Archive for August, 2021

September Indulgence Calendars Now Available

Posted: August 31, 2021 by datechguy in catholic, Church doctrine
Tags: , , ,

The September indulgence calendars for those who have taken up this devotion that we stated on the site is now up.

As before both the regular indulgence calendar with names for you to earn indulgences for that day, and a blank indulgence calendar for those who wish to fill in your own names in or take it as a template to create your own indulgence calendar for your parish or group. are up.

In addition to this post both Calendars will also be available in the links section of this blog under “Catholic” immediately and at the WQPH 89.3 FM web site eventually.

As always these indulgences are available under the normal conditions which are listed on the calendars: The norms are as follows:

  1. Communion on the day of an indulgence. This can be applied to any amount of indulgences that day.
  2. Confession within twenty days of the day of an indulgence. Applies to all indulgences during that period
  3. Prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father (an Our Father, Hail Mary or any appropriate prayer) once
    per day of indulgence.
  4. To earn an indulgence you must be in a state of grace (no unconfessed mortal sin) at the time of the
    indulgenced act)
  5. Indulgences can only be applied to the dead or to the person earning the indulgence. They can not be
    applied to any other living person.
  6. For a PLENARY indulgence you must have NO attachment to sin. If such an attachment exists the
    indulgence earned is only partial.
  7. A plenary indulgence can only be earned one a day (expect if death is imminent), there is no limits to
    partial indulgences daily.
  8. An indulgence attached to a feast day is still valid if the feast day is transferred lawfully.
  9. A specific day’s indulgence requiring a visit to a particular church or oratory can be made from noon the
    previous day to midnight on the actual day.
  10. No unbaptized person nor any Christian who is currently under the penalty of excommunication may
    earn an indulgence.
  11. You must ACTIVELY seek and or state your intention to obtain an indulgence for the act or prayer that
    carries it to be valid.

If you want to know what an indulgence is check here or an entry from the Catholic Encyclopedia of a century ago or check out EWTN here.

Usa Culpa, Post Christian Indifference, Mets Math, Milo in the Breech and Generating Site Revenue Under the Fedora

Posted: August 31, 2021 by datechguy in baseball, blogs, catholic, culture, education, elections, Sports
Tags:

We tend to get the government we deserve. This week a lot of people were wondering what they did to deserve this. The answer is simple: When the last election was stolen you went along with it.

So enjoy the $5 gas, the debacle in Afghanistan, the open borders, the crime and the terror attacks to come because all of these things we collectively as Americans have richly earned.

A lot of people are wondering how the people responsible for Afghanistan live with themselves. That’s easy. When you become a post Christian society then loving your neighbor as yourself is no longer a priority, nor is truth, nor is the common good.

All of these thing were stressed in Christianity and it amazes me that folks are shocked that without it they disappear.

Speaking of shocks I’d like to say I was shocked by the behavior of Mets players going after the fans for daring to boo them after their 3 1/2 game lead became a 7 game deficit in a month.

While ownership is unhappy the players have figured out that even if they lose a percentage of the fans it won’t be enough to keep them from making a nice enough living so they will never have to live like the fans they despise unless they do something stupid with their cash.

Milo Yiannopoulos is very sick with COIVD and is using Ivermectin to counter it. He may or may not make it. If he doesn’t it will delight a lot of his enemies but will disgust the great enemy as he has already moved away from his clutches. If he does make his enemies on the left will be upset and the great enemy will still have hope, but the way things are going it seems to me much more likely that if he makes it he’ll help grab a lot of souls out of his clutches.

I wish him the best either way.

Finally you’ve likely noticed a few odd posts here. That’s because I’ve decided it’s better to have the occasional sponsored post to generate revenue that ads or banners that slow down the site. In the end the hosting and the writers need to be paid for and if people are willing to pay for a post (as long as it doesn’t violate my basic guidelines) I’m going to take their money.

Can You Use Student Loans to Pay Off Credit Cards?

Posted: August 30, 2021 by datechguy in education
Tags: ,
MB-one, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

You’ve tried everything to pay off your credit card debt, but nothing’s working. Those high interest rates, for one, are keeping you from eating into your principal. But you do have a student loan coming, and the thought occurs: can you use student loans to pay off credit cards? Good question.

Let’s see.

The Issue

You’re supposed to use student loans to defray or pay the cost of your higher education. Still, it’s understandable to consider whether you can use the cash for other stuff, like erasing credit card obligations. 

The bad news is that it just isn’t wise to tap your student loan to pay off your plastic. Why? Well, for one thing, what happens if you don’t have enough funds to cover your education? Will you have to take out another loan? And get in even more debt? You can see where this is going. What’s more, there may be restrictions on what you’re able to do with the student loan.

There are things you should know and do before seriously considering funneling your funds to your debt instead of that Ancient Civilization 101 textbook. 

See What Your Loan Agreement Says

As per the Department of Education, your loan is supposed to go toward “educational expenses.” In addition to tuition and room and board, those expenses include books, equipment such as computers, school transportation and childcare costs.

