text:
Exemplary Exchange
When Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth appeared, I commented favorably on the review by New Testament scholar, Richard Hays, published in First Things. I thought the review both appreciative and critical of the book.
Now, in the current (December) issue of First Things, a number of letters are printed that, for the most part, criticize the critic. Hays responds in a measured way, and, in the process, clarifies further both his appreciation and his critique.
Here is a portion of what he says:
The letter writers seem to share, to one degree or another, Mr. Kellners impression that my review of Pope Benedicts book illustrates the resistance of academic theology to reading the gospels as an overall unity expressing an intrinsically coherent message. Nothing could be further from my intention. My review actually praised the books synthetic aims and, in part, its results. For example, I wrote: Benedicts synthetic reading of the canonical New Testament witnesses is both subtle and illuminating, and I observed that the book is full of luminous passages that offer a fruitful basis for meditation on the mysterious and gracious figure of Jesus. I also gave accolades to Benedicts constructive use of patristic sources and typological interpretation of the Old Testament.
Nonetheless, the letter writers are correct to discern a tone of disappointment in my review. The disappointment arises not because I am indignant that Benedict has attempted this task of synthesis or because I think the task impossible but because I think his actual performance of it is regrettably flawed. After reading the books foreword, I was rooting for him to succeed, but in my judgment he unfortunately fails to achieve the goals he sets for himself. He insists that the historical-critical method . . . is and remains an indispensable dimension of exegetical work, and he wants to accept what modern exegesis tells us about the historical setting and composition of the gospels. Yet, recognizing the limits of the historical method, he also wants to integrate these historical findings into a trusting, synthetic reading of the gospels. The problem is simply that he fails to achieve real integration: His use of historical methodology is selective and inconsistent.
About the Author
Rev. Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is Associate Professor of Theology Emeritus at Boston College.
44 comments
- All
- Editor Featured
I have just read the most brilliant and persuasive review of Benedict's book yet to appear -- a long and pregnant article by Michael Theobald from Ratzinger's haunt, Tubingen, in the venerable Theologische Quartalschrift. I hope this will be translated into English.
I know this is a minor point, and I am nowhere near finishing the book, but I was struck by this statement on page 15:[T]here is absolutely no reason to suppose that Mark is exaggerating when he reports that "there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins." (Mk 1:5)Isn't this something even a naive reader of the Gospels would take as hyperbole? And if Benedict is actually correct, wouldn't it mean that many of the "sinners" (nonobservant Jews) referred to in the Gospels, not to mention Caiaphas and the other members of the Sanhedrin who participated in the trial of Jesus, had already repented, confessed their sins, and been baptized by John?
One has to sympathize with Hays. There is a mentality among Catholics--some Catholics, at any rate--that is inclined to see in any critique of a Pope's work that is not wholly laudatory, even when the Pope himself has invited disagreement, as disloyal. This is almost as silly as it is unfortunate.
I also thought Hays' review one of the best, for its expertise, balanced and positive tone and yet his honesty with the book's faults. In line with Joseph Gannon's remark, the entire project (the Jesus book, with another to come) raises an interesting point of whether a Pope can ever be anything again but a Pope. "Montini non esiste piu," Paul VI told a friend who suggested, while he was struggling with a decision, that he ask himself what Giovanni Battista Montini would do in that situation. When Benedict wrote the book, he wanted to do so as Ratzinger, theologian and scholar. And he said everyone was free to disagree with him. Yet such is the reverence for the papacy, the "awesomeness" of the office, that disagreement, even when invited, even on a scholarly, non-magisterial topic, can smack of disloyalty. Makes for a problematic situation, as I have found.
PS: Joseph O'Leary: I am tantalized by the Theobald reference. Could you offer any summary? Does "brilliant and persuasive" mean the book is also brilliant and persuasive?
David N.Is it not significant that Luke represses the words cited from Mark, and speaks subsequently only of "multitudes" or "crowds"? Mark was in no positon to know that everyone from Judea was baptized by John.
Theobald's report on the official presentation of the Pope's book:"Now linked with the book are assessments of biblical exegesis that make one prick up one's ears. Thus the official presentation of the book by Cardinal Schoenborn stood under the motto: 'For over 200 years critical historical study of the Bible has put everything in question that one finds in the Bible about Jesus' 'Doubt about the historical reliability of the Gospel image of Jesus' surfaces even 'in the very ranks' thinks the Cardinal. Must these 'ranks' be closed up again in the future?... The Cardinal thinks that this 'entirely personal' Jesus book will be read also 'as the Jesus book of the Pope' and 'why not?'... Why should not the Pope be just the one who is especially called to speak over his Master, Teacher and Lord? Is it not he, more than anyone, who should fulfill the friendship with Christ?'"Theobald believes that the book does not respect the realities of history, the pluralism of New Testament theologies, the integrity of scholarly scriptural research, or the reality and value of Jewish identity and tradition: 'The conversation with the Jewish rabbi [Neusner] in the chapter on the Sermon on the Mount serves him exclusively for Christological purposes; it contains no sensitivity to Jesus's Jewish horizons of life and thought'..
More precisely, Theobald says that though Ratzinger admires the Old Testament Torah and rejects the substitution theology that would see the old covenant as abolished, he nonetheless fails to recognize postbiblical Judaism in its own theological dignity over against the Church -- which he sees as the new Israel, the true Israel and 'the Israel that spans the world in Christ' (echoing the Fathers).
Joseph O'Leary,I posted the Hays' observations because I thought they presented both a sympathetic reading of the Pope's purposes and a criticism that is both specific and constructive.Your report on Theobald's blanket fault-finding suggests a less constructive engagement (I reserve the right to modify that impression after reading his full account).In any case, on issues like "respecting the pluralism of New Testament theologies," there are, of course, a plurality of positions. I find myself persuaded by scholars like Luke Timothy Johnson and Frank Matera who discern the unity amidst the plurality -- a unity centered precisely in the person of Jesus.As for "failing to recognize postbiblical Judaism in its own theological dignity over against the Church" are we still speaking about the book? The book sought to present a compelling vision of the Lord of the Church whom Christians believe is the Savior of the world. Nothing in that claim shows failure to respect other religious traditions -- else interreligious dialogue is over before it begins.I recommend again Rabbi Neusner's reflection in the Summer issue of Communio, commenting on what the Pope is about in his book, and indicating why he things it important precisely for authentic Catholic-Jewish dialogue.
I find it ironic that the responders to this post are so worried about being called "disloyal" when they voice any opposition to what Benedict XVI says. I do not remember a single example of this happening on this blog. With few exceptions, upon reading most of the comments on what Cardinal and now Pope Ratzinger has said, it seems that the massive preponderence of responses have failed to put in print any agreement with anything he has said. In fact, it seems to represent a near unanamous "loyalty" to each others' positions.
Blanket fault-finding is not what Theobald is up to (though it may be my own tendency) -- his balance of praise and blame is not very different from Hays's. Indeed the judgment of all professional exegetes on the papal book is pretty similar; as far as I know the only professional exegete who has praised the book unreservedly is Albert Vanhoye. The maturity and professionalism of this branch of theology can be seen in the fact that the exegetes, who were not without some reason to feel threatened and be enraged, maintained such a just and fair balance in their reactions to the book, with the sole exceptions of Geza Vermes and Gerd Luedemann. On the Pope's dialogue with Neusner, his attitude to contemporary and postbiblical Judaism is quite important, especially given his claim that 'through Matthew's Gospel Jesus speaks anew and evermore (neu und immerfort) to Israel" (pp. 132-2, cited by Theobald, p. 172). If the Pope's image of Judaism is shaped more by Origen than by Jewish self-understanding, as Theobald claims, this is a very important matter, especially given the huge influence the papal book will have on shaping Christian understanding of Judaism.
Here is a list of Prof. Theobald's publications: http://www.kath-theol.uni-tuebingen.de/Lehrstuehle/NT/Prof_Theobald/Vero...
"I am not at all sure that the 'Israel'-ecclesiology of J. Ratzinger is systematically strong enough to really keep 'substitution theories' at bay. The basis of my skepsis is that I find in the book no reflection on postbiblical Judaism and its perduring dignity on the tracks of Romans 9-11". "Even though Paul is constantly present in the book there is no reference to Romans 9-11". These remarks may seem to fault the book from a tangential angle, but given the abundance of remarks in the book on the status of Israel vis a vis the Church and the apparent uncritical adherence to patristic views of Judaism it seems to me that Theobald is onto something important, which he rightly refuses to silence in the name of a more "constructive" reception of the Pope's book. Had he wished to be "unconstructive" he could have pointed out the book's various errors or criticized its composition, as Hays does to some extent. Instead he offers a and measured assessment of what is going on in the book theologically. The title of his review-essay is "The Four Gospels and the One Jesus of Nazareth", so it is not true that he blindly emphasizes plurality at the expense of unity and synthesis. But woe betide the one who thinks that s/he has grasped definitively the unity of God or Christ or revelation!
Actually he does have a criticism of the "architecture" of the book, but it is a very theological one, basically a review of the selective emphases of the book's portrait of Jesus (the absence of references to Jesus's meals with sinners, Pharisees etc.) -- while recognizing that since the book is only the first volume of a diptych such judgments are provisional. He also has a throwaway remark that parallels Hays's strictures: "the individual chapters in part seem very disparate -- meditations and homiletic expansions stand beside expositions of Scripture and references to exegetical positions, patristic exegeses beside systematic elaborations etc."Here are the headings of his article:1. Methodological indications2. The architecture of the book3. The building-blocks: (1) The Gospel of the Kingdom of God; (2) What one could learn from a Jewish scholar [Neusner]; (3) The disciples or the new family of the Church; (4) 'I am' -- the Gospel of the 'Son of Thunder' as matrix of the book.4. Faith and historical reason: Open Questions.
If I may speak in my own voice for a moment, I wonder why we should be obliged to "constructive engagement" with the book? In my opinion it is a mediocre book; indeed I agree with Don Franco Barbero that it is an "incredibly superficial" treatment of the themes it broaches. Cardinal Martini suggested as much when in his official presentation of the French translation he went out of his way to point out that the author was not a scriptural scholar and that you do not judge the merits of a book by the number of copies sold. Martini, Hays, Theobald all agree that the book is a salutary alternative to Dan Brown et al. for the ordinary Christian seeking some light on Jesus, but that as a contribution to scriptural scholarship it has little merit and indeed propagates retrograde attitudes that would be quite destructive of scriptural scholarship, especially if translated into ecclesial discipline as is quite likely to happen.
Joseph O'Leary,I would like recommendations--from you, or anyone else who has read "Jesus of Nazareth"--of books that are alternatives. I can't handle anything that would be comprehensible only to a professional, but I would like to read something that gives a real idea of what contemporary scholars say about Jesus and why they say it.
Will the Pope's book really l have such a huge influence on Christian understanding of anything? There certainly has been no discussion of the book at the parish level in our neck of the woods, either by parishioners or clergy. I wondered whether local preaching wouldn't soon begin reflecting its highly personal vision, say by confidently identifying the Beloved Disciple as John, Son of Zebedee --that well-known part-time priest, wealthy Galilean fish merchant, and owner of a convenient pied-a-terre in the Essene Quarter of Jerusalem, where his eldest son may have entertained Jesus and the rest of the disciples at the Last Supper (224-225). To date, though, there has been no detectable ripple effect. Maybe after the lads at the local seminary have worked their way through it. . . .
David Nickols,The best work I have seen on the subject is "Jesus Among the Theologians" by William J. LaDue. He is good because he shows differences. After that there is "Twentieth-Century Catholic Theologians" edited by Fergus Kerr.
Recommended books on Jesus? Well, those of Geza Vermes are OK, very easy to find and to read, exegetically conservative, occasionally pugnacious, but captures well Jesus's prophetic Jewish character -- some Vatican document actually refers to him as one who is instructive on the Jewishness of Jesus. On the heavier front there is Schillebeeckx, Jesus; Meier, A Marginal Jew; and Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, and The Passion of the Messiah. Christopher M. Tuckett's Q and the History of Early Christianity, Edinburgh, Clark, 1996, is a goldmine of common sense that deals with the textual stratum of the NT considered to be closest to the actual words of Jesus. If you have the New Testament to hand, or preferably a Synopsis of the gospels, it should not be unreadable; it is very lucid. To be sure, sane historical Jesus books are not as exciting as insane ones, but they are ultimately nourishing. Though I don't agree with them, I find Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg to be worth reading.As to books on the fuller and wider significance of Jesus -- the Christ of faith -- I am at a loss. A comprehensive and convincing contemporary Christology is a desideratum. Of course I have a special fondness for John Keenan's Buddhist treatment, The Meaning of Christ (also The Gospel of Mark).
On the Jewish Jesus, see also F.-W. Marquardt, Das christliche Bekenntnis zu Jesus, dem Juden, Munich 1991; Paul Van Buren, A Theology of the Jewish-Christian Reality III; Michael Wyschogrod in Modern Theology 12, 1996, and Archivio di Filosofia 1999 (a symposium on Incarnation); John J Collins, The Scepter and the Star, Doubleday, 1995; David Flusser, Judaism and the Origins of Christianity, Jerusalem, 1995.
Can anyone tell me a really good Jesus book of the last 10 years???
Two cautions regarding the array of "resources" that J.O'L provides:1. From Luke Johnson's polemical but incisive, The Real Jesus:"When the witness of the New Testament is taken as a whole, a deep consistency can be detected beneath its surface diversity. The "real Jesus" is first of all the powerful, resurrected Lord whose transforming Spirit is present in the community" (p.166)."If the expression the real Jesus is used at all, it should not refer to a historically reconstructed Jesus. Such a Jesus is not "real" in any sense, except as a product of scholarly imagination" (p. 167).2. From Daniel Harrington's review of Vermes, The Nativity in the November 5th issue of America:"If we limit Jesus of Nazareth to his first-century Palestinian-Jewish context and imagine him only as a Galilean holy man, then what does not fit with that image cannot be historical or authentic. This kind of skeptical scholarship (while learned) is what Pope Benedict XVI has inveighed against as revealing the limitations of a historical-critical approach to Scripture that has no place for uniqueness and supernatural causality."Susan, I think it right to point out that the passage you cite from the Pope's book is his quote from Henri Cazelles. He uses it as possible support for the view that an eyewitness lies behind the narrative of the Fourth Gospel, It does not mean that he buys into the "pied-a-terre." Moreover, the Pope clearly admits "the complexity of the Gospel's redaction."As for the book's impact, Peter Steinfels' personal reflection in Commonweal (a few months back) points to the real benefits one may derive from a non-captious, though not uncritical reading.In any case, the many books, both popular and scholarly, of the Anglican exegete and bishop, N.T. Wright, would make for fine Advent reading,
Two colleagues of mine at Catholic University have recommended Leander Keck;s book, "Who is Jesus? History in Perfect Tense". It approaches Jesus both historically and theologically. It has also the advantage of being comparatively short, fewer than 200 pages, whereas most of the books on the subject are huge.The first two chapters of N.T. Wright's, "Jesus and the Victory of God," have a lengthy review of the three phases through which "the quest for the historical Jesus" has gone.The issues in this debate are often poised in terms of "the Jesus of history" often enough set in contrast to the Christ of traditional Christian faith. I wonder if it would not help clarify basic methodological points if it were posed instead in terms of "the Jesus of historians". Then the question would immediately arise, as it should, "Which historians?" Because, God knows, different historians have reconstructed and still are reconstructing Jesus in quite different ways, often incompatible with one another.
