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Help: Akward Session Opening
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Topic: Help: Akward Session Opening (Read 7929 times)
Posts: 4
Help: Akward Session Opening
November 25, 2011, 04:03:25 AM »
Hello, first time poster, I´ll try to be brief with my bakground here so that I can get to the problem at hand.
I've been GMing on and of for most of the last 13 years, (I'll be 25 next month) racking up a lot of experience but also a lot of bad habits that I'm often unaware of. I´ve usually played freeform with a very small group of players (2 or 3), I can safely say that the quality of our sessions was very low and stagnant as we all had to different visions of play to be able to move forward in our gaming.
However a few years back there was a turning point for me, I found new players and a better environment to play in that has helped me back to what I really loved about this hobby.
Right now I'm adamant on kicking some of my old bad habits and I was hoping that this was the place to ask for advice (if not I apologize).
The thing is that a lot, if not all, of my sessions starts of badly.
I usually begin by asking the players to give a short summary of what happened last time, then I start by describing the scene (the one thing that I do well, I think) before expecting the players to take over, thing is, usually they don´t. Instead there is a long akward silence, people are looking in their notes, and then usually someone starts by asking a question or starts describing what they are doing but in a pretty mechanical way, without any feeling or immersion.
But it seems impossible to build up any immersion or mood from the start, instead the sessions gets a bad start when people just look around as if everyone is waiting for someone else to start.
I would really like to change this, so how should I start a session? How do you do it? What sort of things should one include and what should one avoid? Is this common, is it unrealistic of me to expect a session to take of immediately, is it maybe part of the medium that sessions takes a while to "warm up"?
Christoph Boeckle
Posts: 545
Yverdon, Switzerland
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #1 on:
November 25, 2011, 05:43:10 AM »
Hello Johnny (assuming that is your real name)
Welcome to the Forge!
Could you please give us a more precise description of one such an awkward moment? What was the given game (as discussed in your group before starting play) about, anyway? Who were the characters and what was their purpose in this game? What did you really describe, as a GM? Just the scenery or a tension-filled situation? Did you place the player-characters in this freshly set scene or did you leave it to the players to tie them in?
Did the awkwardness persist for the whole session, or did it suddenly dissipate? If it was just a "warm-up awkwardness", at what point did it take off? If it persisted, what did the rest of the session look like and how long did you persist?
I suggest that we keep the discussion of "immersion" and "mood" for later, these two specific terms usually attract a shit-load of arguing that distracts from the initial poster's actual problem to be discussed, because it means something different for just about anyone. But the awkwardness you describe as having experienced in your play? You can nail that one down by describing some more, and it'll be your special brand of awkwardness that we can have a good look at. Once that's clear to all readers, maybe someone can figure out some techniques that you'll find useful (I don't believe in general advice that fits all play, except stuff like "respect one another", we need to know what could fit your particular play goals).
Callan S.
Posts: 4268
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #2 on:
November 25, 2011, 02:50:12 PM »
Actually in addition to Christoph's great questions I'd suggest giving an example of your actual play where you and the group (or if necessary, just you) felt immersed and there was a mood. Can be a few sentence or a longer account, eithers fine. I think such an account gives a really great definition of 'immersion', even if a definition that only fits the particular group in question.
Philosopher Gamer
My WIP browser game: Driftwurld
Posts: 2984
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #3 on:
November 25, 2011, 03:30:06 PM »
Echo the above, plus, if the rest is a game is ok, perhaps discuss how the transition happens to the point where things take off.
I have to say usually I have seen the GM starting the ball rolling. Getting the players to give feedback is worthwhile but perhaps right at the start is not the place. What precisely is the purpose of this exercise?
Some people have had success with treating it like a TV series, with the GM giving a "last week on ..." type narration at the start of a session. You can have a look at my recent character intro's thread for another take on getting the players kick-started.
In addition, there is a recognised problem with asking general questions of a group. You could also point to a player, and demand "what did you do last session" or something like that. Identifying a specific person to take an action makes it much more likely to get done.
"He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast."
- Leonardo da Vinci
Posts: 657
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #4 on:
November 26, 2011, 03:44:01 AM »
Start with a cliffhanger situation.
Ingenero: A little system with a big engine. Light and tight.
Posts: 4
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #5 on:
November 28, 2011, 03:43:14 AM »
Hi guys,
Thanks for all of your replies I'll put up answers to all of them come tuesday, I'm a bit bogged down right now, sorry.
Michiel R
Posts: 13
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #6 on:
December 02, 2011, 06:52:47 AM »
Quote from: stefoid on November 26, 2011, 03:44:01 AM
Start with a cliffhanger situation.
I agree.
Or start with some nice fight (barfight), chase (stealing of equipement or some object) or other action.
Its nice though if you make the NPC or something else important in the rest of the session.
Posts: 4
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #7 on:
December 05, 2011, 01:17:57 AM »
Sorry for the wait, I've been trying to catch up with school for a while.
So, anyway thanks for all the replies guy's I'll try to answer as clearly as I can but if there is something more that needs explaining just ask okay, I'm more than happy to talk about my role-playing games as it is and if it can actually help me with my problems than I'll be happy to throw words at it.
Alright first up: Christoph Boeckle
I GM a game of "Hunter: The Vigil" for "new World of Darkness" in which the players play ordinary humans in a modern world that discovers that there is monsters hidden around us that prey on helpless mortals. My chronicle is pretty new, we've roughly played four sessions spanning 4-5 hours apiece, and very slow going, less than 24 hours has taken place "in game". So far there has been no monsters visible, the PC:s are mostly trying to solve a lot of conflicts among their family while at the same time trying to find their cousin that has gone missing.
I currently have four players, two that is very new to role-playing (having played less than 30hours before joining my group), one that is experienced (having played an average of one a week for four years) and one that is very experienced (having played at least twice a week for eight years). They all play very ordinary humans that are all part of the same family. Currently they are trying to find out what happened to their cousin that was kidnapped on her wedding day but their whole family is so wrapped up in lies and petty hate for them to be able to do much of anything.
I've given them a few clues and some motives for pursuing this so I don´t think that the problem is them lacking things to do.
Now I've tried both cliffhangers and action scenes before several times but that only makes situations worse, it usually means that my players freeze up even more, hesitates and really don't enjoy the situation.
