text:
Notes on a Controversy
If, as G. K. Chesterton said, tradition is the democracy of the dead, then one can understand how someone might think of progress as the democracy of the future. That seems to be how many journalists and politicians are understanding progress when they talk about opponents of same-sex marriage being on the "wrong side of history." Of course we can never be as sure of what most people will think in the future as we are of what most people have thought in the past. For the past, the vote is in. For the future, we have only extrapolations based on trends—in this case, surveys showing that young people are more likely than their elders to suppport same-sex marriage.
But just as a working democracy does not accommodate the opinions of the dead in its procedures, neither should it pretend to speak on behalf of future generations. A self-governed people must accept the burden of speaking only for themselves, only for now. We may think of posterity when we form our own opinions, but we cannot think for it and, just as important, it cannot think for us. If modesty doesn't prevent us from pretending to speak for the future, historical awareness should. (Eugenics was once supposed to be a historical inevitability, until, after the Second World War, suddenly it wasn't. Who knows? Perhaps it will get a second chance. Some future generation may decide that we overreacted to the ugly idea of Lebensunwertes Leben.) But we can speak only from where we stand. When we pretend to speak from farther down the road of history, we are only throwing our voices. Appeals to History's moral authority are formally no different from appeals to divine authority: they both involve claiming some transcedent warrant for one's position. The difference is that those who appeal to divine authority know and say that's what they're doing, while those who appeal to a speculative future insist they are merely looking at the hard data of opinion surveys and responding pragmatically.
* * *
If History cannot settle such a controversy for us, neither can the Constitution. Pretending it does is just another kind of ventriloquism. The Constitution gives us only the framework we need to settle such controversies for ourselves—until, that is, we settle them again differently sometime in the future. In a well-functioning democracy, there is no once and for all.
* * *
If it is OK for an advocate of same-sex marriage to make this kind of argument now, then it was OK for opponents of same-sex marriage to anticipate this kind of argument before—and not OK for anyone to mock them for doing so.
* * *
In traditional Catholic moral teaching, homosexuality was understood to be a kind of vice. But why do so many Catholics seem so much more concerned with sexual vice than with all the other vices? One obvious answer is that Catholics have no choice: they seem preoccupied with sex only because their church's sexual teachings are the part of their tradition most at odds with the secular culture of this particular time and place; Catholics' apparent obsession with sex is just a function of this contrast.
Nevertheless, it's hard to argue that our culture has a much bigger problem with lust than with greed or gluttony. Of course, sex is important, for reasons evident to everyone, but the church's position has always been that, however important it may be, it isn't necessary: one can live a good life, a full life, without it. Christian ascetics forewent the pseudo-immortality that sex and offspring offer because they had the real thing, the promise of eternal life. For most of the church's history, what was most distinctive about Christian sexual morality was not its condemnation of sodomy or contraception, but its non-cultic celebration of virginity and what we might call its preferential option for celibacy. Notwithstanding the divine injunction to be fruitful and multiply—an injunction understood as a general imperative by Jews and, later, by many Protestants—the original Evangelical message was that you were to do without sex if you possibly could. The highest vocations, the most heroic holiness, excluded sex. This was true of no other object of natural appetite. The Christian ascetic fasted, but he also sometimes ate and drank; he slept less, but he slept. Sex he gave up altogether, because he could, and because he considered sex to be, at best, a distraction.
Now many popularizers of the Theology of the Body sound like a supernaturalized D. H. Lawrence. They have turned the satisfaction of a natural appetite, a common pleasure, into an esoteric rite, to be savored most fully only by those familiar with Trinitarian theology. In fact, early Christians were a lot closer to Tolstoy's The Kreutzer Sonata than to Lady Chatterley's Lover.
* * *
But what if those early Christians were wrong? Maybe their distrust of desire as concupiscence was excessive and unnatural. Maybe their Evangelical witness—joyfully forgoing the goods in this life in pursuit of those in the next—soon curdled into an unhuman contempt for pleasure. Many people thought so at the time, and many think so now. Sexual desire, like hunger and thirst, is a natural appetite, a part of our animal nature. Only, unlike hunger and thirst and every other animal appetite, it does not correspond to a biological need of any individual animal, but only to the need of the species to perpetuate itself. The human race cannot survive without sex, but a human being can. Maybe this is why some ancient Christians were tempted to think of sex as a kind of luxury—an unnecessary and therefore artificial desire. If so, they were wrong. It is no less natural for being (personally) unnecessary, no less natural than eating and drinking. That being the case, why speak as if sex can be theologically rationalized only by turning it into a pale representation of supernatural realities? That doesn't sit well with ordinary experience. If the pleasures of the flesh—by which we usually mean one pleasure in particular—are only presentable in mystical disguise, then we should distrust them the way St. Augustine did. But if that pleasure of the flesh is no more suspect than any other—and the desire for sex no more connected to sin than hunger or thirst—then why not take our D. H. Lawrence neat rather than watering down a natural pleasure with pious obscurantism? The tension in our own tradition remains unresolved.
* * *
Today, when we talk about marriage, we talk about recognizing the intimacy between two people. But when we talk about divorce, suddenly marriage becomes just another dispensable legal arrangement. As long as we want it, marriage is whatever we want it to be, a projection of our deepest, truest selves. As soon as we want to be free of it, it becomes an inflexible institution totally at odds with our truest, deepest selves. We fall in love and get married. But it fails. It doesn't work out. In retrospect, what we had described as a commitment becomes simply a failed experiment. The pain of divorce may be as great as the joy of marriage, but for the former we demand only complete privacy, for the latter public recognition.
* * *
If marriage is now about celebrating the love between two people rather than solemnizing a vow that involves the intention to be fruitful and multiply, then what possible objection can there be to same-sex marriage? Who will deny that people of the same sex can love each other as much as people of the opposite sex? As many on both sides of this issue have observed, the traditionalists lost the political debate over same-sex marriage a long time ago, before most of us knew it had even begun. The meaning of marriage has been changing for decades, even though we're only now getting around to changing the formal definition.
The best nonsectarian arguments against extending civil marriage to gays and lesbians have insisted on the importance of marriage to children: it is the state's interest in the welfare of children, we are told, that gives it a reason to involve itself in what might otherwise appear to be an entirely private matter. Children do best, say opponents of same-sex marriage, when they grow up in a home where they have both a mother and a father. That—and not just the obvious biological fact that it takes one man and one woman to conceive a child—is the rationale for the traditional definition of marriage.
But this is also an argument against no-fault divorce, and while some opponents of same-sex marriage may quietly acknowledge that we'd be better off without that too, they have no illusions about using the law to enforce the indissolubility of marriage vows. Insofar as it is true that divorce is usually bad for children (a disputed claim), we have already decided that the state should give the liberty and privacy of adults more weight than the psychological welfare of children. If the battle against same-sex marriage, then, is not so much about sexual morality as about child welfare, then those who are fighting this battle must do a better job of explaining why this is where they've chosen to take their stand. (They can no longer say it's about probability of success.)
* * *
But I agree with the opponents of same-sex marriage: the state's interest in marriage is principally about its interest in the welfare of children. Which is why it should stop regulating marriage and instead worry only about parenthood. Let the state concern itself with any household where children are being raised and leave sexual relationships to take care of themselves. For all other practical purposes—for hospital-visitation rights, pensions, etc.—civil unions are sufficient, not only for gay and straight couples, but also for a couple of friends or siblings who share a home. Here sex is irrelevant. The only thing civil unions need to have in common with marriage is the number two.
Of course, people will continue to get married, in their churches or in their backyards. Some of them—for example, Catholics—will believe they are partaking in a sacrament, promising themselves to each other before God. Others will believe they are making a solemn vow only before their friends and family. Some will be celebrating a relationship that already has more years behind it than ahead of it. Some will be saying, "Till death do us part," while others will prefer less demanding vows. Some will understand fidelity to mean exclusive commitment, but others will prefer a marriage that is "monogamish." Some will still marry to have children, but others will see the decision to have children as separate from the decision to marry. In short, marriage will mean different things to different people, because it already does. It is not necessary—and may no longer be possible—for the state to get them all to agree.
About the Author
Matthew Boudway is an associate editor of Commonweal.
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Thanks for the link to article in The American Prospect. Pretty fascinating.
In traditional Catholic moral teaching, homosexuality was understood to be a kind of vice.
Surely this is true in terms of popular understanding. But it's not precisely the way that the Catechism characterizes homosexuality. The Catechism claims that homosexual acts are a kind of vice.
Perhaps it's just a function of where I hang out and the opinions to which I'm exposed, but I don't sense that opposition to same sex marriage runs broadly and deeply through the faith of the American Catholic people. Polls show that American Catholics object to same sex marriage less than Americans as a whole. That rings true to my experience.
I think you're right that the divergence of legal marriage from religious and sacramental marriage is very far along already. It may be for the best, from the church's point of view.
I am sorry if this is persnickety, but you use the word "Evangelical" in these notes in a way that makes me think you mean "evangelizing". I think of "Evangelical" as a specific theological tradition, as in, "Catholics and Evangelicals Together".
Until and unless Civil Unions are the norm for all unions that we currently call marriage, and the consequent rights, benefits and accountabilities currently accruing to marriage become the provenance of civil unions, then civil unions will be second class arrangements.
I agree that the state should stop trying to regulate marriages/civil unions and only worry about parenthood, assuming, of course, that that does not diminish the 1,049 federal statutory provisions that currently accrue to state-sanctioned marriages (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_and_responsibilities_of_marriages_in_the_United_States). Divorces, like civil unions, would be a contractual arrangement that can be negotiated up front and at the time that the arrangement no longer exists.
What I am describing is a long way from sacramental matrimony which, of course, would remain an option for those who wish to avail themselves of a religious blessing. However, sacramental matrimony would not constitute a civil union/marriage in the eyes of the state and would not impart the associated rights, benefits and responsibilities connected thereto.
After 41 years of our relationship, my partner and I have less time ahead of us as a couple than we have already enjoyed. Children are not a consideration, nor have they been. Please: let us be and we'll let you be.
Once the meaning of the word "Marriage" is legally decoupled from it's Judeo-Christian definition, it's meaning can then be re-defined adinfinitum. Group marriages, human/animal marriages - hey, it will be open season. And even now, there are discussions going on among psychologists to redefine sexual attraction of an adult for a child away from disorder to...well you may take it from there. Small steps to the eventual disintegration of western civilization.
I agree with Bob Schwartz.
Group marriages, human/animal marriage
I would add:
- washer/dryer marriage
- cup/saucer marriage
- clown car/town car marriage
- You like potato and I like potahto marriage
- inflected/periphrasitic marriage
- tornado/tournedo marriage
- old world monkey/new world monkey marriage
- uptown/downtown marriage
- elephant/oliphaunt marriage
- Sex Pistols/PiL marriage
- Joel Schumacher/Christopher Nolan marriage
- Heathcliff/Garfield marriage
- Madonna/whore marriage
- pizza/calzone marriage
- Jason Mraz/Dave Matthews marriage
Won't somebody think of the children?
Group marriages, human/animal marriage
Group marriages, human/animal marriages
Group marriages, human/animal marriages
Group marriages, human/animal marriages
You forgot Duke Ellington/Lawrence Welk,
Alban Berg/John Phillips Sousa
Miles Davis/Harry James
Oscar Peterson/Liberace
While I support same sex marriage and believe that in the future opposition will be viewed in much the same way that opposition to interracial marriage is today, I'm not a fan of the phrase "wrong side of history." It strikes me as smug and unlikely to be persuasive.
Why is same sex marriage wrong? I find that the arguments either rely on empirically false evidence, create a double standard that would ban straight marriages if applied to them, or seem as arbitrary as kosher dietary laws.
