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The 6 Worst Jobs Ever (Were Done by Children)
#3. Whipping Boys
You've probably heard somebody use the term "whipping boy" to mean "scapegoat" or a guy who repeatedly takes the punishment for somebody else's screw-up. But once again, a term that serves as a ridiculous mental image in today's society was real life in the Middle Ages.
It was an odd time.
Being born in medieval Europe was like playing the world's worst game of womb-roulette. That's just like Russian roulette, if you replaced the bullet with a life of poverty and pestilence--and instead of only one guy at the table getting hit, you all did. Surprise! Live to 30 and you were a hero; live to 50 and you were burned at the stake for being a witch.
"He's trying to blow out the flames. Get him!"
Unless you were popped out by a queen and had a penis. Life as a prince was pretty sweet. Then there were the rags-to-riches stories of the lucky common boy chosen to live a life of luxury with the prince, employed as a full time buddy. Kind of like Pretty Woman, but replace Julia Roberts with Danny DeVito. And for this privileged life, all the "lucky" boy had to do was take physical beatings for all the prince's wrongdoings.
Back in the 17th century, people believed the body of a prince, like that of the king, was sacred and could not be harmed. So what to do when the sacred vessel was acting like a royal prick? The answer: Whip the prince's friend while he watched.
The practice started with King James the First, who instructed a peasant whipped for his son Charles's crimes--clearly demonstrating both his authority and complete lack of understanding of little boys' sociopathic nature. While the royalty assumed the young prince would learn his lesson after watching his only companion take violence for the prince's own misdeeds, more likely the royal shit assumed the position of a unfuckwithable little tyrant with no regard for the pain and suffering of others. But history clearly shows this is just a phase they grow out of toward becoming benevolent and perfectly reasonable rulers.
#2. Chimney Sweeps
OK wait, chimney sweeps are just adorable, cockney-throated, soot-smudged rapscallions given to dance and song. Getting dirty, dancing and playing, what's not for children to like?
The choreography?
Well, for starters, during the chimney sweeping heyday in Victorian London, it was legal to simply pick up vagrant children and force them to work for you.
There was a whole litter of them in a free box in front of the drug store.
Once a master sweep collected his slave orphans, it was time to put them to work. The children climbed up the chimney flue, scrubbing as they went. The job wasn't done until their heads stuck out of the chimney like an adorably mistreated groundhog. Constant exposure to soot could lead to lung cancer, while many children would slip and fall to their deaths. Get stuck? Just hang tight until you fall to your death. For those reluctant to climb to higher more dangerous places, the master climber would help light a fire under them with a pep talk! Wait, no, the fire was the pep talk.
And since chimneys were also narrow, it was in the master sweeps' best interest to starve the child.
"Tee-hee, I haven't eaten in weeks!"
But hey, look at those snazzy dressers! At least they got to be the Don Draper of the huddled masses, almost always wearing top hats and tails. They were probably so smug, striding around in their fancy clothes that they got as cast offs from funeral directors. Then when the black lung or whatever disease made kids fall down chimneys came for them, they didn't even have to change clothes!
#1. Mill Scavengers
Small creatures make great little vacuums - ask any dog owner who's ever spilled hot dog juice on the kitchen floor. The same goes for children. Back in the 19th century, textile mills hired children to run around the factory 24/7, picking up debris and loose pieces of cotton. Called "Mill Scavengers," these tykes lapped up the proverbial hot dog water, except this hot dog water lay beneath giant, spinning death wheels.
"Where did Jimmy go? I dunno, but he better have gotten that piece of cotton."
In fact, textile spinners made such good kiddy maulers, scavengers were reported to be "constantly in a state of grief, always in terror."
As you may have guessed, most mill scavengers were orphans adopted by the factory owners, which makes forced labor and child endangerment a family business. It's like Little Orphan Annie except without the money, happy ending or there being a tomorrow part.
It probably would have been easier to just turn off all the machines at the end of the day, then sweep everything up at once but it wasn't that easy because fuck you, kid, that's why.
Kids were pretty much lint screens that can feel terror and scream.
Without exposure to fresh air, children were susceptible to a multitude of health problems. You know, like cancer. Scavengers were not allowed to sit, rest or take a break while the mills ran. And the mills ran all day. And on Sundays? Those were usually spent cleaning the giant death wheels that terrified them so much.
An artist's rendering of the noble sacrifices made to clean up lint.
What could make this worse? Worse than forcing an orphan to work in a noisy, unventilated factory, crawling under spinning manglers to pick up tiny bits of trash? Oh yeah, scalping.
While crawling under all those spinning wheels, if a child's hair got too close to the machinery their hair got sucked in, separating their skull cap rather efficiently from their head. If the child wasn't lucky enough to die, at least when it came time to play Cowboys and Indians they were way ahead of the game.
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FOLLANSBEE - Wheeling-Nisshin is on track to have its new corrosion-resistant, hot dip coated steel sheet line in production by the end of the year, a company spokesman said Friday.
The company is spending $28 million on the upgrades. While the new product line will only maintain the status quo in terms of jobs now, over time company and community leaders hope to see the workforce grow because of it.
"We consider it a big thing," said Wheeling-Nisshin Human Resource Manager Nick Cortese. "We are looking at the first couple weeks in May to do a non-commercial trial. It would be a very short trial, because there is still other work that has to be done to complete the project. The target is, and has always been, to start the commercial run late in November of this year."
The new coating, known as ZAM, was developed by Wheeling-Nisshin's parent company, Nisshin Steel Co. Ltd. It's 91 percent zinc, 6 percent aluminum and 3 percent magnesium, so it's long-lasting, more resistant to corrosion and scratches and thus can help customers streamline manufacturing processes. A relatively light coating is all that's needed, so it's also a resource-saving product.
"The project is pretty much on target from our initial planning stage," Cortese said. "There've been a few changes, but nothing drastic ."
While they're still "very much in the preliminary stages" in terms of building product buzz, so far "the feedback has been very positive," he said.
"That's our objective here, in the next several months," Cortese added, "to try to get information, samples, to as many potential customers as possible."
So far, he said the project hasn't impacted current operations.
"There are certain aspects of the project that have been worked on at the same time as the line that that particular project is going on has been running," he said. "But other phases of the installation have to be done when the line is down, and we typically take our lines down once per quarter for various maintenance. Probably the next outage will be a little longer than normal because of ZAM-related changes."
For now, he said the company is stepping up its marketing efforts. This week, Wheeling-Nisshin named Art Bertol, employed at Wheeling-Nisshin since 1987, the general manager of ZAM marketing, a new position. Brian Petrella was promoted to assistant general manager commercial, while Jonathan Deyton was promoted to supply chain buyer.
Cortese called it an "investment for the future."
"Hopefully (it will lead to) an expansion of our market share," he said. "We've been here for 25 years, certainly we want to be here for at least another 25."

subset: commoncrawl


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In advance of being in a position to properly calibrate my dual monitor set-up under Ubuntu, I really need to move from using Nvidia's Twinview to something else as Twinview is seen as one single large Monitor. From a colour calibration point of view this is not too useful as each monitor needs to be calibrated separately.
Does anyone have any good tips, experience or recommendations as to the best way to go about setting up dual monitors that will allow me to calibrate both my monitors independently using Xinerama or another solution?
The gfx card I have is an Nvidia FX580 if that helps.