Instead we usually start the game with a calm scene, where they are sitting around discussing something or are just done with an important meeting. I usually starts by explaining the scene, where they are, who else is there, the time of day, the impressions that they get from their surroundings, if they are sleep or food deprived I usually add something about that as well. In most of these scenes they aren't in fact doing anything, they are "in between" different more important scenes as it were.
As for how long it persists, well it varies of course but for maybe five to fifteen minutes, and then it gradually goes away for the next thirty after that maybe? It may seem petty but those minutes really aren't enjoyable and when I GM as short sessions as I do that eats away a lot of time in the long run. The akwardness slowly goes away, I can't really say right now what it is that makes it go away, which is part of the reason this is so frustrating for me, it sort of slowly does over the next hour or so.
Callan S.
If I should give an example of a time when the group was really immersed and there was a mood:
Well there was one were the PC:s were involved in a huge row together with their uncles and grandmother, everyone was screaming, fighting or crying. One of the players almost started crying when her characters began fearing that she was loosing her mind. Everyone was very exited, their characters were screaming at each other but at the same time everyone (yes even the one that was crying) was having a good time.
Another would be when they all were gathered at the beach and was talking to an NPC who talked about how he always had felt alone and different but how he hoped that his sister (one of the players) could become one with God (it's really complicated) and that he would be happy to serve her then. Everyone felt sorry for him, but at the same time really creeped out since the God that he seems to want to believe in might be a demon of some sort (they really don't know what to believe right now, but they suspect that there is something evil in the water).
Both scenes were filled with emotions and the players really felt like their characters, but at the same time the scenes where different from each other, one was calm and just dialogue, the other was packed with rage and action.
I usually let the players do the "what happened last time" since it is an easy way to make sure that everyone is ready and has their notes in order (it is getting to be a lot of notes). Also I usually have a hard time remembering where we left of so this serves as a reminder for me as well.
Really everone, that you for your responses, it means a lot to me that I've found people who can help me pick this apart and fix it. I apologize if it was too long or too brief. If I missed some question, or didn't expand my answer enough let me know.
Christoph Boeckle
Posts: 545
Yverdon, Switzerland
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #8 on:
December 05, 2011, 06:09:20 AM »
Hello there
No need to apologize for taking your time, I prefer slow posting.
It's still not clear to me who the player characters are. So they're members of a family, and this family experiences internal strife, plus a family member is missing.
1) Who is this family? What ties do they have to the setting and important events going on in the world?
2) Why are they fighting? Why don't they just move away from each other and stop having any interactions?
3) Why is it particularly important that this cousin is missing? Is the police handling the affair?
4) Are the PCs Hunters? What are they expected to do, really? Solve the family problem? Find the cousin? Who expects them to do these things? (It seems like half the family couldn't care less that the cousin is missing, or is downright happy with that fact.)
What part of this information is known to the players, and what is secret? What parts do you already know in advance, as a GM? Maybe have you decided that the cousin will turn up again at some point and any investigation will have been a red herring. Maybe you don't know yourself what happened to the cousin, yet.
I know I suggested to keep immersion and mood out of the discussion, but your reply sparked an idea. Could you give us a concrete example of a cliffhanger where the players froze up? Or just any situation where thinks are feeling awkward. What is happening in the fiction at the time? (Similar answers to those two examples you gave in reply to Callan would be perfect.)
Sorry, more questions and still no help. But we'll get there eventually!
Michiel R
Posts: 13
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #9 on:
December 05, 2011, 02:39:10 PM »
Actually sounds like nice sessions.
I just thought about the tension span. Amongst other it is used in movies and plays. The tension start slow, with low action getting to know the characters, their environment etc. Then a turning point, a tilt of the normal situation. Which leads to point of no return and excalating actions. Then a conclusion, a resolution. Afterwards with a new puzzle, a new situation to begin the tension span again.
Thats for the theory and could very well go for the players also. Movies and plays often begin slow, to introduce the audience to the characters, make them confortable with the situation and feel with them. Could be the same for the players, start out slow, get out of daily life and into the character.
Quote from: dreamingjohnny on December 05, 2011, 01:17:57 AM
I usually let the players do the "what happened last time" since it is an easy way to make sure that everyone is ready and has their notes in order (it is getting to be a lot of notes).
Also I usually have a hard time remembering where we left of so this serves as a reminder for me as well.
Then this could also be a reason, for if you have to get into what happened last time, the players will catch up on possible hasitation (uncounsiously).
(ps. forgive my bad English, I'm Dutch, you maygive me pointers as to spelling and such :) )
Posts: 4
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #10 on:
December 06, 2011, 01:07:01 AM »
Hello there, no problem in this taking a while, I'm just happy people want me to tell them more about my chronicle, usually people tire before I do.
I'll answer Michiel R first by saying that yes actually I know what you are talking about, in order to become a better ST I've read up some on literary theory, and I know some about pacing, first act, first dorway and that sort of stuff. The chronicle is purposefully designed to have a slow start to ease the players, and their characters, into it. However the problem is not the speed, that is something that most of us are comfortable with taking really slow. The problem is that for the first half hour or so of every session people doesn't seem to get into their characters, they don't role play, it is a weird feeling and no one (especially not me) is having a good time.
I´ve tried re-capping myself, the problem is that I think that it gives the players less interactions, besides it risks my judgement clouding past events when I want them to be able to give their own versions, thoughts and feelings on what has happened.
And hey, I've got nothing to say about your language, I'm swedish myself so it can be a chore for me as well to get my thoughts across.
Oh and thank you, I'm quite happy with the sessions so far aswell apart from a few problems such as these.
Christop Boeckle.
Like I said, I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have about my chronicle and style of play, but just so we´re all clear, this is a problem I've had for a long time, so it is probably not something unique for this chronicle or setting. I'm just saying that I'm not sure that I understand what the point of it is.
Anyway I'll try to answer the questions but in order for the answers to make any sense I'll have to explain quite a lot I'm afraid. I also want to add that my chronicle has a theme concerning the evil that men do to women so some of the things that I might have to mention might sound terrible but believe me, the message of my chronicle, or the opinions or me or any of my players for that matter, is not to simply shock or disgust. We deal with terrible things but simply because terrible things are relevant and we deal with them in an mature manner.
1) To explain the family I'm afraid I'll have to start with some parts of the history of my setting. Shortly after the Second World War a man named Bo arrived to Gothenburg Sweden (where the chronicle takes place) having made himself a fortune in shipping during the war. This man, Bo, had earlier in life stumbled over an artefact and back in Gothenburg he started experimenting with it, trying to unlock it's powers. The artefact is a story unto it self but it is basically a Chtulhu-egg, that needs to be incubated inside a woman. So when he starts inviting his probable future bride to help him study it things go wrong and he infects her and himself with the spawn. The woman flees and starts a cult among the poor fishing villages outside of Gothenburg that starts to slowly grow in power.