I can explain why adults having sex with children is wrong. That is why society is not going to condone child marriages.
We can and do learn from history and also from evolving trends, but legalizing same-sex marriage isn't about trying to be in the vanguard of some future majority opinion - it's about seeing justice done in the present. "The best way to predict your future is to create it." .... Abraham Lincoln :)
Ryan - -
Good question. But so far the only half-way sensible reason I ever hear is that children need a father and a mother, and that is backed up by the fact that many children of single mothers end up disadvantaged in many ways. So let's look a kids and *their* (moral) marriage rights.
Of course, it is ideal for children to have two parents of the same sex -- kids need role models of both kinds. But when one parent dies we wouldn't think of taking the children away from the remaining parent, would we? In other words, it's better to live with a single parent than to be brought up in an orphanage. I conclude that *both* children and parents have a right not to live in ideal circumstances (though some circumstances are intolerable, e.g., when there is phsical and/or mental abuse). If children had a right to demand ideal circumstances, heterosexual marriages would also mainly be barred.
So I say, given that we currently find having only one parent tolerable, why wouldn't it be even better for a child to have two parents of the same sex rather than just one parent ? True, the whole experiment of same-sex marriage and parenthoos is very new, and we can't predict what will be truly good for the kids of such unions yet. But so far, the evidence seems positive. No, not perfect, but all in all it's generally more good than bad.
I conclude that, possible harm done to kids isn't a justifiable reason to deny same-sex marriage. And that doesn't even consider same-sex marriage without kids where there is no possibility of harming kids.
"The meaning of marriage has been changing for decades ".
Wrrong - it's been changing constantly, for two millenia. Paul saw it as a remedy for lust, early Christians valued celibate (and so childless) marriage as more virtuous than sexual marriage. For centuries, formal marriage was only important for the rich, as a means to arrange dynastic alliances, and to preserve property and inheritance rights. What is commonly but inacurately described as "traditional" marriage, is a relatively modern invention.
"Let the state concern itself with any household where children are being raised and leave sexual relationships to take care of themselves."
By this logic, the state should withhold marriage from couples who are unable or unwilling to have children - and grant it to the same - sex couples who are raising kids,
It is a complete myth that marriage exists for the purposes of procreation. Most children, and especially the first born in a family, are conceived outside of marriage - but marriage frequently follows before the resulting birth
For most couples, the decision to marry is not based on a desire to have children, but either to mark publicly a permanent commitment in love - or to protect the children that they have already produced or conceived.lThse considerations apply equally to all couples - or any orientation. There is absolutely no need for the state to draw any distinction between them.
In trying to anticipate the future we have forgotten the past.
Genesis 6:1-4 tells us about human / fallen angel marriage:
"Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown."
But perhaps these were civil unions and not true marriages. :-)
Ann, your logic is faulty in the following way: Its fundamentally different to ex post raise a child in less than ideal circumstances, than it is to ex ante make that same decision. Another way to think of it, is that everyone's right to life is superior to the circumstances of it, as opposed to a "right not to live in ideal circumstances" which seems nonsensical.
For most couples, the decision to marry is not based on a desire to have children, but either to mark publicly a permanent commitment in love - or to protect the children that they have already produced or conceived.lThse considerations apply equally to all couples - or any orientation. There is absolutely no need for the state to draw any distinction between them.
This just reflects current thinking without considering how previous generations may have thought. Makes me recognize the intelligence of this insight from C.S. Lewis:
We may be sure that the characteristic blindness of the twentieth century — the blindness about which posterity will ask, 'But how could they have thought that?' — lies where we have never suspected it.
None of us can fully escape this blindness, but we shall certainly increase it, and weaken our guard against it, if we read only modern books. Where they are true they will give us truths which we half knew already. Where they are false they will aggravate the error with which we are already dangerously ill. The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books. Not, of course, that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer then than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes. They will not flatter us in the errors we are already committing; and their own errors, being now open and palpable, will not endanger us. Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction.
Paul Griffiths basically came to the same conclusion a couple of years ago in the print edition. Ms Steinfels pointed out that it accepts that the Catholic position is sectarian. What do you say to that?
Interesting point about Theology of the body.
"The obvious answer is that Catholics have no choice: They seem preoccupied with sex only because their church's sexual teachings are the part of their tradition most at odds with the secular culture of this particular time and place."
I disagree! The hierarchy--except for Pope Francis-- and the right wind of the church are preoccupied with sex to the point where we are not addressing the systematic disenfranchising of the poor, greed, wage-theft, the mistreatment of immigrants and refugees, the abuse ofthe elderly and the sick, the misuse of war as foreign policy, the irreparable harm done to the earth by the promotion of a throw-away culture--Catholic teachings about which are fundamental to the tradition!
Every couple is less than ideal. If we demanded no one have children unless they were ideally equipped to raise them, no one would have children on purpose. The question is not whether we can imagine a situation that would be better but whether we can expect them to fall into the range of quality that we generally find acceptable. I'm sure we all know couples who we would describe as less than ideal potential parents, but that doesn't mean that we stop their wedding.
I thought that sentence was weird, too. Opposing contraception seems to me much more at odds with the secular culture of this time and place if you want to restrict it to only sexual topics.
It seems to me there is no black and white in the matter of sexual mores. The old Catholic teachings need to be rethought and revised in s ome ways, as do the new, essentially late feminist views. I say "late feminist" because I think that the 60's feminists have been most influential on the culture in holding that women have the right to be as licentious as men. Current research, however, is starting to show that young women who buy that line are not as happy as others -- they are dissatisfied with the hook-up culture, and I expect that they eventually will reject it.
It seems to me the problem is that the old notion that women are more monogamous than men was the true one, but people don't want to admit it. So long as women want babies they will want the father to stay and support the family, and evolution seems to have confirmed that impulse by making women naturally on the monagamous side. Further, as long as men marry and discover that family life is worth remaining faithful to their wives, then adultery will generally not be tolerated, or at least it will not be considered OK. Fornication is another matter, but at the moment the tide seems to be going against it again. (The NYT had an article about this recently, though I didn't see it.) As to other sexual sins, the Church needs to do some re-thinking as to the seriousness of such matters. (I've said this before: the Church needs to rethink the typical scholastic sexual ethics -- too often it is bad philosophy and so is bad ethics.)
As I see it, the teaching that all sexual sins are equally mortal sins (yes, that is what Aquinas says) is the single teaching most responsible for the drift of Catholics away from the Church. It's an obviously silly teaching. Just compare the Spitzer and Weiner cases -- Spitzer was guilty of adultery many times over, while as far as we know Weiner has not been guilty of adultery at all. Their sins are apples and oranges. (True, Weiner's apparently addictive personality surely is relevant to the discussion of his fitness to serve.) What I think is really strange is that people are putting those two guys in the same basket.
Yes, every couple is less than ideal because they are human. And no one is suggesting that only ideal potential parents be allowed to marry; thats an obfuscation. My point is that children have a right to their less than ideal biological mother and father. The fact that some are raised after the fact without one parent is fundamentally a different question than planning to raise them in a situation where its known before the fact that one biological parent will be absent. While we may consider the end result in both similar and less than ideal, how you get there matters. Think about someone killed in a car accident - it matters whether the driver was drunk or not.
Bruce --
No, children do not have an absolute right to both parents. If they did, fathers would never be sent off to prison or war. So the question becomes: in which circumstance do they have such a right?
Bob: the world is full of people who do not adhere to the Judeo-Christian traditions and who participate in marriage in all of its various forms. Are their marriages less than a Judeo-Christian form of marriage? Are you not confusing sacramental marriage (matrimony) with other forms of marriage and saying that the former is somehow superior to the latter?
About a third of the world is at least nominally Judeo-Christian (http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110303165123AAEXLK8) so what you are fixating on is the minority view of marriage.
And stop trying to link same-sex marriage to an attraction of an adult to a child. The two are not remotely connected, any more than Catholic matrimony is akin to serial monogamy that passes for marriage in much of the Western (and Judeo-Christian) world.
Bob: the idea of an Oscar Peterson/Liberace marriage is more than even I can countenance!
I disagree! The hierarchy--except for Pope Francis-- and the right wind of the church are preoccupied with sex to the point where we are not addressing the systematic disenfranchising of the poor, greed, wage-theft, the mistreatment of immigrants and refugees, the abuse ofthe elderly and the sick, the misuse of war as foreign policy, the irreparable harm done to the earth by the promotion of a throw-away culture--Catholic teachings about which are fundamental to the tradition!
What is the scope of "we are addressing" in this statement? Do you mean, we (the church) are (or are not) eng
topics that tend to get reported in, and amplified by, the media?
I ask because in my own preaching and pastoral work, I focus much more on the list of social-justice issues you mentioned (and more besides) and almost never do I touch on the locus of sex- and marriage-related issues. (And the last time I did preach about one of the latter, I got a bit of a finger-wagging from the pastor for bringing up topics that are sensitive to children :-)). In the church's preaching, which is about as fundamental a church activity is there is, an adherence to the discipline of the lectionary will ensure the sort of balance I'm describing - or so it works out for me. (I know there are johnny-one-note preachers out there who talk only about abortion, week after week, or some such, but that is not the norm around here, and I fervently hope, not the norm more generally!)
I am not sure what happened to my previous comment, but it seems to have gotten chopped up quite a bit in the first paragraph. Let me try to redo the comment:
What is the scope of "we are addressing" in this statement? Do you mean, we (the church) are (or are not) engaging publicly in the political process on those topics? Or perhaps that these are the topics that tend to get reported in, and amplified by, the media?
I ask because in my own preaching and pastoral work, I focus much more on the list of social-justice issues you mentioned (and more besides) and almost never do I touch on the locus of sex- and marriage-related issues. (And the last time I did preach about one of the latter, I got a bit of a finger-wagging from the pastor for bringing up topics that are sensitive to children :-)). In the church's preaching, which is about as fundamental a church activity is there is, an adherence to the discipline of the lectionary will ensure the sort of balance I'm describing - or so it works out for me. (I know there are johnny-one-note preachers out there who talk only about abortion, week after week, or some such, but that is not the norm around here, and I fervently hope, not the norm more generally!)
I disagree. Children do have an right to both parents, but parents have other obligations which must be balanced against the responsibility to their children. And war or prison do not extinguish the parents obligation to their child. But certainly, no parent has the right to procreate with the express purpose of abandoning their child.
And please dont respond with an unmarried couple who put their child up for adoption. Lets give them the benefit of the doubt that they were hoping the act would be one of the many that are nonprocreative.
No children have a right to their biological mother and father. Their parents are able to relinquish parental rights and give a child up for adoption without any consent of the child. In fact, the pro-life movement strongly promotes this practice as a potential alternative for women who are considering an abortion. Whether a child is with their biological parents is not irrelevant, but it is an exteremely small consideration compared to whether the parents are willing and able to give children the support they need.
Matthew's opening paragraph makes reference to how we argue/discuss/debate a subject, in this case same-sex marriage. He mentions the phrase "the wrong side of history," which is an argument about losing; it implies that those opposed/critical/uncertain about the recent Supreme Court decision might as well give up their opposition/criticism/uncertainty and go with the flow. (I set aside what the SC decision really decided about s-s marriage as such; we'll see.)
