure instinct. We feed them seeds from a pet store, but they can find food in a wide variety of habitats. We give them plastic toys and mirrors to play with when in fact in the wild some have figured out how to use tools to communiparrote and attract mates. parrots for sale

#1 PARROT STORE ONLINE

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Welcome to Healthy Parrots For Sale Store. Your one stop online shop for the most adorable parrots you can find. We have a wide collection of these charming birds; we have several species available such as the amazon, african grey, electus, macaw etc. We also have parrot eggs for sale available on our store. All our parrots are super birds and in good health, vet checked and ready for adoption. They are properly trained and will make great home companions

Welcome To Our Parrot Pet Store – Healthy Parrots For Sale Online

The price of our Birds are very affordable every parrot lover can afford these birds. We are not out to make a profit but to find these birds the best home. The Live Parrots Shop has been breeding exotic birds since 1992 on their farm and specialize in importing and exporting birds from our Farms. Buy parrots for sale online here at floridareptiles.us

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Lizards For Sale

Lizards for Sale Reptile store

There are roughly 19 species of lizards that are native to Florida reptiles store in the geographically diverse state of the USA. Based on physical traits and appearance, four families of lizards are recognized in Florida. Reptiles of the family Crotaphytidae is typically recognized by their huge bodies and protracted tails. The Phrynosomatidae family, pet reptiles for sale in contrast, is distinguished by its diminutive size. The sizes of the third and fourth families, Scincidae and Teiidae, are not used to classify them but rather their morphologies.

Teiidae is very different from the other species. They are known as whiptails because of their long, sleek tails, bedding reptile cleaning and maintenance and their tongues are frequently forked. The lizard species of the Scincidae, however, best online reptile store have distinctly cylindrical bodies and very short limbs. Currently, you may purchase Florida lizards online from www.floridareptiles.us and benefit from our overnight shipping options. We at Florida Reptiles sell a variety of lizards, but some of the most popular ones include Abino iguanas, Yellow iguanas, Parsons Chameleons, and Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas, emerald tree boa for sale.

Snakes For Sale

Among many known reptiles of Florida, snakes are found in abundance. Around 30 species of snakes have been discovered throughout the state. While most of them are not poisonous, bidding starts on dec pm, Rattlesnake is a severely poisonous Florida reptile. There is no need for fear of encountering reptiles in Florida and visiting the wildlife with safety precautions well understood. pet reptile for sale

People find Snakes as one of the scariest reptiles; however, they play a great role in maintaining the ecosystem balance. We are reptile store have attempted to emulate good principles to take care of reptiles for sale. We have a wide selection of Florida snakes for sale. Florida  snakes can be purchased online from us, and we guarantee safe and timely delivery. Some of the most frequently purchased Florida snakes include black devil boas, reptiles for sale including , baby red tail boas, pied ball pythons, underground reptiles and adult black green tree pythons. You can buy Florida snakes online in the United States from us and save money on different species of Florida  snakes. captive bred reptiles for sale 

Turtles For Sale

Turtles are typically regarded as being harmless among the terrifying and venomous reptiles of Florida. Among the native reptiles of Florida are five different species of turtle. The Western Painted Turtle, Snapping Turtle, Spiny Softshell Turtle, and Yellow Mud Turtle are the four aquatic and wetland species. The only species found on land is an elaborate box turtle. The largest of the five species, the spiny softshell, reptile shop near montclair nj is primarily found in eastern Colorado. Ornate box turtles have recently been categorized as threatened due to habitat loss.

Every week, they rescue and take in reptiles and amphibians in Florida before placing them up for adoption in a secure environment. Some of the most well-known Florida turtle species available for purchase online include the Spotted turtle, Baby Spotted turtles, Albino Red Ear Slider turtle, Baby Asian Yellow Pond turtle, and Baby Desert Ornate Box turtle. In the USA and Europe, Florida turtles can be purchased.

Every week, they rescue and take in reptiles and amphibians in Florida before placing them up for adoption in a secure environment. Some of the most well-known Florida turtle species available for purchase online include the Spotted turtle, Baby Spotted turtles, subsrate and bedding reptile cleaning , Albino Red Ear Slider turtle, Baby Asian Yellow Pond turtle, and Baby Desert Ornate Box turtle. In the USA and Europe, Florida turtles can be purchased.

Tortoises For Sale

Unlike turtles, tortoises are land creatures. Like turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators and the elements by a hard shell. With an estimated lifespan of 200,000 years, Florida tortoises are regarded to be the longest-living land animals in the entire world. Some of the tortoise species available for purchase are adult pancake tortoises, reptile shops in edison nj , young Aldabra tortoises, young Burmese black mountain tortoises, young big south African leopard tortoises, young Greek tortoises, young hypo Sulcata tortoises, and young elongated tortoises.

These and many other varieties of tortoise are available for purchase from us online.

With only a few mouse clicks,  treats reptile subsrate and bedding captive bred reptiles for sale ,you may make the finest tortoise buy of your life with next-day delivery and enormous savings! Our enormous clientele is dispersed throughout the USA and Europe. Give us a chance to provide you with the best reptiles for sale online by ordering your Florida tortoise and other reptiles from the United States.

Are there rattlesnakes in Florida Reptile store?

Snakes are the most abundant species among all Florida reptiles. There are around thirty (30) snakes in Florida , out of which only three (03) are threats to human life. All three of these are rattlesnakes, and they come from the Viperidae family. 

Their common names are Prairie Rattlesnake, Midget Faded Rattlesnake, and Massasauga. All three rattlesnakes are different in physical appearance and various characteristics; however, they possess a few mutual characteristics that help identify them. As the name suggests, the end of the tails look rattle-like, and they have triangle-shaped heads. The eyes are vertical in shape, and all have thick bodies.

Prairie Rattlesnake is the most common type of rattlesnake species. They are the largest among the other rattlesnakes and are known as Western Rattlesnakes and Great Plain Snakes. Among the snakes found in Colorado Springs, Prairie Rattlesnake is the only rattlesnake found there. 

Midget-faded rattlesnakes are found in a limited number in Florida . Their only natural habitat is in the Green River and Florida River basins. Midget-faded rattlesnakes are generally called faded rattlesnakes due to their color and size. They have bodies the shade of pink and yellow with red scales and have darker markings all over, which fade as they age.

In addition to these venomous reptiles of Florida , two species of Massasauga Rattlesnake are also found in Southeastern Florida . These snakes include western massasaugas and desert massasaugas. 

Snakes in Southeaster

n Florida inhabit relatively dry areas such as rocky terrains and dry grasslands. They are the shortest among the Florida rattlesnakes and can grow up to 20 inches in total. The color and appearance of both the snakes are pretty similar, with greyish and dull base color and dark patches all over the body. We sell a wide variety of Florida snakes online, and you can buy them directly from our live reptiles store.