Fr. Imbelli,Pope Benedict quotes Cazelles not only to support the idea that an eyewitness lies behind the narrative of the Fourth Gospel but to suggest that in the light of current scholarship. . . it is quite possible to see Zebedees son John as the bystander who solemnly asserts his claim to be an eyewitness (cf. Jn 19:35) and thereby identifies himself as the true author of the Gospel. Yes, he does go on to admit the complexities of the Gospels redaction, but says of the redactor, that there seem to be grounds for ascribing to him an essential role in the definitive shaping of the Gospel, though he must always have regarded himself as the trustee of the tradition he had received from the son of Zebedee (226).Exactly because of the deference accorded the Popes work cited by contributors earlier in this discussion, it seems to me all too likely that many readers drawn to the book by respect for the authors position as Pope will read it uncritically. Most academics reading the passages quoted so positively from Cazelles would pick up on the highly speculative particularity of the suggestions Benedict characterizes as offering the light of current scholarship. A good editor would have been of great help here, as elsewhere.
Two other books, finite in size, are by the late Ben F. Meyer, "The Aims of Jesus" and "Reality and Illusion in New Testament Scholarship: A Primer in Critical Realist Hermeneutic." The latter is the best thing I know of for getting at the basic methodological questions. The former is his basic contribution to the discussion.
Mark Allan Powell's Jesus as a Figure in History is a useful and generally fair survey of historical approaches for someone who wants an introduction to the diversity of perspectives that are out there.
Thanks to Joseph S. O Leary, Joseph Gannon, Joseph A. Komonchak, and Bill Mazzella for the book recommendations.
Ben F. Meier also has the article on "Jesus Christ" in the Anchor Bible Dictionary, if any of you hax access to that multi-volume work, perhaps in a library.
Fr. Imbelli,Thank you for your cautions. I know it is said that in looking for the "Jesus of history," each scholar who attempts to paint a portrait of the historical Jesus winds up painting a self-portrait. But what worries me is that when any institution (and particularly the Catholic Church) paints a portrait of the "Christ of faith," they are also painting a self-portrait, and with an immensely bigger pallet to work with (and a lot more at stake). That is, some of the finest minds of the past 2000 years have been putting forth theories and interpretations, so when the Catholic Church wants to make a case, they can use some of what Augustine said, and some of what Aquinas said, and some of what Anselm said, and so on. And of course if you believe the Catholic Church is the "only church established by Jesus" and operates under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, then you can rest assured that the "Christ of Faith" as put forth by the Catholic Church is authentic.But if you are not sure, you've got a problem. Because, or so it seems to me, the Catholic position is that the only way to find Jesus is throught the Church, when what seems to be the ideal path would be to find Jesus first, and if that leads to the Catholic Church, then you accept Jesus and only after that the Church. So if you want to know what the real message of Jesus was, and you seek to find that out by reading the "Catholic approved" works about Jesus, you have already made a commitment to the Catholic Church, which of course is fine if the claims the Catholic Church makes about itself are "sure and certain," but how does anyone know (for a fact) that they are? I often think it must have been far simpler to be a Christian in the first several decades (or generations, or even the first few hundred years), because you could believe in something like the real presence without worrying whether it was transubstantiation, consubstantiation, or transignification. Or you could believe Jesus was the Son of God without having definitions involving words like "consubstantial." It is a lot easier to accept mysteries than explanations, and when the explanations change with the times, one begins to wonder if the mysteries behind them are themselves believable.
OR . . . . (to prove I can be brief)Isn't the "Christ of faith" at least as elusive as the "Jesus of history," if not moreso?
I hope you don't mind that I comment ahead of Fr. Imbelli, David. Fr. Imbelli will no doubt be able to provide a much more cogent and coherent response, but I have to leave for the rest of the day, and I wanted to throw in my 1cent ( I won't pretend it's even two cents) before I go.I think the Christ of faith is much less elusive than the Christ of history. I say this because all that is important to me as to my faith is my belief that (1) Christ is God incarnated, (2) Christ provided the most perfect example of humility in all of human history when He allowed Himself to suffer excruciating torture and an ignominious death by crucifixion, and, most importantly, (3) Christ arose from the dead, thereby guaranteeing His and our victory over death. The rest is all icing on the cake. The inconsistencies in the Gospels (e.g., did Christ die during the third or the sixth hour of the day? did He ride into Jerusalem on one or two donkeys?) just aren't all that important to me. I enjoy learning about all the efforts made to discover the Christ of history, but the Big Three above are all I need to keep my faith grounded. What I find even more interesting than the search for the Christ of history is the search for more about Christ's apostles and early disciples. In general, there is historically more known about them than about Christ. Was Christ some sort of cult leader (a Jim Jones, for example) who could motivate his apostles to suffer martyrdom even decades after Christ's physical presence was absent? I don't think so. And what could motivate Paul, who never knew Christ in the flesh, to do a 180 and become the greatest missionary in the history of the Church? The transforming and motivating effect that Christ, and the Holy Spirit, had on these individuals--flesh and blood people like you and me--has always seemed a more interesting question to me than the minutiae of the Christ of history.
David,I don't presume to address adequately the concerns you raise. Let me merely express some perspectives of my own.My persuasion is that one cannot encounter Jesus save through his body the church. The scriptures come to us through the church. We are baptized into the body whose head is the Lord. We are nourished by his eucharistic body, celebrated in the church. We receive the faith of the church and seek to appropriate it.This does not yet make any claims for the Roman Catholic church, nor deny that the church is always a corpus mixtum of saints and sinners. But it takes seriously the incarnation: that God continues to come to us through the flesh of Jesus which is the flesh of the church. With regard the doctrinal formulations, such as "consubstantial" and "transubstantiation," I take them not as "explanations" that seek to encapsulate the Mystery (though some may use them as such), but as "mystagogic:" pointers to the Mystery, in the face of reductionistic approaches.But I deeply respect your questions, and only wish the mode of exchange (comments on a blog) were more suited to their importance.
The "Jesus of history" may be an edgy and difficult topic but "Jesus the Jew" is surely a more promising and refreshing one. The church doctrine of the incarnation obliges us to take the humanity of Jesus very seriously, including his Jewishness. Studies like Sean Freyne's on the culture of Galilee at that time are extremely valuable for this. The Christ of faith is a divine mystery that we live by but that we are not in possession of a complete grasp of. The continued effective realization of that mystery depends on a continued hearing of the Gospel Jesus and that demands continuing to take seriously his human Jewish identity.Beware of a gnostic Christ who balloons away from these roots.How Christ is divine is a matter of deepest obscurity, a Mystery as the classic theologians stress -- I think we should think of that mystery more in terms of event -- the dwelling of God in the heart of our history -- than of substance. Chalcedon used substance-language in keeping open the horizon (horos) on the mystery, but it is not necessarily a language valid for all time. Christology should be modest, not inflated, and the quest for the historical Jesus and for the Jewish Jesus has greatly contributed to this demystification and putting in perspective of the Christ event.
William,Minor inconsistencies in the Gospels are worriesome only to those who believe in biblical inerrancy, and they seem to have no problem explaining them all away. But the number of donkeys in Matthew (two) certainly raises an issue, in that he is talking about the "fulfillment" of an Old Testament passage, and he (or someone he is relying on) misinterpreted the passage to refer to two donkeys when it only is referring to one. So his reporting is not based on "facts," but rather is written to fulfill the misunderstood OT passage. Still, the number of donkeys is a trivial point, but in presenting Jesus as a "new Moses," how much does Matthew shape his account of actions of Jesus to conform to that theme? That is a much bigger question than the number of donkeys Jesus rode on.What if some of the "big moments" in the Gospels didn't actually happen, but nevertheless convey important symbolic meaning? It seems to me some of the sacraments are based on an acceptance of the literal truth of moments from the Gospels. It is difficult for me to accept that the words and actions of God incarnate over the course of several years wouldn't be extraordinarily important, even if one does take the incarnation, the crucifixion, and the resurrection to be the three key issues.
DavidIf I may interject, Jesus seems likely to have lived into his mid-thirites, at least. Maybe into his mid-forties. Our records tell us very little about what he did for most of that time. So perhaps it is a mistake to suppose that he was always doing something "extraordinaily important". Remember that he was like us in all things except sin.
Hello all. I have been in San Diego at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion with limited web access, so, I apologize for my late entry into this discussion. I am also working with about two hours of sleep, having returned home in the wee hours of this morning, so I can only be quick.Joseph Komonchak: I like the phrase "Jesus of this historians," but I guess that would have to be paired with the "Christs of Christians." It seems to me that there never has been one Christianity, never one understanding of Christ, rather, lots of them.Joseph O'Leary: Would not Jews affirm "the dwelling of God in the heart of our history"? If so, what, as you see it, does the Incarnation add to this dwelling?David Nickol: My students struggled with, but ultimately found to be very satisfying, Paula Fredriksen's From Jesus to Christ. I think she does an outstanding job of showing how historical study must inform our reading of the Bible, but she makes no strong claim that her reconstructions of history are decisive.Robert: Yes, Jesus is best encountered in the churches, for wherever two or three are gathered in his name, there he will be. But, as you well know, an encounter is not the same thing as an understanding of that encounter, and in the quest for such understanding, I think much difficult work still lies ahead.
Joseph,I should have been more explicit and said "public career" instead of just referring to "several years." But I disagree that Jesus was "like us in all things except sin," unless we accept only naturalistic interpretations of what appear to be supernatural events in the Gospels. Jesus could turn water into wine, cure diseases and heal injuries (in at least one case just by being touched, without actively willing the cure), calm storms, walk on water, foresee the future, and raise the dead. Even if we don't take certain miracles at face value--for example, if we believe he was actually healing mental illness and not "casting out demons," or if we believe some of the lepers actually had some other, less intractable, skin disease, Jesus was still healing them.And of course Jesus "spoke with authority," to the extent that some of his words (like the prohibition of divorce) are taken to be God's law by the Catholic Church.So I am not sure what you are telling me.
Joe,Thanks for the recommendations. I have copies of Paula Fredriksen's books From Jesus to Christ and Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, neither of which I have read yet. I buy many more books than I can possibly read, so it is nice to get recommendations of things already in my possession. On the other hand, I love buying books, so it's nice to get recommendations of things that are not in my collection. "Two or three gathered together in Jesus's name" doesn't sound at all like a description of church.
DavidI was quoting Hebrews. The point of the passage is that Jesus was fully human. The Protevangelium of James, so-called, fills in some early wonders supposedly done by the young Jesus, but it is generally thought to be all fantasy. So before his ministry began he may have been been an ordinary carpenter. His "brothers" in the Gospela seem to regard his ministry without much sympathy, at least at first.On the sacraments Brown is very good. He thinks that the sacraments were instituted by Christ, as the Catechism says, but not in the way this idea has often been understood. I do remember hearing that Jesus instituted the sacrament of matrimony when he went to the wedding at Cana. Anyone who will believe that will believe anything. By the way, as for divorce, popes very recently have thought they could dissolve nonsacramental marriages. Read ch. 27 of Noonan's the Church than Can and Cannot Change. Saint Subitus (JPII) was a practitioner but does not expain it in the CCC.
David: I feel your pain. I have already begun buying for my next lifetime. The difficulty is finding the appropriate mantras to ensure that my future consciousness will know where to look :-)As for two or three not sounding like church, I am afraid your confusion comes from thinking in terms of large Catholic parishes where many will "eat and run" in order to avoid waiting in traffic lines and where the cops have to come and direct traffic (paid for with Protestant tax dollars!). The liberal Protestant churches where I hang out are, unfortunately, described rather well by the phrase.
Joseph Gannon: Your reference to the "brothers" of Jesus is a great example of rather clear thematic development between two gospels. The family of Jesus thinks he is nuts in Mark, and the disciples do not come across very well, either. However, Mark is likely anticipating an apocalypse signaled by the destruction of the Temple, and so does not much care what the family of Jesus thought or how blind and dim-witted the disciples were. Matthew, on the other hand, is thinking much more long term, and so the problem of legitimate church authority is something about which he needs to worry. Thus, most of the disparaging portrayals of the disciples and of Jesus's family in Mark are either left out of Matthew, or their negative character is entirely glossed over by much more positive language. Compare, for example, Peter's affirmation of Jesus as the Messiah. This is a decisive moment in Mark, but Peter still comes across looking rather foolish. Matthew uses the same scene to give Peter a promotion that has had quite lasting significance within the Catholic church. Matthew needs a geneology for the leadership of the churches, and this geneology is traced back to the disciples. Mark does not need this geneology because he is not anticipating a long-term church presence. This, at least, would be one reading of the situation you cite (a reading entirely indebted to the Fredriksen book that I suggested to David).
And then there is this approach to Jesus:Jesus for the Non-Religious by John Shelby Spong "The controversial bishop and moral activist attempts to wrestle Jesus from the restrictive and dogmatic binds of religion so he can become the hero the world needs."
JoeYes, Matthew softens Mark in this case as elsehwere. But John, certain the last of the four to be written, also portrays the "brothers" as quite sceptical about the doings of Jesus during his ministry. But after the resurrection the brothers and Mary are with the Twelve anticipating the coming of the Spirit. And James is to be the leader of the community in Jerusalem and a martyr. It also seems that brother Jude is the one to whom the catholic epistle is attributed.
"Joseph O'Leary: Would not Jews affirm "the dwelling of God in the heart of our history"? If so, what, as you see it, does the Incarnation add to this dwelling?"Well, John 1.14 is modelled on the Jewish idea of the Shekinah, the dwelling of God with his people. John says that Jesus, unlike Moses, brings the fulness of grace and truth. He is the one who brings in the messianic days, the kingdom of God on earth -- albeit in a rather proleptic way. I think this eschatological mission of Jesus is what makes him unique and gives him soteriological primacy and that it is in the tracks of this conception (Jesus as "eschatological event" in Bultmann's language) that we can begin to make sense of the other statements about Jesus, such as that God was at work in him reconciling the world to himself, or that the fulness of God dwelt in him bodily, or that he is the Word incarnate full of grace and truth, or that he is exalted at God's right hand -- these too are all event-statements. Some of the statements of classical theology should be tested against this biblical event language, which they tend to occlude or even distort -- such statements as "God become man," "Jesus is God incarnate" or "the God-Man," statements that may have a validity within the dogmatic language-game in virtue of the communicatio idiomatum but that should not be trotted out as primary or direct statements of who and what Jesus was and meant.