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Is online learning for you?
Online Learning at Umpqua Community College
Umpqua Community College offers online courses to provide an additional learning opportunity for students. You can take online courses to make your educational experience convenient for you. Online courses generally cover the same materials that would be found in the traditional on-campus course. Online classes provide an additional learning opportunity for students in an environment alternative to the traditional classroom. Online courses are taught over the Internet. This means that you do not have to physically come to campus and sit in a classroom, so you could take a course from anywhere you have Internet access. Your instructor's lectures are usually in a text format and can be read from your computer screen or can be printed out and read later.
Facts About Online Learning
- Online learning requires you to be a motivated, self-disciplined, and responsible learner.
- Online student have a specific place to study and work on their course assignments.
- The place an online student chooses to study should be free of distractions and interruptions to increase concentration and retention of knowledge.
- Online students need to be able to read and learn for comprehension and do not need to listen to an instructor's lecture to learn.
- Online students will need to dedicate 2-3 hours per credit hour for each course, which is about 9 hours a week for a 3 credit course.
- Students who have family and friends who support them in their educational goals are more apt to succeed and be consistent with their education.
- Online courses require a student to be able to manage their time and get their assignments done without the typical face-to-face instructor reminding them of their due dates and assignment schedule.
- In an online situation, students will need to be able to work their way through difficulties without becoming discouraged.
- Online learning is done in a technology based environment. Students will need to know and understand how to use technology before taking a course online.
- Students need to be able to work independently in a computer environment. It is important that an online student is comfortable with computer technology and can figure things out on their own.
Are You Ready For Online Learning?
If you are an independent learner, self-disciplined, self-motivated and enjoy working on a computer, online learning may be right for you. Most of the coursework for online courses can be completed any time day or night. Online learning is great for those unable to attend regularly scheduled classes. However, if you are not able to set and maintain a schedule which allows you to keep up with the required materials for each course, online learning may not be for you. Online learning requires the student to be resourceful and able to handle the isolated feeling that can come from online learning. However, if you are one of those students who prefer traditional classroom, you can still be an online student. It means that you need to understand what is involved before you begin and plan accordingly.
One of the biggest myths is students sometimes believe that online courses are easier than the traditional classroom and that there is not as much work. Online courses are just as intense as any on-campus course. Online classes are sometimes more so because more responsibility for learning on you, the student. You do not have an instructor physically in the classroom reminding you of due dates or directing your process. Online learning feedback to your questions is usually delayed. You will need to be resourceful and understand the online learning program, the course details, your computer and the Internet.


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Breaking Bad: The Complete First or Second Season [Blu-ray] for $11.99 + free shipping
14 Comments add a comment
BOGO also applies plus free shipping. Only for Season 1 and 2 of Breaking Bad and other select titles.
@kaymay: oh wow! I just tattled to have it changed, thanks!
This makes this deal 2X BETTER :O
Title should read....BREAKING BAD - "First AND second season....$11.99 w/ free shipping"
Pretty awesome deal, really! Thanks, miquinn!
@troutwild: that is exactly how I tattled for the mods to change. hopefully!
As good a deal as this is, personally I'm not sure about the rewatch value of such a twist filled show.
You could get a month of netflix and watch them all (and much more) for a similar price on instant.
Nice price! I like.
What kind of man passes up a deal like this? No man, no man at all.
I don't want blu-ray dammit!
Season 3, and Season 4 are $11.99 each as well. I picked up all 4. Averages out to about $9 each season plus tax.
Great, great show. If you've heard about it and not seen it, get season 1 and start. You won't want to stop there. If season 4 is on sale I'll get it because I'm that far along.
But...I just looked up the price on Amazon and it is the same as here for BRD. Since I'm a Prime member I'll be getting it there.
@miquinn: Best. Show. Ever. I watched season one. Liked it so much I watched it again. Then I got my wife into it, and watched it a third time. Then I told my friends to watch it, and they wouldn't, so I MADE them and watched it again with each of them, (twice more.) Then I was so pumped after the end of the last season, I started watching it again (I'm more than half way through season two) so by the time the final episodes air, I'll be back to current. The writing is awesome, the story is great, and there are so many "oh wow" moments (One Minute, Full Measures, Face Off... No spoilers here though), it's worth watching more than once. Or six...
@breaddrink: Unless you're in a situation where you need to have the physical media and/or a digital copy to watch them. For people who watch the episodes while traveling, commuting, somewhere without wifi, somewhere that blocks streaming, etc, this is a great day.
Personally, I watch tv show episodes during lunch at work. Streaming is blocked due to the bandwidth and I don't have a smart phone, so I watch DVDs. Works well for me and this is a great time of year to stock up on lunchtime entertainment.
I'm showing season 1 as not available for shipping... I'm always late to the party :(
They do still have the deal though, and offer local pickup, so it's still a good deal for some.
Just saw that that seasons 1-4 are 11.99 on amazon as well. There's no buy one get one, but they all qualify for prime shipping.
If you can't get in store to get season one, that's the way to go.


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I currently have 205/55 R16 91V M+S Goodridge tires and an '06 Honda Civic Coupe. Should I stick with the same type of tires for go for something else? What's the difference between getting R16 or R17? Does it really matter? I realize I don't want anything above R19 on my car because it's going to be too low, but 15,16, or 17? Why would I want any of those sizes? Also, should I change the tires myself or take it somewhere so that they can be aligned etc?
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As pointed out by DXM, the 15,16,17 isn't an interchangeable number.
None of the first 3 numbers can just be changed individually.
With your 205/55R16 example:
One wheel can hold a range of widths, so you might be able to go from 205 to 225 to run a wider tire (more rubber on the road, creates a larger contact patch and so theoretically more traction) but you would need to reduce the sidewall percentage to 50 to keep the height of the sidewall close to the same (112.75mm vs 112.5mm).
If you do not keep the overall diameter of your tire the same (wheel diameter + sidewall height) you will be altering your final gear ratio which will make your speedometer incorrect, alter your fuel mileage (better or worse depends on driving behavior and altered size), impacts your acceleration, what speed you can reach in which gears, your effective power band, etc.
Again using the 205/55R16 your current overall diameter is 519.15mm (wheel size * 25.4 + tire width * sidewall percentage)
To move to a 17" wheel assuming the same wheel and tire width, you'd need to use a 205/45R17 to get close but you'd actually be 4.9mm taller (off by about 1%). Fitting a 215/40R17 would get you 1.35mm shorter (off by about .25%).
Going with a wider tire and especially a wider wheel you have to take more into account as you may have clearance issues and either need wheels with a different offset or make use of wheel spacers.
There is rarely a perfect match when changing the wheel size but the more you can reduce the variance, the less you will impact items on the car that you shouldn't be changing unless you understand why you are changing them.
The choice depends on what you are trying to achieve with new tires and what's important to you. handling? ride comfort? looks?
These are the reasons people buy higher size rims:
You do realize that if you go to larger diameter, you'll need new rims as well. So staying at the same diameter could save you few hundred bucks.
As far as specific advice for your make/model, check out honda online forums and see what people are using in their cars. Just stay away from clowns who wouldn't recognize decent taste if it hit them in the face. 17" will probably be good on your car. I wouldn't go higher.
If you buy higher-size tires, you'll need new rims. If you buy tires/rims in one place like tirerack.com or discounttiredirect.com, they will mount the tires for free and ship you wheels which are ready to go onto your car. If you buy tires separately, you will need to have a professional shop mount them on your rims.
Also have a look at:
There is a performance / comfort tradeoff which can be decided depending on the usage. On a track lower profile is often better, but on the road not so much.


