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In the Holiness of Truth
Rod Dreher has written a moving testimony to his decision, along with his family, to enter the Orthodox church. It makes for painful, but ultimately liberating reading.
In a previous posting, I wrote of Edith Stein and Carmelite spirituality. The heart of her spirituality was the single-minded search for truth, and its ultimate revelation in the person of Jesus Christ.
Dreher shows that he has sat attentively in the school of Carmel. Here is part of what he says:
I hope at least you will pray for me and my family, and with me for theultimate unity of Orthodoxy and Catholicism (by the way, I took as mypatron saint in Orthodoxy Benedict of Nursia, who as a pre-schism saintis also revered by the Orthodox; I also chose him in part to honor PopeBenedict, whom I cherish). I hope also that my own example willencourage others -- Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant -- to lookseriously into their hearts, and detach themselves from both idolizingthe Church in the place of Christ -- this is partly what led to theScandal, and partly what led me to put myself in a position where theScandal destroyed my Catholicism. And I hope my example helps people todeal swiftly with anger before it masters them.
Prior to Vatican II, seminarians were instructed to recite the following prayer while vesting: "Clothe me, o Lord, with the new man, who is being recreated in God's image, in justice and holiness of truth."
We can all join in that heartfelt prayer, for the Dreher family and for ourselves, as we seek to know and do the Lord's will -- in holiness and in truth.
About the Author
Rev. Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is Associate Professor of Theology Emeritus at Boston College.
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Fr. Imbelli,Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I also believe the health of the Church requires reunion, and one can only respect those who follow their consciences. I agree whole-heartedly that we must all "detach themselves from idolizing the Church in the place of Christ ", althought I would prefer a slightly different formulation--but I think really a complementary one--we must not idolize the Bishop of Rome and make him the center of the Church, where Christ should be. But I am not persuaded that joining the Eastern Orthodox is required to do this.
Wow. I don't believe all Orthodox bishops are like that. If so I want to be Orthodox. As sick as I am about the sex abuse crisis I did not realize it was as bad as Dreher shows. Power and abusive sex make for darkness indeed.Does anybody know more about the Orthodox. I will check them out.Perhaps we need the prayers more than Dreher.
Clicking on the link to "moving testimony" I'm getting a "SORRY, THE PAGE YOU REQUESTED WAS NOT FOUND" error message. Could someone please e-mail me, off-list, the article in question?TIA,Maurice
Please send via my e-mail link a cut-and-paste of his post, if you have it anywhere. Thanks a bunch.Is it interesting to see how many Mainline Protestants and Evangelicals have been drawn to Orthodox churches. What I have heard from the people with whom I have spoken about this topic is that people ritual and transcendence, but they do not seek the Roman eccclesiastical structure because it is too centralized for their liking.Pray for Rod and his family because some neo-Feeneyites have come out of the woodwork and really tried to come after him with multiple swords. It's a black mark on us and our lack of tolerance.
"...detach themselves from...idolizing the Church in the place of Christ..."How true! I must say I see this behavior in those who want to return to pre-Vatican II thought and practice. "Orthodox Catholicism," they say. Hah!We laity need to take charge and steer the Church back to its primitive roots. God knows, the last and current popes, Vatican minions, and reactionary bishops appointed by JPII don't want to do so.
Dreher's piece ought to be required reading for all US bishops.
It;s interesting that this piece arrives the same weekend as the documentary "Deliver From Evil."At the same time, in the new America on line, there is another reuyttal to Marci Hamilton's article in September there on what we've learned from the sex abuse crisis -another rebuttal from catholic leadershoip.The stunning thing is the lack of insight by the hierarchy here (and their close followers) on how much hurt people see in their oversight failures.Yesterday, tom Doyle spoke in Philadelphia at a conference on this topic headed by the Philadelphia DA. He urged the prosecution of former bishop(Cardinal) Belivaqua.Anyone who has followed this sad chapter in American (and irish and Australian) church history in particular can only begin to wonder how deep the disconnect between the still Eucahristic faithful and the hieracchy is.
"I had become the sort of Catholic who thought preoccupying himself with Church controversies and Church politics was the same thing as preoccupying himself with Christ."I find that statement to be the telling aspect of Rod's need for change. Maybe the rest of us who spend too much time haunting these blogsites are guilty of the same things.I thank God every day that I am in a parish that seems to lack the problems of being too "liberal" or too "conservative." I had to experience a lot of parishes before I found mine. It was worth it. The foolishness that one should (must?) attend one's geographical parish has been proven wrong for way too long. I simply dont see how people can waste their time by attending a parish that is too large or too orthodox or too progressive. There will always be points of disagreement about things, usually unimportant things. The point is to find a place were the community supports me and I can support the community. My Jesus and me is not a theological approach that I accept. It has to be Our Jesus and us in order to be effective.I just hope that Rod and family can adjust to the liturgical, church governance and parish size changes. But most of all I hope they find the peace of soul that is getting harder and harder to find in Roman Catholicism any more.
Alas, for some reason Belief net took it off its site or placed it elswhere. Will someone send me the whole article or post it. I should have saved it.
Rod told me that Beliefnet is doing a big redesign - to be unvelied either Sunday or Monday - and his blog is screwy there because of that. Once the redesign is posted and done, the post should reappear and not disappear again.
Dear Robert,I would be interested to hear why you consider Rod's essay "liberating." What does that word mean to you? Is it because you understand him to have given persuasive and truthful *reasons* for leaving? This seems to me the only valid grounds on which to deem his experience as "liberating."
Dear mlj -- is there a first name? I feel I'm communicating with a corporation:):You raise a fair question. Here's an attempt to speak to it.The prayer with which I ended my original posting and from which I took its title -- "In the Holiness of Truth" -- comes from Ephesians 4:24.The verses which immediately follow read: "Therefore, putting away falsehood, let everyone speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil!"I read Mr. Dreher's "confession" as a moving attempt to speak the truth as he had come to see it, and to put away the falsehoods which had imprisoned him. Falsehoods like anger, illusion, even idolatry.As a member of Christ, I rejoice in his liberation and take courage from his example to be a bit more honest about the illusions and angers which still bind and blind me."Leavings" in this case are rather beside the point.
Fr. Shawn O'Neal,I tried sending you the text of the blog post; to [email protected], which is the address mentioned with your post. But the mail has bounced. Is that the correct address.?(I am getting the page properly from the link. So may be the site is ok now.)Sunil Korah
I was finally able to read this. I confess that Dreher wrote to me sometime last year in response to a post I made somewhere else, about the fact that I decided not to raise my children as Catholics (they can always change my decision on their own behalf). I didn't respond -- new baby -- not sure what to say -- but I remembered it as I read through his article. My husband is not Catholic, and I think it's a shock to Catholics when they realize that this sense of "community" or camaraderie is pretty typical in smaller denominations or congregational churches. It's also why such churches tend to burn out after only a couple of generations. But I wonder, in a larger context, whether in fact, the church was always supposed to be a series of smaller cells that catered to the personal faith of the congregants -- if that, in fact, was what was meant by love (or caritas) being the most important quality -- and that no matter how intellectually compatible a person might find the dogman of this or that denomination, the concept of "orthodoxy" as we might call it will never be sufficient for true Christian formation and faith. I was troubled, also, by his own focus on the form of worship over the substance of belief. But perhaps in a larger institutional setting, this is all we ever have to go on. Surely that's not a good thing.And he's right about the suffering of innocent priests. I have certainly seen this in my own parish, with the best feeling the kind of anguish that the worst should but are not feeling.I certainly wish Rod and his family the best.
Sunil:Thank you for the offer and for telling me about your problems sending the article to my address.I received it from another person who posts here, but I truly appreciate your offer.
Conservative or liberal, weve all been affected by the abuse crisis, and the more you learn about it, the worse it seems to get. There is no end to the damage it is doing. Dreher and his family seem to be doing their best to find a spiritual home. If they decide to stay among the Eastern Orthodox I hope one day they and their community will be re-united with us. The impulse to --if not idolize the Church--_ at least idealize it can express itself in different ways. Catholics like the Drehers who saw themselves as members of a winning team chosen to lead the Church back to purity and virtue, and who set such store on loyalty to the hierarchy, must feel a special anguish and shock when suddenly forced to see the institution and its leaders in a different light. Other Catholics, I think, have long been expressing a similar grief in what probably seems to their more Conservative brethren a noisy obsession with the failures of an institutional church they cant seem to forgive for not being more perfect. There seems to be more than enough heartbreak for all of us.
"But I wonder, in a larger context, whether in fact, the church was always supposed to be a series of smaller cells that catered to the personal faith of the congregants -- if that, in fact, was what was meant by love (or caritas) being the most important quality -- and that no matter how intellectually compatible a person might find the dogman of this or that denomination, the concept of "orthodoxy" as we might call it will never be sufficient for true Christian formation and faith. "Donna, this is mostly the way it was before Ireaneus and others decided that everyone should be like them. In truth this has harmed the church. And make no mistake about it. The only reason we are able to express ourselves in this era is because of democracy. The Reformation would have never taken place if dukes and princes did not give support.
That was Barbara's quote, Bill. I just got here. :-)I'm repeating some of what I said in response to another question in another thread, but here are the quotes that stood out for me:....giving tacit permission for conservative, orthodox Catholics to discuss the matter, and to say in public about the bishops' handling of the matter what they had mostly only been saying in private, but feared to voice because they didn't want to be seen as disloyal......who wrote of the pain and suffering they had undergone because either they or a close family member had been molested by a priest, and their diocese had covered it up and even attacked them when they sought justice.There was the woman who, along with other women, had to clean Vaseline off the altar in her parish in the mornings after the priest there ....had been doing God knows what the night before.The woman couldn't be persuaded to go public, because she still works for the Church, and said she had children to support.If WE are Church, then where are WE in all of this? What is our responsibility to our children? We talk of idolizing the Church over Christ. What about our children? Do we care for them at all or are they at the bottom of the list entirely? Do we care only for our own and not for the children of others?Here's what amazes me.....the sexual abuse scandal hit my parish like so many others. The pastor (who I've known since I was 15) was removed from the parish and ultimately defrocked. Once the report became public, people who worked in the rectory started talking as did others who were deeply involved in parish politics. Where they were over the course of the last 15 years is anybody's guess, but all of a sudden they had lots to say.The new pastor arrived and made significant changes to the rectory to more clearly delineate the rectory's business from the priests' private living space. Teenagers who used to work in the rectory after hours and on weekends were only permitted to work during office hours when other staff members were present. The CYO was disbanded because they could not get ANY parent volunteers to help run the group and instead left it to one of the parish priests to run by himself. And you know who complained? The parents. One priest and over a dozen teenagers alone in the gym one night a week and not one parent thought it worth their time to be present? One teenager in a house full of priests until 10 or 11 at night and parents were angry because the new pastor wouldn't hire their kids? WTF?! I'm not suggesting that children were walking into a den of inquity every time they crossed the threshold to the rectory, but come on! These were good priests and they were terrified! The priests didn't want to take the risk of being falsely accused or thought of as doing anything improper. One would think parents would be more wary of the situations they were exposing their children to. Even the altar servers can't get a parent volunteer on board!If we are not willing to challenge ourselves to speak up, if we are not willing to reach out to our fellow parishioners and help them speak up, then we are not much better than the church hierarchy.
Father Imbelli,I hope you will not find this impertinent, but I think the "leavings" is exactly what this is all about.I hesitated talking about Mr Dreher. I don't know him and I don't read his blog or his articles that much, and I have found much of the reaction to his recent conversion a bit mean spirited. Yet he has made his decision a subject of discussion, and so I will discuss it and try and be charitable.I agree that his "confession" of his own anger and frustration and possibly idolization of the Church is thought provoking and heartfelt, but doesn't his response in leaving the Church negate the whole thing? Is the right response understanding and forgivess, or just getting a divorce. I know he seems to think he tried to make peace and get the Church to change, but as either strikingly arrogant or naive. There is no such thing as a Catholic who hasn't been disappointed or let down by the institutional church in some way, but why leave? The only reason I think you leave is that you don't believe what the Church proposes for our belief. I remain Catholic because I believe the Church is THE One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, not just the best among several choices. I don't really see Mr. Dreher identifying what it is about what the Church teaches that he disagrees with. Another point that I think is interesting is the reaction here, in what is considered a "progressive: Catholic blog. Mr. Dreher's statement of his reasons for leaving the Church seems to be two-pronged the first is about the abuse situation and an unresponsive heirarchy - which is what I am reading about here. The other seems to be that Mr. Dreher doesn't find the American Church orthodox enough for his taste, which seems curiously absent as a topic for discussion here.I wonder if he had left to join an SSPX parish instead would the treatment have been so sympathetic?
Sean,It is important to keep in mind that Dreher was a 'doctrinal' Catholic as he pointed out. Could you tell me where Jesus stressed doctrine over practice. Practically zero.The one who does the Will of my Father is his constant refrain, over Mary, his family, over everything.Doing God's will is in Matt 25:31-46, the Good Samaritan lesson and the Widow's mite. If doctrine is not on Christ's lips, why should it be on ours?It is: "Let us express our faith in God through Christ, exhibited in love."