text:
All 2013 Entertainment Books 35% off Plus Free Shipping
Buy this to make up for the unused 2012 one you found lodged under your back seat last week.
23 Comments add a comment
Okay, seriously, I actually use these things and save a lot of money. Don't be bagging on these just to be with the popular crowd.
I bought two of these around Christmas time -- one for Las Vegas (where I live) and one for Louisville (where my parents live). The coupons in the two vary but at least in Las Vegas there are several grocery coupons, like $5 off $50, that basically pay for the cost of the book even if you don't use anything else. Lots of b1g1 coupons for fast food -- some at places that are easy to get coupons for (like Subway) and some that aren't (like White Castle).
Isn't it kind of an oxymoron (or just moron) to vote down a book of coupons that save you money on stuff you buy while you're surfing a deals website so you can save money on stuff you buy?
I'm all for saving money - don't get me wrong. But paying $30 for a book of coupons?
Restaurants: go to Restaurant.com (probably a better deal when used with their promo codes available at retailmenot.com or other sites)
RetailMeNot: Great for your online purchases (and many/most large retailers will allow you to buy online and pick-up in the store, anyway)
Grocery store coupons: How about checking those coupons that come free when checking out. Those things are AWESOME deals (Free gallon of milk, free dozen eggs, free 2ltr coke.. and they don't have a purchase requirement.)
I just can't see paying money for coupons, when as savvy internet users we can find the same thing so simply by using what we already have... that search bar above this text.
@skunkmonkey: Yeah...these are pretty popular around here. Not sure what all the fuss is about.
@wootcompare: You constantly get Catalina coupons for free stuff? Lucky you, mine are always like 25 cents off 2 boxes of toothpaste.
Quite often the coupons in these books are not honored or worse made without consent of the business owner. I worked for a business that had the latter happen.
@wootcompare: What you wrote has no relevance to anything. These books contain coupons at places that you sometimes cannot get coupons for, as I pointed out even before you wrote your message. The grocery store coupons have no restrictions and can be combined with anything else. Use all the coupons you want, then use the ones in the book as well. There were $20 in coupons for one grocery store alone, and I only paid $15 for the book. The bigger the city, the more likely the book is going to pay for itself faster.
You talk about it being bad to pay for coupons, but there's absolutely no downside to it. Furthermore, you talk about restaurant.com which is basically paying for coupons. I used to use restaurant.com - now THAT is truly annoying. Sometimes the restaurants you want to get a voucher for will be out of stock, you have a minimum purchase requirement, usually no take-out allowed, and gratuity on the purchase before the discount is automatically added.
Wait 6 months.. I bought 6 of these for $5 a piece last year. They have good discounts. Keep one in your car and one in your significant other's "storage compartment"
@miniskunk: I have used these for the last two years and have never had that issue.
@wootcompare: I have found exactly one useful deal on restaurant.com, since their usual minimum-purchase requirement is well above what we generally spend.
I've been using these things for years. My birthday is in mid January and my parents usually get me one for it. I love them, lots of good coupons and a great price at $22.50. Hell, there is one coupon for the local waterpark that is BOGO a ticket, and they are $27 a piece! They are worth it, trust me.
Not such a good deal here...down and out places, some were out of business. Lotsa 2 beverage minimums which made the the 2fer 'deal' no deal at all. We passed this year.
We used the bowling coupons in ours when we had to entertain my gf's niece and nephews. Paid for itself and then some in 1 outing. I guess YMMV indeed with these books. Not a bad way to get you to try new places either. I mean, wouldn't you try some place new if you got a free entree?
I've heard the whole coupons printed without consent and coupons not being honored from resturants.com, group on, and these books. Either they are all greedy businesses just printing coupons or the businesses didn't opt out properly and cry victim. I'm willing to bet it's some of both, so get off your high horse and get back to the deals.
The buy One Get One for golf alone makes them worth it. Also the buy one get one for pizza...and the buy one get one for entrees makes it worth it. the fact that is has most fast food places makes it worth it.
I bought some of these a couple of years ago and even though I bought the book the web site recommended for my zip code, there was nothing at all in it within 35 miles of where I live.
I have to admit that they did refund my money when I pointed this out, but I thought it was very deceptive of them to recommend that book to me.
There are at least four very good to excellent restaurant deals in or near me (Morristown, NJ), that will more than pay for the $22.75 I spent for the book. And I can also receive discounts on the Morris Museum and several historical places here that I've been meaning to go to for years. Any other deals I choose to use for myself and significant other or give to friends (I've seen several already), are icing on the cake.
I had one of these last year, but couldn't take advantage of a lot of deals because I bought it too late. Not so this year! Thanks, Woot and fellow Wooters!
I've never had that happen, but if it did, the restaurant owner should be gracious enough to honor the coupon and take it up with Entertainment.com - NOT the customer. I would even mention that to the owner (if it came to that), and/or mention that, while I was sorry that happened, that should not affect my experience (or use of the coupon), and I would get in touch with the Better Business Bureau in the area and let them know of the unpleasant experience I had with the owner and his/her establishment.
@drexel96: I'll note, as the year goes on yeah the books do drop in price. If they are just 35% off $35 or whatever, then it''s not a great deal right now. I got 2 books for $35 around Black Friday. Getting them halfway into the year for just $5 sounds like a good deal, but I'll point out that for me, some of the coupons are for different quarters. As an example, one store has 4 of the same coupon, but one is only valid in Jan-Mar, one is only valid Apr-Jun, etc. so you might miss out.
I buy these for the Regal movie theater coupons. There is usually a full page (6-8) of buy-1-get-1 for Regal Theaters, so whatever the book costs we save ~$50 at the movies. Then I leave the book on the break room table at my work.
If the Movie coupons are not there.. we don't buy it.
@drexel96: +1 for putting Storage compartment in quotes. Love it.
@coltbear50: So you would deliberately attempt to harm a business for something they had no control over? In my example the company was printing buy one meal get one free. Restaurants have slim profit margins. No business should be expected to take a loss when a scammer prints unauthorized coupons.
Remove all the coupons from this book, replace them with one coupon.... "$100 dollars off of next ipad". Now raise the price of the book to $250 dollars and some people would still buy it.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I would like to make a command in LaTeX that can be used like this:
\zoneaxis{1 2 -3}
\zoneaxis{2 -1 -1 10}
and would produce this:
That is, the three or four numbers are set into brackets, any minus signs are set as overlines, and there is a little space between the numbers.
It seems like I would have to get into character-by-character parsing, but I have no idea where to look for how to do that.
Does something like this already exist? If not, where could I find out how to do this?


