text:
There are several different ways in which a Priory Adult Care service can be funded. This includes:
Local Authority funding
This is where the Local Authority (typically the local Council) agrees an amount to fully fund a person's support, whether it is in a residential placement or as part of a supported living package.
The funding package is agreed following an assessment of the person's needs and covers both accommodation and support.
Joint funding between the Local Authority and NHS
This is where an individual has a Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessment. In this instance, funding will be split between the Local Authority and the NHS.
The funding package is agreed following joint assessments of the person's needs and healthcare needs. The Local Authority element of the funding will cover both accommodation and support, the NHS assessment will cover the continuing healthcare needs.
NHS Funding
It is possible that an individual's health needs are such that the NHS will fully fund a person's support package.
The funding package is agreed following an assessment of the person's needs and covers both accommodation and support.
Individual/Personal Budget
This is where the Local Authority allocates a specific amount of money for a person's support needs. The amount is determined by an assessment of the person's needs and means. You will also need to agree a support plan to show how and where the money will be spent, whether you decide for the Local Authority to choose services for you or if you prefer to have direct control of the budget yourself – e.g. a direct payment.
Direct Payments
This is where you receive an amount directly from the Local Authority and can choose how to spend the money on your support. Choosing a direct payment gives you maximum flexibility with your support package but does mean you have to manage the money yourself.
Fees are calculated based on the assessed needs of an individual. Each fee will include a staffing element, based on the hours of support assessed and required. In some instances, the staff support may be shared with other individuals, and in this situation the individual would only pay for the share of staff time.


text:
May 18, 2013
Seventeen graduates from St. Vladimir's Seminary are now being sent out as priests, deacons, and lay ministers in service to the Church. At Saturday's Commencement Exercises, the seminary awarded diplomas in three programs: 1 Master of Theology, 8 Masters of Divinity, and 8 Masters of Arts degrees. Graduates represented a broad range of ecclesial jurisdictions and included both Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians; four priests and one deacon were among the graduates.
Additionally, the Board of Trustees awarded three accomplished Orthodox Christians honorary degrees. Doctorates of Humane Letters honoris causa were bestowed upon Seminary Trustees Brian Gerich and Anne Glynn Mackoul, and upon Mother Ines Ayau García, abbess of Hogar Rafael Ayau, an Orthodox Christian orphanage in Guatemala.
Commencement crowned the week's celebrations, which also included the annual Board of Trustees meeting, a Trustee–Student dinner on Thursday evening, and a Friday Trustees dinner with staff and faculty. On Saturday morning, May 18, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), and His Grace Nicholas (Ozone), auxiliary bishop for Brooklyn, Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA), concelebrated the 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy, in which second–year seminarian and Commencement Salutatorian Nicholas Roth was ordained to the Holy Diaconate. His Beatitude also presided at the 2 p.m. Service of Supplication (Molieben) in the campus Chapel of the Three Hierarchs before joining the faculty, staff, graduates, and visitors for Commencement ceremonies which followed. Board of Trustees member His Eminence Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, also attended the Molieben and participated in the graduation exercises.
The Rev. Dr. Sarah Fogg delivered the Commencement Address to the Class of 2013. Director of Pastoral Care at St. John's Mother InesRiverside Hospital in Yonkers, NY, Dr. Fogg has supervised dozens of St. Vladimir's students in their hospital visitation and chaplaincy training. Dr. Fogg recalled her personal relationships with seminarians, saying, "As you came for training, I engaged with you in preparing you for pastoral visits. I learned more what hands on pastoral ministry is, as I challenged you with what God has for you. Thank you for seeking me out."
Metropolitan Tikhon, president of the Seminary and chair of the Board of Trustees, opened the Commencement Exercises and conferred degrees upon the graduates. In his closing remarks, he encouraged the senior class to remember to be watchful. "Watchfulness will help you preserve all the virtues you have acquired as you go forward into the world. Watch with your heart and do not simply look. Watch your pastors. Watch your flocks. Watch your neighbors. Watch your enemies. Why? So that you might see Christ in others. May God strengthen and bless all of you. May He inspire all of you to take what you have received here, to go out into the world as watchful servants."
The Valedictorian and Salutatorian were selected by the faculty on the basis of their excellent performance in all aspects of seminary life, including academic work, participation in chapel services, and completion of community service assignments. Class Valedictorian Harrison Russin, Student Ecclesiarch from 2011–2013, also earned a commendation for community service. Harrison was awarded the St. Basil the Great Award for high academic achievement twice during his tenure at St. Vladimir's, and is a gifted musician who sang with the SVOTS Octet all three years. His thesis was titled "The Iconology of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov." Harrison will begin a Ph.D. program in the fall of 2013 at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, studying in the field of musicology.
"Commencement isn't the end, it is the beginning," noted Harrison in his address. "The best analogy for me is to compare this time to Great Lent. Seminary has been a process of death to self, and struggle. Seminary has not been easy—yet today is our Pascha."
Newly ordained second–year seminarian Dn. Nicholas Roth was Salutatorian. "As you leave today, you join the ranks of those who have come before you," Dn. Nicholas said in his remarks. "Our alumni build up Orthodox communities, teach, care for those in need. In your time here you started student organizations, gave back to the community, and worked to teach the Orthodox faith to all who would listen. Today we celebrate all you have done and we look to see more of what you do in the future."
This year for the first time, the Student Council presented a new award to a faculty member. Decided by student vote, the St. Macrina the Great Award recognizes the dedication and achievements of a St. Vladimir's professor. In its inaugural year, outgoing Student Council President The Rev. James Parnell presented the award to The Very. Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel, assistant professor of Canon Law and Byzantine Studies and The John and Paraskeva Skvir Lecturer in Practical Theology. Anna Margheritino, wife of Seminarian Sandro Margheritino, was commissioned to make two icons for the St. Macrina Award; one will be continually displayed on campus, and each year, another will be presented to the Award recipient.
The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean, and The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO, congratulated and encouraged the graduates as well. "As we said at the liturgy this morning: 'Axios Axios Axios!'" exclaimed Fr. John. "Friends, as you depart from here, never forget the words that Christ said: 'You did not choose me, but I choose you and appointed you that you should bear fruit.'"
President of the Alumni Association Board Gregory Abdalah presented each graduate with a cherry wood frame to display their diplomas, and welcomed them to the St. Vladimir's Alumni Association. "You join over 2000 alumni spread over 20 countries on six continents," noted Mr. Abdalah. "Just like the Apostles went out and preached the Gospel to world, you act as ambassadors who carry on their legacy, as you take St. Vladimir's into the world."
The entire campus community wishes the Class of 2013 many years!
View the Commencement photo gallery and the gallery of the morning Liturgy and ordination.
Source: SVOTS

