Daily Archives: December 1, 2006

Benny Hinn has a deal for you

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benny-hinn-website.jpgThe last time we checked in on televangelist Benny Hinn, he was having a snit with the Nigerian hosts for one of his crusades and fighting with the IRS. Recently, Hinn has been in the news again as the subject of this NBC Dateline piece regarding Hinn’s rather lavish lifestyle and tastes that are, might we say, a tad alien to Christ’s message of sacrificial atonement upon which his business, . . uh, I mean, “ministry” is based.
A $10-million, 7,000 sq. ft. home, $112,000 per month for a private jet, a couple of $80,000 cars, luxury hotel rooms that are 5,400 sq. ft. at $10,800 per night for a “layover.” At least Hinn is generous with his tips, which totaled over $4,500 during a recent three-day period. A salary of half a million to a million dollars per year–plus book royalties. Business, . . . er, I mean the ministry is good, eh?
At any rate, Hinn has now decided that the lease payments for his corporate jet are a tad steep, so he wants to acquire a corporate jet, which he has already named “Dove One.” Hinn is ramping up his money-raising machinery to pay for his new toy, and for a mere $1,000 “donation,” here’s what Hinn promises:

You will receive a beautiful art-quality model of Dove One for your desk or mantle as a constant reminder that you are a vital part of this last-days harvest for souls.
Your name will be placed prominently in a special area of Dove One where I study and pray during my travels, where I will also pray for you and your family as I go around the world preaching the Gospel. Everywhere I fly, your name will travel with me, millions of miles and for years to come, reminding me that you have made it possible for me to go and preach as God has called me to do.

What a deal! ;^)

The Delta Center becomes the Melta Center

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HMMPCover.gifNaming rights deals on stadiums and arenas are notoriously speculative ventures, and sometimes the naming itself becomes rather odd. Inasmuch as debtors in bankruptcy such as Delta Airlines don’t normally renew naming rights deals, a nuclear waste company has bought the naming rights for what was formerly known as the Utah Jazz’s Delta Center, prompting local wags to propose nicknames such as Glow Bowl, the Isotope, the ChernoBowl, the Tox Box, and the Melta Center.
Of course, the Times story can’t report on this development without reminding us of Houston’s naming rights fiasco:

Radioactivity is quite new to naming rights, unless you count the brief time before Minute Maid replaced Enron as the name of the Houston Astrosí ballpark.

By the way, this Forbes slideshow (related article here) reviews the ten largest naming rights deals, which is led by another Houston deal.

Ida Mae consoles the Horns after the A&M loss

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Elgin, TX.gifAfter you get done playing a game of Teasip Bingo, take a moment to read this report on the Texas Longhorns’ tough loss to the Texas Aggies by longtime Horns fan Ida Mae Crimpton, who writes regular reports on her beloved Horns from her perch in Elgin just east of Austin. Here’s a part of what Ida Mae had to say about the Horns’ most recent tough loss:

With Colt coming back off of his injury and since we were just playing the Aggies, no one really seriously thought that there was a possibility that we could lose. But when the game was finally over and we’d lost, a funny thing happened; Mack didn’t seem to be too bothered. He went to midfield, shook coach Frangipani’s hand and then led the team back to the locker room. Coach Chizik told Earl what happened next. Mack gave the guys a post game talk like he usually did but this one was different because of what he talked about. He told the guys not to worry too much about losing because there were other things more important than winning, like God, family, the Gross National Product, the danger posed by international communism, and erosion (which, if you stop to think about it, really is a problem in some areas of south Texas). Well, needless to say, there were more than one set of eyes rolling around that room as everybody tried to figure out what the heck the coach was talking about. Then, Mack told the whole team that they were invited to his house for cherry cheesecake and Frescas, which sent Sally into a panic when she heard about it because they didn’t have any cherry cheesecake in the house and if the team did come over they’d just have to settle for Nabisco Honey Grahams with canned cake frosting (one of Mack’s favorite snacks). But after Mack left, coach Chizik spoke to the team and told them that it probably wouldn’t be a good night to drop by Mack’s house and that maybe they could take a rain check.

Read the entire hilarious piece, and also Ida Mae’s other priceless reports on the Horns’ season, particularly this priceless report on the Horns’ recent loss to Kansas State.
You gotta love football in Texas.