I once found enough loose coins in a hotel’s drawer to fill two large drinking cups. Ever since, I’ve always looked in every drawer. For a while, I thought it would be interesting to take the Bibles. But, honestly, once you have 50 or so Bibles, what are you going to do with them? I tried to think of an interesting craft project,… Now I just ignore them. Maybe that means that I’m not living up to my social obligations as an atheist. If so, I am deeply sorry.
Being an atheist means that I’ll actually have less use for a Bible than religious people. What I’m saying is that if anyone knows what I could build out of a few boxes of Bibles, please let me know.
I worked at a hotel, in the restaurant, when I was in college, and there were some people who stayed several days and ordered their meals from room service, including at least one bottle of Dom Perignon, which at that time was about $150 not including the tip. The reason I’m mentioning it here is because they paid their bill in quarters. We all guessed that they owned either a laundromat or a video arcade (or maybe both?).
R.E.M. singer emeritus Michael Stipe once said in an interview that he liked to pull out a drawer and sign the bottom. The reporter asked if he had ever pulled out a drawer that he had already signed; he said he hadn’t.
p.s. I don’t remember ever hearing about anyone making an issue about finding a Bible in their room.
Nope, definitely rosary beads. And the thing he was saying when I walked in had the cadence of the rosary, even though I couldn’t recognize the language.
As for what to do with an excess of Bibles, did anyone see this story from England about a thrift store that didn’t want people to donate any more copies of the “Fifty Shades” book because they had so many, they built a fort out of them?
When I lived in my old town, I was involved with the town’s Christmas project for needy families. One year, a church brought a box of Bibles and wanted us to give every family a Bible. We told them that we didn’t do that kind of thing; however, if anyone requested a Bible, we would be happy to give them one, and would keep it on a table in the back of the room where we kept other items that weren’t suitable for putting in the boxes (used clothing, food, etc.) and they could take them if they wanted them. This program was run through the newspaper.
This is at the heart of it. As the religious constantly remind us there is nothing intrinsic to the text of a work that makes it more or less offensive than any other.
In that respect the content of “Mein Kampf” should be no more offensive than the Koran or the bible but of course because it is unusual and because of the historical connection with extremist views is very, very strong you would be right to be a little concerned.
Personally, I think the world would be a slightly better place if, instead of religious or ideological texts in the bedside drawer we had the likes of “1984” “Wuthering Heights” or an anthology of great poetry.
The last one makes sense. If you want to start a foundation that puts anthologies of great poetry in hotel rooms, I’d seriously consider contributing.
The other two, not so much. Harder to just dip into, and not much comfort to the weary traveler.
If I found a Koran or a Book of Mormon or a Teaching of the Buddha in a hotel room, I’d be totally okay with it, and I might well read some of it, out of curiosity. I’d at least check to see if it had any introductory material. I seem to remember seeing a list of suggested verses/passages in a hotel Bible; I’m curious as to what the Koran’s “greatest hits” are.
Hm, not seeing it. I see where they “disputed” that they became government owned in 2015, rather than 2014, as the letter to them stated, but I am not seeing them disputing that they were a gov’t entity. They then immediately complied with the letter. If they were disputing claims in the letter, why would they immediately comply?
You are claiming that they disputed that they were in fact a gov’t entity? Please cite. The received public funds, exist on public lands, agreed that they were in fact a public funded institution. The only thing that was “disputed” in any way was that they were a public institution for longer than the letter said.
If I say, “You’ve been in business for a year!”
You reply, “No, I’ve been in business for two years!”
Are you disputing being in business? If so, odd… If not, then what exactly are you trying to claim?
We all guessed that they owned either a laundromat or a video arcade (or maybe both?).