 Which species of reptiles and amphibians are there in Florida reptile store?

Florida is home to many native reptiles and amphibians. There are around 19 species of amphibians and around 58 species of reptiles currently known in the state. 

Among the species of amphibians in Florida, the Western Tiger salamander is the only salamander species. It is well-recognized as it was designated as Colorado’s state symbol in 2012. They live around water bodies such as damp areas in forests and pine barrens. 

Florida Tiger Salamander is a nocturnal species and can grow up to 14 inches. They eat everything from small insects to earthworms. Other amphibians in Florida include anurans, i.e., frogs and toads. Some of the frog species found commonly in Florida are American Bullfrog, Northern Leopard frog, Canyon Tree frog, etc. American Bullfrog is known as the biggest frog among these species. Florida toads include Great Plain Toad, Red Spotted Toad, etc. 

Among the reptiles in Florida , lizards and snakes are found in abundance. There are around nineteen (19) species of lizards and thirty (30) species of snakes found across the Colorado state. 

Lizards in Florida are categorically divided into four families. The list includes Texas Horned Lizard, Round-tail Horned Lizard, Tree Lizard, The Eastern Fence Lizard, etc. The most well-known species of snake found in the state is Rattlesnake.

Florida turtles and tortoises are found in the eastern part of Florida . Four out of five species found in the state are aquatic, and only one species, Ornate Box Turtle, is terrestrial. This terrestrial species has been marked as threatened species due to habitat loss in recent years. Contact us right away to take advantage of our special online discounts on our Florida reptiles store.

What kind of lizards are there in Florida Reptile store?

Among the Florida mountain reptiles, lizards are present in the majority population. There are around nineteen (19) species of lizards in Florida reptile store . These species are categorized into four (04) families on the basis of their size and shape. 

The first family, called Family Crotaphytidae, consists of two species. Common names for these Florida reptiles are Collared Lizard and Longnose Leopard Lizard. The characteristics that define this family are large bodies with huge heads and long limbs. 

The second family is Family Phrynosomatidae. There are nine species of lizards in this family, What is the best website to buy reptiles? and they are characterized based on their relatively small bodies. The common names are Texas Horned Lizards, Eastern Fence Lizard, Side-Blotched Lizard, Short-Horned Lizard, Desert Spiny Lizard, Tree Lizard, Lesser Earless Lizard, Sagebrush Lizard, and Round-tail Horned Lizard. 

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https://floridareptiles.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/reptiles.jpg

Where Do We Ship Reptiles?

We ship Florida reptile Store in the United States and Europe. Our customer base stretches from the United States to Canada, the UK, and all of Europe. You can buy Florida reptiles online from our online store to take advantage of our special discounts for online customers. We have a diverse clientele that ranges from the United States to Europe. The Abino iguana, Parsons Chameleon, Black devil boa, Yellow iguana, reptile store near me , Grand Cayman blue iguana, Surname boa, Spotted turtle, Baby Spotted turtle, geckos for sale and Baby red tail boa is among our most popularly purchased Florida exotic pet reptiles.

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

S/O drags skeleton to a Comic Con. How goes their day?

My Comic Con in France is less impressive and a bit different than in the United States, so sorry if it works differently in the USA!

Undertale Sans - His face is neutral but you can tell he's having fun. He bought already a lot of japan stuff for his brother, his friends and him, and he made buddies with the seller of a joke shop, even giving him advice to ruin the day of his clients. He's also following you in the queues and randomly teleports you in front of the celebrities, freaking the shit out of them and of you because you didn't have time to prepare. Well, at least you don't have to wait hours.

Undertale Papyrus - As Mettaton great friend, he has a VIP pass. You two passed your morning backstage talking to various celebrities and fangirling like two teenagers. You then went in a big theater to watch the new superheroes movies announcement, and you two screamed so hard both of your voices died. After that, you're just having fun, looking around and buying little things for family and friends.

Underswap Sans - He's vibrating with excitement, you can barely follow him. Blue has only one objective: winning the lightsaber competition. He spend his day there, fighting people so fast they never have time to see what's coming. It only became interesting when Alphys, noticing him, challenged him. The legend says they are still fighting this day. After they took over the ring, all the other people could do was watching as their fight is taking forever. You eventually steps in to drag him home. Blue is still screaming he will have his revenge by the time you push him out.

Underswap Papyrus - He's very excited too! You two are cosplaying, obviously, and are part of the cosplay contest. While you're waiting, you go meet some celebrities, which ended with you talking and Honey crying hysterically hugging his favorite romance novel because they said he's cute. You two also won the cosplay contest, which made Honey cries even more as it's one of his favorite actor who gave him the trophy. He leaves the Comic Con with a tower of books and goodies so high it doesn't fit in the car. He's going to talk about this for weeks!

Underfell Sans - He was not very enthusiastic to go, but you convinced him so he came anyway. And even if he's trying really hard not to show it, you can tell he's having fun. He took a ton of selfies with random cosplayers, spent two hours playing a RPG, and beat everyone on an old version of Mario, giggling evily every time he made a 8 years old cry. He also talked with the voice actor of one of his favorite video game's character and he had stars in the eyes the whole time. Also, a few weeks later, he comes to you all by himself to try to convince you to go to a video game con, which means he loved it.

Underfell Papyrus - You don't know how, but you managed to convince him to cosplay. At first, he was not very enthusiastic, even thinking he looked quite stupid, but then people started to come to him for photos, or just for talking and... omg? He's so popular? Like people are liking him for real, not just by fear? He looks at you in shock, not believing it. After that, he goes from grumpy to very confident in two seconds, signing papers for children and gladly posing for photos. It boosted his ego so high at the end of the day, he's accepting to compete in the cosplay contest. And he won! He didn't know why everyone freaked out when that "Robert Downey Junior" or something cames in person to congratulate him for his Iron Man cosplay (who the fuck is Iron Man? You chose the cosplay, he has no idea who he's supposed to be) but everyone took pictures of the two of you and he gained a lot of followers on his social medias, so he tolerated it.

Horrortale Sans - He's clinging to you, very uncomfortable. There's too many people, too many noises, too many menacing things and cosplays bigger than him. He's jumping at the slightest sound and looking everywhere around him like a panicked wild animal. But you know how to distract him and gently leads him to the japanese food stands. He never tried any of this, so he's a bit reluctant at first, but man, as soon as he starts eating, you can see his pupil dilates in shock. He forgot all the people and the noise instantly and he will beg all afternoon to go back eating some more.

Horrortale Papyrus - He's a bit uncomfortable at first because he is so tall he feels like he doesn't belong, and the day started quite badly. Some mean people screamed at him in the Marvel conference because they couldn't see anything, and some Marvel celebrities got mad he was insulted and invited him on stage. You're cheering him as he's just standing there with a big smile and stars in the eyes, making friend with Captain America so much he invites him in backstage after the show. Willow drags you with him. He's sure is excited when he fetches you to go with them and you spend all afternoon playing UNO with the Marvel crew. You're quite still have difficulties to realise it's real, but ok!