Meanwhile Bo covers it up and swiftly marries the woman's sister, Selma, instead. Bitter over having lost the artefact he spends the rest of his life trying to find other traces of the powers that he knows are out there. For purely selfish reasons Bo seeks out people in the city that has discovered the cult that is spreading, in his hunt for personal power he helps many of them.
Meanwhile he starts a family with Selma. While Selma could've been a good mother Bo is a terror as a father turning his children against each other trying to find one that is powerful enough to be a worthy heir. Seeing as how selfish he is however he cannot see the value of others and is disappointed in all of his children.
Times pass and Bo and Selma starts having grandchildren, all of the PC:s are among this generation. The scars, lies and such that Bo has spread among his children spreads to their children and the PC:s are born and raised in an environment marinated in the sorrows and defeats that Bo has forced on his own children.
The PC:s however become childhood friends, despite their parents and there upbringing, and now when they have all reached adulthood they still have that special bond or childhood friendship.
So the family is pretty central to the plot, they are the ones that released the monsters that are spreading and gathering followers. Through Bo, who died two years back, they have some connections among the ones that already fight the monsters (their surname usually give some people a pause), and what ever sorcery that Bo released is still in their blood. The PC:s will be out helping other Hunters battle monsters and cultists but they will always come back to their own family and what they have done. There family holds some very competent individuals who already know some about what their grandfather has done, and some people who will most likely cause trouble for them (think of them as my version of Jason Stackhouse from "True Blood").
They will either cooperate with all of them (since they are all family as some will claim) or choose who in the family they want to stay close with.
My idea is that the PC:s will have to struggle trying to hold their family together while at the same time facing the sins of their grandfather and the sins that are already in their blood, they are part Chtulhu thanks to their grandfather. The chronicle will be part angst and old conflicts, part political power struggle (within the family, but also with other hunters) and one smaller part fights with half human half octopus things.
2) The family is beginning to break up now, it's been less than 24hours in. However some people in all the different camps wants to help find the missing cousin which is making them stay where they are. Also some people want to stay close to the PC:s so that they can sway them to their own point of view.
3) This special cousin has had quite close relationships to some NPC:s, so that is why she is so important to them. If you mean why she is important to the story it is because the clues that the PC:s will follow will lead them to discover some of the secrets of their family, three of the four groups of Hunters in the area and some of the first leads they will have on the monsters. They will stumble a bit further down the rabbit hole while looking for clues and then it will be too late to turn back.
Since this is World of Darkness the police doesn't really get involved. They show up and write a report sure. But as long as the streets are relatively free of violence they don't really care about something like this. They definitely don't care for the first twenty four hours or so, those that might be the most important if you want to find someone alive.
4) Well no, the PC:s aren't Hunters yet. They are very normal mortals who knows nothing about the monsters. In the short run they are expected to help there family out. They all know that the police wont do anything to save her. They are not expected to knock in doors guns blazing, but just asking around will be enough to reveal somethings to them that they will have a hard time ignoring. Their own affinity to the monsters will reveal some things to them once they start looking and so will the other Hunters.
In the long run I expect to get them motivated to fight the monsters that are plaguing their family, discover the dark secrets of their family and try to make the different groups of Hunters in the city work together against the monsters and their cult.
The missing cousins mother and their grandmother Selma expects them to help out since their cousin is kidnapped. No one in the family is happy over the cousin being kidnapped, they are just busy blaming each other or have very different views on what they should do in order to find her.
The players knows that we are playing Hunter and at some point there will appear monsters. I have also told them that they are expected to create characters that doesn't try to shy away from the monsters when they discover them. It is okay to be afraid, to cry and question your own sanity, but it is not okay to try to ignore the monsters or just stay your ground, it is "Hunter: the Vigil" after all, not "Hidden: the Passitivity".
I´ve planned some of the things that are going to happen in the chronicle, however just now I'm trying to create good interesting and engaging NPC:s and some antagonists. I've planned for them to later track the cousin to a bar in the harbor district but by then she will probably have been moved. They aren't going to find her for a long while though.
I'll check back in this evening to post some more answers but for now this is all that I've time to write, thanks for the help and let me know what more you want to know.
Neil the Wimp
Posts: 85
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #11 on:
December 12, 2011, 03:00:34 AM »
A question about the social setting of the game and the players. What do you do between people coming in the door and starting to play? I ask because people often need a few minutes of low-pressure socialising and chatting before they can really start doing anything purposeful together. That means that you may want to build that into what you do at the start of the session.
How about you spend the first five to ten minutes on just chatting about what's been happening since you last met, as well as people reminding each other about the events of the last sessions and their plans for this one. This is not the start of the game! When everybody's comfortable that they've had enough catching up (probably when the chatting has dried up), then you collectively agree to start the game. Having an explicit start point might be a good idea, even if it's just you saying, "Is everyone ready to start the game? Yes? OK. Let's begin. PC1, you're in a deserted warehouse with..." and dive into the first scene, whatever it happens to be.
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Michiel R
Posts: 13
Re: Help: Akward Session Opening
Reply #12 on:
December 12, 2011, 10:25:29 AM »
Quote from: dreamingjohnny on December 06, 2011, 01:07:01 AM
I'll answer Michiel R first by saying that yes actually I know what you are talking about, in order to become a better ST I've read up some on literary theory, and I know some about pacing, first act, first dorway and that sort of stuff. The chronicle is purposefully designed to have a slow start to ease the players, and their characters, into it. However the problem is not the speed, that is something that most of us are comfortable with taking really slow. The problem is that for the first half hour or so of every session people doesn't seem to get into their characters, they don't role play, it is a weird feeling and no one (especially not me) is having a good time.
Nice. You have my respect. I really like that kind of stuff, although I find it a bit hard to put it into practice.
In presenations people like asking yes or no answers to loosen the audience and get some response. Maybe its an idea to get more reaction from your players. In stead of discribing a situation and leave an open response from them, give them 2 options to choose from. Like a stranger comming along offering some information for money, will you do it or not~? The phone rings while your visiting someone do you answer~? An aquintance at a party starts threatening some PC´s with a knife to back off their investigations, what do you do~? (stand there and nod or put up a fight).