The article in the American Prospect raises the question of what liberals and progressives will argue when other forms of "marriage," polygamy, polyandry, child marriage, incest, etc., come before the courts. Arguments in favor of these have been dismissed as improbable, etc., but as the author asks, what in the Court's constitutional argument makes them improbable, at least in the long run. He seems to think that liberals and progressives should sober up, and look at this issue carefully. I agree.
One of the challenges of winning an argument whether through the courts, legislation or executive order, is to understand its limits. The civil rights movement of the 60s and the legal changes it engendered were a great advance, but in many ways they did not remedy the myriad economic, social, and political disadvantages of the African-American community. The women's movement followed making some of the same arguments, legal and moral, with perhaps greater success, especially for white women. Now the movement for marriage equality has followed suit. In each case, there is a sense of triumph, and often enought bullying arguments about the "wave of the future"; followed by claims for what society owes each of these disadvantaged groups (though careful thought should be given to the difference in degree between being black and being a woman or homosexual in the United State, for one thing there are myriad class issues).
A winning argument in court is not necessarily or immediately a winning argument in society. The civil rights movement and the women's movement show some of the limits. Winning arguments may point to the wave of the future, but maybe not.
My goodness, it certainly seems Matthew covered most of the relevant bases on this issue particularly well! Thank you!
As luck would have it my wife and I recently attended a Washer/Dryer wedding. One would understandably predict a union so conforming to natural law would be without controversy. Sadly, a local community of committed Chlotheslines got wind of the event and were unable to resist picketing.
As unquestionably well meaning as it clearly is, focusing on one of the products of a healthy relationship rather than the relationship itself seems near-sighted in practice. Healthy children are one of the products of a healthy relationship not the reason for one. BTB, I am not using the word product in anything remotely resembling the capitalistic sense. There is nothing whatever mystical in capitalism. The skill and patience required to intervene successfully in assisting a child whose "gods" have clearly failed is a challenge beyond words and often an experience so brutal a sane person is reluctant to repeat.
BTW, anyone notice there is one often tragic outcome of heterosexual relationships to which we can reasonably rely upon same-sex couples not to give birth.....orphans.
No children have a right to their biological mother and father. Their parents are able to relinquish parental rights and give a child up for adoption without any consent of the child.
You have completely mischaracterized the argument. Historically, children were put up for adoption because the parents believed it was better for the child. That is the same argument advanced by the pro-life movement; in that case adoption is obviously better given the alternative is death.
If you believe that children can be procreated with the specific intention of NOT living with their biological parents then the child has lost its human rights and become a tradeable object.
"If you believe that children can be procreated with the specific intention of NOT living with their biological parents then the child has lost its human rights and become a tradeable object."
Ova CAN be fertilized with the specific intention of being "donated" (sold) to couples able to afford to buy them. A dotcommonweal thread was devoted to promoting that disgusting practice recently.
"Historically, children were put up for adoption because the parents believed it was better for the child."
No. Children were given up for adoption because one of the parents (the father) abandoned the mother and his child. Without "wedlock," a child was "illegitimate" and doomed to be separated from the "unwed" mother.
That notion has gone the way of the notion that same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry.
Here are 2.4 million leads to information about the decline of maternity homes the Church operated to separate unwed mothers from their illegitimate children.
Without "wedlock," a child was "illegitimate"
Since the illegitimate child would be ostracized for no fault of their own, adoption was thought best for the child. Your argument with the Church is more about the method, not necessarily the rationale.
The story of Cain and Able makes clear that we are responsible for the good of others. That is certainly true of parents towards their children, especially at the childrens earlier stages of life. That is even more true for children who have no voice.
The story of Cain and Able (sic) makes clear that marrying your sister is okay.
This is late in the day, but not wholly irrelevant.
Matthew's initial post has much that is right about it, but it's not the wole story. He says: "A self-governed people must accept the burden of speaking only for themselves, only for now."
However correct that might be, all arguments about practical matters occur within a historical horizon. This is cetainly the case when the topic is public policy. We argue against the background of an REMEMBERED past (never exhaustively correct) and in the light of an IMAGINED future (again, never fully precise). In effect, any adopted public policy is a bet about how the future will turn out, a bet that is wagered on a reading of the past. There is no exemption from this condition. It means, among other things, that we never get certitude about what the outcome of adopting any policy will be. It also means that the "wining side" of any policy debate has an obligation in intellectual honesty to be prepared to find that its policy preferences may well turn out to be flawed, even badly flawed.
It follows that, since our policy choices will likely have an impact on future generations that we can't anticipate, we ought to be careful about simply writing off any thoughtful oposition that the "losing side" offerred.
FWIW, and perhaps somewhat pursuant to Bernard's excellent comment directly above, I do think the mantra, "Don't be on the on the wrong side of history" packs a certain amount of rhetorical power. I think it's very effective - it manages to be pretty evocative of a lot of powerful emotions and aspirations, rooted both in shared history and experience, and projecting hopes for the future. We live in an age of 140 character limits, so it's a great advantage to be able to frame one's view on contentious issues in this way - super-succinct yet connotative of much, much more.
This article by Richard Posner in the New Republic, "How Gay Marriage Became Legitimate / A revisionist history of a social revolution" may have some tangential relationships to Matthew's musings here.
Gay marriage is actually not about sex (as some of the rhetoric quoted by Mr Boudway seems to entail) but about building a secure, deep and lasting loving relationship. This is a dream that the church and society deemed in accessible to gay and lesbians in the past. Now millions of young gays and lesbians are thinking seriously about marriage and thousands have tied the knot. Many others are reflecting ruefully on oppportunities lost forever, especially gay priests, cheated of their natural right to marry both by canon law and the absence of civil law. This is a simple human breakthrough, which needs no elaborate argument; call it an anthropological revolution if you like, but note that the democratic revolution, though it seemed radical and eccentric at first soon imposed itself by the simplicity of such principles as ""liberte egalite fraternite" or "inalienable rights to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness". It is this fundamental simplicity that has increasingly persuaded me that gay marriage too is on "on the right side of history". "If marriage is now about celebrating the love between two people rather than solemnizing a vow that involves the intention to be fruitful and multiply, then what possible objection can there be to same-sex marriage?" Especially given the fact that we treat sterile marriages and marriage of the aged a legally and morally equal with same-sex marriage. "Who will deny that people of the same sex can love each other as much as people of the opposite sex? As many on both sides of this issue have observed, the traditionalists lost the political debate over same-sex marriage a long time ago, before most of us knew it had even begun." They lost it because they let themselves be overrun by biblical fundamentalism (even in some church documents) and because of their dishonesty about psychological reality and their refusal to dialogue with gays and lesbians.
"Nevertheless, it's hard to argue that our culture has a much bigger problem with lust than with greed or gluttony."
True, but the difference is that there are few, if any, people unabashedly defending greed or gluttony as a wonderful thing that should not merely be tolerated but rewarded by the state. In practice, certain Republicans' positions on taxes are probably reducible to that, but in public, they don't say that greed is wonderful or have greed pride parades. Instead, they try to argue that what looks like greed is in fact wanting to be rewarded for risk-taking that ultimately benefits innovation and the economy.
Terence: "For most couples, the decision to marry is not based on a desire to have children, but either to mark publicly a permanent commitment in love - or to protect the children that they have already produced or conceived.lThse considerations apply equally to all couples - or any orientation. There is absolutely no need for the state to draw any distinction between them."
You don't seem to realize that you've argued yourself out of any reason for "marriage" to exist in the first place. If all that marriage means is loving commitment, then there should be no such thing as "marriage." Lots of people love each other -- friends (some friendships last longer than many "marriages"), cousins, etc. Granting that love is a nice thing, why should the state draw any distinction between some loving relationships (calling them "marriages") and others that are of equal value?
" "Whenever people talk about traditional marriage or traditional families, historians throw up their hands," said Steven Mintz, a history professor at Columbia University. "We say, 'When and where?'" The ancient Hebrews, for instance, engaged in polygamy — according to the Bible, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines — and men have taken multiple wives in cultures throughout the world, including China, Africa, and among American Mormons in the 19th century. Polygamy is still common across much of the Muslim world. The idea of marriage as a sexually exclusive, romantic union between one man and one woman is a relatively recent development. Until two centuries ago, said Harvard historian Nancy Cott, "monogamous households were a tiny, tiny portion" of the world population, found in "just Western Europe and little settlements in North America." "
"The first recorded evidence of marriage contracts and ceremonies dates to 4,000 years ago, in Mesopotamia. In the ancient world, marriage served primarily as a means of preserving power, with kings and other members of the ruling class marrying off daughters to forge alliances, acquire land, and produce legitimate heirs. Even in the lower classes, women had little say over whom they married. The purpose of marriage was the production of heirs, as implied by the Latin word matrimonium, which is derived from mater (mother)."
"For thousands of years, law and custom enforced the subordination of wives to husbands. But as the women's-rights movement gained strength in the late 19th and 20th centuries, wives slowly began to insist on being regarded as their husbands' equals, rather than their property. "By 1970," said Marilyn Yalom, author of A History of the Wife, "marriage law had become gender-neutral in Western democracy." At the same time, the rise of effective contraception fundamentally transformed marriage: Couples could choose how many children to have, and even to have no children at all. If they were unhappy with each other, they could divorce — and nearly half of all couples did. Marriage had become primarily a personal contract between two equals seeking love, stability, and happiness. This new definition opened the door to gays and lesbians claiming a right to be married, too. "We now fit under the Western philosophy of marriage," said E.J. Graff, a lesbian and the author of What Is Marriage For? In one very real sense, Coontz says, opponents of gay marriage are correct when they say traditional marriage has been undermined. "But, for better and for worse, traditional marriage has already been destroyed," she says, "and the process began long before anyone even dreamed of legalizing same-sex marriage." "
"Of course, it is ideal for children to have two parents of the same sex -- kids need role models of both kinds. But when one parent dies we wouldn't think of taking the children away from the remaining parent, would we? In other words, it's better to live with a single parent than to be brought up in an orphanage."
I've been thinking the same thing for quite some time. I eventually concluded:
1) that the possibility of gay adoption is not a sufficient argument against gay marriage
2) that if all else is equal between potential adoptive parents, it is not unreasonable to give preferential treatment to the heterosexual couple in an adoption. In other words, the Catholic adoption centers in Massachusetts that placed some hard to place children with homosexual families should not have been forced by the archdiocese to terminate the practice. Yet, they also should not have faced a lawsuit for showing preference to heterosexual families. This is not to say that homosexuals lack equal rights, but to say that we search for the best possible homes for orphans.
Jeff --
I mainly agree. Yes, the gay adoptive parents have rights, but the problem is: what are the rights of the children? They are the most vulnerable in an adoption process. How to determine what is best for them within any given set of options? If it is really better to have parents of two different kinds, then surely that should be a factor in determining who gets a child. Horrible sort of Sophie's choice situation.
Exactly Ann
I also don't want to see any more Catholic adoption centers close their doors as a consequence of gay marriage.
What children of any stripe need is loving, committed parents. The gender of said parents is secondary to how these children are treated, loved and raised.