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Fifty years ago today a new pope
Fifty years ago today, to the surprise of very few, Giovanni Battista Montini was elected to succeed Pope John XXIII. I was in St. Peter's Square when the "Habemus papam" was sung, and a good number of us were pleased at his election because we were confident that he would continue the Church on the process of aggiornamento proposed by John and ratified by the world's bishops at the first session of the Second Vatican Council. And indeed one of the first acts of Paul VI was to announce that the Council would resume and pursue the same goals of spiritual renewal and pastoral reform. He presided over the final three sessions of the Council during which all sixteen of the conciliar texts were elaborated and promulgated. The Council is often thought of only or principally in terms of Pope John, but it was just as much Paul VI's Council. And of course, he presided over the tumulturous aftermath of the Council and did all he could to hold the Church together. During his fifteen-year pontificate he was often severely criticized from both left and right in the Church, which for me is an indication that he must have been doing something right.
About the Author
Rev. Joseph A. Komonchak, professor emeritus of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America, is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of New York.
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Thanks for this remembrance. I wasn't in Rome on 21 June 1963, but was present fifteen years later for the last Mass Paul VI celebrated in St. Peter's, 29 June 1978.
During Pope Paul's reign did he or the CDF censure many dissenting theologians or restrict their teaching?
Was there anything special about Paul VI that was memorable? Like John XXIII being fat and having a sense of humor, or John Paul II using a popemobile and being a globetrotter, or Benedict's red shoes.
And if one was going to remember a single decision from their papacy, what would it be? John XXIII called a council, Paul VI ruled in vain against contraception, John Paul II apologized for sins of the church, Benedict resigned.
I remember Pope Paul as the target of loud complaints from both left and right -- from the left mainly because of Humanae Vitae and from the right mainly because of his liturgical reforms. Nevertheless, he was called a Hamlet because he was seen as loathe to make decisions. I say that wasn't fair -- it was because of his decisions that he was criticized in the first place. Complex times.
As Father Komonchak has pointed out, Paul VI very soon after his election made the decision to continue the Second Vatican Council. There had been important discussions during the opening session regarding the organization and orientations of the Council, particularly regarding the liturgy, but no documents had been approved. Some conservatives in the Curia and among the bishops of dioceses thought that the Council should die with Pope John XXIII. Pope Paul very quickly indicated that the Council would continue. That was towering.
And much too off the top of my head (and at dawn, not my best time):
-- He was the first pope in close to 150 years to travel outside of Italy, but more important, the first pope, since the earliest centuries, to travel outside of Europe.
-- He decided that the whole of the Mass could be celebrated in the vernacular languages, including the Eucharistic Prayer.
-- He re-organized the Roman Curia and gave important posts to non-Italian cardinals, including Cardinal Jean Villot, former archbishop of Lyons, who served as Secretary of State.
-- He decided that cardinals on reaching eighty would lose their right to vote in papal elections.
Just a few highlights.
An afterthought or two:
Paul VI made the papacy much more visible. He celebrated Mass at St. Peter's, in the basilica or in the square, on major feasts. This had not been so previously. For example, Pius XII, and I believe this continued under John XXIII, celebrated Christmas Midnight Mass in the Sistine Chapel with only the diplomatic corps present. Also, I am fairly sure that Pope Paul began the Wednesday General Audiences, a major aspect of Pope Francis's papacy.
And Paul was the first to use the popemobile.
By contrast, George Weigel published his verdict on Paul VI at the First Things blog site last week. Even taking into account Weigel's twin filters - John Paul II hagiography, and the incessant promotion of his new book - his summation of Paul VI's papacy struck me as notably uncharitable and unfair. Even the headline, "The Last Counter-Reformation Pope" seems to me to be fundamentally wrong.
I've probably stated here before that I think Paul VI is underappreciated. To John Page's excellent list of Paul VI's accomplishments - all of which laid the groundwork and set the context for John Paul II's papacy - surely we should add that he shouldered the burden of implementing the Council, and working out its implications for the life of the church.
Pope Paul had the misfortune to follow the most popular pope of the twentieth century, a hard act to follow, as they say. Paul was bookish and shy; the simple and free gestures of his predecessor did not come spontaneously to him. Still he had organizational skills that Pope John lacked and he used them to see the Council through to its conclusion, often against great opposition. (It should be remembered that not a single complete conciliar document had been issued by the time Pope John died.)
I would add to the list of accomplishments already mentioned his two great contributions to the Church's social teaching, Populorum progressio and Octagesima adveniens, as well as his apostolic exhortation on preaching the Gospel, Evangelii nuntiandi. The firestorm that greeted his encyclical Humanae vitae moved him not to issue another encyclical. As John Page noted, the liturgical reform which he saw through went, in many cases (e.g., the vernacular), beyond what the Council prescribed. While he was pope, the Synod of Bishops still had some signficance, had not yet been emasculated.
My recollections are not sharp. Do I recall correctly that Yves Congar was less than happy with the way Pope Pius dealt with the Council during its sessions and in the implementation of its work?
Is it correct that it was Pope John Paul II who "emasculated" the Synod of Bishops?
Sorry. That's Pope Paul, of course.
Yes, it was under John Paul II that the Synod of Bishops, along with most other nascent institutions for co-responsibility in the Church, were allowed to atrophy.
Congar admired much about Paul VI, but he felt that he did not have a theology adequate to his grand gestures, especially the ecumenical ones, e.g., the encounter with Patriarch Athenagoras or his meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury. He may have had other criticisms also, but I doubt that his over-all judgment about his role at the Council was negative. Others, e.g., Giuseppe Alberigo, are more critical, particularly of Paul VI's search for the largest agreement possible and his concern that the minority at Vatican II not have any ground to make the same accusations made by the minority at Vatican I, namely, that their voices were not heard.
Wasn't Pope Paul concerned, and with reason, about the likelihood of schism following a council and doing some exquisite, if illogical, bureacratic tricks (a liberal #1 and conservative #2, or vice versa, in each Vatican office) to head it off? Taking birth control off the Council's table may have been part of that (the part that really backfired).
When the schism came, it was (fortunately for the council's cause) the right rather than the left that hived off with its antisemitic paranoia showing. Less conspicuously, there was a lot of what Germans might recognize as "inner immigration" to the Church of Trent or the Church of the Future while going through the required motions. But I think that, measured against what's possible, Paul VI did better than should have been expected.
Paul VI also normalized relations between the Catholic and Anglican Curches to a very substantial degree. When Paul met in 1966 at the Vatican with then-Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey, it was the first personal encounter between a Pope and an AoC in more than 400 years. They signed a declaration that expressed their desire to work together on issues of common importance to both churches, and as Ramsey was leaving and getting into his vehicle, Pope Paul handed him his episcopal ring. I believe Ramsey said later that the magnanimous gesture brought tears to his eyes. And to this day, the AofC wears that ring when he comes to Rome to visit the Pope, as the new AoC did last week:
The first modern encounter between an archbishop of Canterbury and a pope occurred in 1960 when Geoffrey Fisher met John XXIII.
Hello All,
I guess I want to second part of Fr. Komonchak's initial reflection. From everything I have read about Paul VI, he tried constantly to do right by all sides he worked with, including sides that disagreed both with him and with each other. And (here's my own opinion), at least in the short run Paul VI suffered the usual fate of people who try to be fair to every bickering side. Almost everyone despised him then or despises him now, especially those who ought to be especially grateful to him. (Jim P. has just pointed us to an example in his earlier post.)
My own impression is that John Paul II differed from Paul VI in that John Paul II didn't worry about those who disagreed with his vision of what the Roman Catholic Church should be. At least in the short run, John Paul II is often hailed as John Paul the Great, while Paul VI is nearly forgotten, although I think everything John Paul II is best remembered for such as his visits to countries outside of Europe Paul VI did before him (admittedly on a smaller scale). I think in the long run Paul VI will be remembered will be remembered as one of the greatest of all popes.
I also have a question of scholarship. I have heard from multiple sources that Paul VI argues that if just war is possible, then so is just revolution. But I have been unable to track down any confirming statement by Paul VI. Did he really say or write words to this effect?
Paul VI took off the papal tiara and used the proceeds from its sale to feed the poor.
Since Francis spoke today about bishops not having the psychology of "princes" this aspiration to humility appears to be needed still.
Apparently Pope Paul expected the opposition to HV in the West, but he expected it to blow over: " He fully anticipated this reaction to be a temporary one: 'Don't be afraid', he reportedly told Edouard Gagnon on the eve of the encyclical, 'in twenty years time they'll call me a prophet'.]"
(The quotation is from Wikipedia's article on Pope Paul VI, which footnotes NCR: National Catholic Reporter, 26 August 1988, p.10.)
I wonder if Pope Francis expects African and the Eastern Church to continute to accept the teaching.
The quote sounds uncharacteristic of Paul VI, but quite characteristic of Cardinal Gagnon. Maybe it got a bit garbled in the re-telling.
I think that opposition to Humanae Vitae in the West is finished. One young and devout Catholic to whom I mentioned it recently answered: "Humanae Vitae? That's an encyclical against abortion, isn't it?" - The contraception controversy has indeed blown over, and in the West contraception is so well accepted that even the memory of the controversy has started to fade!
Unfortunately that generation is at risk of forgetting what our parents learned from Paul VI: that when we hear church authorities, it's our own decision what to do with what we hear, and that we are responsible for our decisions.
It is nice to hear so many in the church beginning to speak up about what have been dangerous subjects to broach in public. How much we owe,o those brave souls who spoke up when they knew for sure they had much to lose. Let's hope for a future when Catholics will find it harder and harder to imagine the degree of intimidation that once existed in the church.
Sorry, " to those brave souls" of course.
Most Africian Catholics are not abiding by the ban on the use of condoms for the millions of Africans married couples with a seropositive spouse. To anyone's reason as well as faith, it is both irresponsible and unreasonable that such couples, many of whom are young, must, according to the Church, must practice lifetime sexual abstinence. The Church believes these couples must practice heroic virtue to an extreme.
Unfortunately, celibacy or sexual abstinence is a gift from God given to the very few. Many seminarians don't complete their final vows because of it. Does God give this gift to every or most married couples who have a seropositive spouse? If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale. The last time I check Aquinas, the prudence ensures that Catholics practice virtue that is closer to the mean that to one extreme end. There is no fixed mean of any virtue because it depends on the person and cirumstances. In fact, most volunary human acts do not point to "one virtue" per se, but are the result of a combination of several virtues that vary by circumstances and goals.
In this case, what is more important to God?...Ensuring that the male seed is placed in its proper place for procreation regardless of the circumstances, or to safe-guard your spouse from a deadly disease and preserve the marriage? Even if one uses a double condom to ensure safety, the Church considers condom use during sexual intercourse as intrinsically evil.
The contraception controversy has indeed blown over, and in the West contraception is so well accepted that even the memory of the controversy has started to fade!
I'm 51 years old, and I have no memory of it - it came and went without my ever being aware of it. I was married for five years before I ever learned that contraception is illicit for married couples.
In his autobiography, Archbishop Rembert Weakland has an appreciation and assessment of Paul Vi during Weakland's time in Rome as head of the Benedictines (Chapter 10). Among the items mentioned are the Pope's difficult relationship with many members of the curia--echoing some of the comments already here. Weakland has a genuine respect for Paul's efforts to implement the council and for supporting Weakland's efforts at bringing the council into Benedictine practices. It was Paul, of course, who appointed Weakland to be archbishop of Milwaukee.
Jim Pauwels,
I'm 67 years old and had only a vague memory of the contraception controversy. However, when I got married and had 2 children and wanted no more for good reasons, I asked my parish priest about birth control. After a short conversation, he told me that the decision of birth control was up to me and my wife's informed conscience, so don't worry about it.
Many sexual ethical teachings suffer from a divided clergy. A 2011 survey of Australian priests shows only 19.2% support the Church teaching on birth control, and only 40.2% said sex before marriage was always sinful. In the US, 44% of priests say using artificial birth control is seldom a sin. When there is such profound inconsistency and contradiction between doctirne and pastoral practices, something is wrong with the teaching.
It is very common, but still so sad, that the pontificate of Paul VI is made to center upon Humanae vitae.
Fr. Komonchak's 6/22 4:03 comment is surely warranted. Unfortunately, here in the U. S. today, the contraception issue is front and center in the ill-advised round 2 of "Fortnight for Freedom" campaign. It is HV that provides the ammunition for those so loudly beating the drum for "Fortnight 2."
I do agree, of course, that Pope Paul is not to be held responsible for everything that has flowed from his encyclical.
And the rest of Humanae Vitae is far from a disaster. I can speak only from observation, not from experience, but from the outside it seems that except for the contraception prohibition Humanae Vitae is a much more realistic and wiser theology of matrimony than JP II's. At least his view of women isn't the romanticized and trivialized one of JP II.
Yes, he was somewhat like Hamlet -- a very complex, cautious yet brave man.
[email protected]:03: Yes, sad for the memory the church (us) have of him. But more than sad for the institution itself. This is a turning point that failed to turn and has colored the arguments about many things ever since.
If I have the chronology right, the idea of discussing this came from some European bishops (Suenens? et al) thinking it was an important issue for the council to discuss. It was delegated (John XXIII? Paul?) to a special commission that met, considered the issue and agreed the teaching should change. Paul overrode that (some say at the advice of Karol Wojtyla) and issued HV.
Supporting the commission decision would have allowed the church to modify the teaching in some, but not necessarily all ways; put the church's teaching on abortion in a more defensible position; and, at least in my view, not have so thoroughly undermined the church's moral authority.
The nature of the dissent against Humanae Vitae was, for the most part, uncharitable. For me, it weakens the point of view of the dissenters.
On Saturday afternoon, 22 June, Pope Francis met in St Peter's with a large group of people from the diocese of Brescia, the native diocese of Paul VI. They had come on pilgrimage for The Year of Faith as well as the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul's election. Pope Francis spoke warmly of and with great appreciation for his predecessor, dividing his talk, as he often does, into three points -- Paul's love of Christ, his love for the Church, his love for his fellow human beings.
Pope Francis said of Paul VI's Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi (1975), mentioned above by Fr. Joe Komonchak, "for me the greatest pastoral document that has been written up till now." ("per me il documento pastorale piu' grande che e' stato scritto fino ad oggi ....") (I am unable to find an English translation of the talk.)
Frank Gibbons (9:25 p.m.). I am surprised at your "uncharitable" characterization. Memory is furtive, but as I recall, the first wave of reactions was "responses" by national conferences of bishops (probably the point when the future JPII decided to defang them). The bishops were anything but uncharitable to the pope. The decision was his, but the consequences were theirs -- in the local clergy and in the local faithful.
Things got a little hotter quite a while after the initial wave of responses when one side settled into "Rome has spoken, the pope doesn't have to consult, he has a pipeline to the Spirit and, by the way, shut up" and the other side had dug into "it isn't binding, almost all the world's bishops say so, and if he is going to ask for advice, he ought to either take it or say why he isn't taking it, neither of which he did, and, by the way, shut up."
Ann Oliver is right (5:50) that a lot of good stuff in HV has been forgotten. I have often said that an aging Italian was able to predict Paris, Lindsey and the Kardashians 40 years before the paparazzi found them.
This looks tangential, but I don't think it really is. Some of the Victorians thought that too much sex could drive a person mad. Maybe they had a point: A National Inquirer segment of the American population (a very large one) has in effect canonized the Kardashians as the ultimate American success story, i.e., as the ultimate sexy humans. Kim Kardasian and Kanye West (who is the father of her brand new baby) are naming the baby -- get this -- "North West". How insane can a culture get? What a barking mad circus! The center cannot hold.
It must be galling for Paul, if a deceased person can be galled, that his entire pontificate is remembered by most Catholics mainly for a self-inflicted wound that continues to divide the Church and diminish the credibility of its leaders. But perhaps it was a necessary and inspired rebuke—a bank shot by the Holy Spirit—to the claim that self-straitened ecclesiastics can infallibly rule the lives of billions of people whose struggles they know only by report.
Some of the Victorians thought that too much sex could drive a person mad.
Ah, the threats we humans face! Madness on one side and extinction on the other. What to do? What to do?
Paul VI is my favorite pope, but let's not gild the lily. The liberal theologians at Vatican II were often enraged by him, especially in the famous black week, and he did not give the synods the power they could have had (nor did he follow through on reforming the cdf). Humanae Vitae was of course a total disaster. In many way the downfall of Vatican II was prepared by Paul's lack of decisiveness in pushing through the key reform, collegiality.
Perhaps the bishops' exercise of collegiality in their critical reception of HV was what froze collegiality thenceforth and ensured the downgrading of episcopal conferences.
Agreed that the lucid text of HV (Martelet?) is far better than JP2's murky ToB porridge.


