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Catholic Moment Kaput
Ross Douthat has a column in Sunday's Times looking back to the funeral of John Paul II, which he sees as "The End of a Catholic Moment" at least in the U.S."The mid-2000s were the last time the Catholic vision of the good society more egalitarian than American conservatism and more moralistic than American liberalism enjoyed real influence in U.S. politics. At the time of John Pauls death, the Republican Partys agenda was still stamped by George W. Bushs compassionate conservatism, which offered a right-of-center approach to Catholic ideas about social justice. The Democratic Party, meanwhile, was looking for ways to woo the values voters (many of them Catholic) who had just helped Bush win re-election, and prominent Democrats were calling for a friendlier attitude toward religion and a bigger tent on social issues."The phrase is Richard Neuhaus's (from his 1987 book of that title). Douthat does not suggest that the mid-2000s is what Neuhaus had in mind. Nor does he think we should expect another "Catholic Moment" of a political sort any time soon.What a relief! An opportunity for us to engage in serious reflection. Someone tell the bishops.
About the Author
Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, a former editor of Commonweal, writes frequently in these pages and blogs at dotCommonweal.
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"Douthat is a convert and seems to have latched on to an era now passed. We could say its a kind of nostalgia.."Converts are perhaps a two edged sword. They appreciate what cradle Catholics take for granted while they may look for a false Catholicism that faulty RCIA programs had offered them.
It seems to me Douthat overlooks a lot that only begins with marking a Catholic moments beginning in the mid-80s, a total misreading of the cultural influence of Catholicism that we see in politics and the reciprocal influence of American-style modernity on the Church. Judge Noonans argument about an American imprint on the Councils Declaration on Religious Liberty begins to make the point that a Catholic moment involves something subtler than the question of whether we achieve nuclear disarmament or require insurers to provide access to contraception. Indeed, I would say Douthats understanding of post-VatII divisions as a mirror of political arguments points to the problem in his analysis much as the bishops increasing partisanship (which suggests they share Douthats analytical framework) lies at the root of whatever frustrations were experiencing about a Catholic moment. This is the work of the Kingdom were talking about, not a struggle for political hegemony. Its a slow process. Were getting there. Catholic Christianity seeks eternity, not moments.
I'd like to know where Douthat finds "a strident social liberalism" in the Democratic party. In extending unemployment? In rebuilding infrastructure? In investing in education? The Democrats hardly even talk about poor people anymore. It's all middle class, all the time.
It could be said that Douthat's characterization of the last Catholic Moment in 2005 is not accurate. Was it one more faux moment at least in the political realm with both Democrats and Republicans using and abusing Catholicism for political purposes? Of course, each had groups of Catholics on their bandwagons in hopes of garnering the famously centrist Catholic vote. Though it seemed to be touch and go in the 2008 campaign, the majority of Catholic-identified voters went for Obama. As a candidate he appeared to be more sympathetic with Catholic issues (it turns out he is not) than McCain (who also is not). Obama also seems to lack the political skills Catholics have come to expect of Catholic politicians. But McCain doesn't have them either.I say one more faux moment, because the first, the Ronald Reagan-John Paul II connection, never seemed quite the Catholic Moment that the neo-cons saw.
Clearly there is hardly any consensua about what a Catholic Moment is. Since Neuhaus originated it he may have the right to define it. But Neuhaus showed his charlatan hand when he insisted that the RCC's stand on contraception was the greatest thing since slice bread. Someone forgot to tell 90% plus of Catholics, who practice birth control, about this great find. Ross Douthat with his every move is showing his superficiality. Just because Reagan and W. Bush courted the pope and American bishop's support does not mean anybody was buying their monarchical, aborion/contraception, led morality. And if Douthat thinks that pushing universal health care and raising the minimum wage is not in accordance with the gospel then he needs to make a serious biblical retreat and find out what the "captives" mean. He might then get some idea of what a genuine Catholic moment looks like.Douthat's flippant bandying of terms shows a certain shallowness. The Catholic moment he seems to prize was more one of power mongering than spiritual uplift and helped fuel the effort toward the Iraq war as Neuhaus, Novak and Co. spurned the effort by John Paul II (his singular moment that he did not support a preemptive war) against the war. So what is Ross talking about. Maybe it is the pressure of having to opine so often. Maybe he needs to take some time off and hope for some semblance of maturity.
Ms. Steinfels - don't particularly care for much of what Douthat writes and his thesis and examples in this article just don't ring true, IMO. For one thing, US catholicism is not one, singular, unified block - it is diverse and living.So, currently we have catholics in some of the most significant roles in government:- plurality on SCOTUS (and no unity in opinion there)- executive - number of cabinet heads; key presidential leaders on Obama's team- legislature - again, lots of catholics but no unified *catholic moment*So, what is Douhart talking about here?Would suggest that from a catholic social justice angle - key catholics have been pushing *pro-life* decisions e.g. gun control, immigration, minimum wage, more equitable economic system, pre-school education, unions, climate control, housing, PPACA, growth of Medicare/Medicaid, gender equality in terms of addressing violence against women; equal pay; etc.; stopping wars. These are all historical and key catholic ideas.Now, if Douthat wants to conflate everything down to a few cultural war themes - gay rights, abortion, contraception (can't even believe this would be on a list in the year 2013) - is that a *catholic moment* or something in his mind. If memory serves, actual published data from Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama would indicate that pro-life achievements (touted by Republicans) decreased during Republican terms and pro-life achievements (supposedly not touted by Democrats) increased during Democratic terms. So, yes, don't understand his thesis or his article. Seems like he is just shooting from the hip and making up his own categories.
Bill deHaas: A complicated picutre.When I read Douthat, I am sometimes reminded of a certain mid-century Catholicism (20th century) mindset that took pride in a moral-political coherence and its importance in public debate (okay, you can include the sixties and seventies as well). Douthat is a convert and seems to have latched on to an era now passed. We could say it's a kind of nostalgia...though I don't know him so maybe that's not entirely fair. But of all the "Catholic" NYTimes columnists (Dowd, Collins, Keller, Bruni), he signals a kind of affection for a Catholic past that these cradle Catholics have long left behind. You also write: "US Catholicism is not one, singular, unified block it is diverse and living.'So, currently we have Catholics in some of the most significant roles in government:- plurality on SCOTUS (and no unity in opinion there)- executive number of cabinet heads; key presidential leaders on Obamas team- legislature again, lots of Catholics but no unified "catholic moment."Agree, not one, singular, unified block. But I think the diversity lies more in regional differences than in DC politics. The three branches have many Catholics, but they seem more aligned with their party than any religious or philosophical links to Catholicism. All of the conservatives on the Supreme Court are Catholic; the liberals are Jewish except for Sotomayor who I don't think considers herself any longer Catholic.Cabinet heads and key presidential leaders...seem strictly aligned with Obama and Democratic party policies (Brennan included and apparently Donohue [Correction: McDonough] as well; Sibelius, etc.).Legislative...yes, definitely no Catholic moment there, though Pelosi, Leahy, Durbin, and (former Senator) Biden echo the mid-century Catholicism I mentioned at the top. Libertarianism is making inroads in the Catholic Republican contingent; that is something I don't think we've seen before.
Peggy,you write: "The three branches have many Catholics, but they seem more aligned with their party than any religious or philosophical links to Catholicism."I thought that was a good part of what Douthat was saying.
Peggy,Just wondering what makes you think that Sotomayor no longer considers herself a Catholic anymore. I saw and heard her interviewed several times since the release of her new book and in one interview I thought I heard her say something along the lines that although she doesn't attend Mass regularly, she is a Catholic. But I may be wrong on that.Just wonderingThanks,Anthony
O Power that be, save us from a fill-in-the-blank Moment, Catholic or otherwise, if that means enjoying "real influence in U.S. politics." We finally have a country that spares churches a temptation they have never been able to resist, cozying up to potentates of the secular world to force their doctrines on dissentersever so gently at first, but with all the power of the state in reserve. If we can't win people with sound argument, good works, humility, and prayer, then what? Laws and thumbscrews?Let's be content with the middle way between persecution and prosperity.
It seems to me (a latter-day Scholastic who doesn't know a great deal of history) that there has not been a notably Catholic Moment at least since the High Middle Ages. At that time the Spanish Jesuit Scholastics were developing natural law theory, a rich theory of human rights, and the beginnings of economics. After that Catholic thought no longer led the pack in social and individual morality except in a few areas at certain times, e.g., when Catholic social thought was a strong influence on the New Deal. Luther hated the Scholastics and despised reason The Enlightenment over-valued reason and the natural sciences. Later, extreme individualism grew out of Luther's thinking and some Enlightenment thought. Individualism had its own varieties and permitted hedonism and political selfishness to take hold in many people. Later they were challenged by the individualism of the Romantics who insisted that goodness and truth are grasped somehow through feeling, not through knowledge, and it often encouraged empathy with those who suffered. All those currents are still very strong in the U. S. Some people oversimplify by saying that conservatives are the extreme individualists/the selfish ones while the liberals are the touchy-feely ones (the Romantics)/the empathizers with the poor, and I must admit I think there is something to that polarity. But I think that most people's intellectual under-pinnings are pretty well fractured and diced these days. It's why neither Democrats nor Republicans can seem to establish solid, stable bases. Ironically, the Church has de facto abandoned its own classic intellectual heritage together with its dialectical method. That method (which I never cease to remind you of) requires one to consider all viewpoints and relevant evidence and then to answer challenges explicitly. Worst of all, the official Church has withdrawn into a cave and not only does not allow diversity of thinking (much less value it), but it even prohibits asking questions about disputed religious and moral issues. (If Jesus had not resurrected, He would be spinning in His grave.) Small wonder we have trouble putting our own thoughts in order. We get no real help. As I see it, until the official Church has the courage to stop merely reacting and to actually lead -- to support the same sort of high quality theological and philosophical thinkers whom it supported in its long-sgo past, and until it allows those thinkers to grapple with the real contemporary problems of both social morality and individual morality, especially, sexual morality, there can be no Catholic Moment.Intellectually the Church is a fossil. Its structure remains, but it is dead. It cannot possibly influence its surroundings.P. S. Maybe Cardinal Ravasi has stepped out of the cave a bit. If so, may he be elected pope.