Sorry for too many posts. But the comments of Neuhaus on Rod Drehers change should be paid attention to. http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=500The more we understand the present structure of the future the more we can unite to do something about it.
Sean HApparently you did not read Mr. Dreher's explanation for the grounds he found for actually opting for Orthodoxy over Roman Catholicism. He says that he looked into the history of Vatican I and decided that it was somehow illegitimate and the Bishop of Rome is not infallible. That, he felt, provide room for him to opt for Orthodoxy. Remember that he and his wife are converts to Catholicism from Protestantism, if I remember aright, 13 years ago. Clearly he now thinks he should have chosen Orthodoxy over Romanitas (my choice of words, not his). He does not mention Jaroslave Pelikan's conversion from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy, but I wonder whether it had any effect on his thinking. In any case I suspect you think he made a mistake. AlI have to say is that I respect his decision. I would not be inclined to follow it.
Bill,I have seen you make this distinction before, and I don't get it. Doctrine is synonymous with catechisis - the teachings of the Church. The teachings of the Church and the practice of the faith, while not the same thing, are inextricably connected. Don't I have to both accept the doctrines and practice Christian charity?
Sean, the Catholic encyclopedia gives the traditional explanation, which to a thinking person are difficult to accept. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05089a.htmCertainly, I accept the existence of God and the resurrection of Christ as dogma. Otherwise , our faith is meaningless and we are to be pitied indeed as Paul tells us.Just a cursory review of history reveals how Augustine let orthodoxy harm his fellow Christians--he got non-Christians to hurt and kill fellow Christians because they did not think like him.Athanasius shows another abuse of ecclesiastical ambition if deceitfully organizing his becoming the Arch-bishop at the age of twenty. He then proceeded to lose and to to regain that job with a guile that would make Richelieu proud.Most of the bishops and popes, save for Gregory I and Leo I were quite wordly and ambitious--certainly not spiritual men.The present scandal in the church is not so much that it is new--rather it is that Catholic people will not settle for answers which are obviously lies. Jesus Christ lives because of our faith and our actions not because we have to believe what a certain class dictates.Sadly, we have cultivated a clergy with privilege and comfort and have not demanded more.Donna keeps repeating that we should demand nothing but the best from our priests. We should challenge them as well as comfort them.
Donna,Yopu said"If WE are Church, then where are WE in all of this? What is our responsibility to our children?""If we are not willing to challenge ourselves to speak up, if we are not willing to reach out to our fellow parishioners and help them speak up, then we are not much better than the church hierarchy."Of course, you are right, in my opinion. Those among the laity who knew, but did not speak up, surely failed in their responsibility.But having said that, I think it is not wrong to expect a higher standard from people in positions of authority and responsibility. So if priests and bishops have behaved in an unchristian manner they are bound to be found fault with.
Here we have the nuclear core of Bill's position:>>Jesus Christ lives because of our faith and our actions.<
"So if priests and bishops have behaved in an unchristian manner they are bound to be found fault with."They certainly should, but the guilt of one does not excuse the guilt of another.It's the same principle that comes up in those frustrating political debates where someone states where a member of one party has erred and the immediate response is to point out where a member of the opposing party also erred.As though that made any difference.The laity cannot be forgiven for their silence just because the clergy who aided and abetted the abuse were bigger screwups.The laity cannot be forgiven if their silence continues because it is in their silence that the clergy will find tacit permission to maintain the status quo.
I am sorry, Sean, but when Catholics fight over semantics (and that's what it looks like to non-Catholics), they have lost the plot of their faith. My point above is that faith is something more than cognition, but when cognition (or orthodoxy or whatever you want to call it) is what guides you, as it appears to have guided Rod Dreher (just guessing based on my overall assessment), you are bound to be disappointed because even Paul recognized that it wasn't enough. The most telling passage of that article is when Rod states that he assumed that when he became Catholic he would become enmeshed in a community of mutually sustaining believers very much like the community his wife had experienced growing up as an Evangelical. "I believe therefore I will be emotionally fulfilled" is not a deliverable promise on its own terms. And I guess I find this especially sad because he is a convert and I imagine that many converts share his hopes and convictions.
Barbara,Why is it an either or proposition? That was my point. Faith preceeds reason, but it doesn't contradict it - it can't. The doctrines of the Church are not in conflict with what we need to do be good Christians. They are two sides of the same coin - not two different things.My experience with converts is often the opposite of what you are saying. They frequently come from traditions that are all about feeling with little or no doctrine. Most of those I know were looking for the Truth, and many miss the emotional aspect of the tradition they left but prefer the fullness of the faith.Anyone who has done through a conversion experience knows how fickle emotions and the feeling of being "filled with the spirit" can be. Unless we bring the intellect and the will to bear on our Faith we are bound to loose it, or to make it nothing more than a warm, fuzzy, God loves me thing. We need to have both a hard head for the Truth and a soft heart of charity.
Dreher's piece troubles me because he talks about the Church as if it were a club, the membership in which confers some sort of merit or shame on him.He talks about his heyday in which he truimphed in being on Fr. Neuhaus's "team." And about the pain he felt when the team failed to follow its own rules and rituals and was discovered to be as full of criminals and hypocrites as of saints.Dreher admits all this, of course, which is why I'm stymied about why he decided to leave Catholicism. Our family entered the Church during the height of The Scandal. In middle age, my husband and I had few delusions about how corrupt people could be, even (and perhaps especially) people wrapped in the mantle of organized religion. What drew us to Catholicism and what keeps us in are Catholics. Not the celebrity Catholics like Amy Welborn or Fr. Neuhaus or William Donohue or the Berrigan brothers or Fr. Andrew Greeley--or even the many fine writers at Commonweal.Just the regular Catholics. The Catholic father of a friend who told me the story of Doubting Thomas when, at the wise old age of 7, I informed him people couldn't just get up and walk around after they died. The Catholic kid across the street who went to church to light a candle for our dog when it was hit by a car. The janitor at my son's Catholic school who spent his lunch periods building a snow hill for the kids and rounding up second-hand sleds. The Catholic woman who took care of my grandmother before she died. The Catholic nuns at the retirement home where my sister-in-law works who tell her how much they appreciate her care and who pray for her every day. And, of course, my longest and closest girlfriends who are nearly all Catholics.I've had a lifelong attachment to Catholicism and Catholics,which is, of course the same thing. At heart, it's emotional and not especially logical. But love never is.
Sean H, I understand what you are saying -- and perhaps it's as simple as knowing too well the weaknesses of what one knows best -- I can't tell you how many people in my husband's church are ex-Catholics who are breathing easy now that they can let the light of THEIR own reason shine. Oh yes, believe me, I might be quick to point out how THEIR reason is not exactly a neutral touchstone for understanding (I don't, in charity) -- but I have often been amazed, as well, at how much insight an "ordinary" not particularly well-educated person can have on spiritual matters. Getting from belief to fullness of spirit is not an easy road and the idea that faith does not contradict reason is, I am sorry, a form of denial. At least in my view, based on how I define reason.
I once left the church and reluctantly came back because of something that I read from Michael's Garvey's "Finding Fault", written in 1990. It caused me to think a lot about what I believed to be the essence of being a Christian and how I could best live that out. At the time of my return my belief was that Catholicism was church home that best exemplified the following:"God does the choosing and you find out about the rest gradually from your folks: How you have landed in a turbulent and global household with the galaxy's most eccentric rules; that the lights are never to be put out and the stranger never to be turned away; that the meals are to be served whenever there is hunger; that the groceries must be generously depleted and generously replenished with everything everyone has; that those who fret and grouse and cheat and lie and steal and kill must be relentlessly sought out and brought back to life; that those who break the rules and those who abandon the house must be pursued to the remotest frontiers of their souls and forgiven; that those who pass judgment on the violators of house rules, like those who take their author for granted, are doomed. And that those who inhabit the household must always remember that what is outside is ending."I'm not so sure that I would make the same judgement today about the universal Catholicism, but the local Catholicism that I have found in my parish still exemplifies that essence. And that is why I remain back, in spite of all of the seemingly increasing list of warts, sludge and clerical hypocrisy.Having tasted the waters of other forms of US Christianity, I know that each strain has more than its fair share of problems. That said, Catholic problems are those with which I am most familiar and, so, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part.
Barbara--I hope I'm not butting in on the exchange you and Sean H. are having, but I couldn't help noticing your comment that it is a "form of denial" to believe that faith does not contradict reason. The faith/reason issue is one I've struggled with for most of my adult life. I've gone through phases, especially when working in scientific fields, when I felt strongly that anything that can't be reduced to an empirical level is but a figment of the imagination. Thomas has always been one of my favorites among the Apostles. Perhaps it is middle age, however, or a willingness to finally accept that not everything can be expressed in the cold, hard language of science, but I am now content to accept that faith and reason are not mutually exclusive.In "Fides et Ratio," JPII began his encyclical with the following: "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truthin a word, to know himselfso that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves." I don't know if you've ever read the entire encyclical--it is admittedly a long one--but you may want to give it a try. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_... encyclical is a tour de force by a brilliant scholar and theologian. It certainly helped me sort out a lot of disconnected thoughts about faith and reason that were ricocheting around in my mind. There's no denying that faith requires a leap into the unknown, an unknown that is not subject to the scientific laws, but I hope that I am beginning to experience the sense of certainty that can also develop from a commitment and surrender to faith. I'm still a work in progress, however.
mljFirst J.-P. Sartre wrote a play in which a character says something to the effect of "l'enfer, c'est les autres". Then Gabriel Marcel is reported to have said in response, "au contraire, le ciel c'est les autres". Probably the banner was thus inspired. In any event are we not supposed to find Christ in others and is not Christ God. Maker of banners must be allowed some ellipsis.
My mother always said, "Hell is other people."
I don't mind the incursion. Reason has so many meanings -- reason as motive, as explanation, as proof, as logic -- but when it is juxtaposed with faith, I think of it as setting up a sort of equivalence with scientific understanding or proof by evidence, as if "faith" is as "reasonable" an undertaking as science. I think science is the short term loser with this trend, but in my own view, religion is the long term loser. Ultimately, religion is not susceptible to proof. Refusal to acknowledge that is a failure of faith if there ever was one. Duh. That's why they call it faith! That's what I was getting at, anyway.
Our little discussion group in this high science comunity has been bandying about the faith/science (not faith /reason question)Reason is, of course, experience grounded but entails so much more than mere empiricism.Nevertheless, as the Causey article in Comonweal and the interview with Fr. Coyne in the latest America show, science raises profound issues for basic faith notions in creation and redemption.I think this is far afield from Dreher, whose heart was cut by betrayal of the community.It is the Eucharist and its life in tthe local community that holds people within the faith when major disilusionment arises - hence the need to move beyond Sunday Catholicism as an essential witness today(if not always,)
Sean, All of us should have pride in the richness of our faith. Our theologians have greatly enriched us. Yet we should acknowledge where there have been mistakes.Even the official church has departed from some of the assertions of Augustine. For example on predestination and on unbaptized going to hell. Pelagians believed in limbo which was more or less accepted until our times.Now Benedict will probably rule that limbo does not exist. The point is not whether something has been always taught because too many thing have come under this false umbrella. The infallible fact is that no one talked about the infallibility of the pope until the 12th century. We have to stop fighting the counter reformation. The Separated Brethren want to converge with us. Now it is time to see how we can unite with Islam and the other religions to see how God has entered their lives also. Interesting that Dreher who was a militant dogmatist at one time left for a more moral, loving church.Paul urged us to "Owe nothing to anyone but to love one another."We can do a lot with that.
Barbara,If you put it that way, no can disagree.
But there are people who disagree. In particular, there are people who try at many turns to impute to scientific principles the same kind of "belief" that is usually reserved for matters of faith, as in, it's no less reasonable to believe in God than to believe __________, where the blank can be filled in by things like "that people evolved from other species," or "the principles of higher physics." If Abraham took his son out in the wilderness, tied him up and was just about ready to sacrifice him today, we wouldn't think much about his rationale as set forth in the OT. No, indeed, we'd think he was a nut. Yet from our back perspective we have faith that his rationale was not only correct, but that there could be no other explanation for his actions and that he should have done nothing except for what in fact he did. That makes faith a lot more radical than reason will ever be.
Barbara,I agree that faith goes beyond reason, but reason also can show that God is incomprehensible to our minds, so that it is not unreasonable have faith, provided we do not end up believing that something is true which reason shows to be logically impossible,
In the light of "deliver Us From Evil" and columns and articles by Prof. Marci Hamilton, the California hierarchy has gone on the offensive full scale, particularly against Ms. Hamilton, who has supported prosecuting Bishop Walsh of Santa Rosa for failure to report (see CNN last night.)Unfortunately, Bishops (probably folowing their lawyer's advice) are devoid of insight into how foolish the strategy of attack when under suspicion is.No one wonder Dreher was so sad - I almost feel like joining him.