subset: commoncrawl


text:
While Zynga and other gaming companies seem to be doing everything possible to claw their way off the Facebook canvas, at least one San Francisco company is still in. Big time.
With just shy of 5 million monthly active users on Facebook, Kixeye is ranked a dismal 72nd on the developer leaderboard behind Zynga, EA and Angry Birds-maker Rovio, according to tracking service AppData.
But the astonishing revenue Kixeye makes per user has the company on track to gross more than $100 million in total revenue this year. That's up from between $25 to $50 million last year, according to an independent source familiar with Kixeye's financials. For comparison, Zynga says it will do between $1.35 and $1.45 billion in bookings this year and it had 240 million monthly active users during the fourth quarter, according to the most recent earnings report. So Kixeye is doing 1/14th of Zynga's revenue on about 1/50th the number of users.
Kixeye is part of a class of companies that is taking Facebook gaming far from its "Cow Clicker" past. The company doesn't target the stereotypical 35-year-old female demographic that Zynga is well-known for, but rather a subset of hardcore gamers that are willing to pay up.
Think fewer virtual potatoes and more epic sea battles with pirates.
"We haven't sold our souls," said Kixeye's chief executive Will Harbin, who plays the company's games for a few hours every day. "We have found a formula where we can make games that we're super proud of and that are efficient at contributing to our bottom line." (That's Harbin in the picture at the top. Yes, really.)
The company only has a few games under its belt, but they have a longer life cycle than other Facebook games as players stick around for longer.
Battle Pirates is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the entire Earth is submerged under water (kind of like Waterworld minus Kevin Costner). Players have to build and defend bases against the Draconian Empire. Then there's Backyard Monsters, which has had a surprisingly long lifespan for a Facebook game after launching more than two years ago. The real-time strategy game has players building and raising a monster army. It's gotten edgier over its life as Kixeye has gotten more comfortable with its demographic.
That strategy of building very immersive games for a smaller, but more lucrative, segment of the market represents a shift that's happened on the Facebook platform over the past year. Games on the platform are becoming a lot more diverse than the casual, resource-management or simulation games that have dominated over the past two years. There are games with rich storylines, hidden object titles and bingo. The audience that Kixeye and other similar developers like Kabam and KlickNation, which EA acquired, is just one corner of this changing landscape.
Facebook seems eager to embrace this change too. "It's our job in the ecosystem to make sure that quality is highly-rewarded," said Matt Wyndowe, a product manager for games at Facebook. "Developers are finding that there is enormous potential in higher-quality gaming brackets."
Meanwhile, casual mass-market developers are finding a tougher competitive landscape. You can see a visible slowdown in Zynga's bookings growth over the past year as Facebook's 30 percent revenue share ate into the company's margins. Other social game developers like Kabam, Crowdstar, Funzio and perhaps most notably, OMGPOP, have diversified onto mobile platforms like iOS and Android in the face of thinning profit margins on Facebook.
"Frankly, we don't need the viral bullshit that other developers depend on," Harbin said in his characteristically blunt way. "We have the luxury to make the games we want to make."
Just to give you a rundown of how sticky Kixeye's games are, the company shared some stats on engagement. The average session length in a Kixeye title is more than 30 minutes and the company's daily active users have been playing its titles for more than seven months on average. While the average social game might make 4 cents per day per user, Kixeye makes about 20 times that on a per-user basis. (Zynga's was 6.1 cents per day in the fourth quarter of last year, according to its earnings report.)
Surprisingly, Harbin says he's not that interested in mobile for the time being. He's laser-focused on browser-based games. Of course, the long-term question is about how large Kixeye's market opportunity will ultimately be. Their approach is niche by definition, so how far can it scale?
"Our market is maybe 8 percent saturated," Harbin said.
To grow its base, Kixeye is looking to launch a web destination off Facebook sometime in the summer. He says Facebook gaming still has a certain stigma attached to it and Kixeye's hardcore players might feel more comfortable on a site that the company wholly owns.
By next year, the company would like to have a 50-50 split in revenue from Facebook and from its own destination. Kixeye is also looking to staff up to about 300 people by year-end. To do so, they've stocked up on these ads with wolves (pictured below) that you might have seen while riding the BART trains around the San Francisco Bay Area.
The company's momentum has piqued the interest of both investors and prospective buyers. When Andrew Trader, who was part of Zynga's founding team, came onto the company's board of directors last fall, Kixeye's $18 million funding round was so oversubscribed that he couldn't get his venture firm Maveron into the deal.
"Kixeye's execution has been incredible," Trader said. "They're able to monetize revenge. When one of my friends comes to blow up my base in Battle Pirates, I can't wait to repay the favor and I'll pay for the privilege to speed that up."
Born under the name Casual Collective, Kixeye has raised $19 million to date from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Jafco Ventures and Trinity Ventures. This raises the long-term question of whether Kixeye wants to stay independent or join a larger entity. Another company focused on the same demographic, KlickNation, was acquired by EA last fall.
Like many CEOs I talk to, Harbin deflects the question.
"We're financially independent. We don't need funding. We don't need to sell," he said. " But obviously, at some point we'll have to provide liquidity for our shareholders."
There are interesting candidates out there. Nexon, the Asian freemium gaming company that went public just days before Zynga did, is focused on immersive games. And just because EA did KlickNation, that doesn't mean it wouldn't consider another gaming company like Kixeye.
Although Zynga chief executive Mark Pincus has said he's willing to put the company's $1.8 billion in cash and short-term securities to work on acquisitions, a Kixeye deal would frankly be an odd fit. Zynga's mission is to do mass-market, casual and social games. While Kixeye has social titles, they are neither casual nor mass-market.
Plus, given how much Harbin harps on the strategy of other casual game-makers, it seems like he would rather be struck by a lightning bolt than be bought by Zynga. Never say never though.


text:
"Poetry is like the glittering pink ocean. It sounds beautiful and delectable, but you really have no idea what is going on. I mean, glittering pink ocean? WTF?"
"Roses are red,
violets are too.
In Soviet Russia,
poem writes YOU!"
Poetry is the art of writing incoherent phrases to suggest mystery and generally confuse people. It does this through diction, caesura, figurative language, and large amounts of illegal drugs. Unlike writing prose or anything else, writing poetry does not include forethought or revision. Poetry is often written with the intention of attracting girls.
Some notable poets are William Shakespeare (recently confirmed to have truly been a woman), Robert Frost, Homer, Oscar Wilde, John Milton, Lord Byron, Henswick Wallenfraüde, John Keats and the Pam Ayres. Livejournals and have become the mecca for contemporary poetry. Anything written about poetry is purely speculative since nobody ever reads it.
The first poetry
- See also: Nobody cares
The origins of poetry are uncertain. The most likely origin is word-of-mouth oratory and song-speech. Storytelling was often made more interesting through things such as rhyme scheme and rhythm.
The emergence and growing popularity of heavy metal and grindcore music in Egypt paved the way for the first documented poetry. Many Egyptian slave laborers wrote these first poetic prototypes in between the daily activities of carrying stones and carrying heavier stones. They were often written into sand, and later, a more lasting medium, clay tablets. Few remaining clay tablets of Egyptian poetry exist, since the Egyptian overlords often confiscated any they found and destroyed them. A virulent and hilarious beating usually followed.
Types and Examples
Iambic Pentameter:
Iambic pentameter is all like. . .
Some examples here for you to see |
Roses are red, |
Roses are red, |
Roses are red, |
Roses are red, |
Roses are red, |
Roses are grey, |
Foreign language
Strange though it may seem, foreigners participate in poetry too. Beautiful French, Spanish, Chinese and yes, even German poetry has been recorded throughout the ages. Take this 19th Century Lament for a requiem by Georg Vilhelm Friedrich Hegel.
The part about his dying grandmother and house burning down are exceptionally funny and warming to the soul.
Haiku are too short |
Haiku is fun |
Modern poetry
Modern poetry is the poetry of our age. Much of it is unoriginal, generic, and easy to spot. It often consists of archaic language, very basic format, and often times a childish tone and message. A poem about a laptop or an iPod is likely to be modern poetry.
Stupid poetry
Generic poetry is perhaps one of the most common forms of modern poetry. Much of it consists of individuals with nothing to say wanting to seem like they're saying something. It is also what happens when people learn big words, and want to show them off in a "sensitive" and "thoughtful" way. "Oh, oh, look at me! I have emotions! I want to comment on the world around me in order to change it! I think that the best way to do this is in the way that nobody can understand!"
Now to turn it into a poem.
Poette's Lament O, gaze upon me! |
Stupid poetry is not completely without point or logic, however. According to Frederico Lorca in Survival of the Dimmest, writing smart poetry carries great risk of death by lacerations, ingestion, poison, and concussions:
"But intelligence is often the enemy of poetry, because it limits too much, and it elevates the poet to a sharp-edged throne where he forgets that ants could eat him or that a great arsenic lobster could fall suddenly on his head."
Stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness is an extreme form of stupid poetry which attempts to follow the normal flow of human thought. It fails miserably; if people really thought as some of this type of poetry suggest, we would have probably been eaten to extinction by sabre-toothed tigers. It is mostly created by lazy people, and those just trying to be weird.
A Stream of Consciousness Wenbar wits bah ah And the coyote man would NORTH SOUTH
- Anonymous |
Making fun of Newfoundlanders poetry
Poetry addressed at Newfoundlanders is renowned for it hilariousness and wit. Below is a poem by B.F. Gardner, a classic example:
I'S DE B'Y at University of Toronto I's de b'y dat feeds de grass Well I been workin' here so long Hows about a piece of ars Oh I's de b'y dat drives de truck Well de foreman works jus' lik' de men |
Rap, otherwise known as "fast poetry uttered by gangstas", is the contemporary form of poetic expression. It is often spoken in a nonsensical dialect known as ebonics. Common themes in rap include bitches and hoes, wearing flashy and heavy jewelry, expensive cars, having to pay child support, and the typical thug life in the ghetto streets that the rapper no longer lives in because he resides in a mansion that his record company owns.
Rappers often adopt nome-de-plumes such as 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, or DMX because of the unappealing nature of their real names. Most rappers' real names are very casual and pleasant, such as Curtis, Dwayne, Earl, and Leroy.
Criticisms of rap music often label it as violent, misogynistic, and nonsensical. Others have defended rap music, and have argued that while it is violent and misogynistic, it is not nonsensical. They claim it to be the expression of the oppressed black man. In refutation, it has been argued that Jewish rap is far more pleasant.
Despite being the newest form of poetry, rappers often cite very prominent poets in history as their influences. Rapper Snoop Dogg cites Christopher Marlowe, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and E.E. Cummings as his primary influences. In addition, his favorite piece of literature is Beowulf, particularly where, "He rips off Grendel's arm n' shit."
Below is an example of rap ("Weezy Baby" by Lil Wayne) with its adjacent translation.
Ebonics | Normal English |
Brim leaning, cup tilted, blunt flicking |
I regularly wear my hat to the side in an awkward manner because it is fashionable and aesthetically appealing. I am so inebriated from the copious amount of alcohol that I have been consuming this evening that I cannot hold properly the cup in my hand which is full of a beverage of a similar intoxicating nature. I am also presently smoking marijuana. I like to acquire money and have sexual relations with women. I regularly sell women for sex though I am surprisingly young. During sex, I am not a premature ejaculator, and the women appreciate that. I am like Master P, though I do not approve of his mannerisms and accomplishments. I am not like Howard the Duck, the comic book character, because he is a fictional. I possess and fire firearms whose projectiles are made of the heavy metal lead. Most of the time this results in a melancholic funeral which is almost always closed casket due to the horrible disfigurement of the individual in the coffin. The way in which I acquire money is quite clever. I frequently do this by mowing down those who have money and claim it for my own, a common method where I grow up. |
Poetry takes on an entirely new face when one is under the influence of mind-altering substances. Much rap is of this.
For example:
An evil slug was talking to me after I smoked some weed yesterday and said: Some times when boys smoke lots of dope
And the next day I peed like I'd had a long night of sex!
Poetry's meaning
Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to understand a poem. It is too difficult. You are likely to hurt yourself. This is not your fault. It is the poet's. Sir Edmund Spenser's epic The Faerie Queene was, contrary to popular belief, not about Queen Elizabeth I, but was in fact a detailed poetic review of his favorite Subway restaurant. Such confusion is the result of poetry's inability to keep it simple.
Some people say that poetry is an embodiment of the finest, most noble thoughts human beings have ever had. These people lie. Poetry is an embodiment of the most ridiculous way to impress a woman. All poetry finds its origin in this motive. Even female poets such as Sappho were doing it to impress the girl in English class.
What is poetry for?
The poet, obviously! You didn't think it was for your enjoyment, did you?
Here follows a list of common reasons to write poetry:
- You're very depressed.
- You somehow believe that
- carriage returns
- are under
- used in this society.
- are under
- carriage returns
- You're under the illusion that the rest of the world cares what you think enough to decode your 300 page epic on 'the decomposing of compost in a field' which is in some other world somehow supposed to correspond with something like death or memory or computer science or something at least worth thinking about. Oh God please let it be something that isn't compost decomposing in a field.
- You're terminally depressed. See: sticking your head in an oven.
- You're under the influence of some type of drug (usually more than one).
See also
- UnPoetia:The Catwoman in the Hat
- Reviewing Poetry
- Artist
- Loneliness
- Poetic justice
- dada
- Incel
- Sonnet the Hedgehog
- Doctor Zhivago
- Humosexual
Featured Article (read another featured article) | Featured version: 26 January 2009 |
This article has been featured on the main page. — You can vote for or nominate your favourite articles at Uncyclopedia:VFH. |