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I've created some custom fields in a custom post type using the my-meta-box-class plugin which comes with a built in 'date' type of meta box input. I'm having a hard time ordering my custom posts by date. Is the date in this plugin stored as a strtotime()? If not, how can I slightly modify the plugin to get it to do so. Is that even necessary? Is there an easier way to order the events in my custom post type using what is already there in the plugin?
The 'date' value of 'oderby' parameter does not sort your posts by the date specified into the metabox. It will sort the posts in context with the date when the post has been published.
If you need to sort by your date from a metabox (for custom fields) you can then use the Custom Field Parameters (http://codex.wordpress.org/Class_Reference/WP_Query#Custom_Field_Parameters)
It's not really a plugin it's more of a library/class the plugin file there is just to show off as a demo.
any why when you call the date field you can set the format to a timestamp like this:
you can see a list of valid formats here.
and even better you can define your own validation function to store regular (literal text date) as time using php's strtotime function like this:
and then in your addDate function call that function like this:

subset: commoncrawl


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The CWC junior varsity team picked up an 11-8 win at Hamilton County on Tuesday.
Tucker Gray started at pitcher, going three and two third innings, allowing eight runs on five hits with four walks. Tanner Thompson went an inning and two thirds, allowing only three walks.
Leading the team offensively were Trent Williams with two runs, Drew Lucas with a single and a run, Wesley Cutchin with a double and a run, Trenton Black with a run, Tucker Gray with two singles and two runs, Tanner Thompson with a double and two RBIs, Joseph Rulo with three runs and Wyatt Nelson with a run, a single and two RBIs.
Location, ST | website.com