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-A change in bowel movements which can occur after every meal.
Dr. Emslie says he has seen many patients who suffer from mild symptoms without realizing a problem.
"These people will sometimes go 10 or 15 years with mild complaints and maybe if they don't have obstruction or bleeding they have intermediate problems and people just write it off," says Emslie.
Once the right treatment is received it's a life changing experience for many.
"Some people say once they are treated "I didn't know I could feel this good". I just didn't have any energy before and these pains in the abdominal, and life gets better," says Emslie.
Cronh's Disease has affected many including myself. After months of tests I was diagnosed my senior year of college. Although times got tough I graduated college feeling better than ever. I am now living my dream with no ill affects, working in a career I've always wanted.
Dr. Robert Emslie says if anyone feels a change in their body or just doesn't feel right they should visit their doctor immediately.
Crohn's Disease is a treatable medical condition as long as people are able to see the signs and receive the right help.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Local heroes
In honor of those who give back
By Daphne Khalida Kilea 07/03/2014
Photos by: T Christian Gapen
For the love of art: Tim Beyer
With $5,000 and hopes of making a difference, Tim Beyer of Ventura and his business partner, Lisbet Frey, launched Green Art People (GAP) five years ago in an old carriage barn on Ventura Avenue in Ventura.
GAP is a grassroots nonprofit whose mission is to build community and to nurture creativity through art, music and conservation; it caters to both children and adults.
After a long career in the insurance industry, art appraisal and event management, Beyer was drawn back to the arts; he was born into a family of professional artists and he is an accomplished guitarist.
"I have always believed that the value of creativity and community was lacking in our society in general because of the difficulty in quantifying their value in a monetary way. From the earliest of times, we as human beings have had a primal need to be creative and to be supported and inspired by our community," he explained.
So GAP was established, giving the power to create to the community through the space and programs provided.
The nonprofit is more than just a business to Beyer, who serves as the chief operating officer.
The Short Attention Span Theater (SAST) is one of his favorites because it allows him to interact with scores of talented and inquisitive locals. SAST is held on Wednesday nights starting with an open mic session and continuing with live music and art, plus bands on the main stage and three large murals that the attendees paint on as they interact with each other.
"It feels like a gathering of my extended family each Wednesday. I am re-energized when I see our community gather, if only for a few hours, to spend time with each other in a welcoming and supportive environment where they are not defined by their job, or what they do or do not have," said Beyer.
To date, SAST has provided more than 200 free shows to the community and subscribers in 36 countries tune in weekly to the live streamed shows.
He also manages GAP's art store, Upcycle Art Supply Store. The store's green initiative has kept five tons of scrap out of landfills since 2009 and continues to encourage reduction of waste in landfills. Upcycle also provides free supplies to public school teachers for art projects in the classroom. He sees the children's program growing, building a recycled art supply store and having GAP's programs integrated into the public school system.
More importantly, though, is doing what it takes to keep the doors open. Beyer and co-founder, Frey, often take odd jobs to pay the rent.
"We've been here five years and we've shown the community what we can do without funding," Beyer said. "Can't wait to show them what we can do with funding."
Since 2009, an estimated 65,000 people have been influenced in some way by GAP programs and in 2013 alone, Beyer, Frey and their volunteers donated more than 13,000 hours to creative efforts in the community.
For more information, visit www.greenartpeople.com.
Staying in tune: Christine Law
Christine Law of Santa Paula sings, plays a variety of instruments and works in the music industry. She loves music. Consequently, she does everything she can to help Ventura County's youth with their musical aspirations, both independently and through several local youth programs.
When tragedy struck Law's family in 2010, it gave her insight about music that still encourages her to carry on with her youth-related work.
"I lost a 22-year-old nephew suddenly. He was an amazingly kind soul, a hospice nurse who loved music. He made me realize that our youth and young adults are intensely aware with important messages that are often overlooked. Music is often the only platform youth have and I can help do something about that," she said.
Currently, she is working with Xavier Montes' music education for underprivileged youth in association with the Santa Paula Art Museum as well as the Santa Paula Boys & Girls Club, with whom she collaborates frequently.
"These programs expand the musical experience with culture and art and you should see what the children are creating. These are kids whose life stories can break your heart, yet they produce such beauty and love in their music."
Law offers financial support but more importantly, she strives to serve as a mentor to each young artist.
Each year, she is involved with youth-oriented organizations and events around the county such as the Say No to Dope, Cool to School song competition and Ventura Music Week's Rock Picnic.
Her main objective is to help the young with ambitions in music get their messages to an audience because she believes that the opportunity to perform on professionally run stages develops self-esteem, which is crucial.
Law owns a record label, AFIRMRecords, which she frequently uses to help support aspiring young artists. The label was started in 1998 as an imprint and has since expanded to a successful independent label.
"I enjoy recording the kids' music and getting it airplay. It's a great way of teaching them how the music business works," she said.
For the previous Ventura Music Week Rock Picnics, the label produced a compilation CD of the participants and distributed it locally and internationally with positive results for the artists. For example, the band SKICK secured a performance at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival and an appearance on a television show, and singer/guitar player Cole Citrenbaum went on to perform at an 8,000-person venue.
Also, Russell Kostner, a student whom Law met and assisted with a music video at Brooks Institute, is now a successful director currently in production for his feature film debut.
Music is important to Law but more so is the positive impact it has on the budding young artists she comes across.
"My favorite part about being involved with youth organizations is seeing young people become inspired. You'll see self-confidence build in a child and that means more children smiling. The difficult part is that we need more funding for community youth music programs."
For more information and to get involved, go to www.bgclubscv.org and www.santapaulaartmuseum.org.
Dedicated vet: Richard Camacho
Richard Camacho of Camarillo served his country with honor, fighting as a United States Marine in the Vietnam War, where he was wounded and awarded the Purple Heart. Since then, he has been dedicated to serving his community.
In 1985, Camacho was among the founders of the Vietnam Veterans of Ventura County (VVVC) organization, originally known as Healing Bridges. Initially, it was a monthly meeting place for Vietnam veterans and their families to be able to share experiences and problems they were encountering. Nowadays, the organization offers several services, including counseling, assistance with repairs, housing placement for homeless veterans, VA claims and, most importantly, a listening ear.
And the organization is not limited to Vietnam veterans.
"The VVVC is a safe place for veterans of Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as their families to come and talk about what issues they're having after their deployments," Camacho explained.
In March, Camacho was elected as president of VVVC, a position he also held from 1987 to 1992. So far, he has held every officer and board-member position and his contributions have been unforgettable.
Camacho was instrumental in getting the Veterans Home in Ventura, raising funds for the Military Order of Purple Heart's Purple Heart Trail, overseeing the campaign to have the Pacific Coast Highway running through Ventura County designated as Ventura County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway and the list goes on.
In 1986, his youngest son, who was attending Moorpark High School, came home and showed him his history book, which contained a paragraph about the war he had risked his life to fight in.
"He stated that it was an unpopular war. We discussed the fact that over 58,000 people died in Vietnam and that an estimated 150,000 had committed suicide since Vietnam," said Camacho.
He was invited to speak to his son's class in 1987 and thus far, he continues to inform high school students about the Vietnam War and the importance of registering and voting.
The VVVC also provides the annual James M. Ray scholarships to local high school seniors and college students, in honor of Ray, an American soldier who was captured in 1968 and is still unaccounted for.
Currently, Camacho is leading the VVVC in the annual POW/MIA Remembrance, providing a color guard or honor guard for special memorial and burial services within the county, maintenance of the Avenue of the Flags at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park and coordinating with the Ventura County Veterans Services Office, the Oxnard VA Clinic and Ventura Vet Center on behalf of Vietnam veterans and their families.
Of all his work, the Vietnam veterans Moving Wall holds a special place in Camacho's heart. The Moving Wall is the original half-scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. and Camacho played a significant role in bringing the Wall to Ventura County in 1985, 1989, 1991, 1994 and 2010.
"From the responses of family members whose loved ones are on that Wall and were not able to make it to Washington, D.C., to the reactions of those veterans that have found their comrades who were lost in Vietnam, that is a feeling I will never forget."
For more information, go to www.vvvc.org.
The rescuers: Wilma Melville
Wilma Melville of Santa Paula is the founder of the national Search Dog Foundation (SDF), an organization devoted to rescuing and training dogs so they can, in turn, become rescuers. The SDF is located in Ojai and was formed after she and her dog, Murphy, were called to help find victims after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings.
After Melville's retirement as a teacher, she pursued her goal of having Murphy undergo higher training. Thereafter, the team attained an Advanced Disaster Search Dog certification with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
When Melville and Murphy were deployed, there were only 15 certified search teams in the country.
"It helped me realize the need for an organization like the Search Dog Foundation that could provide the level of training and skills required to help rescue survivors of disasters quickly, efficiently and successfully," she said.
Since its formation, the foundation has distinguished itself from other facilities in several ways, including its standard use of rescued dogs.
The few dogs that do not successfully complete the training program are admitted into a different field or lifetime care with the organization. Also, the handlers, usually firefighters, are trained by the foundation at no cost and the organization stays with the dog/handler throughout the life of the team, pays for the dog's health care and maintains ownership.
Most importantly, the organization helps the team achieve deployment readiness after FEMA certification if granted. Teams have been deployed to many disasters, including the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2011 Japan tsunami.
Despite the growth of these teams since 1995, the service they provide is in great demand.
"Now the Search Dog Foundation is building a world-class, state-of-the-art training center, with facilities to house dogs, trainers, veterinary care, classes for SDF teams and FEMA teams nationwide to experience the most realistic situations they can encounter to be ready for when disaster strikes," Melville explained.
The Department of Defense, the United States Army Reserve and the United States Navy have assisted with the design, planning and construction of the Disaster Training Zone where teams can train in reconfigurable and realistic sites such as derailed trains, collapsed freeways and demolished buildings.
For Melville, building a training center has also been a goal since her 1995 work in Oklahoma City.
Thanks to Ventura County's McGrath family (Frank McGrath, Jr. Family Foundation), a $1.5 million donation to purchase the land moved the project forward. Sean McGrath, who has strong ties to the SDF insisted that the facility be located in the county.
"What started as my vision has become the vision of a broad network of staff, volunteers, and contributors who all work together to make the vision a reality," Melville said.
Melville, McGrath and many others have made the 125-acre campus in Santa Paula, known as the National Training Center (NTC) possible, and without government funding or any cost to taxpayers. Upon completion, the center will provide unmatched resources for much-needed canine disaster search teams.
For more information, visit www.searchdogfoundation.org.
The gift of giving: Stacy Roscoe
Since his retirement from Procter & Gamble Company in 2002, Stacy Roscoe's various philanthropic efforts have filled the time his demanding job occupied, yet he has no plans to slow down.
He first took an interest in Ventura County as a high school student from San Diego working in Oxnard for two summers. So when Procter & Gamble presented the business manager/public affairs executive with the opportunity to return to the area in 1975, he happily accepted.
"Ventura County is a fantastic place to live and work, and I want to do all that I can to keep it the special place it has been since I moved here," he said.
Roscoe of Ventura has been actively involved with numerous nonprofit organizations and his most notable role is his 11-year service with the Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) Board, which will come to term in September. He also serves on the Investment Committee, Personnel Committee and as chairman on the VCCF Real Estate Committee.
It has been during this time that he helped spearhead the creation of the VCCF Nonprofit Center in Camarillo, a project that has had a monumental impact on the community.
"The tag line for VCCF is 'For Good Forever.' For years, a number of board members have felt that the 'Forever' element of the Foundation would be clearer and stronger if we really had a home of our own as opposed to working out of the rented substandard facility that we occupied for many years," Roscoe said.
The VCCF Real Estate Committee was formed and the Center project was officially started in 2011, and Roscoe donated a majority of the next three years of his life to the cause.
For him, it was very much like a full-time job but the positive impact the Center would have and his love for real estate kept him motivated.
While continuing his duties with other nonprofits, he led the VCCF Real Estate Committee in transforming the idea of a nonprofit center into reality, from property search to construction to contract negotiation.
Roscoe also acted as the leasing agent for a building that now houses the VCCF and 15 nonprofits, four of which share VCCF space dedicated for small start-up organizations.
Due to the Center, the 15 nonprofits have saved more than $200,000 of their leasing budget each year.
"This means that these VCCF Nonprofit Center partners can provide $200,000 more service to the community than they could if they were in a traditional tenant situation," he explained.
Two large conference rooms are also offered without charge to all nonprofits in Ventura County and so far, 85 organizations have utilized the space for their various needs. And although Roscoe said he believes that the Center exceeded expectations financially, the greatest impact is from the synergy and partnerships fostered by nonprofits due to their newfound proximity to one another.
Undoubtedly, this is one of Roscoe's most rewarding achievements, and despite ending his term with VCCF in September, he will have plenty of philanthropic endeavors to keep him busy.
"I still have eight organizations I will be working with. I have a lot of energy; I love being creative and seeing the fruits of my labor."
For more information, go to www.vccf.org.
Forever Young: Suz Montgomery
Growing up, Suz Montgomery of Ventura was affectionately known as "Suz of Arc" because of her curious nature and love for her community and politics.
She has been involved with Ventura County nonprofit organizations for more than 30 years, having spent 17 years as the Ventura City Parks and Recreation Commissioner and the last 11 years teaching older adult programs for the Ventura Unified School District (VUSD).
Judging by her typical day, Montgomery is still "Suz of Arc."
She wakes up at 4 a.m., tackles numerous emails, creates lesson plans and fits in a workout, teaches various classes, visits people in care homes and hospitals and also manages to read 20 different newspapers. She is also kept busy with work on her long-running cable television talk show Schmooze with Suz, where her passion for current events and her community is evident through the open discussions with each guest.
Three years ago, the state reduced funding to the district's older adult programs so Montgomery decided to take action.
She created the Extended Learning Academy (ELA) where she continued her role as an adult education teacher. A variety of classes are offered to seniors at the Silver Crest Salvation Army, The Californian and Coastal View Health Care.
A trained executive chef, she is especially known for her cooking classes; she helps her students nurture their "Victory Garden" then prepare their own food outside of the nursing home environment.
"When I first started doing it, I learned that seniors very much want to stay with what is going on in the world. They all think they're around 30 years of age. The difference between me and my students is nothing. They want to be in the game and they participate by learning and sharing experiences and doing things you wouldn't think they would."
ELA's average class size is 35 to 40 students (typical student is 90 years old) and the city of Ventura, which partnered with ELA last year, provided a grant that allowed teachers to be hired. Also, ELA is offering classes for all age groups due to the cancellation of Ventura College's community enrichment program.
Montgomery believes that this interaction between seniors and the younger generation is a good thing and, in fact, she also hosts a popular annual Knowledge Bowl between her students and high school seniors.
Her hope is that eventually, ELA can expand into other communities in Ventura County and beyond. She would like to see everyone become more involved with seniors, even in the smallest way; the outcome, she insists, is rewarding.
"They've made me a nicer person. Seniors are almost invisible and it's a tragedy because we don't utilize their experience."
Many of her students participate in class by recounting their own stories about wars or significant moments in history, and as the instructor, Montgomery admits to learning just as much as she teaches.
Actually, she lives by what she learned from her most memorable student, Bitsy, who passed away five years ago at the age of 107.
"Every day, she would teach me life lessons. She would always say to me 'give to the world the best that you have and the best will come to you.' "
For more information, go to www.elaventura.org.
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text:
Block by Mikasa Ice Vodka Glass Set for $12
Shipping: $4.95
This Block Ice Vodka Set lets you serve up your vodka of choice in elegant sophistication. Fill the glass decanter with your favorite vodka and pour it into the 6 coordinating glasses to serve your guests. The modern curves and tall, sleek design of this glass set offers a stylish way to serve and enjoy vodka. 7 piece set includes 26 ounce decanter with stopper and six 4 ounce glasses. Dishwasher safe.
2 Comments add a comment
$14.99 + $7.95 S&H at Pfaltzgraff as a deal price, MSRP listed at $43.00.
A very, very nice set. If only the decanter had a little thicker bottom, it would be absolutely perfect. But I still love it (I love nice glass, also good vodka served with class occasionally.)
Set for 6 people, which is nice, no need to buy an extra decanter if one wants a set for more than four. Why are the sets usually for 4 people only? How often is it that only 4 people are at the table? Usually it's a couple, or any number upwards, but four is not prevalent, as to my observation and experience. European sets are usually for 6, often for 8 and 12.
Bet it works for tequila too! (I'll let you know!)