I also like the option of Neil.
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CALDWELL, Idaho – The Puget Sound swim teams powered to a pair of season-opening wins at College of Idaho on Saturday. The men's team won 10 of its 11 events and the women came away with six of 11 wins to take the dual wins.
The women's 114-85 win was Puget Sound's 25th win on its Drive for 125 as the men followed with a 152-40 win for the 26th win of the year on the department-wide Drive for 125.
Both Loggers 200 medley relay teams started the season off on the right foot as the Loggers swept the 200 Medley Relay events. Derek Frenzel kept the men's team rolling with a 10:25.66 in the 1000 free to take first by over 30 seconds.
Melissa Norrish finished with a 2:02.80 in the 200 free to take first for the Loggers. After Coyote wins in the men's 200 free and the women's 50 free, Keven Henley put the Loggers back on track with a winning time of 22.43 in the 50 free. The meet was Henley's Logger debut.
Frenzel earned his second win of the day with a 4:28.60 in the 400 IM. Freshman Auri Clark earned her first win as a Logger in the 100 fly with a 1:02.97. Max Cohen's 55.03 in the same event took the men's title.
Henley then won his second event in the 100 free with a 50.85 and freshman Sam Anders turned in the same result in the 100 back with a 1:03.63. Teale Kitson kicked off his junior year with a win in the 100 back at 56.75. Ann Barrington's 5:47.57 was good enough for a win in the 500 free and Frenzel's third win of the day came with a 4:57.72 in the 500 free.
Jessica Jaynes's 1:11.67 and Zander Biro's 1:06.08 each tallied wins in the 100 breast for the Loggers. The Logger men's relay team then finished off the meet with a winning time of 1:33.82 in the 200 fre relay.
The Loggers will not compete again until Oct. 28 at the NWC Relays.


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June 2008 Web Update
June 17, 2008First Trimester
During the first trimester USTTI has offered training addressing a wide array of topics including, Spectrum Management, Internet Governance, Distance Learning and Telemedicine. Through these courses 105 women and men from 42 developing nations have been trained. To date we have received 7,336 course applications from 124 developing countries. As we conclude our very strong first trimester and prepare to begin our second courses are filling-up rapidly and sponsors have begun reviewing applications for the fall. Please submit your 2008 course applications as soon as possible to increase you opportunity of attending training this year.
Internet Technology Training Sequence
Twenty USTTI scholars from ten developing nations participated in Cisco Systems popular training course Internet Service Provider Design Seminar and Backbone Routing Protocol Workshop. During the three week course conducted at CISCO's corporate headquarters in San Jose, California scholars spent their time in a hands on environment learning the principles for designing, securing and operating an ISP infrastructure while using industry best practices from numerous industry experts who served as volunteer professors. Applications for our third trimester offering of this course are now being accepted and reviewed.
Hurricane Season
As many USTTI Alumni and applicants in the Caribbean know, June 1st marked the start of the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season. While the season officially ends on November 30, hurricanes can still occur outside of this six month window. A hurricane is a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 74 miles (119 Kilometers) per hour or greater. Hurricanes are generally accompanied by heavy rain, thunder and lightning, and typically occur in the western Atlantic Ocean; in the South Pacific they are referred to as 'typhoons'. One of the most devastating hurricanes to impact the United States was Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall along the coast of Louisiana and Mississippi on August 29, 2005. Hurricanes are often a strong test of a country's emergency communications infrastructure. Hurricane forecasters in the United States with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are predicting that this year's hurricane season will be especially active. This October, USTTI offers an emergency communications sequence that deals with communications during disasters such as hurricanes. Further details, including information on each of the five courses that make up this sequence, can be found under the course tab on the USTTI web site. If you would like to participate in this valuable training opportunity, please apply as soon as possible.
Rural Connectivity Course Begins
Seventeen officials, representing the following countries: Argentina, Bulgaria, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Zambia were welcomed this morning by the USTTI staff. These officials will be attending USTTI's "Applying 21st Century ICT in Emerging Markets" training course, which will be held at Intel Corporation's worldwide headquarters in Santa Clara, CA. This training course will help these officials identify and capitalize on opportunities to advance their country's communications infrastructure by utilizing a variety of different wireless communications technologies. This popular course will be held again this fall and is listed in the curriculum as course M8-370. If you are interested in participating in this fall's offering, please complete your online application as soon as possible.
New Team Members
The USTTI is very pleased to announce the appointment of our newest Curriculum Coordinator Ms. Ann Shikany. Ann is a recent graduate of Kenyon College where she majored in Political Science. While attending Kenyon, Ann engaged herself by playing rugby and traveling frequently within the United States and Europe. Most recently she spent a semester studying in Siena, Italy before moving to Washington, DC. Ann's experience and work ethic make her a great addition to the USTTI team.
Additionally, USTTI is happy to welcome three interns to our team. Michael Beirne, Laura Donaldson and Justin Encarnacion have been added to the USTTI staff in time for our very busy summer months. Michael has just finished his junior year at the University of Richmond where he is preparing to earn a Bachelor of Arts in History and Spanish. Laura comes to the USTTI team from Georgetown University where she is majoring in economics and Justin Encarnacion has completed his third year of study at the University of Maryland.


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Comfort DentistryFor an appointment call our office today at 417-886-1010 or Make an Appointment
Comfort Dentistry
Gentle Professional Cleaning
In order to maintain your overall good health it is important to have good oral health habits. These habits should include a regular visit to your dentist. Regular everyday cleaning does protect your teeth from developing plaque and also fights bacteria that can cause bad breath. Yet, having your teeth professionally cleaned at the dentist office is a simple and safe process that can help you prevent the development of oral health issues while maintaining a bright smile.Read more about Gentle Professional Cleaning
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide is a safe and effective sedative agent that is mixed with oxygen and inhaled through a small mask that fits over your nose. This helps you relax during your treatment.
Nitrous oxide, sometimes called "laughing gas," is one option your dentist may offer to help make you more comfortable during certain procedures. It is not intended to put you to sleep. You will be able to hear and respond to any requests or directions the dentist may have. Your dentist will ask you to breathe normally through your nose, and within a few short minutes, you should start to feel the effects of the nitrous oxide. Ultimately, you should feel calm and comfortable. The effects of nitrous oxide wear off soon after the mask is removed.