text:
Marvel Assembles an Official Title for Third "Avengers" Movie
Comic Books, Film
Showing results 113-152 of 177
Greg McElhatton gives "Wonder Woman" #8 4 stars saying the series by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang is "still one of the most interesting books in DC's New 52."
Vertigo's C2E2 panel was packed with a who's who of its top talent, with Scott Snyder to Bill Willingham and more discussing upcoming twists and turns, plus the announcement of new ongoing series, "Collider."
In a special All Access panel, DC brought fan-favorite creators for a behind-the-scenes look at the highly anticipated "Before Watchmen" with Adam Hughes, Brian Azzarello, Dan DiDio and more.
Eisner Award winner Brian Azzarello spoke with CBR about "Spaceman," revealing the book's secret origin, his passion for space exploration and the possibility of future installments to his and Eduardo Risso's tale.
DC Comics has released a new promotional image for its "Before Watchmen" event featuring the team as depicted by "Rorschach" artist Lee Bermejo.
Chad Nevett gives "Wonder Woman" #6 4 stars calling Brian Azzarello and Tony Akins' take on the character "still one of the best titles of the New 52."
Addressing one of the reactions to his involvement in DC Comics' "Before Watchmen" project, J. Michael Straczynski has tackled the question, "How would you feel if Babylon 5 was being done without your permission?"
DC Comics has released hi-resolution images of all eight "Before Watchmen" covers, and ROBOT 6 has the full gallery for your Rorschach, Silk Spectre and Ozymandias viewing pleasure.
The word is out, now it's time for the fans to weigh in! Which of DC Comics' announced "Before Watchmen" series are you most looking forward to?
In the wake of DC Comics' "Before Watchmen" announcement, ROBOT 6's Kevin Melrose has a round-up of quotes from various creators involved in the prequels, from Brian Azzarello to Darwyn Cooke and more.
In an exclusive first interview, J. Michael Straczynski tells CBR why "Before Watchmen" is a good idea with or without Alan Moore and how he views Dr. Manhattan. Plus, a first look at Adam Hughes' art for the project.
Brian Azzarello, J. Michael Straczynski, original "Watchmen" editor Len Wein and colorist John Higgins and more team to tell more stories from the world of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons 1986 classic. UPDATED with Moore's reaction.
Kelly Thompson gives "Wonder Woman" #5 4 stars, calling Brian Azzarello and gust-artist Tony Akins' story "the perfect example of a smart fill-in issue" for a "truly wonderful and well-considered book."
Greg McElhatton gives "Wonder Woman" #4 4.5 stars, saying Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's modern take on the classic character "just gets better and better every month."
CBR News spoke with "Wonder Woman" writer Brian Azzarello and artist Cliff Chiang about the upcoming fourth issue of DC Comics' series, Greek Gods and Diana's divine origin.
DC Comics has provided CBR with an exclusive preview of "Wonder Woman" #4 from the critically acclaimed team of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. The Amazon princess' adventures continue December 21.
Ryan K. Lindsay gives Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's "Spaceman" #2 4 stars saying the acclaimed "100 Bullets" team have created a comic "fresh and inspiring in scope."
Doug Zawisza gives "Wonder Woman" #3 4.5 stars saying Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang are crafting "a powerful tale, tinged with horror and filled with adventure."
Chad Nevett gives the Eisner Award-winning team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's latest creator-owned Vertigo debut 4.5 stars calling the first issue of "Spaceman" "pretty great -- a 'must buy.'"
Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang discuss the recent revelations about Wonder Woman's parentage, what adding Zeus and the Greek pantheon to the Amazon's family tree brings to the character and more.
Vertigo's second NYCC panel, hosted by Karen Berger, featured creators going in-depth about their series, discussing whether or not any DCU characters would be coming to Vertigo titles and more.
Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's "Wonder Woman" #2 garners 4.5 stars from CBR reviewer Greg McElhatton who says the creators "have made 'Wonder Woman' must-read material."
Vertigo hosted a star-studded panel at New York Comic Con to discuss its plans for the coming year as well as announcing day-and-date digital releases as new jumping on points appear.
As part of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's 100K-selling reinvention, Wonder Woman will see a significant change to her parentage amid her bloody battles with the gods.
"Wonder Woman" #1 becomes the third New 52 title to garner a 5-star review from CBR with Kelly Thompson calling Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's new take on the Amazon "a must read for any fan."
Brian Azzarello discusses about his and Cliff Chiang's horror-based take on DC Comics' most famous female hero, his plans for Wonder Woman's supporting cast, the status of the George Perez origin and much more.
At Fan Expo in Toronto, the creators and editors behind DC Comics' "Flashpoint" event discussed laying the groundwork for the upcoming DC relaunch -- and revealed a "new" Canadian hero
In a CBR exclusive interview, writer Brian Azzarello and artist Cliff Chiang talk about their goals for "Wonder Woman" and the challenge of redefining such an iconic character. UPDATED with exclusive art.
DC Comics has provided CBR News with an exclusive first look at the covers and solicitation copy for "Wonder Woman " and "DC Universe Presents" #3.
Doug Zawisza gives Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's "Batman: Knight of Vengeance" #3 4 stars, calling the Flashpoint tie-in "the story I didn't know I wanted to read."
DC Comics has provided CBR with an exclusive preview of "Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance" #2 by Azzarello & Risso, in stores Wednesday July 6th!
David S. Goyer is attached to write and executive produce Showtime's adaptation of "100 Bullets," the acclaimed Vertigo crime series by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso. SPINOFF has details.
Brian Azzarello spearheads "Wonder Woman," Francis Manapul writes "Flash" and heroes from Firestorm to Hawkman get new origins as DC shows off art from the first ten of 52 new series.
DC has released a preview for "Flashpoint - Batman: Knight of Vengeance" #1, next week's new miniseries by the "100 Bullets" team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso.
Courtesy of Vertigo, CBR presents an exclusive preview of "Spaceman," the latest collaboration from creators Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, debuting May 25 in "Strange Adventures" #1.
Eisner Award winner Brian Azzarello spoke with CBR about his take on the Dark Knight in "Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance" while hinting what's to come in his and Risso's next series for Vertigo, "Spaceman."
DC announced that "Batman Inc." artist Chris Burnham is now exclusive as Eddie Berganza led a wide-ranging discussion with Gail Simone, Scott Snyder, Kevin Maguire, Brian Azzarello, and more at C2E2's DC Universe panel.
In a project teaming the writer with Jim Lee and a host of European artists, Brian Azzarello tells CBR how "Batman: Europa" works to the artistic strengths of the hero and spills details on his "100 Bullets" reunion.
Courtesy of DC Comics, CBR presents exclusive looks at October 13's "Doc Savage" #7 with Brian Azzarello joining Ivan Brandon as co-writer and "Jonah Hex" #60.
NYCC's Vertigo: On the Edge panel saw the announcement of "The Annotated Sandman," a new "Cinderella" miniseries and "The New York Five" while confirming a new book by chef Anthony Bourdain titled "Get Jiro!"
Archives: All | Comic Books | TV/Film | Video Games | Web Comics


