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Progress Lighting P5250-20 Antique Bronze Ashmore Single Light Path Light
Offer Ends
Technical Specs
|Specification Sheet
|Installation Sheet
|Installation Guide
|Bulb Base
|Bulb Included
|Bulb Shape
|Bulb Type
|Dark Sky
|Energy Star
|Light Direction
|Ambient Lighting
|Location Rating
|Wet Location
|Aluminum, Brass
|Motion Sensor
|Number of Bulbs
|Path Light Type
|Product Weight
|Shade Type
|Seedy Glass
|UL Listed
|UL Rating
|Wet Location
|Watts Per Bulb
|Wire Length
This product has additional required/recommended options. To configure, add to your cart.
Transformers Required
- Removable Water-Seeded Glass panels
- Die cast aluminum construction
- Solid brass interior components
- Powder coat base finish
- Includes aluminum stem threaded for 1/2" NPS
- Detailed die cast arm
- Low-voltage 12V
- Includes 8618-31 stake
- Includes 36" of wire
- Wedge base socket
- T5 18W lamp included
- Units must be wired to an appropriate transformer of proper capacity
- Includes 8651-31R connector
- UL-CUL Wet location listed
- Number of Bulbs: 1
- Bulb Base: Wedge
- Bulb Type: Halogen
- Bulb Included: Yes
- Watts Per Bulb: 18
- Wattage: 18
- Voltage: 12
- Height: 25.5"
- Width: 6.5"
- Wire Length: 36
- UL Listed: Yes
- UL Rating: Wet Location
Additional Progress Lighting Links
- View Manufacturer Warranty
- Shop All Progress Lighting Products
- Shop All Progress Lighting Ashmore Collection Products
Our SKU: P5250
This product is listed under the following manufacturer number(s):
- Antique Bronze
- Black
- Cobblestone
*Denotes a finish or option that has been discontinued
2 Questions from the Community
The Progress Lighting P5250 does have a matching post light from the Ashmore Collection, the model number of this post light is the Progress Lighting P5450.
Does the Progress Lighting P5250 come in a Post Light?
A. The Progress Lighting P5250 does have a matching post light from the Ashmore Collection, the model number of this post light is the Progress Lighting P5450.
The Progress Lighting P5250 in a quantity of 4 would require 1 P8517 transformer.
How many transformers would I need for a quantity of 4 lights?
The Progress Lighting P5250 in a quantity of 4 would require 1 P8517 transformer.
Progress Lighting
Progress Lighting Ashmore Collection
Other Products In The Progress Lighting Ashmore Collection
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Ashmore 2 Light Flush Mount Outdoor Ceiling Fixtur...$128.25-$128.25(3)
Progress Lighting P5550
Ashmore Three Light Ambient Light Pendant$291.87-$291.87(3)
Progress Lighting P2636
Ashmore 2 Light Outdoor Medium Base Bowl Light Kit$102.51-$102.51
Progress Lighting P5450
Ashmore 3 Light Post Light with Seedy Glass Shade ...$306.63-$306.63(1)
Warranty Info
Progress Lighting
1 Year Product Warranty
When properly installed and under normal conditions of use, Progress Lighting, Inc. ("Seller") warrants its manufactured products, including their metal finishes ("Product(s)") will conform to its catalogue specifications and be free from defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the date of sale to end user, as specified in Seller's shipment documents for each Product (extended warranties may apply to Seller's fan motors and Energy Star® Products as indicated in Seller's Product manuals). Warping of wooden or plastic blades is not covered by this warranty. This warranty excludes fluorescent ballasts and high intensity discharge (HID) components, and Buyer agrees to make all claims regarding defects or deficiencies therefore according to the warranty of the manufacturer thereof as its sole source of recourse or compensation. Seller's obligations under this warranty and Buyer's sole remedy for its breach to the fullest extent permitted by law, shall be limited to the value of the cost of repair or replacement of the Product, pursuant to a written warranty claim validated in writing by Seller. IN NO EVENT SHALL SELLER BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSSES OR ACTUAL DAMAGES TO ANY CLAIMANT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, MULTIPLE, OR OTHER SUCH INDIRECT DAMAGES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF REVENUES OR PROFITS), WHETHER ARISING OUT OF OR AS A RESULT OF BREACH OF CONTRACT, WARRANTY (EXCEPT THOSE SET FORTH HERIN), TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INFRINGEMENT OR OTHERWISE. In no case does this warranty extend to anybody other than Seller's customers, and no one is authorized to extend warranties or remedies on Seller's behalf. To be valid, the warranty claim must be made: (a) in writing according to Seller's procedures existing at the time of the claim, (b) within thirty (30) days of discovery of the defect, (c) within the applicable warranty period, and (d) include the dated store receipt or invoice evidencing purchase of the Product. Warranty claims should be sent to: Progress Lighting, Inc., P.O. Box 6701, Greenville, SC 29606. Products may be returned only after a Return Authorization Number has been issued by Seller's customer service department. Any unauthorized return, repair, replacement, modification or misuse of the Products by Buyer shall void the warranty. THIS WARRANTY IS THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR SUCH PRODUCTS, AND IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER EXPRESS AND IMPLIED WARRANTIES. SELLER SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.


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Podcast: Violin Concertos of Benjamin Godard – an interview with Chloe Hanslip
- 6 May, 2008
- No Comments
British violinist Chloe Hanslip has just recorded two violin concertos by the 19th century French violinist and composer Benjamin Godard. Except for one very popular movement, these concertos have been largely unrecorded. Naxos sets that oversight right with these sensational … Read More →

subset: commoncrawl


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HILEMAN,Clarence Wilbur, 86, of Follansbee, WV, passed away October 30, 2012, in Acuity Specialty Hospital Steubenville, OH.
He was born September 1, 1926, in Morgantown, WV, to the late Virgil and Sara Yocum Hileman.
Clarence was an Army veteran, serving as a military police officer in World War II. He was a retired steelworker working in the tin mill at Weirton Steel Corp.; a preacher; and a member of the Community of Christ Church, Follansbee, WV; a member of the Brooke County Veterans Memorial foundation; and was honored as the veteran of the year.
He is survived by his wife, Velma Ross Hileman; three sons, Kevin Hileman and his wife, Susie of Wellsburg, WV, Jeff Delong and his wife, Tina of Follansbee, WV, Erik Hileman and his wife, Rachel of Follansbee, WV; three daughters, Jean Queer and her husband, Elmer of Colliers, WV; Gayle Hodson and her husband, Jim of Myrtle Beach, SC, Kim Zamora and her husband, Tom of Acton, CA; a brother, Fred Hileman of CA;, a sister, Gloria Burger of Missouri; 12 grandchildren; and 18 great-grand children.
Visitation will be Friday, November 2, 2012 from 5- 8 p.m. at Reasner Funeral Home, 1515 Charles St., Wellsburg, WV with Gene Chadwell officiating. Military Services by the Ohio Valley Veterans Memorial Squad will be held at 5 p.m. at the funeral home. Interment will be private. Online condolences can be made to Reasnerof Wellsburg.com


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I have 10.10 installed on a netbook with RT3090 hardware and the driver Ubuntu installed was of RT2800, it functions properly, but I decided to get the appropriate drivers, so I did the "make, make install" routine and restarted but the driver hasn't changed, and when I checked the "Additional Hardware" utility I see that the RT3090 driver is "activated but not in use". so my question is how to use it?
The "Additional Hardware" utility (called jockey) sometimes doesn't behave correctly, when you compiled the drivers yourself. You can just deactivate the driver and then activate it again to accomplish what you want to do. After that, restart.
What happens "under the hood":
jockey makes sure the driver is not blacklisted in
If this doesn't work, do it by hand: First figure out the name of your current driver by running
In this case the driver is ath5k. Prevent this driver from loading by adding the line
Now make sure your new driver (say ath_pci) is loaded on boot, by adding its name on a new line in the file
Discussed Already. Basically, use only 32-bit and deal with the spotty connection until the drivers are updated to be more stable.
I had the same problem until I found an Internet source suggesting the following procedure. I tried it myself on my hp dv6 64bit version of ubuntu with the same wireless network card (Ralink RT 3090), and it worked.
Run this command in a Terminal window (Ctrl+Alt+T) or Run dialog (Alt+F2):
This opens the
Add this as a new line in the file:
Then save the file and close the text editor window. Then restart your computer and hopefully that will work just as it did for me.
It now connects to Wi-Fi without any problem what so ever, and the Additional Drivers tool now correctly says that the driver is installed and in use.


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COMMIT, ACT, DEMAND: Unite to end violence against women
25 November, Phuentsholing - Initiated by the UN and in partnership with RENEW, the 2013 campaign on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (IDEVAW) was observed to highlight issues relevant to preventing and ending violence against women and girls in Phuentsholing.
Dorji Choden, Bhutan's first woman Minister with the Works and Human Settlement, in her key note statement said the Multiple Indicator Survey 2010 (Bhutan) indicates the acceptance rate of violence against women is as high as 68 percent. Further adding, "This is worrisome and calls for massive education, awareness and comprehensive support system including enabling legal environment and protection."
United Nations' Resident Coordinator, Christina Carlson emphasized that more importance needs to be placed on women's empowerment and gender equality in the face of emerging challenges, more needs to be done. She stressed, "Amongst rural women, 72 percent believe that a man is justified for beating his wife or partner for any one of these reasons- neglecting children, going out without telling him, arguing with him, refusing sex and burning food." Adding that for the first time, a dedicated outcome on gender and child protection in the UN one program 2014-18 has been approved, "This will support legal and policy frameworks to promote gender equality to prevent gender-based violence."
According to RENEW statistics about 132 clients availed themselves of the RENEW shelter service in 2013. The most common form of domestic violence reported in the country is physical abuse or battery. The level of tolerance of domestic violence in Bhutan suggests that more needs to be done for women and the girl child's state in alignment with the principles of Gross National Happiness. The increasing number, though worrying, has helped the UN and RENEW to reach out to victims, the government and development partners to find ways to protect them through various programmes and projects.
The UNFPA State of the World Report "Motherhood in Childhood" was also launched by HM The Queen Mother Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck to commemorate the event. The report highlights the challenges of teenage pregnancy around the world. Her Majesty is the President of RENEW and has been actively involved in promoting social causes, especially those concerning violence against women and children.
About RENEW:
RENEW actively promotes gender equality through every aspect of its work. RENEW team is constantly exploring and testing new ideas to find meaningful ways to nurture, support and empower women and girls especially those who are dependent, victims and survivors of domestic violence and trapped in helpless circumstances. Counseling, temporary shelter, legal assistance and need-based provision of vocational training in selected skills and micro-enterprises as a way of providing opportunities to help transform lives of many women, are some of the core services that RENEW currently has on offer to its beneficiaries.


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The Row
Alligator Backpack
Product Actions
Glazed alligator backpack with adjustable webbing straps, smooth leather drawstring, and detachable thin alligator handle at top. Goldtone signature hardware throughout. Leather lined interior with zipper pocket and two organizational pockets. Includes attached travel mirror with alligator case.
- 15.0" height x 15.5" width x 6.0" depth (approximately)
- Available in Wheat
- Made in Italy
Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen infuse their personal aesthetic into their critically acclaimed brand, The Row. Winner of the CFDA's Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2012 and 2015, and Accessories Designer of the Year in 2014, the duo produces beautifully designed clothing and handbags that exude a quiet sophistication.
Need Help? Have Questions? Contact Us.
Please call 1.888.222.7639 to speak with a Customer Service Representative.
We're here to help you:
Monday - Friday, 9 AM - 9 PM (ET)
Saturday - Sunday, 10:30 AM - 7 PM (ET)
If you prefer email, we can be reached anytime at email@example.com.
Free Shipping & Returns on all U.S. Orders. See Details.


text:
Simply touch the lever for height adjustment and added comfort. Gas-filled cylinders to cushion shocks. Steel Sea mount and a sturdy 1.77" heavy-wall, satin-finish, aluminum tubing for added stability. Threaded base. Available: 14"-18" Power Pedestal with Sea Mount 24"-30" Power Pedestal with Sea Mount 24"-30" Power Pedestal only
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Harold Koh
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
News about Harold Koh, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Highlights From the Archives
After Attacks, Supporters Rally Around Choice for Top Administration Legal Job
Remarks about Islamic law by Harold Koh, the Yale Law School dean chosen to be legal adviser to the State Department, drew conservatives' ire, but his nomination does not seem to be at risk.April 2, 2009 usNews
PUBLIC LIVES; Battling the Darkness, With the Law as His Lamp
THE world, as viewed by the newly appointed dean of Yale Law School, Harold Hongju Koh, is divided between darkness and light. And it is not just an idle metaphor.November 11, 2003 Biography
U.S., Rebuffing U.N., Maintains Stance That Rights Treaty Does Not Apply Abroad
In making its declaration, the Obama administration rejected an interpretation by the United Nations and a former top State Department lawyer.
March 14, 2014, Friday
MORE ON HAROLD KOH AND: United Nations Human Rights Committee , Kalin, Walter , United States International Relations , United States , Koh, Harold Hongju , United States Defense and Military Forces , Posner, Michael H , Obama, Barack , Treaties , United Nations , McLeod, Mary , State Department , Human Rights and Human Rights Violations
U.S. Seems Unlikely to Accept That Rights Treaty Applies to Its Actions Abroad
A panel in Geneva disagrees with the position of the United States that it has no obligations under a global rights treaty when operating abroad.
March 7, 2014, Friday
How to Generate Distrust on Drones
A former administration lawyer says secrecy makes the program seem illegal.
May 10, 2013, Friday
MORE ON HAROLD KOH AND: Koh, Harold Hongju , Targeted Killings , Drones (Pilotless Planes) , Obama, Barack , Editorials
Ex-Lawyer in State Department Criticizes Drone Secrecy
Harold H. Koh, a former legal adviser to the State Department, said the lack of transparency was unnecessary and had backfired.
May 9, 2013, Thursday
MORE ON HAROLD KOH AND: Koh, Harold Hongju , Drones (Pilotless Planes) , Targeted Killings , Johnson, Jeh C , Obama, Barack
Top State Dept. Lawyer Is Leaving
The departure of Harold Koh is part of a major overhaul of the Obama administration's national security legal policy team.
December 12, 2012, Wednesday
MORE ON HAROLD KOH AND: Koh, Harold , State Department
Behind Twists of Diplomacy in the Case of a Chinese Dissident
Days of drama preceded the agreement between the United States and China in the case of Chen Guangcheng, but the negotiations ultimately reflected a maturing relationship, officials said.
May 9, 2012, Wednesday
MORE ON HAROLD KOH AND: Chen Guangcheng , China , United States International Relations , Clinton, Hillary Rodham , Campbell, Kurt M , Koh, Harold Hongju , Locke, Gary
Libya and the Legal Adviser: A State Dept. View
A government official from the State Department responds to a recent Sunday Review piece about Harold Koh, the State Department legal adviser.
August 12, 2011, Friday
MORE ON HAROLD KOH AND: Koh, Harold , Libya , War Powers Act (1973) , Human Rights and Human Rights Violations , Middle East and North Africa Unrest (2010- ) , State Department
A Moral Flip-Flop? Defining a War
To Harold Koh's allies, his reversal on war-making is as if he had torn off his team jersey, midgame, and put on the other side's.
August 7, 2011, Sunday
MORE ON HAROLD KOH AND: Koh, Harold , State Department , War Powers Act (1973) , United States International Relations
Obama Adviser Defends Libya Policy to Senate
The legal adviser to the State Department said the administration might have been better served by consulting with Congress on Libya.
June 29, 2011, Wednesday
Legal Acrobatics, Illegal War
The legal acrobatics President Obama has used to justify war without Congressional consent set a dangerous precedent.
June 21, 2011, Tuesday
Memo on the Convention Against Torture
The State Department's former top lawyer wrote in 2013, "In my legal opinion, it is not legally available to policy makers to claim" it has no application abroad.
Memo on the Scope of States Parties' Obligations
The State Department's former top lawyer, Harold Koh, concluded in October 2010 that the "best reading" of the accord is that it does "impose certain obligations on a State Party's extraterritorial conduct."
Rss Feeds On Harold Koh
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I want to be be able to create and reply to bugs via email, what trackers allow it? and are there any limitations of it in that tracker?
closed as off topic by Eight Days of Malaise, ChrisF♦ Dec 31 '12 at 13:43
Questions on Web Applications Stack Exchange are expected to relate to web applications within the scope defined by the community. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about reopening questions here.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
I'm amazed it hasn't been mentioned yet, but FogBugz can do this.
You can e-mail bugs into the system and reply via e-mail through the system. It even has spam filtering and auto-categorization using Bayesian filters.
Request Tracker also known as RT supports emailing bugs and replying via email. It does support retrieving the email with full headers, but seems to mangle formatting in a web view. It does not allow you to reply to the original email sent, instead a reply must be sent with the ticket number in the subject line.
At work, we use a commercial product called OnTime for bug tracking. It is primarily a Windows application, but it does also have a web component.
It has the ability to receive emails directly as bugs into the database and to send an auto-acknowledgement email in response. You can also reply to the emails from within the software (including as HTML emails), and also include attachments. All email conversations done this way are associated with the bug item.
It is a bit clunky to use, but it does keep an audit trail of the communication about a bug.
At work we use OnTime, but in the past we have also used FogBugz. I found FogBugz to be easier to use.


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Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
With pumpkins being in season I have been roasting them to make and freeze pumpkin puree for use later. By the end of the day my place was pretty hot from having the the oven on so much. While I was thinking about how warm my place was I remembered seeing this recipe for a pumpkin pie milkshake on Our Best Bites that sounded like the perfect way to beet the heat and enjoy some of the freshly pureed pumpkin. With the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spices and the brown sugar, this drink is pretty much just a pumpkin pie in milkshake form. There is even a graham cracker garnish to remind you of the pies crust.
For the most part I left the original recipe as it was though, I did replace the vanilla ice cream with frozen vanilla yogurt and I garnished the milkshake with crumbled gingersnaps rather than graham crackers. This milkshake was literally as easy to make as throwing the ingredients together and blending. You can easily control the consistency of the shake by changing the amount of milk that you use. If you like a really thick shake, only use just enough milk that the ice cream or frozen yogurt will puree in the bender. If you like a thinner shake then you just need to add some more milk. The pumpkin pie milkshake was so good! It was nice and thick and the pumpkin pie flavours came through really well. It was a great seasonal treat and it was nice and refreshing after having the oven on all day long. I know that I will be enjoying a few more of these shakes while I still have some pumpkin puree on hand!
Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
- 2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon gingersnap cookies (crumbled, optional
- Blend everything other than the gingersnap cookies in a blender.
- Serve garnished with the gingersnap cookies.


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Prove that if $G$ is a finite group of odd order, then no $x\in$$G$ , other than $x=1$, is conjugate to its inverse.
This question is from Advanced Modern Algebra (exer 2.79) by Joseph J. Rotman.
The hint states that if $x$ and $x^{-1}$ are conjugate, how many elements are in $x^{G}$?
What I know so far:
- $\left\lvert x^{G}\right\rvert$ is odd (greater than 1, otherwise it's in the center) and is a divisor of |$G$|
- |Z($G$)| has a common factor (other than 1) with size of the orbit $\left\lvert x^{G}\right\rvert$ so that the center is not just the identity. This is from the class equation.
- The centralizer of $x$ has odd size and $\lvert C_{G}(x) \rvert \cdot \lvert x^{G}\rvert=\lvert G\rvert$
I don't see the implication of $x$ and its inverse being conjugate has other than their orbits having the same size and laying in the same conjugacy class.
Is the info I have useful? Any help would be appreciated.


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A little while ago my home machine got hit and I was able to clean out just about everything except this one process. I can't find the origin but it shows in my process manager as scvhost.net by the SYSTEM user. It gradually takes up more of my memory and sometimes plays what seem like random audio tracks. I can shut down the process but within a minute it will start up again. I've tried several fixes I found through google searches but nothing seems to work. Any ideas?
closed as off topic by Gilles, rook, Scott Pack, Terry Chia, Iszi Nov 5 '12 at 14:30
Questions on Information Security Stack Exchange are expected to relate to Information security within the scope defined by the community. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about reopening questions here.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
If you are able to see the process and even terminate it, it's not protecting itself too well. Even if the only way to be sure you're eradicated the virus is a clean reinstall, chances are that the infection isn't technically very advanced and may be eliminated with "reasonable" certainty.
I assume you already tried with System Restore and had no luck. If you didn't try, verify whether you can revert the system to a state preceding the infection. If you could, that would be something you might want to try (but see at bottom for a caveat).
Otherwise, start by grabbing a tool like Process Explorer and display the process tree after a clean (well, dirty...) reboot. You will be able to see the
So first you check the scvhost object.
If its parent is an "unknown" binary, not part of the Windows system, you can "suspend" both parent and child. Neither will react, since you killed neither (yet). If the parent is "services.exe" (and it's the real services.exe), then your infection has disguised itself as a service, and you need to suspend the child only.
In the service scenario, open the Services console, set it to "Do not restart if terminated", and disable the service so it doesn't run at boot. Then kill the child process (having been suspended, it shouldn't be able to notice the settings being changed and change them back), and try rebooting. See the note at bottom for a caveat first, though.
If it wasn't a service, look on the disk for the parent process (Process Explorer usually tells you where the process started from). In these setups, the parent has the only tasks of launching the child and overwatching, and trying not to attract attention. You might not find the child executable (might not even be a file on its own), but you should be able to remove the parent. Look for its name in the usual places in the Registry (or you might want to also try Autoruns).
Before doing this, verify you do have a current backup of your data files. It is conceivable that the infection might have either rendered the system unstable, or purposely booby-trapped it, and this rather brutal removal might trigger something unpleasant.
This question is probably not a good fit for this site, as it is too narrow and localized (not likely to be of relevance to others), and it doesn't provide enough information to diagnose the problem.
That said, generally speaking, the procedure is as follows:
I think you'll find this type of question more suited to superuser or similar site for tech-level work. That said, when I was more involved with malware removal, there were some basic tactics.
First, be sure of the exact OS version you're using (for example if windows xp, then home, pro, etc. or if win 7, then which home, pro, ultimate, etc.). Some older OS's are more prone to corruption and other issues. This will also help you decide which tools specifically to download to deal with that particular malware.
Second, figure out what service pack of the OS you've got versus what is the most recent version of that. Any lapse (at all) in updates, hotfixes, etc can leave your machine almost totally at the mercy of something new that isn't picked up by heuristics on an AV. In fact, updates are typically more important than AV in securing a machine and I've seen issues that kept returning after AV scans but were successfully neutralized after updates and hotfixes were installed.
Third, don't keep downloading every little app to try to fight it since those can be cleverly disguised versions of other viruses or just simply not work and leave you with spyware or other inconveniences. Similarly, be careful what you do on that machine as it could be hiding other malware that could be doing more than just playing music at inconvenient times (for example, logging your passwords, etc.).
There's entire chapters of books written about dealing with viruses and other malware, so it's somewhat beyond the scope of this post. But you can start with this.
Check for the parent process( process tree) and end it. Be sure to download applications from only trusted sites and ALWAYS have an updated Anti virus.


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- All
- Angels and Demons
- Atonement
- Basic Reformed Theology
- Irresistible Grace
- Limited Atonement
- Perseverance of the Saints
- Total Depravity
- Unconditional Election
- The Church
- Church Discipline
- Church Leadership
- Creeds and Confessions
- God
- Holiness
- Sovereignty
- Heaven and Hell
- Heresies
- The Holy Spirit
- Jesus Christ
- Cross
- Incarnation
- Resurrection
- Justification
- Last Things
- Man and Sin
- Reference
- Sacraments
- Salvation
- Faith
- Regeneration
- Scripture
- Systematic Theology
- Theological Views
- Roman Catholicism
- Music
- Apologetics
- False Teaching
- Atheism
- Book Reviews
- Children's Books
- Christian Classics
- Christianity and Culture
- Creation
- Ethics
- Fiction and Literature
- Philosophy
- Science
- Bible Figures
- Bible Interpretation
- Bibles
- Books of the Bible
- Gospels
- Covenants
- General Reference Works
- Introduction to the Bible
- Jesus' Ministry
- Life of Jesus
- New Testament
- Old Testament
- Parables
- Prophecy
- Sermon on the Mount
- Ten Commandments
- The Lord's Prayer
- Controversies in the Church
- Alcohol
- Arts
- Bible Translation
- Covenant Theology
- Creationism
- Education
- Gender-Neutral Language
- Law and Gospel
- Lordship Salvation
- New Perspective on Paul
- Politics
- Race
- Sabbath
- Spiritual Gifts
- Women in Ministry
- Marriage and Family
- Divorce
- Parenting
- Practical Theology
- Discipleship
- Evangelism and Missions
- Grief and Death
- Pastoral Ministry
- Preaching
- Worship
- Spiritual Growth
- Anxiety and Worry
- Apostasy
- Assurance
- Conscience
- Depression
- Doubt
- Fellowship
- Godliness
- Guilt
- Humility
- Joy
- Knowing God's Will
- Legalism
- Love
- Money and Stewardship
- Oaths and Vows
- Prayer
- Pride
- Repentance and Forgiveness
- Sanctification and Growth
- Service
- Spiritual Fruit
- Suffering
- Thankfulness
- Vocation
- American Church History
- Ancient Church
- Biography
- The Byzantine East
- Eighteenth Century
- Enlightenment and Modernism
- Historical Theology
- Medieval Church
- Nineteenth Century
- Puritanism
- Reformation
- Seventeenth Century
- Twentieth Century
Pleasures Forevermore
"Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be …Read More
Enlightened Self-Interest
The last Saturday in October is perhaps my favorite day of the year. The Southwest Virginia church I served for more than a dozen years has a grand celebration every year on that day. The people celebrate the grace of …Read More
It's Not About You
After a particularly difficult marriage counseling session early in my first year of ministry, I called a mentor to debrief and decompress. He patiently heard me out and then offered a convicting assessment: "It sounds as if you're more concerned …Read More
Theological Narcissism
According to Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hunter from Thespia renowned for his beauty. His enemy, Nemesis, lured the arrogant Narcissus to a pool of water where he gazed at his own reflection and became utterly infatuated with the image …Read More
Cultural Narcissism and a Titanic Lesson
In the inky darkness of April 15, 1912, the Titanic, billed as "the ship that even God could not sink," plunged into the icy waters of the North Atlantic, its hull split in two. Amazingly, the lost consisted of men …Read More
True Love
God is love, and love never fails because God never fails. Love cannot be separated from God and cannot exist without Him. God's love is the foundation and definition of love, just as He is the source, fountain, sustainer, and …Read More
A Catechism on the Heart
Sometimes people ask authors, "Which of your books is your favorite?" The first time the question is asked, the response is likely to be "I am not sure; I have never really thought about it." But forced to think about …Read More
Eyes to See
It was my habit — my sophomoric habit — to proudly argue from my ignorance that we ought always to consider last things last. That is, recognizing the great difficulty in grasping the meaning of the end times and the …Read More
Revelation-Driven Life
God wins. If I had to summarize the message of Revelation in just two words, those would be my choice. They not only convey the point of the book but also hint at its main storyline. Despite what some overly …Read More
Seven Applications of Revelation
Why did God give us the book of Revelation? If you had asked me this question when I was a young Christian, I might have said, "To help us discover when Jesus will return to earth," "To help us make …Read More


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I'd like to use Steam to play Diablo III and track achievements. WIll it use Steam, and will it be available for download through Steam?
Diablo 3 will not use Steam or Steamworks: like all Blizzard games, it will use Battle.net. And while Blizzard has stopped short of saying it's a Battle.net digital exclusive sale, the press release for the Diablo III release date states (emphasis mine):
Given that Starcraft 2, Warcraft 3, and World of Warcraft are all Battle.net digital exclusives and are not available for purchase on Steam, it's unlikely Blizzard will offer Diablo 3 there.
I guess not, because neither Starcraft 2 nor any other Blizzard game is on Steam. But you can buy it online from Blizzard's Diablo 3 Battle.net Site, which is probably the reason why it isn't on Steam: why should they pay Steam if they have their own online shop?


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Minky Monday: Take 20% off 1+ Yards of Minky fabric through 11:59 p.m. EDT July 25th.
Large, complex designs are a joy to work with! I enjoy experimenting with new techniques. I love to read. My favorite books used to be Science Fiction and Fantasy, but Biography and Poetry capture my attention now. I relish the unexpected.
Coral, Mint, Black and White
We just love coral, mint, black, and white all together in designs! This week's challenge calls for you to create a design using all four colors in this restricted palette, (visible on the blog here: http://blog.spoonflower.com/upcoming-spoonflower-contests.html), no less, no more. Previews will be shown at the fat quarter size (21" x 18"). Deadline for entry is Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015. Voting opens Thursday, March 5th.Voting has ended. See results
© 2008-2015 Spoonflower Inc


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United States Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research
1a.Objectives (from AD-416):
The long term goal of this project is the development of rapid, reliable, and sensitive diagnostic assays for the identification of zoonotic viruses that are suitable for use in point-of-care facilities, as well as in the field for use during times of natural or intentionally caused disease epidemics.
1b.Approach (from AD-416):
The feasibility of this goal will be demonstrated in the proposed research by the development of Au nanoparticle-mediated indirect and direct capture assays for arboviruses including Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) or antibodies to these viruses. The detection technology is based upon surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy, an analytical tool that is well known for its high detection specificity and sensitivity and which affords several advantages over other nucleic acid detection and immunological technologies currently in use. This includes the reduction in assay costs by affording sensitivity without current amplification technologies and easy adaptation to point-of-care use. The primary focus of the proposed studies will be the demonstration and evaluation of the relative efficacies of alternative in vitro model assays, followed by the translation of these findings to the development of an optimized assay for detecting genetic material, antigen or antibodies to arboviruses.
3.Progress Report:


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AMARILLO (October 10, 2012)—Dustin Mark Fuller, 38, of Amarillo, was free on $8,500 bond Wednesday after he was arrested and charged with impersonating a public servant and tampering with government records.
He's accused of pretending to be a fire marshal and wrongly ordering a business to close.
He's accused of impersonating a fire marshal and presenting a bogus certificate declaring a business structure unsafe.
Fire Marshal Terry McKinney said Wednesday the case involves an Aug. 22 incident at an amusement business with casino-style machines.
A worker later described the man to officers.
On Aug. 28 investigators stopped Fuller in his SUV.
The questioning led to Fuller's arrest on a narcotics possession charge.
He was later freed on bond.
The impersonation and tampering charges were filed last week.
Fuller surrendered Tuesday and was freed on $8,500 bond.
The tampering charge is a state jail felony with a penalty of as much as two years behind bars.
The impersonation charge is a third-degree felony punishable by as much as 10 years in prison.


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Entries in 'video game' (11)
Why game age ratings are more complicated than they seem
Ian Morris Editor of family gaming website Everybody Plays, discusses the challenge for parents buying games their kids can actually play...
Console and PC game revenues to decline by 12% by 2019
The growth of mobile gaming will erode the console and PC games market by 12 per cent over the next five years.
Sharknado: The Video Game is a real thing
Did you know there's going to be another Sharknado film? There is. And now there's going to be a game too.
IDC predicts Kinect-less Xbox One will overtake PS4 in North America
Microsoft will take control of the next-gen race in North America if it releases a cut price Xbox One without Kinect, analyst IDC has claimed.
VIDEO: New trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Activision has released a new teaser video for the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man 2.
If you include digital, Black Ops II has had the biggest year for a video game ever
Black Ops II's digital revenue alone for the last 12 months would place it as the year's third biggest game behind Grand Theft Auto V and Skylanders Giants.
EA confirms FIFA World Cup 2014 game
It will come as no surprise that EA is planning an officially licensed World Cup 2014 video game.
Pacman and the Ghostly Adventures set for UK debut
The latest adventures of Pacman are due to arrive in the UK next year.
Doctor Who smartphone game appears to be locked on to our space-time coordinates
The latest official Doctor Who Consumer Panel contains a few questions about a proposed Puzzle & Dragons style smartphone game.
Video game planned for Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts
Warner Bros has announced a new Harry Potter film and video game series.
JJ Abrams "emotionally hurt" by quality of last Star Trek game
Hollywood director JJ Abrams believes that the poor quality of April's Star Trek video game was detrimental to the success of movie Star Trek Into Darkness.


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As the title says^^ I think 生徒 is for elementary school, what about the other two?
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Students are 学生 for most of their educational life:
I would always pass myself off as はかせかていのメンバー (member of the doctorate course). I was never corrected on this.
The other two act as group descriptors, rather than something a student would refer itself as:
According to Japanese animated television series, Japanese spend what is called their life in school and then transform into a rigid plant-like lifeform. Hence there are a lot of other terms describing that growth phase, such as:
I think 生徒 is for elementary school>>残念ながら、本来は違うんです・・・^^;
Translated Version:
"I think 生徒 is for elementary school"--I'm sorry, but I don't think this is right.
As established by the Ministry of Education,
So strictly speaking, 高校生 and 中学生 are not 学生; and 小学生 are not 生徒.
In Japan, it is not uncommon in everyday conversations that 高校生 are called 学生, and there are many people who use 生徒 for 小学生. (But of course, 中学・高校 teachers don't say うちの学生, they say うちの生徒; and 小学 teachers don't say うちの生徒, they say うちの児童.) As for things like newspapers, we would expect the words to be correctly used.
Also, people who are under instruction, as opposed to providing instruction, are frequently called 生徒. For example, the phrase "Our calligraphy class student(s)" is more naturally realised as "うちの書道教室の生徒" than "うちの書道教室の児童".
Did you look this up in a dictionary? Even WWWJDIC has
which is quite accurate I'd say. 生徒 is pupil, not just for elementary school. If you want to be more specific about the level, there are


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Killeen (December 5, 2012) - Killeen Police are looking for a man who stole rims and tires from a local tire shop.
The theft occurred Monday, December 3rd at the Big Zaks Tire Shack located at 1112 West Jasper Rd.
According to a Killeen Police Department release a customer came into the store and asked for new tires and rims to be mounted on his vehicle.
Employees mounted Gila 22 inch rims and Delente tire on the vehicle, police said.
According to the release once the rims and tires were on the vehicle the customer got in and drove off without paying.
The suspect is described as a heavyset black male who was last seen wearing a red shirt and dark colored pants.
Police say he is approximately 5'7" tall.
His vehicle is described as a late 1990's model Ford Crown Victoria or a Mercury Marquis.
Police are asking anyone with information about crime to contact the Bell County Crime Stoppers at 526-TIPS (8477).


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I am trying to write a script python script that is supposed to run across all linux based OSes. The python script invokes executables of few existing tools(for example pathload and iperf) that I have compiled and included with the script.
For this purpose, I need to compile the executables to be run across all linux OSes and architectures. I have currently compiled it for 32bit and 64bit Ubuntu but it does not run on redhat system(dependency issues). Can someone give me a clue on what all popular OS types (debian based, redhat based, archlinux based and any others?) are present, so that I can compile the executables for them?
Also, is there any better way of achieving this task?
Let me know if I need to reword the question.


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Catholics & Party Politics
Both presidential campaigns are calling this election a choice between two starkly different visions of America. At least on that score both are right. The crucial question has to do with the role and scope of government, especially in the economy.
President Barack Obama contends that he wants to rebuild the economy "from the middle out," rather than from the top down. Like his party, the president believes that the federal government has a limited but indispensable role to play in regulating commerce and the financial industry, protecting the environment, funding education, providing health-care coverage, and maintaining a safety net for the elderly and those who cannot provide for themselves. He would raise taxes on top earners to do this.
Mitt Romney, like his party, would severely limit the role of government in the economy and opposes any expansion of the welfare state. In fact, he wants to shrink it. He thinks the economy is built from the top down, and that the so-called job creators need to be rewarded and encouraged by lowering taxes and curtailing government regulation. He argues that the private sector is better equipped to meet the needs of the poor, and the federal government should play no role in providing health care to those who are currently uninsured. In addition, of course, Romney and Obama have opposing views on abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and critical aspects of foreign policy.
Obama and Romney have chosen running mates who reflect their political philosophies. Curiously, both vice presidential candidates are also Roman Catholics, the first time this has happened in American history. Like Vice President Joe Biden, Congressman Paul Ryan is a regular churchgoer who speaks openly of the role Catholicism has played in his life and in shaping his political convictions. Both men have suffered tragedies that evidently deepened their faith—Ryan was only sixteen when his father died, and Biden's first wife and infant child were killed in a car accident. Yet despite the obvious sincerity of their Catholic faith, both men's moral and political views reflect the positions of their political parties more than those of their church. In a venerable Catholic tradition, Biden has been an advocate for the poor, the elderly, and the marginalized, and a strong defender of the role of government in cushioning the harshness of modern economic life generally. Yet he has also been a staunch defender of abortion rights, and recently a champion of same-sex marriage. Ryan is a prolife firebrand who would outlaw abortion even in cases of rape or incest, and a firm opponent of same-sex marriage. Yet his views on the morality of capitalism, influenced by the eccentric philosopher Ayn Rand and the Austrian economist Friedrich von Hayek, are very hard to reconcile with Catholic social teaching. Pursuing one's self-interest is the first principle of any just moral order, according to Rand and Hayek. Catholicism places our obligations to others foremost in any moral or social calculus.
How can these two ambitious politicians profess the same creed, one that places the poor and the disenfranchised at the center of our concerns but also defends the sanctity of every human life from the moment of conception? This is not an easy question to answer. There is a good deal of mutual incomprehension on the part of Biden's Catholic supporters and Ryan's, each side pointing to the log in the other's eye. What can explain the reasoning of a Catholic who supports abortion on demand or that of a Catholic who thinks that helping the poor undermines their moral agency and weakens their resolve to help themselves? (It goes without saying that both candidates are committed to the retaliatory use of nuclear weapons, something their church rejects completely.)
There are cynical explanations for why Biden and Ryan champion the causes they do, but cynicism is too easy. The presence of these two Catholics on the presidential tickets reminds us of how complicated political choices always are, how often politics involves unpalatable tradeoffs, and how difficult it is to translate religious conviction into law and public policy. It also reveals once again that Catholic social teaching has no natural political home in the United States. Neither party can make room for both Catholicism's communitarian social teachings and its traditional sexual morality. Ideally, then, Catholic Democrats and Catholic Republicans should serve as moral leaven in each party, and it is a great shame that neither Biden nor Ryan seem capable of contributing to that effort. The nation faces enormous challenges at home as well as the real danger of yet another war in the Middle East. Something more than posturing and paralysis is needed from Washington. Faith must help deepen our sense of shared purpose, not divide us further.
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This editorial succintly states the dilemma faced by Catholics commited to the whole body of Faith and the complete moral teachings of the Church in the political climate of today's America. Each major politcal party does need a strong Catholic voice to help guide its policies; neither seems to have that, even though, as you point out, each has a powerful political figure and practicing Catholic as their Vice Presidential candidate. What a wasted opportunity. This Catholic dilemma is the core reason why I am a political independent and have been for many years. The situation seems to force on Catholics a choice of "the least worst candidate" for President and for many other offices.
I have recently started reading COmmonweal and am shocked by the political bias. YOur use of language to describe the candidates is vitriolic and extreme. While forgiving Biden for going against church teaching and making excuses for his absurd use of his Catholicism you then act as if Paul Ryan is a horrible and decietful person. This is absurd and unfortunately representative of a bias that the Catholic laity should avoid in politics. There are many Catholics who beleive that the conservative apporach to our social problems would result in a more godly and generous world instead of empowering false gods (government) with the rights to mandate and control people. SHow me a country with a controlling government (NOrth Korea, CUba and Venezuela come to mind) in which the people are free to practice their faith or live lives that are even half what the poor of the US have. Instead they are starving and desperate populations with no religious freedom. COmmonweal is a sad sate of CAtholic affairs.
I agree with Wayne's assessment of the article. It adequately scopes out the ven diagram of how Biden and Ryan fall within the scope of Catholic belief as well as the grey areas where they diverge from one another and the areas where they diverge from catholic teaching.I also agree that it is a shame that neither Biden nor Ryan provide "moral leaven", but I would add that neither do most catholics when they enter the highly polarized arena of politics. Witness SB Gravely's comment which inflects precisely that.Humbly, I suggest that perhaps the trouble with articulating and witnessing the breadth of catholicism's "both/and" approach (i.e. both social issues and economic ones) is that the heart of the catholic view rests upon the view of the human person imbued with dignity and made in the image and likeness of God. The responsibility, outlook, and mission of such a person tends to get flattened in America to a cult of personality, self-improvement, self-fulfilment. In such a view, people and policies aren't just obstacles, but moments where we can moralize about their evils too in the attempt to be "holier than thou." In the end, prudential judgment gets flattened into "the lesser of two evils" and the cheap cyncism that accompanies evaluating that type of politics.One thing is for certain, the poor and the unborn didn't built that by themselves.
For starters, Catholicism doesn't neatly fit into any box or political party, anymore than Jesus would if he were forced to join a 2012 political party. That said, being that the Catholic Faith is the keeper (in fullness), of the immutable teachings of Jesus Christ, any serious Catholic need only look at the issues/party platforms at hand, and apply them accordingly to the party that either holds most of them or, if in both cases, when or if intrinsic evils are part of their platforms, vote with the side upholding the "lesser of the intrinsic evils."
A true Catholic is always, "Catholic First."
So, let's consider the issues at hand, starting with Catholic communitarian social teachings. In a perfect world, where we all loved and served God, the "one size fits all" could actually work. "Let's just throw it all into one pot and use as needed, according to our needs." Outside of Catholic monastic monasteries (where that is the case), any bets how long that would last in America? One need look no further than a busy afternoon at a Costco when the free food samples are flowing. Rest assured, despite those who line up and wait their turn for a small sample, among them will always be the ones who barge in and grab as much as two hands can hold.
What does work, and in accordance with Catholic Social Teaching, is subsidiarity and solidarity, together, both the hallmark of Paul Ryan's plan, which by the way, is also approved by his Bishop. Farther Barron of Word of Fire has also weighed in, with a short and excellent video explaining not only the "First Things vs Commonweal debate", but even more so, the correct teaching of the Catholic Church.
It also needs to be pointed out that Ryan is not and never was an Objectivist. One can easily agree with Ayn Rand's philosophy on free markets or Austrian Economics while totally disagreeing with a selfish Godless personal philosophy. In addition, who teaches the dignity and necessity of work more than the Catholic Church? How any Catholic can justify the recently imperialistic "executive order "work no longer necessary for welfare" is beyond logical thinking and the best interests of the least among us.
The reality is, we are drowning in debt of which the bulk will be passed on to our children. Yes, we all need health care, but not a plan mired in taxes, hidden regulations, and government calling the shots. Part of the Republican platform is not just a repeal of the ACA, but a "redo" of it, in a more affordable and higher quality way for all. We should all want that.
As for the always hot button issues of abortion and same sex marriage, it's not necessary to debate the differences between Ryan and Biden. Life, and marriage between a man and women, is the heart of the gospels. Abortion and gay 'marriage' are clearly against the teachings of the Catholic Church, no exceptions, ever, even in those rare cases of rape and incest. That said, it's easy to understand why the rape and incest inclusions are beyond radical to our American Culture.
Let's take the worst case scenario: brutal rape of a 13 year old resulting in pregnancy. Would even the "best" Catholic allow his or her daughter to endure such a pregnancy, even if the baby were going to be put up for adoption? I suspect only the ones who believe in something our culture can't and probably will never grasp; true martyrdom. Yes, it's a heavy cross indeed, but is it heavier than the one Christ or His mother carried? Perhaps this real life story of a nun, Sister Lucy Vertursac, raped in Serbia in 1995 will help at least a few understand how a real Catholic discerns a gut wrenching decision; a profound example of Christian Martyrdom. This letter was published in an Italian Newspaper.
"I am Lucy, one of the young nuns raped by the Serbian soldiers. I am writing to you, Mother, after what happened to my sisters Tatiana, Sandria, and me. Allow me not to go into the details of the act. There are some experiences in life so atrocious that you cannot tell them to anyone but God, in whose service I had consecrated my life nearly a year ago. My drama is not so much the humiliation that I suffered as a woman, not the incurable offense committed against my vocation as a religious, but the difficulty of having to incorporate into my faith an event that certainly forms part of the mysterious will of Him whom I have always considered my Divine Spouse. Only a few days before, I had read "Dialogues of Carmelites" and spontaneously I asked our Lord to grant me the grace of joining the ranks of those who died a martyr of Him. God took me at my word, but in such a horrid way! Now I find myself lost in the anguish of internal darkness. He has destroyed the plans of my life, which I considered definitive and uplifting for me, and He has set me all of a sudden in this design of His that I feel incapable of grasping. When I was a teenager, I wrote in my Diary: Nothing is mine, I belong to no one, and no one belongs to me. Someone, instead grabbed me one night, a night I wish never to remember, tore me off from myself, and tried to make me his own . . . It was already daytime when I awoke and my first thought was the agony of Christ in the Garden. Inside of me a terrible battle unleashed. I asked myself why God had permitted me to be rent, destroyed precisely in what had been the meaning of my life, but also I asked to what new vocation He was calling me. I strained to get up, and helped by Sister Josefina, I managed to straighten myself out. Then the sound of the bell of the Augustinian convent, which was right next to ours, reached my ears. It was time for nine o'clock matins. I made the sign of the cross and began reciting in my head the liturgical hymn. At this hour upon Golgotha's heights,/ Christ, the true Pascal Lamb,/ paid the price of our salvation. What is my suffering, Mother, and the offense I received compared to the suffering and the offense of the One for whom I had a thousand times sworn to give my life. I spoke these words slowly, very slowly: May your will be done, above all now that 1 have no where to go and that I can only be sure of one thing: You are with me. Mother, I am writing not in search of consolation, but so that you can help me give thanks to God for having associated me with the thousands of my fellow compatriots whose honor has been violated, and who are compelled to accept a maternity not wanted. My humiliation is added to theirs, and since I have nothing else to offer in expiation for the sin committed by those unnamed violators and for the reconciliation of the two embittered peoples, I accept this dishonor that I suffered and I entrust it to the mercy of God. Do not be surprised, Mother, when I ask you to share with me my "thank you" that can seem absurd. In these last months I have been crying a sea of tears for my two brothers who were assassinated by the same aggressors who go around terrorizing our towns, and I was thinking that it was not possible for me to suffer anything worse, so far from my imagination had been what was about to take place. Every day hundreds of hungering creatures used to knock at the doors of our convent, shivering from the cold, with despair in their eyes. Some weeks ago, a young boy about eighteen years old said to me: How lucky you are to have chosen a refuge where no evil can reach you. The boy carried in his hands a rosary of praises for the Prophet. Then he added: You will never know what it means to be dishonored. I pondered his words at length and convinced myself that there had been a hidden element to the sufferings of my people that had escaped me as I was almost ashamed to be so excluded. Now I am one of them, one of the many unknown women of my people, whose bodies have been devastated and hearts seared. The Lord had admitted me into his mystery of shame. What is more, for me, a religious, He has accorded me the privilege of being acquainted with evil in the depths of its diabolical force.I know that from now on the words of encouragement and consolation that I can offer from my poor heart will be all the more credible, because my story is their story, and my resignation, sustained in faith, at least a reference, if not example for their moral and emotional responses. All it takes is a sign, a little voice, a fraternal gesture to set in motion the hopes of so many undiscovered creatures. God has chosen me-may He forgive my presumption-to guide the most humble of my people towards the dawn of redemption and freedom. They can no longer doubt the sincerity of my words, because I come, as they do, from the outskirts of revilement and profanation.I remember the time when I used to attend the university at Rome in order to get my masters in Literature, an ancient Slavic woman, the professor of Literature, used to recite to me these verses from the poet Alexej Mislovic: You must not die/because you have been chosen/ to be a part of the day. That night, in which I was terrorized by the Serbs for hours and hours, I repeated to myself these verses, which I felt as balm for my soul, nearly mad with despair. And now, with everything having passed and looking back, I get the impression of having been made to swallow a terrible pill. Everything has passed, Mother, but everything begins. In your telephone call, after your words of encouragement, for which I am grateful with all my life, you posed me a very direct question: What will you do with the life that has been forced into your womb? I heard your voice tremble as you asked me the question, a question I felt needed no immediate response; not because I had not yet considered the road I would have to follow, but so as not to disturb the plans you would eventually have to unveil before me. I had already decided. I will be a mother. The child will be mine and no one else's. I know that I could entrust him to other people, but he-though I neither asked for him nor expected him-he has a right to my love as his mother. A plant should never be torn from its roots. The grain of wheat fallen in the furrow has to grow there, where the mysterious, though iniquitous sower threw it. I will fulfill my religious vocation in another way. I will ask nothing of my congregation, which has already given me everything. I am very grateful for the fraternal solidarity of the Sisters, who in these times have treated me with the utmost delicacy and kindness, especially for never having asked any uncareful questions. I will go with my child. I do not know where, but God, who broke all of a sudden my greatest joy, will indicate the path I must tread in order to do His will. I will be poor again, I will return to the old aprons and the wooden shoes that the women in the country use for working, and I will accompany my mother into the forest to collect the resin from the slits in the trees. Someone has to begin to break the chain of hatred that has always destroyed our countries. And so, I will teach my child only one thing: love. This child, born of violence, will be a witness along with me that the only greatness that gives honor to a human being is forgiveness.Through the Kingdom of Christ for the Glory of God.
Perhaps it's time for all Catholics to ask the rarely if ever asked question (s), how Catholic am I, really? Am I radical, counter cultural, willing to pick up my cross and follow Christ, regardless of its weight , shame, or life changing consequences as Christ asked of all of us? If called, would, or could, I say yes to martyrdom?
Lastly, if the most we are asked as well blessed Americans is to vote for the party most closely associated with the teachings of Christ and His Church, are we even able to do that much, or will our ideologies and comfortable lifestyles continue to blind us?
Will we as Catholics, to whom more has certainly been given, in probably the most important election of our lifetimes, be voting "Catholic or comfortable?" The "Catholic" decision is beyond obvious .
Wayne's approach seems best, putting church ahead of politics, rather than vice versa, as most of us are doing these days. In 2008 I first decided I couldn't vote Republican, then after strongly considering not voting, I decided to vote for Barack Obama. I can't see balancing the budget, caused largely by Wall Street excesses, on the backs of the present day poor. I'm not impressed with the Republican's expressed concern about tomorrow's poor, while they are all too ready to let today's poor starve (including WIC babies). So I'm where I was in 2008. I suspect I'll again go with the president, but I haven't ruled out not voting.
Romney no one is sure about. He withholds information on himself. He doesn't appear to follow the Republican platform on abortion. Instead he appears to follow the Mormon outlook: basically against it in most but not all cases, such as rape or when mother's life is at stake. They also don't hold that human life begins at conception; they say there is no scriptural evidence for this. Mormon leaders have also said some very negative things about Catholicism. What does Romney think? This would be good for our bishops to know.
Of course I meant to say something like, "I can't see solving our budget problems, caused largely by Wall Street excesses, by taking away necessities from present day poor..."
Patricia's commentary was thoughtful and, at the level of personal Catholicism, the theology seems impeccable.
What is under consideration, however, is public policy. Religious freedom involves both rights and obligations -- most particularly the rights to personal religion and personal conscience and the obligations to respect the personal religions and consciences of others.
I want to address two specific issues: abortion and health care.
It was stated that Biden supports "abortion on demand." That is an unfair characterization. What he supports is allowing others to have the religious freedom to make this decision themselves, based on their own personal religions and consciences and life situations.
Catholicism asserts that human life begins at conception. This is a religious definition, however, and not an unchallengeable scientific definition. What is the difference between life in general and human life in particular? The most obvious biological feature which defines humanity is the human brain, or, more specifically, the human cerebral cortex, which does not form until the end of the 2nd trimester and is not functional until even later than that.
Is abortion of an embryo or fetus, lacking a cerebral cortex really "baby killing?" According to a particular religious definition -- yes. According to a highly defensible scientific definition, consistent with other religious beliefs -- no. In a secular society, is it religious freedom to criminalize abortion or is it religious tyranny?
The moving example of Sister Luc Vertursac is certainly something which should and does speak directly to the Catholic conscience. But it's one thing to use that as an example to inform one's own conscience, when one is personally faced with a situation such as that. It's something else to use that example to inflict a 9 month pregnancy, carrying the offspring of a monster, on one's own 13 year old daughter (Rosemary's Baby being an apt metaphor). But it's beyond the pale to inflict that on someone else's 13 year old daughter, especially when that other family isn't even Catholic.
Again, one person's "religious freedom" is another's religious tyranny.
Unlike Ryan, Biden remembers the problems of Catholic politicians in the pre-JFK era, and Biden is informed by JFK, who arguably made it possible for there now to be a heavily Catholic US Supreme Court and two Catholic Vice Presidential candidates. Prior to JFK, the thought of Catholics in positions of great political power was frankly fightening to many Americans, who did not themselves want to be forced to follow the marching orders of the Pope.
JFK proved to Americans that a President could be privately Catholic, while not inflicting his Catholicism on the governed. JFK remains a hero to many of us, despite his private failings, and deserves credit for blazing a trail now followed by Ryan. Just as Ryan was undeniably informed by Ayn Rand, Biden was informed by JFK.
Moving on to health care, there are currently 45,000 deaths per year in the USA attributable to lack of health insurance: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19762659
Government programs to increase health insurance coverage reduce the number of these preventable deaths: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19762659
ObamaCare, if not repealed, will expand coverage to more than half of the currently uninsured. It would be greater than this, were it not for the stated intentions of some Republican governors (e.g. Rick Perry) to refuse to expand their Medicaid programs, as a result of the recent Supreme Court decision allowing states to opt out of the Medicaid expansion under ObamaCare.
Patricia notes that the Republicans have some type of secret plan to improve the health care system, as an alternative to ObamaCare. I say "secret" because the only ideas they have offered are to (1) expand the ability of insurance companies to offer health insurance across state lines and (2) institute tort/malpractice reform. Neither of these plans would do anything to expand health care coverage or lower costs.
All health insurance systems require putting together a network of providers, i.e. doctors and hospitals. An insurance company based in Nebraska might well be able to put together a viable, cost-effective provider network in Nebraska, but this doesn't help residents of California or New York or Florida, who require California provider networks, New York provider networks, and Florida provider networks. There is already a ton of competition among providers to put together the largest, best, and most affordable provider networks in each of these states. Opening the "competition" to a Nebraska insurance company wouldn't do anything at all to improve the quality or lower the costs of the respective networks.
As for malpractice/tort reform, it's already been done -- thirty years ago in California, more recently in Texas. In neither case was there demonstrably beneficial impact, with respect to cost of health care and/or use of "defensive medicine." This is because actual damages (as opposed to the punitive and pain and suffering damages, which are severely restricted under California and Texas law) are sufficiently great and the professional, reputation damage resulting from a malpractice claim are so great as to provide all the incentive a physician needs to practice just as much "defensive medicine" with malpractice reform as in its absence. This doesn't mean that malpractice reform is not a good idea, but it does mean that malpractice reform doesn't do anything substantive from the standpoint of increasing coverage of the uninsured or lowering health care costs.
Stating it another way, the secret GOP health care plan is just as former US Representative stated, to wit: "Just die" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-usmvYOPfco
45,000 preventable deaths per year. 15 times the total lost in 9/11. The response to 9/11 was to start two Asian land wars which will ultimately incur 3 trillion dollars or more in expense, when the most effective measure ever taken to prevent another 9/11 was to install locks on airplane cockpit doors. And yet providing health insurance to all Americans is unaffordable and to be condemned as a socialist government takeover.
The teachings of John XXIII have also informed Joe Biden's Catholicism:
64. The public administration must therefore give considerable care and thought to the question of social as well as economic progress, and to the development of essential services in keeping with the expansion of the productive system. Such services include road-building, transportation, communications, drinking-water, housing, medical care, ample facilities for the practice of religion, and aids to recreation. The government must also see to the provision of insurance facilities, to obviate any likelihood of a citizen's being unable to maintain a decent standard of living in the event of some misfortune, or greatly in creased family responsibilities.
- Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach CA
Link correction.
In my previous post, I asserted:
Moving on to health care, there are currently 45,000 deaths per year in the USA attributable to lack of health insurance: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19762659
Government programs to increase health insurance coverage reduce the number of these preventable deaths: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19762659
By mistake, I gave the same link twice. The correct 2nd link is as follows:
I regret the error. - Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach CA
With all due respect Larry, I responded to the topic at hand as a Catholic. Keeping on topic, this is a Catholic debate regarding the giant chasm between the historic " first two Catholic VP Candidates. I do however greatly appreicate your assesment of my "correct Catholic Theology", as in doing so, you helped make my case.
You ask, "Is abortion of an embryo or fetus, lacking a cerebral cortex really "baby killing?" Semantics are of little or no importance, as the only thing that matters is that "whatever " is being killed, it's FULLY HUMAN. Be it a one minute old embryo, a one minute old newborn, or a one hundred and one person of senitlity, the human genetics remain unchanged. Even if we were debating this at the secular level, as Americans, we belong to a country that was built upon the protection of all human life, and not at various stages.
As Catholics, it's our obligation to vote in the best interest of public policy, regardless of how our non-Catholic brothers and sisters vote. The crux of being Catholic is to be God's Light to others, not to join in with the culture and stay popular. To imply that we should vote as others in the culture would want us to, and not with a Catholic Conscience, is beyond absurd. The essence of Catholicism it to follow Christ, not the crowds! That said, only a heretic would take marching orders from anyone but Christ and His Chruch, and that includes JFK, who, by his free will, like the rest of us, was/is free to say and do as he pleases, albeit not without consequences.
I find it most interesting that you focus on 45,000 deaths per year related to people without health care, and yet make no mention of 120,000 deaths per MONTH by abortion, a third at least, or close to your 45,000 number, are sentient/pain feeling "human lives." What politicians are looking out for those lives? Certainly not the ones who started out staunchly pro life (including the Democrats), only to cave to the culture when abortion started to equate to votes and power.
My intention is not to get into a long abortion debate, but mostly to appeal to the Catholic (well-formed via the heart of the Church), conscience. Mother Teresa used to say, "Abortion always involves two victims, a dead baby and a dead conscience."
Having once had a dead conscience, I can relate. No doubt it's much of the reason I do what I can to bring those dead consciences back to life, a feat easily done by one's will, the great mercy of God, and the gift of being Catholic. As I said in my previous post, as Catholics, we were given much, and much is expected.
I also realize that above all things, faith is a gift. All Catholics don't yet have the gift of faith, so plesae don't take offense in my suggestion of how to get it: Just do it! Really, live as the church teaches, vote as the church teaches, and obedience will have personal rewards beyond your wildest dreams, one of them the gift of faith.
As Catholics, we are the only people in the world who have the gift of the mass and all seven sacraments; a supernatual treasure chest of power at which most of the world scoffs. It's ours to use or lose, but at great peril and of our own free will. Through the Eucharist/Real Presence, we have an added view of the world via the eyes of Christ, as we are truly present in one with Him. While the gifts are extraordinary, so is the responsibility, especially to protect the least among us, as all social justice, as well as peace, starts in the womb (the reason I made this response more heavy on abortion than the other social issues).
I'll let Rev. Jesse Jackson ask the last question, one that he asked in 1977 when he supported the Hyde Amendment. It just might explain what kind of a world we get when we live for government and a secular society, and not Christ.
"What happens to the mind of a person, and the moral fabric of a nation, that accepts the aborting of the life of a baby without a pang of conscience? What kind of a person and what kind of a society will we have 20 years hence if life can be taken so casually? It is that question, the question of our attitude, our value system, and our mind-set with regard to the nature and worth of life itself that is the central question confronting mankind. Failure to answer that question affirmatively may leave us with a hell right here on earth."
Hi Patricia. I was just now listening to BBC radio, which was relating the story of the young Christian girl in Pakistan, in prison for allegedly burning a Quran. Sacred scripture obviously has different meaning and importance to Muslims as to Catholics.
That's the end game of religious tyranny, which is most assuredly, to use your own example, what we will suffer as a nation, the day we demand that the 13 year old daughters of non-Catholics be forced to carry to term and deliver the progeny of rape monsters, through criminalization of her parents and doctors.
The Rev. Jackson was speaking through the prism of his own personal religious definition of personhood, and he was speaking in the context of the Hyde Amendment, as opposed to the context of Roe v. Wade. He was speaking also of aborting a "baby," which, as I noted previously, does not connote the same thing to all religious and moral people, based on both scientific and religious principles.
You casually dismiss the 45,000 fully human lives lost per year, owing to the absence of health insurance, through a numeric comparison with abortions. By your reasoning, it's OK that the former lives are lost, ostensibly, because these lives are lost in a country where Roe v Wade is the law of the land. So long as the latter is the case, the former is not a concern.
Same creed; opposing views; to reference directly the title of the editorial to which we both respond, recalling the encyclical of John XXIII.
Your statement about "cav[ing] to the culture, when abortion started to equate with votes and power," applies equally to Republicans as is does to Democrats, and it most certainly applies to the current Republican candidate for President, a strong supporter of Roe v Wade, in a prior political incarnation.
- Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach CA
[I apologize in advance for offering the following as an addendum, as opposed to incorporating it in the original reply. I wish that I could simply have edited the above comment -- alas, this is not allowed by the CW online software].
I want to address the following comment of Patricia:
"...only a heretic would take marching orders from anyone but Christ and His Chruch, and that includes JFK..."
The President (and Vice President) of the United States swear(s) to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Period. This is the reason why JFK felt compelled to reassure the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. Had JFK addressed the same group, and stated that he'd be taking his marching orders from "His Church" (capital "C"), he'd have lost the election, and deservedly so. As I noted earlier, were it not for JFK, it's doubtful that we'd have today a majority Catholic Supreme Court and Catholic Vice Presidential Candidates of two opposing political parties.
Personal morality and personal religion should be respected, but it is a slippery slope to impose one's own religious belief on others, especially in matters of personal, family, and religious freedom.
- Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach CA
Mr. Weisenthal has set forth a well reasoned and thoughtful analysis of the health care/contraception/abortion, (HCC&A) debate. It remains a core teaching of The Church that ultimately onle the individual conscience dictates one's faith and salvation. Christ never told anyone "I saved you" but said repeatedly "your faith has saved you ". The ability and resources to exercise freedom of conscience and religion in HCC&A matters is the core of the liberal Cathoilic religious /political freedom position. If the Bishop's/Conservative Rebublican position on HCC&A were to become the law of the USA, then the wealthy, (as they did before Roe) will get their contraceptives and abortions in those "European style socialist countries" such as Italy,and why not Rome? The poor in the USA would continue to suffer with no real religious/political freedom to sin. Again, I repeat, is there a camel and a needle here somewhere?
I am breaking a long time promise to myself never to reply to an online essay from this or any other publication or to reply to comments thereon. However, I do not believe that the editors essay is fair in arguing that both Vice- President Biden and Representative Ryan can be equally criticized for failing to be in step in matters with Catholic teaching - Biden on his recognition of a woman's right to choose and the rights of homosexuals to marry and Ryan's denial of the repeated calls by the Church through various encyclicals to a message of social justice in all aspects of our lives. I believe that Biden's positions on issues of personal choice in a diverse society cannot be criticized to the same extent as Ryan's stance on public policy issues which deny totally the teachings of the Gospels calling for social justice for all and instead rely on the atheistic economic priciples of Rand and Hayek .
Larry's comments recognize this distinction between issues of public policy and personal choice and are right on the mark. He recognizes that Mr. Ryan in his public policy statements most clearly articulated in his budget rejects the repeated messages of the Gospels and the the encyclicals in its willingness to cut programs to the poor, the homeless, and the jobless as well as eliminating the ACA and thus, denying millions of people affordable health care. Patricia in suppoting Ryan's stance on economic policy on the grounds of "subsidiarity" ignores that he has been roundly criticized in the USCCB's statement on April 17 finding the budget to be "unjust and wrong" . See Huffington Post 04/18/2012 " Catholic Bishops Say Ryan BudgetFails Moral Test". It has been further criticized by over ninety members of the Georgetown University facuty in a letter to Mr. Ryan pointing out that he missates the principles of "subsidiarity" as a justification for his budget. In the letter, the theologians and scholars , note that in apppealing to the " Catholic Teaching on 'subsidiarity ' as a rationale for gutting governement programs, you are profoundly misreading Church teaching. Subsidiarity is not a free pass to dismantle government programs and abandon the poor to their own devices" ..... According to Pope Benedict the XVI: 'Subsidiarity must remain closely linked to the principle of solidarity and vice versa.' ". The full letter with signatures can be found at www.huffingtonpost.com2012/04/24paul-ryan-challenged .
I beleive that Larry has it just right when he states that " Religious freedom involves both rights and obligations-most particularly the rights to personal religion and personal conscience and the obligations to respect the personal religions and consciences of others.... Personal morality and religion should be respected but it is a slippery slope to impose one's reluigious belief on others especially in matters of personal, family and religious freedom." Vice-President Biden recognizes that as a public servant governing a country of diverse religious beliefs and where Roe v. Wade is the law of the country on the issue of abortion and many states have recognized same sex marriage he needs to recognize the rights of all citizens to be governed in these matters by their conscience.
Patricia how important is the eight commandment. When you say that Obama has taken away the work componenet of welfare you should check your facts. Actually the request by the governors had to include a plan to increase employment of welfare recipients. Repeating mis-information is bearing false witness.
Don where in the teachings of the Catholic Church is this found?
It remains a core teaching of The Church that ultimately onle the individual conscience dictates one's faith and salvation
What the church does teach is that our individual conscience must be WELL FORMED from faith and prayer, guided by the Holy Spirt, guided by the authorative teachings of the church (not what the culture, feelings, or our personal opinions dictate (Catechism # 1745). References can be found in the following link.
But in fairness to you, from your post, you appear to admit to not following the Catholic Church of Rome but rather your own "liberal/political" position, whatever that is. You certainly have the right and free will do do so. My point is that it's very unfair to use it in an agrument against official Catholic Church Teachings, which is what is under discussion.
Tom you appear to be just as misguided, biased or clueless. For starters, Ryan is a devout Catholic, has denounced any "following" of Rand's atheistic philosophy, and is approved by his own Bishop, the only one to whom he is accountable. Do you really thing you will advance your agument by citing liberal professors, Huffpo, and liberal Bishops? Com' on, we aren't stupid here. I also linked the reference for Father Barron, a holy Catholic Priest in good standing, who totally agrees that Ryan is on targert with the teachings of the Catholic Church. He even gives the chruch references in his short talk; suggest you take a listen.
And Larry, I have so many disagreements with you post not sure where to start.
You may think that Kennedy was "Catholic Progress", but the reality is, JFK may well be the most responsbile person for taking God out of the Public Square, and the bogus "separation of church and state" only in play because of a 1947 anti-Catholic KKK bigot on the Supreme Court, Hugo Black. Constitutional Scholar Mark Levin explains it well (start at the 1:50 minute mark)
Had JFK not caved, it's almost a given that many Catholics would not be as liberal as they are. It wouldn't make any difference if we had Catholics on the courts or holding political office, as long as Catholics voted like Catholics, in accordance with Church Teachings. If JKL was successsful in anything, it was in leading Catholics away from their Church. This is one of the best articles ever written on the topic.
All said, one can still fully practice the faith as POTUS, without any fear of a Theocracy. Last time I checked it was we the people who elected our representatives, which is why voting matters so much, and why we, especially as Catholics, are called to such an awesome and critical responsibility. Who we elect determines who or what kind of government we get, consequently, what kind of laws get passed. Like or not, Congress is nothing more than a reflection of us. We put them there, and we can vote them out. The president is only one part of how our country is governed. What is amazing is that as 60 million strong, if American Catholics actually voted per church teachings, we could shape this country far more than any Catholic President.
Larry you also compare a Muslim law of burning a Quran against a Christian law of abortion, both with 13 year olds. You again only make a stronger case as to why Christians need to be the light in the world. Christainty is based upon Jesus Christ, the savior of world, God incarnate, Muslim Law based upon one mortal man. Who's going to protect the 13 year old in America when she burns a Quran? If we are lucky, it will be the same people who protect all human life, because all human life is sacred. I made it more than clear that very few parents who had a 13 year old daughter pregnant from a rape would not have her aborted. Again, HOW we vote determines the law of the land. Even if Roe v Wade is overturned, abortion would simply go back to the states. Short of the 2nd coming of Jesus, I think it's probably fair to say that we won't be "Christain Theoracrized" in America any time soon.
We will get the culture and the laws that reflect us, how we vote or don't vote. That still doesn't exempt Catholics from the responsibility of voting in accordance with church teachings, even more so as we see more and more examples of losing our religous freedom. What we should all fear is a secular society; a guarantee for tyranny of which we are quickly approaching.
All said, the bigger war is not who wins the elections, or even how many babies are aborted, or how many hours we worked the soup kitchens. Anyone who has read the bible knows how it ends, we win!
Jesus taught that life was more important than anything, and to render to Ceasars what is Ceasars, and to God what is Gods. Human Life belongs to God and to God alone. It's not ours to destroy, thwart, contracept, or use for experiments. To do so, we do not only at our own peril, but at the peril of our nation, and most of all, at the risk of our eternal salvaton.
Perhaps that sounds a bit harsh, but it's true, it's what Jesus taught. Mother Teresa often taught that we don't have to be successful, just faithful. We all know which party has abortion and gay marriage as a party platform, and we know what the church teaches. To try to rationalize an intrinsic evil like abortion away with lesser social justice inequalities is to quite honestly, be deceived. We certainly all have free choice, albeit, not without consequences.
If there was every an election to "stand up and be Catholic", this would it.
I apologize for my typos (wish this software had an edit function), and my sins (Patricia Branigen).
Give me a break! Ryan is not pro-life. The only life he is interested in reverencing is pre-birth life.
Abortion may be in the party platforms, but it's not on the ballot. We don't elect Supreme Court justices, and court we now have may be heavily Catholic, but it's also politically conservative, so unlikely to reverse an earlier decision.
Other issues, like the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, SNAP -- these are all much more accessible to the political process.
Thank you to Larry Wiesenthal who said it better than I could.
I think Larry and Patricia make good points. Here are mine:
1. It was mentioned that as Catholics we should follow the Gospel of Christ, as well as all the teachings of the Catholic Church. This should be our guideline, when we go to the polls to vote for a Presidential, Vice Presidential and Congressional candidate. Unfortunately, what is missing from these suggestions is reality and the moral dilemma each Catholic faces with their social political decisions. No one issue defines a candidate, whether Presidential or Congressional. Some are pro-life, but believe that termininating a fetus, that is threatening the life of the mother with certaintly, while the fetus cannot survive under any circumstances (in or outside the mother), is morally justified (the Phoenix case). Some are pro-choice, but are against gay marriage.
Within both parties, there is no complete consensus on every issue. This reflects the Catholic populace as well. Most Catholics believe in the fundamental principles of our faith, but differ on certain moral issues (e.g., contraception, abortion under certain circumstances, gay marriage, and the right of the diovorsed and remarried to have access to the sacrament of reconciliation and Eucharistic reception under specific circumstances...even Cardinal Ratzinger offered a solution to this problem, but as pope has not).
For these reasons, Cardinal Ratzinger also wrote, one must use their practical reason and the concept of proportionalilty when makine political voting decisions.
2. All Catholics are not "infected" with the ills of the liberal secular world, like a cancer destroying our ability to function. Let's discount the grace and guidance of the Holy Spirit for those who are serious and faithful Catholics. This does not mean that a liberal secular world (e.g, the West) does not influence human behavior or that it does not distort our practical reason. Indeed, Western society has grown more promiscuous and there is a tendency to minimizes evil. However, Catholics are not losing the game of salvation. We must resist the tendency to see the world as evil to the point where the good is totally lost. God made the world and us, and called it good. I refuse to "write off" Catholics because they disagree with certain moral teachings of the Church for good and just reasons (philosophical, theological and anthropological). Those that disagree are not all invincibly ignorant, have a distorted reason or are infected with the evil of the secular world. They are not unfaithful. We are all part of the body of Christ and when most of His body disagrees with some Church teachings, then this is a time for serious reflection.
3. I applaud the decision of the French nun who was raped to carry the child to term and care for it with unconditional love. However, in a rape case, it is morally permissible to take the "morning after pill" based on a negative pregnancy test within a few days of the incident. Think about this teaching. A pregnancy test can only detect pregnancy after implantation, not before! Conception is possible and the fertilized ovum will not implant. This teaching is highly controversial and inconsistent with the negative injunction against any form of abortion (including the use of contraceptive pills that supposively act in the same way by making the lining of the uterus inhospitable to implantation). Unreasonable, contradictory or morally justifiable? You make the call.
In conclusion, we must follow Cardinal Ratzinger's suggestions when it comes to voting for politican candidates. We will never find a "perfect" candidate. The policies, as best we known them, of Obama and Romney present Catholics with a moral dilemma. We can only pray for enlightenment, educate ourselves about each candidate, and choose the candidate that we believe will do a better job in solving our economic and fiscal problems, and creating opportunities for all, in particular the poor and the middle class.
Correction. Let's "not" discount the grace and guidance of the Holy Spirit....


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There are one or two other posts on cookware, which covers those made of titanium, but this post is in regards to its interactions with the human body. I haven't been able to find any academic/peer-reviewed articles in this subject and I don't want to go with the idea that just because its very popular means it is going to be safe.
I'll start by saying that it doesn't really matter how cookware material interacts with the human body, because you aren't going to eat your cookware. What is important is how it reacts with the foods that you cook, particularly acidic foods (which is why you don't want to use cast iron to make tomato sauces).
In this regard, titanium is as close to perfect as you can get, which is why it's used in laboratories and highly corrosive industrial processes. If you'd like references, I'd start with Wikipedia and go from there.
In the article "Is that newfangled cookware safe?" no special mention is made for titanium. Titanium is not commonly found in cookware other than backpacking because it is simply terrible for any cooking tasks other than perhaps boiling water and it is expensive. Many backpackers are willing to pay the extra money for extra weight saving.
According to naturalnews titanium is the safest:
A reference article can be found here.
One pot for which I would have reservations is the grease pot. It is not made of titanium but is light, cheap and not meant for cooking. :)


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This week my eyes have been opened to just how many projects and young people are trying to be a part of the showbiz game.
Queen Bey has gone and outdone herself with her latest performance at the Grammys by gyrating against her hubby Jay-Z while wearing a thong leotard for a risqué rendition of Drunk In Love.
On the face of it, she would appear to have enjoyed revenge against the man who beat her on a dish served cool, collected and lucrative... except... this role model to millions of young impressionable girls has gone and taken Chris Brown back. What's a fan to do?
Is this the most exciting year for music, like, ever? Bowie's back, there's the Brits 2013 with its most eclectic line-up yet, and now Beyonce and Destiny's Child are reuniting. Now all we have to do is combine these three Bs and get them down to the Brits on 20 February.
Does Rihanna have a responsibility to stay angry? She didn't ask to be attacked, and she certainly hasn't encouraged the public to be outraged on her behalf. She has become an unwilling poster girl for domestic violence, an obligation thrust upon her because of her fame.
I've been up to my iBalls (sorry) in new technology this week. I decided to have a geeky update on gadgets at the Apple store and have spent the last few days trying to get the new gizmos plus my existing phones, laptops, TVs, desktops and tablets to all talk to each other.
They're a funny thing, awards shows. I guess then, that if Glastonbury is the "Beatles of festivals" as CM once quipped, then the Grammys is pretty much the toppermost of the poppermost when it comes to awards shows - and hence the funniest of funny things.
Winning Best British Single at this year's Brit awards was a win for One Direction, but an even bigger one for Twitter. There is no denying What Make...
When Whitney met Bobby in 1989, the term power couple did not exist. If it did, a portmanteau would have been coined the moment they laid eyes on each other: Bitney? Bobnee? Brouston? Ominously, none of it works.


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Galatians 5:
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
In my experience, most (if not all) Christians do (or confess they do) the acts of flesh. Some say they are imperfect, they fight with this and so. But according to these verses they don't walk by the Spirit, so they don't enjoy the fruit of self-control, they didn't crucify the flesh and therefore: they don't belong to Christ!
Is there some other valid point of view possible?


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Highlighting the distinct taste and appealing aroma of the finest coffee from all over the Indonesian Archipelago, the Miss Coffee Indonesia Pageant will be held from 6th to 20th May 2013 at the Bidakara Hotel, Jakarta.
Participating in this event are the best representatives from all the provinces of Indonesia. Those who passed the preliminary round will compete in the Grand Final which will take place in Jakarta. The winner of Miss Coffee Indonesia Pageant will represent Indonesia in the upcoming Miss Coffee International 2013 Pageant which is to take place in Yogyakarta, on October 2013.
The elected Miss Coffee Indonesia will ultimately be the Ambassador of Indonesian Coffee who will promote the distinct taste and appealing aroma of Indonesian coffee to the rest of the world.
The event is aimed to shine a brighter spotlight on Indonesian coffee and to increase their quality and quantities so Indonesia can become the main coffee producer and exporter country in the world. This will be achieved through intensification and extension programs that in the long run will help increase the country's foreign earnings, welfare of coffee farmers, and laborers in processed coffee industries.
From the exquisite Kopi Luwak, or civet coffee of Sumatra to the distinct taste of the Arabica coffee from the highlands of Toraja, the Indonesian Archipelago is blessed with some of the finest coffee beans of the world. In 1696, the Dutch brought coffee to Java through Batavia. Batavia or what is known today as Jakarta soon became the main supplier of coffee to Europe. Over the past 312 years, the words "Java" and "Sumatra" have become virtually synonymous with flavorful coffee.
Connoisseurs of specialty coffee also know the names Bali, Lintong, Toraja, Kalosi, Gayo, and Mandheling. Beyond these well known regions, coffee from new areas, such as Wamena and Moanemani in Papua are waiting to be discovered.
More Information available at: http://www.misscoffeeindonesia.com/
Photo courtesy : http://gayahidup.inilah.com/read/detai
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