But is it fair for you to quote to me the words of an itinerant preacher who never had to get a job, he was fed by his disciples, only God knows what he wore and how he procured it, he took such delight in his virtual homelessness and genteel penury, no wife, no amorous or erotic relationships like a normal man and therefore no addressing the psychological and social issues such necessities involve, practically suicidal in his unrealistic idealism, castigating at every opportunity the poor Pharisees,the loyal keepers of Jewish tradition, so much so that their name has become synonymous with hypocrisy, a short sighted irreverence ironically turned back on him by the sheer Godlessness of many of his own later followers, his entire narrative embellished in a story of a miraculous birth and resurrection, when perhaps the guards at the tomb had fallen asleep after a difficult night crucifying three men, while his loyalists stole his body away. Are we to buy the story of the large stone being removed from his grave? Of course, its every person for himself on whether or not to believe the stories of his appearing mysteriously after he died.
In addressing the realities of the corporeal existence that is the human lot, is it not more realistic to quote real men, real women, not escapists, with due respect to the followers of the Galilean, realists who will help us address our necessities?
The gentleman had some good points on being kind etc but he tended to overstrech it. Much talk of heaven when the abyss beyond the grave is yet unplumbed.
Really, is it not more fruitful to read a site like "Money: How To Spend It : A Website of Worldly Pleasure from the Financial Times" that will inspire one to take the world by the horns and yield to you your own share of your right to wealth than indulge in vagaries about a never never land where treasures are kept?
thanks
thanks
toyin
On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 1:56 AM, Cornelius Hamelberg <corneliushamelberg@gmail.com> wrote:
slightly amended:
I was so scared, particularly avoided talking to any of the ladies
"Money is good. Wealth brings you into a different world.
With wealth, that world I entered into for a short time in one day,
you
enter into permanently, coming and going at will." ( Oluwatoyin
Adepoju)
No easier said than done! Possibly my "nafs" dictating that I add
some of the very obvious: that that's why some of the Nigerian Ogas
would like to own some of the grand mansions in Belgrave and at
Grosvenor Square - and (conspicuous consumption) indeed, some of them
do, and some fine country estates too, are part of the Merry
England's country gentry – have become some kinda Lord
Naipauls....upper-crust Oxford accents and all with some of the
austere/ aristocratic mannerism of Chief Emeka Anyaoku
Somehow, thinking of Nigeria in particular and the marriage between
money and politics and of Joe Ellah (the late senator Ellah's younger
brother) my first benefactor in Nigeria – first week, he took me to a
party... before we got there, he told me that there were going to be
at least a dozen dollar millionaires there and seriously warned me
that should please leave all the socialism bull outside - I did...
(the ogas' wives or mistresses or sisters) the whole evening I chatted
only with the chief justice, but not about teaching as a subversivekingdom of God." , although these assurances do not seem to be having
activity.... Back in Nigeria in 1983 I went through customs etc. with
a Port Harcourt lady at whose hotel I had stayed for a few months and
she eventually showed me the Mercedes Benz that her guy had bought for
her. I assured her that if she were mine she would at the very least
get a helicopter for Christmas. Remember that when Chief Melford Okilo
spent 800, 000 naira on his mother's funeral and some NPP etc. started
to grumble he asked them, "You don't want me to respect my mother?"
Such a distance between the rich and the poor - sometimes what is
missing is the common touch
(Did you see this picture of someone lifting the man of the people:
http://www.nairaland.com/1043435/florida-shop-owner-powerlifts-obama
Can you imagine Scott Van Duzer having the gumption to life Mitt
Romney like that?
I suppose that for some rich people it must be like living in heaven,
whilst still down here on earth, in the flesh. Yet, according to the
so called "New Testament" appraisal Jesus is reported to have said,
"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal" and
also said somewhere else,"Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the
the desired effect on some of the would-be million and billion-airesblessed them, to charity – and put to other good use, will probably
whose philosophy must be a little closer to that of the Sadducees of
Jesus' / 2nd Temple period time (my words) " better to enjoy here on
earth – and if there is a heaven, up there too"
However, we can speculate that some of the do-gooders - those among
the super-rich who donate some of that with which the Almighty has
safely arrive at the unoccupied territories - dear Oluwatoyin,
Adepoju, territories presently not under occupation, you know "the
undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveller returns", and
there get a second chance for lifelong enjoyment with the 72
virgins...
Unfortunately, in Africa, from time to time we have been saddled with
corporate crooks as presidents and prime minsters - and yet there's
this paradox, that there are many poor, goodhearted people who
sincerely believe that if they, by some stroke of good fortune ( or by
hook and by crook) became rich, they would sell all their
possessions, donate all their money to the poor and then take up their
cross and follow Jesus...