text:
Enjoy Free Ground Shipping on all orders for a limited time online only at www.dvf.com. Offer will automatically apply at check out. Promotion valid on shipments within the United States only. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Cannot be applied to previous purchases. See shipping policy.
Free returns on all online orders. Offer excludes gift cards. Only valid when shipping within the U.S. See return policy.
tags, as close as possible to the opening tag. Creation Date: 08/14/2015 -->


text:
New issue now live
Our Spring Books issue is now live on the website. Robert K. Landers writes on Joyce Carol Oates and "pathography"; Leslie Woodcock Tentler looks at John Cornwell's "secret history of confession," The Dark Box; and John F. Haught considers cosmology's new focus on "multiverses." Also, Rita Ferrone writes on the drop in adult baptisms and communions and the fate of the RCIA, while Colleen Gibson asks: How do you tell a vocation director you're scared the life you feel called to may be dying? Find the full table of contents here.
About the Author
Dominic Preziosi is Commonweal's digital editor.
13 comments
- All
- Editor Featured
Rita Ferrone writes: "There are 49 percent fewer adult baptisms today than there were in 2000." That is an outstanding drop. Surely there is more than one reason for it?
Rita's overview of the history of RCIA is wonderful. Rita speculates on possible causes for the decline in adult baptism, such as the popes, the sex-abuse crisis, and perhaps the lack of attention to the problem on the part of American bishops.
My own speculation is that participation in RCIA always has been strongly correlated with Catholic marriage. I believe the most straightforward explanation for the decline in RCIA participation is that Catholic "church weddings" also have been declining. Fewer Catholic weddings means fewer future spouses to be received into the church.
If we ask, "Why are Catholic church weddings declining?" I believe we encounter here the generational drop-off in Catholic participation.
FWIW: we have been experiencing a boomlet for in infant baptisms for the past couple of years. I believe this correlates to a bit of a baby boom that seems to be occuring now.
How can I access the "Lenten reflections" now that they are no longer "trending topics"? Thanks,
Claire, If you click on Joseph A. Komonchak on the list of contributors to the right here, the list
appears, and they're accessible that way..
I've just found out that if you click on "More" on the blue line at the top of the Commonweal website, "Lenten Reflections" will appear in the list.
Hi Jim P., thanks for the affirmation.
Although family unity was the most frequently cited reason for attraction to the church in the bishops' study of the RCIA, those respondents accounted for less than half of the total. The other reasons - like a life event, or search for faith, or need for authentic community - were likely to be compelling to many, quite aside from marriage. So the correlation you speak of is sometimes true and sometimes not.
I think one can also work the correlation the other way. Less openness / interest of a fiance in coming along to the Catholic Church can lead not only to the decision not to seek baptism, but also the decision to forego a church wedding.
That said, generational shifts are a big concern, and by that I mean the decreasing opennness overall. My point of view is that the perspective incarnated in the catechumenal process is able to engage and deepen the nascent faith of those who shy away from or are turned off by certain aspects of institutional religion. So the possibility of RCIA waning is actually a bigger loss than it may seem at first, because there is no other structure quite as well grounded or likely to succeed with the coming generation.
I didn't say this in the column, but those who work in RCIA also have had a lot of push-back from people who insist that content is supreme, and who want to go back to the classroom model. Anecdotal information that I hear all the time suggests however that prospective catechumens do not respond well to such classes, and leave. Is the shrinkage also because more parishes are insisting on a content-driven model, and slighting the aspects of prayer, liturgy and community?
Finally, the RCIA is up for translation next year, and possibly massive diminishment in the process. So I think it's important to consider what has worked and look at the curve downward with care, lest we snuff it out altogether.
I didn't say this in the column, but those who work in RCIA also have had a lot of push-back from people who insist that content is supreme, and who want to go back to the classroom model.
I'm not sure what you mean by "classroom model." Our RCIA consisted of reading articles and then having the leaders explain to us how Catholics were different from Protestants. There was little discussion. Sessions always ended with, "So, do you think you want to keep going with the process?" That strikes me as pretty "classroom."
We also had one mystagogia session that lasted about 30 minutes to see if we had questions. I gather that in other parishes, there are several of these sessions, and they often include members of the parish and provide a chance for new members to get to know their parish family.
If RCIA has been hailed as a big success, I'd had to see what went before it.
Hi Jeanne,
What you describe is pretty much the classroom model. I would not defend it.
If RCIA has been hailed as a big success, I'd had to see what went before it.
Jean - I know that my grandfather converted to the Catholic church via private instruction, in the 1950s (or maybe the 1940s). It was so private that my grandmother and mother (who were already Catholic) didn't even know he had done it, until he announced one Sunday morning that he was going to church with them.
Jim, does your story illustrate that private instruction wasn't any good?
I feel my RCIA started when I was 7 and my friend's dad showed me the crucifix in the family dining room when I asked if I could hold it. He showed me Christ's wounds and told me about Doubting Thomas, and I wanted to know what happened to him because I would have demanded proof, too. I was told that Jesus will always give you the proof you need eventually. It was a wonderful experience, really.
I realize my beefs with RCIA are many, and I've aired them frequently here, but how do you NOT do RCIA like a classroom? There are writing assignments, readings, and lectures. You have to show you have learned the prayers in oral quizzes. You have to get your paperwork in on certain dates (proof of baptism for me, annulments applications for others) or you won't get "processed" and graduate on Easter Vigil with your classmates.
On most Sundays, you have to sit in the "cry room" where someone is supposed to explain the parts of the liturgy to us, but they would only be there blabbing through the readings, and then they went to the sanctuary to receive and stay for the rest of Mass while we watched through a window. It was sort of like being at one of those medical demonstrations.
Sometimes they would come and get us so we could be presented or go through the Rite of Sending. A few weeks before Easter, we were told to go to Mass in the sanctuary, but under no circumstances to get in the Communion line because Father was old and might accidentally give us Communion (and if that happened we needed to give it to one of the RCIA ladies IMMEDIATELY so she could consume it).
When you're in it, you kind of get caught up in the whole thing, and you just kind of move along with the process and, just like school, don't always admit that you're not on board.
Hi, Jean - no, I don't know if it was any good or not - it was before my time. It was the standard thing before RCIA - that's the only reason I shared the story.
The RCIA approach that your parish used is a lot different than what is used in our parish. We don't do quizzes (at least, not that I've heard). And we certainly don't make anyone sit in the cry room - my experience has always been that that's one of the circles of Hell. Our RCIA groups sit in church with the gathered community, and then they're dismissed at the end of the Liturgy of the Word. They do spend some time unpacking the readings and discussing the homily afterward.
As i remember, when a child receives her first Communion she need know only a few basic teachings of the Church -- the very simple stuff that used to be in the First Baltimore Catechism which even a second-grader was expected to be able to read.
Why must adults learn so much more than that or be refused Baptism? Sounds like more material is being taught as hard and fast dogma than really is hard and fast dogma. Surely in missionary lands there aren't such high standards for entry into the Church. Or am I wrong?
Ann, I didn't feel that things were taught as hard and fast dogma, except for the "no abortions or remarriage after divorce under any circumstances, and raise your kids Catholic." I think the idea is that adult converts are hungry for theology and its application in their lives as Catholics see it, and they WANT to spend the months from the October inquiry classes through reception at Easter six months or so later exploring this with their soon-to-be Catholic brethren.
Like any "school," it works only when the teachers are engaged and interested in people instead of ensuring that folks get "processed on time." (Yes, that's how they put it.)
I thought several times about writing to the diocese about the dreadful state of RCIA in the parish, but didn't have the heart. Possibly the Lord works in mysteriious ways, since an effect of the dwindling numbers in the local parish forced it to become a "chapel" of another parish, and all the candidates and catechumens are sent to the other parish for instruction. I hear it is much better there.
Jim, maybe all those weeks in the cry room will transfer into Purgatorial indulgences! I hope so. We sat back there like the heathens we were, watching Communion through the window and listening to babies scream and mothers scold their kids, "Kyler Justin! Get your butt OVER here and leave them donuts alone! Them are for good boys who set still and say their prayers!"