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Widener University
Written communication is a fundamental requirement for any professional position in today's age of information. Knowing the content in your field is no longer enough—you must also be able to communicate that content to your colleagues, your clients, the government, and so many others. Recruiters, in fact, list communication skills as one of the top skills that they look for in applicants. Communication skills are also pivotal for success in graduate and professional programs that you may choose to pursue. Moreover, the process of writing is also a process of discovery: through writing, you'll learn the key meaning of your information so that you can convey it more effectively.
Although you'll be increasing your communication skills through many courses across all undergraduate majors, you can hone your writing skills even more by completing either minor program. The Minor in Professional Writing focuses on applying writing expertise to any major, from where you'll draw your content knowledge. The Minor in Journalism provides more specialized attention to the world of newswriting. In either minor, your demonstrated knowledge in writing complements the content knowledge from your major field—whether business, science, social science, and so on.
The Certificate in Healthcare Writing melds courses from writing and science to prepare you for a career related to writing in many aspects of the heatlhcare arena—from highly technnical documents in pharmaceutical research to topical pieces for patients, caregivers, and consumers.
Courses in Professional Writing provide practical learning through hands-on assignments, experiential projects, and service learning; in all cases, you'll have the opportunity to develop a professional portfolio of publications to substantiate your success in this field. Other available opportunities include writing or editing for our student newspaper, The Dome, as well as other media groups on campus. Students may also achieve membership in SCJ—Society for Collegiate Journalists. Overall, you'll find the faculty in Professional Writing & Journalism to be knowledgeable, available, and supportive.
- One University Place
- Chester
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- President: : Dr. Robert J. Bonk
- Telephone: 610-499-4265


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6 Famous Musicians Who Swiped Their Biggest Hits from Others
Few bands have what it takes to come up with that one massive hit that most people in the world will instantly associate with their name. It may not be their greatest or their most unannoying song, but it's the one they'll be thankful for when someone inevitably uses it for a cellphone ad. Of course, many times "what it takes" has less to do with their own talent and more to do with their capacity to take songs someone else rejected or flat-out steal them from another artist.
#6. Kanye Wrote "Gold Digger" for a Female Rapper
Matt Carmichael/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Ah, the halcyon days of 2005. It was an innocent time when we were still optimistic about Episode III, getting our hopes way up about Lost, and not entirely sure that Kanye West was an asshole. In all three cases, of course, our naive optimism was dashed against the hard, cruel rocks of reality. For Kanye, those rocks came in the form and were even the central theme of "Gold Digger," a misogynistic but endlessly danceable ode to bitches obsessed with money and jewelry.
George Napolitano/FilmMagic/Getty Images
"Irony? Nah, I get my shit steam cleaned."
If you've somehow made it to 2014 without hearing it, the chorus to this delightful little number goes "Now I ain't sayin' you're a gold digger, but you ain't messin' with no broke [word that rhymes with 'digger']." To Kanye's credit, he never intended to record it himself. To take that credit right the hell back, Kanye's head was so far up his ass even back then that he earnestly believed any woman on Earth would want anything to do with this song. According to A&R rep Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds, Kanye crafted the entire song specifically for rapper Shawnna.
Def Jam
Cracked Fact: Not male.
Now, you may think that having a woman recite those lyrics actually makes the song less offensive, since it would turn into a denunciation of shallow hoes from an independent woman, but you're forgetting that Kanye West operates on a different logic from the rest of us mortals. We say that because the song was actually meant to be recited from a first-person perspective, i.e., "I'm not sayin' I'm a gold digger, but I ain't messin' with no broke n-----." Reynolds says he's "not sure why" Shawnna passed on the song, because he's apparently never spoken to a woman ever.
Utterly surprised that a woman wasn't interested in publicly declaring herself a hooker, Kanye flipped the perspective and recruited Jamie Foxx to sing some verses in his best Ray Charles voice (because, again, Kanye logic). The song, of course, became a huge hit for Kanye, catapulting him to a career filled with more opportunities to be a clueless jackass about things. Thanks, Shawnna.
#5. Aerosmith Stole "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Celine Dion
Jason Merritt/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
After more than two decades of drinking, drugging, and rocking our collective faces off, Aerosmith scored their first #1 hit in 1998 with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," that inescapable sappy love ballad from the Armageddon soundtrack. If you hated Aerosmith, we're guessing that song (or that "animal cracker" scene in Armageddon that went along with it) was the apex of your hatred:
It seemed like the ultimate sellout moment for a band that had been heading down that road for a while. But when you find out where the song started ... well, it looks even worse.
Basically, the band just ran out of ideas. The power ballad wasn't exactly uncharted territory for Aerosmith, so it made sense to ask them to bust their feelings back out for Steven Tyler's daughter Liv's upcoming blockbuster. Unfortunately, they dug deep into the hole where their feelings used to be and came up empty.
Touchstone Pictures
To be fair, you'd draw blanks too if you needed to come up with a radio-friendly song about Ben Afflecking your daughter.
That's when the record label presented them with a little number by Diane Warren, the she-devil behind every lite FM hit of the '90s. The executive noted that it had already been claimed for someone else, but, quickly running out of time and fucks to give, the band stole it right up from under the nose of fucking Celine Dion.
That's right: The biggest hit of arguably the most successful American rock band of the late 20th century was almost sung by a pop star so cheesy and dramatic that her overwrought performances are indistinguishable from their own SNL parodies. There's an alternate universe out there where this song is "My Heart Will Go On, Part 2," and that world makes so much more sense than ours.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images
We also assume that universe's Michael Bay somehow learned a way to steal all the talent from ours to augment his own.
#4. Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" Was Originally a Country Song
Ethan Miller/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Even if you could not give less of a shit about Beyonce and had no idea why Twitter was blowing up about her a few months ago, you know "Irreplaceable." You know this song because its hook -- "to the left, to the left" -- became the go-to catchphrase of every fake-tanned, acrylic-nailed, selfie-taking woman when she wanted to express displeasure with her mate, because coming up with your own "fuck yous" is hard. It also won a Grammy and stuff.
Sony Music Entertainment
And may have subliminally gotten Obama elected.
In its early incarnation, however, it's likely those lovely ladies would never have even heard the song, unless it was in the two seconds between accidentally tuning to a country music station and realizing you accidentally tuned to a country music station. Yep, "Irreplaceable" was originally meant for the likes of Shania Twain or Faith Hill.
The song and its famous refrain had a long, weird journey into the zeitgeist. When it was first conceived by R&B star and ridiculous name haver Ne-Yo, it was from a man's perspective, as he intended to sing the song himself. Eventually, Yo decided that it was better suited not only for a feminine voice, but a much whiter one. Exactly how white? Think cowboy boots, big hair, and unreasonable romantic double standards. With Twain or Hill in mind (Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton were unavailable), Ne-Yo had tweaked "Irreplaceable" into a foot-stomping, twangy country style. It sounds insane, but if you focus hard on your peripheral vision and believe in magic, you can totally hear it. Or you can just check out this cover by Sugarland at the American Music Awards in the style of the original arrangement.
Fate stepped in when Beyonce did, barging in and demanding the song in that way you just know she has, but Ne-Yo producer Tor Hermansen claims that if they had been putting together a song knowing it was for her, "Irreplaceable" is light-years away from what they would have come up with. Hermansen is adamant in his belief that the song would have been a country classic and honestly seems kind of annoyed about it being such an R&B smash hit, but all those royalty checks are probably good consolation.


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School district needs volunteer reading tutors
Published: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 at 10:44 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 at 10:44 a.m.
The Sarasota County School District is seeking volunteer tutors to help elementary school and middle school students throughout Sarasota County.
A volunteer works with a student one-on-one during the school day to help improve reading skills and experience the joy of reading. Free three-hour training is provided; no special skills are required.
For more information about training dates and locations, contact the school district Volunteer and Business Partner office by calling 927-9000, Ext. 31500, or emailing email@example.com.
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Faith Review – Eat Pray Love
How does our search for a meaningful and enriched life intersect with our search for God? In this film review by Jana Creighton, you will discover a number of theological themes throughout the 2010 film, Eat Pray Love, related to a woman's quest for an integrated physical and spiritual life. There are several possible conversation starters included.
Click or scan the QRcode below to open the review:


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Basketball Diaries
Much has changed since the last time I attended a Knicks game. That became clear as soon as I took my seat at a Knicks-Nets game a few weeks back. I must have gone to a game since the '70s, though none spring to mind. Then again, the Knicks have been pretty forgettable for much of that stretch. So it's possible I was sitting in the stands on one or two occasions and simply forgot.
One of the things that's different is that back in the old days if you wanted a beer or hot dog you had to hail a vendor, or a member of your party had to go to the refreshment stand and retrieve the food and drink. These days there's waiter service. This is an excellent thing for fans who don't want to miss any of the action. Unfortunately, seated on the aisle, I spent most of the game trying to see around, under and over waiters scurrying up and down delivering orders.
Another change is that there are virtually no quiet moments. Every tipoff, possession, turnover, basket (certainly by the home team) timeout, quarter and halftime, is accompanied by explosive sound effects and crammed with music and entertainment. Indeed, the only time you can gather your thoughts is when the ball is in play. In other words, the reason you came to the arena in the first place is often the most uneventful part of the evening.
Don't get me wrong. Some of these amusements have their virtues. I know it's only one man's opinion, but I don't think you can ever go wrong with cheerleaders. Also, the Knicks Air Elite, a team of acrobatic, trampoline-launched slamdunkers are pretty amazing. And as far as I'm concerned, whoever invented the T-shirt cannon deserves one of those National Science or Humanities Medals.
What better symbol is there of the beauty of the human spirit than a device that harnesses the power of flight to deliver free merchandise into the hands of deserving fans hundreds of feet away?
I'm proud to report that I'm one of them, a T-shirt landing in the seat directly in front of me at the Knicks-Nets game. I don't remember the quarter, the score, or anything else, because when you see a bright orange Knicks T-shirt, courtesy of Foxwoods Resort Casino, and bound into a projectile with rubber bands, heading in your direction, everything else becomes a blur.
At such moments of pandemonium, I subscribe to the belief that it's every man, woman and child for him or herself. An argument could be made that the garment belonged to the fan in whose seat it landed. Also, a couple of kids standing in the aisle gave each other a confused shrug—it's possible the T-shirt flew in and out of their hands—when it became clear that the promotional item was mine and mine alone. Tough cookies.
My daughter, who accompanied me to the game, told me not to feel guilty. She noted that after they lost the battle the children headed back down to their premium seats, suggesting they already led charmed lives.
I returned to Madison Square Garden last week for the Knicks-Toronto Raptors game with one goal in mind—to shoot the T-shirt cannon. I've wanted to do so at Citi Field for a couple of years now, but the Mets won't return my phone calls. So the Knicks seemed the next best thing. Besides, as an official Knicks T-shirt winner, I felt a certain kinship with the Knicks' 7th Ave. Squad. They're the kids in blue jumpsuits who run around the arena pumping up the crowd, leading chants, and manning the cannons.
The possibility of shooting the device during the game was briefly floated. Even I realized how foolish that would be. For starters, a self-conscious, bald, middle-aged guy strutting around the court could be depressing for the fans, especially if it occurred while the Knicks were losing.
Also, I was worried about shooting Woody Allen's eye out. And who knows what inadvertent mayhem and million-dollar lawsuits might result if a T-shirt meant to reach the nosebleed section landed full force in the face of some hedge-fund guy seated courtside.
To be on the safe side, I arrived at the arena to shoot the cannon almost three hours before game time. Even that wasn't early enough. The Knicks had taken the court to practice, and for some dumb reason, they get priority over thrill-seeking journalists.
So I was relegated to the bowels of the arena where Dan Brown, a member of the 7th Ave. Squad, gave me a brief tutorial. He explained that before he pulls the trigger he shouts, "Fire in the hole."
I quickly understood why. Powered by a CO2 cartridge that can pretty much reach anywhere in the arena depending on how much pressure you allow to build up between launches (members of the squad told me they're not allowed to aim for the lights), it's basically a surface-to-air missile.
As it turns out, the game itself is pretty much the only part of the evening that isn't as scripted as the Grammys: the player intros in the darkened arena with the New York Sticks drumline and the Knicks City Dancers brandishing glowsticks; the Chase Add A Zero Contest where you can win $10,000 by sinking a half-court shot; the Rollin' Knicks halftime wheelchair-basketball game; the season ticket holders appreciation moments; the rousing videos of Knicks history, and cameo shots on the big screen of celebrities in the audience.
"The goal is to gain home-court advantage," explained Howard Jacobs, Madison Square Garden's Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales, MSG Sports. "There's an imposing sense that the city of New York is on the side of the Knicks."
I think the person in the entire sold-out 20,000 seat arena (the Knicks' 93rd consecutive sellout) I could best relate to was Shaoli Yusaf, an eighth grader at P.S./M.S. 218 in the Bronx. She was joining the 7th Ave. Squad for the evening under the auspices of MSG's Garden of Dreams Foundation, which uses the Garden to create unforgettable moments for children facing obstacles in their lives.
Just before the game started, with the intensity building, DJ Questlove rocking the house and the 7th Ave. Squad just off-court spinning like tops, Ms. Yusaf stood there silently preparing to follow them into the stands to rev up the crowd. When she returned, she said it was less traumatic and embarrassing than at least I would have imagined. "I feel I'm one of them," she said of the 7th Ave. Squad. "They make me feel special. They're keeping me well hydrated, as well."


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For those who use Qiagen miniprep columns, they may be aware that the P3 buffer is the acetic acid step to neutralize cell lysis. They may also be aware that the Qiagen P3 buffer cannot be interchanged with the proprietary N3 buffer. It is also known that the N3 buffer is particularly unique since it primes the miniprep columns for binding. I was wondering about that priming step and what chemically primes the columns. Would it be appropriate to use QBT buffer to prime the miniprep columns?
The Qiagen manual for the Miniprep Kit states that buffer N3 contains guanidine hydrochloride and acetic acid. The MSDS for buffer N3 gives a bit more information:
Buffer P3 uses 3M potassium acetate, the potassium is usually important in plasmid preparations as potassium SDS is used to precipitate the proteins in solution.
This information might be enough to create a buffer that should work with the silica-gel columns.
I also found a patent about a method for isolating nucleic acids that states that silica particles can bind nucleic acids in the presence of chaotropic salts, so the guianidinium hydrochloride is probably the important difference in the N3 buffer.
The patent for this method from Qiagen goes into even more detail, according to this the buffer composition is:
N3 and P3 are different. N3 contain chaotropic agents. P3 does not. Mainly there are two types of DNA purification kits on the market: silica membrane (glass fiber) based and DEAE anion exchange based. The silica membrane based method requires high concentration of chaotropic agents (salts that can change the water structure dramatically, GuHcl, GuSCN, NaI, are a few of them) present in the mixture before loading on to the spin column. DEAE based method, on the other hand, bind DNA based on the charge property on the DEAE resin which largely depends on the pH and ionic strength of the buffer. Chaotropic agents are not needed for DEAE based method. In our lab we make our own kit using components and buffer recipe provided by Epoch Life Science for both mini prep and maxi prep. Their mini spin column and maxi DEAE column can be purchased without buffer. Their mini spin column also works perfectly with buffer from Qiagen and Lifetech. That's how we used up our leftover buffer from our old kits.


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Pope's announcement to resign a surprise for local Catholic leaders
February 11, 2013
STEUBENVILLE — The resignation announcement early today by Pope Benedict XVI, "is breaking new ground for all of us," according to the acting dean of the Franciscan University of Steubenville's......
I really think the Pontiff felt all the pressure about Notre Dame losing the National Championship to Alabama.
There must have been a lot of dicussion why the real Holy Water wasn't in the water buckets at the game.
The local news did not cover that story for some reason, but it hit the national news big time.
Some tried to blame Obama, but the Pope decided to take the heat off him and just resigned.
When asked about ther liklihood of a coverup or others being involved the legal staff referred it to another agency.
More to come on the story at a later date.
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Pope Benedict made several apologies to victims who were sexually abused by clerics, etc, within the Catholic church, yet to this day, he has taken no decisive actions to punish any high ranking church official for enabling, empowering, and covering up sex crimes against innocent kids.
Many should have been fired. Just to name a few.. --Cardinal Law, who was given a plush job in the Vatican --Bishop Finn, who is a convicted criminal is still the bishop of the KC-St Joe diocese --Cardinal Mahony, horrific cover up of sex crimes per thousands of recently released LA Archdiocese secret documents
We hope there is someone within the college of Cardinals who could be a pope with integrity, who will start to take immediate actions to stop these crimes against humanity.
Children are safest when child predators and those who enable and conceal their crimes are held responsible.
Judy Jones, SNAP, 636-433-2511. snapjudy@gmail****,Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
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NORTHWEST TOPEKA -- The Seaman High School family is in shock and mourning this weekend, after learning of the hit-and-run death of star student Brenna Morgart.
Brenna, who was 18, had just graduated this month. She was reported missing after she's left the family's home on Northwest Timberway Court between 10:00 and 11:00 Friday morning.
Her body was located near Huxman Road at 6:12pm Friday.
Authorities were called to help just before 4:00 Friday afternoon. Many concerned friends and neighbors had already searched for most of the afternoon. A request was made for KHP helicopters to look for her from above.. and by 5:30pm, the Sheriff's Office requested assistance from the Silver Lake and Soldier Township Fire Departments.
Sheriff Herman T. Jones told 13 News last night, that the parents of a 20-year old Topekan, Dustin J. Leftwich, had come to authorities saying their son had been involved in a collision. Sheriff's investigators confirmed the report that his car had struck Morgart that morning.
Brenna's eyeglasses were located near 69th and Jennings Road, which deputies confirmed was the spot where she was struck.
Her body was located in a wooded, closed off area of Huxman Road, quite a distance away. They determined her body was moved away from the scene of the collision and left abandoned in a field near the 6600 Block of NW Huxman Road.
Two Shawnee County CSI teams worked the crime scenes before the Sheriff confirmed Brenna's death late Friday.
Melissa Brunner reported there was a steady stream of stunned friends coming in and out of Northland Christian Church Friday night, where the popular 18-year old was a Sunday School teacher.
Dustin Leftwich was taken into custody and transported to the LEC for questioning, before he was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections. The case is still under investigation this weekend, as hit and run charges are reviewed before he's taken to jail.
Funeral services have been scheduled for Wednesday May 30, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. at Northland Christian Church. 3102 N. Topeka Blvd.