text:
Massachusetts: Framingham: Garden in the Woods Map
Created By: dbperry
Last Updated: July 5th, 2012 8:07pm
Map Coverage:
North: 42.3434°
West: -71.43°
East: -71.425°
South: 42.3392°
Country: United States
State: Massachusetts
Price: Free
Most Popular Maps
- My Trails-High Quality Trail and POI Maps
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NOTE: I'm not very confident about the accuracy of this map. I haven't had a chance to test it out. If you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it works or even send me a KML track file. It should still be accurate enough to give you an idea of which trail you are on...and there is no way you can get lost in here....it isn't quite the deep forest of the Tongass National Forest here.... :)
Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA 01701
The Garden in the Woods is the headquarters for the New England Wildflower Society. This 45 acre botanical garden in a hilly woodland setting is home to over 1000 species of native plants. Admission is charged to walk the trails and explore the manicured and landscaped gardens. The main path winds through many different landscape settings - meadows, rocky hillsides, marshland, and other typical New England features. Three loop trails offer visitors short diversions into the surrounding woodlands.
More information about Garden in the Woods at:
Source Data
My KMZ map is from the Garden in the Woods map at:
(See Version History below for more information)
Consider joining the New England Wild Flower Society as a member:
This KMZ map is set to Draw Order 32 so it will show 'beneath' your primary map on your Garmin KMZ-compatible GPS.
The image on the left in each row below is from a Garmin GPSMAP 78sc with no other maps displayed. The image on the right in each row below is from the same device with the Garmin 24K NE series TOPO maps displayed.
I have posted this KMZ as freeware, so instead of paying me for it, send me a note if you found this file helpful!
[email protected]
Download Garmin Custom Map [135kB] (979 Downloads)
Once you have downloaded and unzipped the KMZ file, you can:
1) Display it on your Garmin GPS receiver by placing the file in the \Garmin\CustomMaps folder on your supported Garmin GPS receiver. For a list of supported devices, click here.
2) Display it in Google Earth by opening the file (FILE, OPEN).
Notification of Updates
If you would like to be notified when I update this or any of my KMZ maps, subscribe to my notification e-mail service by sending an e-mail to [email protected] with the subject line "subscribe gps_maps"
This is a notification list only, and the only posts you will receive are when my KMZ maps are updated. Your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose (or provided to anyone else except me).
Support The Effort
If you find the map and this website useful please consider making a donation to offset hosting costs.
* You don't need paypal to donate but that is who will process the donation.
Version History
Version 1.00 (2012 July 5)
Initial release using Garden in the Woods map dated September 2011.


text:
Graveyard Altar
Graveyard Altar
Manufactured by Reaper Miniatures in 28mm scale, ready for painting and perfect for inclusion in your next Dungeons and Dragons or other tabletop roleplaying game. Miniatures may come in multiple pieces, may need to be assembled, may require some minor straightening, and are unpainted. Pictures of painted miniatures are for inspiration and are only examples. Reaper Miniatures are awesome in RPG and tabletop games like Pathfinder, Dungeons and Dragons (any edition), Dragon Age, Castles and Crusades, Hackmaster, Frostgrave, and Savage Worlds. Fantastic as an art piece, gift, family project, wargaming, or just for some fun. Not for children under the age of 13 years.
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We offer free shipping on all orders over $50, so be sure to take advantage and stock up on our many interesting products.
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text:
SAN FRANCISCO – Joking or not, perception proved to be too much for Ed Rush to remain the Pac-12's Conference's coordinator of officials.
Rush resigned Thursday following comments during internal meetings before the league tournament that appeared to target Arizona's Sean Miller, including perceived accusations that he placed a bounty on the Wildcats coach.
"I want to express my appreciation for the great contribution Ed made to basketball officiating for the Conference during his tenure, particularly in the area of training and the cultivation of new officiating talent," Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. "All of us at the Conference thank him for his years of hard work, and we wish him well."
Scott told The Associated Press a day earlier that Rush's remarks were part of an overall "point of emphasis" to crack down on coach misconduct on the sideline before the Pac-12 tournament semifinal. In the course of that presentation, he said Rush made an "inappropriate joke" that included offers of $5,000 and a trip to Cancun if they called a technical foul on Miller.
An investigation done by the Pac-12's head of enforcement, Ron Barker, found that every official interviewed confirmed "nobody thought they were getting a reward," Scott said. But Rush couldn't survive the constant swarm of criticism from fans and media this week once the comments became public in a CBSSports.com report.
"I would like to thank the Pac-12 for giving me the opportunity to lead a group of officials who are working so hard to make the Pac-12 the best officiated conference in college basketball," Rush said in a statement. "My first and highest concerns have always been the integrity of the game of basketball and the honor of the craft of officiating. While I am proud of what we have accomplished, my decision to resign reflects my strong desire to see the Pac-12 officiating program continue to grow and thrive."
Rush is a former NBA official who also served as the league's director of officiating. He had been a consultant to the Pac-12 since 2007 before becoming conference coordinator of officials last May.
The conference's search for a new lead official will be part of its previously scheduled annual review at the end of the month in Phoenix.
Officials whistled Miller for a technical foul during the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament against UCLA for arguing a late double-dribble call against Wildcats guard Mark Lyons. Arizona lost the game 66-64.
Miller went on a memorable postgame rant about the technical foul, waving his arms while repeating "he touched the ball" five times in a row. Miller was later hit with a $25,000 fine from the Pac-12 for what the conference said was confronting an official on the floor and acting inappropriately toward a staff member in the hallway.
"Although u never want someone to lose their job, this is a good step for the Pac-12 in restoring confidence in the bball officiating program," Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne wrote on his Twitter page following Rush's resignation.
Scott had said Arizona officials alerted him to Rush's remarks the night of March 17, a day after the league tournament. He said he launched an investigation into the matter the next day, and he concluded that it was not a "fireable offense," just a bad joke that has stained the Pac-12's official program.
"It had been a point of emphasis during the season, coach behavior on the sideline, for the language that's used, etc.," Scott told the AP. "He was emphasizing it and he was challenging them. He was challenging them and provoking them to be more vigilant in enforcing the rules and the code of behavior.
"And in that context, there was banter initiated by Ed, 'What do I have to do to get you guys to enforce the rules? What do I got to do to get you to step up after appropriate warnings and appropriate warnings, to get you to issue a 'T' (technical)? And in that context we verified that, 'Cancun, $5,000, What do I got to do to get you to do it,' was said. None of the officials took it as we're going to actually get something if they T'd him up. He was making a point, and making a point very vociferously."
Scott had noted before Rush's resignation that he had carried out many of the items the Pac-12 hired him to do. Specifically, Scott noted that officials have allowed more physical play, there has been a heavier emphasis on training and accountability and officials whose performance was deemed unsatisfactory have been replaced.
Scott believes Rush's action might, at least in part, be the reason information was leaked to cast Rush in an unflattering light.
"We asked him to go in and make some aggressive and dramatic improvements. He absolutely ruffled some feathers," Scott said. "I saw some people consider him a bully and other language like that. Some of that doesn't surprise me. He's been very aggressive in seeking improvement for the program and he has made some personnel changes that some people haven't liked."
Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP


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Video Codecs 101
If you work in video compression, this has happened to you:
Someone asks what kind of work you do. Maybe it's your aunt, or your dentist, or that nice girl you've started dating. Now you're trapped. Your only choices are (1) a long string of jargon that nobody wants to hear and makes folks sorry they asked, or (2) "I work with computers."
The problem is simple: most people don't know what video compression is, and you can't talk about it until they do.
What if you had a simple, three-minute animated video that explains the whole thing? What if you could show it from your phone — right now, right there in the dentist's chair? Now you can: Video Codecs 101.
Video Codecs 101
One video didn't seem like enough, so we made a second one that picks up where Video Codecs 101 leaves off. After all, now that your dentist and your 10-year old niece are so smart about codecs, they'll want to know more. So, how about another two minutes or so about what the WebM Project is doing to make video on the web faster, simpler and easier?
WebM: A Video Codec for the Web
We hope you find these videos fun and useful — and that they make your life a little easier, now that your friends finally know what you do. Enjoy.
You can learn more about WebM and even contribute to its success at webmproject.org.
Lou Quillio is Webmaster for the WebM Project.
Polite, on-topic comments are welcomed on the webm-discuss mailing list. Please link to this post when commenting.