text:
Mythology of the Clinton tax rates
Much to the disappointment of the far left, Americans have no reason to expect President Obama and Congress will let the government go off the "fiscal cliff." It's not so much they care about you or the economy or other potential collateral damage; they just love government too much and have too much to lose politically to let it happen.
Maybe they'll cut a deal in the lame-duck congressional session. More likely, they'll pass a patch that continues unsustainable spending and the Bush tax cuts until the new Congress convenes, because kicking the can down the road is what politicians do.
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Sandy Socks wrote on Dec 2, 2012 10:00 PM:
There has never been one good thing that happened that this paper couldn't find a way to attribute to Republicans. Or one negative thing that couldn't be blamed on the Democrats.
Yet never, and I mean never do you see anything from the left side. So called Liberal publications like the NY Times and Hartford Courrant always show both sides.
Not here though. Here in Waterbury readers just see Hertiage Foundation, Vision and values, George Will and other far right viewpoints.
The question begs, what is Pape afraid of? If the liberals are so far off base, then let a liberal writer make his case with the environment, taxes, energy etc. Then Waterbury area readers can say, "I've seen both sides and I chose......... "
RetREMF wrote on Dec 2, 2012 11:05 PM:
Please post a link to the NYT showing "both sides". And oh btw, it isn't a "so called" liberal publication - it IS one. "
RetREMF wrote on Dec 2, 2012 11:07 PM:
Please post a link to the NYT showing "both sides". And oh btw, it isn't a "so called" liberal publication - it IS one.
And rather than subjective rhetoric, show how the empirical data, the numbers in the last 3 paragraphs are wrong. "
Sandy Socks wrote on Dec 3, 2012 12:33 PM:
Their editorial page shows Clarence Page "On the Left" and Cal Thomas "on the right" Both sides showing different viewpoints. Get it? You'll never see a Clarence Page type syndicated writer here.
Also you'll see Charles Krauthammer who has never spoken a good word about Obama. Other days you'll see different writers with pro Obama viewpoints. THAT way readers can see both sides and decide. Not here in Waterbury though.
Here you'll see Paul Hughes incidiously burying little bias shots in NEWS articles. He's used the word "Scheme" in place of Democratic plan. Well a scheme is a plan but it implies negative, illegal, unethical things.
Also here in the comic you'll see Millard Filmore with his cartoons. Check out Saturdays. Now there's nothing wrong with his extreme right wing political biases, EXCEPT those cartoons belong on the editorial page - not the comic page.
I think I've shown that the Waterbury RA is a completely bias right wing paper. And that The Hartford Courant makes an effort to show different sides. "
Sandy Socks wrote on Dec 3, 2012 12:40 PM:
Later in the day I'll check out Sundays Courant ( I haven't opened it yet) and I'm sure I'll see a number of different views there. I'll also see in Sunday's Courant a bunch of political cartoons. Some will poke fun at Dems and some will poke fun at Reps. Ask yourself, "Did you ever see a political cartoon in Waterbury that poked fun at the Republicans?" "
Sandy Socks wrote on Dec 3, 2012 2:41 PM:
"The question begs, what is Pape afraid of? If the liberals are so far off base, then let a liberal writer make his case in the Waterbury paper with issues like the environment, taxes, energy etc. Then Waterbury area readers can say, "I've seen both sides and I chose......... "
One of the sadest things I ever heard was when this elderly friend said to me, "I get all my information from the Waterbury paper and Fox News" "
blue star wrote on Dec 9, 2012 8:34 AM:
Then there is the proverbial choice of not reading it. For instance , I will not read Pravda. "
al.cap wrote on Dec 9, 2012 11:05 AM:
there's also the view that one should use as many sources as one can. knowledge is power. "
blue star wrote on Dec 9, 2012 12:00 PM:
I guess you might even say I don't care to increase their readership in the U.S.. "
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The Hannibal Area Chapter 4610 of AARP, Inc will meet at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, at the Quality Inn & Suites on U.S. 36 West in Hannibal.
A musical program will be presented by Rachel Bringer Shepherd and Loretta Bringer. Reservations are necessary and may be made by calling (573) 221-5470 or (573) 221-3114 no later than Tuesday, Dec. 18.
Location, ST | website.com


