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George W.'s Personal Jesus
He uses his religion as a political tool better than any president in history. Christ is his number one adviser. And yet we don't really know what he believes. It's all part of the plan.
In the beginning, there was the call. George W. Bush sat in a straightbacked wooden pew in a private prayer service at a Methodist church in Austin on the day of his inauguration for a second term as governor of Texas.
His father was in the front row with him that winter day, and his mother and wife and daughters, all gathered to celebrate his election. The thought of the younger Bush ascending to the presidency was on everyone's mind. But he didn't plot his life or aim to fulfill ambitions for the highest office, Bush wrote in his 2000campaign autobiography, A Charge to Keep. He acted spontaneously, lived in the moment, seized opportunities. His faith gave him the freedom to make all kinds of difficult decisions without worrying about the consequences.
"I could not be governor if I did not believe in a divine plan that supersedes all human plans," the presidenttobe wrote.
The Reverend Mark Craig, from Highland Park United Methodist Church, in a wealthy suburb of Dallas, knew George W. Bush well. The pastor and the congregation—as well as the whole state and most of the Republican Party—knew that Bush was struggling with "The Sacrifice Question," as the costs of running for president were called in Texas. In A Charge to Keep, Bush recalled the sermon from that day. The reverend told the story of Moses, who was asked by God to lead his people into the desert and unto the land of milk and honey. Moses was reluctant to take up leadership, the reverend said. Moses had sheep to tend, and he didn't want to make the sacrifice. "The people won't believe me," the reverend described Moses as saying. "I'm not a very good speaker. Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person."
George W. Bush had listened to his share of sermons since he'd begun his walk of faith, but he told friends that this was the best he had heard in his life. If Bush was waiting for inspiration—literally, the breath of God—then this was the moment that would change him forever, he wrote, a moment of recognition so clear and vivid that everything afterward would seem different.
"People are starved for leadership," the reverend proclaimed. "America needs leaders who have the moral courage to do what is right for the right reason."
The congregation rose to its feet cheering, a joyous noise reaching from the choir to the farthestback pews.
Barbara Bush, the former first lady, said to her son, "He was talking to you."
It was at this moment that George W. Bush was called to run for president.
"As I stood to take the oath of office and give my inaugural address," he wrote, "the sun broke through the clouds."
George W. Bush is the most overtly and publicly religious leader of the United States in generations. He speaks constantly of faith and the power of prayer and America's special place in the purposes of God. Religion permeates his official speeches and informal talks. Jesus is his favorite philosopher, he said in a debate in Iowa during the 2000 presidential campaign. Modern evangelicalism is the predominant creed of his White House, speechwriter David Frum revealed in The Right Man The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush. In encounters with foreign leaders, the matter of the Almighty is raised He looked into Vladimir Putin's eyes and saw a good man as the Russian leader spoke of the crucifix his mother gave him; he told Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of Turkey, that the two of them would make good partners because they both believe in "the Almighty"; he was caught on tape during a closeddoor session with Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas, talking about his "divine mission" to bring peace to the Middle East. Every morning, the president has let it be known, he wakes early, before first light, and spends quiet time reading the Bible or another work of religious inspiration before he turns his attention to the matters of this world.
George W. Bush is also the most privately religious leader of the United States in generations. President Clinton tucked his wellworn Bible under his arm every Sunday morning and made for church services in Washington, D.C., a ritual many Christians who didn't like him or his politics took as a sign of showy, insincere religion. For Bush, despite the constant presence of religion in his words, the most basic facts of his worship and beliefs are a mystery. He was raised in Presbyterian and Episcopal churches in Texas, but he has not chosen a church in Washington and rarely attends services in that city. He is a Methodist by marriage but disagrees with mainline church policies on everything from the death penalty and abortion to the war in Iraq. Every modern president has had spiritual advisers occupying a public role, but the question of who ministers to George W. Bush remains unanswered outside his innermost inner circle. Tony Blair is commonly regarded as the most religiousminded prime minister of Great Britain since William Gladstone in the late nineteenth century, but the suggestion that Bush and Blair prayed together while planning to wage war on Iraq is met with studied silence. Bush has written about closely studying the Gospel, but senior staffers claim not to know if the president currently has a Biblestudy group. He is often at Camp David, attending Sunday services in a chapel presided over by a navy chaplain, but the nature and shape of his worship are as guarded as a state secret.
"The president divorces policymaking from personal faith," Dan Bartlett, director of White House communications, told me. "His personal faith and belief system give him the clarity of mind, personal comfort and freedom from risk in his decisions that allows him to be president. George W. Bush believes in a secular state and the tolerance of all religions," Bartlett said, "even as he believes that faithbased organizations shouldn't be discriminated against when it comes to government money for social programs. I can tell you that George Bush is not making decisions based on his own personal faith."
For George Bush, thus, everything is dependent upon spirituality, and at the same time nothing is dependent upon spirituality. He is a master of politicizing religion, and he is a humble and Godfearing man who would never exploit faith for political gain. A walking contradiction, he is the subject of hope and fear the world over, and the central question of his presidency is this What does W. believe
Midland, Texas, population 117,000, is where George W. Bush turned to God. The city lies on the plains of the western oil fields, on land turned brown from a tenyear drought. It calls itself the Tall City, and the town motto is "The sky is the limit." In the center of Midland, in the home of the once thriving oil business, the streets are mostly empty, with a few office buildings deserted and slowly yielding to the desert, some with scenes from the Bible frescoed on their sides. The day I arrive, satan is defeated is painted in large letters on the door of a dilapidated lowrise on the main drag.
The suburbs are organized around a highway that circles the city and forms a daisy chain of Olive Gardens and Hampton Inns and WalMarts. Don Poage, a former oilman turned teacher and counselor, meets me in the Starbucks café in the local Barnes Noble. Poage, in his early fifties, is tanned and dressed in a Hawaiian shirt; he looks like Huey Lewis, only with the beginnings of a ponytail. He has been friends with George W. Bush for most of his life, he says. He remembers seeing Bush for the first time as a Little League baseball player, when Poage was 7 years old, and how he was in awe of him; even then Bush had a way of carrying himself that was selfpossessed and attractive. "I patterned myself after him," he says. Poage's youngest daughter grew up a friend of the Bush twins. His sister, Candy, was a high school pal and college roommate of Laura Bush's, and they have remained in contact.
Long before it seemed that the younger George Bush had any prayer of being president of the United States, he gave Poage the nickname Pogus. Poage was an oilman in the early 1980s, as well as a drunk and a cokehead. Poage says Bush was a drinker, but he doesn't reckon he was an alcoholic. "I don't think that George Bush was snorting cocaine despite all the rumors," Poage says. "If he was, he would have done it with me."
Bush was a "producer" in the oil business, spending his days working the phone and raising money in order to get the wells drilled. He mostly found dusters and had little success, even compared to Poage. "George was very confident, borderline cocky," Poage tells me. "They say he's arrogant, but he ain't nothing for Midland. This town is the world capital of arrogance." Poage recalls the year 1984, when the oil industry was in free fall and the riches of Midland—at one time home to more millionaires per capita than any city in the country—began to disappear. A lot of widestriding, toughtalking Texas men were faced with failure for the first time.
That year, many Midland men sobered up and turned to another ambition saving their souls. Poage says he himself was born again, or "radically saved," as he calls it, after a revival meeting in Midland at 2 a.m. on a Thursday morning in April 1984. A man named Arthur Blessitt, who was walking the world carrying a cross, came to Midland, and thousands turned up every night to hear him preach. It was Blessitt who got Poage to surrender his life to Jesus.
In the fall of 1985, Bush and Poage were part of a group of men—their number soon grew to 150—who began to gather every Monday night at First Presbyterian Church, forswearing the weekly football game on television. Community Bible Study, as the national organization is called, is strictly nondenominational, open to Protestants and Catholics alike. It was also mainly a women's organization at the time; the men in Midland were breaking the mold. The night would start with singing a few songs, perhaps a hymn or a rendition of Hank Williams's "I Saw the Light," and then the men would break into groups of ten or so to discuss the lesson of the week. "We studied Acts and the Book of Luke, which is the only Gospel with the story of Jesus told in chronological order," Poage says. "It was orderly and made sense in a way that fit George W. Bush." The homework they were supposed to complete took a couple of hours each week and required answers to questions such as these, from Lesson 21, on the Gospel of Luke
Using a dictionary, define kingdom as it related to the kingdom of God.