Swapfell Sans - He didn't want to go, so you tricked him saying you were going in a luxuous boat trip and brings him here anyway. He was mad and pouting until he saw some stands of fake weapons that immediately caught his interest. He talked with the sellor and managed to convince some to put some of his jewalry on their work, and got their email address. When he comes and finds you again, he has a big smile on the face. Also, you took one of his rings to gift to a Marvel celebrity and they immediately post a self of you two and the ring for Instagram. Nox is stunned as the number of people visiting his website is exploading. He gently pats your back and asks you how the hell he can have his own stand here. Well what a twist.

Swapfell Papyrus - He bought a ridiculous bootleg Freddy Fazbear's costume and he's parading in the Comic Con with it. The thing he's so small half of his spine is visible, but he's still having fun, taking pictures with cosplayers. Eventually, his pants cracked when he leaned to take a photo with a child, but he says it was supposed to happen and keeps walking, shaking his booty. You tried so hard to prevent him for going on the cosplay scene, but he went anyway. You are so ashame you go to hide in the toilets. At least he is having fun...

Fellswap Gold Sans - He's criticizing everything and everyone and it's so annoying. And not only you is annoyed. A group of Star Wars fans didn't like how he said their space ship looked like shit and yelled at him, challenging him to a lightsaber contest. Not their best idea as Wine took the game a bit too seriously and used a real sharp bone to fight them instead of a plastic lightsaber. You grabs him in panick and drags him out of here, apologizing to the fans, as Wine is screeching hysterically, begging you to let him go and kill them to teach them a lesson. This is going to be a long day.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - This was a mistake. Wine gave him lot of money so he can buy what he wants. And what Coffee wants? Plushies. Lot and lot of plushies. You are begging him to not buy that 5 meters high Totoro, but he isn't listening to you, stars in the eyes, as the seller is corrupting him to push him to buy the gigantic plush. And he buys it. You spend the rest of the day dragging a giant Totoro everywhere and getting screamed at by people because you're blocking the way. You are dead inside at this point, knowing you will have to put this monster in your car at one point.

[remembertheplunge]

Black Pears Journal

 Monday 10/25/2004 Just past 6am. still dark.Black Pearls Journal

Quotes from the National Best Seller “Black Pearls."

ANGER;  “ When you clench your fist, no one can put anything in your hand, nor can your hand pick up anything.' Alex Haley from “Roots”

On this day, I…..ponder existence, 

Monday’s true spelling is anger.  The heart stops at 9am. Denny and Margie here. Intense, Burt fun. They sleep.

Think I’ll take the afternoon off. Call in sick. Vacation.Day Off. Lu day. Day to detail. Note. Notice. Collect. Appreciate. feel. To be. Huge effort. To get. To here. Take the day off. Off. Off what? Off the hook? Off means “In”.   In. Joy. Meant. I like goofing off more than Money. From Alan Watts book.

End of entry

Note:

I’d seen a little squib on CNN the day before I wrote the above entry. I believe that it said most heart attacks in the USA are at 9am Monday or on Saturday. It also said that 20% of US workers call in sick  because they just don’t feel like working. I think it was 20%.

As you can see from above and from the photo of this page I will post after I post this entry, at 9:30am 10/25/2004, fellow attorney Gene Trimble called to tell me that Superior Court Judge Wray Ladine died of a heart attack in the court house earlier that morning!

When I interviewed for a DA job in Modesto in The Spring of 1984, Wray Ladine, then a Deputy District Attorney, was one of two Da’s to interview me. I had also applied to work at the Stanislaus County Public Defender’s office. The Da’s office didn’t hire me. But, thg Public Defender’s office did.

 Wray Ladine died in the courtt house 10/25/2004.  What I heard was, the weekend before his death, an ambulance had been called to judge Ladine’s  house, but, he sent it away. He only had one case on in his Department, Department 8 that morning. He wasn’t supposed to be in that day,

At around 8:20am, before the case was called at 8:30am, he was sitting in a chair outside of his chamber’s by the bailiff’s desk. A Deputy District Attorney, and a Female probation  officer were in the area. 

They heard the judge’s pencil drop. They turned to watch  him collapse to the floor, dead. The court house community was horrified. For me, Department 8 has never been the same. 

So, kind of uncanny that I wrote about Monday morning heart attacks at 6am that morning. 

At 5:03pm, I noted that the #2 story on KCRA 3 TV News out of Sacramento was about Judge Ladine “Died in his chambers” A judge from 2000-2004.

Margie and Denny were my partner Jim’s mother and older brother.

They lived in San Luis Obispo County, a 4 or 5 hour drive from our house in Modesto.

They left for home that day, October 25, 2004..

It was the last time that we saw Margie in person before her death in April 2005.

Black Pearls Journal was a journal book I bought at a yard sale. It had not been written in. Each page contained  a quote from the book Black Pearls and the prompt “On this day, I…” followed by a blank space for you to write your thoughts.

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

3rd March >> Fr. Martin's Homilies / Reflections on Today's Mass Readings (Inc. John 2:13-25) for the Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle B: ‘He was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body’.

Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

Gospel (Except USA) John 2:13-25 Destroy this sanctuary and in three days I will raise it up.

Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money-changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

During his stay in Jerusalem for the Passover many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he gave, but Jesus knew them all and did not trust himself to them; he never needed evidence about any man; he could tell what a man had in him.

Gospel (USA) John 2:13–25 Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.

Homilies (7)

(i) Third Sunday of Lent

When someone launches an attack on something we hold dear, we can get very defensive. This is especially so when our faith is attacked in some way. Even a verbal assault on our faith can leave us feeling very disturbed, especially if our faith is central to who we are. We often find it difficult to face up to even legitimate criticism of the faith community to which we belong.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus launches an attack on the most sacred institution of the Jewish faith, the Temple in Jerusalem. As a Jew, he would have had a love for the Temple. In today’s gospel reading he refers to it as ‘my Father’s house’. This was the place where God, the Father of Jesus, wanted people to feel at home, all people, not just Jews. Later on in this gospel of John, Jesus would say, ‘In my Father’s house there are many rooms’. Jesus was giving us here an image of heaven which suggested the wide and welcoming love of God, calling people to be at home in his presence. If the Temple was God the Father’s house on earth, it needed to be a place where all felt welcome, regardless of their nationality, their social status, their background or way of life. Jesus clearly saw that what was going on in the courtyard of the Temple, the buying and selling of animals for sacrifice, the changing of foreign coinage for a coinage acceptable within the Temple, was cutting across what the Temple was meant to be as God’s welcoming house on earth. It was serving the interests of the people in charge of the Temple, rather than the interests of all who were seeking God. The energy Jesus displayed in the Temple sprung from the conviction that all was far from well in his Father’s house. We would all feel moved to action if the home of our parents was being undermined in some way.