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STEUBENVILLE - The late 4th Ward Councilman David Fortunato could always be seen watering the plants at City Hall, checking their leaves and offering advice to others on the care of their office plants.
So his City Council colleagues and city administration officials thought dedicating a tree in the City Hall park on Market Street was an appropriate way to remember the four-term councilman 17 months after he died suddenly at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center.
"May 9, 2011, was a very sad day for our community. That was the day Councilman Dave Fortunato passed away. But we gather here today to remember him and to dedicate this tree in his memory," intoned Mayor Domenick Mucci during a brief ceremony prior to the City Council sunshine meeting on Tuesday.
Article Photos
REMEBERING DAVE FORTUNATO — Members of Steubenville Council and city administration officials joined the Fortunato family Tuesday evening to dedicate a tree in honor of the late 4th Ward Councilman David Fortunato. Taking part in the ceremony were, from left, City Engineer Michael Dolak, Councilman at large Kenny Davis, 4th Ward Councilwoman Angela Suggs, City Manager Cathy Davison, 6th Ward Councilman David Lalich, 1st Ward Councilman Gerald DiLoreto, 3rd Ward Councilman Greg Metcalf, 5th Ward Councilman Willie Paul, David Fortunato Jr., Anita Fortunato, Nicholas Fortunato, 2nd Ward Councilman Rick Perkins and Mayor Domenick Mucci. - Dave Gossett
"And appropriately enough there was a watering can in Dave's back seat that day because after his stop at the recreation center he planned on watering the new plants at the entrance to City Hall," added Mucci.
Several council members shared their thoughts and memories of Fortunato with his widow Anita, his son David and grandson Nicholas.
"I knew David for 52 years and I can remember all of the 22 houses he lived in. The house he bought may not have looked the best at first but after Dave lived there, it was beautiful. He had a lot of pride in everything he did," recalled 6th Ward Councilman David Lalich.
Council members proposed several pieces of legislation during the sunshine meeting Tuesday night, including a resolution by 3rd Ward Councilman Greg Metcalf creating a beautification committee.
The idea first was introduced by 4th Ward Councilwoman Angela Suggs as a way to encourage neighborhood pride throughout the city.
Suggs asked for each council member to submit two names of individuals to serve on a beautification committee that eventually will issue beautification and pride awards for lawns and gardens in the city.
Council also discussed a future program that could see the city donate a city-owned lot to an adjacent property owner if the residents maintains the vacant lot for a three-year period.
"Right now we don't have that many city-owned lots in the North End, LaBelle or Pleasant Heights. But we can look at buying some of the vacant lots through the auditor's sale and suggest property owners next to the lot could gain ownership if they maintain the lot for a period of time," explained Law Director S. Gary Repella.
Metcalf also proposed a resolution recognizing Paul Rue for his recent induction into the Franciscan University of Steubenville Hall of Fame.
A similar resolution recognizing the late Robert D'Anniballe Sr. for his induction into the Franciscan University of Steubenville's Hall of Fame was proposed by 2nd Ward Councilman Rick Perkins.
Lalich introduced several ordinances to authorize the transfer of money into the 2012 summer food program.
Lalich also proposed an ordinance authorizing a $8,250 payment to attorney Joe Corabi for negotiating an oil and gas lease for the city.
And Lalich introduced a resolution proclaiming October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
He also proposed an ordinance authorizing an auction of motor vehicles no longer needed by the city.
And 5th Ward Councilman Willie Paul introduced a resolution declaring October as Fire Prevention Month.