What does Jesus mean when He says, "The kingdom of God is within you"
What has to happen before we can enter the kingdom of God
"Our group was very close, with a mutually created trust," Poage says. "It was 'Show me yours and I'll show you mine.' " He says Bush did his homework and had good answers and even better questions; he was by turns quick, sharp, flippant and deep. "He had searched the Bible for answers," Poage explains. "Some guys would take the Scriptures and just quote it back as a way of staying safe. George wasn't trying to score points with his faith or appear to be devout when the men in the group knew his true situation at home. He was genuinely searching. We talked about the lesson and what was going on in our lives. Nobody would've thought he would be president. He was just a guy."
As Poage and I talk, friends and neighbors stop by our table in a steady stream of shared greetings. The conversation is entirely about church Which service are you going to on Sunday First United Methodist First Baptist Church of Christ Poage tells me, however, that the spirituality of Midland transcends matters of church and doctrine; the point is a personal relationship with Christ.
The media tend to mock prayer, Poage says, and consequently it is impossible for the president to fully describe his beliefs and the ways he worships and seeks God's counsel. "I feel like he has passed me in his walk with Christ in the past two years. He has been driven to his knees more and more by the job he has been given. I think he was deep in prayer before Iraq. I think he was searching God every day for what to do next. But the last thing that needs to come out of his mouth is 'I prayed on this, and it's the right thing to do.' That's part of the wisdom George has got from up there. If he said that, the press would immediately say, 'It's a holy war.' "
The faith of the president hides in broad daylight, there to be seen but designed to avoid the ridicule that Poage and every evangelical I met anticipates. Mark Leaverton, an oilandgas lawyer who was also a member of the Community Bible Study group in Midland at the same time as Bush, told me that many people are afraid to talk to journalists about their faith. "You can tell reporters who understand and those who don't," he said. "You need to understand the centrality of religion in people's lives and respect it."
The term born again entered the lexicon in Jimmy Carter's 1976 presidential campaign, during which he told Playboy magazine he had been born again—and the term soon became the subject of ridicule during the scandals involving televangelists during the 1980s. Leaverton said that there are many ways to describe the moment when, in the eyes of Christ, you pass from death to life accepting Christ into your life; surrendering to Christ; being born again; asking Christ into your heart; believing in Christ. "Many Baptists and Pentecostals will tell everyone they meet how and where and when they were born again, but Bush avoids that term for good reasons," Leaverton told me. "If you're from the South, in the Bible Belt, you understand the language, but a lot of northerners don't." Bush is an evangelist in the way it is commonly understood, Leaverton said He has an intimate relationship with the creator of the universe. "If you asked George Bush facetoface what he believes, he would tell you, but it can come off sounding kind of severe because it's not an easy thing. Do you believe Christianity is the only way to God Well, Christ was very clear about that. He didn't allow much wiggle room."
Instead of chancing such direct revelation, the term preferred by the president to describe his faith is the walk. "It's made my walk clearer," Bush told Beliefnet, an Internet site dedicated to religion, when asked if it is harder for a secular person to lead a moral life. "To me, faith is a long walk," he told Charisma, a Christian magazine. "It's not a moment. It's a walk." In A Charge to Keep, he wrote that Billy Graham "led me to a path, and I began walking."
Leaverton told me he was absolutely certain Bush had been born again. Leaverton was at a communitytheater production one night in the spring of 1986, and it happened that he and his wife sat next to George and Laura Bush. Leaverton leaned over and asked Bush how he was enjoying the Community Bible Study sessions. Bush tilted forward, his eyes afire, and said, "You know when we read that story about Jesus and Nicodemus meeting and Jesus saying, 'You must be born again' It has changed my life."
Leaverton smiled at me.
"Now, George didn't take it farther, but he was saying that he had been born again," he said. "I could see he had been lit up."
The rise of modern evangelicalism, from the margins of American politics to the center of power, coincides precisely with the rise of George W. Bush. Evangelicalism, from the Greek word for "gospel," or "good news," can be defined in countless ways. It transcends denomination, in the same way that Bush's faith does, and its core principles have remained the same for centuries being born again in Christ, Biblebased worship and saving souls. Depending on how the question is worded, some 45 percent of Americans describe themselves as "born again." In other words, more than 100 million Americans are evangelical Christians. James Guth, a professor at Furman University in South Carolina and the leading political scientist tracking the ways that evangelicalism impacts the politics of the country, said that the faith of the president was perfect for a politician trying to court the white evangelical vote. "Not to be cynical, but he couldn't have done it better, even if he had tried," said Guth. "I think he has genuine faith, but virtue and political opportunity can run in the same direction."
Like much of the country, the story of faith in the Bush family is one of movement to the south and the west and the right. Whereas his father was reticent and reserved in matters of religion, the "vision thing" was precisely what the son chased hardest. He followed closely in his father's footsteps in every way, if only as a less brilliant imitation of the elder's feats as a baseball player and fighter pilot and oilman. But in the matter of faith, and insight into its political powers, the son has far exceeded the father.
The genius of George W. Bush for dealing with the conservative clergy first became apparent in 1987, when he moved to Washington to help with his father's run for the White House. Bush became the point man on wooing the evangelical vote. Doug Wead, a political adviser to the elder President Bush at the time, had been writing a series of memorandums on the best ways to communicate with evangelical Christians. Wead told me that the younger Bush understood the ways of evangelicals intuitively, viscerally, and that he was able to reassure them directly about his father's beliefs. In his new publicly devout role, Bush quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey and set out to try to control the rages he was prone to flying into—"feisting out," as he called it. He met with Jerry Falwell and James Dobson and was charged with the task of outmaneuvering the campaign of televangelist Pat Robertson.
Wead, who now works as a motivational speaker, came to know the younger Bush well in the years Bush was first learning the code for communicating with evangelicals. "George would read my memos, and he would be licking his lips saying, 'I can use this to win in Texas,' " Wead told me. "Signal early and signal often" was Wead's motto. He offered, by way of example, the time he and the younger Bush suggested that the elder Bush attend a Billy Graham revival "I was friendly with the guy who produced Billy Graham's television shows, and I suggested that we could have a camera isolated on the vice president, and he would be carefully following Graham's words, and at the right moment he would wipe away a tear. It was the only time I recall the older Bush getting angry with me. He didn't want political use made of it, but it happened anyway. They got shots of him, and they used them on their show."
There are ways for the president to communicate with evangelical voters, Wead said, without directly speaking about religion. He can associate with evangelical athletes and celebrities; secular fans don't necessarily know about the faith of the famous, but Christians know them all. Bush's daily devotional reading also sends a message "There is nothing more thrilling for an evangelical than to believe their president is reading the Bible," Wead said. "Evangelicals believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, so he's hearing the word of God."
In the rare moments when he is left to his own devices, unscripted and apparently just speaking his mind, George W. Bush has a long record of causing himself political woe. "Heaven is open only to those who accept Jesus Christ," he said in 1993 during his Texas gubernatorial campaign, earning a rebuke from Billy Graham. (Bush was right, according to the New Testament, Graham said; it was just that he shouldn't play God by deciding who does and does not get into heaven.) Famously, a few days after the attacks of September 11, Bush called the war on terrorism a "crusade," a misstatement—or a revelation of true intentions—of biblical proportions.
But in his formal public speeches, guided by chief speechwriter and fellow evangelical Mike Gerson (or "the Scribe," as Bush calls him), Bush uses extreme precision in communicating with his Christian constituency. A person steeped in the language of faith can recognize the voice of someone who shares his beliefs, and in this way the younger Bush is pitchperfect. "Yet there is power, wonderworking power, in the goodness and idealism and faith of the American people," the president said in his last State of the Union address. The reference is instantly recognizable to evangelicals as coming from the hymn written by Lewis E. Jones at the turn of the last century Would you over evil a victory win the jaunty singalong Sundaychurchhouse tune goes. There is power, power, wonderworking power / In the blood of the Lamb.