It was love for God his Father and for all those whom God loved that drove Jesus to do what he did in the Temple that day. Love is not always something soft and gentle. Love can drive people to disturb those who need disturbing. A parent will take on an institution if their child is being damaged by it. A son or daughter will go after those in positions of authority if their parents are suffering because of them. Jesus disturbed the peace of the Temple that day because he could see that this was not God’s peace, the peace which causes all people to flourish as human beings. The risen Lord continues to disturb false peace today. Just as the Temple was to be the earthly expression of God’s heavenly house, the church, the community of believers, is to be the living expression in this world of the kingdom of God. When the church fails to live up to this calling, the Lord will work passionately to purify and renew it.  The church’s identity is to be God’s many roomed house today, not just the physical building we call church, but the community of believers. The church is to be not so much a place but a communal space where all can feel at home in the welcoming embrace of God’s unconditional love, and in the strength of that embrace become more loving people. The zeal that drove Jesus to do what he did in the Temple continues to drive him today as risen Lord. It drives him to keep renewing the community of his disciples, the church, so that it becomes more fully the sacrament of God’s presence in the world.

The church is made up of individual believers. The risen Lord is always zealous to renew the lives of each one of us. He continues to pour his Spirit, the Holy Spirit, into each of our lives so that we become more like him, loving God with all our being and loving others as God loves us. This is the kind of life towards which the Ten Commandments in the first reading direct us. Lent is a time when we are each invited to open our lives more fully to the renewing love of the Lord.

In the gospel reading it is not surprising that those in charge of the Temple did not open themselves up to Jesus’ purifying and renewing love. They asked Jesus to justify his actions. In response, Jesus points to himself as the new Tempe or sanctuary. God’s home will no longer be in a physical building, no matter how awe inspiring. Christ crucified and risen will now become God’s house, where God is at home and where all are called to be at home. The God who lives in Jesus today calls out to all; the doors of this temple are open to all, wherever we find ourselves on life’s journey. People will no longer have to travel to Jerusalem or anywhere else to be at home in God’s presence. The risen Lord, God’s new home, will travel to them. The Lord is with us always and everywhere until the end of time. Our own places become holy ground whenever we become aware of the Lord’s presence to us and open our hearts to him. Because the Word became flesh and dwells among us, God is present at the heart of the everyday and the ordinary.

And/Or

(ii) Third Sunday of Lent

There is a strong contrast between last Sunday’s gospel reading and the gospel reading this morning. The quiet, prayerful scene on the mountain of transfiguration last Sunday has given way to the frenetic and hectic scene in the Jerusalem temple this Sunday. Perhaps that contrast reflects something of the rhythm of our own lives. We have our moments on the mountain top when all seems well, time stands still, and the phrase, ‘it is good for us to be here’ comes easily to our lips. Then again we have other moments when disturbance and conflict are more to the fore, when chaos reigns supreme, when, far from wanting to hold on to the experience, we want it to pass as quickly as possible.

Most of the Sundays of this liturgical year we read from Mark’s gospel, but this morning our gospel reading comes from the gospel of John. More than the other three gospels, John’s gospel emphasizes the divinity of Jesus. Yet, John’s gospel never lets us forget that Jesus is a human being. He is God, but he is God in human form. As someone who is fully human, Jesus experiences the whole range of human emotions. On one occasion, at the death of Lazarus, John tells us that Jesus ‘greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved’. In this morning’s gospel, the fourth evangelist portrays an angry Jesus. He is angry that the Temple, the house of his Father, has become a kind of a market. This hallowed institution was not serving the purpose for which it was intended. Instead of being a place where all could serve God freely, it had become a place that served the commercial interests of a small number of people. Jesus’ anger came from his zeal for God his Father. It is similar to the anger a son or daughter would experience if they saw one of their parents being badly treated. Jesus’ anger gave him the energy to do what he did in the Temple. In his anger he set about reclaiming the temple for the worship of God. The expression of his anger didn’t lead to anyone being hurt or physically damaged. Jesus expressed his anger constructively, in a way that served God’s purpose. In a rather dramatic way, he put down a clear marker that ‘business as usual’ was not an option. Things would have to change. God’s business took priority over ‘business as usual’. In the gospel reading we see Jesus disturbing the status quo, because the status quo, business as usual, was not how God wanted things done in his house.

We can think of anger as always something negative. We can even categorize it as sin. That is understandable because, as we all know, anger is a difficult emotion to handle. Anger can lead us do and say things that are better not done or said. We can look back at what we did or said in anger and feel ashamed. Yet, the anger we feel can often be an indication that something in our environment is not right, that some way of doing things is not as God would have it. It would be strange if we did not feel some anger in the face of an obvious injustice done to ourselves or others. The anger many experienced at the behaviour of a small number of priests and at the failure of church authorities to deal adequately with the situation was understandable. The anger someone might feel if a close friend or a family member was falsely accused of some crime would also be understandable. This is justified anger, healthy anger.

The question then arises, ‘what do we do with our justified anger’? Do we take it and use it to make worse the situation that originally angered us? Or do we take this energy and, with the Lord’s help, use it to make a bad situation better? Do we channel it in a way that is life-giving and creative, in a way that serves God’s purpose, and that furthers the coming of God’s kingdom? Anger, like any other human emotion, is a form of emotional energy, and, as such, it can be used for a good purpose or for a harmful purpose; it can be a force for good or a force for harm. There is a good example of Jesus channelling his anger in a life-giving way in the gospel of Mark. A man with a withered hand was brought to Jesus in a synagogue on a Sabbath day. The religious leaders did not want the man healed on the Sabbath, because they considered that this was against the law of Sabbath rest. Mark tells us that Jesus looked round at them in anger, and then healed the man. Jesus’ anger bore life-giving fruit for one sick person.

Our calling is to channel our justified anger into the service of God, to place our anger at the service of God’s values. One expression of God’s values is what we know as the ten commandments, as given in our first reading this morning. If the expression of our anger leads us to do something that violates those values, then our anger has become a negative power, damaging of ourselves and of others. This morning we might ask the Lord to help us to place all our emotional energy, including our anger, at his service, so that this energy serves God’s purpose and the coming of God’s kingdom among us.

And/Or

(iii) Third Sunday of Lent

We all admire individuals or groups who see something wrong and commit themselves to putting it right. In our own country various groups over the years have formed around many issues because they feel some injustice has been done and has not been put to rights. Their passion for truth and justice gives them the energy to pursue some significant issue, even in the face of official indifference and stone walling. It is often because they themselves have been personally affected by the issue in question that they keep pursuing it until they get an outcome that begins to put things right. We need such individuals and groups to keep us on our toes. We can all be too laid back about issues that we really should be worked up about. It can take the passionate commitment of a few to bring home to us that there are serious matters here that need to be addressed.