text: This is a tutorial on "How to draw a Protoss from Starcraft". I will go through the steps showing how to construct the shape of the Protoss Zealot from reference images and also how to shade the drawing. For this tutorial I would recommend using pencils from 2B up to 5B, an eraser and sharpener. I would also recommend having some tortillion or some tissue paper for the shading later on. I will give tips on how I shade my drawings and I will also give a few tips on making some interesting effects such as fire and smooth vs rough textures.


text:
Moderators: morphine, SecretSquirrel
If it happens whilst idling, try running without drivers for a few hours - I mean the Microsoft "Standard Display Adapter". If it crashes then you have proof it's not the driver.
It will look like arse, but at least it's not the 640x480, 16-colour uselessness that it used to be.
I'm not sure how much will run without drivers but you should try furmark.
also set your sleep/hibernate/screen-off times much lower in case it's caused by power-saving functions.
Erazor GTX wrote:Thanks for the tip - How long should I let the test run? I'll reinstall the drivers if need be.
In Firefox 4 and above, Firefox Safe Mode also disables hardware acceleration, so the problem could be a video device or driver issue (see below). Try unchecking the option to use hardware acceleration in Firefox ("Tools -> Options -> Advanced / General").
Savyg wrote:I've had that problem with my 6870. It mostly stopped happening when I started manually running the fan at 50% before gaming sessions.
Seems like their fan code isn't pushing it up fast enough in the newer drivers.
(On another note I've had issues with games for a long time before I started doing this, and now they run flawless, so awesome.)
Chrispy_ wrote:"Fan code" is set by each card manufacturer in the GPU BIOS for AMD cards, not the drivers. You're thinking of Nvidia, most likely.....
That would be an issue related to hardware which is controlled by drivers.
As far as I know, there has not been a BIOS update for this card, but I can
check with our engineers. Have you tried installing our video card on
another computer to see if you get the same problem?
-----Original Message-----
From: ***
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 10:01 PM
To: email@example.com
Subject: Diamond Customer Inquiry [ORIGINAL]
subject: 6870 fan speeds
comments: I`m becoming concerned that I never hear my 6870 fan power up
unless I set it to manual control and it`s becoming unstable in heavy gaming
sessions. Has there ever been a BIOS update for this product, or would that
be entirely driver side?
Savyg wrote:Sounds like drivers to me.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


text:
A Bridge Too Far [WS] [Blu-ray] for $5 + free shipping
It's late 1944, and the Allied armies are confident they'll win the World War II and be home in time for Christmas. What's needed, says British general Bernard Law Montgomery, is a knockout punch, a bold strike through Holland, where German troops are spread thin, that will put the Allies into Germany. Paratroops led by British major general Robert Urquhart (Sean Connery) and American brigadier general James Gavin (Ryan O'Neal) will seize a thin road and five bridges through Holland into Germany, with paratroops led by Lieutenant Col. John Frost (Sir Anthony Hopkins) holding the most critical bridge at a small town called Arnhem. Over this road shall pass combined forces led by British Lieutenant Gen. Brian Horrocks (Edward Fox) and British Lieutenant Col. Joe Vandeleur (Michael Caine). The plan requires precise timing, so much so that one planner tells Lieutenant Gen. Frederick Browning (Dirk Bogarde), "Sir, I think we may be going a bridge too far."
3 Comments add a comment
link doesnt work any more
link works now.
"A Bridge Too Far." Caine and Hackman in the same movie. This is my thesis man! This is my closing argument! I CAN STOP WATCHING TV!


text:
The Healthy Masculinity Summit is part of the Healthy Masculinity Action Project (HMAP), the most ambitious undertaking ever to spread the message of healthy, non-violent masculinity across the country. HMAP, a two-year action project, will develop new male leadership that role models strength without violence. Men who are strong and assertive, as well as caring and connected, benefit our loved ones, schools, workplaces, nation, and the world. HMAP kicks off with the summit in Washington, DC, October 17-19, 2012. We will gather the best of the best – male and female leaders, from business to education, from policy to sports, as well as organizations working to prevent violence against women and girls and other forms of violence.
Links:[1] http://getinvolved.mencanstoprape.org/page.aspx?pid=368
[2] http://www.nsvrc.org/event-type/trainings


text:
Civilians don't need semi-automatic or automatic weapons
Not a subscriber? You can purchase a single-day subscription for only $0.75 to read this and access all of our content and our E-Edition. CLICK HERE purchase a single day subscription.
Become an electronic subscriber to the Republican-American for only $8 a month. CLICK HERE.


text: Once I've found the nodal point for a given zoom lens and focal length, are there any consistent guidelines for finding the nodal point for a different focal length for that lens. For example, will an increase from focal length 24 to 50mm always lead to moving the camera forward or backwards? I found after finding the nodal point for 28mm focal length (35mm equivalent), I needed to move the camera forward for 42mm. This actually surprised me, since I was expecting I would have to move the camera backwards on the rail. At 120mm would it then logically be forward even more?


text:
What is the difference between doing just one set and several sets in one training session, if you train to the same level of post training soreness?
Sign up
- Anybody can ask a question
- Anybody can answer
- The best answers are voted up and rise to the top
Don't use soreness to plan sets
The soreness part of your question is distracting you from the proper purpose of set selection. You don't choose sets to find a particular level of soreness, because after the first couple of workouts, soreness is not diagnostic of strength gains. What matters is your ability to recover and lift more in the subsequent workout.
For the first workout(s), yes, pay attention to soreness/stiffness, and don't over-do it. But after that, soreness will lessen (even disappear), and should not be the key factor in deciding how many sets to do in a long-term strength training program.
This is more-so the case for low rep (<6), high weight (90% 1RM) scenarios.
In your case, doing up to 12 reps until you feel sore, you may actually experience soreness during recovery after every workout, but that's a side-effect of the rep range that you've chosen and because you're doing as many reps until you feel sore.
One set vs multiple sets
If you just do one set, that may not reliably reliably make you stronger every workout. It may work for the absolute beginner (which is why you can listen to soreness in your first few workouts), but after a couple of weeks, you need to be doing something that reliably stimulates adaptation. Doing multiple sets (3-5) is needed to reliably stimulate strength gains so that you can lift more in the next workout.
Here are some quotes from Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore on the subject of sets:
If you're happy with getting about 80% of the possible adaptation between each workout, one set may be fine for you.


text:
6 New Personality Disorders Caused by the Internet
#3. Online Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (a.k.a. The Grammar Nazi)
We all reserve the right to mock people who post 500-word blocks of misspelled nonsense. But then you have the situation where somebody posts a perfectly clear and clever message but within their well-articulated points they dare to confuse "your" with "you're." And then somebody will flip the fuck out.
Like a Mossad agent in rural America, you quickly discover that you've found a Nazi. Of the Grammar variety.
In Real Life it's Called...
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, or OCPD.
OCPD should not be confused with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (or, "The OC Disorder"). OCPD shares the obsessive component of OCD, but it is different from OCD in that OCPD has the letter P in its name. That and people with OCPD do not perform the weird ritualistic actions of OCD'ers, like opening a door four times or having to always eat Pringles with the concave side up.
OCPD types simply have an incredibly strict standard by which certain tasks be done, to the point that it literally can lead to violence otherwise.
So Why Does it Happen on the Internet?
At the heart of the real-life OCPD sufferer seems to be an irrational fear that the rest of the world is sloppier, dirtier and more disorganized than it should be, that it's rapidly getting worse, and that the world will fall to pieces unless someone straightens it up.
On the Internet, five minutes spent reading YouTube comments can convince even an average, level-headed person that the Internet is about to suffer the same fate. The old-fashioned holdouts who insist on typing in actual sentences see what seems to be an inexorable move toward a language based entirely on texting abbreviations. It's not hard to feel the desire to take up arms to defend language at all costs. Srsly.
#2. Low Cyber Self-Esteem (a.k.a. The Guy Who Everyone Hates but Who Never Leaves)
There's a place for everyone on the Internet to feel at home. When you can fill a message board with fans of The Wonder Years porn, there should be no such thing as an outcast.
Yet, each forum, chat room or other online community seems to have a person or people who just don't fit in. It's not that they are necessarily horrible people, they're just the square trying to fit into the triangle hole. They get ridiculed constantly.
Now you may figure this is no different than the picked-on nerd in high school, but unlike that kid always getting squished into a locker, these people are free to leave the website at any time.
But they never do.
In Real Life it's Called...
Self-Abasement and/or Attention Seeking Behavior.
Someone with the need for self-abasement feels that they should be perpetually punished for their wrongdoings. They're like the albino that whipped himself in The Da Vinci Code, only instead of drawing blood they draw "Fuck you noobtard" comments. It's either a subconscious way to feel like they're paying back the world for their sins, or they're just so out of self-esteem that they can't muster the energy to defend themselves.
If taken to an extreme, it can even turn into Online Erotic Humiliation where the abuse turns into sexual arousal. So the next time you tell someone to go fuck themselves, you might have just given them the material to do so.
But maybe more common than that is good ol' Attention Seeking Behavior, which every single person who's ever spent just one evening with a child will be familiar with. The outcast, like the child, knows that hate is not the opposite of love, apathy is. All that negative attention is still attention, and the abuse is still several steps better than being ignored.
So Why Does it Happen on the Internet?
So we've established that when you say, in person, "Jimmy, go away, you're a retard" that Jimmy is just happy that somebody used his name and acknowledged his existence. Even if the only reason you used his name was to tell him to go die in a fire.
"Who's a super fag? Jimmy's a super fag, that's right. Go Jimmy!"
But when you type it on a message board, it's that much better. This isn't just attention, but attention that's being broadcast around the globe via the World Wide Web. The "we hate Jimmy" thread on a popular forum might be read by thousands of people. If that many people are reading about him, he must matter (hell, think of all the TV personalities who have made a career out of being hated).
The attention-seeker gets what he wants, and the self-abaser gets an erection big enough to actually interfere with the signal on his wireless keyboard.
#1. Internet Asperger's Syndrome (a.k.a. The Troll)
We can't take credit for this one, blogger and Internet entrepreneur Jason Calacanis coined the term "Internet Asperger's Syndrome" to describe the utter loss of all social rules and empathy that seems to hit some people for no other reason than that they happen to be communicating via keyboard and monitor at the time.
We don't need to retell all of the horror stories. A kid commits suicide on webcam while the trolls cheer him on, Anonymous mocks a suicide victim, some kids fire a baby out of a giant slingshot for a YouTube video (we're not sure if that last one actually happened but it's really just a matter of time).
Normal kids, good grades, no criminal records... but get them in a chat room and suddenly it reads like the transcript to a Charles Manson parole hearing.
In Real Life it's Called...
This rarely diagnosed but often claimed disorder is a mild form of Autism that comes with what seems to be a biological inability to show empathy for other human beings, as well as (and maybe stemming from) an inability to recognize nonverbal cues. They continually do weird, upsetting things because they don't know it's upsetting you. That part of their brain is broken.
People cringe when they hear this term because they know that a large number of the teenagers claiming Asperger's are, in fact, merely dicks.
"I have a fucking disease, OK?"
So Why Does it Happen on the Internet?
Calacanis figured out that people who do all of their communicating online wind up mimicking Asperger's behaviors because they are imposing the same disadvantages on themselves. In both cases, when the ability to see nonverbal responses and facial expressions goes away, so does empathy. Soon the thing you're communicating with isn't a person, they're just a bunch of words on a screen. A bunch of words that the little bastard didn't even bother to spellcheck.
When not writing for Cracked, Jonathan writes for TheLastGaffe.com.
To see how we can stop these assholes, check out 5 Ways to Stop Trolls From Killing the Internet. And find out about some the stuff they can pull off, in 8 Awesome Cases of Internet Vigilantism.
Or, visit the Cracked.com Top Picks to see what we're looking at instead of working.