The danger Bush faces, Wead said, is to speak too much to his evangelical constituency and to risk alienating other possible voters—which is why Bush has become such a master at signaling. Mentioning "the Christ word," as Doug Wead called it, runs counter to the tradition of presidents talking about religion in an ecumenical way, but Bush works it in anywhere he can. During the war in Iraq, the president spoke at the White House Correspondents Dinner. NBC news correspondent David Bloom, a committed Christian, had died of a pulmonary embolism during the conflict. Bush read aloud from Bloom's last email home to his wife "Here I am, supposedly at the peak of professional success, and I could frankly care less. Yes, I am proud of the good job we have all been doing, but in the scheme of things, it matters little compared to my relationship with you, the girls and Jesus."
The ecutive branch of government under George W. Bush is the most religious in generations. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice, the daughter and granddaughter of Presbyterian ministers, is a deeply devout Christian who often goes to Camp David on weekends and shares in private worship with the president. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans, from Texas, first gave Bush The One Year Bible, containing selected verses for each day of the year. Attorney General John Ashcroft, son and grandson of Assembly of God ministers, is a member of Washington's National Community Church. Karl Rove, the president's top political adviser, keeps his faith quiet and out of public sight. Rove has said that the strategy for Bush's 2000 campaign was inspired in large measure by William McKinley, president at the turn of the last century and the last Methodist to sit in the White House. (McKinley was famously devout. His last words, as he died after being struck by an assassin's bullet, were "It's God's will. His will, not ours, be done. Nearer my God to Thee. Nearer to Thee.") Rove now coordinates relations with evangelical leaders such as Charles Colson and Franklin Graham, Billy's son. When these figures have condemned Islam as "evil" and a religion of war, the president has publicly disagreed and described Islam as a faith of peace. Nevertheless, the private relations continue without pause.
Richard Land, president and CEO of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, is an adviser to the White House on the intersection of politics and religion. A graduate of Princeton and Oord, he had a sharp ear for any hint of "secular bias" in my questions. Land met the younger Bush during his father's campaign of 1988 and was the 2001 presidential appointee to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. He said his presidential nickname is Ricardo.
"George Bush is an evangelical Christian, there is no doubt about that," Land told me. "The president's evangelicalism means he believes in the truth of the Bible, with a capital T the virgin birth, the death of Christ on the cross for our sins, the physical resurrection and, most important, a personal relationship with Jesus." Land said he trusted the younger Bush even more than he trusted Ronald Reagan "Bush is traditional and religious, and now there is no 'Nancy factor'—no need to go through a Nancy Reagantype figure to get to the president." He said that the president didn't change after September 11 but that the world changed "The president believes America has a purpose in the world, and that purpose is to fan the flame and light the candle of freedom. I believe that he believes—as do I and many evangelicals—that we have a responsibility to help people experience the freedom that is their Godgiven right."
Land said that people fear George W. Bush because they don't understand his faith. "They don't understand that kind of moral certainty. They live in a world of shades of gray. Their ethics are situational It's not right or wrong; it depends on the situation. But some things are always right, and some things are always wrong."
Land apologized and put me on hold for a moment. He had to get off the phone, he said. He had a conference call with the White House on the other line.
The official story of George W. Bush's personal salvation involves Bible study and quitting drinking. In A Charge to Keep, Bush wrote that another key moment came in the summer of 1985. Visiting his parents in Kennebunkport, Maine, he sat by the fireside and listened to Billy Graham talk about faith. "And what he said sparked a change in my heart," Bush wrote. "Reverend Graham planted a mustard seed in my soul, a seed that grew over the next year."
There is one moment of salvation, however, that did not make it into the autobiography and has not been told before. Arthur Blessitt, the man who brought Don Poage to Jesus in Midland in April 1984, had an encounter with Bush at the same time—one Blessitt told me he could recall in vivid detail. Blessitt came to Midland as part of his mission to walk the world carrying a twelvefootlong cross, which, he said, God had told him to use to spread the message of Christ. (At this point, his trek has spanned 300 countries, territories and island groups and more than 36,000 miles, a feat recorded in Guinness World Records as "the world's longest walk.") In Midland, one of Blessitt's friends told him that the son of the vice president of the United States had heard him on the radio talking about Jesus and wanted to arrange for a private meeting. It was an extraordinary time in that city, Blessitt said. The oil business was in a terrible way and many fortunes were suddenly lost, but this downturn led to a religious awakening in the town. "It was an awesome move of the Holy Spirit," he said. "A very great evangelistic harvest."
Blessitt and Bush met privately in a room at the Holiday Inn, praying and talking together for an hour and a half. Bush was uncommonly direct and to the point, Blessitt said. "I talk to countless men about Jesus, but it was one of the few times I've had a man look me directly in the eyes and ask me a question like that 'I want to know how to know and follow Jesus Christ.' "
"What is your relationship with Jesus" Blessitt asked.
"I'm not sure," Bush said.
"The call of Jesus is for us to repent and believe!" Blessitt said. "The choice is like this Would you rather live with Jesus in your life or without Him"
"With Him," Bush said.
"I want to pray with you now," Blessitt said.
"I'd like that," Bush said.
They held hands and prayed aloud. The younger Bush had a firm but tender grip, and it tightened as they recited, one line at a time, "Have mercy on me as a sinner.... Cleanse me from my sins and come into my life.... I love you, Lord. Take control of my life." Blessitt then said, "There is rejoicing in heaven now! You are saved!" Blessitt told me he recalled that Bush insisted on giving him a check for $1,000, even though Blessitt refused donations. Don Poage corroborated this story. "George told me he tried to give Blessitt a check, but the preacher refused it, so he gave it to the preacher's wife," Poage said. "Even though George is tight as the bark on a tree, he wouldn't take no for an answer."
Blessitt told me he believed Bush was totally sincere. "When he left that room, he confessed that he felt he had received Jesus Christ as his personal savior. I asked him, 'If you died right now, would you go to heaven' And he said, 'Yes.' " In his diary, Blessitt recorded the event. "April 3, 1984 A good and powerful day. Led Vice President Bush's son to Jesus today. George Bush Jr.! This is great! Glory to God."
During Bush's 2000 presidential campaign, Blessitt went to a breakfast fundraiser at a large house on the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, Florida, to meet Bush again. "I actually parted with $1,000 to get in," Blessitt said. The house was full, and Blessitt was afraid he wouldn't get the chance to say hello to Bush, but he prayed on it and decided to position himself near a door—and sure enough, the candidate came through that door and Blessitt was the third person to shake his hand.
"I am Arthur Blessitt," he said. "We met in Midland."
Bush instantly recognized him. He pulled Blessitt to him and offered a hug. Blessitt quietly told Bush how proud he was of Bush's testimony for Christ, and he asked if they could pray together again. "May the peace of God fill you even in the face of your adversary," Blessitt recited, reading from a prayer he had composed for the occasion. "May Jesus show you His way, His truth and His life."
I asked him why he thought Bush hadn't told of the Midland experience in A Charge to Keep, and Blessitt said he didn't know the answer. "It is a phenomenon inside the evangelical world for people not to talk about Jesus to outsiders," he said. "When you're in politics, you have to watch everything you say. Not me. I have nothing to hide. I am open and clear about my personal relationship with Jesus Christ."
After I had tried for weeks, by phone and email, to get an interview with the president or anyone intimate with the ways that faith works in the White House, Dan Bartlett finally returned my call. He is in charge of every aspect of media relations for the government and has served Bush for more than a decade. Bartlett told me he knew little about the president's personal faith. It was reported, in Time magazine, that after September 11 the president privately said he had been chosen by the grace of God to lead the country at that moment. "The president had never said he thinks he is the chosen one, selected by God to be the leader in this time," Bartlett told me. "He has never said that, and he doesn't think it. I have never heard him describe the broader context of our times in biblical terms—not even in the Middle East, not in public and not inside the walls of the West Wing of the White House."
I asked what role prayer plays in the president's decisionmaking, such as in going to war.
"I think you'll find that as with prior administrations, much of what happened only comes out after the presidency is over," Bartlett said.
I told him that every one of the pastors I approached had declined to talk. One Houston minister had agreed happily, on the condition that he check with the White House first; he called back and said someone in Karl Rove's office had told him not to speak with me. When I phoned that office, an aide explained that people were afraid to talk about the president's faith, without saying whom or what they were afraid of. Bartlett told me, "It's not inconsistent or odd that somebody would want to be private about their own personal belief system and at the same time be able to talk about faith in our country."