Most of the Jews who used the Jewish temple in Jesus’ day probably did not see any great problem with it. They had grown used to the ways things were done in the Temple precincts. They just accepted it and went along with it. However, when Jesus went into the Temple he saw it with very different eyes. His deep relationship with God as his Father alerted him to all that was wrong in the Temple set up. As he expressed it himself, his Father’s house had become a market. What should have been a place of worship had become a place of commerce. Jesus saw immediately that God’s purposes were not being served by what was going on in the Temple. Other purposes were being served which had little to do with what the Temple was meant to be about. In a daring symbolic action Jesus expressed God’s displeasure at what the Temple had become. He went further and declared that the Temple of stone would be replaced by a new temple, the temple of his risen body, which would become the focus of a new kind of worship - worship in Spirit and in truth, as he said to the Samaritan women. Because Jesus is the truth, worship in truth would be a sharing in the risen Jesus’ own worship of God, and this would be made possible by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit who inspires us to cry out Abba, Father, as Jesus does, also works to bear rich fruit in our day to day lives, what Paul calls the fruit of love, joy, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. We could add also the fruit of a passion for justice and truth. In that way, worship and daily living would be of a piece, inspired by the one Spirit of God.

In the gospel reading, Jesus showed himself to be a disturber of the peace, because the peace he found in the temple was not the peace of God. The risen Jesus continues to be a disturber of false peace today. He continues to challenge ways of relating between people that are not an expression of God’s purpose. He continues to set himself against forms of worship that do not take God seriously. The disruptive Jesus that the gospel reading puts before us has not gone away. If we are really open to the risen Lord’s presence in our lives we will come to share his sense of disturbance at all that is contrary to God’s intention, whether that be in the church or the society in which we live or the larger world. Taking on the task of disturbing people and situations that need disturbing will often cost us something. When the disciples saw Jesus acting against the practices of the Temple, they remembered the words of Scripture, ‘Zeal for your house will devour me’. Jesus’ zeal to put right what was wrong literally devoured him; it put him on a cross. Taking a stand for the values of God, the values that are expressed in the Ten Commandments in today’s first reading, will often carry a certain risk. Yet, this is the risk that the risen Lord often asks us to take. Jesus stood alone in his stance against the temple. The risen Jesus does not ask us to stand alone. We take our stand with other believers. We witness together to the values of the Father, revealed in the life, death and resurrection of his Son.

The stand that Jesus took in the Temple could be considered foolish. He was setting himself against powerful interest groups, which could only spell danger for him. Yet, as Paul states in today’s second reading, ‘God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom’. Sometimes God may ask us to take a step that, from a merely human point of view, looks foolish, and, yet, in reality is an expression of the wisdom and power of God.

Jesus took his stand in the Temple as God in human form. He could speak authoritatively of his Father’s house. When we take a stand against something, we always do so as sinners. In our efforts to try and put something right, we are aware that all is probably not right in our own lives. The temple of our own lives will need cleansing to some degree; how we speak and act does not always serve God’s purposes. This awareness will keep us humble as we try to give expression in our lives to the Lord’s passion for the values of God’s kingdom.

And/Or

(iv) Third Sunday of Lent

Compared to earlier generations, one of the features that characterizes this generation is speed. We can communicate with one another at a speed that would have been unthinkable a couple of generations ago. An email reaches its destination on the other side of the world in a matter of seconds. Journeys that took days or even weeks in the time of my grandparents now take hours. Builders build much faster than they built in the past. We need only think of the changes in our own city resulting from the building boom of the past decade or more. Many of us probably think that much of what has been built quickly may not endure; it won’t stand the test of time. In the ancient world, the world of Jesus, the world of the early church, buildings, especially significant political or religious buildings, were built to last. If you go to Rome today, you can still see the remains of the significant political and religious buildings of the Roman Empire. In Jerusalem, in the time of Jesus, the most significant public building by far was a religious building, the temple. In the gospel reading this morning, the Jewish authorities remind Jesus that it had taken forty six years to build the temple. Indeed, in the time of Jesus, the temple begun by Herod the Great was not yet complete. It would take another fourteen years, sixty years in all, for it to be finally finished. If a building firm gave a timescale of sixty years to complete a building today, it is fair to say that they would be unlikely to get the contract.

Jesus was aware of the huge religious and political significance of the temple in his day, and yet he challenged it, and he challenged those responsible for it, because he recognized that the temple was not in fact serving God’s purposes. As Jesus says in this morning’s gospel reading, ‘Stop turning my Father’s house into a market’. There is a big difference between a house and a market. A house has the potential at least to be a home. A market could never really be a home; people go to markets to buy and sell. Buying and selling are not activities you associate with home. The temple was to be God’s house, God’s home, a place where all people could feel at home in God’s presence. The activities associated with the market were preventing the temple from being the home that God wanted it to be, a spiritual home for all the nations. Jesus saw that here was an institution in need of reform.

Every institution, including every religious institution, is always in need of reform. The church, in so far as it is a human institution, is in need of ongoing reform. The church exists to serve the purposes of God, the purposes of God’s Son, in the world. However, inevitably, because the church is composed of human beings, it can also serve as a block to God’s purposes. The church is called to be the sacrament of Christ, to reveal the powerful and life-giving presence of Christ to the world. However, invariably, it will often hide Christ or revealed a distorted image of Christ to the world, one that is not fully in keeping with the gospels. In the second reading, Paul sets God’s wisdom over against human wisdom, God’s power over against human strength. The church can sometimes substitute God’s wisdom with human wisdom, God’s power with human strength. Just as in the gospel reading Jesus wanted to purify the temple, the risen Lord is constantly working to purify the church. All of us who make up the church need to be open to his purifying presence. In the works of the book of Revelation, we need to be listening to what the Spirit, the Spirit of the risen Lord, is saying to us the church. Those in positions of leadership in the church have a special responsibility to listen to what the Spirit may be saying to the church, so as to bring it more into line with what God intends. However, we are all called to listen to the challenging word of the Spirit and to be open to the purifying presence of the risen Lord. We are all the church, and we all have our part to play in ensuring that the church is what the Lord intends it to be. Lent in particular is a time when we try to listen to what the Spirit may be saying to us about our lives; it is a time when as individuals and as a community we are called to allow the Spirit to renew our lives so that we conform more fully to the image and likeness of Christ.

The fiery Jesus of the gospel reading who is passionate about what God wants remains alive and active at the heart of the church today. The relationship between the Lord and the church, between the Lord and each one of us, will always be marked by a certain tension, because the Lord will always be working to purify and renew us. In the light of the gospel reading we might ask ourselves in what ways we have allowed the values of the market place to override the values of the gospel in our own lives, in the life of our society, in the life of our church.