If I Were a Rich Man - Fiddler on the Roof :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=244Str11YNA
sincerely said,
http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/corneliushamelberg/
On Sep 11, 2:46 am, Cornelius Hamelberg <corneliushamelb...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> ...> "Money is good. Wealth brings you into a different world.
> With wealth, that world I entered into for a short time in one day,
> you
> enter into permanently, coming and going at will." ( Oluwatoyin
> Adepoju)
>
> No easier said than done! Possibly my "nafs" dictating that I add
> some of the very obvious: that that's why some of the Nigerian Ogas
> would like to own some of the grand mansions in Belgrave and at
> Grosvenor Square - and (conspicuous consumption) indeed, some of them
> do, and some fine country estates too, are part of the Merry
> England's country gentry – have become some kinda Lord
> Naipauls....upper-crust Oxford accents and all with some of the
> austere/ aristocratic mannerism of Chief Emeka Anyaoku
>
> Somehow, thinking of Nigeria in particular and the marriage between
> money and politics and of Joe Ellah (the late senator Ellah's younger
> brother) my first benefactor in Nigeria – first week, he took me to a
> party... before we got there, he told me that there were going to be
> at least a dozen dollar millionaires there and seriously warned me
> that should please leave all the socialism bull outside - I did...
> I was so scared, particularly avoid talking to any of the ladies (the
> ogas' wives or mistresses or sisters ) the whole evening I chatted
> only with the chief justice, but not about teaching as a subversive
> activity.... Back in Nigeria in 1983 I went through customs etc. with
> a Port Harcourt lady at whose hotel I had stayed for a few months and
> she eventually showed me the Mercedes Benz that her guy had bought for
> her. I assured her that if she were mine she would at the very least
> get a helicopter for Christmas. Remember that when Chief Melford Okilo
> spent 800, 000 naira on his mother's funeral and some NPP etc. started
> to grumble he asked them, "You don't want me to respect my mother?"
>
> Such a distance between the rich and the poor - sometimes what is
> missing is the common touch
> (Did you see this picture of someone lifting the man of the people:http://www.nairaland.com/1043435/florida-shop-owner-powerlifts-obama
>
> Can you imagine Scott Van Duzer having the gumption to life Mitt
> Romney like that?
>
> I suppose that for some rich people it must be like living in heaven,
> whilst still down here on earth, in the flesh. Yet, according to the
> so called "New Testament" appraisal Jesus is reported to have said,
> "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
> nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal" and
> also said somewhere else,"Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel
> to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the
> kingdom of God." , although these assurance do not seem to be having
> the desired effect on some of the would-be million and billion-aires
> whose philosophy must be a little closer to that of the Sadducees of
> Jesus' / 2nd Temple period time (my words) " better to enjoy here on
> earth – and if there is a heaven, up there too"
> However, we can speculate that some of the do-gooders - those among
> the super-rich who donate some of that with which the Almighty has
> blessed them, to charity – and other good use, will probably safely
> arrive at the unoccupied territories - dear Oluwatoyin Adepoju,
> territories presently not under occupation, you know "the undiscovered
> country, from whose bourn no traveller returns", and there get a
> second chance for lifelong enjoyment with the 72 virgins...
> Unfortunately, in Africa, from time to time we have been saddled with
> corporate crooks as presidents and prime minsters - and yet there's
> this paradox, that there are many poor, goodhearted people who
> sincerely believe that if they, by some stroke of good fortune ( or by
> hook and by crook) became rich, they would sell all their
> possessions, donate all their money to the poor and then take up their
> cross and follow Jesus...
>
> If I Were a Rich Man - Fiddler on the Roof
> :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=244Str11YNA
>
> sincerely said,
>
> http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/corneliushamelberg/
>
> On Sep 10, 4:47 pm, OLUWATOYIN ADEPOJU <toyinvincentadep...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > When lining up at one of the branches of my bank Natwest, I lamented having
> > to wait in line, although, to be fair to Natwest, I later discovered a
> > different branch offered better customer service.
>
> > Why cant I have a bank where I am given exclusive treatment?
>
> > I later ran into another Natwest branch. The door is locked. You dont
> > enter unless you are let in by someone inside. Natwest Private Banking.
> > Only by appointment.
>
> > On a street in London one day, I ran into a magnificent building, mouth
> > watering in its internal splendour. I so wanted to enter it.
>
> > What place is this? The place where the Queen banks, I was told.