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If an eligible item you bought with PayPal doesn't arrive, or doesn't match the seller's description, we will reimburse you for the full amount of the item including shipping costs.
Open a dispute via the Resolution Center. Simply click "Report a Problem" and find the transaction in question. You have 180 days from the date of payment to file your claim.
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Our Buyer Protection Policy helps you in the unlikely event you have a problem with an eligible purchase. If an item doesn't arrive or match the seller's description, we'll help you recover the full purchase price (up to $20,000 USD), including shipping costs.


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Esteez DAISY top - Womens 3/4 Sleeve Loose Fitting Shirt - Sharkbite Hem
- Lightweight, soft, stretchy fabric
- Crew neck
- 3/4 sleeves
- Full length top
- Unbalanced sharkbite hem
- Machine wash cold inside out, hang/line to dry
- Thin model is 5'8" and wears size Small
- Curvy model is 5'10 and wears 1X
The Daisy top is a lightweight crew neck shirt with feminine flare and a unique unbalanced sharkbite hem. Made with a soft, comfortable, stretchy fabric, it is a great top that can be worn all day or night. The 3/4 sleeves are loose and comfortable. The neckline is made high enough that it can be worn without a layering shell underneath. Pair this top with a basic skirt, a pair of jeans, or a nice pair of slacks. A top that is so versatile is a must have.
All of our styles come individually packed with our Esteez branding, and are a perfect gift item for your loved ones!


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An interview with David Moncton
David Moncton |
This month, we devote the Back Page to an in-depth interview with David Moncton, director of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), a neutron scattering facility being built at Oak Ridge National Laboratory by a consortium of national labs that includes Argonne, Lawrence Berkeley, Brookhaven, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Once completed, the SNS is expected to attract between 1000 and 2000 scientists and engineers each year from universities, industries, government labs and other nations. (See www.ornl.gov/sns for more information about the project.)
Yet when Moncton came on board in February 1999, the project was a troubled one. Despite unqualified praise for the obvious scientific merits of the SNS, House Science Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI) expressed concern about project management and cost and schedule estimates, recommending that funds allocated for actual construction of the facility be withheld until these concerns were satisfactorily addressed. This monumental task fell to Moncton, and he reports on the project's status below. Support from the scientific community has been strong. Last November, the APS Council unanimously endorsed a statement urging Congress to provide the necessary funding for timely completion of the SNS (see APS News, January 2000).
Q: Much of your work over the last year has centered on meeting seven prerequisites issued by Congress to release allocated construction funds for FY2000. What were some of the major hurdles you had to overcome, and how did you meet those requirements?
Several were management issues. Congress wanted clarification that senior project management positions have been filled by qualified individuals, as well as a revised project management structure integrating the staff of the collaborating laboratories under a single project director. These were officially completed as part of a review last July. They also wanted cost baseline and project milestones for each major construction and technical system activity, consistent with the overall cost and schedule submitted to the Department of Energy's FY2000 budget. DOE engaged an outside contractor to independently to review the plans for the project and certify that it was the most cost-effective means to complete the facility.
Congress also desired binding legal agreements that specify the duties and obligations of each laboratory of the Department. We accomplished that with a memorandum of agreement signed by all the lab directors in the consortium. In particular, it set out legally binding performance measures that must be met by all contractors, included as part of their annual performance appraisal. If the participating labs were to perform below expectations, then in principle it's possible for the project to influence their performance appraisal and therefore the contractor fee.
There was also a Congressional request for official delegation by the Secretary of Energy of primary authority for the SNS to the project director. That was accomplished through a document called the Project Execution Plan, describing the interface between the project and the DOE, and the various roles of DOE officials and project officials. The Secretary signed it last fall. Congress also requested annual reports on the SNS project as part of the DOE's annual budget submission. That didn't require unusual action, since it's something the DOE does every year as part of its budget submission. We will simply continue the normal reporting.
Q: Another major bone of contention was a proposed tax on the project to be levied by the State of Tennessee, to which Congress objected strongly. How was that issue resolved?
That was really an issue between the Federal government and the State of Tennessee; we were more or less bystanders, but interested bystanders! Congress felt quite strongly that Tennessee should exempt the SNS from the proposed tax, and the Tennessee legislature approved such a proposal within the first three weeks of its legislative session in January. And it passed unanimously in both chambers. That was greatly facilitated by the University of Tennessee, which is taking over as a contractor for Oak Ridge. The university has very good contacts in the state legislature and they helped us make our case. That decision will provide the SNS with about $30 million of additional funding. We're using it to purchase scientific instruments to enable us to get a lot more bang for the same bucks.
Q: How do you feel about the prospects for the SNS one year later, after such a major management overhaul?
I think we met the challenge. The SNS one year later is in much better shape. I think we're going to see a healthy president's budget; we're requesting $281 million. And I hope we get Congressional support for the full project, including its management - the kind of support that has always been there for the scientific mission. Personally, I never quarreled with Sensenbrenner's position. The project had serious management issues that had to be dealt with, and this list was perfectly consistent with the actions we felt needed to be taken right from the outset to improve the quality of management. Since we concurred with the sentiment, we were happy to comply. In fact, we accomplished most of those goals in six months. The Tennessee legislature simply wasn't in session until January.
Q: Why did you decide to accept the position of director of the SNS, particularly at such a critical juncture, when the project's future seemed to be in jeopardy?
I grew up in the field of neutron scattering. I was personally frustrated by the lack of new neutron sources from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. The US, which had invented this technology, was well behind Europe after the construction of the ILL in Grenoble. New facilities are the engine that drives science in particular areas: high energy physics, neutron and X-ray research can't really move ahead without regenerating their infrastructure and building exciting, new facilities periodically. Thirty years without a new facility is a long time for a field to survive.
I also had the experience of constructing the Advanced Photon Source, and some of the top people who had worked on that project were also available to work with me on this. I thought we could bring our experience there to bear very quickly on the SNS and turn the project around. We certainly did not want to have this project cancelled.
Q: Now that you've brought the project back on track, what are some of the challenges you face in the coming year for the SNS?
Now we have to actually construct the facility. We currently have a small crew of workers at the construction site, but over the course of this year that's going to build up substantially, and we need to be ready with design details and procurements. The President's budget shows a six-month extension of the project schedule from December 2005 to June 2006. That's what we call a late finish date. We actually now plan to finish about a year earlier, in the summer of 2005.
There are also some significant technical issues. One has to do with the adoption of superconducting technology for the LINAC. We're convinced that will offer a substantial improvement in beam availability. Also, from a manufacturing standpoint, there's a stronger infrastructure in the commercial world for the production of superconducting cavities than for the production of copper cavities. We want to fully implement that change in the next month or so. We're inviting Jefferson Lab to join the partnership, to take advantage of their experience in superconducting technology. We've also been working with the NSF who are anxious to participate in the construction of a second target station which will more than double the scientific impact of the SNS.
Q: What are some of the lessons learned from the difficulties of the SNS?
In a sense, we re-learned an old lesson: You don't have that many chances to make a good first impression. The system is not very forgiving. And I'm not saying it should be. After all, it's the taxpayers' money, and they have a right to hold science accountable. One can quibble and say, "Look, it's very difficult to know several years in advance exactly what it will cost to build a project of this magnitude with all its new technology." But we do have the experience from many projects that have been successfully executed over the last decade. Now we know how to make good estimates and manage the projects within those estimates.
The DOE's Office of Science has completed numerous successful projects over the last 15 years. The only problem was the SSC, which was effectively exempted from the normal peer review process. That's an important lesson. The Office of Science has developed a discipline based on peer review - every six months there's a major review - and that system has been internalized by the managers of DOE science projects. We conduct many of our own reviews in preparation for these semi-annual reviews. Perhaps we do it too much, but this review culture has turned out to be extremely valuable. We don't have a monopoly on wisdom, and any large project can benefit by bringing people in with outside expertise, both from the US scientific community and from abroad. Good advice is essential.
Q: With all the challenges you've encountered as director of the SNS, were there any pleasant surprises along the way?
Frankly, I went into this somewhat skeptical about the level of commitment of the other national laboratories. This project is unusual in the scope of its partnership; there has never been a collaboration of this many labs on a project this size, and a strong level of commitment by all the labs is essential for its success. Having worked closely with the directors of all of these labs, I have been very impressed by the level of commitment that they all have shown. It is essential to have the full attention of the upper management of the partner laboratories and the full personal commitment of the lab directors. It's definitely there for this project, which will certainly benefit the SNS throughout its construction phase. I have also been very gratified by the endorsements the SNS has received, including the APS Council resolution. The National Academy of Sciences has endorsed the SNS through its Solid State Sciences Committee. These kinds of broad endorsements from the scientific community don't happen very often, and demonstrate that there's essentially unanimous support for this project in the scientific community.
Image from www.ornl.gov/sns/figure_1.cfm
APS encourages the redistribution of the materials included in this newspaper provided that attribution to the source is noted and the materials are not truncated or changed.