"Do you know any pastors or a spiritual adviser who might talk to me" I asked.
"Have you prayed on it" he asked.
Sunday morning in Midland, the faithful sit quietly in the pews of First Presbyterian Church, a large brick building with stainedglass windows depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments, from the creation to Christ as king. It was here, in this church, that the younger Bush first worshipped, and it was here that he first studied the Bible with the men of Midland. All over the city, the driveways are empty, the pews are full. The flock in First Pres is entirely white, as far as I can see, men in khakis and blazers, women in modest dresses and sensible shoes. Pastor Steve Wilkins begins by thanking God for the rains of the night before; the land has been parched, the drought seeming to never end, but the thunder and the lightning and the rain have finally come, and now the land and the people have been nourished again. The pastor offers a prayer for American soldiers in foreign lands, and he tells the story of David Bloom and his faith in Christianity, and he reads the same quote the president recited; the tale has been moving through evangelical circles.
"What does it mean that Jesus ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty" the pastor asks.
The church is silent.
"If you want to know Jesus, you need to look to the Scripture," the pastor says. "If you want to know the will of God, you need to look to the Scripture." .
For evangelical Christians, for the president of the United States, it is the Gospel that matters, not the church or its interpretation of the word of God. And the Bible is a story of the struggle between good and evil, God and the Devil. It is the divine plan as revealed in the heart of the saved.
The pastor then asks the question that faces George W. Bush and, through him, all of us.
"When people look at you, what do they see the hands of Christ doing"
Guy Lawson is a GQ writeratlarge.


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The 2010 International Food Blogger Conference is taking place in Seattle from August 27th - 29th. This year's keynote speaker is James Oseland, editor-in-chief of Saveur Magazine (Top Chef fans also know him as a judge on Top Chef Masters). Registration will be open to the public starting this Monday, August 19th. The $350 ticket price sounds steep but apparently the generous goodie bag will make it worthwhile. There's also a special room rate being offered by the host hotel, Hotel Monaco.
And for all you poutine fans out there, Smoke's Poutinerie and Major League Eating are hosting the first World Poutine Eating Championship in Toronto on Saturday, May 22nd. Despite the recent controversy about the contest being closed to Quebec participants (Quebec is the birthplace of poutine, afterall) I think it'll still be a fun time. I met Ryan Smolkin (owner of Smoke's Poutinerie) in Drummondville, QC last year (we were both there to attend the Festival de la Poutine) and he seems to take his poutine very seriously, taking the trouble to import authentic squeaky cheese curds from Quebec for his 20 varieties of poutine.
Professional registration for the championship is now closed but they are still accepting entries for amateurs. Just submit your "I once ate..." or "I love poutine so much..." story here and Smoke's Poutinerie will select 3 amateurs to compete with the pros. You have till May 15th to enter and you must be 18 years old and a resident of Canada (excluding Quebec). Pity I'll be in Vancouver on May 22nd, I think I'd be a shoe-in for this contest (see my posts for 12 poutine in 12 days & Poutine-Palooza: Festival de la Poutine). I guess there's always next year :)

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dog stopped eating because of my roommates aggressive cat
i recently brought home Karma (3 year old lhasa apso mix) from the pound. my roommate has a resident cat (10 year old) who was fine at first. the cat has become increasingly agressive and mean to my dog whom is very submissive anyway. a couple days ago, i noticed the cat beginning to "stalk" the dog. the dog will no longer lay on her bed, or even eat out of the bowl she used to. (the dog and cat share water). i often see the cat eating the dogs canned food too. my dog is very fearful and wont be alone in any room accept my bedroom. she is losing weight and i am worried. what do i do?
Start disciplining the CAT!
Also dogs should have regular meal times and this will help. Get the cat away and feed the dog in a safe place. You might have to encourage him in the beginning so he knows he is safe. This is about you having strong parenting skills for both the cat and the dog.
Love Them & Lead Them,
~Elizabeth & Doug
Dog Training the Way Nature Intended
best way to discipline a roommates cat?
thank you for your response. i know the answer, but how do i go about disciplining my roommates cat? without somehow pissing off the roommate. i am not familiar with techniques in cat discipline. helpful advice? and also, is there anything i can do for my dog to help her become less fearful and to become sure of herself?
Your dog needs to see that you are protecting her. Cats are fairly easy to pressure. Any intense action from you towards the cat should suffice. This could be an assertive noise, a clap of the hands towards the cat (not the dog), stomping quickly towards the cat, etc. They are pretty sensitive to pressures. Use a word at the same time like "leave it" in a firm tone - usually a loud "pissst" sound does well. Explain to your roomie that you love the cat but you need to help your dog see that you are willing to defend her. Plus the cat needs to learn not to pick on dogs.
Love Them & Lead Them,
~Elizabeth & Doug
Dog Training the Way Nature Intended
I would get a water pistil and every time Kitty went near the dog, spray it.
I don't know how you initially introduced the dog and cat, but if you didn't do it slowly and gradually, the result is often poor.
IF this were a kitten or very young cat it would be easier, but this is a 10 year old cat, set in his ways, stalking and being aggressive to a small dog who it sees as an intruder on his territory.
I would NOT spray the cat with water when it's near the dog. This could easily cause the cat to furiously attack the dog as a target for his anger at this.
You need to keep your dog's food and water in your bedroom, and let her eat and drink in there with the door closed. No more sharing bowls. Your dog needs to know she can safely eat.
Keep the dog safely in your room when you're not home. When you are home, do not the dog roam the house, but keep her close to you and when the cat enters the room, toss him some really great treats, catnip or toys he might like, to distract him and so he can associate the dog with good things. Stay low key. Do not yell, jump up or do anything that might put the cat in the "fight or flight" mode, since this cat is not likely to flee. IF the cat comes towards the dog in a threatening way, just stand in front the dog to block the cat.
Discipline/punishment will not work with cats who are aggressive, other than to make them more aggressive.
Cats are not really domestic, are very different than dogs and need a much different approach.
I have to admit I read this with some growing alarm fir the cat! I understand completely your concern for the dog but the cat has been there for 10 long years and this is his safe territory and home. Unless you introduce dogs and cats carefully, slowly and cautiously - and follow all those guidelines (there are many wonderful articles online, simple google "introduction of dog and cat" of some varaiation thereof and select one. I believe there is one on this very site if you browse for it.
It is not the cat's fault and cats never respond to punishment. In fact, it makes them fearful and this could even result in more aggression. For some reason, this kitty feels threatened. And your dog needs help in understanding how to live with a cat as the newcomer.
Lucky's suggestions are great - give him his own bowls. Even with two cats, seperate bowls are a wise idea. I have three cats at the moment and they each have their seperate bowls - though they will sometimes share water but that is their choice.
PLEASE never spray the cat with water - that is cruel and unecessary and the cat will not know why you are doing it and only fear you.
Good luck with this - I hope your dog becomes happier and the two become good friends. It sometimes can take time and even intra species relationships that began badly can do well if you start from scratch after introducing them properly.
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats" Albert Schweitzer
So let me get clear - are you saying a cat can't learn manners? If they can - then who teaches them? If a mother cat were protecting her kittens wouldn't she pressure the aggressive cat away? Would that aggressive cat learn NOT to mess with the other cats kittens? Birds are not domesticated either but they learn from pressure and release just as every other animal we have ever worked with. Pressure does not have to be mean, but setting a clear boundary is every animals right.
Sorry that this cat was there first, yes there is a period of adjustment, but frightening a dog to the point of not eating is not okay and its time to learn to get along. Cat does not have to like the dog but he should also learn that it is not okay to terrorize the dog.
I am sorry but it seems that cats are being held in some 'special' catagory of ability to learn and personally I think they are way too smart for that.
Love Them & Lead Them,
~Elizabeth & Doug
Dog Training the Way Nature Intended
Yes, they can learn all kinds of things, you just have to use other methods than you would with a dog. They aren't being held in a 'special" category, they are just a different species and must be handled differently.