Indications for Nitrous Oxide
- Mildly apprehensive patient
- A frightened child
- To reduce awareness of time and fatigue
- To reduce dental stress
- To control gagging
- When requested by the patient
Talk to your dentist at Spring View Dental Care about whether nitrous oxide might be a good option for you. Call us at 417-886-1010.
Oral Sedation
Oral sedation dentistry is a medical procedure involving the administration of oral sedative drugs, generally to facilitate a dental procedure and reduce patients' fear and anxiety.
Depending on the total dose given, oral sedation can range from minimal to moderate. For minimal sedation, you take a pill, typically Halcion, which is a member of the same drug family as Valium. It's usually taken about an hour before the procedure. The pill will make you drowsy, although you'll still be awake. A larger dose may be given to produce moderate sedation. This is the type of anesthesia most commonly associated with sedation dentistry. Some people become groggy enough from moderate oral sedation to actually fall asleep during the procedure. They usually can be awakened with a gentle shake.
Conscious sedation can help ease your mind and get rid of anxiety so you can focus on your dental health, not the discomfort associated with it. If you're afraid, anxious, or apprehensive, let your dentist at Spring View Dental Care know; he or she will choose the right form of dental sedation for you. Call us at 417-886-1010 for an appointment.


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"Where can you go when the world don't treat you right? The answer is home…" Or a hot new restaurant opening with your 90s TV family, the Today show reported.
Jessica Biel's new restaurant, Au Fudge, had its soft launch Friday night in West Hollywood, California. We were tickled to see that several of Biel's "7th Heaven" co-stars attended, including Beverley Mitchell, Barry Watson, Mackenzie Rosman and Catherine Hicks.
The crew even took the time to pose for an Instagram photo so we could collectively swoon with nostalgia. So thoughtful, you guys!
The family theme is fitting for Biel's restaurant, which centers on kid-friendly, community-oriented dining. Biel's own family is growing too — she and husband Justin Timberlake welcomed their first child, Silas Randall, last April.


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NewspaperARCHIVE is the world's best resource for historical and genealogical information. Its unique archive spans more than 400 years of family history, small-town events, world news and more.
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Virginia Newspaper Project
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Consumer Information


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Submitted to the Optic
The State Bar of New Mexico hosts an annual essay contest in which students write a legal brief based on a fictitious case with state laws and school policy procedures for students to incorporate into the essay.
This year, the Bar received 107 essays from throughout the state. Jamie Lee Mathis, a West Las Vegas High School Senior, won third place (worth $250). In addition, Renee Alvino, a senior, Sarah Gallegos, Karla Gallegos, and Christopher Yee, juniors, placed in the top 25; Patrick Lopez, a junior, placed in the top seven.
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Old Ketchup Packet Heads for Trash
Heinz 'Dip and Squeeze' Container Aims to Conquer a Major Frustration of Chowing Down in Transit
Some people rip off the corner of the packet with their teeth. Others, while driving, squirt the ketchup directly into their mouth, then add fries. Some forgo fries at the drive-through all together to keep from creating a mess in the car.
After observing these and other "compensating behaviors," H. J. Heinz Co. says it spent three years developing a better ketchup packet.
Heinz says the new "Dip and Squeeze" packets will begin replacing the traditional rectangular ketchup packets later this year at Wendy's Co. WEN 2.71% restaurants. Smaller chains including Chick-fil-A Inc., Smashburger Master LLC, and International Dairy Queen Inc. started carrying the packets earlier this year.
McDonald's Corp. MCD 1.18% and Burger King Holdings Inc. are testing the packets but declined to comment on the results.
As the name promises, "Dip and Squeeze" ketchup can be squeezed out through one end or the lid can be peeled back for dipping. The red, bottle-shaped packets hold three times the ketchup as traditional packets. The new containers are more expensive than the old sleeves, but Heinz hopes customers learn not to grab more than one or two.
To develop the new packet, Heinz staffers sat behind one-way, mirrored glass, watching consumers in 20 fake minivan interiors putting ketchup on fries, burgers, and chicken nuggets.
To try new prototypes himself, Mike Okoroafor, Heinz vice president of global packaging innovation and execution, bought a used minivan, taking it to local McDonald's and Wendy's drive-throughs to order fries and apply ketchup in the confined space.
"I wasn't going to use my car—too messy," he says.
Heinz for decades has searched for better single-serve packets. The company has tried making them bigger, easier to open, or attachable to a cup of French fries. None of the changes could be made cheaply or solve customers' main complaints—the single-serve packets are messy, hard to open and don't provide enough ketchup—say executives. For about the past decade, Heinz sold two single-serve containers: the classic squeeze packet and a dipping cup.
Heinz believes traditional ketchup packets are so annoying that they stop people from ordering fries at drive-thrus. "Fry inclusion orders" at drive-thrus "have been going down for years," says John Bennett, vice president of food-service ketchup, condiments and sauces for Heinz.
A large, wedge-shaped packet almost made it onto the market but Heinz ditched the design months before its planned introduction in 2008. Mr. Okoroafor declines to say what Heinz spent developing the "Dip and Squeeze."
In 2006, when activist investor Nelson Peltz battled Heinz for board seats, he pushed the company to make a number of changes, large and small, including developing easier-to-open ketchup packets. Now, Mr. Peltz sits on the boards of Heinz and Wendy's, which his holding company, Triarc Cos., bought in 2008.
Mr. Peltz declines through a spokesman to comment on the packaging change, saying it wouldn't be appropriate since he's on the boards of both companies.
Since a supply spat between Heinz and McDonald's that arose during a 1973 tomato shortage, Heinz, the country's largest ketchup producer, has been locked out of most McDonald's U.S. locations. Though Heinz didn't design the new packet to get back in McDonald's good graces, "that would be a wonderful side benefit," says Heinz's Mr. Bennett. The only McDonald's serving Heinz now are in Minneapolis and Heinz's hometown of Pittsburgh, he says.
The new packets cost Heinz several times more to produce than the old rectangular pouches it has been selling for over 40 years. The new containers cost restaurants more than three times the old packets, as well, which could give pause to some chains.
Restaurants give ketchup away, so "cost is king," says Amy Coltrin, senior director of product development for Golden State Foods Corp., a Heinz competitor that supplies private-label ketchup to most McDonald's in the U.S.
Stuart Leslie, president of 4sight Inc., a package-design firm based in New York that worked with Heinz, says the package subtly cues the consumer about the portion. Shaped like a bottle of Heinz ketchup and larger than the traditional packets, the "Dip and Squeeze" packs signal, "This is a serving, this is a bottle of ketchup," Mr. Leslie says. "You actually don't need 16 bags of ketchup."