Darn, right? But wait. If you charge any of those expenses on a credit card, you could ostensibly use your loan to pay them off. The rub, though, is that if you have other, personal expenses mingled with your school expenses, you’re paying for those ineligible expenses as well.

If you have a private student loan, though, how you can use that cash is up to the lender. That’s where your loan agreement comes in, so be sure to read the fine print. Don’t expect any major departures from federal loan guidelines, however.

Don’t Depend on Bankruptcy

It’s nearly impossible to have your student loan debt taken care of through bankruptcy, giving you an additional reason to not use your loan to clear your credit card obligations. What makes it so challenging is that the burden is on you to prove that the loans have strained your finances – a difficult task even if your payments are difficult to manage. Credit debt relief can be messy, but it’s doable.

Note that you CAN discharge credit card debt in bankruptcy. But even if you expect no issues handling future debts, you don’t want to set yourself up for something you’ll be sorry for later.

Using Your Student Loan to Pay Off Cards Could Squeeze Your Finances Later

If you have the option to put off student loan payments until school is done, that makes using your loan for credit card debt enticing. We get it, particularly since such loans have relatively low interest rates. 

However, mixing your credit card debt in with your school debt could put you in a financial mess once school is done. And that’s no way to start your life’s next chapter.

What Are My Options Then?

If you’re in college and have trouble paying your credit cards, the first thing you should do is cease using plastic until you can get a handle on things. You also might want to figure out a way to bring in more cash. Then, you should consider getting rid of your highest-interest debts first, while monitoring your credit scores. 

So, can you use student loans to pay off credit cards? You may be able to get away with it – in the short term. But is it a good idea? Nope. There are other ways to handle credit card debt that won’t hamstring you in the long run.

Report from Louisiana: Hurricane Ida

Posted: August 30, 2021 by Pat Austin in Uncategorized
Tags: , , ,

By:  Pat Austin

SHREVEPORT – Hurricane Ida has finally come and now has left Louisiana, but she is travelling through the eastern states leaving storms and plenty of water in her path.

The predictions for this storm were dire in the days leading up to landfall: “worst storm in Louisiana history!” said one, and “bigger than Katrina!” said others. As landfall was predicted on the sixteen-year anniversary of Katrina, comparisons were inevitable.

As the storm approached the coast, the cone consistently shifted to the east just a little more with every new track. This eventually took my beloved Acadiana region out of danger, and Shreveport, up in the NW corner was never really in danger. We spend a lot of time in Arnaudville and the Acadiana region, and we have a lot of friends there, so we watched the progress with a lot of anxiety.

The storm made landfall as a high-end Cat 4 about noon Sunday; it was hard to concentrate on the sermon in church yesterday. Wind gusts in places were as high as 180 mph when the storm hit Port Fourchon; I read where 28 people chose to ride out the hurricane in Grand Isle. This is akin to suicide in my mind. I don’t know how many of them survived. When the storm made landfall it briefly reversed the direction of the Mississippi River.

The only way to get any reliable news or information yesterday was via live streams of local channels. The Weather Channel was a joke. There was Jim Cantore standing in the French Quarter, braced against the wind as if he was about to fly off while two guys walked the sidewalk behind him sipping coffee. In another shot, Cantore is again braced in the street and another guy runs into the back of the camera shot and turns a cartwheel.  The only positive about that coverage to me was the humor factor in listening to the broadcasters mispronounce Louisiana place names. Houma, Louisiana (prounounced HOME ah) became HOOOOM ah for example. The news anchor did everything she could to avoid saying Atchafalaya and Tchoupitoulas.

This morning as damage is assessed, the Cajun Navy is busy making rescues. Levees were overtopped in some places and people have flooded. LaPlace, Louisiana is completely underwater and impassable. An Entergy tower fell into the Mississippi River leaving NOLA without power; this is expected to be a problem for weeks. It also means that 911 is down.

Damage assessment is ongoing. While some areas are obviously flooded, luckily we are not seeing the massive flooding that we did with Katrina. The damage is extensive of course and cleanup will take a long time. Lake Charles, over on the Louisiana/Texas border, still has not recovered from the triple shot of storms they endured in the last twelve months, the biggest being Hurricane Laura.  Nobody expects this to be fixed soon.

In our area we have a lot of evacuees in shelters anxious to return home. Officials are asking everyone to be patient. There are no sanitary services in most places, no water, no power. The death toll will certainly climb; it is early yet.

If you’d like to help, Catholic Charities of Acadiana has an Amazon Wish List and is assisting with disaster relief. The Cajun Navy is also requesting help. Prayers are good, too!

Pat Austin blogs at And So it Goes in Shreveport and at Medium; she is the author of Cane River Bohemia: Cammie Henry and her Circle at Melrose Plantation. Follow her on Instagram @patbecker25 and Twitter @paustin110.

Older Entries