I can tell my dog "Leave it" because I said so. She wants to please. A cat needs different motivation to change it's behavior, which is why I made the suggestions I did. Doing anything punitive to a cat who is already showing aggression could very well increase the aggression or have other unpleasant side effects, like avoidance of the litterbox, especially in a 10 year old cat who could be easily stressed.
Aversives can work, but must be done in a way so the cat does not connect you with it. For example: Cat gets on the counter and finds stuff to eat. Behavior is reinforced and no squirting with water will keep it off the counter when you are not home since staying off counters that have rewards makes NO sense to a cat.
BUT if you put sticky tape and no food the on the counter and cat jumps up, the result for the cat is "This counter makes my feet sticky and there is no food and I wont' bother coming here again."
Cat doesn't think, "Oh my owners are being mean to me and making my feet sticky". That's the difference.
Another example:Cat is scratching couch. Screaming and spraying with water will work WHILE YOU ARE THERE. Gently guiding cat to catnip laden scratchpost and giving pets and treats for using it will work even when you aren't there, since using the scratchpost has now become more satisfying for the cat than scratching the sofa. Cat wants to please itself and doesn't give a damn about pleasing you.
Punishment doesn't work with birds either unless you are planning to abuse it to the point where it obeys out of fear. It must positive all the way.
Hope this makes sense!!
I think my problem comes with the idea that pressure and punishment are being considered the same and they aren't. I have 7 large parrots that we have rescued. Some came to us from sad homes and they had reverted to their wild state. Through our experience and observations the birds certainly pressure and sometimes discipline each other to gain understandng and respect. We apply these same principles to them and they are now great birds who cuddled and love us because we have established clear relationships of love, trust and respect - never fear.
Of the umpteen cats in our lives we also use the same foundation of understanding and they are all great and get a long with everyone. Never out of fear. Please never think that we suggest that fear teaches an animal anything but greater fear and mistrust. But I can certainly think of times when I have told my cats 'no' and they didn't seem to hate me for it. They realized they were not making the right choice and made a better one. i.e. sitting on a bird cage. Trust me they don't do it when I am not home either or I would be coming home to tailess cats!
Thanks for all of the cat info. and I will try to be more observant.
Love Them & Lead Them,
~Elizabeth & Doug
Dog Training the Way Nature Intended
If they sat on the cages, and consequently had the pleasure of catching or playing with/torturing the birds, they would do it when you're not home, believe me, because NOT doing it would make no sense to them if doing so rewards them. Plus your birds are large parrots. Try having a cage full of finches and see if you get the same result. A whole different ballgame.
I've said "No" to my cats also. But that is very different than squirting with water a 10 year old cat who feels his territory has been invaded and is in aggression mode. A cat like this need redirection/distraction and not punishment.
The other thing is, maybe there is a reason the cat is acting that way. Maybe the dog has hurt it or stolen a toy. Maybe the cat isn't getting enough attention or exercise... Maybe the cat prefers the dog's brand of food (my cat won't eat food that isn't made by the same company as the dog's food) or prefers the type of bed the dog has.
I like the idea of keeping them apart when you aren't around. And your room-mate will likely understand that work needs to be done so that everyone is happy. And like TenderFoot suggested, once your dog knows you'll handle all the rough stuff for it, the confidence will start to go up.
Just so we are VERY clear - Tenderfoot NEVER said to spray the cat.
Love Them & Lead Them,
~Elizabeth & Doug
Dog Training the Way Nature Intended
But on that same line of thinking, when I say squirt, I'm talking cheap water pistol from the dollar store squirt... Less than a teaspoon...
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Saturday, February 25, 2006
Well, the baby socks are done (if you look closely they sort of vaguely look like a pair, but it's the thought that counts, right? RIGHT?!!) and represented a much needed break from the tedium of the Klaralund sleeve. Mary Mother of God, make it END!! I've only got 12 inches of one sleeve and have an entire other one to do. The Lone Knitter had a great suggestion: why not switch out the baby socks for my Knitting Olympics project and call it a day? Believe me, it's tempting for sure...but a deal is a deal, right? So I soldier on, even though my new project--the Hourglass sweater in Karabella Aurora 8 in fuschia--is all set, swatched and ready to go. Added enticement: my best pal Babs and I are doing it together. But she has her own sleeve debacle to deal with at the moment...Obviously I'm DOA for the Olympic Deadline, but being an academic I've set my sights on finishing the sweater "during Spring Break". Yes, spring break, that magical expanse of time when all is made right: drawers are cleaned, papers are graded, dietary excesses are corrected and unfinished knitting projects are completed. Stay tuned...
Posted by The A.D.D. Knitter at 11:28 PM
3 comments:
- Lone Knitter said...
I love your baby socks, and I admire your ability to be graceful about finished your KO project after the KO deadline. I need to learn from your example.
- Montgomery Chirpin said...
You are the Bode Miller of Olympic Knitting! You're bad ass, make your own rules, and you don't come home with a medal!
Just kidding.
If there really was a Knitting Olympics, this project would be the Skeleton. Not gonna get you on the Wheaties box, but at least you can say you're an Olympian!
They're super cute by the by....
- Rissa said...
They are so very cute! :-D
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Here is how the 49ers graded out from their 45-3 win Sunday over the visiting Buffalo Bills:
Pass offense
Alex Smith sparked the biggest yardage day in 49ers history (621 total yards). Now the NFL's leader in passer rating (108.7), Smith passed for 237 of his 303 yards before halftime. Michael Crabtree, Mario Manningham and Kyle Williams made touchdown catches look easy. The 49ers are stretching the field more, protecting Smith better and gaining more yards after the catch.
Grade: A
Run offense
In a historic display of balanced offense, the 49ers were the first team to complement a 300-yard passing day with a 300-yard rushing attack. They ran for 228 of their 311 yards after halftime. Frank Gore hit the century mark (106 yards, plus a TD), Kendall Hunter ran for a career-high 81 yards and Anthony Dixon scored. Another 88 yards came from their quarterbacks' legs, including 39 yards and a TD from Colin "WildKap" Kaepernick. Kudos to Delanie Walker for sticking out in a dominant blocking display.
Grade: A
Pass defense
The 49ers are allowing only 181. 2 passing yards per game, the second-best mark behind only the Dallas Cowboys (169.5). The pass rush may not be finishing with sacks — Ahmad Brooks had the only one Sunday — but an imposing force still exists in Justin Smith (no sacks in 2012).
Grade: A
Run defense
No opponent has scored a rushing touchdown in the past 12 regular-season games at Candlestick. Patrick Willis (forced fumble) and NaVorro Bowman look in sync, and next up for them is the Giants' Ahmad Bradshaw, who ran for 200 yards Sunday against the Browns.
Grade: A
Pass defense
The 49ers didn't allow any completion longer than 20 yards. Chris Culliver saw a lot of time in the nickel package and came through with his first interception this season.
Grade: A
Special teams
Coverage units have been exposed as the 49ers' biggest flaw. While a holding call rightfully nullified a Bills touchdown on an 80-yard punt return, the 49ers allowed a 59-yard kickoff return the next time Leodis McKelvin touched the ball. David Akers tied a franchise record by making a field goal in his 21st consecutive game.
Grade: C
Once sought by the Bills to become their coach, Jim Harbaugh deflected all credit to his players and assistants. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman called a masterful game and bolstered his stock of becoming a head coach by Valentine's Day, if not sooner.
Grade: A


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Scott Mattocks has returned (after a week off) with the latest PHP-GTK news, a double edition - issues #12 and #13.
This update covers happenings from May 3rd through May 17th, and get a bit deeper than previous weeks.
This weeks news items include:
- discussion of why E_STRICT doesn't play nice with PHP-GTK 2.
- a few patches (GtkWidget::size_request(), gtk_selection_data_get_uris, and gtk_selection_data_set_uris)
- some drag-and-drop bugs
- help with GtkTreeView and friends


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10:00 pm
The Path to Violence Ever since the wake-up call that was Columbine, schools and law enforcement have developed multiple strategies to prevent attacks. Indeed, the horror of Newtown must be seen in a context that's not defined by defeat. More than 120 school assaults have been thwarted in the past 10 years. D
11:00 pm
Intelligence Squared U.S. "Men Are Finished" It was 1971 when President Richard Nixon declared a "war on drugs." $ 2.5 trillion dollars later, drug use is half of what it was 30 years ago and thousands of offenders are successfully diverted to treatment instead of jail. Still, 22 million Americans - nine percent of the population - still use illegal drugs; and with the highest incarceration rate in the world, we continue to fill our prisons with drug offenders, leaving shattered families and communities in the wake. D


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Used Truck - 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quad Cab 2WD in Grand Prairie, Tx
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2009 Dodge Ram 1500 ReviewThis car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale.