Early tests at Chick-fil-A show the potential cost problems: consumers took more ketchup with the new packets, according to Chick-fil-A surveys of about 50 restaurants over several months. But the survey also indicated that customers strongly preferred the new packets.
Some consumers appeared to be hoarding the new packets, says Brian Wray, manager of brand strategy and design at the Atlanta-based fast-food chain. He expects use will plateau as the novelty wears off and people learn how much they need.
Other restaurants, including Smashburger and Dairy Queen, that conducted similar tests say people are using about the same or less ketchup.
On a recent afternoon inside a Chick-fil-A in Atlanta, Bruce Stanford is skeptical. The 55-year-old worries he might rip off the cover and douse himself with ketchup before digging into his chicken sandwich, fries and iced tea.
But after using it, the hospital admissions employee from Marietta, Ga., stays clean. "I get the concept," he says. "You squeeze on the sandwich and dip for fries."
—Timothy W. Martin
and Julie Jargon
contributed to this article.
Write to Sarah Nassauer at email@example.com
Copyright ©2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
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PITTSBURGH, Feb. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnegie Mellon University researchers and a botany expert from Carnegie Museum of Natural History are developing a digital system for identifying poisonous plants.
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnegie Mellon University researchers and a botany expert from Carnegie Museum of Natural History are developing a digital system for identifying poisonous plants.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20020422/CMULOGO)
"These plants are in our backyards and often wind up on our patios and even in our living rooms to add color during drab winter weather, so we really need to be aware of their impact on our health," said Marios Savvides, director of the CyLab Biometrics Center at CMU.
Working with Cynthia Morton, head of the botany section of Carnegie Museum of Natural History, researchers identified 35 poisonous plants and created profiles of each plant.
"We are developing a comprehensive digital database with all the most dangerous plants and how these plants impact human health," Morton said. "Because plants can't move to escape their predators, they must have other means of protecting themselves. Some plants have physical defenses such as thorns, but by far, the most common protection is chemical and that's where the poisonous plants come into play," Morton said.
For centuries, poisonous plants have played key roles as culprits in myths and mysteries. The poison hemlock, for example, is allegedly the plant used to poison Greek philosopher Socrates in 399 B.C. In late January, more than a dozen Wyoming school students were rushed to the hospital after eating uncooked yuca root. While the potato-like plant is a staple in many underdeveloped countries when cooked, if the roots are eaten raw, the plant is potentially toxic.
Morton points out that another dangerous plant for teenagers is datura, a big white flower whose seeds are harvested for its hallucinogenic value.
"This new digital system will be an excellent way to inform the public and keep track of all the various symptoms from contact with certain toxic plants," said Anthony F. Pizon, a physician in the Division of Medical Toxicology in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and a medical director of the West Virginia Poison Center.
While deaths from poisonous plants are rare, Morton said the ability to map and track when these plants intersect with large segments of the population is critical to public safety.
"We are still building the system, which will be available as a smartphone app or tablet app, which we eventually want to make available to every hospital emergency room in the nation," Savvides said.
Additionally, the researchers want to make the app as simple to use as taking a smartphone picture of a leaf. The app would identify the plant and list the plants' appearance, toxicity and remedy/antidote for health care professionals to administer.
"We are looking to extend this to more poisonous plants and poisonous mushrooms, which is the next computer vision/pattern recognition challenge. I also envision this as a smartphone app that may evolve to a stage where it detects a poisonous plant in the wild (nature trails), saves its GPS location and provide a continuous updated social network map of user-sited poisonous plants. The map would be used in the wild by hikers and nature enthusiasts during their outdoor activities, and by poison control centers, hospitals and botany centers," Savvides said.
Early research funding for the project came from the UPMC Healthcare Technology Grant program to advance new areas of research in health care information technology. The program, which began in 2010, is a strategic collaboration between UPMC and CMU.
About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon (www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 12,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university is in the midst of "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.
Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20020422/CMULOGO
Carnegie Mellon University


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Find Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Kent
Kent Marijuana Dispensaries and Delivery – Open Kent, OH dispensary locations are coming to the map on Ohio Dispensaries & Doctors. When the Great State of Ohio finishes legalizing medical marijuana, recreational weed still off the table, open dispensaries near me in Kent and delivery will be found as they spring up on Ohio's cannabis industry website, OHDISPENSARIES.com.
Medicinal cannabis in Kent will be available to Caregivers & MMJ patients in Portage County with a Medical Marijuana Card. The various forms currently allowed include THC Oil & CBD Oil for vaping, tinctures, bud or flower, edibles, and patches. Hemp based CBD oil is legal without a card. Kent edibles and vaporizers are sure to be patient & caregiver favorites as they are a popular option as an alternative to smoking weed, which is still illegal along with recreational under the Ohio laws.
Ohio Guide to Legal Hemp CBD [2019]
How to Qualify for medical marijuana in Kent, OH?
Qualified patients must have a Qualifying Debilitating Condition and will need a recommendation from a certified physician to obtain an marijuana card in Kent. Additional medical conditions that qualify to administer medical marijuana can be added via petition. View the Medical Marijuana Doctors maps to find certified doctors & clinics near you. Fill out the cannabis patient registration form and will have a doctor contact you as available.


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Collision course: CR and debt ceiling
A harsh reality began setting into Capitol Hill on Tuesday: The U.S. government may not reopen until the two parties reach a deal to raise the national debt ceiling.
Hours after federal agencies shuttered their doors for the first time in nearly two decades, congressional leaders from both parties began to prepare for a protracted budget battle bound to grow more difficult the longer it goes unresolved.
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Indeed, if the standoff continues to creep toward the Oct. 17 deadline to raise the $16.7 trillion national debt ceiling, the two issues will become intertwined — and potentially intractable. House Republican leaders and top Senate Democrats privately began discussing this increasingly likely possibility Tuesday, but the two sides have yet to engage in any direct negotiations in the acrimonious budget dispute.
( POLITICO's full government shutdown coverage)
That means a federal shutdown — which has suspended government services across the country and prompted furloughs of hundreds of thousands of federal workers — could persist for weeks until Congress and the White House cut a deal to avoid a first-ever default on the national debt.
"This is now all together," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said of the debt limit and the continuing resolution to keep the government funded.