>
> > Missing my way one day, I stumbled from the bustling shopping centre of
> > Oxford Street in London into a quiet side street. The first shop
> > I entered into was a Hermes <http://www.hermes.com/>shop, where in a
> > relatively small room, men elegantly attired in grave suits were in
> > position as one of them rushed to me with the utmost solicitousness, asking
> > 'Sir, can we help you?'
>
> > I looked round. I would have loved to be economically at home in that
> > elegant shop.
>
> > On leaving the shop, I stumbled on a car showroom.
>
> > A particular brand of the mechanical art forms was on display.
>
> > It was so exquisite, it remains the only car I have felt moved to enter for
> > the sake of experiencing the vehicle.
>
> > What car is this, I asked?
>
> > A Bentley. <http://www.bentleymotors.com/>
>
> > On leaving there, I found myself in front of the famous
> > Sothebys<http://www.sothebys.com/en.html>,
> > the art auction house.
>
> > I also saw a parking lot the hourly cost of which made my eyes pop out.
>
> > As I left that place, I tried to estimate the quality of wealth it
> > represented.
>
> > What place is this area, I asked?
>
> > Bond Street. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_Street>
>
> > I found my way back, actually 'staggered back', which is what best
> > describes my mental state, to Oxford Street, which now looked common to
> > me with all its plebeian riches, the satisfactions available to
> > the average person.
>
> > 'What does it take to manage a country with such wealth?' I was moved to
> > ask myself.
>
> > Having looked up Bond Street <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_Street>on
> > Wikipedia, and noted its unparalleled global rating, I am emboldened to
> > add, without fear of looking like a unsophisticated country person, that
> > the memory remains exquisite, like that of a child who found himself by
> > chance in another world.
>
> > Money is good. Wealth brings you into a different world.
>
> > With wealth, that world I entered into for a short time in one day, you
> > enter into permanently, coming and going at will.
>
> > toyin
>
> > On Mon, Sep 10, 2012 at 3:04 PM, Cornelius Hamelberg <
>
> > corneliushamelb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > It's still the bane of African nations that some of the rich people
> > > ( politicians in particular) prefer to stash their loot abroad, to the
> > > detriment of the suffering masses in their various nations
> > > I remember the wave of national disappointment about that botched
> > > attempt to kidnap Shagari's runaway minster of transport and
> > > communications Umaru Dikko (rumoured to have in excess of £5 billion)
> > > and to bring him to justice. The popular cry was that he was going to
> > > "vomit" the money, but as you may or may not know, " money talks,
> > > bullshit walks..."
>
> > > "The figure is equivalent to the size of the US and Japanese economies
> > > combined."
>
> > >http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18944097
>
> > > Tax havens: Super-rich 'hiding' at least $21tn
>
> > > Comments (1450)
>
> > > James Henry says his $21tn figure is a conservative estimate
>
> > > Continue reading the main story
>
> > > Related Stories
> > > When is tax dodging illegal?
> > > Tax avoiders 'cost basic rate 2p'
>
> > > A global super-rich elite had at least $21 trillion (£13tn) hidden in
> > > secret tax havens by the end of 2010, according to a major study.
>
> > > The figure is equivalent to the size of the US and Japanese economies
> > > combined.
> > > The Price of Offshore Revisited was written by James Henry, a former
> > > chief economist at the consultancy McKinsey, for the Tax Justice
> > > Network.
>
> > > Tax expert and UK government adviser John Whiting said he was
> > > sceptical that the amount hidden was so large.
>
> > > Mr Whiting, tax policy director at the Chartered Institute of
> > > Taxation, said: "There clearly are some significant amounts hidden
> > > away, but if it really is that size what is being done with it all?"
> > > Mr Henry said his $21tn is actually a conservative figure and the true
> > > scale could be $32tn. A trillion is 1,000 billion.
>
> > > Mr Henry used data from the Bank of International Settlements,
> > > International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and national governments.
>
> > > His study deals only with financial wealth deposited in bank and
> > > investment accounts, and not other assets such as property and yachts.
>
> > > The report comes amid growing public and political concern about tax
> > > avoidance and evasion. Some authorities, including in Germany, have
> > > even paid for information on alleged tax evaders stolen from banks.
>
> > > The group that commissioned the report, Tax Justice Network, campaigns
> > > against tax havens.
> > > Mr Henry said that the super-rich move money around the globe through
> > > an "industrious bevy of professional enablers in private banking,
> > > legal, accounting and investment industries.
> > > "The lost tax revenues implied by our estimates is huge. It is large
> > > enough to make a significant difference to the finances of many
> > > countries.
>
> > > "From another
>
>
> read more »
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