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iron madien powerslave Lyrics
Into the abyss i'll fall-the eye of horus
into the eyes of the night-watching me go
green is the cat's eye that glows-in this temple
enter the risen osiris-risen again.
tell me why i had to be a powerslave
i don't wanna die, i'm a god, why can't i live on?
when the life giver dies, all around is laid to waste.
and in my last hour,
i'm a slave to the power of death.
When i was living this lie-fear was my game
people would worship and fall-drop to their knees
so bring me the blood and red wine for the one to succeed me
for he is a man and a god-and he will die too.
Now i am cold but a ghost lives in my veins,
silent the terror that reigned-maarbled in stone
shell of a man god preserved-a thousand ages
but open the gates of my hell-i will strike from the grave.
See also:
Ella James At Last Lyrics
Lucas En Gea Hulshof achter de regenboog Lyrics


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DAYTON, Ohio (AP) A.J. Pacher had 19 points, Matt Vest scored 16 and Reggie Arceneaux added 15 on Friday night to lead Wright State past Detroit 65-61.
Arceneaux's off-balance shot at the end of the shot clock gave the Raiders (16-13, 8-6 Horizon League) their largest lead of the game at 55-46 with 7:24 to play.
Vest led a key run in the second half by scoring eight straight points to give Wright State a 43-37 lead. It was the Raiders' first lead of the game and they would not relinquish it.
Evan Bruinsma had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Detroit (13-16, 6-8) which out-rebounded Wright State 41-26, but had 21 turnovers.
Juwan Howard, Jr. added 16 points and eight rebounds and his three-point play with 2:45 left pulled Detroit within 59-54
The Titans edged even closer, but never had the ball with a chance to pull ahead or even the score.


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15x6 OE Style | 5x4 3/4" bolt | 3.75" backspace | Primed finish
This 15x6 inch OE steel wheel offers original styling and fitment for GM applications with a small bolt pattern (5x4.75 inches). It features 3.75 inches of backspacing. Replace your rusty, bent or damaged riveted wheels with our American made reproductions. They are fully welded and offer additional room for disc brakes, but always be sure to measure for proper fitment. The wheel features our powder coat primer, giving you the choice to scuff & shoot with your favorite paint, or to powder coat. Our original style GM wheel accepts standard outside-knob dog dish caps with 10 1/8 inch back diameter. This includes most center caps from 1955 through the 1980's. Note that full size caps requiring nibs (Tri-Five Chevy and early Corvette) will not fit. Accessories are sold separately. If you're in the market for a set of Chevy Steel Wheels, the O.E. Style GM wheel in primer is high quality wheel you're looking for. Made in the USA!
Please Note
- Coker Tire will warranty chrome and finish wheels and accessories to the original purchaser for a period of fifteen (15) months from the date of purchase. Oxidation or corrosion due to improper care, and/or adverse weather or chemicals is not covered by this warranty. Wheels that have been mounted, painted, or powder coated are considered used and cannot be returned. Please test fit the wheels before you mount or paint them. Please see specifications for Backspace and Bolt Pattern for each Part#.


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The array myCats is an 8 element array of type Kitty that has already been declared and initialized. Write the expression(s) in the box below that prints to the console the name of the fourth Kitty if its age is strictly greater than the age of the fifth Kitty, and prints the name of the fifth Kitty otherwise:
(Remember: the first element of an array is at index position 0).
My code is
int age4=myCats[3].getAge(); int age5=myCats[4].getAge(); if(age4>age5) { System.out.print(myCats[3].getName());


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The initialization of Common SQL involves three stages. Firstly the SQL interface loaded. Next, the database type (actually class) to be used is initialized. Finally, Common SQL is used to connect to a database. These stages are explained in more detail in this section.
The rest of the definitions in this chapter are exported from the
package. Application packages requiring convenient access to these facilities should therefore use the


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Lime White Chocolate Macadamia Bars
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/3 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts, lightly toasted
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with foil; coat foil with cooking spray.
To make the crust, in a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter and confectioners' sugar until creamy. Reduce mixer speed to low; beat in flour and salt until pea sized lumps form - about 2 minutes. Pat dough into bottom of prepared dish. Bake 15 minutes or until light golden. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.
To make the filling, in a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together granulated sugar, eggs and lime zest for 3 minutes or until doubled in volume and foamy. Beat in lime juice and vanilla until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour until just combined. Pour filling on top of crust. Bake 15 minutes; remove from oven and evenly sprinkle with macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. Return to oven and bake an additional 5 minutes or until golden brown and just set.
Cool on a wire rack completely before lifting foil out of pan, slicing into bars.
Makes 12 bars


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Want to stay up-to-date on what's happening at LitReactor?
Our newsletter will gently land in your inbox at random intervals, bearing tidings of comfort and joy about new classes, site news, contest announcements and other mysterious items. You'll also get exclusive material available only to newsletter recipients, like first dibs on class registrations and contests.
Oh, and that's not all. Sign up today and, as a thank you, you'll get access to an exclusive compendium of writing advice from authors like:
Chuck Palahniuk, Max Barry, Bret Easton Ellis, Jack Ketchum, Craig Clevenger, Amy Hempel, Steve Erickson, Neil Gaiman, Christopher Bram, Holiday Reinhorn, Stephen Graham Jones, and more!


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Video: Alligator Hunting Permit Lottery Approaching
[bitsontherun jkmc8awG]
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks will issue 920 lottery-based permits for seven hunting zones for the 2013 alligator season.
The 10-day season runs from Aug. 30 to Sept. 9. A private lands season is also available to landowners whose properties meet specific qualifications within 28 open counties.
Applications for the regular alligator season can be purchased online at www.mdwfp.com/draws from June 3-17. On-line applications for private lands permits will be accepted from June 1 to July 1.
All applicants must be at least 16 years old and those who have their names drawn must attend a mandatory training course.
In 2012, more than 4,100 Mississippi residents submitted applications for 810 available permits, and 513 alligators were killed.


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News that RCMP in Manitoba have likely discovered the bodies of two B.C. fugitives that have been the subject of a Canada-wide manhunt is "absolutely devastating," says Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions.
Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, both of Port Alberni, were suspected in the deaths of three people in northernB.C. in mid-July. They were last seen on July 22 near Gillam, Man., and since then, the RCMP, the military and countless others have conducted an intense cross-country search that covered more than 11,000 square kilometres.
"We are definitely saddened by the news today, as a city and as a community. It's definitely not the outcome that we had hoped for," Minions said.
"No matter how you look at it, there has been so much tragedy. This has affected people across the country, and across the world. We're thankful the search at least has come to a conclusion."
READ: Timeline of the hunt for two Port Alberni men
Minions said she has not reached out to the young men's families yet. "Over the last couple of weeks, I have tried to respect their privacy. But I am planning to reach out now," she said.
The families of McLeod and Schmegelsky were not available for comment on Wednesday.
"We request that you respect privacy at this time, by keeping off our property and not ringing the door bell or banging on our door," a sign on Schmegelsky's grandmother's door said. "We will not be making any statement."
Gillam Mayor Forman said it's not a surprise they were found dead.
"This is non-forgiving terrain … there was a lot of speculation this was likely to be the outcome," he said. "The closure is here for Gillam and the Fox Lake area. But the closure for the victims' families is far from over."
RELATED: Bodies of B.C. fugitives believed to have been found in Manitoba
Deese's brother, British Deese, told The Associated Press that the family needed time to process the news that the suspects' bodies had been found.
"We are speechless," he said in a text message, declining further comment.
– with files from The Canadian Press


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1975 Chevrolet Caprice Convertible - Hoodrich 75 Caprice
When Frank De La Rosa was twelve years old, he would sneak out of his house through his bedroom window and meet up with his neighbors and cousins. The reason for his misbehavior, like all of us, he did what he did for the love of the gameâcruising Central in Phoenix. At that time, South Central was a happening place. Traditions like parking at the lots, car talk, checking out the girls, and hopping at O'Kieff's soon became only memories, but Frank lived and loved those memories, just as he did his hometown of Phoenix.
Growing up in South Phoenix, Frank was very familiar with the Lowrider culture. He managed to build a hand full of nice rides that helped hone his car building abilities. His first was a '65 Impala. After Frank became a father, he wanted to pass along his passion and love for Lowriding to his children Chris and Catrina. In 1999 he founded Phoenix car club with his family being the first members. The family carried on his torch and with new son-in-law Jesse, built new projects along the way. But when he traded a '53 Chevy for a '75 Caprice convertible, it was time to get serious. Complete with a frame off to make this topless beauty a full showpiece, Frank, Jesse, and Chris crafted and assembled the Caprice that could fly a Phoenix plaque proudly. And they did it in just one year!
The caprice build started with a solid Chevy 400 and a 350 Turbo built by Sav-on Transmission. When it was time to lay the Caprice, Leonard, of Davinchi Designs, did the Hydraulics install with eights up front and twelve's in the rear. Street life made sure the suspension and frame could meet all the demands with molded and tubular A-arms. They also did the chrome plating for the rest of the car as well. Jose, of J & C Auto Body, laid on the Gold frost color theme and Chavo did the patterns and stripe job to accent the chrome base. Felix, of Bell Auto, stitched up the ultra leather and tweed combination and Stereo Joe added the custom fiberglass on the dash, and panels. Frank's son Chris, who does the clubs audio systems, put his skills to work starting with a Pioneer head unit and Diamond Audio amps and speakers. And to complete the task, monitors were installed to provide the visuals needed to enhance the music.
Frank's effort to complete his dream car was made possible with the help of his biggest supporters Olen Perznick and Family. The family business where Frank works assisted in many ways including use of their shop and resources. Now that is a great employee package to have! Frank also wanted to give special thanks to his sons Jesse and Chris, who put up with his frustrations, and an emotional rollercoaster that comes with every build out there; you know who you are! And of course his daughter Trina, for all her patience with her father, husband, and brother spending long days and nights in the garage. A family that clubs together, builds together, and stays together with a club plaque of their home town. That lends a whole new meaning to family night for some, but that's just another day in the Lowrider life.
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Next Saturday, my mother-in-law and I will be bicycling across Michigan. I'm not sure of the exact mileage, but it's somewhere just under 300 miles. We have 6 straight days of cycling with camping each night. As you ladies are scrapping away, think of me!
Okay, lets get on with the next challenge!!
Wowza! Check out these colors. I fell in love with these colors. They are so bright and cheerful! The possibilities are truly endless with this combination!!
I'm excited to see your creations.
The twist this time around is to use:
a black & white photo
a square/grid pattern
Challenge Deadline is June 30 @ midnight EST
I love seeing new faces on our blog. Along with those new faces, we get to see creations made by fabulous guest designers. This month, we were privileged to have
Julie Tucker-Wolek
Paula Flavia
I want to thank you for being our guest designers for the month of June. Your dedication to Color Me Scrappy is appreciated by Pam and I, as well as the entire DT.
And now onto our Design Team. Really, these ladies have just rocked this challenge. This challenge marks the end of another term. We will be losing a couple of these talented ladies. I wish them the best of luck in all their endeavors.