text:
Phone: 503-823-5185
Fax: 503-823-7576
1120 SW Fifth Ave, Suite 800, Portland, OR 97204
Phone: 503-823-5185
Fax: 503-823-7576
1120 SW Fifth Ave, Suite 800, Portland, OR 97204
Learn about Portland's efforts to develop a comprehensive approach to DUII including prevention, enforcement, adjudication, and treatment. Contact Sharon at email@example.com for information about quarterly meetings of the Portland/Multnomah County DUII Working Group.
Community members charged with raising awareness of DUII issues, encouraging communities to address DUII in an organized & systematic manner, generating public support for increased enforcement of laws, and educating the public about the dangers of DUII.
Access to information including the "Mobile DUII Processing Center" (36' motorhome retrofitted with equipment & supplies to test and process impaired drivers), links to statistics, impaired driving laws, and more.
Information about a new law that, if passed, would expand the definition of an "intoxicant" to cover commonly abused drugs such as Nyquil and Robitussin.
2009 KATU.com news story that questions the 1987 Oregon Supreme Court ruling that banned "sobriety checkpoints" on constitutional grounds.
Listing of accomplishments from January 2006 through June 2009.
Overview of the process a person will go through if they are suspected of DUII or charged with DUII and the fees associated with diversion and sanctions.
Data for the attached tables come from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System ("FARS" formerly Fatal Accident Reporting System) operated by the National Highway Safety Administration.
PSU report that examines the problem, current practices, best practices, and potential strategies for implementing prevention, enforcement, treatment, enforcement and adjudication to address DUII.


text:
Can you think of an image, whether technical or nontechnical, available for viewing online that says a lot about what you think mathematics or a particular field of mathematics is all about?
For instance, some look at Hokusai's "Great Wave" as evoking a notion of fractals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa2.jpg
There is some interesting discussion of this here, http://www.squarecirclez.com/blog/math-in-art-hokusais-the-wave/595


text:
Patriotic Craft Activities for Kids
Kids can celebrate Presidents' Day, the Fourth of July, and other civic holidays in style with our great patriotic decorations. They'll learn about America, its history, and the holidays, while creating colorful crafts.
1 of 6
Egg Carton Uncle Sam
Save your empty egg cartons and teach your children the importance of recycling with this fun Uncle Sam craft activity.
Cut 4 cups from your carton — these will be used for your head and torso. Paint two of the cups blue and glue the open ends together. Next, paint the other two cups with a flesh-colored paint, and glue the open ends together as well.
Glue the flesh-colored cups horizontally on top of the blue cups to create a torso with a head on it (see picture.) Paint or glue eyes and a nose onto the head, and add white yarn for whiskers and hair.
Cut arms, hands, and feet out of construction paper, and attach them to the body.
Finally, make a red and white striped hat out of construction paper. Cut two circles from white construction paper, making one smaller than the other. Glue the larger circle to the top of Uncle Sam's head. Roll a piece of white paper and tape it closed to create the main part of the hat. Add red stripes using a crayon or marker, and glue it on top of the base. Add the smaller circle on top to close the hole and trim it to be the same diameter as the hole to complete your hat.
Next: Patriotic Hat


text:
Bayern Munich
As I have no idea how to make groups etc, I would appriciate it if someone else could do that for the above.
Last edited by arsenal_2111; 18-02-2009 at 20:42.
Nice to see the updates to the wiki page. Great job with all the additions.
Now, since I'm finally home after a snowy day, time to update that MLS page to be the greatest piece of English written since Shakespeare!
Just started making a Wycombe Wanderers page. Nobody edit it please as i will finish it tomorrow. I'm really tired and i'm going to bed. See the updated site and you guys in the morning. Feel free anybody to create and edit pages for other League 2 sides, but DO NOT EDIT WYCOMBE WANDERERS PAGE AS I WILL FINISH IT TOMORROW.
Well done lads, great work. Looking better and better, we've out-done the last one in turns of simplicity and accesibilty so well done
Peter, did you change the colour scheme a few minutes ago? I changed it back just for now.
I thought I ought to ask what colour scheme do you all think would be best? If we can reach a general agreement then we'll change it. If not, we better leave it as it is for now.
So, what's everone's opinion on the current look & feel of the site?
May have been Jod, I have give him as much freedom as you. Maybe we should discuss before editing?
Yeah, that was me. I was wondering how it went back. The colour is fine the way it is in my opinion and not really the most important thing to me anyway as long as the font is legible. I was just checking to see what other colours would look like and I don't think there is a preview button for that so I had to save it but was going to put it back. I wasn't going to change the colour without asking first.
Count me in too CP
Is there a more Sports Interactive colour? Like, blue, white and black? That would be good. Although it may look like Estonia's flag.
Just an idea for this thread; maybe put the link to the wiki in the opening post? Therefore people who look at the thread can quickly see what we're talking about and hopefully generate a bit more interest.
Yes, CaptainPlanet, would you mind. I hope you noticed in the Wiki that I mentioned that you are the reason this was set up
Seriously though lads, do what you like and we can always change it back and discuss the reasons here
I don't really like the current one, looks very boring. Would change it to a darker blue, keep the background of the writing white and the writing black.
There you go, SI colours
That yellow is hideous
Is it possible to put security on the wiki? What i mean is that, for example when a colour scheme is decided upon, is there anything to stop Joe Bloggs coming along and changing it (as well as other things to the detriment of the site)?
I was just picking a colour from the logo and seeing what it would look like. I don't like that colour either to be honest and I was trying different shades to see would it make a difference. I'll try something else.
By the way, is everyone happy with the theme. There are 4 different ones so will I change that or leave it as it is?
Who made the page yellow?
Added some competition info to the MLS page.
The big one (CONCACAF Champions League) will be written at a later date.
First post updated.
The dark blue is an improvement, but it isn't exactly easy on the eyes.
Thank you CaptainPlanet, you're a legend.
As I said above (You might have missed it as I edited in after I posted) is everyone happy with the theme. There are 4 different ones so will I change that or leave it as it is?
I prefer a dark blue. Please, no green.
I second ahumfcwafc, original colour was fine...
Bit bland though in my opinion... too 'the same'
You big girl
Btw, why aren't I an admin Peter? Bit rude, don't you think?
That is the Aquafluid theme. It also links the pages at the side.
Last edited by jod123; 18-02-2009 at 22:58.
The thing down the side looks a pile of rubbish in that one, navigation looks mucked.
I got rid of the navigation thing down the side, is that alright with everyone?
That is the Bubble one but it is nearly the same as the first one.
My favourite is the one we had before all the changes.
I liked the original best. I also like the layout of our links at the moment. Well done again lads for all the work.
The themes all seemed pretty similar anyway so i think, like the others, the original one was best.
Everyone happy with that then?
I mean colours and theme.
Am happy
For people that add the leagues, could you add it to the front page using the formula 'country - league' to keep it neat, thanks
I like the theme, but I still find the colours a bit dull.
Then again, I'm hard to please. The girlfriend will tell you that
The links, text and menus like where it says manage wiki at the bottom.
You cannot actually change the white part behind the text.
And you not joining the wiki, arsenal?
I have sent out invites to everyone that edited or made an article. You mightn't get an invite if you haven't validated your account yet by clicking the activation link you get in your e-mail.
Please tell me if you haven't been given an invite, or just request one through the site.
How could I forget! You & smallmac are in now.
'twas Alan, the attention we are getting is good, hopefully we can get a link somewhere more noticable.
One problem we have is that our wiki doesn't come up when you Google it. I suppose it will only get up to the first page as soon as we get enough views.
Could we ask Neji to add it to the Notice board at the top? Just to get more people alert, when it has more views it could be taken down.
I guess we could all be super cool and put it in our Locations
We've had over 800 viewers today, not bad at all
Definitely not bad, I would put it at the top of the page.
Are we going to add links to the other club articles to the home page?
A little help please. I just created an article about CA and PA, but not sure how to put it into the Editing section?
pnefc22 said that he has already done articles on CA & PA, & that it was only a matter of just postng them up. Maybe you two should have a look at both of your articles & come up with the best article combined?
OK thanks guys. Also what is the standard font used?
Good article mate, if that's yours
Just made all the club articles so there are links to their leagues from the home page now.