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Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Juan Pablo Montoya turned down pit road, stopped at his stall and picked up his boss and teammates.
Chip Ganassi and Charlie Kimball squeezed into the cockpit. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas jumped on the hood.
Montoya gave them all a lift — much like he did during the closing laps.
Destination: Victory Lane and the record book.
Chip Ganassi Racing won its fifth Rolex 24 at Daytona on Sunday, a victory that gave Pruett his fifth celebratory watch and tied Hurley Haywood's record for wins in the twice-around-the-clock endurance race at Daytona International Speedway.
"To have Scott tie Hurley's record is something special," Ganassi said. "I used to race against Scott Pruett, and he amazed me then with his tenacity, and we saw it again here. I never met a guy that was so team oriented. And for he and Juan to get back together and have a victory I think mended a lot of things there.
"Hurley asked me if I could just make sure that Scott retired now, and I said no. I said what I will do, though, is maybe ask Hurley to come out of retirement if he wants to join (Pruett). So there's a carrot out there for Hurley."
Humbled a year ago when both its cars failed to make the podium, the Ganassi organization returned to the Rolex 24 at Daytona determined to perform.
An eyebrow-raising lineup change that involved Montoya showed just how serious the team was about winning, and it delivered with its fifth win in 10 appearances in the prestigious sports car race and put Pruett in the record books.
"Having gotten to know Hurley real well over the years by racing with him and just as a friend, and to have him there at the end was pretty special," Pruett said.
The winning team of three-time defending Grand-Am drivers Pruett and Rojas, along with Montoya and IndyCar driver Kimball, making his Rolex debut, beat the Max Angelelli-led VelocityWW team by almost 22 seconds.
It was Montoya who closed out the win, driving the final stint and waging a strong battle in the final hour with defending champion AJ Allmendinger. Ganassi's No. 01 BMW Riley had a clear horsepower advantage, and once Montoya got past Allmendinger, the win was his for the taking.
But the Ganassi team figured it was four laps short on fuel, and Montoya needed to build a lead of at least 40 seconds to hold off Angelelli and Allmendinger when he was forced to stop for gas. The Colombian did it by turning laps close to qualifying pace, and breezed to his third Rolex victory.
"It was a lot of pressure; I thought we have a decent lead, we're just going to go out there and ride for two and a half hours," Montoya said. "And then you realize there's a caution and another caution and another caution, and with the way the rules are and the speed the car had, it's like you didn't want to get into a ... contest with anybody. You had to be smart about when you passed them.
"We were kind of concerned about the (Shank) car, what they were going to do with fuel because they told me they could make it until the end and that we were going to have to push, and we pushed like crazy and opened up a hell of a gap. It was fun."
Montoya's other two wins were with Pruett on the No. 01 car in 2007 and 2008, but he spent the last three years driving for the No. 02 Ganassi "star car" and came away empty-handed each time. When the Ganassi cars were left off the Rolex podium last season for the first time since 2005, team management went to work on the cars and setting up a lineup that gave them two chances to win.
Montoya admitted he thought the switch was "a weird move," but owner Chip Ganassi and team manager Mike Hull insisted it wasn't a demotion for the driver who has been stuck in a lengthy slump in his full-time NASCAR job.
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In "continuous" mathematics there are several important notions such as covering space, fibre bundle, Morse theory, simplicial complex, differential equation, real numbers, real projective plane, etc. that have a "discrete" analog: covering graph, graph bundle, discrete Morse theory, abstract simplicial complex, difference equation, finite field, finite projective plane, etc. I would like to know if there are others. But the real question is: Are there any important "continuous" mathematical concepts without "discrete" analog and vice versa?
A lot of ideas from topology and analysis don't have obvious discrete analogues to me. At least, the obvious discrete analogues are vacuous.
I think a better question is which ideas have surprisingly interesting discrete analogues, like cohomology or scissors congruence.
Is there a discrete analogue of the notion of discreteness?
A timely example would be the lack of a combinatorial Ricci flow in dimensions $n \geq 3$. In principle I think many people believe there should be one, but a combinatorial/discrete formalism has yet to be found.
The intermediate value theorem wouldn't be true in a discrete setting.
Is "continuous function" an important concept? Does it have a discrete analog?
It seems to me there is no good (powerful) discrete version of Atiyah–Singer theorem.
What do You mean by word analogy here? From wikipedia we have ( among others):
So You see similarity in differential equation versus difference equation, but this is mostly matter of aesthetic. In practice if You need discrete equation for continues one, You have to put usually a large amount of work in order to make this analogy working. Of course in principle there is relation among differential and difference equation. But what is important here is not what is similar, but what is a gap between them.
When You say, that discrete case may approximate continues one, in fact You take many assumptions, for example about criteria which constitutes what is that mean approximation.
Then analogy is so broad in meaning word, that I may say, I can see analogy between every things You may point. It may be very useful as inspiration, sometimes it lead us to great discoveries. For every thing You say is analogous to some continues case, we may have differences between them which allows us to distinguish this cases. They nearly almost are non equivalent even in approximate meaning. They are never the same. It is a matter of criteria, if You may say two things are in analogy.
Searching Google Web, Google Books and Google Scholar for "no discrete version" OR "no discrete analog" OR "no discrete analogue" OR "no continuous version" OR "no continuous analog" OR "no continuous analogue" produces some examples including a comment that a continuous version of a discrete concept doesn't necessarily enable you to guess the properties of the discrete case.
Contrary to the comments appended to the question, I think the notion of analogy can be made precise.
Definition: An analogy of concept A defined in setting SA, is a concept B defined in setting SB such that there exists a generalized setting SX which includes both SA and SB as example settings, and such that there also exists a concept X defined in setting SX which reduces to concept A or concept B when attention is restricted to either setting SA or SB.
In general, an analogy is not unique. A concept could have many analogies, and even for a particular analogous concept there could be more than one way in which it is considered to be analogous.
Example: In Time scale calculus which unifies difference and differential equations, there have been publications with differing answers over how to define the analogy between discrete and continuous transforms. A particular description which encapsulates both the integer and real number transforms may apply to other sets such as the rationals, but a different description might not apply to Q. So an analogy is not just two objects but also the link between them.