text: Parents: How to Avoid the Back-to-School Plague By Jason M. Carlton, APR August 15, 2014 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), elementary school children get eight to 12 colds or cases of the flue each school year. With year-round school underway in Utah and other schools about to start, here are a few tips to help your kids avoid the Back to School Plague. Read More


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Model UN
Manhattan College participates in two Model United Nations conferences each year. A fall conference in Washington and the spring National Model United Nations Conference in New York City. This hands-on, participatory experience enables students to acquire expertise on a particular country, which they represent at the conference.
The National Model United Nations offers a unique opportunity for students to better understand the inner workings of the United Nations and other international organizations while building skills in diplomacy and compromise. Each spring more than 2500 college students and faculty from all over the world work feverishly to propose resolutions that addressed issues surrounding regional conflicts, peacekeeping, human rights, woman and children, economic and social development and the environment. By providing a diverse group of informed participants a forum in which to discuss global concerns in a context which closely parallels the "real world," the NMUN conference acts as one of the most effective tools for teaching students the dynamics of multilateral diplomacy and international relations.
Students who are interested in participating in the National Model United Nations can do so for credit, by taking GOVT 457: Model United Nations in the spring, or as an extracurricular activity in the fall.
Watch a video about the 2015 NMUN Conference in NYC:
For more information, contact:
Pamela Chasek, Ph.D., Director
International Studies
Miguel Hall 424


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This question already has an answer here:
Since I've installed ubuntu 12.04 I have this problem (on mint 13 I also had this problem) now I have ubuntu 12.10 updated and windows 7 with it.
When I go to windows everything works fine but some times suddenly if I choose ubuntu, it will stuck in violet screen. Even the login screen wont come and I should press and hold the power button to reset my laptop I have to do this for 3 or 4 times.
After reseting and choosing ubuntu again a black screen come and there is a dash in it and nothing else. I'm woried about my lap top . if I reset it again I'm afraid it could get serious problems.
My laptop is hp probook 4520s 1GB swap space.


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Samsung Galaxy GT-P7310MVGR (8.9-Inch Screen) Tablet- Metallic Gray: Computers & Accessories for $399.99
Free shipping with Prime
Android Honeycomb 3.1
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 1 GB RAM
32 GB On-board Memory
8.9" WXGA TFT display, 1280 x 800 resolution
Bluetooth v3.0, USB 2.0 port
1.2 GHz Intel ARM 610
32 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
8.9-Inch Screen,
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what? typo?
Price: $499.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
5 new from $498.00 1 used from $470.00 2 refurbished from $479.94
nothing even close to $399
@wvutkep1002: I see it as $399:
List Price: $569.99
Price: $499.99
Deal Price: $399.99 Eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime.
You Save: $170.00 (30% off)
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Want it delivered Tuesday, January 31? Order it in the next 9 hours and 8 minutes, and choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
5 new from $498.00 2 used from $470.00 2 refurbished from $479.94
Sorry, too lazy to get screen cap and tinypic it, but you get the idea. Which link did you follow?
@slyd3z: OP didn't list that this was a goldbox price item, you have to follow the link from the main amazon page under gold box.


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Receiving care at a NAPBC-accredited center ensures that a patient will have access to:
For more information about the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, visit their Web site
Mid-Columbia Medical Center has been accredited by the Joint Commission, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting quality healthcare services. This voluntary accreditation signifies that the hospital's efforts to provide highest-quality healthcare have received professional and national recognition through stringent evaluation and consultation from the Joint Commission.
For nearly 15 years, Mid-Columbia Medical Center has been affiliated with the Planetree Alliance, a group of innovative hospitals and healthcare institutions who are dedicated to implementing innovative programs to personalize, humanize and demystify the healthcare experience for patients and their families. Mid-Columbia was the first Alliance affiliate to adopt and embrace, hospital-wide, Planetree's philosophy of patient-centered care. Considered an exemplary model of Planetree, Mid-Columbia is one of the few affiliates to have incorporated all nine components of the Planetree vision into its facility.
Mid-Columbia Medical Center has been recognized for its outstanding commitment to performance excellence and has received the Oregon Quality Award, which is based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The award is given to industry leaders who have achieved outstanding performance evaluations in leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resources, process management and organizational outcomes.
Celilo has received the highest-possible rating by the independent organization that surveys and evaluates cancer centers nationwide, The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons. In 2013 Celilo received accreditation "with commendation."
Celilo's overall approval rating indicates that, after a thorough examination of 36 standards of care and reporting, a CoC surveyor found zero deficiencies. Approval with commendation is an even loftier citation that means Celilo staff also eclipsed CoC standards in each of nine additional measurements.
Mid-Columbia Medical Center was named as one of seven Oregon companies to demonstrate outstanding commitment to families and community. The Families in Good Company Award is a reflection of Mid-Columbia's dedication to helping employees manage work and family demands, with such benefits as flexible work schedules, job sharing, telecommuting and compressed work weeks, on-site child care and wellness programs.
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Heart Disease is Not Just for MenIf you've been thinking heart disease is mainly a manly thing, then here is some news that may jolt you. The rate of heart disease in women in the U.S. is not only higher than men, it is also more likely to go undiagnosed until later stages of the illness — when it is sometimes too late.Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among American women, killing more than a third of those who die annually. But because attention and research over many years has focused largely on male heart problems, women have been historically under diagnosed and treated for heart-related conditions.The good news is, that focus is changing. Many health agencies have been working hard to get the word out regarding heart disease symptoms and risk factors in women.According to the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, 42.7 million women in America are living with some form of cardiovascular disease, including 7.5 million women suffering from coronary heart disease.More women than men die of cardiovascular disease each year — 26 percent of women will die within one year of a recognized first heart attack, compared to 19 percent of men. And women are still less likely than men to receive appropriate treatment, the coalition states.Women who are armed with appropriate information on the causes of heart disease have the opportunity to ask questions of healthcare professionals and make healthy lifestyle choices that can significantly cut down their health risks.Recognize the SignsThe heart specialists of MCMC | OHSU Cardiology at Water's Edge have provided the following information to help women recognize the signs of heart disease or a heart attack. (For more information on women and heart disease, visit womenshealth.gov.)There are several health issues that may indicate heart disease in women. They include:• Fatigue, even after resting all night• Shortness of breath• Dizziness• Nausea• Discomfort in the arm and chest• Trouble sleeping• Feeling scared or nervous• New or worsening headaches• Back painWomen experiencing any of those symptoms should tell their doctor they are concerned about their heart.Signs of a heart attack in women can be the same as those commonly assisted with male heart attacks, including arm, neck, back and jaw pain as well as nausea and shortness of breath. But women may also experience less common and more subtle signs, such as:• Heartburn• Loss of appetite• Feeling weak or tired• Coughing• Heart flutters• An achy, tight or "heavy" feeling in the chest or back• Breaking out in a cold sweatThe more heart attacks signs that are present, the higher the likelihood of a heart problem. Do not wait longer than five minutes to see a doctor.
Heart Disease Risk Factors
There are several risk factors that increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease. They include:• Diabetes• High blood pressure• High cholesterol• Lack of exercise• Obesity• Smoking• Stress• History of heart disease in the familyNot smoking, eating healthy foods, maintaining a healthy weight, staying active and working with a doctor to control diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure can all reduce the risk of heart disease.February is National Heart Month. Click here for information on Go Red For Women's Heart Health Event.
All comments are subject to moderation before being posted live by our administrators. Users may have their posts deleted, or their IP addresses banned for sending abusive, incendiary or otherwise deleterious content. Please refrain from making any sort of link or reference to other websites, advertising, or promoting; any of which may be grounds for rejection by the administrator.


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recently I buy a NN5 model and receive last week - and the journey begun :
see: I'm not a photographer - I'm a Brazilian physician and I'm in love with panorama images [360 and 180¬?]
*sorry my poor english
in html [camera settings] i don't see settings to lens 16/35 canon and 40D
you can help me?
how many shots we need to take a 360 pan with this equipment?
tks to all
joao barroca
** editing ... i can't see either settings to Canon Fisheye 15mm and 40 D :'(
[the first consumer of NN in Brasil?]