And/Or

(v) Third Sunday of Lent

We all admire people who see something wrong and commit themselves to putting it right. In our own country various groups over the years have formed around many issues because they feel some injustice has been done and has not been put to rights. Their passion for truth and justice gives them the energy to address the injustice, the wrong, even in the face of official indifference and stone walling. It is often because they themselves have been personally affected by the issue in question that they keep pursuing it until they get an outcome that begins to put things right. We need such people to keep us on our toes. We can all become too complacent about issues that we really need to be worked up about. It can take the passionate commitment of a few to bring home to us that there are serious matters that need to be addressed.

Most of the Jews who used the Jewish temple in Jesus’ day probably did not see any great problem with it. They had grown used to the ways things were done in the Temple precincts. However, when Jesus went into the Temple he saw it with very different eyes. His deep relationship with God as Father alerted him to what was wrong in the way the Temple was being run. As he expressed it himself, his Father’s house had become a market. What should have been a place of worship had become a place of commerce. Jesus saw that God’s purposes were not being served by what was going on in the Temple. Other purposes were being served which had little to do with what the Temple was meant to be about. In a daring symbolic action Jesus expressed God’s displeasure at what the Temple had become. He overturned the tables of the money changers and drove them out along with those who sold animals. It is an angry Jesus we meet in this morning’s gospel reading. He went on to declare that the Temple of stone would be replaced by a new temple, the temple of his risen body. He himself as risen Lord would become the focus of a new kind of worship – a worship in Spirit and in truth, as he said to the Samaritan women. The Spirit of God who inspires our worship will also be working to bear rich fruit in our daily lives. Our worship and our daily lives are to be inspired by the one Spirit of God.

In the gospel reading, Jesus showed himself to be a disturber of the peace, because the peace he found in the temple was not the peace of God. The risen Jesus continues to be a disturber of false peace today. He continues to challenge ways of relating between people that are not an expression of God’s purpose. He continues to set himself against forms of worship that do not take the ways of God seriously. He must be as angry at some of what has gone on in the church as he was in the Temple on that day. If we are really open to the risen Lord’s presence in our lives we will come to share his sense of disturbance at all that is contrary to God’s intention, whether that be in the church or in society. He will move us to take action as he did. Taking on the task of disturbing people and situations that need disturbing will often cost us something. When the disciples saw Jesus acting against the practices of the Temple, they remembered the words of Scripture, ‘Zeal for your house will devour me’. Jesus’ zeal to put right what was wrong in God’s house did indeed devour him; it put him on a cross. Taking a stand for the values of God, the values that are expressed in the Ten Commandments, will often mean the way of the cross for us too. Yet, this is the path that the risen Lord often asks us to take.

The stand that Jesus took in the Temple could be considered foolish from a purely human point of view. He was setting himself against powerful interest groups, and putting his life at risk. Yet, as Paul states in today’s second reading, ‘God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom’. Sometimes God may be asking us to take a step that, from a merely human point of view, looks foolish, and, yet, in reality is an expression of the wisdom and power of God.

Jesus took his stand in the Temple as God in human form. When we take a stand against some wrong or some injustice, we always do so as sinners. In our efforts to try and put something right, we are aware that all is not right in our own lives. The temple of our own lives is always in need of cleansing. We haven’t always been faithful to our baptismal calling. Lent is a time for cleansing the deep personal sanctuary of our hearts, for driving out of our lives whatever clutters our discipleship, whatever blocks our ears to the words of Jesus and distracts us from using justly and lovingly the gifts God has given us. This awareness that we are not all what we are called to be helps to keep us humble as we try to put right what we see to be wrong.  

And/Or

(vi) Third Sunday of Lent

Tradition tends to have a bad name today. It suggests what belongs to the past and is out of touch with the present. People often speak about the weight of tradition, as if it were a burden that needs to be jettisoned. It is true that traditional ways of doing things do not always serve us well in the present. Jesus once spoke about his message as new wine which cannot be contained by old wineskins. He came to renew his own Jewish religious tradition. The church, the community of Jesus’ followers, is always in need of renewal. Within the church we need to keep renewing the traditional wineskins we have inherited if the new wine of the Lord’s message is to be communicated to our contemporaries.

Yet, there were aspects of his own religious tradition that Jesus affirmed because they were of lasting value. It is clear from the gospels that Jesus affirmed the value of the ten commandments. He affirmed them and he went beyond them. His teaching was even more radical than the teaching of the ten commandments. In the Sermon on the Mount, he quotes some of the ten commandments to affirm them, and then he goes beyond them, as when he says, ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not kill”… but I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you are liable to judgement’. If is as if Jesus was saying, ‘You must value the ten commandments as the basic minimum, and I will show you an even more radical way of living which the Holy Spirit makes possible’. The church has continued to affirm the value of the ten commandments, from its earliest days. It has recognized that this expression of the Jewish tradition has enduring value. The Catechism of the Catholic Church has four major parts to it. The third part is entitled ‘Life in Christ’ and it concerns the moral life. It has two sections to it, and the second section is devoted entirely to a commentary on the ten commandments.

The ten commandments, as we have them in today’s gospel reading, have a clear structure to them. The first three concern our relationship with God and the following seven our relationship with each other. The first three commandments call on us to allow the one true God to be God of our lives. For us as Christians, the one true God has been fully revealed in the person of Jesus. God, the Father of Jesus and our Father, is to be given our primary loyalty. One of the ways we show this loyalty is by honouring the Sabbath, our Sunday. On Sunday, when we gather for worship, we are publicly acknowledging that God has first place in our lives. The structure of the ten commandments suggests that giving God first place in our lives finds expression in a certain way of relating to others, such as caring for family members, particularly parents, safeguarding human life in all its forms, reverencing the bodies of others, respecting the property of others, and honouring the truth in our dealings with others. When Jesus was once asked, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’, he answered by giving two commandments, neither of which were taken from the list of ten commandments. He declared that the first commandment is ‘You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’, and that the second commandment is, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’. In a way, these two commandments summarize the ten commandments.  The first three of the ten commandments spell out what it is to love God with all our being, and the remaining seven commandments show what is involved in loving our neighbour as ourselves.

When Jesus entered the Temple in Jerusalem, in today’s gospel reading, he recognized that neither of these two great commandments, or the ten commandments which they summarized, were being lived out. God was not being truly honoured or worshipped as God, and God’s people were not being respected or cared for. God his Father’s house of prayer had become a market place where the poor, in particular, were being exploited. In the other gospels Jesus uses the expression ‘den of robbers’ for the Temple. Jesus recognized that the Temple authorities had lost touch with what was best in their tradition, as expressed in the two great commandments and in the ten commandments.