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(September 19, 2012)—The China Spring, Clifton, Gholson and Salado Independent School Districts earned five-star ratings in the state comptroller's annual Financial Allocation Study for Texas or FAST rankings, which are based on an analysis of academic progress and cost efficiency.
To achieve the ranking, the districts must rank in the top 20 percent of all districts in academic progress and in the lowest 20 percent for expenditures.
In all, just 45 of the state's 1,136 charter and public school districts earned five-star ratings in the rankings released Wednesday.
Results were mixed for the region's largest districts, however.
The Belton, Killeen and Copperas Cove ISDs, in which expenditures rank as high, but academic progress tops 70 percent, all earned three-star ratings
The Midway ISD, in which expenditures rank as average and academic progress tops 70 percent, earned three-and-a-half stars.
The Waco ISD, in which expenditures rank as low and academic progress ranks at 14 percent, earned two-and-a-half stars.
And the Temple ISD, in which expenditures rank as high and academic progress ranks at 11 percent, earned one-and-a-half stars.
The FAST website provides tools to compare various districts as well as in-depth district profiles.
"This is the second annual update to our groundbreaking FAST study released in 2010," Comptroller Susan Combs said Wednesday.
"Educators and the public can use the FAST online tool to compare their districts with similar districts around the state using indicators ranging from dropout rates to transportation spending. This year we included some new items to help give parents and taxpayers further insight."


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In the response to List of Techelet Wearers it mentions a few Gedolim that wear Tzitzis of Techeiles on Shabbos only. Why would there be a difference between Shabbos and the rest of the week?
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I can come up with a few reasons of why to only wear it on Shabbat.
I know a rabbi who only wears on Shabbat because he thinks it's a reasonable chumra but he doesn't want his kids to grow up thinking that we have a mesora for techelet so he only wears on his Shabbat/Yom Tov Tallit Gadol. As for why then, he said that Shabbat is a traditional time to be more makpid on certain chumrot (for instance, putting salt on the bread that we eat).
There is a famous "brisker chumra" to be worried about the position of the Ba'al HaMa'or who said that tzitzit are only kosher if they have the blue and the white (just white is just not good enough) and refrain from wearing their tzitzit outside without an eruv as according to him, the tzitzit are invalid and you would thereby in fact be carrying the strings for no reason! Maybe some people wear techelet on shabbat so they don't have to worry for this opinion.
Well, for one of the Rabbanim- Rabbi Meir Mazuz Shelit"a it is because he wants to show that it is not a Hiyuv.


text: Saudi Aramco's Chief Executive Abdullah Jumaa, in his address to the session on 'Social Responsibility in the Energy Industry Sector' at the 17th International Conference on Oil in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, commented that the provision of energy requires reliability, appropriate pricing, and good environmental performance. Pointing out that all these elements are linked together, he noted that since petroleum alone enjoys a combination of these fundamentals, it will remain the dominant source of energy for the foreseeable future. He called for cooperation among oil circles, scientific research institutions, and universities to improve the environmental performance of hydrocarbons, and made an appeal for greater contact between oil producers and oil consumers in order to create a common vision to achieve the interests of both parties, citing the Kingdom's call for the establishment in Riyadh of a Secretariat-General for the International Energy Forum. Turning to other aspects of social responsibility, he referred to the provision of safe, healthy and appropriate working environments for the workforce, citing Aramco's efforts in this regard, and in particular its training programs as well as its charitable works.