John Prior ==What's wrong with prosperity? I think that deserves a whole thread. The issue was really raised on one of JAK's Augustine thread about whether we should reject the world as good, but it has huge ramification in politics and economics.
AO: You mean THE THIRTEENTH? The greatest of centuries! I have a good friend who thinks it was the nineteenth... We could agree, I think, that the twentieth probably was not.But to be serious: thank you for reminding us that there is a Catholic Intellectual Tradition, and whatever we have now, bishops, etc., are not practicing it. Also some clergy and lay persons. But you, yes!Anthony: Like you I probably read an interview or article in which she seemed to demur from saying she was a Catholic. In your case, she only said she didn't go to Mass. Well, it's a biggish church. If you say so, she's a Catholic.
The Catholic Moment in the Americas was to be "preferential option for the poor' but it never crossed the Rio Grande.
I am still trying to figure out what the Sam Hill Douthat thinks he is talking about. As I recall, the mid-2000s were when the nation fixated on a stained dress, and some people took Kenneth Starr seriously while the "socialist" in the White House trash-canned Glass-Steagall with effects we are still suffering from. Poppy Bush's "compassionate conservatism," which stamped itself on the public mind with the demonizing of Willie Horton, lasted less than an election cycle. And if any of this was "Catholic" it might have been fascination with the dress stains because sex always has been problematic in the Church, but it still didn't add up to a "moment." I am quite impressed by how much good thinking was generated here by Douthat's effort at profundity, though.
Ann Olivier: By the High Middle Ages, do you mean the 12th and 13th centuries?If you do, then I have to tell you that there were no Jesuits doing anything in the 12th and 13th centuries, because the Jesuit order was not founded until later.
Oh, and the abortion rate went down but the wrong party was in office when it did. So the pro-life people who, one would think, should have been interested in what was causing the decline never investigated it, so sure were they that it couldn't happen with a Democrat in office.
Ann O,I thought it was clear from the tenor of my comment that by "prosperity" I meant close connection and collaboration, or even identification, with secular power. It's bad for both kingdoms, though they need not be always at war.
Thomas F. ==No, I mean the 14th century in Spain -- Vittoria, Suarez, etc. But they were the last of the great medievals. Augustine has been called the last of the ancients and the first of the medievals. I've seen those Spaniards referred to as the last of the medievals and first of the moderns.
Oops -- make that the 15-17th century Spain.
I'm sorry. My bad. I read mid-2000s and thought mid-1990s. But the mid-2000s were even less likely than the mid-1990s, for different reasons, to constitute a chance for a "Catholic moment." Even in the right decade, I think he's fantasizing.
Ann Olivier: The Jesuit order was founded in the 16th century.At St. Louis University in the 20th century, the Jesuits in philosophy there did not admire Suarez at all. He was much maligned by the Jesuits in philosophy at SLU. As a matter of fact the Jesuits in philosophy at SLU thought that they were salvaging St. Thomas Aquinas' thought from the detrimental influence of Suarez. But perhaps at Catholic University Suarez was admired.
There is a story that I recall reading but can not source at the moment concerning the papal nuncio just after the American revolution contacting Ben Franklin or some other figure in the government requesting permission to build schools and churches. This, was of course, a reasonable request since historically in Western Europe and even in the Byzantine empire the state granted permission for churches to practice faith. And, even, funded some of their schools.What was unique with the United States, however, was that the American official never actually granted permission because it was outside of the scope of their powers for the government to grant permission to religious bodies to practice. The official was "officially" neutral. The United States was unique precisely because the constitution explicitly limited government and the value of government was seen precisely in its limitation and not its powers. This was a unique arrangement for the Roman Catholic Church in terms of its relationship with the state. In the United State, Roman Catholic institutions flourished precisely BECAUSE of the constitutional prohibition against favouring any religion over another. The religious character of Americans was something that fascinated Alexis de Tocqueville precisely because it was so counter-intuitive.It took a long time for the Roman Catholic church to understand the United States. Pope Leo condemned "Americanism" and it was not until the Second Vatican Council that the basically American understanding of church-state relationship became something that the Church saw as benefiting her mission. Not surprisingly, John Courtney-Murray was one of the major architects of the Declaration on Religious Freedom at the Council.I don't know if there has ever been anywhere a so called Catholic moment where Catholics could celebrate. If you want an example of a so called Catholic moment consider Quebec (where the next Pope may come from). It was 100% Catholic owned and operated from labour unions to schools to hospitals. Is that the model we want? It has been tried. I doubt it.The Church is always best when it does not impose but proposes. That requires work in crafting a coherent gospel message that Catholics can live out. In many respects, all Catholics, lay, religious, and clerical, are still in process of digesting the Second Vatican Council and the implications of it for public life. It will take a while to discern and sift through what it means.As an aside, but not unimportantly, Jesus refused Caesar's sword offered to him by the tempter in today's gospel. The Church needs to be very careful about climbing in bed with Caesar. Sharing a house, sure...sharing the intimacy of the bedroom...maybe not. The children of this world are better dealing with their own kind than the children of light!
Footnote to all : Gibbons' history of medieval thought was for a long time the accepted one, and still is in many quarters. But as I understand it it began to be revised with such books as Henry Adams' "Mont Saint Michel and Chartres" and the history of medieval science by a physicist, Pierre Duhem who showed the beginnings of empirical/experimental science to have happened back in the 12th-14th centuries. (He himself made an important contribution -- the notion of scientific paradigms, though it didn't call them that).I don't really know if the Spanish Scholastics had a continuous line of fine social and political philosophers from the 14th century, but some were Thomists and certainly they argued directly with his positions, and their method of argument was the same -- highly rationalistic, and they derived from the same old sources. So I don't see how you can dissociate the two great streams of thought.In other words, if social and political thought of that period in Spain wasn't medieval, I don't know what was.(Footnote to footnote: even the calligraphy of Spain maintained many of the characteristics of Gothic script for centuries after the rest of Europe had abandoned it.).
Thanks, Ms. Steinfels - agree and find your clarifications helpful. Also, agree with what Fr. Imbelli added.Not sure if you watched Meet the Press this morning but the Republican Party leader made a statement about Obama's inaugural and state of the union and described it as a community leader's mandate for social justice change. He meant in a negative way but found his description to ring true - and what does that say about some of Douthat's comments or our Republican bishops?
John P.. ==I would really like to discuss the notion that "prosperity" is bad. Aren't we supposed to help the poor prosper? Or what? (But what does "prosperity" MEAN?)That's a whole different thread or ten, I think.
I do not follow the conversation on the blog well, I suppose. Beyond parties and sense of belonging to the church (defined as going to Mass) doent' the words "common good" wether 13th,19th or any century, mean more to a catholic psyche than defining "prosperity"?
Thomas F. --At Catholic U. when I was there in the 60's under the influence of Msgr. John K. Ryan, we admired whichever thinkers we found admirable and criticize them as we saw fit. Not being a man, I have no need of one single intellectual hero to lead the charge to the philosophical and theological battlements. (I never would have done at a Jesuit institution.)
Ann O,Prosperity could be a long thread indeed. For a Christian, I think it involves helping the poorbut why stop with them?to lead first more human and then more Christlike lives. But it doesn't mean making everybody a banker, I hope.
JOhn P. ==We are all part of the banking system, at least to the extent we put any of our money in them.
The WSashington Post's major article today is quite indicting. I'm sure tit doesn't rival intrigues of the past, but nevertheless points out the systemic dysfunction whatever one's eccelsiology. I'm betting they'll bbe some Xavier Rynne at this conclave or some other device to break the silence. Good or bad?
All in all it is refreshing that this thread let Ross Douthat realize that he needs to word things or think them through more reasonably. We certainly game him something to think about if he is listening.
David Paskinski: Is this the WashPost article you're talking about?http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/pope-struggled-to-lift-sacred... so, the NYTimes reported this on the subject of the Vatican bank:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/world/europe/pope-names-von-freyberg-t...!!
I resurrected the "Catholic moment" idea back in November, at Religion & Politics, and my sense is that this could very much be a Catholic moment -- though many Catholics may not be part of it:http://religionandpolitics.org/2012/11/02/is-2012-americas-catholic-mome... feel that even more so now, though I do think there are signs of a coming together. But on fiscal policy, gun control, immigration reform, health care -- all the many aspects that point toward the common good and Catholic teaching -- there is a real prospect for the U.S. to channel its Catholic heritage (future?) more than its Protestant rugged individualist past (libertarian future?).
David G - an excellent point.Also very good was Douthat's observation that it may not be the parties' rank and file voters, but its leaders, who are particularly uncongenial to Catholicism at this moment.
As a follow-on to my previous comment about party leaders whose views are misaligned with Catholic principles: the leading headline in my NYTimes email this morning is that Governor Cuomo is now sponsoring legislation to remove late-term limits on abortion in NY State. I know I'm not the only one who finds it distressing (to say the least!) when the party leaders who are sponsoring anti-Catholic legislation are themselves Catholics. It may be pointed out that Republican Catholic leaders also do this. I accept that. But I'd say that, right now, the Democratic Catholic leaders are far, far worse in this respect. Part of the reason for that may be that comparatively more Democrats happen to be in power at the moment. But another part is just the qualities of the policies and legislation supported by Democrats. Paul Ryan may not know the definition of "subsidiarity", but I don't believe he is an out-and-out enemy of subsidiarity. I can't say that Andrew Cuomo isn't an out-and-out enemy of Catholic moral teaching on the sanctity of life. Andrew Cuomo is sponsoring vile, evil legislation. Catholics of all stripes, but especially progressive Catholics, must call him to account. They must make him pay in the currency that politicians understand: donations and votes.I'd like to see a few Catholic heads roll - metaphorically speaking. By all means, lop 'em off from both sides of the aisle. But let's see some axes fall. Bishops and their canonist advisers, do your duty.
The story in Sunday's NYTimes on Cuomo's proposal was probably a trial balloon that the rest of the story suggested might not get by the state legislature. Still, I agree, Jim Pauwels, that this seems a wholly unnecessary change in the NYstate law, which is already one of the most liberal in the country, and was before Roe v. Wade.The justifications offered in the story for the change seem lame. This is probably meat for pro-choice supporters in advance of a possible Cuomo for the Democratic nomination in 2016. I doubt he will get it (he should consult with his much smarter father). Here's the story: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/nyregion/cuomo-bucks-tide-with-bill-to...
Thanks David Gibson for the link. Fully lays out the 2012 campaign "Catholic" moment. But now?
Addendum to yesterday comment by Margaret Steinfels at 3:03 p.m.I bet that practically all of the Democratic Party Catholics in all levels of our government now are cradle Catholics (exception: Chris Christi). However, it seems to me that a significant number of prominent converts are Republicans (Conservatives). (In addition to Fr. Neuhaus and Ross Douthat, I name Robert Novak, Robert Bork, Newt Gingrich.) I am trying to think of a prominent Catholic convert who is a Democrat (Liberal). There must be some out there. I notice that he lineup on EWTN has quite a few converts, e.g. Scott Hahn, Marcus Grodi, and former hosts, Fr. Corapi and Deal Hudson (exception Raymond Arroyo, who is a cradle catholic whose cradle must have been rocked too much.)
Margaret Steinfels: There is another Washington Post story - it was front page and center with a huge photo of the Vatican lightening strike (the Sunday edition of the Post).http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/pope-benedict-xvis-leaked-...
Do you think it might have been a small meteorite?
On the convert question: There are, of course, converts that fall on the liberal side of the universe. Our parish RCIA seems to attract such people, and there are some among us here at dotcommonweal. But I have often thought about the propensity of very public converts to be conservative on religion as on politics. Some, of course, are already politically conservative when they join the Catholic church. Changes in mainline Protestant practice has attracted some who support the Catholic bishop's resistance to such changes. They are often quite vociferous in their views giving the impression that the Catholic Church is more conservative than it is.Of course, Paul Ryan, libertarian, is our very own cradle Catholic.
Tony Blair is a convert.. and not a Con.
Right, not a conservative. But a bit of a con man! No?
There are many conservatives who think that liberal Catholics who approve of medically necessary abortions and stem cell research really are also for abortion on demand. I think that Gov. Cuomo has made this same mistake, a very bad one politically. I can't imagine his getting my vote. It's one thing to tolerate abortion because opposing it can ultimately do more harm than good. It's another to actively make it possible, which is what he is doing. Shame.
Helen - exception Raymond Arroyo, who is a cradle catholic whose cradle must have been rocked too much.) - right on!!!
Did anyone hear read the whole article about Cuomo? The point is that there are laws on the books in NY State which intimidates many physicians even if the laws are superseded by the Federal Law. While so many states are limiting women's right to abortion Cuomo leaves it up to women where it should be. But, of course, it is so generous of all of you to want to control women and form their choices whether they agree with you or not. The battle is with persuasion not the law. At least many of you do not make it your number one issue like the bishops do.
Public converts.The Orneryariate.Conservative indeed!Need more be said?When I was a wee one (1940s & early 1950s) the face of US Catholicism was defensiveness writ large. We had a Catholic version of everything ... because those bad old prods thought us inferior and we were going to show them!Well, the children and grandchildren of those 1940/50s wagon circlers have come to the fore and ..... Were the prods correct or wrong?
Bill M: Did you notice that the Cuomo/late-term abortion story was virtually fact free. How many doctors live in fear of doing a late abortion? How many women have died as a result? Hmmmm!How about as much skepticism in reading the NYTimes as dotCommonweal?
Peggy, I attended Mass this past Sunday at a Norther New Jersey parish (Metuchen diocese). Postcards were distributed to be sent to Senators and Representatives to object the health care law because of abortion and contraceptives. Practically every person signed and all cards were collected. One would think a like petition would be circulated lowering the minimum wage. Not a chance. Because bishops would lose many rich patrons and could not build excessive cathedrals to enhance their legacies. People are actually working a forty hour week in this country and living in homeless shelters because the pay is not enough. The official Catholic church's position is silence with nominal exceptions. The mandate is to set the captives free. Not to dramatize zygotes and be numb to the sufferings of millions of people. One tangible way we can address this is to demand that the bishops send all the Nigerian and Indian bishops home to their homelands where people are in the most inhumane conditions.
Don't go to Mass in Jersey. And don't park your car there either.
Can it be that Fr. Neuhaus' Catholic Moment was just his own?
That would settle the question, wouldn't it!
My concern is that we must not let the hierarchy get away with their crimes under the shield of the abortion and/or contraception question. It is true as some have stated in this thread that, despite and without the hierarchy there are some definitive Catholic moments where justice and communal good is being done in this country. The issue is that we should not let the bishops keep using abortion as a cover. They pulled a Kenneth Starr in the last election and failed miserably as he did. Look how their issues match extreme Republicans. Let them build a real record to witness on. Again more revelation on Maciel where Benedict witheld/covered up facts because he did not want JP II's record to be sullied. http://ncronline.org/node/45511If Andrew Cuomo covers up crimes against children I will call him on it too. Right now he is looking better than the cover-up bishops who are criticizing him.
"dramatize zygotes"--that's a memorable line for sure. Ha! Can you coin an equally sassy line for fetuses at 24 weeks? Hope soNext, let's make fun of the tens of thousands of Catholics and others who go to the Pro-Life March year also. Bunch of dupes of the bishops, one and all. Poor idiots. If only they had the thirst for justice and the protection of the rights of women as our wonderful Governor Andrew Cuomo does. Rare has a holier man walked among us. I forgot that BM thinks abortion is a ethical issue on par with the recycling of plastic bags. A Jesuit writing in AMERICA may beg to differ, but I guess most SJ's are flunkies of the bishops too.http://americamagazine.org/issue/unwelcome-anniversary
Catholic moment? Hmm; that was awhile ago the late 50s into the early 70s comes to my mind.It is worth noting that the USA has always been a predominantly Protestant nation. It started that way and the majority is still Protestant. Of course there have always been Catholics and Jews (and yes even a few Muslims) but in the main, Protestantism sets the tone.With that in mind, Catholic moment in my mind anyway seems to be a particular point in time where (like a Ven Diagram) the majority of mainline Protestants in the USA came temporarily into agreement with more Catholicism than they usually did. The radio and TV broadcasts of Bishop Sheen in those years no doubt helped Protestants better understand how Catholics think and see the world.While Protestants between (for example), 1955 to 1973 seemed to begin to see the common sense of Catholic teachings on morals and social justice, that was temporary, and they began to drift away after Roe v Wade decision.It takes water and sunshine to make a rainbow. It takes two to tango, and it seems for awhile back in the 50s until the early 70's, Protestants and Catholics had a nice dance. I imagine it was nice.
Oops - meant to conclude: 'I imagine it was fun'
Maybe it was fun. But as I recall, the merged dinner recipes weren't all that great.
Ken --I agree with your point about Bishop Sheen on that new-fangled machine, TV, having a lot to do with the rest of the c ountry paying more attention to Catholic thought. Amazing the good that really capable preaching can do.
If Richard John Neuhaus were still with us, I wonder if his "Catholic Moment" meme would still include this belief:"The problem of clericalism is composed of several problems. It is the problem of a caste that arrogates to itself undue authority, that makes unwarranted claims to wisdom, even to having a monopoly on understanding the mind of God. The consequence is the great weakening of the Church by denigrating or excluding the many gifts of the Spirit present in the people who are the Church. The problem of clericalism arises when the church acts in indifference, or even contempt, toward the people who are the Church. "Richard J. Neuhaus, Religion & Society Report, June 1989.
Jim McC. --I wonder if it ever really did include that belief. As I remember he was quite intolerant of dissent.
Was he a chameleon convert? Did "poping" change his beliefs that much?(Un)fortunately I got rid of my R&S Report file many years back now. I would love to go back and see if it kept going after his religion change and if there were any clues of his changing his mind prior to crossing the Tiber. If I remember correctly, he was ordained a priest by Cdl O'Connor very shortly after converting. I guess that was a "fast-track" ordination open only to former ministers.


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In past seasons, ICCE has performed works such as Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire and Five Pieces for Orchestra (chamber version), Ligeti's Chamber Concerto, as well as works by Kaija Saariaho, Elliott Carter, Lukas Foss, Pierre Boulez, Sophia Gubaidulina, Karel Husa, Arthur Levering, among others.
Under its former directors Jeffery Meyer and Richard Faria, ICCE--previously known as "Kulmusik" --performed at the 20th International New Music Festival "Sound Ways" in St. Petersburg, Russia. The concert took place at Glinka Hall of the Philharmonic, one of St. Petersburg's most beautiful and prestigious halls.
During the 2013-14 season, ICCE was featured within the Ithaca College Latin American Music Festival, performing works by Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon (2014 Karel Husa Visiting Professors of Composition), Celso Garrido Lecca, and Mario Davidovsky. The season included ICCE's performance at the Americas Society in New York.
The 2014-15 season presents works by Lei Liang, Michael Gandolfi, Arthur Levering, Alex Mincek, Beat Furrer and Steven Stucky. ICCE will perform Stucky's Ad Parnassum in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, on April 17, 2015.

subset: commoncrawl


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How comfortable are you with using your mobile phone as a wallet?
Are you afraid to use services like Google wallet and the utilization of near field technology to pay for items in store?
14 Answers answer
Not too interested at all. The last thing I need to do is have all my eggs in one basket if you will.
Not afraid in the least. The technology seems plenty secure. I do not use it yet due to the lack of places that are set up for it.
It would be just as secure as my Credit Card or Debit Card and i have no problem using those. I guess I am without the paranoid gene.
The soda and snack machines in Woot's new Seattle office work with Google Wallet (via Mastercard Paypass). It is pretty great. I also used it at a drug store this morning.
If I ever lose my phone, that's bad enough. I don't want to also feel like I lost my wallet. I could see linking in one account, that has limited funds availability (ie, a credit card with a fairly low limit, or a secondary checking account with a limited balance) but I would not be interested in linking in all my primary accounts.
I would be more screwed losing my phone then my wallet. Wallet would be a hassle to cancel everything and all, but my phone would screw me. I have clients, price lists, inventory management, etc in my phone. If someone found that they would have my entire life in front of them! OUCH!!! Thank goodness for apps like find my phone that will allow me to locate and wipe my phone if it is lost or stolen!
That being said, yes I just started to use Passbook to pay for stuff. A few weeks ago I used it to purchase Fandango tickets and I was able to skip the ticket lines and walk right in. Easily saved us 45 minutes.
Also my credit card has been compromised a couple of times in the past and the credit card company always made it right. The last time they caught a $6 charge that I didn't make and called me to confirm that it was me within an hour of the transaction. When they realized it wasn't me they froze my account and I received a new card the following day.
The only way I could use my Razr as a wallet would be as a money clip.
If you lose your phone, it should not affect your WALLET. It is password protected. Have the phone shut off and wiped with an APP. Get a new phone. Everything is fixed (assuming you use another APP to back everything up). If you lose your actual wallet, you are MORE screwed because everything (credit cards licence, etc.) needs to be stopped and replaced.
I think there is too little education if you think everything is screwed if you lose your phone.
Considering my wife drove off with her smartphone on the trunk of the car not 4 hours ago, not real interested.
Not comfortable using that technology at all for now.
Not sure I'd be able to fit all my junk in it; sitting on it might also be a bit of a problem. :)
About as comfortable as I'd be using my wallet as my mobile phone! Badump-bump.. Tshhhh!
Really though I'm more of a cash-n-debit kind of guy. I've never been that put off by spending the 15 seconds to run my card or count out cash.. Plus, there's always a way to exploit technology.. granted there probably aren't a ton of shady guys walking around the mall, rubbing on people with their NFC scanners heh..
I could see it coming in handy for some people though.. and it is a "cool" technology.
I'd love to do it. I've even got a galaxy nexus. Though it's through verizon. There was also rumor of a google card that would just forward things back to your other cards. I'd love that as well.
I use Google Wallet wherever they have the capability. There aren't people walking around skimming data everywhere and if you lose your phone it needs a PIN, just like your debit card, and you can cancel it via the Wallet website. Don't really see how it's much different than carrying and using a debit/credit card.
It's convenient and actually fun to use I think. I still carry other cards since most places don't have NFC, but every trip to CVS and McDonald's is paid for via phone.
FWIW - many countries have been using their cell phones as not just an e-wallet but for club memberships, boarding passes, transit passes, etc for a decade. The US is pretty far behind the curve when it comes to cell phone usage.
Just a note - the US is behind not because we're troglodytes but because the US has a better option, specifically the home computer, cheap internet access, and efficient land lines for cable and DSL. In other countries, they don't have the land lines or are expensive to put in so they use their cell phones which allows for faster evolution.


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An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Instructions for VS-300 Divorce Form
VS-300 form issues contact Help Desk at (877) 545-6175.
Monday, Sept. 1, 2016 in observance of Labor Day
Office of Vital Statistics275 E. Main St., 1E-AFrankfort, KY 40621502-564-4212Contact Info Purchase Options FAQs
Kentucky's Vital Statistics Law, enacted by the General Assembly in 1910, provides for and legalizes the registration of births and deaths.
The Office of Vital Statistics does not have records of births or deaths prior to 1911, except delayed records of births for those born before 1911 which have been established by affidavits and documentary evidence.
Central registration of marriages and divorces began in Kentucky in June 1958. The Office of Vital Statistics does not have records of marriages or divorces prior to 1958. To inquire about marriage certificates prior to June 1958, please call the county clerk in the county where the marriage license was issued. To inquire about divorce certificates prior to June 1958, please call the circuit county clerk that granted the divorce decree.
The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, P.O. Box 537, 300 Coffee Tree Road, Frankfort, KY 40602, 502-564-8300, has birth and death records for the cities of Louisville, Lexington, Covington and Newport, which enacted records collection ordinances before 1911. KDLA also has birth and death records (statewide coverage) prior to 1911 and 1911-1957 death records (statewide coverage).
Office hours: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday, excluding official state holidays.
Orders received after 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time will be processed the next business day.
For further information, please read the Business Procedures for Accepting Walk-In/Mail/Phone Orders.
Vital statistics is located on the first floor in the main lobby of the former Cabinet for Human Resources Building.
Phone number: To contact Vital Statistics for information or to amend certificates, call (502) 564-4212. To order with a credit card, call toll-free (800) 241-8322. Or order by fax at (866) 283-7477. Please go to VitalChek.com to obtain fax applications under Order Methods.
Mailing address: Office of Vital Statistics275 E. Main St., 1E-AFrankfort, KY 40621
Parking: Designated visitor and handicapped parking is located at the front of the lower (basement)-level main parking lot and on the first floor-level lot. Because of building security, all visitors must enter at the first floor lobby under the canopy.
You can purchase a certificate on the Internet, by phone, by mail or by visiting the office. See details below.
Cost of certificates: Birth: $10 US per certificate;Death, Marriage and Divorce: $6 US per certificate
In Person: Stop in our office at 275 E. Main St. in Frankfort to complete an application for a certified copy of a birth, death, marriage or divorce certificate between the hours of 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. EST, Monday-Friday. For further information, please read the Business Procedures for Accepting Walk-In/Mail/Phone Orders.
Directions to Vital Statistics Office Map of Vital Statistics Office Location
Credit Card Orders - Online, Phone, Fax: To purchase a certified copy of a Kentucky vital record and pay with a credit card, whether online, by phone or fax, you may go through VitalChek's Online Ordering System.
All credit card transactions are processed through VitalChek Network, Inc., an independent company that the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics has partnered with to provide you with this service. VitalChek can be reached through its website, www.vitalchek.com, or by phone at (800) 241-8322. An additional fee is charged by VitalChek for using this service, and all major credit cards are accepted, including American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa.
UPS: For faster delivery, request delivery by UPS when placing orders for vital records, an additional fee is charged for this service.
By Mail: Mail a check or money order (no cash) payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer along with the necessary information to the following address: Office of Vital Statistics, 275 E. Main St., 1E-A, Frankfort, KY 40621. Please include a return address on the envelope and the application form. Funds must be in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank. For further information, please read the Business Procedures for Accepting Walk-In/Mail/Phone Orders.
Processing Time: In most cases, orders are filled within five to seven business days. However, some orders may take longer; therefore, please allow up to 30 working days for processing of all type of certificates ordered through the mail. Birth Records: Expect longer delays during peak request periods from May through September. We recommend requesting certified copies of birth certificates early to avoid delays for those planning retirement and for certificates needed for sports programs, travel/passports, school enrollment and other reasons. Death Records: There may be delays in issuing new certified death certificates if the original certificate is not promptly filed in Frankfort by the funeral home.
Purchase a certificate online, by phone or by FAX. These orders will be processed through VitalChek Network, Inc., an independent company the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics has partnered with to provide this service. Payment by credit card is required. You also can click on the Order Vital Records Online-VitalChek button on the left side of this page to start your order. You also may visit the VitalChek website to browse all available services. You can reach a VitalChek operator by phone at (800) 241-8322 (an additional fee is charged by VitalChek for using this service). VitalChek accepts all major credit cards including American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. VitalChek ships by UPS. If a rush is necessary, request expedited UPS delivery when placing orders. Additional fees will be charged for rush orders.
Birth and Stillbirth Certificates
Death Certificates
Marriage/Divorce Certificates
Kentucky Electronic Death Registration System (KY-EDRS) for Funeral Home Directors and Medical Certifiers
Business Procedures for Accepting Walk-In/Mail/Phone OrdersRegistrar GuidelinesFrequently Asked Questions
Amending CertificatesA certificate on file in this office may be amended only in accordance with Kentucky statutes and administrative regulations. If you need to correct information on a certificate, please contact the Vital Statistics office at (502) 564-4212 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (EST), Monday-Friday.
Apostille/Certificate of AuthenticationAn apostille/certificate of authentication is a document intended for international use and is obtained only through the Kentucky Secretary of State's Office.
A certified copy of a vital record may be used for this purpose and may be obtained during the Secretary of State's process. When requesting a certified copy of a vital record for an apostille/certificate of authentication, the Office of Vital Statistics must be informed that it will be used for this purpose. It is the responsibility of the customer to provide the certified copy to the Secretary of State's Office.
Vital Statistics Reports by Year 1996-2005
County Health Profiles 1997-2005
Passport/Visa Information, Travel Warnings-U.S. State Dept


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And the SCL's presence in Peru continues to this day, something that was celebrated this past weekend during at an All Community Gathering for the Sisters of Charities of Leavenworth and their associates.
Today, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth work in three areas of Peru, providing various services.
But their work in South America started in 1963 in the city Talara, which is located in northern Peru. Sister Irene Skeehan was a member of original group of Sisters of Charity who went to Peru.
She said the decision for the sisters to go to South America came after Pope John XXIII had requested a tithe for Latin American countries.
"We embarked on a three-week sea voyage," Skeehan recalled.
The sisters arrived at Talara in November. Skeehan said they taught school and provided services as nurses.
She said the none of the sisters spoke Spanish when they arrived.
Skeehan said she had to survive teaching in a first-grade classroom with limited Spanish skills for a month until school let out for what is summer in Peru. The sisters then took private Spanish lessons.
"I was there three years," she said.
While the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth no longer work in Talara, they provide services in Peru in the communities of Chalaco, Chuschi and Piura.
Sister Elena Mack, director of Latin American missions for the SCL, said there are 11 Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth in Peru. Nine of them are from Peru. The other two are from North America.
Mack said the sisters' services in Peru evolve as they discover new needs.
She said water filters have just started being used in all three of the mission areas. She said the sisters help people learn how to use the filters to purify water.
She said the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth and their associates help raise money for the filters.
Sister Eileen Haynes, who serves on the SCL Community Council, said it's expected that families who receive the filters will share them with others.
"So it's a ripple effect," she said.
The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth also have worked to provide water filters to people in South Sudan.
Over the years, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth also have worked in Guatemala, Ecuador and Bolivia. But the SCL no longer has a presence in these countries.
About 300 people attended the All Community Gathering, which was held Thursday through Sunday at the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth and University of Saint Mary campus.
The event included a bilingual mass Friday in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the SCL South American missions.
This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the SCL associates program. Associates are people who share values of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.
Location, ST | website.com


text:
Side-Effects of Pregnancy
In This Article:
Mood swings and fears
Picture-Perfect Pregnancy
Rather than focus on your changing girth, concentrate on the positive physical changes of pregnancy. For one thing, during pregnancy your hair thickens and becomes shinier. You may also find that your nails are stronger and grow faster than usual. During a first pregnancy, why not indulge yourself with manicures? If you're worried about toxins and chemicals, there are toluene-free nailpolishes available to keep baby free from chemical exposure. You might not be able to wear your rings if you retain fluids, but at least your nails will be nice.
And don't forget that well-known glow—it's real! Your body is working overtime to keep all your internal systems working at peak efficiency—your blood circulation and hormonal system in particular. You really do end up with rosier cheeks and clearer skin during pregnancy.
Swinging with Your Moods
Many of the changes that occur during pregnancy are not visible. In fact, you may be the only one completely aware of what is going on inside you. You may find that during pregnancy you become what I call hormotional—experiencing those bouts of unexplainable weepies or grouchies that every pregnant woman seems to get.
Don't let the mood swings get you down—hormotionalism is a perfectly natural aspect of being pregnant and it is your right as a woman to be as hormotional as you please. Indulge your moods if you can, but remember that your partner won't always understand what's going on. If he protests about your unpredictable moods, just remind him that you are pregnant—and leave it at that.
Your emotions will balance out, once your hormones settle down. But until that happens, be careful: If you get the weepies you may have a tendency to allow all your fears to surface. You may even have scary, pregnancy-related dreams (a common one is that you have had your baby but you keep leaving it places). While it's normal to have a few fears when you are adjusting to the concept of being responsible for another living thing, don't let yourself obsess.
Most people need time to adjust to the idea of taking on the responsibility of a baby—someone who'll be completely dependent on you, at least for a while. And nine months of pregnancy seems to be just long enough to allow you to become utterly terrified, if you let that happen. But you're not the first to feel those fears, and you won't be the last. What you will do, eventually, is work through your fears.
One way to work past any fears you have is to turn them on their heads. Instead of focusing on your doubts ("It's such a big responsibility…how can I live up to it?"), concentrate on the opportunity that pregnancy offers: Your role as a mother is really one of the most precious and important things you can do with your life. It will have far-reaching impact and could influence future generations.
excerpted from:
Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motherhood © 1999 by Deborah Levine Herman. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
To order this book visit Amazon's web site or call 1-800-253-6476.


text:
Please enter a maximum of 5 recipients. Use ; to separate more than one email address.
If the company goes ahead with the project, the terminal will be a floating facility near Shell's refinery in Batangas, a province just south of Manila, a Shell executive said. He didn't provide details of the feasibility study or the investment required for the project, with a decision to be made in the next year.
By CRIS LARANO
MANILA -- Royal Dutch Shell is considering building the
Philippines' first liquefied natural gas import terminal, Shell
International's vice president for global LNG Roger Bounds told
a news briefing Friday.
If the company goes ahead with the project, the terminal
will be a floating facility near Shell's refinery in Batangas, a province
just south of Manila, Mr. Bounds said.
He didn't provide details of the feasibility study or the
investment required for the project. He said a decision to
pursue the project will be made within the next
12 months.
Aside from the oil refinery -- one of only two
operating in the Philippines, Shell also owns the landing
terminal of the natural gas from the Malampaya field, which
started commercial operation in 2002.
Natural gas from Malampaya, which is transported via a
500-kilometer submarine pipeline to Batangas, is used to fuel
three power plants that together could generate 2,700
megawatts. Shell plans to invest $1 billion to extend the life
of Malampaya to 2039 from the current projection of 2024.
The Department of Energy wanted an LNG facility to diversify
the source of energy in the country, whose base load capacity
is primarily fueled by coal.
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Engineers and designers are highly skilled individuals. Forcing them to enter design changes using tables, forms and spreadsheets is unproductive and uneconomical, and it increases the likelihood of human error—this is the way that most instrumentation software systems currently work. For too long, software vendors have denied engineers and designers the simple practicality of a graphical visual engineering interface with "drag and drop" capability and inbuilt intelligence, ensuring changes are automatically replicated into all the associated data and databases.
Is 2016 the peak for US gasoline demand?
Too soon to tell
July 2016


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I am after a source that allows one to treat one's house as all within four amos l'chatchila, with respect to nagel vasser (hand washing in the morning).
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The Mishna Brura in OC 1 says:
י"א דלענין זה אמרינן כולא ביתא כד' אמות דמי אבל אין לסמוך ע"ז כ"א בשעת הדחק.
"There are those who say that with regard to this (washing hands), we say that the entire house is as 4 amos (cubits), but one should only rely on this when forced."
The Aruch HaShulchan in OC 4 says:
מפני שיש מחמירים ומזהירים ע"פ הזוהר שאסור לילך ד' אמות בלא נט"י
"Because there are those who are stringent and are careful acc. to the Zohar that it is forbidden to walk 4 amos without washing the hands."
Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl, in his commentary on Mishna Brurah, "Beyitzchak Yikarei" quotes an oral tradition from his rebbe, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, that goes back to the Gra that all Ruach Ra (evil spirits) of the Zohar were batel (nullified) after the killing of Avraham ben Avraham the Ger ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avraham_ben_Avraham See also the paragraph starting "It is" in the wikipedia article.) Thus according to this there is no need to quickly wash one's hands in the morning because there is no Ruach Ra on them.
The real question is- what is the significance of 4 amos?
The Ran (Mes. Shabbos, 31b in the Ran "Vehamotzi...") says that the reason why transferring >4 cubits in a public domain is not mentioned in the mishna as a major melacha is that it is merely an offshoot of "motzi"- transferring from a private to a public domain. Since a person in a public domain has an halachic ownership of a surrounding 4 amos, every 4 amos is considered a different domain. One who carries more than 4 amos accomplishes the same as a "motzi".
So walking >4 amos w/o washing may be less of an issue of measurement and more of place: Don't leave your domain without washing. >4 cubit inside a house would not be an issue.


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Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, M.D.
Director, Brain Tumor Surgery Program
Professor of Neurosurgery
Languages: English, Spanish
Expertise: Brain Cancer, Brain Stem Tumors, Brain Tumors, Endoscopy, Glioblastoma, Neurosurgery, Pituitary Tumors, Skull Base Surgery, Skull Base Tumors ...read more
Research Interests: Stem cells in relation to the origin of brain tumors; potential role stem cells can play in fighting brain cancer ; regaining neurological function; Neuro-Oncology Surgical Outcomes Research; working to improve patient safety; maximize the efficacy of current treatment paradigms for patients with brain tumors ...read more
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At Johns Hopkins, Dr. Alfredo Quinones is a Professor of Neurosurgery and Oncology, Neuroscience and Cellular and Molecular Medicine. In addition to directing the Brain Tumor Surgery Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital, and the Pituitary Surgery Program at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Quinones leads the Brain Tumor Stem Cell Laboratory....read more
Dr. Alfredo Quinones focuses on the surgical treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors, with an emphasis on motor and speech mapping during surgery, as well as in the treatment of patients with pituitary and skull base tumors using transphenoidal endonasal and minimally invasive surgical approaches.
Dr. Alfredo Quinones focuses on the surgical treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors, with an emphasis on motor and speech mapping during surgery, as well as in the treatment of patients with pituitary and skull base tumors using transphenoidal endonasal and minimally invasive surgical approaches.
- Director, Brain Tumor Surgery Program
- Director, Pituitary Surgery Program
- Director, Neurosurgery Brain Tumor Stem Cell Laboratory
- Professor of Neurosurgery
- Professor of Neuroscience
- Professor of Oncology
Departments / Divisions
- Neuroscience
- Neurosurgery - Brain Tumor
- Oncology - Brain Cancer
- MD, Harvard Medical School (1999)
- University of California San Francisco / Neurosurgery (2005)
Board Certifications
- American Board of Neurological Surgery / Neurological Surgery (2010)
Additional Training
Fellowship, University of California San Francisco (San Francisco CA ) (2005)
Research & Publications
Research Summary
Dr. Quinones conducts numerous research efforts on elucidating the role of stem cells in the origin of brain tumors and the potential role stem cells can play in fighting brain cancer and regaining neurological function. In addition to leading the Brain Tumor Stem Cell Laboratory, he also heads the Neuro-Oncology Surgical Outcomes Research Laboratory where he is working to improve patient safety and maximize the efficacy of current treatment paradigms for patients with brain tumors.
Neuro-Oncology Surgical Outcomes Research Laboratory
The Neuro-Oncology Outcomes Research Laboratory aims to identify pre- and post-operative treatment measures that influence hospital-based morbidity and mortality in an effort to improve patient safety and maximize the efficacy of current treatment paradigms for patients with brain tumors. The Outcomes Lab also aims to discover novel clinical, radiographic, and physiological parameters that may influence survival in patients with malignant brain tumors.
Brain Tumor Stem Cell Laboratory
For many patients afflicted with brain cancer, brain tumors are lethal and cause loved ones untold emotional suffering. The identification of successful treatments for brain cancer remains a challenging task. Our laboratory studies the organization and cytoarchitecture of the subventricular zone as a niche of stem cells and a potential source of tumors in the human brain. Understanding the relationship between this area of the brain and the genesis of brain tumors is of paramount importance. Our goal is to understand the function of these human brain stem cells and how they may play a role in the origin of brain tumors. Consequently, we ultimately aim for the ability to manipulate the microenvironments of these cells in order to find better therapies to fight brain cancer.
Lab Website: Brain Stem Cell Lab
Selected PublicationsView all on Pubmed
Chaichana, K.L.; Capilla-Gonzalez, V.; Gonzalez-Perez, O.; Pradilla, G.; Han, J.; Olivi, A.; Brem, H.; Garcia-Verdugo, J.M.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Preservation of glial cytoarchitecture from ex vivo human tumor and non-tumor cerebral cortical explants: A human model to study neurological diseases. Journal of neuroscience methods. 2007 Aug 30;164(2):261-270.
Attenello, F.J.; Mukherjee, D.; Datoo, G.; McGirt, M.J.; Bohan, E.; Weingart, J.D.; Olivi, A.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A.; Brem, H. Use of Gliadel (BCNU) wafer in the surgical treatment of malignant glioma: a 10-year institutional experience. Annals of surgical oncology. 2008 Oct;15(10):2887-2893.
McGirt, M.J.; Chaichana, K.L.; Attenello, F.J.; Weingart, J.D.; Than, K.; Burger, P.C.; Olivi, A.; Brem, H.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Extent of surgical resection is independently associated with survival in patients with hemispheric infiltrating low-grade gliomas. Neurosurgery. 2008 Oct;63(4):700-707; author reply 707-708.
Chaichana, K.L.; McGirt, M.J.; Niranjan, A.; Olivi, A.; Burger, P.C.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Prognostic significance of contrast-enhancing low-grade gliomas in adults and a review of the literature. Neurological research. 2009 Nov;31(9):931-939.
Chaichana, K.L.; Parker, S.L.; Olivi, A.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Long-term seizure outcomes in adult patients undergoing primary resection of malignant brain astrocytomas. Clinical article. Journal of neurosurgery. 2009 Aug;111(2):282-292.
Gathinji, M.; McGirt, M.J.; Attenello, F.J.; Chaichana, K.L.; Than, K.; Olivi, A.; Weingart, J.D.; Brem, H.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Association of preoperative depression and survival after resection of malignant brain astrocytoma. Surg Neurol. 2009 Mar;71(3):299-303, discussion 303.
McGirt, M.J.; Chaichana, K.L.; Gathinji, M.; Attenello, F.J.; Than, K.; Olivi, A.; Weingart, J.D.; Brem, H.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A.R. Independent association of extent of resection with survival in patients with malignant brain astrocytoma. Journal of neurosurgery. 2009 Jan;110(1):156-162.
McGirt, M.J.; Than, K.D.; Weingart, J.D.; Chaichana, K.L.; Attenello, F.J.; Olivi, A.; Laterra, J.; Kleinberg, L.R.; Grossman, S.A.; Brem, H.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Gliadel (BCNU) wafer plus concomitant temozolomide therapy after primary resection of glioblastoma multiforme. Journal of neurosurgery. 2009 Mar;110(3):583-588.
Sun, P.; Xia, S.; Lal, B.; Eberhart, C.G.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A.; Maciaczyk, J.; Matsui, W.; Dimeco, F.; Piccirillo, S.M.; Vescovi, A.L.; Laterra, J. DNER, an epigenetically modulated gene, regulates glioblastoma-derived neurosphere cell differentiation and tumor propagation. Stem Cells. 2009 Jul;27(7):1473-1486.
Achanta, P.; Sedora Roman, N.I.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Gliomagenesis and the use of neural stem cells in brain tumor treatment. Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry. 2010;10(2):121-130.
Chaichana, K.; Parker, S.; Olivi, A.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. A proposed classification system that projects outcomes based on preoperative variables for adult patients with glioblastoma multiforme. Journal of neurosurgery. 2010;112(5):997-1004.
Chaichana, K.L.; Kosztowski, T.; Niranjan, A.; Olivi, A.; Weingart, J.D.; Laterra, J.; Brem, H.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Prognostic significance of contrast-enhancing anaplastic astrocytomas in adults. Journal of neurosurgery. 2010;113(2):286-292.
Chaichana, K.L.; McGirt, M.J.; Laterra, J.; Olivi, A.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Recurrence and malignant degeneration after resection of adult hemispheric low-grade gliomas. Journal of neurosurgery. 2010;112(1):10-17.
Chaichana, K.L.; McGirt, M.J.; Woodworth, G.F.; Datoo, G.; Tamargo, R.J.; Weingart, J.; Olivi, A.; Brem, H.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Persistent outpatient hyperglycemia is independently associated with survival, recurrence and malignant degeneration following surgery for hemispheric low grade gliomas. Neurological research. 2010;32(4):442-448.
Frazier, J.L.; Johnson, M.W.; Burger, P.C.; Weingart, J.D.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Rapid malignant transformation of low-grade astrocytomas: report of 2 cases and review of the literature. World neurosurgery. 2010;73(1):53-62; discussion e55.
Grossman, R.; Mukherjee, D.; Chang, D.C.; Purtell, M.; Lim, M.; Brem, H.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Predictors of Inpatient Death and Complications among Postoperative Elderly Patients with Metastatic Brain Tumors. Annals of surgical oncology. 2010 (Journal Article).
Hales, R.K.; Shokek, O.; Burger, P.C.; Paynter, N.P.; Chaichana, K.L.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A.; Jallo, G.I.; Cohen, K.J.; Song, D.Y.; Carson, B.S.; Wharam, M.D. Prognostic factors in pediatric high-grade astrocytoma: the importance of accurate pathologic diagnosis. Journal of neuro-oncology. 2010;99(1):65-71.
Hughes, S.A.; Achanta, P.; Ho, A.L.; Duenas, V.J.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Biological horizons for targeting brain malignancy. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 2010;671(Journal Article):93-104.
Mukherjee, D.; Chang, D.C.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. New methods to assess trends in neuro-oncological care. Journal of neuro-oncology. 2010;97(1):155-156.
Mukherjee, D.; Zaidi, H.A.; Kosztowski, T.; Chaichana, K.L.; Brem, H.; Chang, D.C.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A. Disparities in access to neuro-oncologic care in the United States. Archives of surgery (Chicago, Ill: 1960). 2010;145(3):247-253.
Ying, M.; Sang, Y.; Li, Y.; Guerrero-Cazares, H.; Quinones-Hinojosa, A.; Vescovi, A.L.; Eberhart, C.G.; Xia, S.; Laterra, J. KLF9, A Differentiation-Associated Transcription Factor, Suppresses Notch1 Signaling and Inhibits Glioblastoma-Initiating Stem Cells. Stem cells. 2010;Epub 11/18/10(Journal Article).
Activities & Honors
- Martinez and Townsel Endowed Lecture, Marine Biological Laboratory
- MBL Friday Night Lecture, Marine Biological Laboratory
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Southern Vermont College
- Commencement address, Southern Vermont College
- Invited keynote speaker, Success for All Foundation Annual Convention , 2011
- United States Brilliant 10 Scientists, Popular Science Magazine, 2007
- Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S., Hispanic Business Journal, 2007
- National Leadership in Science and Medicine Award, Merage Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 2008
- California Community College Distinguished Alumni Award, 2009
Professional Activities
- Invited Scientist, 2010 Nifty Fifty USA Science and Engineering Festival, 2010
Videos & Media
Patient Story: Sacral Chordoma
Patient Story: Pituitary Tumor
Patient Story: Skull Base Meningioma Tumor
Doorways to Discovery: Shutting Down Energy to Glioblastomas
Recent News Articles and Media Coverage
Technology May Help Surgeons Tell Brain Cancer From Healthy Tissue, U.S. News & World Report (06/19/2015)
New imaging technique could make brain tumor removal safer, more effective, study suggests, Medical Xpress (06/18/2015)
Glioblastoma's Energy No More? NeuroLogic (Spring 2015)
Shutting Down Energy to Brain Cancer, Bioscience Technology (11/05/2014)
Clarksburg man shows courage when faced with cancer, Maryland Gazette (09/24/2014)
"Dr. Q", un puente entre México y Estados Unidos, El Universal (01/20/2014)
From Migrant Worker to Neurosurgeon, CNN (05/23/2013)
Press release: Using Fat to Fight Brain Cancer (03/13/2013)
Press release: Research Yields New Clues to How Brain Cancer Cells Migrate and Invade (05/02/2012)
Johns Hopkins doctors do brain surgery via eyelid, Baltimore Sun (06/26/2010)
Recorded online seminar: I Was Diagnosed with a Pituitary TumorNow What?
Podcast: Brain Surgery - Awake Craniotomy


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I've noticed that the price of slots increases as the game goes on. Is this because of my pile of money, my character level, or my game progress? How much does it scale or increment for each bump?
The Price and Maximum Item Level you can get from the Slot Machine are based on the game host's Story Progress and Current Level.
Story Progress will generally increase the maximum level of item by a few levels at a time, and you cannot get items that are a higher level than the game host's current level.
For example, at first I thought it was based on level only since I noticed that every time I leveled up, the slot prices would get higher, however this weekend I noticed I wasn't getting any items higher than lvl 18 even though I was level 26. I did one story mission and it suddenly jumped to lvl 21 items, and one or two more story quests after that, and it was giving me lvl 26 items.
I'm sure there's a list somewhere online because my boyfriend knew how many quests we needed to do to get items our level, but I'm not sure where that list is. If I find it I'll update this answer.
As per this article the slot machines at Moxxxi's place will get more expensive as you progress through the game.
It is worth noting that some of the items you can win by playing the slots scale with your character - this means that playing the slots at a lower level will cost less while still potentially providing benefit to you at the later levels.


text:
As a stackoverflow user, ads like this one:
...confuse the hell out of me. I just spent 30 seconds trying to find the rest of the answers for the question I was reading before I realized this was an ad, and the question didn't actually have 27 answers. I am totally on board with inline advertising, but this ad is objectively making the site harder to use.
Are there any sort of guidelines for what kinds of ads are allowed? I would like to think stackoverflow could prevent ones like this. If they are allowed or encouraged, I would implore stackoverflow to change it.
I just took the screenshot above at 7am on 2/10, so even with all the discussion and promises made in the answers below, the ad continues to run.


text:
Port Elizabeth Airport
Alister Miller Drive, Walmer 6065, South Africa
Telefon: 41 507 7348.
Website: www.airports.co.za
The airport is situated within the boundaries of the city of Port Elizabeth, 5km (3 miles) west of the Capital Business District and 3km (2 miles) southwest of Algoa Bay.
How to get there
The airport (known locally as the '10 minute airport') is reached quickly from the city centre via Route M11 from Humewood into Alister Miller Drive. The terminal is then on the left-hand side of the road.
Information about parking possibilities at the Port Elizabeth Airport
Access by public transport
Shuttle services are available on request or by booking in advance in the Arrivals hall. These operate according to flight schedules and passengers can also book their return journey to the airport in advance. Journey time to city centre is approx. 10 minutes.
Metered taxis are available outside the Departures hall.
Information desk
There is an information desk (tel: 41 507 7319) in the Arrivals hall. There is also a visitor information desk (tel: 41 581 0456; www.nmbt.co.za). Hotels and sightseeing excursions can be booked at the desk.
Further travel information
- Back to the overview


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On Dec. 9, 2012, James Culp, of Zephyrhills, Fla., and formerly of Ionia, went home to be with his Lord.
James was preceded in death by his father, Frederick Culp, and his mother, Evelyn; brother Fred (Vonnie); and sister Jean Lake. He was also preceded in death by June and Marilyn Culp.
He is survived by his wife MaryAnn; son Richard (Patti); daughter Belinda Klein (Russell); brother David (Julie) Culp; sister Donna Craft; stepson Michael Weesner; seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews.
James retired after 28 years with State of Michigan Corrections. He served in the Army during the Korean War.
He has lived in Zephyrhills, Fla., for the last 15 winters.
He will be sadly missed by many friends and relatives. A memorial will be held in the spring.
Location, ST | website.com


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Survival With Severe Hypernatremia
Goldszer RC, Coodley EL.
Arch Intern Med. 1979;139(8):936-937.
Published online August 1, 1979
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All major Christian denominations await the "Second Coming" or the "Return" of Jesus the Christ. How will he be recognized by Christians at that time? What are the criteria to be fulfilled? Surely, any claimant cannot be believed to be Jesus.
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Scripturally speaking, Jesus isn't going to return quietly. Several passages refer to what is going to happen when he returns.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17:
Matthew 16:17 echoes this (emphasis mine):
1 Thessalonians 1:7-8 also speaks of what will happen when Christ returns:
Also, Matthew 24:31:
In 1 Corinthians 15:52, when Christ returns, the dead will be raised:
I don't believe it'll be a matter of us believing it's him or not. In other words, when Christ returns, I think it'll be one of those things where, for the lack of a better phrase, "you'll just know." His return will be accompanied by angels, dead people coming to life, the sound of a loud trumpet, and he will be coming in on the clouds in glorified form.
In other words, Christ's return will be a big deal. You won't have to wonder.
I had a couple of questions in the comments. The first one was concerning whether Christ's second return was going to be a secret event as it is portrayed in the movies. I'm assuming this is referring to, mainly, the popular Left Behind series. The Left Behind series portrays the end times from a dispensationalist, pre-trib rapture, millennial perspective. My understanding of the end times is amillennial. Therefore, I do not believe in a "rapture" that will take the Christians off of the earth, leaving the non-Christians on the earth for seven years to sort it all out. Though I was raised in that tradition, I found it to be overly complicated, and too recent of a development (John Darby, 1800s) for comfort.
The amillennialist viewpoint would make for a terrible movie. In a nutshell, it can be summed up by the following: One day, Jesus is going to come back, punish those who rejected him, reward those who are his, and establish his kingdom. The viewpoint also approaches revelation from a completely different perspective, which, unfortunately, typically requires a significant amount of deprogramming from the dispensational millennial viewpoint, if the student is coming from that perspective, and that level of detail would be outside the scope of this answer. I'd recommend More Than Conquerors by William Hendrickson. For an excellent audio resource, I'd recommend Randy Pope's "The Rest of the Story" series, available on podcast.
As for why we should look for the man with the sword, Revelation 19:11-16 details a glorified view of Jesus with a sword coming out of his mouth. Whether that is literal or not, we can't be sure, but what we can be sure of, is that when Christ comes, he will look like no man we've ever seen, and it will drive everyone to their knees, some in terror because they've rejected Christ, and some in joy because they know they are his.
Jesus clearly distinguishes Himself from all the false christs in Matthew 24:
Jesus tells us not to believe people who say they are the Christ, for His coming will be so dramatically jaw-dropping that there has been no such grand entrance ever recorded in history, and cannot be mistaken for any other event:
So the sun and moon will go dark, leaving only one light left, and it will be as noticeable as lightning striking across the sky: that will be the Lord Jesus Himself coming in the clouds.
Where will He come, exactly? Acts 1:11 tells us of (presumably) angels telling the disciples, while they watched the ascension of Jesus into heaven, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Where and how He arose is where and how He'll return:
The Lord arose from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:12) and will descend upon it again in His return, as it clearly says in Zechariah 14 above.
Any other christ is a false christ. There will be no mistaking His return as men did the first time around. There will be no pretending and posturing as in the first time.
I am a Bible Literalist who believes in a pretribulational rapture and is a dispensational millialist. The rapture is when the Lord will descend from heaven and the dead will be raised and then all believers, living and revived, will go up into heaven alive then a 7 year tribulation period will begin followed by the millennial reign of Christ. Those who remain will have the option to meet Jesus and be born again. However as the other answer points out not everyone believes Jesus return for the saints will be in such form. That's fine; it isn't essential for salvation.
These are the individual verse and how we interpret them:
In 1 Corinthians 15 the word says that we will not all die but we will be changed and become immortal. This transfiguration processes is similar to what Jesus experienced before his passion and glorification and ascension. This pattern is repeated several places in the Old Testament Elijah, Enoch and Moses all had similar experiences. It also says that those which are dead will be raised the implication is and also ascended as Christ and the dead who were raised at His death. It is unknown if those saints ascended with the Lord after the 40 days of Christ before Pentecost.
1st Thessalonians 4 continues the explanation of the occurrence of the rapture stating that that after the resurrection and changing of the saints the heavenly family will move to the air and forever be with the Lord in Heaven or as a part of his millennial kingdom on the earth which follows the tribulation.
Revelation 3 is used to show a pre-tribulation rapture. The hour of temptation which comes upon the world is considered to be the 3.5 years of tribulation and 3.5 years of great tribulation. Its important to not that some people interpret the word world and earth here to refer to the region of the middle east and Europe inhabited by ancient Rome and not the entire planet by some.
Mathew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 18 are conflicted. Some believe this refers to the the second advent rather than the second coming of the Lord. The second advent is the post tribulation return of the Lord when he begins the millennial reign. Some teacher like Gloria Copeland believe that they will be altered to the return of the Lord and the rapture in advance. Others believe that the ascension of the Church will be very similar to the 40 days of Christ on the Earth. The church will operate in the full gifts of the Holy Spirit then ascend. That said most believe that the rapture will come quickly and secretively and they point to Mathew 24, Luke 18 and Mark 13 which both say watch you do not know.
A version of the rapture and tribulation period has been dramatised in the book/movie series Left Behind. While it is two men's interpretation it does somewhat accurately describe the happenings of revelation from views like mine.
So in summary to answer your question if ever a massive amount of Christian suddenly go missing you did not believe or do it right or you would have gone with them.
Jesus Christ said to his disciples that the Sign of Son of Man will appear in the sky (Matthew 24:30). Jesus Christ said that the son of Man will come in clouds with great power and glory (Mark 13:26). Jesus Christ said that the Son of Man will come with all the angels with him (Matthew 25:31).
Jesus said that the destruction of Jerusalem and his second coming will happen in the generation of his disciples (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) - "This generation shall not pass until all these things happened."
A Generation is 40 years in Bible. Here are some examples.
Numbers 32:13 (ESV) - And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.
Deuteronomy 1:34-36 (ESV) - And the Lord heard your words and was angered, and he swore, 'Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!"
Psalms 95:10 (ESV) - For forty years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways."
Hebrews 3:9-10 (ESV) - Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways."
The Israelites wandered 40 years in the wilderness (Ex. 16:35; Deut. 2:7), in which time an entire generation died out (Num. 14:33; 32:13).
Acts 13:36 (ESV) - For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption.
In 2 Samuel 5:4 (ESV)- "David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years."
We also know that Jerusalem was destroyed within the generation Jesus taught (AD 30-70). So all of the prophecies were fulfilled in that generation.
Right before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, People in Judea saw the chariots and soldiers in their armor running about among the clouds.
This incident in the sky was recorded by Josephus and Tacitus who lived during that period. This was also later recorded by Church Historian Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History, Latin Document Pseudo Hegesippus, and Jewish History Document called "Sepher Yosippon."
Here are the informations.
Josephus (Jewish Wars)
Jewish War 6:289 (18.104.22.1689) Thus there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet, that continued a whole year.
Jewish War 6:290 (184.108.40.2060) Thus also, before the Jews' rebellion, and before those commotions which preceded the war, when the people were come in great crowds to the feast of unleavened bread, on the eighth day of the month Xanthicus [Nisan], and at the ninth hour of the night, so great a light shone round the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright day time; which light lasted for half an hour.
Jewish War 6:291 (126.96.36.1991) This light seemed to be a good sign to the unskillful, but was so interpreted by the sacred scribes, as to portend those events that followed immediately upon it.
Jewish War 6:296 (18.104.22.1686) So these publicly declared, that this signal foreshowed the desolation that was coming upon them. Besides these, a few days after that feast, on the twenty-first day of the month Artemisius [Jyar],
Jewish War 6:297 (18.104.22.1687) a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it,
Jewish War 6:298 (184.108.40.2068) and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sunsetting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen
Jewish War 6:299 (18.104.22.1689) running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities. Moreover at that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner [court of the] temple, as their custom was, to perform their sacred ministrations, they said that, in the first place, they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise, Jewish War 6:300 (220.127.116.110) and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, "Let us remove hence."
Tacitus, Histories, Book 5
"Prodigies had occurred, which this nation, prone to superstition, but hating all religious rites, did not deem it lawful to expiate by offering and sacrifice. There had been seen hosts joining battle in the skies, the fiery gleam of arms, the temple illuminated by a sudden radiance from the clouds. The doors of the inner shrine were suddenly thrown open, and a voice of more than mortal tone was heard to cry that the Gods were departing. At the same instant there was a mighty stir as of departure. Some few put a fearful meaning on these events, but in most there was a firm persuasion, that in the ancient records of their priests was contained a prediction of how at this very time the East was to grow powerful, and rulers, coming from Judaea, were to acquire universal empire."
Eusebius Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chapter 8, Section 4-6
And the eastern gate of the inner temple, which was of bronze and very massive, and which at evening was closed with difficulty by twenty men, and rested upon iron-bound beams, and had bars sunk deep in the ground, was seen at the sixth hour of the night to open of itself. And not many days after the feast, on the twenty-first of the month Artemisium, (97) a certain marvelous vision was seen which passes belief. The prodigy might seem fabulous were it not related by those who saw it, and were not the calamities which followed deserving of such signs. For before the setting of the sun, chariots and armed troops were seen throughout the whole region in mid-air, wheeling through the clouds and encircling the cities.
And at the feast which is called Pentecost, when the priests entered the temple at night, as was their custom, to perform the services, they said that at first they perceived a movement and a noise, and afterward a voice as of a great multitude, saying, 'Let us go hence.'
Pseudo-Hegesippus, Chapter 44. (Translated from the Latin by Wade Blocker. This excerpt taken from the Latin edited by Vincente Ussani):
Also after many days a certain figure appeared of tremendous size, which many saw, just as the books of the Jews have disclosed, and before the setting of the sun there were suddenly seen in the clouds chariots and armed battle arrays, by which cities of all Judaea and its territories were invaded. Moreover in the celebration itself of the Pentecost the priests entering the interior of the temple at night time, that they might celebrate the usual sacrifices, assered themselves at first to have a felt a certain movement and a sound given forth, afterwards even to have heard shouted in a sudden voice "we cross over from here."
Sepher Yosippon" is a 10th century historical Jewish document written in Hebrew that mentions about the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Sefer Josippon also mentions about the vision of soldiers and chariots in the sky which we read in Josephus' Jewish Wars, Tacitus's Histories, Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, and Latin Document "Pseudo Hegesippus."
Sepher Yosippon (A Medieval History of Ancient Israel) translated from the Hebrew by Steven B. Bowman. Excerpts from Chapter 87 "Burning of the Temple"
"Moreover, in those days were seen chariots of fire and horsemen, a great force flying across the sky near to the ground coming against Jerusalem and all the land of Judah, all of them horses of fire and riders of fire. When the holiday of Shavu'oth came in those days, during the night the priests heard within the Temple something like the sound of men going and the sound of men marching in a multitude going into the Temple, and a terrible and mighty voice was heard speaking: "Let's go and leave this House."
People usually ask what does chariots and soldiers in the sky have to do with sign of Son of Man and the Bible.
Here are some examples.
Jeremiah 4:13 (KJV) – "Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled."
Isaiah 66:15 (KJV) – "For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire."
2 Kings 2:11 (KJV) - And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
2 Kings 6:17 (KJV) - And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Zachariah 6:1-6 (KJV) - "And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country."
There are other verses in the Bible that involve God and his chariots.
This vision in the sky and the fall of Jerusalem (which includes the destruction of temple) happened between 30 AD - 70 AD (40 years).
Revelation 1:3 (NIV) - "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."
We read that the time is near.
Revelation 1:7 (NIV) - "Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen.
We read that every eye will see him even those who pierced him.
Take a notice "He is coming with the clouds" in Revelation 1:7 and read Jeremiah 4:13 (Mentioned above).
The generation of Jews during the time of Jesus was an extremely evil generation. We see Jesus calling them "wicked (or sinful) and adulterous generation." (Matthew 12:39, Matthew 16:4, Mark 8:38, etc.). We also see Jesus calling people in that generation that their father is devil (John 8:44) due to their evil nature. We also see Both Jesus Christ and John the Baptist calling them "offspring of vipers" (Matthew 23, Luke 3).
Jewish Priest Josephus agrees with Jesus on the wickedness of that generation.
"I shall therefore speak my mind here at once briefly: — that neither did any other city suffer such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness than this was, from the beginning of the world." (Jewish Wars V, 10:5).
In Jewish Wars Book Six, Chapter 9, Paragraph 3, we read that 1.1 million people died and 97,000 people were taken as prisoners.
For more information, check this link under Preterism - http://en.metapedia.org/wiki/Second_coming_of_jesus
protected by Caleb♦ Apr 14 '14 at 17:36
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If you're visiting Smith College, there are plenty of nearby accommodations. Although we make no specific recommendations, all those listed below are within an easy drive of the campus. The first two are within walking distance.
This listing of Northampton-area hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfasts does not imply an endorsement by Smith College of any of these lodgings. Some hotels on this list might not be handicap accessible or might have limited accessibility. For information on handicap accessibility, visitors are advised to contact the hotel directly.
Autumn Inn, Northampton, 413-584-7660
Hotel Northampton, Northampton, 413-584-3100
Quality Inn and Suites, Northampton, 413-586-1500
Fairfield Inn and Suites, Northampton, 413-587-9800
Hampshire Hills Bed and Breakfast Association
Five College Area Bed and Breakfast Association
Comfort Inn, Hadley, 413-584-9816
D. Hotel & Suites, Holyoke 413-533-2100
EconoLodge, Hadley, 413-582-7077
Hampton Inn, Hadley, 413-586-4851
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Hadley, 413-582-0002
Howard Johnson Inn, Hadley, 413-586-0114
Knights Inn, Hadley, 413-585-1552
Marriott Courtyard Hotel, Hadley, 413-256-5454
Hotel UMass (UMass Amherst), 413-549-6000
Holyoke Hotel & Conference Center, Holyoke, 413-534-3311
University Lodge, Amherst, 413-256-8111
Whately Inn, Whately, 413-665-3044
Candlewood Suites, West Springfield, 413-739-1122
Clarion Hotel, West Springfield, 413-781-8750
Comfort Inn & Suites, West Springfield, 413-736-5000
Days Inn, Chicopee, 413-739-7311
Days Inn, Greenfield, 413-774-5578
Deerfield Inn, Deerfield, 413-774-5587
EconoLodge, Westfield, 413-568-2821
Granby Motel, Granby, 413-467-9256
Hampton Inn & Suites, Greenfield, 413-773-0057
Hampton Inn, West Springfield, 413-732-1300
Holiday Inn Express, Ludlow, 413-589-9300
Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Westfield, 413-564-6900
Homewood Suites by Hilton, Holyoke, 413-532-3100
Quality Inn, Chicopee, 413-592-6171
Quality Inn, West Springfield, 413-739-7261
Red Roof Inn, South Deerfield, 413-665-7161
Residence Inn by Marriott, West Springfield, 413-732-9543
Roadway Inn, Greenfield, 413-774-2211
Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel, Springfield, 413-781-1010
Springfield Marriott, Springfield, 413-781-7111
Willits-Hallowell Conference Center, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, 413-538-2217
There are at least three dozen eateries within walking distance of the Smith campus. Downtown restaurants offer traditional and regional American food, natural vegetarian meals and cuisine from Italy, Greece, Mexico, China and India.


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I would like for Selenium to navigate a menu via arrow keys--Starting with clicking the top menu item then pressing "DOWN", "DOWN", ...
The problem is that you have to always supply a specific element to send the "DOWN" to.
Is there any way to get the current element?
I tried:
but it said that the expression was unrecognized or didn't return a proper object.
I expect I'm jsut missing some stupid trick.