Redesigned and re-engineered for 2009.
The 2009 Dodge Ram is a new truck that incorporates Dodge's forward-thinking style and refinements to cosmetics and engineering. The Dodge Ram is a light-duty full-size pickup, a so-called half-ton truck, but this latest version lacks the 1500 badge of previous versions because the heavy-duty versions (2500, 3500) share little in appearance and running gear.
Technically the truck is not all new. The V6 and 4.7-liter V8 engines (overhauled recently), the brake system (upgraded), and transmissions have not been substantially changed for the 2009 model year. In a few cases, such as the front suspension geometry and the forward frame sections, the design remained but new materials are being used for more strength, less weight, or both. Some audio and climate control systems, and the middle front row seat may appear familiar, too. But that's where any similarities between the 2008 and 2009 models end.
The bodywork is all new and more aerodynamic. A Crew Cab model has been added to the mix; it has more cabin space than the Quad Cab but in more manageable dimensions than the retired Mega Cab. The new Crew Cab required its own pickup bed, dubbed RamBox: A perfect rectangle inside, it sports a pair of lockable bins along the bed sides, but can carry the standard 4x8-foot sheet flat on the bed floor.
Interiors have been given new styles and materials, new center console with shifter for some models, and new amenities and gadgets. Virtually every mechanical and air management system has been refined to limit noise and vibrations that become fatiguing over time.
Chrysler's image-building Hemi 5.7-liter V8 has been tuned up to 390 horsepower and 407 pound-feet of torque; it's the most powerful V8 in any regular or mid-size-cab pickup at time of introduction, and it didn't come at the expense of fuel economy. At the other end, a new rear suspension employs a design returning to full-size pickups after a decades-long absence and currently used on some sport-utilities like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chevy Tahoe that see off-pavement use.
What Dodge didn't do is follow the last decade's trend of making half-ton pickups carry and tow more than the previous generation. There are plenty of Dodge (and other) heavy-duty pickups for pulling big trailers or hauling two tons of hay, and the decision to keep the light-duty Ram in the light-duty work realm pays dividends in comfort and is beneficial in terms of fuel economy.
The 2009 Dodge Ram comes in six trim levels: ST, SLT, Sport, TRX, R/T, and Laramie. Special edition models, such as Big Horn and Lone Star, are regional offerings and primarily cosmetic or packaging changes. Since it is new and visibly different from the 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty models, the '09 Ram light-duty does not yet have the 1500 label. (The heavy-duty Ram HD pickups are covered in a separate NewCarTestDrive.com review.) Cab choices include a Regular Cab with short (6.3 feet) or long (8 feet) bed, four-door Quad Cab with short bed, and the new Crew Cab with the shorter yet RamBox 5-foot, 7-inch bed.
A V6 and four-speed automatic are standard on 2WD Regular and Quad Cabs, the 4.7-liter V8 and five-speed automatic on virtually everything else. The 5.7-liter V8 Hemi is offered across the board. No manual transmissions are offered.
Ram ST models ($21,270-$29,735) are workhorses, with standard vinyl floor and manual windows, although they do include chrome bumpers and grille outline, air conditioning, ABS, CD player, variable intermittent wipers, locking tailgate, Sentry Key and on 4WD, electric-shift. Options include chrome wheels, two-tone paint, cruise control, trailer mirrors, limited-slip differential and alternate axle ratios, sliding rear window, Sirius radio and Mopar WiFi.
Ram SLT models ($25,465-$34,850) upgrade with carpet floor covering, floor mats, 40/20/40 split-bench seat, overhead console, cruise control, remote keyless entry, power windows and door locks, heated mirrors and 17-inch painted aluminum wheels. Options include the 5.7-liter V8, RamBox Storage System, on-demand transfer case for low-range 4WD, power sunroof, power-adjustable pedals, 10-speaker Alpine Surround Sound, UConnect/navigation system and hands-free communication system with Bluetooth technology, Sirius Backseat TV radio, low-back bucket seats with cloth upholstery, six-way power driver seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel, auto-dimming rearview mirror, rear defroster, and 20-inch aluminum wheels.
Ram TRX ($30,020-$35,995) comes in Quad Cab and Crew Cab styles and has SLT-level trim with some notable exceptions. TRX features electric-shift transfer case on 4WD models, unique shocks and ride height, 17-inch aluminum wheels and a full-size spare tire, heavy-duty vinyl floor covering, cloth 40/20/40 split-bench front seat, folding rear bench seat (Quad Cab models), tilt steering column, remote keyless entry and standard two-tone paint. Pay extra for an engine block heater, power-sliding rear window, heated power folding mirrors, bedliner, 3.92:1 axle ratio, limited-slip differential, Tip Start, cruise control, and UConnect Studios Sirius Satellite Radio. Ram Sport ($29,365-$38,670) is available in all three cab styles but is labeled R/T on the regular cab. It adds a 5.7-liter Hemi, slate-gray contrast-stitched bucket seats, body-color fascia, fog lamps and 20-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels. R/T models use a 4.10:1 rear axle for superior acceleration but will still tow 5000 pounds. Options mirror those on SLT. Ram Laramie ($37,870-$43,240) is the top of the line, with leather heated seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, chromed door handles and mirrors, and security alarm. Extra-cost features include 20-inch aluminum wheels, sunroof, navigation and rear-seat entertainment. Safety features include dual front multi-stage airbags, three-point belts in all seating positions with constant-force retractors, LATCH child-seat anchors, child-protection rear door locks, electronic stability/traction control and four-wheel anti-lock brakes. Full side-curtain airbags for four-doors, back-up camera, and rear park sensors are optional.
Everything on the 2009 Dodge Ram looks tighter and bigger, yet the truck takes up no more real estate than its predecessor. The illusion comes from more sheetmetal and smaller gaps.
For the last 15 years Rams have had lots of space between tires and fenders but the '09 narrows the gap. Side panels have increased in height by nearly 3.5 inches, to close the crevasse between the truck and the ground, yet the approach angle critical to pickup use hasn't diminished. The split between cab and bed is narrower, and there's a lateral seal in it to reduce air turbulence, the side mirrors stand off from the door glass, the sides are flatter, and the tailgate spoiler and windshield are both rounder for improved aerodynamics. Seen from behind where the tires appear almost flush with the body panels, the truck looks quite trim, rather like a European-cut dress shirt as opposed to an American-cut shirt.
There is no large seam between the front bumper and the grille and lights, and if the truck does not have fog lights the bumper does not have the outline marks that show it's missing something. The rear bumper is larger, has half-round openings for the sport exhaust on trucks so equipped, and both 7- and 4-pin trailer plugs are fitted adjacent to the rear plate. The tailgate has a torsion bar system that cuts the apparent weight of it in half when you lower it, and like all stock pickups, the aerodynamic efficiency and mileage both drop if the tailgate is left down.
Even the least expensive model has some chrome on the front rather than the complete industrial gray that typifies base models and there are plenty of paint choices. On upper variants the mirrors have LED puddle lamps and the headlamps are dual-bulb units, the first since the mid-'90s Sport models, and on the 2009 Sport the front bumper is deeper and body-colored. The more you spend, the more chrome you get.
An aluminum hood is used on all models to save weight, and there is plenty of space below it for the aftermarket to fit superchargers and other go-fast goodies. Laramie models come with two-tone paint but you can specify a single shade, and rather than chrome-plating the aluminum wheels plastic chrome covers are used for dress-up.
The two longer beds are typical pickup design and include four tie-down loops a few inches above floor level. The RamBox of Crew Cab models has a perfectly rectangular interior with no wheel-well intrusions. The Crew Cab RamBox is 49 inches wide, ensuring it can carry the ubiquitous 4x8 building materials flat on the floor. Side rails with cleats secure the cargo, and a bed divider that locks into place segments the bed into smaller areas or can be flipped over and used as a bed extender with the tailgate down.