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Midnight of December 31, 1999 is the symbolic ending of one Christian millennium and the beginning of another. (We say "symbolic," being well aware of the scholarly consensus regarding the date of Christ's birth, and the literal claim that the second millennium ends with the end of the year 2000.) Thinking about where we are at the end of the millennium assumes an understanding of who "we" are. We are those who have been formed, in ways beyond our sure discerning, by the thousand years now coming to a close. Our thinking about what may be requires a knowledge of what has been. The following is the first in a millennium series that will examine each century through the prism of a key figure. Robert Wilken considers the eleventh century and Pope Gregory VII. Next month: David Novak on the twelfth century and Maimonides.
—The Editors
Every marking of time has an arbitrariness about it, yet there seems to be something so large in its proportions about the commencement of a year that begins a century that inaugurates a millennium that it beguiles otherwise reasonable folk to imagine they are prophets. It is a temptation to be resisted. As enticing as it is to don the mantle of the seer and predict what will happen in the century to come, the greater part of wisdom is to look back, even far back, and greet the future with eyes focused by the past. The gift of discernment must be learned and if our eyes have not been trained to make out where we have been, they will be insentient to what is yet to be.
As we look back, however, what we see will be filtered inevitably through the prism of our own time. For there is no past that does not have our present as its future, just as there is no future that will not have our present as its past. The story is told of the distinguished French medievalist, Jean Leclercq, who was interviewed by journalists at Boston's Logan airport on his arrival in the United States for a lecture tour. One member of the press raised his hand and asked: "Tell me, sir, what century do you think was the most important?" Leclercq listened intently to the question, paused for a moment, and then softly replied: "Dees wun!"
No apology is needed to begin with the present. So let us first fasten on those things in former times that seem uncannily familiar to sensibilities attuned to the experiences of our century. The exercise should prove an instructive introduction to the topic at hand, the great pope of the eleventh century, Gregory VII.
In thinking about the eleventh century, the first century of the present millennium, consider the following:
The Crusades began in the eleventh century. In 1095 Pope Urban II preached his famous sermon to a large crowd in a meadow in Clermont, France calling on Christians of the West to come to the aid of their brothers and sisters in the East and to recover the holy city of Jerusalem for Christian civilization. Four centuries earlier, in 634, Muslim armies had burst without warning out of the deserts of Arabia to conquer Damascus (635), Jerusalem (638), and other Christian cities in the Middle East, and within a few short years the vanguard of the new religion had swiftly swept across the ancient Christian lands, Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor (Turkey), Egypt, North Africa (Tunisia, Algeria), only to be stopped by Charles Martel in 732 at the battle of Poitiers in southern France.
In the face of such energy and determination the settled Christian world, with the exception of Constantinople, seemed defenseless, and a great curtain was soon drawn across the Mediterranean Sea, Christianity on the northern shore, Islam on the eastern and southern shores. Not until the eleventh century was Christian civilization capable of mounting a countermovement. Many in the West today, embarrassed by the militancy and brutality of the Crusades, would prefer to forget them, but the idea of liberating the Holy Land united Europe in a collective effort that altered the course of our history. And Islam has not forgotten the Crusades. When Mehmet Ali Agca tried to kill the Pope in May 1981 a letter was found among his papers with the words: "I have decided to kill John Paul II, supreme commander of the Crusades."
Item: The conflict between Christianity and Islam promises to be the dominant religious struggle at the start of the new millennium.
The eleventh century also gave birth to scholasticism, a way of reasoning that was to shape the course of Western philosophy and theology through the seventeenth century and even into modern times.
St. Anselm, the most original Christian thinker between Augustine in the fifth century and Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century, was born in 1033 and his intellectual activity spanned the eleventh century. His philosophical essays Monologion and Proslogion and his theological treatise Cur Deus Homo (Why God Became Man) helped lay the foundation for the great flowering of Western thought in the next three centuries.
Item: At the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the new millennium we are witnessing a major rethinking of the nature of human reason, and in particular how it functions in religious thought. The hegemony of the Enlightenment model of autonomous and critical reason, reason disengaged from its object, is swiftly coming to an end. We are, perhaps, living at a time when the understanding of reason and its relation to faith will be transformed as profoundly as it was in Anselm's day. Last fall Pope John Paul II issued a new encyclical, Fides et Ratio. It may be the last papal encyclical of the millennium, and it is not insignificant that it deals with the relation of faith and reason, anticipating a discussion that will certainly accelerate in the new century.
The eleventh century was a period of intense spiritual vitality, particularly within the monastic communities. Monasticism changes the society even as it retreats from the world, and the changes in the monasteries provided the immediate background for the reforms of the popes. At the Benedictine monastery at Cluny in France, under the leadership of abbots Odilo and Hugh, a great reform movement reached the zenith of its influence in the Church and on society. St. Bernard, one of the most charismatic figures in Christian history, was born in 1090, and the Cistercians, the monastic movement with which he became associated, was founded in 1098 at Citeaux (Cistercium in Latin, hence the name Cistercians) by Robert of Molesme. Within a few decades the Cistercians, who practiced a more austere (and in their view more authentic) form of Benedictine monasticism, established hundreds of religious communities all over Europe where men and women quietly pursued a life of prayer and contemplation. Over the centuries contemplative monasticism as represented by the Benedictines and Cistercians has displayed remarkable staying power and today remains a vital feature of Christian life.
Item: At the turn of the millennium even activist Americans are discovering the contemplative side of religion, as books about its many offshoots—meditation, centering prayer, solitude, and silence—beckon the browser in the religion and spirituality sections of our bookstores. In her best-selling book Dakota: A Spiritual Biography, Kathleen Norris found a kinship between life in her parental home in an isolated town on the border of North and South Dakota and a Benedictine monastery. In places "where nothing ever happens, that the world calls dull," she learned, like the monks, to wait for God and listen. The success of her book suggests that it is a message many are eager to hear on the eve of the new century.
The eleventh century marked the official division between the Eastern Christian Churches, what is today known as Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Catholic Church of the West claimed by Roman Catholicism and critiqued by the churches of the Reformation. For centuries these two large branches of Christianity had developed in different directions, in worship, in church organization, in language and culture, and in 1054 Rome and Constantinople formally broke off fellowship.
Item: As we look to the new millennium these two Christian communions are slowly and gingerly moving toward one another and looking anew at the obstacles that created and sustained the division, the filioque for example. It is too early to say that this deepest of all Christian divisions is beginning to heal, but there are signs that even if the twenty-first century does not bring reunion, it will lead to much closer rapprochement.
The eleventh century was a period of profound change and creativity in the understanding of ecclesiastical as well as civil law. For the first time in centuries legal scholars began to collect ancient Roman law codes, and at Bologna in northern Italy in the 1080s the inventive Guarnerius (Irnerius) attracted students from all over the Christian world to hear his lectures on Roman law. Prior to the eleventh century there was no concept of law as a body of principles, no one had attempted to organize and codify the prevailing laws, and there was no class of trained lawyers. Law had been seen as a product of the common conscience, not an expression of conscious reason or will, and legal scholars set about the task of reconciling contradictions, deriving principles, and drawing out conceptual implications of the ancient law codes. In the eleventh century law became a separate field of study with its own cadre of interpreters who applied the law to new areas of life.
Item: In our litigious society there is no area where the influence of the changes begun in the eleventh century is more obvious than in the practice of the law. Everything from the relation of members of a family to one another to the culture of the workplace in large corporations, from the great moral issues of our time to rights of professional athletes, becomes a matter to be adjudicated by lawyers and judges.
Yet, as significant as these developments were and continue to be, the commanding narrative of the eleventh century takes place in the life of a single person, a man who was more original than Anselm, more imperious than Bernard, and more courageous than a Crusader knight: the pope Gregory VII, also known as Hildebrand. So far-reaching was his effect on society and so eventful his influence on the Church that many have called him a revolutionary.
One historian considers his "revolution" the first of six that were to alter the course of Western society. In reverse chronological order they are the following: the Russian Revolution, the French Revolution, the American Revolution, the English revolution of the seventeenth century, the Protestant Reformation, and the papal revolution that began with Gregory's pontificate in 1073 and ended with the Concordat of Worms in 1122.