In that gospel reading, Jesus points to himself as the true Temple or sanctuary, ‘Destroy this sanctuary and in three days I will raise it up’. Unlike the physical Temple, he embodies what was best in his own religious tradition; he brings that tradition to full flowering. He shows us by his life, death and resurrection what a life shaped by the two great commandments, a life shaped by the ten commandments, looks like. He loved God with all his being, and this love of God overflowed in a self-emptying love of others, including his enemies. That is why our fundamental calling as Christians is not so much to follow a set of commandments, but to follow the person of Jesus Christ, to grow into his image and likeness, to allow him to live out his life in us through the Holy Spirit.

And/Or

(vii) Third Sunday of Lent

When you view the old city of Jerusalem from the hills around the city, what stands out is the very beautiful mosque called the Dome of the Rock. It is located on the same huge platform on which the Temple build by Herod the Great stood in the time of Jesus. That temple was destroyed by the Roman army forty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Elements of that old temple are still visible, especially what has come to be known as the Wailing Wall, a section of the Western Wall of the platform on which the Temple stood. In the time of Jesus, the Temple was considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. No one could have imagined that it would not be standing forty years later.

Today’s gospel reading suggests the Jesus was not happy with the way the Temple was being run by the high priest and his associates. There was an understandable amount of commercial activity in the precincts of the Temple. For a feast like Passover, pilgrims had to purchase animals to offer in sacrifice in the Temple. To do so, they had to exchange the coins they had, on which the emperor was portrayed as a kind of god, for the coinage of Tyre which had no such idolatrous images on it. Sellers of animals and money changers were central to the Temple’s activities. Yet, Jesus clearly felt that the Temple, God his Father’s house, was not functioning as God intended. Jesus had a zeal to change people’s lives for the better and that included changing the Temple worship. The coming of God’s kingdom through Jesus left nothing untouched, not even the sacred Temple in Jerusalem. This zeal for the coming of God’s kingdom would eventually put Jesus on a Roman cross. As he says in today’s gospel reading, ‘zeal for your house will devour me’.

Today’s gospel reading suggests that Jesus was looking beyond the physical Temple. When he says, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up’, the evangelist comments that ‘he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body’. Jesus was saying that the real place of God’s presence on earth was now no longer the magnificent Temple but himself. As risen Lord, he is now the true Temple. His risen body is the new sanctuary of God’s presence. It is no longer necessary to enter a sacred building, like the Temple in Jerusalem, to meet with God. We only need to turn to Jesus, our risen Lord, and he is not confined to a temple or a sanctuary or a church. Through the Holy Spirit, the risen Lord remains deep within us and he calls out to us to remain in him. It is good to be reminded of this wonderful truth in these Covid days when we have less opportunity to gather in our parish church as a faith community. Shortly after the incident in the Temple in today’s gospel reading, Jesus meets with a Samaritan woman. Rather provocatively, she says to Jesus, ‘Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain (Mount Gerizim) but you (Jews) say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem’. In reply Jesus says to her, ‘the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth’. Jesus makes possible a new kind of worship of God, a worship inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit of the risen Lord inspires us to worship God wherever we find ourselves. After Jesus’ resurrection, the followers of Jesus who lived in Jerusalem continued to worship in the Temple, but they also worshipped together in one another’s homes. The communities of believers, to whom Paul wrote letters, all lived a long way from Jerusalem. They gathered together for prayer and the Eucharist in the homes of those members of the community who had the space to accommodate others. There would be no church buildings for almost another three hundred years when Christianity was officially recognized by the Roman emperor Constantine.

We continue to need church buildings, sanctuaries, where we can gather for worship, or just drop in to pray, but today’s gospel reminds us that Jesus himself is now our true sanctuary, and he is with us always, wherever we find ourselves. The doors of this new sanctuary are always open to all. Whenever we turn to the Lord in trusting faith, we are worshipping God through the Holy Spirit. In a way, all space has been rendered holy because the risen Lord is present everywhere. If our worship is to be authentic in God’s eyes, the Spirit that inspires our worship is to shape all of our lives. The Spirit of the risen Lord makes us cry out ‘Abba, Father’, in the words of Saint Paul, and that same Spirit moves us to love others with the love of the Lord because, as Paul also says, the fruit of the Spirit is love. The Spirit inspires us to serve God in loving worship and to serve God’s people in loving service. Loving worship of God and loving service of God’s people is a striking summary of the Ten Commandments in today’s first reading, the first three of which concern our relationship with God and the other seven are relationship with each other.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[cepheusgalaxy]

Across Time and Odds - tag: ato wip

Genre: Soft magic, fantasy, time-travel

What is it about: (I picture it as having a Dark Academia aesthetic.) In their past lives, two people fell in love. But a jealous warlock didn’t want them to be happy, so he killed them, and cursed them both: When they eventually reincarnate, one will not be in the same time period of the other, but centuries apart. He took special care in one's curse: When he was born again, it would be in the body of a woman, so even if the couple managed to meet again, she would not fall in love with him (lmao). They reincarnate and meet anyways, and they also go on quests to hunt this warlock down.

Who’s in it:

Danielle (he/him): Main traits: Friendly, calculist. Danielle is a closeted trans guy and he reincarnated in the modern times. Despiste the warlock's "curse", he's pretty fine with his gender. One day, he somehow found out this place; a huge 1800’s-esque  library/party/ball place (?) that is a meeting spot for lots of magical beings--witches, potion-makers, faerie, creatures he thought he’d only ever see on folklore--, and one of them, he quickly finds out, has a thing he might want: A potion-seller, who does not accept human currency, but is happy to give Dani a potion that might have the same effects of a shot of testosterone on his body. The mage gives him a little to test out, and Dani hesitantly accepts. Next time, he finds the library again, and when the mage finds him, they say they’ll offer a deal: A shot per time, and each time, it will be given as a reward for a favor. They send Dani on missions in other realms or in the human world, and in exchange, Dani gets his magic T shot. It’s kind of worth it, Dani comes to a conclusion after a few tryouts. He starts sneaking every two weeks or so to the library in order to meet the magician and get his part of the deal.

Amanda (she/her) - Main traits: Critical, strong moral sense, playful. Amanda reincarnated in colonial Brazil, a few centuries before Dan. She is the second child of a wealthy man and is quite a rebel for her time? She doesn’t like the expectations that are inflicted upon her and her gender, she doesn’t like the fact that people like her father don’t seem to care about others, the fact that she has basically no freedom, etc. One day, her father sends her to a boarding school for ladies in the USA, and she stays there for a few years. She makes a friend, a special girl who gives her a gift when it's time for them to part ways: A pocket clock with a dark chain attached to it (I’m not sure about what the clock looks like aside from that). When she comes back home, she is frustrated with life as usual, and as she gets bored, Amanda is playing with her clock and activates the magic in it and she is sent to the future :). She spawns right at the library, in a room where Dani was hanging out by himself and that’s the first time they meet. Eventually, she figures she’s gone into the future and starts working with the same mage as Dan in order to figure things out and maybe go back into the past. She is addapting quite well to the modern times, tho. I don’t think she wants to go back. (She also thinks Dani is a girl)

The Mage (they/them) - Main traits: Honest, misterious, realistic, charismatic. Little to no background lore, I’m still figuring them out. They are a regular at the lib and give the missions to Amanda and Dan. They always make sure it is something they can handle and later when the threat (evil warlock) starts showing up, they encourage both to abort the mission. They are very powerful and can deal with most magic things, from curses and potions to broken magical artifacts. Their name is prob going to be Gale. They’re also probably immortal.