text:
One really great thing about Vegas, which I only discovered in the past year, is the variety of tasty food that you can get from food trucks. While we have some food trucks around Boston, they are few and far between….and only out when they weather is actually decent.
One food truck we have returned to again and again is the Fukuburger truck. It first came to my attention when I was looking for a nearby place to eat and found all the rave reviews on Yelp. While I am not really a burger person, I found the description of the flavor combinations to be downright intriguing. It was basically Asian-fusion meets juicy burger. Who knew such things existed? When I found out I could even get garlic fries with my burger, I made it my mission to try it.
The key to trying them is finding them – and they have made that easier over time, As of right now you can go to
http://fukuburger.squarespace.com/schedule (even on a phone) and find out where they are planning to be. Sometimes they mention a time but I've found that at an event they are pretty much there for the duration.
So let's talk food. Rest assured that their burgers are seriously juicy, made with good meat and interesting toppings. My favorite burger has to be their Tamago burger which comes with teryaki sauce, wasabi mayo, onions and a big egg on it. It's messy as all-get-out but it is so tasty! I also like the Kinoko burger or "mushroom burger". The garlic fries are also very tasty, though they haven't always had them when I've been there.
I don't want to give away too much of what they have but check out the photos. That should give you a good idea of what you are missing. Then look at the schedule and hall you butt over to the big red truck. Even if you see a line, rest-assured…it is worth it.
Website: fukuburger.squarespace.com