Just how deeply Gregory marked his age and the centuries to follow can be seen by sampling what some historians in recent generations have said about him. The social and economic historian Marc Bloch wrote: The Gregorian reform displayed "a spirit more revolutionary than contemporaries realized. . . . Its essence may be summed up in a few words: In a world where hitherto the sacred and profane had been almost inextricably mingled, the Gregorian reform proclaimed both the unique character and the supreme importance of the spiritual mission with which the Church was entrusted." Joseph Strayer identified Gregory's reforms with the origin and development of the idea of the modern secular state. Heinrich Mitteis spoke of a "constitutional revolution" and a "revolution in political thought." Yves Congar, the theologian, argued that "the reform begun by St. Leo IX (1049-1054) and continued with such vigor by St. Gregory VII represents a decisive turning point from the point of view of ecclesiastical doctrine in general and of the notion of authority in particular." Gerd Tellenbach had this to say: Pope Gregory VII "stands at the greatest . . . turning point in the history of Catholic Christendom. . . . He was at heart a revolutionary; reform in the ordinary sense of the world . . . could not satisfy him." And Harold Berman, who proposed the scheme of six revolutions, wrote: "The first of the great revolutions of Western history was the revolution against domination of the clergy by emperors, kings, and lords and for the establishment of the Church of Rome as an independent, corporate, political, and legal entity, under the papacy."
Gregory was born in a small town in Tuscany in Italy sometime between a.d. 1020-1025. As a boy he was sent to Rome to live in the Benedictine monastery of St. Mary on the Aventine hill. He took religious vows in the 1040s and in 1046 was asked to serve as chaplain to Pope Gregory VI, who had been sent into exile in Germany by King Henry III. Ironically, Gregory's life would also end in exile. On the death of Gregory VI in 1049 Hildebrand returned to Rome and was soon made administrator of the papal patrimony, the vast estates in central Italy governed directly by the pope. (In the eleventh century the popes were no less temporal rulers than the kings and princes who governed the kingdoms of Europe.) Under the two popes who immediately preceded him, Gregory served as archdeacon of the Church of Rome and was a guiding spirit in the reform efforts of the papacy. In 1073 he was elected pope.
The capital fact of ecclesiastical life in the early Middle Ages was that the affairs of the Church were managed by kings and princes. This interference in the Church's governance was not, however, viewed as a matter of political power muscling in on the authority of the Church; it was rather the king's duty. Like the kings of ancient Israel, medieval kings were anointed at their coronation and invested with a spiritual as well as political mission. Among the peoples of northern Europe—the Germans, Franks, Celts, Welsh, Irish, Danes, Bulgars, et al.—the only real authority was that of the king or prince or khan, and missionaries soon learned that the way to reach the people was through the mind and heart of the king, or sometimes the body of the queen. (Some Christian queens, it was reported, refused to sleep with their husbands until they converted.) These new Christian kings became the Church's defenders and bankers and overseers as they donated their own resources to build churches, endow monasteries, and in other ways lay the foundations for a Christian society. As the supreme religious head of the people, the king appointed bishops and abbots, ruled on religious and liturgical matters, and sometimes presided over ecclesiastical synods. Kings viewed the bishops as their adjutores, helpers. Christopher Dawson, the medieval historian, once remarked that Charlemagne viewed the pope as his private chaplain. It was the king's business to govern, said Charlemagne, that of the pope to pray.
The system of ecclesiastical organization developed in northern Europe fragmented the Church into regional jurisdictions defined by the territorial authority of the king or prince. Churches were often established by a wealthy landowner on land that was family property. Because the landowner constructed a church on his land out of his own funds, he considered the church his own property and reserved the right to nominate a priest to serve the people living on his land. Monasteries were expected to provide goods and revenue to the lord, and on occasion were used as dowries in royal marriages or as a source of soldiers for the prince's army.
The authority of the lord in ecclesiastical matters was symbolized by the practice of lay "investiture." This term originally referred to the ceremony in which a lord handed over land to a vassal in exchange for an oath of fealty. As a symbol of the transfer the lord would give the new vassal a staff or a sword or a spear. In time a similar practice developed at the installation of a bishop. At the time of consecration the king or his representative handed over the symbols of the office to the bishop (or abbot), usually a staff or crozier and a ring, and the king said: "Receive the church." The bishop was then consecrated in an ecclesiastical rite by other bishops, but the symbols of authority had been transmitted by the king, not the bishops. It was obvious that this system encouraged greater loyalty to the local lord than to the pope or to the Church as a universal communion.
Immediately before Gregory's pontificate, and with his strong support, his predecessors had mounted an active program of reform, focusing particularly on simony (the buying and selling of ecclesiastical offices) and on putting an end to clerical marriage (which encouraged seeking office for the financial rewards it offered the bishop's family). In 1049 celibacy was reaffirmed as mandatory for all clergy, and ten years later Pope Nicholas II laid down new rules that made the election of the pope the responsibility of the senior clergy of Rome, the cardinals (the term refers to the "hinges" between the bishop of Rome and the parishes), a practice that continues to this day (though cardinals today reside all over the world and merely hold title to parishes in Rome). By placing election of the pope solely in the hands of the cardinals, the new rules effectively excluded the emperor or a powerful king from controlling the election of a pope.
Even though Gregory had worked closely with his predecessors, he was dissatisfied with what they had accomplished. He was not a man of great learning, but he grasped what was before him in new ways. In his certitude about his mission, his decisiveness, and his personal charism, he stood apart from his fellows. His impatience with the pace of reform is evident in a letter he wrote to Hugo, abbot of the monastery at Cluny, two years after his election: "When I review in my mind the regions of the West, whether north or south, I find scarce any bishops who live or who were ordained according to law and who govern Christian people in the love of Christ and not for worldly ambition. And among secular princes I find none who prefer the honor of God to their own or righteousness to gain." A contemporary described Gregory as a tiger tensed for the leap.
The defining moment in Gregory's pontificate came over the election of a bishop in Milan in northern Italy, a city in the territory ruled by the German king Henry IV. At a synod in Rome in 1075, two years after his election as pope, Gregory issued a strongly worded condemnation of lay investiture. At first Henry IV, who hoped to be crowned emperor by the Pope, was accommodating. But when a dispute erupted in Milan over the appointment of the bishop, the King intervened to insure the consecration of his own nominee. Neither the King nor the Pope owned a character likely to allay strife. In a pointed letter Gregory reminded the King that he had no authority for such an action, and warned him that if he did not comply with the decree on lay investiture he would not only be excommunicated but also deposed. Here was a challenge without precedent. Popes had long been in the business of making kings and emperors, but no one imagined a pope could unmake a king. In Gregory's view a king forfeited his throne if he opposed apostolic decrees issued from Rome.
The King responded by calling his own council of German bishops who defiantly refused to bow to what they considered Gregory's imperious demands. One bishop was reported to have said that the Pope ordered bishops around as though they were his bailiffs. The King labeled Gregory a "false monk" who had "incited subjects to rebel against their prelates" and behaved as though the kingdom was his to give and take away and not at the disposal of God. He urged the Pope to step down. "Contrary to God's ordinance he desires to be king and priest at once." In words as mordant as anything Gregory wrote, the King taunted the Pope with " Descende, descende!" ("Step down, step down!")
Undaunted, Gregory declared Henry excommunicate and deposed him as king. In a letter defending his actions, he dwelt solely on the excommunication, tacitly acknowledging that he might have overstepped his authority in deposing the King. But the spiritual ban alarmed the bishops and nobles who had supported Henry. Within months they began to withdraw their fealty to Henry and urged him to seek absolution from the Pope. They issued an invitation for the Pope to come to a council at Augsburg in Germany.
But when the Pope reached northern Italy the promised escort had not arrived, and he took refuge in the castle of his friend Countess Matilda at Canossa. Here the famous confrontation between pope and king took place. The King, abandoned by his nobles and bishops, decided to approach the Pope as a penitent and ask forgiveness. In January 1077, in the dead of winter, he crossed the Alps and after reaching the courtyard of the castle where the Pope was staying, the King stood barefoot in the snow for three days waiting for Gregory to respond.
So unforgettable was the confrontation at Canossa that it has entered indelibly into the memory of Western civilization, especially among its statesmen and religious leaders. Some invoked Canossa when Fidel Castro met the Pope in Havana last January. In the Kulturkampf between Prussia and the Church in nineteenth-century Germany, Bismarck is reported to have said, "We will not go to Canossa." There, at a castle in the mountains of northern Italy, the two great authorities of medieval society, pope and emperor, priest and king, sacerdotium and imperium, met face to face, each testing the other. The conventional retelling of the story focuses on the King standing barefoot in the courtyard, but the real drama may have been taking place in the Pope's chambers within the castle. The three days' wait was as much a sign of Gregory's irresolution as of the King's humility. Gregory knew full well that the King had made the journey in part because of his dwindling support in Germany, but once the political winds shifted, as they certainly would if he were absolved, the King could hardly be expected to be so compliant. Yet Henry came as a son of the Church asking absolution. How could a priest turn away a penitent? Finally the Pope called for him, the castle doors were opened, and the King was granted absolution—not, however, without the Pope extracting an oath from the King that he would abide by papal decisions in the future.
By coming to Canossa and submitting to Gregory Henry acknowledged the Pope's right to judge kings. But Gregory's victory was chimerical—at least in the short run. Once Henry was granted absolution, he returned to Germany as king, legitimated by the Pope. In the meantime, however, Henry's enemies had elected a new king and presented the Pope with a dilemma. Whom should he recognize? Unfortunately, Gregory chose the new king, Rudolph; he even imprudently predicted Henry's imminent death. Henry, however, remained robustly healthy, while Rudolph died in battle. This was a costly misstep and an ominous portent. Never again would Gregory regain his balance. Soon opinion began to shift away from the Pope toward Henry, and the King, riding a wave of popularity, appointed an anti-pope (Clement III). Abandoned by his cardinals, Gregory was forced to take refuge in the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome near the Vatican, under the protection of the hated Normans who had occupied and sacked the city. He finally fled to Norman territory in the south of Italy, a state he would not have recognized a few years earlier. In May 1085 Gregory died in Salerno with the words of the psalmist on his lips, "'I have loved justice and hated iniquity'; for that reason I die in exile." Ironically, the pope who most identified with St. Peter did not die apud sanctum Petrum.