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Locating Nannies
In This Article:
If you choose to forgo the agency and do your own nanny search, you will have to be resourceful in order to assemble a good-sized pool of candidates. Classified ads, whether yours or those placed by people looking for nanny positions, can provide you with some leads. Nanny ads can be found not only in large city newspapers, but in local papers and specialty classified publications such as the Penny Saver. If you live in an urban area, your prospects will be more numerous than if you are in a suburban or rural area.
Want ads can be an extremely hit or miss method of finding worthy applicants. The more ads you have, the tougher your job will be, because you will have to sift through them all to decide which candidates you will make initial contact with. A better process for finding potential nannies is to conduct a more focused search, if possible. To do this, you should direct your efforts toward several good sources of candidates.
Often, nannies have friends or acquaintances who are also nannies. They may know other nannies from spending time in the park, at preschool, or at other activities with their employers' children. If you have friends or coworkers who are employing in-home caregivers, ask them if their nannies can refer you to others who are looking for childcare work.
Another way to obtain nanny leads is by asking around at the type of establishments that typically cater to people who might be able to connect you with potential caregivers. Examples would be your local park district, YMCA, or other organization where you might find families with young children participating in activities. Talking with the director or even the receptionist might lead you to a family who uses a nanny, which may in turn get you in contact with the nanny's friend, who also works as a childcare provider, but is between jobs. If you have a community center, church, or coffeehouse that has a designated area for posting ads, staple up a few flyers stating that you are looking for in-home childcare. Include your phone number and the ages of your children, but no other personal information.
An even better place to contact and to post ads would be a college in your area, if possible. Call the employment placement office at the school and ask if you may place a job posting. Some colleges that grant degrees in early childhood education even have services that match early childhood students who want to earn extra money and gain childcare experience with local families looking for nannies or babysitters.
Nanny schools themselves may be one of the best places to look for an in-home caregiver on your own. There, you have a pool of prospective nannies, presumably eager to work. Of course, the downside to nanny students and recent graduates would be their lack of experience. If that is not a problem for you, however, your family can give a new or aspiring nanny that all-important first job.
More on: Childcare
Copyright © 2005 by Linda H. Connell. Excerpted from The Childcare Answer Book with permission of its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
To order this book visit Amazon.com.


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The United States military has greatly increased its cultural understanding within its theaters of war since 2003. That was the conclusion of Georgetown University Professor Rochelle Davis, at a lecture last week titled "Culture as a Tool of War: US Military Approaches to Occupation in Iraq" at the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C.
Professor Davis asserted that the military's greater focus on counterinsurgency is the result of Field Manual 324, the highly influential Army/Marines guide whose implementation proved highly successful in the Iraq Surge of 2007. Professor Davis said that this cultural focus represents dramatic progress in the way it uses culture as a weapons system. Despite progress, however, she called for the need for more subtle understandings of different ethnic groups in a theater of operation. She also questioned whether using culture as a weapon was compatible with a "hearts and minds" strategy, in which a military seeks to win over a target population by providing security and civil services.
Professor Davis insisted we re-evaluate how we study, define, and use cultural characteristics for military purposes. She asserted that it is overly simplistic to describe ethnic groups by who they like and dislike, and that we as Americans would never describes ourselves as such. However, in the theater of operations, cultural understanding is only useful to the extent that it is an asset for victory. While an in-depth, graduate-level understanding of the nuances of Iraqi politics and culture for every serviceman and woman would no doubt be an asset to the military, such capabilities are neither cost-effective nor necessary to achieve mission objectives. Davis' contention did not spend significant time addressing this potential concern.
Professor Davis also questioned whether using cultural understanding as a "weapons system" conflicted with a hearts and minds strategy. The military tends to think about programs in terms of enhancing specific capabilities and assets of battlefield commanders. Use of the "weapons system" terminology is a way for commanders who support cultural training to drive home the battlefield effectiveness of such training to their colleagues in the military. They value effectiveness. Davis' presentation ultimately promoted cultural understanding for the sake of greater awareness, and neglected to tie the concept to meeting military objectives. Most would agree the military is best served by cultural understanding which helps troops complete the mission. Despite this oversight, the otherwise insightful comments Professor Davis made indicate that finding the balance between understanding and efficacy is likely to be the subject of ongoing discussion.


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Why is it advised to tie a bowline knot with it's ending on the inside and not at the outside (here at outdoors)? See pictures below.
If you're unlucky the end can get stuck, and you can't untie it.
Scenario: Tie a boat with a bowline knot around a pole. The end can get stuck between the line and the pole. With the wind pulling, forget the trip or cut it.
Also, I use different knots, but this is an official knot for tying a boat.
I couldn't find a pic with a pole and have no camera, but imagine a pole in the loop (of the inside bowline) to the left of the end. Then the end can be in between the loop and pole. Then imagine a tremendous amount of weight pulling the line.
Figure: First one is inside Bowline. Second is outside bowline knot (source: wikimedia.org):


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Hara Estroff Marano is the Editor at Large of Psychology Today and the author of A Nation of Wimps: The High Cost of Invasive Parenting.
Lybi Ma is the Deputy Editor of Psychology Today; she is also the author of the novels Repo Girl and Double Happy.
Kaja Perina is the Editor in Chief of Psychology Today.
Matt Huston is the News Editor at Psychology Today.
Jennifer Bleyer is a Senior Editor at Psychology Today.
Gary Drevitch is senior editor of Psychology Today.
Explore further posts by Guest Bloggers.