The Evil Warlock - Main traits: Evil, petty, ?, ? Not sure about him. I don’t even know if their pronouns are going to be he/him at all. Oh, yea. And they’re probably transphobic. (For now he’s a they/he for now.)

Note A: They’re past life romance is prob gonna grow into qpr or friendship

Note B: Soft magic system (Like. Very much)

[houseofbrat]

“Harry is winding down his bullshit in the USA. He’s already stopping his lawsuit against the Daily Mail.”

From the Telegraph: “Judge Fontaine was told Prince Harry and ANL have agreed to continue efforts to reach a settlement, and will conduct negotiations until Jan 20. If no settlement is agreed, the Duke will ask the court to either strike out ANL’s defence or give summary judgment in his favour, avoiding the need for a trial.

Ben Gallop, representing ANL, told the court the publisher’s estimated costs are just over £500,000 and said the Duke’s costs schedule was “wholly disproportionate” for a case in which the trial is due to last between two and four days.”

& “The Duke is bringing the separate proceedings against the Home Office after being told he would no longer be given the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting from the US, despite offering to pay for it himself.”

The latter is the more serious case, plus his memoir is published 10/01/2023 so not necessarily him wrapping up US life for the UK imho.

The publishing of Spare has doesn't prevent him from ditching Meghan and moving back to the UK. I don't know why you think that has any bearing on anything. The hardback covers are already being printed for release as we speak. It’s publication date is in the post-holiday season, which means it is expected to not sell well. I’m sure there will be pr games behind making it a best seller on a list here ore there, just for pr purposes. But the publishing house isn’t going to forbid him going back to the UK. 

The law firm Harry has representing him, Schillings, likely gets a cut of whatever money he receives in the case. Of course, the law firm that appears to be very interested in money is overestimating costs. I'm not surprised about that one bit.

Your own selected quote is that the judge "was told" Harry & ANL are working on a settlement. That doesn't contradict what I wrote earlier. The quote you sent to me didn't say that the judge is forcing them to settle. Very clearly Harry has chosen to settle & end this. If they don't reach an agreement, it's still not going to trial. The BRF will avoid Harry--for his own lawsuit--suing a UK publisher and having a trial in His Majesty's court. A huge significance.

The lawsuit against the Home Office will be dropped once Harry announces he's leaving Meghan. It won't continue once the divorce is announced. 

[sunburnacoustic]

Apology after ‘living hell’ furore

(South Devon Herald Express, 6 October 1999) Sorry Teignmouth! The up-and-coming South Devon rock group who caused a furore by apparently slagging off their home town, now claim it was all exaggerated.

Muse—signed in a huge cash deal to Madonna's record label—caused an upset in Teignmouth when they were quoted as describing it as a "living hell" with a big drugs problem. But vocalist Matthew Bellamy told the Herald Express: "The comments were included in publicity material and were taken out of context. No offence was meant.

"We all grew up in Teignmouth and still visit regularly to see family and friends. "It is a nice resort, but what we were trying to get across is that there is not a lot of scope or opportunity for young people, and there is something of a drugs culture there. We have had some stick about the quotes when we go back to Teignmouth."

Drummer Dominic Howard was quick to praise the former head of music at Teignmouth Community College, Jill Bird, for her encouragement. "She was marvellous and gave us plenty of support. There were quite a few bands at the college at the time, but we were probably the only ones to keep playing rather than go on to university."

Muse are tipped for superstardom after signing a big record deal with Maddona's label Maverick in the USA, but they denied it was anything like the £1 million that has been quoted in the trade. "It was a lot less than that, but the trouble is now every time I go back to Teignmouth people keep asking me for money because they think we are suddenly wealthy!" complained Matt.

"The advance was for all the overheads, including promotion, that goes with making an album, and we will not start making any money ourselves unless the albums sell." The group made a flying visit back to South Devon yesterday when they made a special appearance at Exeter record store Solo to sign copies of their first album, Showbiz. And the young fans who packed the Guildhall shop were given an extra treat - a special acoustic set of three numbers from the CD. It was one of the few times Muse have performed acoustically, and the fans - many of them from Teignmouth - loved it.

"They really sounded great. I knew some of them at the college and they have always had talent. I am sure they are going to make it all the way," said 18 year-old Andrew Stone of Teignmouth. Co-owner of Solo, Maggie Garrett, said the interest in Muse was growing all the time, and she was sure Showbiz would be their number one seller this week at least. "We have always supported them right from the early days by arranging gigs for them in Exeter, and they really deserve to go right to the top."

This month Muse are supporting Skunk Anansie on tour, and next month will be appearing with American super group Red Hot Chilli Peppers on their European tour, playing in stadiums of over 20,000.

[finiffy]

Okay I'll try filling in basic stuff to make it understandable.

Moonshine is usually illegally made unaged white whiskey. Its made fast and dirty and dangerously unless your making it legally but at that point moonshine is a branding term. Started mostly when prohabition was a thing because well you couldn't legally make, sell, or buy any alcohol.

So for the Goi we got a collection of small groups of hillybilly, redneck, and rurals coming together under a mass sudonim America's Moonshine Breweries, this span not just the USA but all of North and South America.

They're most known for selling mom and pop anomalous alcohols. A mix of things made by anomalous people or specially for anomalous folk. All made just in various people homes and thevwoods. Started with just moonshine but now sells almost any type of alcohol. Weirder things are mushroom wines, mango or blackberry schnapps, and infused Wondertainment candies.

Most anomalous item dealing with brewing and or fermentation probably come from them as well.

They have some connection to the Chicago Spirits and Ambrosia Restaurants as sellers though the products may vary.

They hate almost a government and police making them very at odds with both the Foundation and Goc the most. Oddly both groups end up with people still buying under the table.

If you see a hillbilly sterotype thats usually a choice that the individual go under the Goi label.

Many of them are nomadic and jump place to place van life style. Or they're in the national parks, just squatting in the wilderness.

Honestly I'd imagine Jack Bright being apart of them if he didnt end up in the Foundation. Bright Daniel's Moonshine.

Anomalous explodions from failed brewing is fun times for all.

They're a fun little goi not overally serious, just sitting around a distillery having some good times.

~ Mold Anon

Oh that sounds like a fun goi, also thanks for the history snip of moonshine