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The Large Display 4 Day Weather Forecaster delivers free, easy-to-read weather conditions 24 hours a day. Just plug the small gateway module into your high-speed Internet router, mount the wireless sensor outside, and place the display screen anywhere in your home (within a 330' radius). You'll get a complete four-day outlook, with time, day, date, indoor/outdoor temperatures and weather icons, plus 27 types of severe weather alerts. Easy installation — the time and date even set themselves! Requires 3 D batteries and 2 AA batteries.
See more details
Item # 200960
The Large Display 4 Day Weather Forecaster uses your home's high-speed Internet router to gather the same National Weather Service information that's used on TV and radio. A wireless weather sensor gives you the outdoor temperature. No Wi-Fi, software installation or subscriptions are necessary. With its large screen and easy-to-read icons, you'll love the convenience of our Large Display 4 Day Weather Forecaster.
• Free, accurate weather forecasts for over 60,000 locations – no subscriptions required
• 27 severe weather advisories/alerts/watches from the National Weather Service, including blizzard, tornado, flash flood, etc.
• Orange LED lights up for weather advisories and watches
• Red LED lights up for weather alert
• Indoor and wireless outdoor temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius
• Time and date set themselves automatically
• Monitors 60,000 cities and locations in the U.S. and Canada, including airports, amusement parks, golf courses and sports venues
• Specific forecasts for morning, afternoon, evening and night
• Daily High/Low temperature forecasts
• Daily sunrise/sunset times
• Time alarm with snooze button
• 330' wireless range
• Requires high-speed Internet and network router
• Requires 3 D batteries and 2 AA batteries
• PC required for one-time set-up or to customize features
• Includes LAN cable to connect gateway to your router
• Includes mounting hardware
Length: 19.50
Width: 2.50
Height: 14.00
Weight: 6.75 Lbs
Our Price: $99.99
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Is it possible to obtain something with a screen about postcard-sized that can either plug into my Canon EOS 20D camera and act as a larger screen, or alternatively will accept the CF card from the camera via a card reader, to check for focus accuracy. I dont want to be carrying my laptop miles from the car.
Well, Canon 20D doesn't have live view and that makes it a little hard but I guess it shouldn't be that hard to hook a bigger monitor to it.
I just looked up the B&H quickly and I found this portable monitor which has analog inputs:
Vello RigVision 9" HD Camera Monitor
You can find many other similar products with analog input here on B&H.
Also, because Epson P-3000 is discontinued, you can check other similar products, such as Sanho HyperDrive multimedia player and storage device.
The EPSON P3000 is probably what you are looking for. It also does backups too as a bonus. It has a 4" LCD and can show both JPEG and RAW images from a Compact-Flash card. You can zoom into images to check focus.
Just note that because it is hard-drive based, it does not work above 10,000' of altitude which can be a concern for some and irrelevant for others. I have not tried but the problem would go away if you manage to open it and substitute an SSD inside.
It seems like there are a number of smartphone and tablet options (none of which I've needed to try personally, but they may give you some ideas):
You might be interested in something called the Z-Finder, which is designed for this purpose. Only its not electronic, but a viewer/magnifier for your LCD screen. Basically for Professional Chimping :)


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News and Events Archives
Thursday, August 06, 2009
The Lake County campus of Columbia College will hold its commencement ceremony on Saturday, August 15 in the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts located at the College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois.
Ruth Purschwitz Meissen '79, 2007-08 Illinois Teacher of the Year and recipient of the college's 2009 Professional Achievement Award, will be commencement speaker. Meissen, who began her career as a commercial artist then segued into teaching art to middle schoolers, has traveled the country as a teaching ambassador. After Hurricane Katrina hit, Meissen also got her students to adopt a school in New Orleans devastated by the flooding.
A total of 204 students will graduate in the commencement ceremony. Of that number, 76 associate degrees will be awarded, 125 bachelor's degrees and five master's degrees. Mike Randerson, vice president for Adult Higher Education, will confer the degrees.
Said Stephen H. Stephany, Northern Region and Lake County director, "I am extremely proud of our graduating students. They work hard every day as students, parents and employees, and I salute their academic success and hope for their professional success. It's also an honor to have Ruth Meissen and Mike Randerson present. I hope these two inspiring individuals can further inspire our students."
Randerson was a full colonel in Air Force intelligence serving in Vietnam before launching a second career in higher education.
Columbia College, a private, nonprofit institution founded in 1851 in Columbia, Mo., educates 25,000 students each year and has more than 61,000 alumni worldwide.
For more information, visit www.ccis.edu.


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Which one of these is the correct one?
- The registers testcase checks that the module's register interface works as expected.
- The registers testcase checks that the module's register interface is working as expected.
Which one of these is the correct one?
migrated from writers.stackexchange.com May 17 '11 at 13:49
This question came from our site for authors, editors, reviewers, professional writers, and aspiring writers.
"Working" is a present participle.
According to this article, "A Present Participle is used with the verb 'To Be' to indicate an action that is incomplete".
Therefore, if the register interface is a completed action, the first sentence is the better choice. If not, then the second sentence is correct.
Personally, I would say the first sentence is better, because you're checking the condition that it completes the action. If it works, the test succeeds. If it doesn't, the test fails.
(Btw, this question is probably better asked here: http://english.stackexchange.com/).


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After a less-than-stellar showing at Maize South, the Greenback girls' tennis team responded like champions at Smoky Valley on Saturday, September 21. In one of the more challenging meets of the season, the Greenbacks earned 55 points to place 3rd out of ten teams, falling only to state-ranked Buhler (70) and Topeka Hayden (69). Smoky Valley also garnered 55 points, followed by a team of mixed-school players (50), Independent (43), Sterling (38), Collegiate (27), and Marysville (22).
Using the meet to shake up the line-up and try some different combinations, coach Larry Kahmeyer said, "After Maize South, I felt like we could benefit from a break in the routine, so I moved some players around to play to their strengths. From a team standpoint, it made sense, but I also think our morale improved, too. "
After playing all last year at doubles, senior Lauren McClain took the singles helm for the first time since her sophomore year. Going 3-2, she placed a respectable 4th, defeating Colby, Smoky Valley and Marysville, and falling to Sterling in pool play and Collegiate in the finals.
Junior Jade Hoover had Pratt's best run, going 4-0 for 1st place at #2 singles. She defeated Colby, Hayden, and Smoky Valley in pool play, then, in the finals, knocked off Buhler's Koestel in a close 6-4 slugfest to pocket gold.
"Lauren and Jade played our first four meets as doubles partners and I wanted them to get out on the singles court to play to their talents. Doubles is a completely different style of play than singles and it was good for them to open up and slug away at the ball. The girls earned 36 of our 55 points, so it was a good move," said Kahmeyer.
In doubles action, juniors Allicia Hall and Elee Hampton jumped up to the #1 position and placed 7th in a stacked field, going 2-3. Defeating Sterling and losing to Independent, Hayden, and Marysville in pool play, the girls faced Colby in the final round. Making the Pratt crowd a little nervous, the Pratt duo saw a 5-2 lead dwindle to 5-4, before salting away the final game to finish the day with a win.
At #2 doubles, juniors Ellie Brehm and Mayberry paired up for the first time in varsity action. They defeated Colby and fell to Smoky Valley and Buhler in pool play, then matched up with Sterling in the final round. In a close match, the Greenback girls finally prevailed 6-4 to claim the final 5th place medal.
"It was a good day for our doubles in that it put them in new challenging positions. The competition jump to #1 doubles will really benefit Allicia and Elee in future meets and they got some wins that will help down the road. They had a couple of close matches go against them, but they could've just as easily been 3-2. Ellie and Madi really responded to a new situation and played some very consistent tennis. It was great to see them earn some hardware for their efforts," said Kahmeyer.
Page 2 of 2 - In perhaps the biggest news of the day, senior Dani Williams was back on the court after being cleared to play late Friday afternoon. Recovering from a broken wrist, her physician felt she was at the point that she could resume full activity. Cleared too late to play for Pratt's lineup, she still got her first action by pairing up in #2 doubles with a junior varsity player from Smoky Valley on a mixed team. That pairing proved successful as the girls destroyed their pool by defeating Collegiate, Sterling, Hayden, and Independent. Finding themselves in the championship final, the Williams and her partner fell to a very strong Buhler team 0-6, but claimed the silver medal.
Pleased with what he saw, Kahmeyer said, "To everyone's surprise, Dani hardly looked like she missed a beat." She was as dominant at the net as ever and her backhand recovered within a few matches. She impressed me with her stamina and high level of play. The better news is that she and partner Lauren look like they have a season now and that looked pretty bleak a few days ago. They medaled at 10th last year at state, so if Dani can stay healthy, we'll see what the post season has in store for them!"
The Greenbacks played on Monday at Sterling, and then will see action again on Saturday, September 28 at Garden City.
Location, ST | website.com


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Home > Chrysler > Chrysler Delta 2012
Below you will find the high resolution car pictures for Chrysler Delta 2012. You may use the car pictures for any of the following standard screen resolutions:
1600x1200 | 1400x1050 | 1280x1024 | 1280x960 | 1152x864 | 1024x768 (iPad) | 800x600 Full Car Details
Chrysler Delta 2012
Chrysler Delta 2012 is on sale now in the UK with the starting OTR price from £16,695. With its sophisticated appearance, sumptuous interior and four state-of-the-art engines, the Delta is an accomplished re-entry into the C segment for Chrysler. On sale here now, it provides the sort of interior space expected from a far larger vehicle. Yet a host of all-new electronic driver aids ensures that the Delta is satisfying to drive as well as being very comfortable for both front and rear seat passengers.


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I remember watching a movie years ago, where there was an intense scene in which Michael Douglas son's kidnappers call his home asking for a ransom and he refuses to negotiate with them. He hears a gun shot and the call ends. His wife assumes that her son is dead and has a breakdown. Later on, Douglas goes on TV offering a large sum of money to whoever catches or has information about the kidnappers which aggravates the situation. I was certain that Michael Douglas was the main actor in this film but after looking up all Douglas' movies I can't seem to find any that matches this description. Maybe I'm confusing him with another actor.
Any help would be appreciated.