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We restrict access to your Private Information to our employees who need to know that information to provide products or services to you and to perform their job duties, and to other persons necessary to assist us in providing you with products or services. Additionally, we maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect your Private Information in a manner consistent with industry standards for similar companies, and in compliance with applicable laws.
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Nissan West Warwick has established a Safeguards Policy designed to protect the confidentiality of all Social Security Numbers (SSN). Reasonable care is exercised to ensure confidentiality and prohibit unlawful disclosure of SSNs. Access to SSNs are limited and restricted to only those who have business reasons for accessing it. Documents that need to be disposed are immediately shredded. Penalties for violation of this policy are strictly enforced.


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WIBW.com Mobile Site
Lady Blues Overcome 11-Point Deficit For Win At No. 18 Fort Hays State
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Lady Blues Overcome 11-Point Deficit For Win At No. 18 Fort Hays State
Posted: 10:45 PM Jan 10, 2013
Reporter: Washburn Sports Information (Posted by J.B. Bauersfeld)
Lady Blues overcome 11-point deficit for win at No. 18 Fort Hays State
HAYS, Kan. -- Stormye Everett hit a lay-up with 13 seconds remaining to break a tie at 18th-ranked Fort Hays State Thursday and give the No. 12 Lady Blues a 63-60 win in Gross Memorial Coliseum.
The Lady Blues overcame a double-digit second half deficit as they won their third straight and improved to 9-2 overall and 3-0 in the MIAA. The Tigers dropped their third straight and fell to 10-3 and 2-3 in the league.
Laura Kinderknecht led Washburn with 18 points and her free throw with two seconds remaining pushed the lead to three points. The Tigers missed on a shot from beyond half court in the final seconds to tie it.
Kinderknecht was 7 of 10 from the field and Washburn shot 48 percent in the game after shooting 50 percent in the second half. Lavonda McCall was 6 of 7 from the field for 13 points and Casyn Buchman scored 10 points off the bench. McCall and Sierra Moeller tied for the team lead with six rebounds.
The Tigers started the second half on a 13-4 run to take a 41-30 lead at 17:03. That 11-point advantage marked their largest of the game. The Lady Blues took the lead at the 5:32 mark on two free throws from Everett and then there were two more ties in the game, the last coming when Katelyn Edwards scored for the Tigers at 1:23.
Kinderknecht turned the ball over on Washburn's next possession but McCall's defensive rebound on a miss by Kate Lehman gave Washburn a chance with 30 seconds to break the tie. Everett's shot with 13 seconds left did just that on an assist from Laura McMullin.
Lehman then missed a lay-up but was fouled after she got her own rebound with six seconds remaining. She missed both shots and McMullin secured the rebound on the second. After a Washburn timeout, Kinderknecht was fouled and she made her second of two free throws with two seconds to go.
The Lady Blues led most of the first half but never had greater than a four-point advantage in the game. Kinderknecht hit a 3-pointer with 1:24 to go in the opening half that gave Washburn a one-point lead but the Tigers countered with a 3 and went into the locker room up 28-26.
After a Tiara George free throw to open the second half, the Tigers went on a 7-0 run to build an eight-point lead and had it at 11 a minute later. Nine minutes later that Lady Blues had only cut it to nine points but a jumper from Kinderknecht started a 10-0 run that gave Washburn its first lead of the second half, 54-53 at the 5:32 mark.
Aside from Washburn shooting 12 percentage points better than Fort Hays State, the rest of the game was played fairly evenly. The Tigers led in rebounds 36-33 and had 15 turnovers while Washburn had 20. Both teams shot less than 60 percent from the free throw line.
McCall led Washburn with three assists and George had two blocked shots.
Lehman led the Tigers with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Edwards finished with nine points and four assists.
The Lady Blues have now won 13 of the last 14 games in Hays.
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text:
Touch Panels
(→Build Procedures)
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=Build Procedures=
=Build Procedures=
* Log into stallion and make changes to the files in /netboot/config.
* Log into stallion and make changes to the files in /netboot/config .
* rm -rf binary* cache chroot
* rm -rf binary* cache chroot
* sudo lh_build --force
* sudo lh_build --force
* Back up the contents of /srv/debian-live
* Back up the contents of /srv/debian-live
* If everything worked, move /netboot/binary/* and /netboot/tftpboot to /srv/debian-live
* If everything worked, move /netboot/binary/* and /netboot/tftpboot to /srv/debian-live
* Reboot
* Reboot the machines
* the
, do a hg commit in /netboot/config.
Revision as of 13:34, 19 January 2011
A bunch of folks worked on getting the touch panels working. Then another bunch of folks wanted to setup some sort of crazy control Noisebridge in case of a fire thing with it, SCADA.
The system that runs the touchpanel laptop (thinkpad) by the door (172.30.0.31) is required for opengate-www and opengate scripts to work. It is connected by parallel port to a relay which is linked into the door buzzer system.
This laptop runs uses PXE boot and an image from a tftp server on Stallion to runTemplate:Verify. It will not boot without network and this server on the remote system.
Currently the boot image for the panel starts up linux, runs Iceweasel full screen and points to a URL on Pony. There's a neat extensible interface that provides information and control regarding things we currently have in the space.
- Setup a system where anyone can create apps and content for this system.
- "Don't suggest it and walk away, implement it instead!"
Back end
- Apache! Web apps!
- Everyone can write web pages!
- You touch the touch panel and it clicks
- You drag on the touch panel and it moves the mouse
- When the thing boots it brings up a browser full screen
- After a time out the browser resets to a "main menu" of sorts
- Includes current time
- After a time out the box brings up some sort of interesting screen saver
- The browser is killed and restarted once every 3 hours to help with getting stuck in a weird state
- Possibly displaying the current time
- When navigating away from the main menu, there's a "home bar" at top
- Link to the menu
- Title of the current page
- Current time
- Open the gate
- Control X10 lights
- Simplistic jukebox
- Currently playing on the main menu
- Control the mediacenter
- A "internet browser" interface
- Local restaurants and menus for each
- Bus times
- Bart Times
- Listing of events at Noisebridge, or the new scheduler
- Weather
- With some info on the main menu
- Watch a hacker space, links to web cams for other spaces
- Scroll bars are going to be tricky
- Navigating to pages outside of the panel site might lead to the browser getting into a weird state. The dumb fix is to kill and restart the browser session every once in a while (3 hours sounds good).
Installed Plugins
- Refresh2
- autohide
- Grab and Drag
Jukebox interfaces
- http://theory.steelbreeze.org/
- http://www.renedegroot.nl/mpd.xml
- http://manatlan.infogami.com/wymypy
- http://sites.google.com/site/cseickel/mpdwebamp
- http://code.google.com/p/fookebox/
- http://cims.nyu.edu/~stucchio/software/djpirate/index.html
- http://sourceforge.net/projects/mmpd/
Build Procedures
The netboot environment is just debian-live. If you don't read the manual you're likely to break something by accident. It's better to do development on your local machine using qemu and a copy of the config tree before executing the procedure below to push it out.
- Log into stallion and make the changes you want to the files in /netboot/config as root.
- cd /netboot/config
- rm -rf binary* cache chroot
- sudo lh_build --force
- Back up the contents of /srv/debian-live
- Test your image, see the manual for how to set up a test environment. It's simpler than you think.
- If everything worked, move /netboot/binary/* and /netboot/tftpboot to /srv/debian-live
- Reboot one of the lesser used netboot machines and do a sanity check, make sure your changes aren't causing the machines to run out of memory and invoke the OOM killer.
- Reboot the rest of the machines if you're happy.
- If nothing breaks after a while, do a hg commit in /netboot/config.