Along the sides of the RamBox are two locking bins, capable of holding 120 standard 12-ounce cans on the left side (where the fuel fill is) and 130 on the right. These boxes have locking lids, drains, lights and 90-degree opening lids; together the volume exceeds that of a 55-gallon drum. You can fill them with ice and beverages for tailgate parties and camping. They might even hold trailer sway control equipment, though the heavy bars may be pushing the limits of the boxes.
You may recognize a couple of switches or buttons and the center seat section with fold-down center armrest, but everything else inside the Dodge Ram has been redone for the 2009 model year.
The seats are new, finished in a durable fabric that you won't stick to in summer heat or be crusty and chilly in a blizzard. The new seats offer good support and plenty of room. We swapped through a few Ram models back-to-back to compare the trim levels and found the seat in the base model is the same design as in the top-line models, and we had no complaints after a full day of driving. We also found we could sit in the back of a Quad Cab for 20-minute jaunts, but a 6-foot passenger will be happier in a Crew Cab where rear dimensions are essentially the same as the front; only the Crew Cab has a center rear headrest.
Instrumentation includes a tachometer. The gear indicators are orange with the gear chosen shown in green. The gauges are illuminated amber at night while the controls are bathed in green. The electronic stability control switch (standard) and 4WD switch are on the dash (both 4WD systems are electrically-switched).
A typical right-side lever controls the transmission, with a thumb toggle for independently selecting any forward gear; some people with small hands may prefer this to the bulky floor shift that comes with center console trucks. Common operating controls such as lights, wipers and cruise control are on column-mounted stalks.
Dashboards are nicely framed, with symmetry on both sides of the wheel and both sides of the truck. Upper models may be ordered with bucket seats and fixed center console that houses storage areas and a stubby T-bar shifter on the driver's side; the shifter has chrome bulges on either side that look suspiciously like buttons but aren't. The only drawbacks to this arrangement are the loss of one seating position and the space under the central dash where you might mount a trailer brake controller, communications radio, or light-bar or plow control.
With so many trim levels to choose from you should be able to find one that meets your requirements. We found the basic ST work truck model particularly impressive. Entry-level pickups have a tendency to be penalty boxes lacking any amenity beyond a seat cushion and an ashtray, but we didn't feel penalized at all in the ST. The ST models have plastic door panels that are easy to clean and fairly scuff resistant. The standard radio does an exceptional job in light of the basement price.
As trim and price rise so too do standard goodies and optional extras. The key goes in the dash on base trucks but others have pushbutton start, and mid-grade trucks add a voltmeter and an oil pressure indicator. Chrome rings the gauges, leather wraps the wheels on upper models, and the vehicle information center between the larger gauges offers myriad functions from trip computer and transmission fluid temperature to radio data.
The MyGig infotainment system with 30GB hard drive is available, along with navigation, dual-zone climate control, rear park sensors with audible beeps and LED warnings above the rear window, and a 150-watt, 110-volt AC outlet. A moonroof is offered on both four door cabs as is a rear-seat DVD entertainment system (though you can't get both on the Quad Cab). Alpine supplies the premium surround sound system, with speakers in the Crew Cab headliner above the back seat and a subwoofer under it.
Storage in all models is good, including double glove-boxes. On the Crew Cab, Chrysler claims 42 places to put things (we got bored after counting up the first 18). On some four-doors you can get under-floor insulated storage compartments. The Crew Cab has a pair of AC vents mounted low in back; coat hooks that will hold plastic hangars, and cupholders in the center armrest, but there are no reading lights in back. The tunnel hump in the floor is just a couple of inches high yet plenty wide enough for the center rider to have both feet on the same level.
We found we could converse in normal tones at highway speeds back seat to front, with less than average wind, exhaust and tire noise from behind. Even a base model, with a V6 engine never recognized for a quiet or smooth demeanor, does a fine job of minimizing distracting and fatiguing noise and vibrations.
We'd rank the new Ram cabin at or near the top of its class. It is closest in design and style to GM and Ford. A Ram Laramie cabin is not quite as smooth and sleek as a Chevy Silverado LTZ cabin and it is not as complicated or multi-hued-and-textured an Ford F-150 Lariat cabin. The Nissan Titan offers good instrumentation and controls, but doesn't quite reach the refinement of the Ram. The Toyota Tundra offers similar features but the instrument panel is less integrated.
Driving Impression
When one hears Dodge these days, Hemi is usually the next subject that comes up. For 2009, the Hemi has been upgraded with variable intake, revised ports for better airflow, higher compression, and variable cam timing.
The Hemi has gained 45 horsepower and 32 pound-feet of torque, now rated at 390 hp and 407 lb-ft respectively, and the powerband is wider. Couple these revisions to a truck that's more aerodynamic, and one result is that the Hemi's Multiple Displacement System (MDS) can operate more often. MDS essentially shuts off half the engine when not needed to save gas, and Dodge says the new truck can be run past 70 mph with the MDS active. The new Ram is a bit quicker, too.
Those new power ratings make the Hemi the most powerful full-line half-ton pickup now, with a single-digit advantage over Tundra's 5.7-liter; GM will offer a 400-plus horsepower 6.2-liter V8 in some Silverado and Sierra models but only Crew Cab models. Expect the fastest Ram to run about even with a Tundra, given the Tundra's sometimes lighter weight and its six-speed automatic. We may not be seeing that ad any more showing a Tundra blowing the doors off a Ram while towing boat trailers up a grade. Now the Ram can keep up.
Although the Ram's 4.7-liter V8 scores the same EPA numbers as the Hemi, it will realistically get better mileage; you can't use the Hemi's 80 extra horsepower without using more gas. The 4.7 feels the smoothest and is the quietest engine in the Ram line. It uses the same five-speed automatic as the Hemi.
The 3.7-liter V6 provides 215 hp and 235 lb-ft of torque. This is adequate for trucks that don't tow more than a garden tractor or routinely carry around landscape, handyman or pool service equipment. Although it comes with only a four-speed automatic, proper axle gearing (we'd recommend the 3.92:1 ratio) makes it livable and able to merge at highway speeds. It does not have enough grunt for four-wheel-drive use which is why it isn't offered in a 4WD Ram.
Transmissions work as expected with modern, electronic-authority automatics. If you wish to select a gear manually use the thumb toggle on the column-mount stalk or slide the floor-shift left for downshifts and right for upshifts. To revert back to full automatic control, simply hold the toggle + side or push the shifter right for about one second.
A Tow/Haul mode is standard and is useful when towing. Activating Tow/Haul may take the truck out of top gear but it does not lock it out; you can still cruise in overdrive with tow/haul on. The Tow/Haul mode keeps the transmission cooler when towing by holding gears longer (and reducing hunting between gears) and shifting faster (and harder).
The 4WD systems are 48/52 nominal torque split (a slight rearward bias to power delivery), 2.72:1 low-range for climbing or steep descents, and electrically shifted from 2WD to 4WD without stopping; engaging low-range is done most smoothly rolling at 1-2 mph with the transmission in Neutral. The 4WD systems have a Neutral position for flat-towing a Ram behind an RV or heavier construction truck. Two 4WD systems are available, and only the upgrade NVG246 (not on TRX4) has an Auto mode that allows 4WD-on-pavement use for inclement weather. This system will only help you accelerate and turn under power, it does not help you stop or change directions to avoid something.
We found the brakes work well. Dodge revamped the half-ton braking system in 2006 so the brake system has already proven effective. Antilock and stability functions are standard so all you need to do in evasive maneuvers is push the pedal and steer. In daily driving they deliver good feel and are easy to modulate, and although they handle the truck well we'd advise trailer brakes on any trailer more than 1500 pounds (less if your state requires it, of course).
A Ram will never be a racecar make but it benefits the same as a racecar when weight is removed from the suspension, axles, brakes and wheels. Using aluminum in some protected front suspension pieces takes 10 pounds off each corner, and the coil/link rear suspension takes 40 pounds off the back and allows more precise wheel control. In addition, friction in the rear suspension as it moves up and down has been cut by 60 percent, so the rear axle is allowed to travel more up and down yet requires less stiffness to keep it controlled.