text:
Students are assigned mailboxes by the computer with completing registration. The class enrollment printout will include the student's box # and combination. It is also online under my.oc.edu.
Most students will have to share a mailbox with another student. Therefore, please do not address mail to a box# only or to a nickname - please use the whole name.
Certified or register mail is recommended for plane tickets, legal documents, and other items of importance that the post office can trace if necessary. Students must sign for and show an ID to receive these items.
Large envelopes (that cannot fit into mailboxes) and packages must be signed by the student.
Large envelopes that should not be bent or rolled (such as those containing pictures) should be labeled: DO NOT BEND


text:
Bear's Comics Chat + Bento! Bento!
Location:St. Helena Branch
Date & Time:Saturday, June 22, 2013 - 10:30am – 1:30pm
Bring your own comics and chat about your special comics with the owner of Bear's Comics of Bluffton. Later, take a bite out of your own favorite superhero or shonen manga character. Join us for the ultimate creative food event--crafting kyaraben for your own bento lunch. All supplies provided. (Bear's Chat: 10:30-11:30am, Bento: 12:00-1:30pm).


text:
A colorful, seasonal quiche for Thanksgiving
This simple, colorful quiche is jammed with seasonal vegetables and has just enough rich gruyere to make it taste indulgent. But the most indulgent aspect of this recipe is that it can be prepared and baked the day before, meaning you have one less dish to worry about on the big day. Just pop it into a 300 F oven for 10 to 15 minutes to warm right before serving.


text:
I currently have a NN sph 1-i (or maybe it's j) which worked fine with my older camera. Now that I have upgraded to a Nikon D50 and am attempting to do panoramas with the 18-55mm kit lens I've found that the upper arm isn't high enough to allow for full rotation up to get the Zenith shot. So, it looks like it's time to upgrade... What I want to know is if the newer versions of NN such as the NN3/NN3-II upper arm height is high enough to allow full rotation of the camera/lens to get the Zenith shot or if it's the same height as I have now?
I have to say that I am impressed with the quality of construction along with the ease of use when it comes to this panoramic head. I have looked at other options, but anything in the same price range just doesn't seem to stand up to this model so I plan on sticking with the NN family. If it will make my life easier to upgrade I'll save up and do that, but if I will run into the same problem, I'll stick with what I have and put the money towards a 10.5mm fisheye lens.
Thanks in advance.


text:
Meet and Communicate with Fun Singles Near You on BlackSingles.com
Register now to search thousands of members and post your FREE profile!
See who's on BlackSingles.com:
now retired,and looking for companion for company to enjoy life. enjoy some travel, dancing, photography, and arts. easy going, lazy at...
douglas6 is a 73yr-old single man in Winnipeg, ManitobaView Profile


text:
How to say that the lowest temperature will be around 0°C (e.g. -1°C ~ 1°C)?
My attempt is:
How to say that the lowest temperature will be around 0°C (e.g. -1°C ~ 1°C)?
My attempt is:
As fefe has mentioned, you could use "在"…左右 /上下/ 附近 to describe a range near some position, somewhat like describing locations.
It is not needed for exact values.
For estimated values, you may also use 約 (about) to indicate uncertainty.
It is worth noting that Celsius is omitted in all examples above, since Celsius is usually the only tempreture scale employed. Other scales, such as Fahrenheit and Kelvin, only exist in special contexts like academic research. You may use …°C (pronounced "度 C") or 攝氏…度 if explicitness is needed.
Here is an example video for daily usages. In this weather forecast (YouTube video) of Next TV, Taiwan, the reporter uses
to express the tempreture lowers to tempretures near 24°C.
Sidenote: Please note that she also uses
to indicate the lowest temperature would touch a lower bound of 17°C. This is mainly used in Taiwan for weather and stock reports. It is not used in China and usually would be interpreted as lower by 17 degrees rather than lower to 17°C.
There is only one defect in your attempt, we would say:
We would say
where the 'will be' is ignored. Furthermore,
becomes the predicate.


text:
Hi, i wonder if there are interesting proofs about $S_n$ (group theoretic or not) using its character table. Using the Murnaghan-Nakayama rule you can for example prove that for $n>4$ $A_n$ is the only normal subgroup of $S_n$ because there are no nonlinear characters $x$ and $g$(not 1) in $S_n$ with $ x(g)=x(1)$, since $x(1)>x(g) $ . Do you know any other nontrivial theorems about $S_n$ with a proof using its charactertable ?
In an answer to an earlier question, I showed how to prove that the square root counting function $r_2: S_n\rightarrow \mathbb{N},\;g\mapsto \#\{h\in S_n|h^2=g\}$ assumes its maximum at the identity, using the representation theory of $S_n$. Admittedly, you need to know slightly more than the character table. You need to be able to compute the Frobenius-Schur indicators of the characters, so you need to know how the conjugacy classes multiply. Alternatively, you just need to know that all representations are defined over $\mathbb{R}$, which you prove along to way to computing the character table anyway. In a comment to my answer, Richard Stanley remarks that, also using the representation theory of $S_n$, you can generalise this to the $k$-th root counting function for any positive integer $k$. In an answer to the same question, Alon Amit remarks on possible generalisations to solving other polynomial equations in the elements of $S_n$.
I'm not sure if you will consider this nontrivial, but from the character table you can very quickly show that the number of conjugacy classes of even permutations is always greater than or equal to the number of conjugacy classes of odd permutations.
One just applies the general fact that the sum of the entries in any row of a character table (not weighted by the size of the conjugacy class) is a nonnegative integer (because the character $\chi ( \pi ) = \frac{\# S_n}{\# C_\pi}$, where $C_\pi$ is the set of conjugates of the permutation $\pi$, corresponds to an actual representation, namely, take a vector space with basis $\{ e_\pi \mid \pi \in S_n\}$ and define $g(e_\pi) = e_{g \pi g^{-1}}$ for $g \in S_n$) to the sign character.
The following is not strictly speaking something that can be read off from the character table. However, it is an elementary combinatorial identity about partitions which one can deduce from understanding the character theory of symmetric groups well enough, and looking at the character table does play a central role:
For $\lambda \vdash n$ a partition of $n$ (i.e., $n = 1 \lambda_1 + 2 \lambda_2 + \cdots + n \lambda_n$) define $$ A(\lambda) = \prod_{i=1}^{n} n^{\lambda_n}, \qquad B(\lambda) = \prod_{i=1}^{n} (\lambda_n)! $$ Claim: $$\prod_{\lambda \vdash n} A(\lambda) = \prod_{\lambda \vdash n} B(\lambda) $$
The character-theoretic proof proceeds as follows:
Putting together 2, 4, 5 we obtain $$ \det(M)^2 = \prod_{\lambda \vdash n} A(\lambda) B(\lambda) = \left(\prod_{\lambda \vdash n} B(\lambda)\right)^2 $$ and so the claimed identity.
Because all the entries in the character table are integers and not just algebraic integers, you get that a proof that every permutation $\sigma$ of order $n$ is conjugate to all $\sigma^j$ for $j$ coprime to $n$. (Of course, one usually uses this in the opposite direction, to deduce that all entries are integers!)


text:
I have two questions, the first less important.
Let $X$ be a scheme, $x \in X$ a schematic point.
What is an elegant way of defining/characterizing the map $\operatorname{Spec}(O_{X,x}) \to X$?
This map can be defined by choosing affine neighbourhood, building the map and then showing independence; maybe there is a better way? For example a characterization which will make sense for locally ringed spaces (but existence perhaps will not be in that generality).
Now, suppose furthermore that $X$ is integral, $x \in X$ is a closed point, $U=X-\{x\}$. We denote by $K$ the field of rational functions on $X$, i.e. stalk at the generic point.
$$ \begin{matrix} \operatorname{Spec}(K) & \to & U \\\\ \downarrow & & \downarrow \\\\ \operatorname{Spec}(O_{X,x}) & \to & X \end{matrix} $$
Is it true that this diagram is cartesian and co-cartesian?
If one can require more to get the result then it is also interesting (say pushout is in the category of schemes of certain type, or $X$ is a non-singular curve over a field...).
Thanks, Sasha


text:
Home > Food > Recipes > Mixed Mushroom and Walnut Tart
Mixed Mushroom and Walnut Tart
Categories: Big-Batch Meals, Entertaining, Party Snacks
Type: Appetizers and Snacks
Type: Appetizers and Snacks
Mix mushrooms and walnuts to make a scrumptious tart everyone will love.
Prep Time: 15M
Cooking Time: 1H
Serves: Serves 6
- 1 sheet prepared dough for an 8-9in (20-23cm) pie
- all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, plus 1 extra yolk, lightly beaten, for egg wash
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- 5oz (140g) fresh exotic or wild mushrooms (such as porcini or shiitake), coarsely chopped
- 7oz (200g) cultivated mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup walnut halves and pieces, coarsely chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Save Recipe
Add to shopping list
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface, and use to line a 14 × 5in (35 × 12.5cm) fluted rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim away the excess, line the pastry shell with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden. Remove the beans and paper, brush the bottom of the shell with a little of the egg wash, and return to the oven for 2-3 minutes to crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).
- Heat the oil in a large deep-sided frying pan over low heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and walnuts, and season well with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms release their juices. Add the spinach, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until just wilted. Spoon the mixture into the pastry shell.
- Mix together the cream and the 2 eggs. Season well with salt and pepper. Carefully pour the cream mixture over the mushroom filling. Season with a pinch of pepper, and bake for 15-20 minutes until set. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing the sides from the pan. Serve hot or cold.
excerpted from:
Excerpted from The Illustrated Quick Cook.
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited.
Buy this book now!
Sign-Up Now!
Sign up to save recipes or create shopping lists online.
Already registered? Login here
Cooking Tips
Loading the player...
More Videos:


text:
Packaging Product: Stretch wrapper system uses less
October 20, 2010 - MMH Editorial
No film break (NFB) stretch wrapping machines use a film delivery system that seamlessly and consistently wraps loads without breakage. Offered on two models—the RS-6000 and NFB S-automatic—the technology secures loads with twice the containment force as conventional wrappers. The system lowers film costs by requiring fewer revolutions to stabilize loads, translating into a reduction of 30% less film used. By requiring fewer equipment adjustments, the unit also provides more uptime. Lantech, 800-866-0322, www.lantech.com.