Within the next few days, if House Republicans don't accept a Senate plan to open the government until mid-November, Reid is highly unlikely to accept a budget deal if it does not increase the debt ceiling, Democratic sources said Tuesday. If the House GOP won't back the Senate's stopgap plan by later this week, Democrats are prepared to argue that it makes little sense to agree to a short-term spending bill if Congress is forced to resolve another fiscal crisis in just a matter of days.
( PHOTOS: D.C. closes up shop)
A White House official said Tuesday night that the president could get behind Reid's strategy.
Across the Capitol, House Republicans were quickly coming to a similar conclusion. Republicans were internally weighing including a debt ceiling hike in their demands to convene a House-Senate conference committee to discuss a bill to reopen the government. In the coming days, the GOP leadership is likely to change its rhetoric, with Republicans arguing about government funding and the debt ceiling in the same breath.
Even if the issues become connected, administration officials said it won't change the underlying dynamics of the president's position — that he won't negotiate over the debt limit.
At the White House, there was also little indication of any movement, though there were some signs that at least the two sides may talk. President Barack Obama may begin to at least make phone calls over the budget impasse with Republican and Democratic leaders this week with a White House meeting possible, sources said Tuesday afternoon.
( WATCH: Key moments leading to shutdown deadline)
Still, the reason for such a move may simply be for optics: Obama is aligning himself closely with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's hardball demands that Republicans must cave or risk the public backlash. The demand: Republicans must agree to both a "clean" budget bill to reopen the government and a debt ceiling hike with no strings attached — a position senior White House aides reiterated to Senate Democratic leaders at a private meeting Tuesday morning.
The change in the legislative dynamics puts Washington in a deeply uncertain course to resolve what could become a full-blown economic calamity, with both sides betting the other will blink once the political ramifications intensify.
For the past two weeks, Republicans have been insisting that any budget bill must include provisions to gut or delay Obama's signature health care law, a position rejected time and again by Senate Democrats and the White House. And after being rebuffed on their request for formal negotiations with the Senate, Republicans tried a different tactic Tuesday: attempt to pass bills funding individual government agencies and dare Democrats to block them. The White House vowed to veto such piecemeal measures.
( WATCH - Debt ceiling showdown: By the numbers)
Indeed, on Capitol Hill there were signs only of the two sides digging into their respective corners, with the House Republican Conference having what several sources described as their best conference in months after Speaker John Boehner's demands to gut Obamacare prompted the budget impasse. And at a private Democratic lunch in the Senate's ornate Mansfield Room, speaker after speaker heaped praised on Reid for his no-compromise stand, attendees said.
And increasingly, the two policy disputes — raising the debt ceiling and keeping the government funded in the new fiscal year — seemed bound to become tied together.
"It will all get solved at one time," said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.).


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Salvation can be (and often is) an extremely confusing subject for a child. I struggled greatly with the issue as a child (and even into my adult years). The main cause of my struggle was a fundamental misunderstanding regarding the essence of salvation. For my part, I remember clearly many of the times that I made a profession of faith. From the time I was 5 years old until the time I was 20 years old I made numerous "salvation decisions". The first time was when a drama team from a Fundamentalist University came to our church. The drama scared me to death and I went forward at the invitation. The next time was when a musical group from a Fundamentalist College came to our church….same deal. Then there was the "hellfire and brimstone" evangelist. He said that if I wasn't "absolutely sure" that I was saved that I needed to come forward and take care of it. So I did. Nearly the entire decade of the 80's had me at summer camp every year. During my teen years (mid-80's and forward) the camp experience was at a well-known Christian camp in another state. We always scheduled our camp week to coincide with one of the weeks that the biggest name amongst Fundamentalist Evangelists was there. Every year it was the same story….I'd get "saved" (and then go home and promptly destroy all my CCM tapes!). My confusion about salvation continued on into my young adult years. I spent three summers working at two different large Christian camps. During each of the first two years I again made professions of faith. I didn't do that the third year but I found myself praying nearly every day that the Lord would show me that I actually was saved….I was so desperate during this time that the memory of those emotions is still very real to me.
I always came back to "the prayer" I prayed at my most recent salvation experience. I would rehearse it over and again in my memory desperately trying to recollect whether or not I had said the right words in the right order. I had a rather unfortunate view of God at the time. Despite my brokenness, I figured that if I hadn't got the prayer right then God hadn't really saved me. This stressed me out – it caused me to lose sleep – it made me view God as some sort of a "trickster".
I'm now 36 years old. My oldest son is a lot like me in the way he thinks about things. He began struggling with this issue of salvation when he was barely 4 years old….that was 7 years ago. I've struggled during that time to be so careful with how we dealt with the subject whenever it would come up. Never pushy – never leading him to pray some "words" – just watching him struggle with it and helping him through as I was able. He came to me last night with more questions. It was fairly easy to see that his long struggle with this issue was coming to a head – his tears and the anxiety on his face bore all that out. I asked him to do what I always have. I told him to read John 3 slowly and carefully using either his ESV Bible or my NIV (so he could understand more clearly). He spent a great deal of time reading through the chapter and then came back to me still crying and trembling. I asked him to tell me about the chapter which he did in a beautiful way. We then began talking about what salvation is and is not. I had Trey do most of the talking – explaining it to me in his own words.
As I quoted and paraphrased some other passages of Scripture in John, Romans, and 1 John, I would ask him again to explain the passages to me. In the end he acknowledged that he needed Christ as his Savior. So, he prayed….inaudibly. When he was done, I didn't ask him what he prayed simply because he has always struggled with the issue of "saying the right words". Instead I spent some time with him showing how he could know from Scripture that God had saved him. I shared with him that salvation is not about some formulaic prayer, but rather about God's love and mercy. As I was talking I noticed that he was crying more fervently than before and I asked him why. He said, "because I'm so happy".
My prayer for him as we ended our conversation (as well as going forward) is that he grows in God and becomes the Christian man that God wants him to be; that God would continue to work in his life and that He would constantly remind him that he is an adopted child of the King; and that his faith in God would grow and would be unshaken by anything that might happen here on this earth.
I think that adults can do a lot of long-term damage to children if these matters aren't handled carefully. It is so important that people base their salvation on the Person and work of Jesus Christ rather than some "1-2-3" formula. It is important that, rather than trying to "scare the hell" out of someone, we explain the love and relationship that Christ offers freely to all who will believe. My heart goes out to those who never seem able to get this matter of salvation nailed down. As we share the Gospel with others and, by God's grace, have the opportunity to lead some to Him, we need to take great care in teaching them that their assurance – their confidence – is to be in Christ and Christ alone. Not some prayer; not some stake hammered into the ground behind their house; not anything of their own merit; but in Christ. His goodness, His love, His great mercy. Him, and Him alone.