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6 Ways Japanese Wrestling Makes the WWE Look Sane
Professional wrestling is crazy by nature -- you can't get fans to tune in for a couple of guys pretend-fighting for an hour; you need to spice it up. In America, this is done with gimmicks and outlandish personalities and openly silly story lines. In Japan, this is done with utter insanity.
For instance ...
#6. They Set the Damned Ring on Fire (And Almost Killed Everyone)
Back in 1992, one of Japan's biggest professional wrestling organizations was facing a serious dilemma regarding whether or not to use explosives and rigged "land mines" in their matches. Oh, not because of safety concerns -- they had actually been using explosives in their matches for years. The problem was that they were having financial issues and could no longer afford them. But fans had grown accustomed to seeing shit catch on fire while nearly naked men grappled with each other and would settle for nothing less.
Clearly, a solution was needed. This is what they came up with ...
Step One: Replace the ring ropes with barbed wire. Wrap the barbed wire in rags soaked in flammable paraffin.
Which was admittedly safer than their original plan: Build an entire ring out of expired napalm canisters.
Step Two: Insert wrestlers.
"Safety third!"
Step Three: Light shit on fire.
"OK, maybe fifth."
Step Four: Wait for this to happen (after approximately two minutes) and flee the scene in terror.
"Is it even on the list?!"
This fiasco was known as the Hellfire Death Match and, thankfully, nobody died as a result of it. Although one participant (who also happened to be 68 years old) was hospitalized with serious burns and fell into a heat-induced coma for a while.
In short order, the people who bring you Japanese professional wrestling learned an important lesson about the dangers of cutting corners to save money when putting on an event that combines sport and fire. After the Hellfire Death Match, order was restored and Japan returned to keeping their explosive devices and their barbed wire in separate parts of the ring.
#5. Rings Full of Scorpions, Piranhas and Cactuses
The problem with promoting a wrestling event as a "death match" is that it rarely lives up to the violent possibilities promised to us by the name. Naturally, we're glad that wrestlers aren't murdering each other for our entertainment, but watching participants brave serious injury is pretty much the entire point of the death match. Otherwise, it's just slapstick.
Japan understands that referring to something as a death match implies a certain level of entertainment value. That's why, over there, you'll see stunts like this on a regular basis:
What you're looking at is a Japanese wrestling death match in which the loser was whichever wrestler was unable to avoid having his head dunked in a tank full of piranhas. Don't worry, the red stuff in the water is just human blood. But what fun is a tank full of piranhas if you don't have any compelling scenery to go with it?
That's a great question that was resoundingly answered by whoever came up with the Scorpion and Cactus Desert Death Match. It's the same premise as the piranha tank match, but this time, the tank is filled with scorpions and there are actual cactuses in the corners of the ring.
"This is the year that Japan sweeps the Bad Idea Olympics!"
At this point, you're probably thinking, "Yeah, that's cool and all, but do they ever wrestle on a plank of wood suspended above the ground over a net made entirely of barbed wire?" That's a stupid question. Of course they do.
"Who wouldn't?"
One Japanese wrestling gimmick stands tall above all others, though. When you want a death match that really lives up to its name, accept nothing less than a Fluorescent Light Tube Match. It's everything you love about wrestling, with one very basic added twist.
It goes like this. Need to headbutt someone? Grab a few fluorescent light tubes!
There is elegance in simplicity.
Boom! Now it's a fluorescent light tube headbutt!
There's an old Japanese saying: "Lacerations are better than concussions."
If you're in the mood to see all of the bloody highlights from the historic match depicted above (and let's be honest, you are), here's the video:
You may be tempted to say, "Well, it's still all 'fake,' though, nobody is really in danger up there. Otherwise they wouldn't let them do it!" On one hand, that makes sense; on the other, did you see the ring on fire earlier? We have a feeling that the only safety precaution is something to the tune of "Make sure you close your eyes when he smashes the glass tubes across your face."
#4. Staged Sexual Assault
Staged sexual molestation is a major source of comedy in Japanese wrestling, and most other forms of Japanese entertainment. The most recognizable practitioner of this most provocative of wrestling moves is a man who goes by the subtly homosexual name of Hard Gay.
That's him in the middle.
The wrestling persona of comedian Masaki Sumitani, Hard Gay is the embodiment of every offensive gay stereotype you've ever heard, wearing an S&M fetish outfit meant to make him every heterosexual's worst nightmare.
And, as you can see, the entire match is one prolonged excuse for the other wrestlers' faces to wind up hilariously glued to Gay's crotch:
Behold, the subtle intricacies of Japanese humor.
Compared to his fellow wrestler Danshoku Dino, however, Hard Gay is a rank amateur in the art of staged sexual assault. Like Hard Gay, Danshoku Dino's stage persona is that of a sexually aggressive homosexual. But -- unlike Hard Gay -- Dino is a lot more direct about ramming his junk in other people's faces. Among the devastating maneuvers you can see Dino employing on this compilation video of his greatest hits are ...
The Danshoku Nightmare, which involves Dino pulling down his wrestling trunks to reveal a tasty thong and then teabagging his opponent into submission:
Yeah, we can see how this might take the fight out of you.
The Shining Dick, which involves Danshoku showing his opponent what we can only assume is his shining dick:
And, of course, the Danshoku Driver, in which he puts his opponent's head inside his underwear and then lands a pile driver:
If he were wearing a thong, this would be felony assault.


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Is there a way to put map with Google Maps API to a website, but upside down? North must be down, and south up. Is there any possible way to do it? I really need to put map that way and I need really fast solution.
Using the Google Maps API (Flash Version) you can rotate the maps
Live Example
Source Code
Not using the Google tiles. You could use CSS transforms to flip the map, but that will muck with mouse interaction and breach terms of service (modifying attribution).
I suggest using OSM tiles, and flipping tile coordinates (number of tiles in the the world at a particular zoom level is 2^zoom).
I wrote a small library to use OSM as a base map, just make the change above.
Yes it is possible.
The below was an expirement in map labs awhile back, but worked within the core google maps and was not exposed via the API. You maybe able to find out from the Google Maps labs group on how they did this?
Note that the labels are still the right way around.
I have seen other examples where people have rotated and flipped the map using CSS3
If you flip the map using this method, you could always remove labels using the v3API styled layers.


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Friday, September 2, 2011
The last few lazy days of Summer
9 comments:
- Kristin said...
Mr. Carle If I send you a book, will you autograph it for me? I will include a return priority mail envelope with postage?
- September 2, 2011 at 4:36 PM
- Monica said...
- September 2, 2011 at 5:15 PM
- amyelizabethsmith said...
What a beautiful and joyful image! I just stumbled upon your blog while writing my monthly children's author spotlight. You are the subject of this month's post! My son and I love reading your stories and hope that we will one day get to visit your museum! Blessings to you and yours.
- September 3, 2011 at 8:02 AM
- Shelley said...
What a perfect picture for the end of summer! Beautiful as always! Thank you for brightening my day!
- September 4, 2011 at 9:39 AM
- Monster Librarian said...
- September 4, 2011 at 5:28 PM
- Pushpi Bagchi said...
Dear Mr. Carle,
Your illustration made my gloomy evening bright! Thank you :)
- September 7, 2011 at 8:51 AM
- Anne said...
My students really love your books.
Your stories and illustrations last forever in their hearts....
and mine.....
- September 8, 2011 at 10:05 AM
- Zepol Ilustradora said...
Muy buenas ilustraciones, he descubierto tu blog en un listado de ilustradores. Saludos
- September 8, 2011 at 8:34 PM
- Cindy Paul said...
Love the lazy swing in the monkey (chimp?) hanging from the tree. We are enjoying the great weather in the midwest. Hope it is nice for you too.
- September 12, 2011 at 6:08 PM


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The Oracle E-Business Suite Interaction Center is a family of products that integrate all of your customer interaction channels—from email to the Web to telephone to voice-over IP—transforming your contact center into a powerful e-business communications hub. Working with Oracle Sales, Service, Contracts, and Marketing applications, Oracle Interaction Center gives you a sychronized, comprehensive view of your customers, supporting cross-selling and upselling, and giving you the intelligence you need for a true 360-degree view of all customer activity. Your agents respond quickly and more accurately to all customer needs, helping you retain existing customers and gain new ones.
Seamless Integration, Complete Flexibility Oracle Interaction Center is part of the Oracle E-Business Suite, integrating with other E-Business Suite applications, including Oracle Advanced Inbound Telephony and Oracle Scripting. Implement one or several application families—or implement the complete Oracle E-Business Suite for the fastest way to high-quality enterprise information.


text:
Copyright Information
Auburn University at Montgomery Copyright Regulations
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Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) is committed to upholding U.S. copyright law. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a provision establishing limitation of liability for infringement of copyright laws by users of computing resources at institutions of higher education. In compliance with the rules of this act, the University has designated an agent to receive statutory notices from copyright owners about infringements and to send statutory notices to affected subscribers. AUM's designated agent is:
Rickey Best
Collections Development Librarian PO Box 244023
Montgomery, AL 36124-4023 email@example.com
Penalties for copyright infringement at AUM include but are not limited to temporary restriction of network privileges, permanent restriction of network privileges, and criminal prosecution (see also P2P File Sharing Policy).
For more information on copyrights, refer to the following sites:
Some alternative sites that offer legal file sharing include:
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Give to AUM
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text:
WestVanDave wrote:Lawrence - uiteqay on the 'bunadhAay 14 ... or else the whole world will abgray all the iskywhay away!!!
Cheers, Dave.
P.S. - Mr. T can translate (and correct) my pig latin... for all of those interested...
Lawrence wrote:I figured it was safe Dave, it's just you and me reading this in BC.....
Lawrence wrote:I bought a bottle yesterday and spent the better part of the evening familiarizing myself with this whisky. I can only say that it is simply stunning and did not lose it's focus even with the addition of water. Today, I traded in my batch 7 and 12 for batch 14's and bought two more. I have given strict instructions to the love of my life that if she is going to buy me a bottle of whisky for Christmas, this is the one I want.
Lawrence wrote:Has anybody tried this new batch yet, Jim Murray rates it quite a bit more than other batches at 94 points. The only other batch that scored that high was batch 1 with the sterling silver label.
Lawrence wrote:The 15 must have just been released recently so I have not read any notes on it nor have we seen it here as of yet so I've not had a chance to taste it.
Dear Lawrence
Thank you for your question. I do not have precise volume figures per batch but we generally select around 80 to 100 sherry casks (mainly butts) to make up each batch. This allows individual cask selection to ensure a great final vatting and I am delighted to hear you enjoy the results.
Many thanks
Neil Macdonald