The Ram rides much better than the old one and round-the-block against its competitors comes across as the best blend of ride and control, whether you're on 17-inch wheels or the big 20s. It goes where you point it without drama, the rear end far less likely to 'step' sideways over a mid-turn bump or invoke the stability control, and it has better directional stability with a trailer in tow. Steering is direct like Chevy's but the effort is lower during maneuvers and cruising and ramps up nicely as you push the truck harder. Body roll is kept in check by stabilizer bars at both ends, yet a small amount is apparent as you turn the wheel just to keep you aware; too much roll stiffness can be almost as bad as too little. The stuttering or bouncing trying to accelerate on rippled surfaces has been quelled substantially, and the whole truck exhibits less of the shuddering typical of body-on-frame designs used on all full-size pickups and some big SUVs.
Off the highway the new suspension offers a slight improvement in articulation, and keeping the wheels on the ground longer always works best. We had no issues with suspension pieces dragging or being vulnerable to rock or stump impacts. And while we didn't have a sand box handy we could not invoke any axle hop even from full-throttle standing starts in a field. Our only complaints in off-road travel are that close-in visibility suffers from the big hood, making it harder to judge the corners through rocks or trees, and the wide A-pillar base may present its own visibility issues. Also, there's little compression braking in high-range. The only apparent drawback of the new suspension design is that the optional larger fuel tank is smaller by 2 gallons, giving it just 6 gallons more than the standard tank.
The Ram felt smoother and quieter to us than the Chevy Silverado did, even on the 20-inch wheels. GM's 5.3-liter engine a tad softer idling but was more raucous when working. To our ears the Ram had the others covered, but every ear has its preferences and many pickup owners like noise.
Payload, or how much weight in cargo and passengers a truck can carry varies by cab, bed, drive wheels, and engine. Ram payload ratings run from 1290 pounds (for a 2WD regular cab, short bed, 4.7-liter) to 1850 pounds (for a 2WD regular cab, long bed, V6) and that's for trucks without options; if you routinely carry more than 1000 pounds of cargo it may be better to think about a Ram 2500 or another heavy-duty pickup.
Tow ratings top out at 9100 pounds (for a regular cab, long bed, 2WD Hemi with the 3.92:1 axle ratio and 17-inch wheels), but range from a meager 3450 pounds. Most V8 models will be comfortable with a 5000-pound boat and a full load on board. Note the more options you add the less weight you can tow. Also, choosing those stylish 20-inch wheels will knock at least 1100 pounds off the tow rating. We'd go for the 17-inch wheels because we use trucks for towing cars.
We found the new 2009 Ram suspension an improvement for towing. With a significant trailer it still drops in back (as all half-tons do), but the extra lateral stiffness inherent in the coil/link design minimized the tail from moving side to side as the trailer pushed against it. Also, the electronic stability control system includes trailer sway control, a nice feature. Cooling systems appear up to the task, and towing mirrors are offered for pulling an eight-foot-wide travel or large box trailer.
The new 2009 Dodge Ram has the bold and brash style that typifies Dodge, but now it's in a more refined package with more amenities for the occupants.
NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent G.R. Whale filed this report after his test drive of various Ram models in California and Tennessee.
Model Lineup
Dodge Ram ST regular cab long bed 2WD ($21,270); SLT Quad Cab 4WD ($32,695); TRX Quad Cab 4WD ($33,840); Sport Crew Cab 2WD ($35,055); R/T ($29,365); Laramie Crew Cab 4WD ($43,240).
Assembled In
St. Louis, Missouri; Warren, Michigan.
Options As Tested
Navigation radio with AM/FM/CD/DVD/HDD/MP3 ($945); 20-inch wheels ($125).
Model Tested
Dodge Ram Crew Cab 1500 Laramie 4WD ($44,035).The Dodge Ram 1500 offers bold all-new styling with an aggressive "grille-forward" design, new interiors with premium materials and innovative features, and big power from a choice of engines, making it ideal for work and play. The Ram 1500 provides something for everyone with the choice of three cab styles (regular, Quad and Crew cabs), three wheelbases and either 4x2 or 4x4 drive types. In addition to 3.7-liter V6 and 4.7-liter V8 engines, the new 5.7-liter HEMI V8 provides more horsepower (390 hp) and torque (407 lb.-ft.), with increased fuel economy over the previous generation of the engine. New interiors feature premium seat trim, soft-touch materials, redesigned controls, floor console with shifter, and many storage options. Standard safety features include side curtain airbags, stability control, traction control and trailer sway control. Heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, power adjustable pedals, rear parking sensors, rear backup camera are available. Electronic and infotainment choices include MyGIG multimedia infotainment system with 30-gigabyte hard drive, navigation system, SIRIUS Backseat TV, surround-sound audio and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system. The RamBox cargo management system, available on the Crew cab, includes lockable, illuminated storage bins built into bed rails. The Ram 1500 is completely redesigned for 2009. An improved frame design supports an all-new multi-link coil spring rear suspension (in place of the traditional leaf spring suspension) that improves ride and handling characteristics without sacrificing payload (up to an estimated 1,850 pounds) and towing capability (up to an estimated 9,100 pounds).
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This page provides examples on how to use the F2py fortran wrapping program.
It is possible to start with simple routines or even to wrap full Fortran modules. F2py is used in SciPy itself and you can find some examples in the source code of SciPy.
Short examples
Wrapping a function from lapack
Taken from a message on 2006-06-22 to scipy-user by ArndBaecker
Thanks to f2py, wrapping Fortran code is (with a bit of effort) trivial in many cases. For complicated functions requiring many arguments the wrapper can become longish. Fortunately, many things can be learnt from looking at scipy/Lib/linalg/generic_flapack.pyf In particular, the documentation at http://cens.ioc.ee/projects/f2py2e/ is excellent. I also found the f2py notes by FernandoPerez very helpful, http://cens.ioc.ee/pipermail/f2py-users/2003-April/000472.html
Let me try to give some general remarks on how to start (the real authority on all this is of course Pearu, so please correct me if I got things wrong here):
- first find a routine which will do the job you want:
- If the lapack documentation is installed properly on Linux you could do
apropos keyword
http://www.netlib.org/ provides a nice decision tree
- If the lapack documentation is installed properly on Linux you could do
- make sure that that it does not exist in scipy:
from scipy.lib import lapack lapack.clapack.<TAB> (assuming Ipython) lapack.clapack.<routine_name>
- Remark: routines starting with c/z are for double/single complex and routines for d/s for double/single real numbers. The calling sequence for c/z and d/s are (I think always) the same and sometimes they are also the same for the real and complex case.
- Then one has to download the fortran file for the lapack routine of interest.
- Generate wrapper by calling
f2py -m wrap_lap -h wrap_lap.pyf lapack_routine.f
- Generate library
f2py -c wrap_lap.pyf lapack_routine.f -latlas -llapack -lblas
- You can use this by
import wrap_lap
- Note, that this is not yet polished (this is the part on
which has to spent some effort ), i.e. one has to tell which variables are input, which are output and which are optional. In addition temporary storage has to be provided with the right dimensions as described in the documentation part of the lapack routine.
Concrete (and very simple) example (non-lapack):
Wrapping Hermite polynomials
Download code (found after hours of googling , from http://cdm.unimo.it/home/matematica/funaro.daniele/splib.txt
and extract hermite.f
Generate wrapper framework:
# only run the following line _once_ # (and never again, otherwise the hand-modified hermite.pyf # goes down the drains) f2py -m hermite -h hermite.pyf hermite.f
Then modify hermite.pyf
Create the module:
f2py -c hermite.pyf hermite.f # add this if you want: -DF2PY_REPORT_ON_ARRAY_COPY=1 -DF2PY_REPORT_ATEXIT
Simple test:
import hermite hermite.vahepo(2,2.0) import scipy scipy.special.hermite(2)(2.0)
A more complicated example about how to wrap routines for band matrices can be found at http://www.physik.tu-dresden.de/~baecker/comp_talks.html under "Python and Co - some recent developments".
Wrapping a simple C code
f2py is also capable of handling C code. An example is found on the wiki: Cookbook/f2py_and_NumPy.
Step by step wrapping of a simple numerical code: Interactive System for Ice sheet Simulation