With the heavenly choir I rejoiced last night as God brought one of His own to Him!


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On May 10, Father Robert Barron, director of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and creator of the Catholicism Project, was named rector-president of Mundelein Seminary/University of St. Mary of the Lake by Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago.
Father Barron received a master's degree in philosophy from The Catholic University of America in 1982 and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Institut Catholique in Paris in 1992. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1986 and had been a professor of systematic theology at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary since 1992. Father Barron was visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame in 2002 and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 2007. He was also twice scholar in residence at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
The Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at Mundelein, Father Barron will assume his new role on July 1. He spoke with Register senior writer Tim Drake about the appointment.
Did you anticipate this appointment or was it a complete surprise?
It was a surprise, about three months ago. Cardinal Francis George came to our office to thank us for the Catholicism series. We celebrated Mass, and he preached on the importance of the New Evangelization. Afterwards, he asked to speak privately with me. It was then that he asked me to be rector. It was a surprise, but I've had a little time to get used to the idea.
Mundelein is a place I love. I was a student there, and after I got back from Europe, I've been teaching there part time, a couple of courses each year. I have a strong sense of Mundelein.
CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) recently reported that the number of seminarians is the highest it has been in 20 years. To what would do attribute that increase?
I think it's the Pope John Paul II generation coming more into play. He had such a significant impact on evangelization. I also think part of it is counter-intuitive. In the wake of the sexual abuse scandals, many men have come forward to say it's a time for greatness in the priesthood and heroic priests. In a crisis, people want to get into the Church and be a part of the solution. The revival of numbers is perhaps attributable to that.
For many years Mundelein was No. 1 in terms of numbers of seminarians studying. More recently, it has been overtaken by Mount St. Mary's. How many seminarians are currently there?
We were No. 1 for the longest time. We've had as high as 220 men. We average around 200. Just the last couple of years it has trended downward to 160 men from 26 dioceses, including some in Africa. It's still one of the largest seminaries, but one of my goals is to take a look at what might be responsible for the downward trend.
What is it that seminarians today most need?
I think that they need a keen sense of the New Evangelization. If I have a focus for my work as rector, that's it. That is the heroic call of our time. Priests will continue to do the classic work of a parish priest, but they are now doing it in a new setting that's become indifferent to the faith, at best, and hostile at worst. How do you evangelize that culture? I'd like to make Mundelein a powerhouse of the New Evangelization — a place where the New Evangelization is thought about, where it's practiced and implemented, and where that ethos is placed in the heart of the students.
In your recent review of the film Bully, you spoke about the lack of mentorship facing modern males and how that often leads to either a lack of direction or bullying behavior. How do you overcome that tendency in men coming to the seminary?
This generation of men is coming to the seminary. The seminary is a place where precisely this kind of male mentoring goes on and turns young men into heroes. That's what Pope John Paul II did. He inspired young men to become knights. The seminary is a place where young men can use their courage and their intelligence to learn how to help the downtrodden and the innocent. Seminary is where they can learn to be strong men.
Several years ago, author Michael Rose wrote in his book Good Bye, Good Men about an active homosexual subculture at Mundelein. Is that a thing of the past?
I know of the source for the Mundelein part of that book. Much of it came from a disgruntled, unhappy fellow. I was there during those years, and as I read that section it struck me as exaggerated.
I will be attentive to that issue. Anything opposed to the moral integrity of these men, I want to be eliminated. If any of that presents itself, I will do something about it. I want them to be heroic leaders.
It seems as if reform is so desperately needed in so many areas of the Church. How do you see reform taking place?
Vatican II and the way Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have gone about implementing it. The Second Vatican Council was a reform council to make the Church a more effective vehicle for evangelization in the modern world. My generation received an inadequate interpretation of Vatican II. The reform has to recover a correct interpretation — that is to make the Church at all levels a more effective vehicle for the true evangelization. When we go off the rails, we've left that vision.
I'm a Vatican II man. In many ways, Vatican II is still a largely unrealized council. It hasn't been fully implemented. That's still the call of our time and the matrix for reform. The role of leadership in the Church is to implement it at all levels. Canon law says that the seminary should be the heart of the diocese. The seminary here could be a sort of powerhouse for the New Evangelization.
What's your take on the Church's clash with the Obama administration regarding the Health and Human Services' contraceptive mandate?
We were recently filming in England [to introduce the Catholicism to the UK audience], and while there I realized how prevalent the 16th century still is today. The memories of the persecuted Church and the recusant Church are everywhere in England, and we must remember that that was a matter of religious liberty. Religious liberty is the most fundamental of the human rights. The reason people were so offended was that religious liberty was being attacked, and it's being attacked again. It's a secularist ideology that wants us out of the public arena.
How do we prepare future priests to lead in a culture dominated by increasing secularity and hostility to the Church?
This is the work I've been involved in these past eight years. One reason I think the cardinal wanted me in this role was to pass on that leadership education. We need a deep soul doctoring language, from the tradition of the Church — the language of Ignatius and Aquinas and Newman and others — to address human beings at the deepest level. That is what theology is about.
I want people who are well-trained soul doctors and who also understand the culture. We cannot hunker down behind a wall. We need men who can identify the dark and the light, who can find the seeds of the Word in the culture and engage that creatively. They need to be able to look out on the culture, see what's problematic and what's good, and draw that out.


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Fockru needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 128 designs submitted by 45 freelance designers.
Looking for some sort of graphic along with the name PING.
Desired Color Scheme:
A Red, Black, and White
Accepted File Formats:
Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai)
When a customer sees your logo, the goal is for them to feel that it (the restaurant) is:
- modern
- Asian
- upscale
- unpretentiousThe graphic aspect of the logo may but does not have to incorporate the Chinese character (å") behind the name of the restaurant. PING means 'high-quality' or 'high-standard'. I also have a pdf with numerous versions of this Chinese character I can email to anyone who would be interested. You may choose to incorporate this character directly as a handwritten ideogram or symbolically in another fashion.
The colors of the logo will be reddish, black, and white. However, we will likely stamp the logo in foil on menu covers and such. As well as create a rubber stamp for 1-color impressions on cards and stationery.
Final format desired is eps or ai, but it would help me greatly to sometimes see a jpg or pdf version.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.