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King Abdullah chairs Cabinet session
May 10, 2010
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz chaired the Cabinet session held at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh today. At the outset, he gave a briefing on his recent talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, reiterating the Kingdom's support for efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region and to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. The King also described his consultations with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Abdulrahman Al-Attiyah in advance of the 12th annual consultative meeting of GCC leaders to be held in Riyadh on Tuesday.
The Cabinet welcomed the fatwa (religious edict) issued by the Senior Ulema (religious scholars) Commission stipulating that financing terrorism is a criminal act, since it involves corruption and the destruction of people and property. The Ministers then listened to briefings on the 11th consultative meeting of GCC Interior Ministers and the 84th meeting of GCC Finance Ministers, both of which were concluded last week.
Turning to its agenda items, the Cabinet approved a regulation stipulating that the state will cover 50 percent of fees for issuing and renewing private vehicle registration licenses for three years; authorized the Foreign Minister to sign a draft statute of the Organization for the Development of Women in the Member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference; authorized the Minister of Higher Education to sign a draft memorandum of scientific and educational cooperation with the Ministry of Education of Denmark; emphasized the provisions of paragraph (1) of a Royal Order issued in 1429H supporting the Ministry of Agriculture and other related bodies to implement the strategic objectives and national action plan for forestry; appointed Dr. Amr Rajab, Dr. Khalid Al-Rajhi and Awadh Al-Assaf as a private sector members of the Saudi Post Board of Directors for three years; and authorized the Minister of Health to sign three draft Memoranda of Understanding for cooperation in the field of public health and medical sciences with the Ministry of Health and Human Services of the United States, the Ministry of Health of Australia and the Ministry of Health of Portugal.
Finally, Cabinet approved the appointment of Gharamah Al-Asmari as Director General of Follow-up at the Ministry of Education; Mahmoud Al-Salek as Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry for School Affairs at the Ministry of Education; Nasser Al-Homali as Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry for Female Students and Examination Affairs at the Ministry of Education; and Suleiman Al-Suraye' as Director General of the Office of the Minister of State at the General Secretariat of the Cabinet. All the appointments were made at the 14th rank.


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How do they manage to get user to login to Twitter / Facebook through Javascript so smoothly?
I am trying to replicate it for the web app. Basically, the user only needs to add a javascript snippet to their site to kickstart but I am clueless as to how to integrate facebook and twitter connect seamlessly.
Do they store access tokens after successfully authenticating a user?


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The Road to Frogmore Author Talk
Location:Hilton Head Branch
Date & Time:Thursday, March 21, 2013 - 1:30pm
Professor Carolyn Schriber will speak on her recent novel, The Road to Frogmore: Turning Slaves into Citizens, which tells the story of Laura Towne and the founding of the Penn School. Books will be available for purchase after the talk. Program is open to adults.


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In the beginning of A Separation, Nader didn't really want to get divorced and was only trying to oppose his wife's decision seemingly wanting to convince her his own way. But, at the middle of the film, he started to change his mind and he got really serious about going through with this decision. What made him, a character who doesn't seem to make any decisions without enough reasons, change his mind?
It doesnt not depend on Nader's nationality, it's about Nader's personality. During the film we understand Nader was a bullheaded man, and his recalcitrance was a reason to divorce.
You know that's what love is. Well first of all you need to understand how life and relationships work around in Iran. Its not America! So here's the thing:
Usually once you're married for a long time (for more than 5-10 years) and then want a divorce, you probably start to think about the future of your kids. Not only this but in well-cultured families the people fear how society will react to their decision.Also if your financially struggling, it definitely adds to the pressure.The movie starts off in that fashion where Nader has not yet given a thought to the future, hence he tries to review the decision made which will affect him, his wife and his children.
Men do care you know ;-)


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CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy didn't back off the controversial edict he issued or Egypt's upcoming constitutional referendum, saying Thursday night that he respects peaceful opposition to his decisions but won't stand for violence.
Addressing "those who oppose me" and his supporters, Morsy condemned those involved in recent clashes -- referring specifically to those armed with weapons and who are backed and funded by members of the "corrupt ... ex-regime" -- and promised they'd be held accountable.
"(They) will not escape punishment," the president said in a televised speech.
Morsy's words not only failed to mollify many protesters on the streets, it further enraged them. Activists camped in Cairo's Tahrir Square chanted "Leave! Leave! Leave!" as the president talked.
Egyptians protest president's powers Egyptians protest president's powers
And minutes after the speech ended, the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo was "ablaze," state TV reported, citing witnesses. The Islamist group said on its website and Twitter that the building came under "a terrorist attack," with hundreds were surrounding it.
Yet by 1:00 Friday, there was no sign of a fire or significant damage to the building. Supporters from both sides were at the site, as were security forces between them and the headquarters.
Jihad Haddad, a senior adviser in the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood that Morsy once led, wrote on Twitter that 36 Brotherhood and party offices were "destroyed" by opponents in the last two weeks. Banned under longtime President Hosni Mubarak, the Brotherhood is now Egypt's dominant political force.
On Twitter, the Islamist group has said it would hold opposition figures "fully responsible for escalation of violence & inciting their supporters."
Adel Saeed, a spokesman for Egypt's newly appointed general prosecutor, said Friday morning that Hamdeen Sabahi, Mohamed ElBaradei and Amr Moussa are being investigated for allegedly "conspiring to topple" the government. All three are well-known internationally -- with ElBaradei being a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Moussa a one-time head of the Arab League -- and are now being probed for their role in the opposition against Morsy, who defeated all three in this year's presidential election.
Those taking part in the protests around the North African nation say the scenes are similar to those of the 2011 uprising that led to Mubarak's ouster. This time, they say, dissent is being vigorously stamped out by Morsy's backers in government and on the street.
Specifically, they spoke of thugs with knives and rocks chasing activists, presidential backers belittling opponents and pressure from various quarters to go home and be quiet.
"It's exactly the same battle," said Hasan Amin, a CNN iReporter.
A November 22 edict by Morsy, in which he made his decisions immune to judicial oversight until a new constitution is voted upon, set off the latest wave of political unrest. And it's been growing -- and growing more violent -- in recent days.
Ahead of the president's speech, opposition leaders were specific in what would mollify them: Morsy must roll back his edict granting himself expanded presidential powers and postpone the scheduled December 15 referendum on a proposed constitution, which they say doesn't adequately represent or protect all Egyptians.
Neither happened.
That fact, itself, isn't surprising. Morsy previously defended the edict as necessary to defend the revolution and his administration has insisted the proposed constitution was drafted legally and the referendum will go on as planned. If people vote it down, the president said Thursday night that he'd form a new assembly to draft another constitution.
Yet opposition activists haven't shown any indication that they trust Morsy on that or other counts. They accuse him of consolidating power for himself and the Muslim Brotherhood, in part by having an Islamist-dominated group push through the draft constitution.
"This is not what we asked for," one protester said. "It's a complete dictatorship."
The National Salvation Front, an umbrella group of opposition groups, including ElBaradei's Constitution Party, promised their fight is not over, calling for more mass protests Friday and claiming authorities "lost legitimacy," said the group, according to the semi-official al-Ahram newspaper.
These demonstrations would follow heated protests Thursday, including about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Cairo where a crowd tried to storm Morsy's home, according to the Interior Ministry. Police fired tear gas to disperse the group, and at least 20 protesters and six police officers were injured. Police arrested eight suspects carrying swords and clubs, the ministry said. Morsy was not at the home at the time.


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There is a common Yiddish phrase used to describe an arbitrary reasoning that is not based on the sources: "Boich sevarah" -- literally, "stomach reasoning." What is the exact meaning of this phrase, and for how long has it been used? [This question was inspired by two pieces in Teshuvos Chasam Sofer (YD 129 and 353) that reject someone's "סברת הכרס".]
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A search on Hebrewbooks yields the following earlier (16th-century) uses of the Hebrew סברת הכרס:
Radvaz, teshuvah 1463: זו סברת הכרס היא
Yam Shel Shlomo, Gittin 4:28: וכל אחד עושה לו סברת הכרס כמו שיחפוץ
...and I'm sure there are others too.
Considering that Radvaz lived nowhere near any Yiddish speakers, I doubt that the Hebrew is a calque of the Yiddish; I'd guess it's the other way around. But I don't know who originated it.
The meaning seems pretty straightforward: like Ernest said, it's something like "a gut feeling" rather than an idea developed through proper cerebral thinking.


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Fla. lawmakers push to tax online purchases
Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 11:17 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 11:17 a.m.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida could soon join the line of other states trying to get online retailers to collect the state's sales tax.
A Senate panel on Tuesday approved a sweeping tax measure aimed at getting those selling products online to Florida residents to collect the state's six percent sales tax.
A similar bill was considered last year, but ultimately it was not adopted by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature.
But this year's bill (SB 316) also includes tax breaks designed to offset the extra money that would be received by the state.
The legislation includes a cut in the state tax that is now charged on cellphones, cable and satellite dish bills. It also includes a top priority of Gov. Rick Scott to eliminate the sales tax charged on equipment bought by manufacturers.
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