Clearly the measure of Gregory's greatness is not to be sought in the immediate events that ended his pontificate. When he died there were few signs that his policies would triumph. Yet he knew the future belonged to him, and in his letters he seemed conscious his words would one day become authoritative. To some his final words are taken as a cry of defeat, even despair, but they might just as well be read as a shout of victory. Martyrdom is not a sign of defeat. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," said Jesus in the beatitudes. Gregory's words have been taken as an apt epitaph for martyrs, and they appear often in collections of famous last words. The great Belgian historian Henri Pirenne, who was deported to Germany during World War I, said that he found comfort in Gregory's final words during his exile in Germany. As Gregory had demanded that kings and princes be obedient to truth, so he willingly imposed the same conditions on himself, remaining faithful to the end.
But, one might ask, faithful to what? Gregory would have said: to the freedom of the Church, an ecclesia libera, casta, et catholica, a Church that is free, pure, and catholic. His predecessors had centered their reform efforts on simony and clerical marriage, and Gregory was not indifferent to these problems. But the circumstances of his pontificate as well as his own genius led him to frame the issues in a new way. In his hands reform was not primarily an affair of the moral or spiritual life; it had to do with the right ordering of Church and society. In a radical departure from recent ecclesiastical custom, Gregory had stripped the king of his spiritual authority and reduced him to the status of a simple layman. The old complementarity of pope and emperor came to an end. Once the king had been directly accountable to God; now he was accountable to the pope.
By desacralizing the authority of the king, Gregory disengaged the spiritual world from political control (at least in theory) and set in motion forces that would alter not only the self-understanding of the Church but also of the state. The medieval kingdoms were religious states and the king, as head of the people, was the supreme authority in religious as well as in political matters. If spiritual governance was now solely in the hands of the bishops and pope, kingship had to be understood differently and new foundations laid for the political authority of the state. Paradoxically, as the Church became a sovereign body with its own head, administrative structure, body of law, and courts, its very existence gave impetus to new political ideas that would eventually give rise to the modern state. As the medieval historian K. Leyser has written, "Political ideas in the classical sense only appear in the polemics of the eleventh and early twelfth centuries incoherently, in flashes. . . . There [was at that time] no theory of the secular state as such, but as a result of the great crisis it was all ready to be born." Deprived of its spiritual authority, the state was forced to conceive of itself anew as a corporate body independent of the Church. In this sense the origins of the modern (and secular) state are to be traced to Gregory VII and the Investiture Controversy.
Gregory knew that the customs prevailing in the Church and society in his day had no foundation in ancient Christian tradition. In one of his letters he says: "Christ did not say 'I am custom,' but 'I am truth.'" The words are not original. They go back to Augustine, and can be found in earlier writers, Cyprian and Tertullian. But their application is new. What was considered ancient tradition, Gregory denominated custom—practices that had developed over the last several centuries in northern Europe. They were not apostolic. Like all great figures in the Church's history, Gregory knew that faithfulness did not mean slavish obedience to current practice. Faithfulness to tradition, by contrast to preservation of custom, required discernment of the deeper meaning of the faith amidst the vicissitudes of time. By challenging the customs of his time Gregory wished to build a bridge over the centuries to the more authentic truths that animate Christian life.
Gregory's letters reproach the King with pronouncements on the freedom of the Church. "Let him [Henry] no longer imagine that Holy Church is his subject or his handmaid but rather let him recognize her as his superior and his mistress." He speaks plainly and bluntly, eschewing euphemisms. But his imperiousness is not just a polemical strategy. He has a vision of the Church as a corporate and sovereign body in its own right. Christianity is not just the spiritual dimension of the social order; it creates its own social and political order. Bishops and pope, not princes, constitute the Church; they, not kings, stand in succession from the apostles. Only bishops can invest bishops in their office; kings have no such authority. Investiture, if you will, comes from Christ; it is not mediated by the king. The authority of the bishop is not conferred from above; it comes through the line of bishops stretching back through time to the apostles and to Christ. Hence the one who bears office is not simply a spokesman for the apostles; in his person he is their embodiment and sacramentally makes present the reality of Christ in the world.
Like any corporate body, the Church could not exist without a head. In 1075, two years after he became pope, Gregory jotted down a series of theses, a set of talking points for his own reference to be drawn on in letters or set forth in canonical form in papal decrees. Some of the points are the following: That the Roman bishop alone is by right called universal; that his legate, even if of lower grade, takes precedence in a council over all bishops and may render a sentence of deposition against them; that the Bishop of Rome alone may depose and reinstate bishops; that to him alone is it permitted to make new laws according to the needs of the times; that he may depose emperors; that no judgment of his may be revised by anyone, and that he alone may revise the judgments of all.
On first reading Gregory's theses sound revolutionary, and there can be no question that in the annals of the Church's earlier history there is nothing to match these extraordinary claims. Yet it was only as Gregory was faced with specific cases that he invoked his principles, and he was careful to document his claims by citing earlier canonical authorities and precedents. He saw, as no one had before him, that the pope had to be more than a symbolic head of the Church. The Bishop of Rome was not simply the court of last appeal; the pope was called to govern the universal Church. He alone was charged to care for all the churches. Unless the Church of Rome actually bound the churches in every part of the world together in an organic body and the pope exercised jurisdiction, all talk of the Church as a worldwide communion—i.e., as catholic—was illusory. The Church needs a real, not honorary, head.
Gregory had a kind of mystic identification with St. Peter. When his decrees are disregarded he says that Peter has been offended; he presides over synods "under the power of St. Peter"; he forbids a candidate for bishop to accept the office "by the apostolic authority of St. Peter"; and he asks bishops to "swear fealty to St. Peter." So complete is the identification with St. Peter that he speaks of Peter "now living in the flesh." In defending his deposition of Henry he cites the words of Jesus: "You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven" (Matthew 16:18). And then he asks, "Are kings excepted here? Do they not belong to the sheep which the Son of God committed to St. Peter?"
Because Christ had given the rule of the Church to one man, Gregory reasoned that the Church was not a communion of local churches; it was a universal fellowship apostolic in origin and catholic in scope. Peter not only symbolized the unity of the Church, his authority allowed the pope to govern as its head. "God gave the power of binding and loosing in heaven and on earth to St. Peter"—and, Gregory adds, principaliter, as prince. As these ideas began to take root in the consciousness of the bishops and popes who followed him, the Church acted more and more as an independent corporation defined legally and administratively.
There was, however, a price to be paid. By conceiving of the Church in constitutional and juridical terms, albeit for the purposes of liberating the clergy to carry out their spiritual activities, Gregory set in motion ideas that subtly altered the way the Church was understood. In the centuries that followed, as canon lawyers scoured earlier sources to provide a legal basis for papal authority, the Church came to be viewed less as a spiritual fellowship than as a hierarchical and juridical corporation composed of clergy and bishops and pope. Gregory has little to say about the laity in his letters, and his reforms helped create a sense of the clergy as a distinct class united with the pope but separated from the laity, who occupy a lower place.
Yet Gregory's preoccupation with the constitution of the Church cannot be dismissed simply as an unwelcome inheritance from medieval times that needs, in a more enlightened age, to be displaced by a spiritual conception of the Church. Religion, like culture, does not float free of institutions. Without the discipline of law and the structure of institutional life, our energies are dissipated and our lives impoverished. Whatever else the Church is, it is very much an institution. Nor are institutions simply instrumental. They tutor our affections and lift us beyond ourselves. As Cardinal Newman once remarked, we need objects on which our "holier and more generous feelings may rest. . . . Human nature is not republican." It is one of the persistent falsehoods of our time that the less institutional the Church, the more spiritual it will be.
Augustine's metaphor for the Church was a "city," and one way of reading his great work the City of God is to see it as a defense of the social and even political character of Christianity. Christianity is not a set of ideas, it is a new kind of community. The philosophers, wrote Augustine, had taught that the "happy life is social." But "we insist on that even more strongly than they." "How could that City have made its first start, how could it have advanced along its course, how could it attain its appointed goal, if the life of the saints were not social?" What Augustine expressed theologically about the Church, Gregory VII understood juridically and legally. His genius was to discern that this body, this society, this city, required constitutional form. That his legacy, under different circumstances, may have seemed at times to alter in questionable ways the character of the community whose life he sought to order does not diminish the profundity of his insight nor obscure the clarity of his vision.
Robert Louis Wilken is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia.