text:
I have read that the fine structure constant may well not be a constant. Now, if this were to be true, what would be the effect of a higher or lower value? (and why?)
Another thing that would be changed by a varying fine structure constant would be that it would alter almost every electromagnetically mediated phenomenon. All of the spectra of atoms would change. What would also change would be the temperature at which atoms can no longer hold onto their electrons, since the strength of attraction between electrons and the nucleus would change. This would then change the redshift at which the universe becomes transparent. The end result would be that the cosmic background radiation would be coming from a different time in the universe's history than otherwise thought. This would have consequences for the values of cosmological parameters.
Once you alter phenomena in this stage of the universe's history, though, you have to be quite careful to not disrupt the current predictions for how much hydrogen, helium, and heavy elements there are in the universe (while creating nuclei depends mainly on the strong interaction, electromagnetism does have something to do with determining the final energies of the nuclei, and so can't be completely neglected--changing the fine structure constant changes these cross-sections). Current theory predicts these things with great accuracy, and changing things around, particularly particle physics parameters that govern the length of the neucleosyntheis era (which overlaps with, but is a subset of the time at which the universe is opaque) potentially make these observations not agree with theory.
We see the same spectral patterns arising from stars, galaxies, and dust clouds very far into space (which is to say very far into the past), and these features are dependent on the fine structure constant.
So, yes. At least to a first approximation.
There have been attempts (by reputable scientist) to form cosmologies to compete with the current big-bang-and-inflation scenario, and wondering about the constancy of various fundamental "constants" was one of the tools that people used in trying to form them. I don't know the exact state of any of these efforts right now, but I don't believe they have a lot of currency.
But that is not the final word...you could assume a rapid change in the very early universe that approached the current value asymptotically such that $\alpha(t) \approx \alpha(\inf)$ for all time we can examine. This allows you to have funny things happening in the very early universe. However, in the absence of some failing of the conventional picture this seems pretty speculative.
As the observational evidence gets better and better, there is increasingly little room for such speculation, but only time (and a lot of effort, of course, but by people other than me...) will tell.
Many very accurate measurements seem to imply that the fine-structure constant has been totally constant, within the error margin, since the Big Bang. And the few experiments that suggested otherwise have problems. Theoretically, it's likely that the fine-structure constant is completely constant.
However, if you imagine that the fine-structure constant changes a bit, many things become different. For example, the stability and lifetimes of the neutron and nuclei will change abruptly. The modified fine-structure constant will also influence many other "constants" that define particle physics - such as the ratios of particle masses, fine-structure constants for other forces, mixing angles, and others - but you would have to describe what (dimensionless parameters) you want to keep fixed while you're changing the fine-structure constant.
From an "anthropic" viewpoint, it is important to notice that chemistry (minus nuclear physics, the care about isotopes etc.) would remain largely unaffected. It's because the atoms exist in the non-relativistic limit, and the fine-structure constant only determines the (order-of-magnitude estimate of the) speed of electrons in the atoms. Because the fine-structure constant is much smaller than one, the electrons in atoms may be approximated by non-relativistic mechanics. That would still be true if you e.g. doubled the fine-structure constant. So the ratios of the atomic frequencies etc. would remain pretty much unchanged, even if you doubled alpha, up to small corrections and splittings of the spectral lines (which are called the fine structure for a good reason).
It is even plausible that as complicated molecules as the DNA could continue to work unaffected even if alpha were changed by many percent or dozens of percent, despite the fact that the functioning of the DNA depends on small detailed in energy differences. If the units were redefined properly, the world of biochemistry would be pretty much unchanged. However, that's because the quantum electrodynamics with electrons only depends on one dimensionful parameter only - the electron mass - and one dimensionless one - the fine-structure constant that moreover defines a different scaling for space and time in the non-relativistic limit. If you considered the behavior of high-energy physics which has many other elementary particles, a change of alpha would surely make a difference.
Best wishes Lubos
This is a purely speculative idea, but it seems to me that the fine-structure "constant" is actually a measure of the compressibility of the vacuum. In a theory of quantum gravity, the structure of the vacuum (on which quantum fields are defined) and that of the background geometry are necessarily interrelated, in the sense that the vacuum can be thought of as a condensate of quantum geometrical excitations.
If the large-scale geometry of the universe can indeed be given a description in terms of such a condensate then the material properties of the condensate would show fluctuations over long distances. One of these would be the "vacuum" compressibility or $\alpha$.
Caveat Emptor: There are a few key notions that must be elaborated on before the above argument can begin to stand on its own. These are:
The first proposition is one I firmly believe in, not least because of what what I have learned through my own research. The second is something I am hazy on at present, though I have a strong intuition that such a description exists and is even natural.
I realize, that in the absence of a clearer explanation of these two issues I am asking the reader to believe in my reasoning based more on a "gut feeling" than anything else. This might be too much to digest for some. However, if for whatever reason, you are willing to give some credit to this line of reasoning then a cosmological variation in $\alpha$ is all but inevitable.


text:
Tau battle suits are often dubbed XV88 or XV81, is there a pattern to the number? What does it mean?
Sign up
- Anybody can ask a question
- Anybody can answer
- The best answers are voted up and rise to the top
The common consensus is that the Battlesuit number is XV (indicating Battlesuit), followed by two digits, constructed based on size/mass (1-9, light to heavy) and function (1=long-range?, 2=experimental, 4=high-precision(?), 5=stealth, 6=space-faring(?), 8=heavy support), although the functional categories are less clear.
Lexicanum references Codex:Tau Empire, 4th Edition, p.35, and says:
The Warhammer 40K Wiki has more detail:
There is also the XV9 close combat suit, which has a slightly different naming scheme, and comes in two weapon flavours, the XV9-01 and XV9-04.
Additionally, the 5th edition codex mentions the XV16 and XV26. There is some speculation that the "6" may refer to a new functional designation, possibly space-faring.
Other letters represent different troop types. A detailed (exhaustive?) attempt to summarise them all can be found here.
It's a tip of the hat to real life military vehicle numbering which uses letters followed by a model number(F18, M1, ext.). The letter usually represents a type of item: T for tank, F for Fighter, X for experimental, and so on. The number is the sequence of the model. F-18 is the the 18th fighter model designation used by the US military.*
It may also be a possible reference to a few popular mecha animes. XV-88 is pretty close to RX-78 the designation of the mecha in the original Gundam series. This could be a coincidence, but the Tau do borrow some of their visual ascetic from Japanese manga and anime.
I don't think there's a literal meaning for XV other than it sounds cool and follows the pattern.
*This is after the US military reset their designations. They where getting up into the f-100s.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dudamel Conducts Stravinskys FirebirdFri, March 1, 2013 - 8:00 PMWalt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA
We are sorry, the date for this event has already passed. This event took place on 3/1/2013. Click here to view upcoming events for Dudamel Conducts Stravinskys Firebird.
Still unsure? Check out our user reviews for:
Have a question? Need help? Call us at 800.477.5285


text:
Iconnect Opening Keynote: How does Microsoft see the Cloud? The vision in a new economy
- Posted: Oct 12, 2010 at 6:05AM
- 274 views
Right click "Save as…"
Recording from I Connect in Belgium.
Steven Stokmans introduces the opening keynote called 'How does Microsoft see the Cloud? The vision in a new economy'
Oops, something didn't work.
Comments have been closed since this content was published more than 30 days ago, but if you'd like to continue the conversation, please create a new thread in our Forums, or Contact Us and let us know.


text:
3/4 sleeve crochet sweater | Lane Bryant for $14.99
14.99 sweaters - marked down from $49.50! Get this an other great deals during the BIG Fall Sale.
4 Comments add a comment
In for 2. Trust me... if you are going to buy these, better do so soon. They run out of colors and sizes quick!
Yaaaay got a teal one!
Saying 18.99 * 7 shipping
Found working coupon codes at retail me not


text:
As Lego (the old blocks not the 'new' hi-teck stuff) are now in the public domain, can I make a game where the graphics are made out of lego blocks?
Well, I can, but is it legal?
First, I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice, if you follow my advice and get sued and lose your house then it's your fault not mine.
Unfortunately, as simple as that question is, it really needs to be broken down into two questions.
1) If I get sued for copyright infringement, will I win?
Maybe! Assuming those pieces are in fact public domain now, then it seems like a rather clear victory. Now, for the sake of this entry, I'm going to assume you win, unquestionably. I don't know that for certain, but we're just going to make that assumption.
2) Will I get sued?
Unless you have a nice big legal war chest to rely on, getting sued is almost as bad as losing. You can't hope to match Lego's legal funds. It will not happen. You'll go to court, and you'll probably blow thousands of dollars just on prep work. And then, even if you win, there's no way you're getting that money back without a second court case - more money, and you're not even guaranteed to win that one.
You may want to read this story. For posterity, here's the important bits:
So, when you say "Well, I can, but is it legal?", that's really the wrong question to ask. The right question is whether or not Lego will permit you to do so, and whether you have the money to defend yourself if Lego decides they won't let you do so.
I'll let you decide, for yourself, how likely Lego is to object.
Again, not a lawyer, not legal advice, get a lawyer.
(Disclaimer: segments of this were copied from a similar reply I made to a similar question.)
This kind of questions are usually answered by lawyers after a good amount of money, and not even them will tell you for sure. To be sure you'll have to meet a judge in a courtroom, which I guess is what you're trying to avoid :)
If Lego is actually public domain you'll probably have no problems as long as you don't use the Lego trademark/logo or anything else that isn't public domain.
Be careful.
Just because the basic LEGO patent has expired, that doesn't mean that all their other intellectual property is in the public domain, nor that the laws are the same everywhere you want to market your own product. If your game represents itself as being in any way remotely related to LEGO toys, the LEGO company or trademarks, you could face trouble.
If in doubt, come up with your own slant on the construction idea, or pay for proper legal advice.


text:
How do you research to find character names? Especially when it's long ago, not European, and the culture was totally different from what the region has now. For example, how would you generate names for a story set in Ancient Egyptian era (of course I can't use Arabic names)? Would you use king or nobility names (because they are available in encyclopedias etc.) for commoners?
You need to do a lot of research if you're going to write a convincing historical novel. Part of that research ought to introduce you to common names from the period. But your question might well have been rephrased as "How do you get the details right in historical fiction?" And the answer to that as well is: research.
Authors of good historical fiction typically could write decent histories of the period their fiction covers. It would not be uncommon for them to read dozens of books on the period before producing a single word of their own.
For example, here's an excerpt from a blog entry by Linda Proud, talking about the historical novelist Mary Renault:
Here is Proud giving advice to other would-be writers of historical fiction:
And here is a link to Elizabeth Crook's Seven Rules for Writing Historical Fiction, which are well worth reading. An excerpt:
Oh, did I mention research yet?
My first thought would be to try to find any written records or any studies done of the time period in question. There are tombs with hieroglyphics. How much has been translated? Are there any common names among those records?
From there I would look for academics, librarians, museum staff, and archaeologists who study the time period and actually contact them, and ask them this question.


text:
It seems trendy to use a reflexive-like construction with love or hate plus some, like this:
You know I love me some cheese!
I hate me some cold and the temperature is dropping.
Where did this come from and why has it become popular?
It seems trendy to use a reflexive-like construction with love or hate plus some, like this:
Where did this come from and why has it become popular?
To give it a name, the construction is called the "Personal Dative" and is loosely attributed to African American Vernacular English and some other Southern white dialects. The construction, as in your example, works with a typically non-reflexive verb (popular verbs in these dialects are simple: get, find, have, use, take, love, buy, shoot, and kill, which is kilt in the past tense) and a subject pronoun. PDs in 1st person singular are most common, and PDs in 2nd person are more common than 3rd person.
1st Person:
2nd Person:
3rd Person:
There is debate over whether the PD is an indirect object, as it appears in an example like:
Or, if it is a pronoun, as it appears in this example with a true indirect object:
Other things worth noting about this dialectical usage of the PD are:
1.) There is no passive construction. "Some fish were caught (to) me."
2.) PDs cannot be split apart from the verb that marks them. "I caught some fish, me."
3.) They are always unstressed. "I CAUGHT me some fish" and not "I caught ME some fish."
4.) Deciding on the pronomial status of the PD has become more difficult with the evolution of the newly-popularized X's-ass construction. [Bear with me] "I have a 152 IQ and I love my ass some red meat." This X's ass construction apparently does not show up in 3rd person constructions and rarely in 2nd person.
Dating it is extremely difficult, as Robusto mentions, and many of the earliest references are traditional ballads and folk songs.
For a thorough discussion on the topic, check out this link.
This is probably rural- or African-American speech that parallels other constructions like get me some X and drink me some X and so on.
The usage has been around for a while. Here is an example from 1971:
(The poke chops in question are obviously pork chops, but that is more evidence that this is rural or African-American speech.)
I can't reproduce the image, but this link is titled I Hate Memes - yo i hate me some memes.
The tagline for that site is "Create and share memes instantly with our quick meme generator", so I'm putting that up as a possible "source".
Seriously, I think looking for the "original" with things like this is a bit like asking "where do jokes come from?"
Thank you for your interest in this question.
Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).
Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?


text:
7 Wonders of the Ancient World
2 of 8
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar around 600 B.C. to please his queen, Amytis of Media. They are also associated with the mythical Assyrian queen Semiramis. Archeologists surmise that the gardens were laid out atop a vaulted building, with provisions for raising water. The terraces were said to rise from 75 to 300 ft.
Provided by Infoplease—an authoritative, comprehensive reference website that offers an encyclopedia, a dictionary, an atlas, and several almanacs. Visit Infoplease.com to find more resources endorsed by teachers and librarians.


text:
San Diego Attorneys at IGA Law
About IGA Law
Each day, at IGA Law, our San Diego Attorneys apply years of experience in order to provide its clients with solutions to a wide variety of legal issues. We are among the most respected firms in Southern California and are widely respected for our professionalism, quality of our legal services and our ethical standards.
Our attorneys are known for going the extra mile for our clients and our experience and responsiveness have solidified our reputation as a leader in criminal defense, immigration law, DUI law, landlord-tenant law, personal injury law, debt relief, family law and more.
Our staff has won cases throughout Southern California; we will handle every aspect of your case and will guide you through the complexities. Our fees are reasonable and affordable and we offer aggressive representation and top-notch customer service.
Our Approach
If you are confused about the court system in Southern California, you are not alone. This is why we offer free consultations to all of our clients. Not only does this help us learn about your case, it allows us to offer concrete, custom advice tailored to your specific situation.
Protecting the rights and freedoms of our clients is the reason we come to work every day. When you work with our firm you are not just a number, we truly care about our clients and we'll provide you unrelenting and aggressive representation in every stage of your case.
San Diego Attorneys You Can Trust!
Don't gamble your future with an inexperienced attorney. You'll want to contact a law firm that has a proven track record and an unparalleled reputation. We understand that legal matters can be stressful and we will handle your case with the dignity and respect it deserves. We will never lose sight of your goals and will fight to make sure your case gets the best possible outcome.
Don't settle for second best. Call IGA Law today to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced San Diego attorneys you can trust.
Call Us Now at (619) 696-1200
for a FREE Consultation because we can help you!


text:
January 23, 1992-January 1993
Jan 05, 1992
Dia Center for the Arts will install a single large-scale work by Joseph Beuys entitled
Arena (where I would have got if I had been intelligent), 1970-72, from the permanent
collection, opening to the public on January 23,1992 at Dia Center for the Arts, 548 West 22nd
Street. Dia will close for the summer season on June 21,1992. The exhibition will continue when
Dia reopens in September 1992 and remain on view until January 1993. Hours are Thursday
through Sunday, 12 noon to 6 pm.
This vast work, which includes 100 framed aluminum and glass panels each approximately 55 x 32 inches, is among the most ambitious of Beuys' career and is in many ways autobiographical. An assembly of 264 photographs, the panels in part document Beuys' life including key "actions," concerts, sculptures, objects, and more personal events. The installation incorporates stacks of wax blocks, copper and iron plates, and an oil can-all artifacts used in Beuys' action Vitex Agnus Castus, which was performed at the time of the first installafion of Arena at Lucio A,melio's "Modem Art Agency" in Naples in 1972.
As the title indicates, this work was intended to be seen in an "arena"-like environment. The original configuration for Arena was derived from the Pantheon; its images of the past represent the relics of a struggle in the "arena" of life. This will be the first time the work has been shown in its entirety since its installation in the international exhibition "Contemporanea" held in Rome in 1973.
Joseph Beuys is widely regarded as the most important German artist of the postwar era. He was bom in 1921 in the small German town of Kleve, and was trained at the Kunstakademie Dtisseldorf where he was appointed professor in 1961. Beginning in the 1960s his work was exhibited widely in Europe and, later, elsewhere. Several comprehensive exhibitions of his art have been held since his first major retrospective at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York in 1979. Beuys died on January 21,1986 in Düsseldorf.
Major funding for this project has been received from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, Washington, D. C., with additional funding from the Dia Art Council, the major annual support group of Dia Center for the Arts. Support for the l99l-92 exhibitions program has also been provided through a generous grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts,Inc.
* * *
For additional information or materials contact:
Press Department, Dia Art Foundation, email@example.com or 212 293 5518


text:
Water agreement finalized
County takes over Smithfield's system
February 1, 2013
STEUBENVILLE — Smithfield water customers beginning Thursday will be getting their water bills through the Jefferson County Water and Sewer Department....
Glad to hear the Veteran Services Reps got a nice pay raise. 30 to 60% is a REALLY NICE raise! Most people are lucky to get 3%. By the way, why was there no mention of the new hire at the Veteran Services Commission? Seems like it would be important to mention a new employee being hired.
0 Agrees | 0 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
Showing 1 of 1 comments
Post a Comment
You must first login before you can comment.


text:
Members of the media who wish to reach students, faculty, staff, or a spokesperson of the College, please email Media Relations or call 802-440-4399.
Bennington College
Office of Communications
One College Drive
Bennington, VT 05201-6003
Faculty member Mary Lum received high praise in recent issues of Art in America and Artforum for her solo exhibition Edge Conditions, which was on display at Frederieke Taylor gallery in New York earlier this year.
The exhibition featured paintings, drawings, and collages, and included a large wall drawing that wrapped around the gallery.
"The combination turns out to be breathtaking," wrote one critic in Artforum, "full of the movement of time and space collapsing and then opening up again like an accordion."
Art in America called the exhibition "gorgeous."
"In her deceptively small, fastidious collages, Mary Lum achieves grandeur of scale through the delineation of compromised and conditional spaces."
Lum, who has had solo and group exhibitions at esteemed museums and galleries around the world, joined the Bennington faculty in 2005.
View her entire exhibition here.


text:
ACH Celebrates Heart Week, Including 2011 Milestone of 31 Heart TransplantsLITTLE ROCK, AR. (Feb. 14, 2012) - For any family, enduring weeks of uncertainty and fear as their infant awaits a heart transplant can be devastating. But the Tadlock family of Wickes, Ark. has braved this experience twice since 2008. Their daughters MaggieJo, 3, and Charliekate, 3 months, have both received new hearts from the hands of one of the nation's most experienced transplantation teams, the Heart Center at Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH).
"This world is so different from the one we lived in before Maggiejo was born," said the girls' mother, Amy Tadlock. "It's our new normal, and we wouldn't be here without the surgeons, nurses, cardiologists, techs and everyone else at ACH."
Both girls were born with spongiform cardiomyopathy, a congenital heart disease that occurs when the heart muscle doesn't solidify normally during fetal development. Maggiejo was admitted to ACH after a health crisis when she was 5 weeks old, and Charliekate was diagnosed before she was born, when her mother underwent an ultrasound 32 weeks into her pregnancy. They are the youngest of the Tadlocks' five daughters.
Charliekate's transplant in December was one of 31 such life-saving procedures that the team at ACH performed in 2011 - the most it has ever conducted in a year and setting a record among the nation's pediatric medical centers. As ACH marks National Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Week, it does so as one of the nation's busiest heart transplant centers.
The transplants were conducted by a hard-working team of dozens of physicians, nurses, techs and support staff led by ACH Chief of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery Michiaki Imamura, MD, PhD, and ACH Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgeon Takeshi Shinkawa, MD. Dr. Imamura is an associate professor and Dr. Shinkawa is an assistant professor of Surgery in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine. Each heart transplant surgery takes between six and 10 hours, and requires the specialized services of several disciplines within the hospital.
The milestone means that 31 children from across the state and region who were previously in critical condition and at imminent risk of heart failure now are at home with their families, going to school and once again playing with their friends.
"We cannot underestimate the power of transplants to give these children a completely different quality of life," said Elizabeth Frazier, MD, director of pediatric heart transplant at ACH and a professor of Pediatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine. "They certainly face a hard road ahead, but transplant completely changes their outlook."
Many of the patients who received new hearts during 2011 had previously been on bridge-to-transplant technologies like the Berlin Heart, a German ventricular assist device tailored for children. Three also had experienced heart-lung bypass, known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, while others were facing a second transplant as adolescent and teens. These technologies allow children to live longer while they await a matching heart from a donor.
While there are many factors that influence transplantation rates, ACH's location at the center of a six-state region across which organs can be donated plays a part. A donated heart can only travel for about four hours before being implanted. In addition, some contiguous states do not have medical centers that perform pediatric heart transplantation.
"We also believe that better technologies and awareness are leading to more children being diagnosed and sent us to us earlier," Frazier said. "That means they are living longer and receiving the chance to be transplanted, where they may not have in the past."
The record also shows ACH's progress from a fledgling children's heart program in 1990, when the first transplant was performed, to essentially a pediatric cardiovascular hospital within a larger hospital today.
The high number of children requiring transplant in Arkansas last year underscores the dire need for organ donation, as well.
"Each child who received a heart transplant at ACH benefitted from an incredible gift from a family they may never meet," said MJ McDaniel, RN, vice president of patient care at ACH. "Organ donation provides a powerful legacy and brings new life to the recipients."
The Tadlock family is especially grateful for the decisions made by two families to donate their children's organs.
"It must be the hardest decision anyone ever makes, but in their sorrow they gave us two priceless gifts," Amy Tadlock said. "We are grateful to donor families every moment of every day."
The Tadlocks encourage all families to discuss the importance and impact of organ donation. For more info on how you can become an organ donor in Arkansas, visit http://donatelifearkansas.org/.
Arkansas Children's Hospital is the only pediatric medical center in Arkansas and one of the largest in the United States serving children. ACH celebrates 100 years of providing care, love and hope in 2012. In those years, the campus has grown to 29 city blocks and houses 316 beds, a staff of approximately 500 physicians, 80 residents in pediatrics and pediatric specialties and more than 4,000 employees. The private, nonprofit healthcare facility boasts an internationally renowned reputation for medical breakthroughs and intensive treatments, unique surgical procedures and forward-thinking medical research - all dedicated to fulfilling our mission of enhancing, sustaining and restoring children's health and development. For more information, visit archildrens.org or
UAMS is the state's only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Related Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. Named best Little Rock metropolitan area hospital by U.S. News & World Report, it is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has more than 2,800 students and 775 medical residents. It is the state's largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children's Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS' Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or
# # #


text:
Utah Jazz Tickets
2013-14 Utah Jazz Group Tickets
The Utah Jazz offers a variety of packages to fit the needs of any group. Share the excitement of Utah Jazz basketball with your co-workers, business associates, social club member, friends, family or any other group you can put together.
For more info, call 801-355-DUNK
TicketPASS: Tickets for Partners at Special Savings
Group packages include any or all of the following:
- Private Rooms: Suite Rental, Skybox & Conference Rooms
- Catering for Pre-Game Meal
- Discounted Tickets
Tickets & Hospitality Programs
Premier Dinner Packages and Suites. Check out the Suites, and Skyboxes – they are the perfect fit for your Holiday Parties and Groups. They are also great for company parties, rewards, and entertaining your favorite clients. When you purchase a Suite or Interform Executive Club Package, you get the opportunity to sit in the best sections while enjoying some of the best basketball in the NBA.
Fan Experience Programs
Check out some options for the ultimate fan experience.
Player Fan Tunnel
Line the tunnel and high five the Utah Jazz as they enter the court. Each participant will also receive a free Utah Jazz T-shirt.
Prime Time Performance
Experience the thrill of a lifetime as your group performs in the spotlight at a home game. This is your chance to perform on the court in front of thousands of fans.
Court of Dreams
"Court of Dreams" gives your group the opportunity to perform (play basketball, dance, cheer, play music, etc.) on the EnergySolutions Arena court before a Jazz game.
Early Entry "Group Night Out"
Groups can enter the arena starting 90 minutes before tip-off to watch the players warm up from court side seats. Bring a camera to snap some photos and a Sharpie just in case you get a chance to get some player autographs.


text:
Palletizer offers flexible patterns and eliminates hand stacking
July 01, 2012 - MMH Editorial
When Producers Rice Mill was formed in 1943, it milled 143,500 barrels its first year and had assets of $125,000. Today, its annual milling rate is more than 60 million bushels and sales have topped the $500 million mark.
One of the plants contributing to the companies success is the packaging parboil rice division plant in Stuttgart, Ark., which packages raw rice into a commercial grade, consumable product to be distributed throughout the United States. Unfortunately, its hand stack line and old palletizing equipment were contributing to high labor costs and limited throughput.
So, Producers Rice implemented a new system that conveys two finished products out of the packaging room up to an elevated height to new palletizing machines. Previously each line discharged on to a common hand stacking line. Now, each product moves on a conveyor and is then automatically fed to two high-infeed palletizers (vonGal, vongal.com). The new palletizers eliminate the hand stacking line as they stack the cases before discharging them on a pallet.
By installing a new conveyor and two new palletizing machines, Producers Rice was able to increase productivity from 8,000 cases per day over a 12-hour production shift to 13,000 cases over an eight-hour shift and decrease its workforce by two people over a two-shift period.
Jeremy Herring, parboil packaging manager at the Stuttgart facility says, "I was very impressed with the easy installation and start-up of these machines. We installed the system over the weekend and both lines were running full production by mid-week with no issues."
Also impressed with the palletizers' flexibility, Herring says the pattern editing software allows them to make changes to patterns and machine functions on the fly, which cuts down on machine downtime. As a result, Herring reports, "We're at a steady 99% uptime to date."
About the Author
Lorie King Rogers, associate editor, joined Modern in 2009 after working as a freelance writer for the Casebook issue and show daily at tradeshows. A graduate of Emerson College, she has also worked as an editor on Stock Car Racing Magazine.


text:
Top 10 Home Maintenance Projects for Spring
3 of 11
Prevent Leaks
Prevent water leaks, insect invasion, hot air leaks this summer, and cold air leaks next winter by inspecting all the joints on the outside of your house – the places where different kinds of materials meet. Check your siding for any holes, loose joints, and cracked mortar, and your foundation for any fissures. Check the weather stripping on all doors and windows. Use the appropriate materials to seal any openings: caulk, foam, weather stripping, or glazing compound.


text:
At the Name of Jesus
Rod Dreher posts about a personal experience told by Tim Dalrymple. Dalrymple begins with a a friend who had just returned from a month-long Ignatian retreat.
As [my friend] described his retreat, I kept hearing a particular word a word that surprised me, a word that I had not heard or spoken so openly and frequently for years.Do you want to know what the word was? Jesus.I had stopped saying the word Jesus. 95% of the time, I only spoke of God. Or if I had to speak of him, I referred to God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity, the Logosnames that sounded intellectual and sophisticated. If I had to speak of the Son incarnate, then I spoke of Christ, or the God-man. Never Jesus Christ, and certainly never justJesus. Loving Jesus, following Jesus, seeking Jesus these were the province of fundamentalists, Bible thumpers, Jesus Freaks, crude Christians who wore WWJD bracelets and listened to Michael W. Smith and read Max Lucado instead of Jurgen Moltmann. We had even begun to subtly mock Jesus by talking of Jeebus or mocking the way certain preachers shouted Jesus! in their sermons, or by laughing at Jesus action figures and the other strange cultural artifacts emanating from Jesusland.But now, here was this friend of mine, whom I admired, and he couldnt stop talking about walking with Jesus and talking with Jesus. He spoke of Jesus telling him something, or showing him something, or holding him. It was striking only because I had not heard language like that since I had come to seminary.
The story reminded me of some words of Karl Rahner in his wonderful little book, "The Love of Jesus and the Love of Neighbor." Rahner recounts a conversation with a colleague whom he identifies as "a modern Protestant theologian." He says:
At one point I put in with, "Yes, you see, you're actually only dealing with Jesus when you throw your arms around him and realize right down to the bottom of your being that this is something you can still do today." And my theologian replied, "yes, you're right, of course -- if you don't mean it too pietistically."
Rahner responds:
I think one can and must love Jesus, in all immediacy and concreteness, with a love that transcends space and time, in virtue of the nature of love in general and by the power of the Holy Spirit of God.
This loving encounter with Jesus is possible to us today, Rahner affirms -- "on condition that we want to love him, that we have the courage to throw our arms around him."
About the Author
Rev. Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is Associate Professor of Theology Emeritus at Boston College.
37 comments
- All
- Editor Featured
Gorgeous. Thanks for a wonderful post.
That was my experience in a Jesuit retreat too.
This post reminds me that I often shudder when people I've just met introduce themselfs as Christians. When Dad was on hospice, one of his substitute nurses came in wearing a large cross necklace and announced, "My name's Dale! I'm a Christian, and I'll be your nurse today."Clearly, Dale expected us to infer he had certain virtues as a Christian nurse and to derive confidence from this information. Dad, who viewed these announcements as self-congratulatory and smug, stuck out his hand and said, "Say, I'm Tom, and I won't hold that against you. Want some coffee?"Early in my development as a Christian, I shied away from making Jesus my friend because it smacked of the "personal Lord and Savior" line that I so detest in fundiegelicals. The Jesuits' Sacred Space site is a nice one that it helps one envision Jesus as a friend in a Catholic way. I think links to the site have been posted several times over the years on the blog, but here it is:http://www.sacredspace.ie/
Personal devotion to Jesus, of course, invigorated the Church long before the Jesuits. St. Bernard devoted the fifteenth of his sermons on the Song of Songs to the name of Jesus--http://www.pathsoflove.com/bernard/songofsongs/sermon15.htmland to him is also ascribed the hymn Jesu, dulcis memoria:Jesu, dulcis memoria,dans vera cordis gaudia:sed super mel et omniaejus dulcis praesentia.Nil canitur suavius,nil auditur jucundius,nil cogitatur dulcius,quam Jesus Dei Filius.Jesu, spes paenitentibus,quam pius es petentibus!quam bonus te quaerentibus!sed quid invenientibus?Nec lingua valet dicere,nec littera exprimere:expertus potest credere,quid sit Jesum diligere.Sis, Jesu, nostrum gaudium,qui es futurum praemium:sit nostra in te gloria,per cuncta semper saecula.Amen.Jesus, the very thought of TheeWith sweetness fills the breast!Yet sweeter far Thy face to seeAnd in Thy Presence rest.No voice can sing, no heart can frame,Nor can the memory find,A sweeter sound than Jesus' Name,The Saviour of mankind.O hope of every contrite heart!O joy of all the meek!To those who fall, how kind Thou art!How good to those who seek!But what to those who find? Ah! thisNor tongue nor pen can showThe love of Jesus, what it is,None but His loved ones know.Jesus! our only hope be Thou,As Thou our prize shalt be;In Thee be all our glory now,And through eternity. Amen.
Joe,thanks for one of my favorite hymns. Here is one version of another I love:1 At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,every tongue confess him King of glory now;'tis the Father's pleasure we should call him Lord,who from the beginning was the mighty Word.2 At his voice creation sprang at once to sight:all the angel faces, all the hosts of light,thrones and dominations, stars upon their way,all the heavenly orders in their great array.3 Humbled for a season, to receive a namefrom the lips of sinners, unto whom he came;faithfully he bore it spotless to the last,brought it back victorious when from death he passed;4 bore it up triumphant with its human light,through all ranks of creatures, to the central height,to the throne of Godhead, to the Father's breast;filled it with the glory of that perfect rest.5 In your hearts enthrone him; there let him subdueall that is not holy, all that is not true.Look to him, your Savior, in temptation's hour;let his will enfold you in its light and power.6 Christians, this Lord Jesus shall return again,with his Father's glory, o'er the earth to reign;for all wreaths of empire meet upon his brow,and our hearts confess him King of glory now.Words: Caroline Maria Noel Music: King's Weston Ralph Vaughn Williams
There was a time when many/most Catholic men belonged to the Holy Name Society and went to parish meetings and sponsored parish events. (Pancake breakfasts, e.g., at my childhood parish.)http://www.holynamesociety.info/It no longer seems to be important And there was a time when the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus was frequently prayed. It, too, seems to have fallen out of favor, as new devotions have replaced it. http://www.archive.org/stream/prayerbookreligi00lasauoft#page/134/mode/2up
We were taught to sing the Jesu, dulcis in the second grade. I can still manage a few of the verses by heart.Wasn't another of Ignatius of Loyola's forerunners in the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus Saint Bernardine of Siena?
Gerelyn, Raber belongs to the Men's Club, which seems to perform the same functions as the Holy Name Society. I wonder if it used to be called the Holy Name Society, but now is just called by its generic name.Thanks for the link to the Litany.
John Page,Bernardine of Siena spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus throughout central Italy and encouraged people to place a tile with "IHS" above the doors of their houses. I have one from the town of Montalcino in Southern Tuscany. And, as you know, the mother church of the Society is Chiesa del santissimo Nome di Ges.Also important is the influence upon Ignatius of the "Vita Jesu Christi" of the 14th century Carthusian, Ludolph of Saxony. The "General Introduction" to the Paulist Press volume, "Ignatius of Loyola," sets out in some detail Ignatius' dependence upon the work of Ludolph.It quotes from Ludolph:"If you want to draw fruit from these sayings and deeds of Christ, put aside all other preoccupations; and then, with all the affection of your heart, slowly, diligiently, and with relish, make yourself present to what the Lord Jesus has said and done ... just as if you were actually there, and heard him with your own ears, and saw him with your own eyes. ... Although many of these facts are recounted as having taken place in the past, you nevertheless should meditate upon them as if they were taking place now, in the present; for from this you will surely experience great delight."
Jean,I visit Sacred Space too. I wasn't raised in any church but when I was in college my aunt, uncle, and cousins all became reborn Christians - it was almost scary. I think one of the reasons I became Catholic and not a Protestant was to distance myself from that sort of Jesus-Freak metality. Who knew I would end up back there :)
Crystal, those of us who had no church upbringing often find ourselves IN surprising places, but not necessarily feeling OF those places, no?
Yes, exactly so.
Thank you, Fr. Imbelli for starting a post on this topic. A Catholic scholar friend of mine calls Jesus "He-who-must-not-be-named" I was more than a bit stunned to realize that Bernadine was called before the Pope for potential heresy for promoting devotion to the Name of jesus. After St. Bernadine was given the chance to make his case, all concerns were dismissed but it shows that Catholic hesitancy is certainly historic. I'm so jealous that you actually found one of those IHS tiles that St. Bernadine used to facilitate devotion to the Name of Jesus in the cities of Italy, stop feuds and foster forgiveness of one's enemies. keep thinking that some enterprising Catholic should start manufacturing them again. I want one for my house! As it is, I just show a picture of one 15th century tile during a Making Disciple seminar.
"I was more than a bit stunned to realize that Bernadine was called before the Pope for potential heresy for promoting devotion to the Name of jesus."So sounds like thinking about Jesus as our friend in a personal way isn't just modern fundiephobia.Any ideas why Catholics seem to be historically hinky about Jesus as their friend? And is this changing, perhaps? In my kid's Catholic school, they wore WWJD bracelets and talked about Jesus all the time. As he goes through his "you don't have to go to Mass to be a good person" phase--at least I hope it's a phase--he still invokes Jesus and stories about Jesus quite a lot to back up his ideas about moral behavior.(Speaking of IHS, there is a lovely scene in George Eliot's "Silas Marner," where a neighbor, who helps Silas with his adopted daughter, brings him a basket of bread with IHS. The scene evokes communion and also seems to be a blessing on Silas' adoption of the little foundling.)
Beautiful post!I'm glad Fr. Komonchak brought up St. Bernard's 15th sermon on the Song of Songs. The sermon itself is a work of art, particularly the second part -- Bernard compares the name of Jesus to medicine, so that the name itself has a sacramental quality:"when I name Jesus I set before me a man who is meek and humble of heart, kind, prudent, chaste, merciful, flawlessly upright and holy in the eyes of all; and this same man is the all-powerful God whose way of life heals me, whose support is my strength. All these re-echo for me at the hearing of Jesus' name. Because he is man I strive to imitate him; because of his divine power I lean upon him. The examples of his human life I gather like medicinal herbs; with the aid of his power I blend them, and the result is a compound like no pharmacist can produce."I was also reminded of St. Ignatius of Antioch's sage advice to the Trallians:"turn a deaf ear to the talk of anyone whose language has nothing to do with Jesus Christ."
I'm in the midst of re-reading (after many years) Romano Guardini's wonderful book The Lord. It makes a wonderful antidote to the sentimentalized or enthusiastic (in the old sense of the word) picture of Jesus.
At the end of the day, after all the theologizing, one reality remains: Jesus and his love for us. Catholicism IS about having a personal relationship with Jesus. This is what blew me away when I first starting knowing active Catholics. These Catholics had fallen head-over-heels for Jesus. How is it that this aspect of our faith has been suppressed for so long? How is it that people don't generally see this when they look at Catholicism? We are more than "a bunch of rules." The mass is not "works righteousness" but an opportunity for us to grow in our relationship with Jesus whom we receive in the Word and the Eucharist. Our whole faith is centered on this personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But does the average Catholic know this? Maybe they do, but I wonder...Thank you Fr. Komonchak for recommending St. Bernard's sermons on the Song of Songs. I will definitely read them.
I'm really surprised at this thread. People around here call Him Jesus all the time. Maybe it's the influence of the Baptists. Or maybe it's an ethnic thing. I use Jesus' name all the time, including on this blog. Hmm. What do you all call His mother? I'd say "the Blessed Mother" is the favored name here.I also note that you all don't capitalize the pronouns standing for Jesus, God, the Trinity, etc.
Fariba - Why don't people see this in active Catholics? After years of listening to people talk about their lived relationship with God, we finally realized that the majority of Catholics don't have that kind of relationship with Jesus. For many active Catholics - even high level leaders - the idea of personal relationship with Jesus can come as a big surprise. Many parishes have a de facto "don't ask, don't tell" culture about talking about relationship with God. It is really hard to seriously think or ruminate on something that you've never seen other Catholic talk about explicitly or do overtly. Cause most of us aren't spiritual geniuses and we get our real formation in the faith from watching the other Catholics in our life. There's a reason why the Pew forum found that only 48% of those who retain a Catholic identity are certain you can have a relationship with God and that nearly 30% of Catholics who haven't left don't believe in a personal God anyway. It won't change until we deliberately break the "he-who-must-not-be-named silence.It seems to be extremely wide-spread around the country. There are oasis all over, to be sure, but we've worked in at least 300 different parishes and I'd never been in one where conscious discipleship was the working spiritual norm until last month. It was pretty stunning to see how different parish life can be if the majority are seriously seeking to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. (Just to give a sense of our experience so far, we've worked in 80 US dioceses all over the country and another 25 or so outside the US and listened to tens of thousands of Catholics tell us about their relationship with God and experience of being used by God.)
Now I'm totally astonished. Not want and expect a personal relationship with Jesus/God? One of the things I was taught was taught was that Christianity/Catholicism is superior to other religions (e.g., Hinduism, Bbuddhism) because our God is a personal God, one with Whom one can speak and can listen to. I was taught that Jesus is my brother, and as such I shouldn't hesitate to talk with Him even in a chatty way if we felt like it, and even express my anger at Him and our Father. I particularly remember a "day of recollection" (a one-day retreat) in high school given by an old Jesuit. One of his main points of the day was that it is in our interior life that we find the Lord Jesus Who is simultaneously our brother.
Sherry - This is incredible. Where I go to church, in Kentucky, I see more Catholics who are open about their relationship with Jesus probably because we are near the Bible belt and the Catholics are possibly influenced by the evangelical and baptists around them. This is also on a university campus. The students are very open and even have praise and worship events. Either, students tend to be like this in college and then lose it when they enter "real-world" Catholicism or the youth of our generation are trying to break the silence. I pray that the latter is the case.
"Not want and expect a personal relationship with Jesus/God?"Protestants of a certain stripe will tell you that the Catholics focus more on their relationship with the RCC, and that this is an impediment to the saving grace of Christ. Just' sayin'.
Rahner was anchored in devotion to the Sacred Heart -- its near disappearance in contemporary Catholicism is an inexplicable spiritual tragedy. Note that equivalents of it are found in German pietism (the chorales in the St Matthew Passion) and in Wesleyanism. Charles Wesley:Come, O thou Traveler unknown,Whom still I hold, but cannot see!My company before is gone,And I am left alone with Thee;With Thee all night I mean to stay,And wrestle till the break of day.I need not tell Thee who I am,My misery and sin declare;Thyself hast called me by my name,Look on Thy hands, and read it there;But who, I ask Thee, who art Thou?Tell me Thy name, and tell me now.In vain Thou strugglest to get free,I never will unloose my hold!Art Thou the Man that died for me?The secret of Thy love unfold;Wrestling, I will not let Thee go,Till I Thy name, Thy nature know.Wilt Thou not yet to me revealThy new, unutterable Name?Tell me, I still beseech Thee, tell;To know it now resolved I am;Wrestling, I will not let Thee go,Till I Thy Name, Thy nature know.Tis all in vain to hold Thy tongueOr touch the hollow of my thigh;Though every sinew be unstrung,Out of my arms Thou shalt not fly;Wrestling I will not let Thee goTill I Thy name, Thy nature know.What though my shrinking flesh complain,And murmur to contend so long?I rise superior to my pain,When I am weak, then I am strongAnd when my all of strength shall fail,I shall with the God-man prevail.My strength is gone, my nature dies,I sink beneath Thy weighty hand,Faint to revive, and fall to rise;I fall, and yet by faith I stand;I stand and will not let Thee goTill I Thy Name, Thy nature know.Yield to me now, for I am weak,But confident in self-despair;Speak to my heart, in blessings speak,Be conquered by my instant prayer;Speak, or Thou never hence shalt move,And tell me if Thy Name is Love.'Tis Love! 'tis Love! Thou diedst for me!I hear Thy whisper in my heart;The morning breaks, the shadows flee,Pure, universal love Thou art;To me, to all, Thy bowels move;Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.My prayer hath power with God; the graceUnspeakable I now receive;Through faith I see Thee face to face,I see Thee face to face, and live!In vain I have not wept and strove;Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.I know Thee, Savior, who Thou art.Jesus, the feeble sinner's friend;Nor wilt Thou with the night depart.But stay and love me to the end,Thy mercies never shall remove;Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.The Sun of righteousness on meHath rose with healing in His wings,Withered my nature's strength; from TheeMy soul its life and succor brings;My help is all laid up above;Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.Contented now upon my thighI halt, till life's short journey end;All helplessness, all weakness IOn Thee alone for strength depend;Nor have I power from Thee to move:Thy nature, and Thy name is Love.Lame as I am, I take the prey,Hell, earth, and sin, with ease o'ercome;I leap for joy, pursue my way,And as a bounding hart fly home,Through all eternity to proveThy nature and Thy Name is Love.
Jean: I've head numerous Catholics make the same observation.Farbia: You are blessed! But yes - Catholics who are minorities in the Bible belt are readily influenced by their neighbors and are typically much more comfortable with the language of personal relationship. Generally speaking, people don't talk about relationship with God in places where Catholics have been dominant for a long time. In the mid-west/plains where stoic German Catholics and duked it out with the weather, usually very uncomfortable. Also in New England, mid-Atlantic, old majority Catholic centers (Chicago, Boston) or the big urban centers on the left and right costs where post-modern hostility to all kinds of traditional western faiths reigns. We just have to remember that there isn't one Catholic culture in the US, there are hundreds of living "Catholic cultures" in this country.This was highlighted for me in November, 2010, when I visited Most Precious Blood parish in Brooklyn. I felt like I had walked onto a movie set. Here were the gestures, the accents, and the living feel of a world that I had seen depicted hundreds of times in movies and on television. Now I was encountering the real thing and, in the midst of this neighborhood, a unique and deeply rooted form of Catholic culture. One of my guides was Nancy Arkin, a life-long New Yorker who has worked in pastoral ministry in the diocese of Brooklyn for the 20 years. For the past three years, Nancy has served as Coordinator of Adult Faith Formation at Most Precious Blood, which is located in an area that has been majority Italian for generations. But the tide has turned. Like most parishes in the area, Most Precious Bloods membership had dropped nearly 80% from its height in the 60's and the majority who attend are elderly. The Italians have moved out in large numbers and their place has been taken largely by Chinese and Russian immigrants who are not Catholic. Many in the neighborhood now have no Christian background at all. Fr. Maduri, who grew up in the parish next-door, became pastor in 2009 and responded in a remarkable way. He sized up the situation quickly: either the human community had to be rebuilt or the parish would close. Since the traditional Catholic population was leaving the area, he would focus on making disciples of the unchurched and apostles of the churched. To do that, he had to introduce a core of his remaining parishioners to ideas that were totally new. As Nancy put it The whole idea of Holy Spirit that God was actively engaged in a relationship with them and calling them to live it out, that they were his instrument so that others would know the gospel was completely foreign. The people Ive met here this was completely new to them. Everyone says it is new. It was all Greek to them. I am amazed that they are so receptive and responsive.
For those of us of a certain age - and midwestern born and bred - it was made clear early on that we were Catholics. Christianity was almost an afterthought.Relationship with God? I had to join a nondenominational church in my late 20s before I had ever heard the idea presented seriously.Andrew Greeley was/is right: Catholicism is very cultural and, unfortunately, moderately about relationships with God.
I weary of Midwesterners being characterized as cold and stoic. Also, we are not all cheese-and-sausage eating Germans.
Jean - I've spent a lot of time in Nebraska and Kansas and have met ALOT of Germans there. All of which came as a surprise to me cause I had no idea there were major Catholic enclaves there. But I didn't mean to dismiss Iowans or residents of Indiana, etc. and imply they were all Germans. What I did mean is that majority of mid-western Catholics seem to be uncomfortable talking about relationship with God.
"Generally speaking, people dont talk about relationship with God in places where Catholics have been dominant for a long time." Sherry --In South Louisiana Catholicism has been dominant since the beginning (early 18th century), and we do talk about Jesus and our personal relatioships with Him, though not in the language of the fundamentalists. I have a bunch of old prayerbooks of various sorts of devotions, and I'd say they seems to put a premium on such a relationship.I'll grant you that a lot of Catholics seem to have their primary religious one-on-one relationship with Mary.
Sherry, I've lived up here in Michigan my entire life, and I don't want to belabor this, but I think it's a mistake to chalk up the failure to talk about a "relationship" with Jesus as a regional problem largely confined to the Midwest and cold climes/cold people. In my experience, adult Catholics across the board are more preoccupied with their relationship with the Church and its many regulations than with God or Jesus. I certainly felt closer to Jesus as an Anglican than as a Catholic, and I don't think you can find a colder bunch of people than spikey Episcopalians ... unless it's the Unitarians I was raised up around.Among younger people, there is a greater sense of the "personal" Jesus. So I don't see this as a regional thing, but a generational difference.
Father O'Leary:I went to a one-day retreat once about the Sacred Heart, not because I knew anything about it, but just because it was a free day in my schedule. Worst retreat I ever attended. First it was assumed that everyone knew what it was about, and there was no explanation of the rather kitsch picture on the altar. We heard fragments of stories in a historical context that everyone else perhaps knew, but not me; something about a nun painting. Then the priest who directed the retreat lamented the loss of devotions in popular culture, and said: "I used to be a missionary. Vatican II passed me by without my really paying attention to it. When I came back, after 15 years, everything had changed. The Mass was unrecognizable. : "What happened??"" - I saw people in the room nodding empathetically; the talks during the rest of the day were interspersed with short rants against Vatican II. Worst retreat I ever attended!I don't understand why people would want to pray while staring at a picture of Jesus holding how own heart in his hand. There's something really weird about that. I don't see much reason to mourn the disappearance of that devotion. There are other ways to maintain a personal relationship with Jesus, that are not accompanied by Vatican II bashing.
Jean - actually southern Michigan is one of the most remarkable oasis in the country and the home of the most remarkable parish I've encountered to date. And I mentioned lots of places in the country outside the mid-west. No argument about spikey Episcopalians :-} I would certainly agree that adult Catholics tend to be preoccupied with their relationship with the Church. (I was just talking this very issue over with the president of a graduate theological school a couple weeks ago.)In my experience so far, it can be both very regional and sometimes generational. For instance, moving here to Colorado Springs, the evangelical Vatican from uber "none" Seattle was a true stunner. Local cultures really matter.Ann - I grew up in your neck of the woods and thought about mentioning southern Louisiana but haven't worked there enough as a Catholic to say. I'm only reflecting our experience of the 80 US dioceses we've been in so far and a few others that I've just spent time in.
Sherry --Yes, we Catholics who care about the Church have been extremely concerned about it lately, but it's because the Church is an unprecedented and terrible state. Why wouldn't we be focused on it much more than usual? Still, that doesn't stop our usual practices.
Re: Catholics not talking about Jesus: in my opinion, there is a lot to the notion that Catholics have an analogical, or sacramental, imagination. We tend to operate more in imagery and metaphor (both visual and literary) rather than a torrent of words.I take the poetry blossoming in this thread as a case in point.
"... actually southern Michigan is one of the most remarkable oasis in the country and the home of the most remarkable parish Ive encountered to date."An oasis from what? Southern Michigan covers a lot of territory. South of the I-96 corridor, you've got (moving east to west) rust-belt poverty in Detroit, edu-tech affluence from Ann Arbor to Grand Rapids, and resort spots on Lake Michigan that pander to wealthy people from Chicago (except for Benton Harbor, which is still predominantly African-American and ever struggling). Moreover, Ann Arbor Catholicism has been influenced to some degree by former pizza baron Tom Monaghan's money, influence, and special devotion to the Blessed Mother.My sense is that the affluence and educational level of the Catholics in those areas probably affects those parishes more than their ethnic make-up or geographical location. Perhaps we can agree that the dynamic of any Catholic--and the degree to which parishioners feel comfortable talking about Jesus in a personal way--is a fairly complex thing. We used to sing a Christmas carol in the Unitarian Church I attended as a child called "The Friendly Beasts." I suppose that still drives my notion of Jesus as a gift to the humblest of us.But I ramble.
"I dont understand why people would want to pray while staring at a picture of Jesus holding how own heart in his hand. Theres something really weird about that. I dont see much reason to mourn the disappearance of that devotion. There are other ways to maintain a personal relationship with Jesus, that are not accompanied by Vatican II bashing."Claire, you captured the SH devotion in a state of extreme decadence. Rahner was fighting against that in his essays on the SH.The biblical roots of the devotion are in Matthew, "Come unto me...", in John, "Out of his heart will flow streams of living water..." -- in short the parts of the Gospel that offer the most intimate union with Christ. It is an inner sanctum of New Testament spirituality, later enhanced with medieval and early modern currents of devotion.
Jim: I hadn't noticed a lack of words on this blog or any lack of facility in using them on any number of topics on any number of blogs or other media outlets. Nor have I noticed any lack of verbal ability on the part of Catholics anywhere I've traveled. We are perfectly capable of talking at great length about the things we care about, think about, and hear other people talk about.Joseph - I've always been intrigued by Sacred Heart devotion but have to admit that the popular art has always been off-putting. It isn't like I know how to render the concept visually any better. But in the absence of an image that doesn't make me wince, I think I'll have to keep my devotion verbal.
I guess I'm not turned off by the sacred heart images. Our Catholic neighbors used to have a plaque of the Sacred Heart in their living room, Jesus exposing his glowing red heart with a crown of thorns and dripping two or three drops of blood. As a kid, I thought it was a kind of symbolic and rather sanitized way to remind people of the real, painful, humiliating death that Christ died. I'm not sure I'd want this hanging up all the time for constant contemplation (when the kids were punished, they were forced to sit on a stool and look at it for 30 minutes, usually after a couple of good whacks with a wooden paddle their mother kept for that purpose).But I'd be hard-pressed to find a better representation of Jesus as willing sufferer, as man and God, as conqueror of death.


text:
Melanie Warner
Recent and archived news articles by Melanie Warner of The New York Times.
A Lifelong Fight Against Trans Fats
At 99, Fred Kummerow, a pioneer of trans-fat research, is still coming to contrarian conclusions about fat and heart disease.
December 17, 2013, Tuesday
For Corn Syrup, the Sweet Talk Gets Harder
Many Americans are trying to avoid high-fructose corn syrup, and more products are being made with sugar. But corn refiners haven't given up trying to win over the public.
May 2, 2010, Sunday
Health Care Savings Could Start in the Cafeteria
A start-up company is aiming to help companies lower medical costs by offering employees healthier diets.
November 29, 2009, Sunday
Is America Ready to Quit Coal?
With regulations to address climate change looming, coal power looks increasingly expensive.
February 15, 2009, Sunday
Tobacco Makers Lose Key Ruling on Latest Suits
The decision raises the possibility that cases involving light cigarettes will become a major legal threat to the tobacco industry.
September 26, 2006, Tuesday
A Milk War Over More Than Price
As Wal-Mart rolls out its own brand of organic milk, critics worry that consumers will be getting just a diluted form of organic milk.
September 16, 2006, Saturday
Judge Weighs New Trial Against Tobacco Companies
A judge is considering if tobacco companies should be tried on whether they deceived smokers about the safety of light cigarettes.
September 14, 2006, Thursday
The War Over Salt
The nation's largest doctors' group wants the government and the food industry to reduce what it sees as a persistently high level of salt in many processed foods.
September 13, 2006, Wednesday
Kraft Foods Is Inching to a Spinoff
Kraft Foods wants to spin off from the Altria Group and be free of what many Kraft employees refer to as the "tobacco taint."
August 30, 2006, Wednesday
With Business Leading a Push, Liquor Comes to Dry Bible Belt
Businesses have spent millions on campaigns to persuade voters in six dry Southern states to legalize alcohol sales.
August 12, 2006, Saturday
Rss Feeds On Melanie Warner
Subscribe to an RSS feed on this topic. What is RSS?


text:
Oak Creek police called when prom reunion ends with ride on luggage cart
Officers responded to Mainstay Suites, 1001 W. College Ave., after the front desk clerk reported there was a woman in the parking lot who was too drunk to walk at 4:55 a.m. May 18.
According to the Oak Creek police report:
While officers were enroute to the hotel, the clerk called back and stated that a man just wheeled the woman through the lobby on a luggage cart and went into the elevator.
An officer spoke to the man, who stated the woman was too heavy to lift without assistance, so he used a luggage trolley to take her back to the room.
The man also told police he had taken the woman to senior prom in 1964 and was reuniting with her for the weekend.
Man facing charges after Franklin road rage incident
Franklin — A 47-year-old man was cited after he allegedly pulled another driver out of his car and attempted to assault him, and then broke off his rear-view mirror with a wooden club during a road-rage incident on May 23.
According to the police dispatch report:
Police responded to the 8200 block of South 51st Street after a motorist called to report that a driver assaulted him and damaged his car at about 2:50 p.m. May 23.
The caller told police he was attempting to make a right turn onto Drexel Avenue from 51st Street when a man driving a silver Chevy Silverado cut him off. The caller stated he slammed on his brakes when the Silverado cut him off, but told police he did not hit the truck.
When both vehicles were stopped, the driver of the Silverado, a 47-year-old Oak Creek man, got out of his truck, walked over to the caller and pulled him out of his car. The caller told police the enraged man tried to punch him but missed, and the caller got back into his car and locked the doors.» Read Full Article
Oak Creek police: Part of man's ear bitten off during fight at bar
Oak Creek paramedics took one man, along with a piece of his ear, to the hospital after a chunk of his ear was bitten off during a bar fight in Oak Creek on May 19.
According to the police log:
A bartender at Diane's Second Chance, 9430 S. 27th St., called 911 after one man was injured after a bar fight shortly after 2 a.m. May 19.
When police arrived they found an injured man in the parking lot who stated that he and another unknown man had a verbal altercation in the parking lot before entering the bar. Once both men were inside the bar a physical altercation ensued.
The injured man admitted to police that he punched the other man after he was pushed, and then both men began wrestling on the ground. During the altercation the man told police that the unknown man bit off a 1-inch piece of his right ear.» Read Full Article
Franklin police investigating vehicle break-ins at Wehr Nature Center
Franklin police are seeking the person responsible for breaking into a number of vehicles at Wehr Nature Center, 9701 W. College Ave., May 23.
According to police, at least $500 worth of items were stolen out of five locked vehicles at Wehr Nature Center, 9701 W. College Ave., between 5:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. May 23. Items stolen from the vehicles include purses, credit and debit cards, Bluetooth devices, cash, travel bags, an iPod and a jacket.
The suspect gained entry to each vehicle by smashing a window, causing an estimated $1,500 worth of damage to the vehicles.
While police were investigating the vehicle break-ins at the nature center, a caller reported a sixth vehicle break-in that occurred at Whitnall Park Golf Course, 6701 Whitnall Park Drive. The caller reported a cell phone stolen from a locked pickup truck. The front passenger and rear driver's side windows were smashed to gain entry.
Police are following up on a report of a possible suspect — a male with a medium build and short, dark hair — who who was seen driving a black, early 2000s Chevrolet Cavalier-style vehicle in the area at the time the incidents occurred.
Oak Creek police say drunken driver was texting when he struck and injured motorcyclist
A man was taken to Froedtert Hospital after his motorcycle was rear-ended by a drunken driver who admitted he was texting when the accident occurred shortly after midnight May 19.
According to the responding officer, the drunken driver was traveling northbound in the 6400 block of South 13th Street and slowing for the light when he rear-ended the motorcycle, causing the driver to fall off the motorcycle and strike his head on the pavement at 12:23 a.m.
During questioning, the driver told police he was texting on his cellphone when he struck the cyclist, which is why he didn't see the motorcycle before the accident occurred.
He was cited for texting while driving and for causing injury while operating while intoxicated. He was taken to Wheaton Franciscan Hospital for a blood draw, the results of which were unavailable.
Franklin woman faces charges she had sex with teen wrestler she helped coach
A Franklin woman has been charged with having sexual relations with a 16-year-old boy she met while helping her husband coach wrestling.
Colleen Lewandowski, 27, faces three counts of having intercourse with a child 16 or older, a misdemeanor.
According to the criminal complaint, the boy told police Lewandowski used to assist at wrestling practices and meets last school year, and that he saw her again at a match in February, when he was no longer on the team. She told him about her marital problems and began communicating with him on Facebook, and then texting, the boy told police.
In March, they began a sexual relationship, and the boy spent about eight nights at Lewandowski's residence; her husband had moved out and was staying with a friend, the boy said she told him.
Lewandowski admitted to police that she did pick the boy up at school or near his home on several occasions, that he spent nights at her apartment and they engaged in sexual relations. On Wednesday, her attorney filed a motion seeking to suppress her statements because police questioned her at the police station for nearly 15 minutes before announcing her Miranda rights to a lawyer.» Read Full Article
Man banned from store for stealing 49-cent 'Beavis and Butt-head' tape
A Milwaukee man is no longer welcome in a local thrift store after getting caught shoplifting a "Beavis and Butthead" VHS tape last week.
According to the Franklin police report:
The 19-year-old man was arrested for shoplifting the tape at the Salvation Army Store, 6341 S. 27th St., at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday. The tape was valued at 49 cents.
The man was cited and banned from the store because he is a suspect in previous shoplifting incidents.
Visit MyCommunityNOW's Suburban Crime Map each week for more crime reports, which are compiled by NOW reporters from more than 20 local police departments.
Are there cougars in Franklin? Police officer sees large, wild cat on bike trail
Franklin — A police officer is the latest in a list of witnesses to report seeing a large, wild cat near the Oak Leaf Bike Trail.
According to the Franklin police report:
A police officer was talking to a resident in the 6800 block of South 68th Street at 7:08 p.m. May 16. They were standing between the 68th Street entrance and the Rawson Avenue entrance to the Oak Leaf Bike Trail when they both saw a large, brown cat with a stub tail walk out from the wooded area, leap into the air over the path and walk back into the woods.
The officer and resident described the cat as being as tall as a large dog and having a light brown face, similar to a bobcat's. The cat had a nub tail and no spots.
The officer followed the cat into the woods to look for tracks, and also found and collected scat of unknown origin. The evidence was turned over to an area wildlife supervisor who is investigating the sighting.» Read Full Article
Greendale police arrest boy for graffiti damage
Greendale — Police arrested a boy on May 10 for criminal damage to property in connection with several graffiti incidents throughout the village.
According to the police report:
Greendale police received information from a potential suspect's mother who saw the graffiti at the Community Center and recognized it to be similar to graffiti tagging she had seen in her house.
Police arrested the boy for the tagging and he was released with a court date in Children's Court.
After his release, new tagging began appearing again throughout the Village. An investigation found that the same suspect was tagging again, and he was subsequently arrested. This time, he was held in custody at the Milwaukee County Children's Court Center.» Read Full Article
Judge dismisses Sikh group lawsuit filed in wake of Oak Creek temple shooting
A judge has dismissed a Sikh group's U.S. lawsuit against a Indian official who was in Wisconsin last year in the wake of the mass shooting at the Sikh temple at Oak Creek.
After months of litigation, conflicting testimony and suggestion of a government coverup, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman ruled Friday that the lawsuit was never served on the defendant, Parkash Singh Badal.
Sikhs for Justice vow to appeal, saying what Adelman terms a case mistaken identity is actually a matter of witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
Sikhs for Justice sued in Milwaukee under the federal Torture Victim Protection and Alien Tort laws, which grants jurisdiction in U.S. courts. The suit contends that Badal oversaw torture and murder of Sikhs in India, where the religious minority has been the subject of persecution by the Hindu majority.
Badal was in the Milwaukee area last summer to attend local businessman Darshan Dhaliwal's daughter's wedding .Because his region is home to thousands of Sikhs, Badal found himself thrust into the news as he met with temple shooting survivors and spoke to area reporters.» Read Full Article
Franklin elementary to reopen today after illnesses
WDJT-TV (Channel 58).Pleasant View Elementary School in Franklin reopens today after at least 50 students were sent home sick Thursday, according to
When the students and a few staff members suffered vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and fevers, the district decided to cancel classes on Friday so the building could be cleaned. District officials said if students still have symptoms Monday, they should remain at home.
Apartment expansion planned for Oak Creek
Southfield Apartments, in Oak Creek, is planning to eventually add 56 units under a proposal that was reviewed this week by the city Plan Commission.
Southfield, which is west of S. 13th St. and a few blocks north of W. Rawson Ave., would develop the units in seven separate buildings on 2.5 acres next to its current 19-acre campus, according to the proposal.
Oak Creek officer shot during Sikh temple rampage retiring
Oak Creek Police Lt. Brian Murphy, the first officer on the scene during the Aug. 5 shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, said Wednesday that he turned in paperwork to retire from the force.
His last day is expected to be June 12.
Murphy was hit with 12 bullets during the attack. He has a duty-incurred disability, ending his 22-year career on the Oak Creek force. He previously worked a year as a deputy in the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.
"I didn't heal enough for the doctors to deem me eligible to go back to work," said Murphy, 52.
Six Sikh worshippers were killed in the attack and three others were wounded. The gunman, Wade Michael Page, killed himself after he was taken down with a rifle shot by Oak Creek officer Sam Lenda.» Read Full Article
Franklin police investigating robbery at KFC
Franklin — The Police Department is investigating a robbery at KFC, 6311 S. 27th St., on Friday.
Sgt. Kevin Magno said the department received a call about the robbery just after 10 p.m. when the restaurant was closing, and officers were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Officers from Franklin, Greenfield and Oak Creek, including Oak Creek's canine unit, responded to the restaurant but were unable to find any suspects.
Officers are still gathering information on three suspects who brandished a undisclosed weapon, including pulling surveillance video, Magno said.
No one was injured during the robbery and an undisclosed amount of money was taken.» Read Full Article
Franklin honors outgoing library director
Franklin - Mayor Frank Taylor recognized the outstanding service of outgoing Franklin Library Director Barbara Roark with a proclamation in her honor at the May 7 Common Council meeting.
"Barbara is much more than a librarian. She is the heart and soul of this community, and she leaves our library as the center of our city's cultural life," Taylor said.
After 15 years on the job, Roark leaves to spend more time with her family in Indiana, where she expects to welcome a new grandchild.
Roark helped organize a $5.8 million referendum to build the new library, 9151 W. Loomis Road. In 2000, the measure passed with 63 percent of the vote, and when construction was finished nearly two years later, it came under budget by about $300,000.
In 2002, Roark was named the Wisconsin Library Association's Muriel Fuller award recipient.» Read Full Article
Reader's Digest may have buyer for Greendale office building
Reader's Digest Assocation Inc. may have found a buyer for its office building in Greendale, a former employee tells me.
There has been strong interest from prospective buyers for the 164,800-square-foot building, 5400 S. 60th St., said Susan Russ, vice president of global communications at White Plains, N.Y.-based Reader's Digest. The company is evaluating "potential opportunities," but nothing is yet final, she said.
Regardless of a building sale, Reader's Digest will keep an operation in the greater Milwaukee area, Russ said. The Greendale building was the longtime headquarters of Reiman Publications, owner of Taste of Home and other magazines, before Reader's Digest bought that business in 2002.
At that time, Reiman had more 500 employees, most of them in Greendale. Reader's Digest, which is reorganizing its finances under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time since 2009, now has around 200 employees at the Greendale office, Russ said.
The former employee told me Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin is rumored to be the buyer of the Greendale building.» Read Full Article
Franklin High School evacuated due to unusual odor
Franklin - The Fire Department was called about 8 a.m. today to Franklin High School to investigate a report of a smell of natural gas.
The high school was evacuated while fire crews investigated the odor, said Meghan Dade, communications coordinator for the Franklin School District.
After the investigation, firefighters determined that the odor was not natural gas, and believe it came from a battery that was charging overnight in the school's auto shop. When the battery was removed and the area aired out, the smell was gone, Dade said.
The school day is continuing as normal.
"We take issues of safety seriously and we thank our students, staff and families for their cooperation," Dade said.
Classes resume at Franklin High School after evacuation
No natural gas leaks were detected at Franklin High School by We Energies Thursday morning, a We Energies spokesman said.
School officials said the Franklin Fire Department removed what was believed to be the source of the odor and that classes resumed. District officials did not identify the suspected source.
Students were evacuated from the building while the Franklin Fire Department and the utility company investigate a possible gas leak Thursday morning. Firefighters were called to the school about 7:40 a.m.
Eight Oak Creek police officers to be honored at White House
mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin will be honored in Washington this weekend during a ceremony Saturday in the Rose Garden at the White House and a law-enforcement awards dinner Sunday night.The first eight Oak Creek police officers who rushed to the scene to stop a
The eight are among the recipients of the TOP COPS Award presented by the National Association of Police Organizations.
Seven people, including the gunman, died in the Aug. 6 attack.
The first officer on the scene, Lt. Brian Murphy, confronted the gunman, was shot 15 times and survived.
Oak Creek officer Sam Lenda wounded the gunman with a rifle shot. The gunman, Wade Michael Page, then killed himself.» Read Full Article
Oak Creek police arrest woman for providing escort services without license
Oak Creek - A woman was arrested for providing escort services without a license and possession of drug paraphernalia after police discovered what she said was a massage business April 24.
According to the Oak Creek police report:
Officers and K9 Officer Bronco responded to the Candlewood Suites, 6440 S. 13th St., after an employee called to report drug use and prostitution in a room about 3:30 p.m. April 24.
Officers found the woman had a massage table set up in her room, and there was a man present.
Officers questioned the woman about the table, and she told police she charges $80 to give massages in the room at the hotel.» Read Full Article
Oak Creek police search for repeat shoplifters who assaulted store employee
Oak Creek - Police are searching for a couple who ran out of a local store with two carts full of merchandise, then kicked an employee who attempted to stop them from leaving April 24.
According to the Oak Creek police report:
Employees at Kohl's, 9035 S. Howell Ave., told police this is the third time the man and woman have shoplifted from the store.
The duo filled two shopping carts with clothing and fled the store without paying for the items about 8:35 p.m. April 24. When several employees followed the couple into the parking lot to stop them, one of the thieves kicked an employee in the right thigh. The two then grabbed some clothing, got into their vehicle and drove off.
It is unknown how much clothing the couple stole, but it is presumed to be worth more than $100.» Read Full Article
Sikh group invokes 'missing witness' rule in Oak Creek summons service dispute
A human rights group has invoked the "missing witness" rule in its final argument over whether a Punjab state official from India was lawfully served a lawsuit at Oak Creek High School, days after the mass shooting at the Sikh temple.
A Milwaukee federal judge's decision on the issue could determine whether or not the case and its potential international implications goes forward or gets thrown out.
Parkash Singh Badal, the chief minister of Punjab state, had planned a trip to the Milwaukee area last summer to attend local businessman Darshan Dhaliwal's daughter's wedding. Two days before he arrived, a gunman attacked the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, killing six people and then himself. Badal, whose region is home to thousands of Sikhs, found himself thrust into the news as he met with survivors and spoke to area reporters.
Seizing a rare opportunity, the human rights group Sikhs for Justice sued in Milwaukee under the federal Torture Victim Protection and Alien Tort laws, which grants jurisdiction in U.S. courts. The suit contends that Badal oversaw torture and murder of Sikhs in India, where the religious minority has been the subject of persecution by the Hindu majority.
The plaintiffs claimed to have served Badal at Oak Creek High School at a Justice Department community forum on Aug. 9. Badal's attorneys, former federal prosecutors Steven Biskupic and Michelle Jacobs, put on witnesses at a hearing in February that suggest two West Allis brothers, professional process servers, mistakenly gave the summons to an Illinois man who was at the high school that day to act as an interpreter. Surinder Singh Kalra.» Read Full Article
South Milwaukee liquor store robbed
South Milwaukee police responded to an armed robbery at King's Row Liquor Store in the 1200 block of Milwaukee Ave. about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, police said Monday.
A masked gunman entered the store and demanded money. Nobody was injured.
Greendale High School on nation's most challenging schools list
Greendale High School earned a spot on the Washington Post's list of America's Most Challenging High Schools.
Out of more than 1,900 public and private high schools nationwide, Greendale was ranked 1,240th. Within the state of Wisconsin, it ranked 15th.
For the past 15 years, the list has been compiled by a formula using the number of college-level tests - Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education - given at a school in 2012, divided by the number of seniors that graduated that year.
The entire list can be found at apps.washingtonpost.com.
Area's first LongHorn Steakhouse open in Greendale
LongHorn Steakhouse in the Milwaukee area opened on Monday in Greendale, at 5220 S. 76th St.The first
The steakhouse has seating for more than 240 diners.
Besides serving steaks ranging from a 6-ounce sirloin ($11.99) to a 30-ounce porterhouse for two ($39.99), the restaurant serves ribs, chops, seafood, chicken and sandwiches.
The chain of 400 restaurants in 37 states includes two others in Wisconsin, in Green Bay and Madison. LongHorn is owned by Darden Restaurants, which also owns Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Capital Grille.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.


text:
Francis: Politics and Pilgrimage
The Jewish Daily Forward has a detailed rundown on Pope Francis's trip next week to Jordan, Israel and ??? "the State of Palestine," or maybe, just the tradiitonal, Palestinian Authority. The Pope will travel with his friend from Argentina, Rabbi Abraham Skorka, and an unnamed Islamic scholar.
The itinerary seems to have a bit of "on the one hand" (wreath-laying at the tomb of Theodore Herzel), and "on the other," perhaps referring to the "State of Palestine." There are also scuffles over who owns/controls/should have access to the building on Mount Zion where the Last Supper is believed to have taken place, and under which it is believed King David is buried.
The story also reports continuing price-tag attacks. The Forward story. The LRB has a brief history of the "price-tag" attacks; with some opinion thrown in.
Haaretz has another take:
"The central point of the visit and the major justification for it is the handshake between the two Christian religious leaders: The head of the Western church, the Catholic from Rome, and the head of the Eastern church, the Orthodox Patriarch from Constantinople (Istanbul). The historic handshake will mark the height of the visit and will take place in front of the empty tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem" Here.
About the Author
Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, a former editor of Commonweal, writes frequently in these pages and blogs at dotCommonweal.
6 comments
- All
- Editor Featured
I like that he is taking his Rabbi friends from Argentina. That gives him an immediate connection. There is no reason for Francis to get into the politics of it. He is a peace maker. Not an empire builder.
"An unnamed Islamic scholar"? It will be intersting to see if he is an academic or an imam attached to a mosque as well and either Sunni or Shia. With the ratehr negative attention Pope Francis has received more recently for his appaent "hands off" approach to the rebuke of the women religious, it will be curius to se how the press ddeals with their now somewhat less shiny media star approach.
@ David Pasinski:
"An unnamed Islamic scholar"?
Uh, actually, he has a name: Omar Abboud.
This, by the way, was announced yesterday morning, along with all the other details, and therefore, has been in the news and all over the web since then.
Francis is still shining. People forget that the Curia always remains very powerful. The fact that Francis made substantial changes in the Vatican bank already is impressive. John XXIII showed us how overbearing the Curia is. There are a lot of things that to consider. As long as Francis sets a good example and prefers the poor, he will remain a shining star.
Sheesh! He hasn't left Rome yet. Can we at least wait until he lands somewhere before deciding that the trip is a triumph of hope or a deflated balloon of failure? Or maybe do something really radical in this day and age, and wait until the trip is over before pronouncing on it?
TB: Perhaps you're right. In this case, the story seems to be 'the before he arrives'. But you can wait till after.


text:
Our Publications
- Aspen
- Atlanta
- Chicago
- Dallas
- The Hamptons
- Hawai'i
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York
- Orange County
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Scottsdale
- Washington, D.C.
Home › Scene › Harvesting Hope ›
Harvesting Hope
The Paris-based fashion house of Lanvin and the always-stylish women of The Harvesters came together at South Coast Plaza to raise funds for Second Harvest Food Bank's fight against hunger. The afternoon featured an opportunity to shop the luxury brand's chic looks, a delicious lunch at Marché Moderne and an exclusive runway show featuring the newest collection by Alber Elbaz. Each guest took home a Lanvin iPad cover, and those who made a purchase were entered to win a pass to the Lanvin fall/winter 2014 pre-collection presentation in New York, hosted by none other than Elbaz himself. C'est si bon! Photography by Lanvin


text:
New & Pre-Owned BMW Inventory at BMW of Riverside Serving Orange County, CA
For our customers in the market for a new or pre-owned BMW vehicle in Riverside, California, stop the search now! At BMW of Riverside we are proud to have a BMW vehicle, new or pre-owned, fit for everyone who steps into our dealership. Within our inventory you will find popular BMW options like the 2015 BMW 328i as well as pre-owned vehicles from not only BMW but other auto makers as well. To learn more about any of the vehicles available at our California BMW dealership, please contact our sales team online or by giving us a call at (888) 431-0835. We look forward to helping you get behind the wheel of your next car the next time you visit us!