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Koinonia's Global Challenge
For those interested in matters related to the Conclave, John Allen's reporting is indispensable -- from his profiles of the papabili, to his interviews with Cardinals (I found his interview with Cardinal O'Malley refreshingly direct), to his reflections on the legacy of Benedict XVI.But to his credit, Allen has also labored to keep the plight of Christians and their persecution to the fore. Here is the conclusion of his recent column on that score:
In the most bone-chilling estimate of all, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary estimates that an average of 100,000 Christians have been killed for the faith each year over the last decade, which works out to 11 new martyrs every hour.These are the global realities of Christian life in the early 21st century, and the cardinals may well carry an awareness of that conflict into the Sistine Chapel when they elect a new pope.
The whole column is here.
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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Thanks for this. Among other things, it's a helpful reminder that the challenges the Church (including the cardinals and the next pope) extend far beyond the reaches of conventional U. S. public discourse.
At the meeting of the U.S. bishops this past June, I heard the impassioned plea of Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad who described to the bishops the persecution of the church in Iraq since the U.S. War in Iraq. He said: "As leaders of the church in the United States, you bear a special responsibility toward the people and Christians of Iraq. In 2003, your government led the war that brought some terrible consequences. We have freedom of worship, but we do not have freedom of conscience or of religion. If someone becomes a Christian, they could be killed very easily.Bishop Warduni received a standing ovation.I wonder if there were any bishops squirming in their seats at the accusation that the U.S. government was the cause for the situation of the Church in Iraq. But more relevant, I wonderif they had any had second thoughts about what constitutes REAL religious persecution in our American society in which laws and courts can be used to settle such things. I wonder if any bishop had reservations about supporting financially the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, Fortnight for Freedom, and accompanying politically biased rhetoric and expenditure of money.
Rupert Shortt, religion editor of The Times Literary Supplement, has written a very fine book on this subject, entitled Christianophobia: A Faith Under Attack. The book was published in England in November, and will be available in the US from Erdmanns in May.
That should be Eerdmans.
What can we do here to help fellow Christians suffering elsewhere in the world? (not rhetorical, I'm looking for suggestions).
Helen,I appreciate your question. I think a start is that we all be better informed of the actual situation. The book that John Page mentions seems to be a good place to begin. Second, Catholic magazines and newspapers could give it much more attention than they seem to do ("The Tablet" an honorable exception). Third, we can do a better job lobbying our own government. Secretary of State Kerry publicly rebuked the Prime Minister of Turkey over his remarks regarding Zionism; did he represent to the President of Egypt concern regarding the situation of the Copts and other Christians? Perhaps he did, but I did not see it reported. Finally, a permanent mention in the prayers of the faithful at Mass: a contemporary martyrology, recalling specific individuals and situations.
Robert Imbelli:I think you are answering the question posed by Irene Baldwin.My comment was just a rant about how narrow and insular the U.S. Catholic Church leadership appears.
Sorry, Irene it was.
If you really, really want to do something significant and if you have room, you can provide a room for a refugee for 18 months - many of them are Christians.http://sojournersvisitorprogram.blogspot.com/
O'Malley comes across as as straight shooter. That appeals to me, probably because I'm American, and perhaps that sort of energetic directness would disqualify him from consideration.
And "O'Malley" doesn't end in a real vowel ... just a vowel-wannabe.


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In an effort to reduce the number of spamthreads whose title is meaningless and whose OP consists of only a Youtube link, I'm creating this little sticky. An experiment of sorts.
Feel free to post links to whatever new/funny/weird/meme videos you like.
What's that, you say? Guidelines? Of course!
- Yo, be appropriate. I added "Video" to the title of the thread at the request of a few of the forum folks. Don't think that that means you can post any video. Conduct guidelines always apply.
- Do not spam. I realise there are thousands of fun Youtube videos and more uploaded daily. We don't need you to post a list of all of your 300 favourites. Just one or two here and there should suffice. If it feels like spam, don't do it.
- Do not just post a link by itself. Every Youtube link that you post must be accompanied by a description of what is in the video. This rule is in place for many reasons — it helps save confusion (Have I already watched that one?), it helps to reduce the temptation to spam, and it helps maintain the sanity of the forum moderators. Posts with links that are not accompanied by a sufficient description will be removed.
- Keep the conversation in this thread to a minimum. A single comment about a video you liked is fine, but when it starts to become a series of quote pyramids or two people carrying a conversation by themselves, please take it to the chat rooms or profile whispers.
- Do not make threads about Youtube links. There's no reason to, now that this sticky is in place. That's kinda the purpose. ;)
- Have fun and use common sense. I have faith…
- [Perhaps more to come, depending on how things go…]


text:
A Sedgwick County judge sentenced a man convicted of killing a Wichita woman while on parole for the murder of another woman to at least 50 years in prison.
Tyrone Walker was sentenced Thursday in the strangulation death of Janis Sanders, 44, in June 2011, in Wichita. He had been paroled in February of that year after serving a 12-year sentence for killing 25-year-old Tamara Baker in Lawrence in October 1989.
Before he was sentenced, Walker told the court that he didn't kill Sanders.
District Judge Joseph Bribiesca imposed the Hard 50 sentence, which means Walker will have no chance of parole for 50 years, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that called into question the constitutionality of such sentences. The court found, in part, that a jury, not a judge, must consider if any element of a crime that can increase a prison sentence was proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
District Judge Joseph Bribiesca said the Supreme Court ruling did not apply in Walker's case because during his trial, Walker's defense stipulated that he had been convicted of second-degree murder in Douglas County in 1989. That means the conviction, which was a factor in the Hard 50 sentence, did not have to be proven to jury, the judge said.
The Kansas Legislature will convene a special session next month to rewrite the Hard 50 law to comply with the ruling.
The Kansas Appellate Defender Office will have 14 days to decide whether to appeal the ruling, The Wichita Eagle reported.
Kansas law requires a judge to consider aggravating and mitigating factors before deciding whether to impose a Hard 50 sentence. The law lists several aggravating factors, including a prior conviction for a crime that caused death.
Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said in a news conference Thursday the fact that Walker had been convicted of murder twice prompted him to seek a Hard 50 sentence.
"We're going to protect the citizens with a Hard 50 sentence when it's necessary," he said. "And in this case, we believe certainly that it was."
Location, ST | website.com


text:
forgive my ignorance, I thought it was going to be a no-brainer but I still couldn't figure it out
I'm using redmine (is a ticket system made with rails) and it has the option of sending you mails to notify events.
So far now I could not configure a smtp server to relay mails to my gmail account.
I want to configure some local client (thunderbird, for example) and to be able to send mails to firstname.lastname@example.com using my own smtp server, and then I'll configure redmine to do the same.
I've followed this tutorial:
and configured thunderbird with localhost as outgoing mail...
I get the following:
in F:\Inetpub\mailroot\Badmail\0029d2423191605200900000001.BAD
Final-Recipient: rfc822;email@example.com Action: failed Status: 5.0.0 Diagnostic-Code: smtp;550-5.7.1 [220.127.116.11] The IP you're using to send mail is not authorized to 550-5.7.1 send email directly to our servers. Please use the SMTP relay at your 550-5.7.1 service provider instead. Learn more at http://mail.google 550 5.7.1 .com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=10336 6si8453947yxg.40
well at http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=10336
'The IP you're using to send email is not authorized...' In order to prevent spam, Gmail refuses mail when the sending IP address does not match the sending domain. To send mail from your server to Gmail, we suggest using the SMTP relay provided by your ISP. Please note that we are unable to whitelist IP addresses or otherwise make exceptions at this time.
any idea how to do it???


text:
I'm designing a web app that allows people to post on peoples wall using the Facebook Graph API. Basically my app users will be able to search for people by name, then write a message and finally post it to their wall.
The problem is that in certain cases people on Facebook block the option for others to post on their wall. So when sending the post from my app Facebook will return an error.
My question is whether the Facebook API returns a parameter that states whether or not it's possible to post to somebody's wall based on their permission on Facebook.


text:
News Release (Back to Menu)
Four Alums Honored by NJ Commission on Professionalism in the Law
Four graduates of Rutgers School of Law–Newark have been recognized by the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law, in cooperation with county and specialty bar associations, for their outstanding character, commitment to professionalism, and involvement in organized bar and community activities. The Professional Lawyer of the Year awards were presented at the commission's annual awards luncheon, held on January 16, 2013 in Edison.
The commission is a cooperative venture of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the state and federal judiciary, and New Jersey's law schools. Its mission is to strengthen the traditional values, sense of responsibility, and public purpose associated with the law profession.
The award recipients are:
Lorraine A. Abraham '74, a partner at Schiffman, Abraham, Kaufman & Ritter, P.C., Hackensack. She has been listed as a New Jersey Super Lawyer in the areas of Estate Planning and Probate and Estate Litigation. In 2012 she was recognized by the Bergen County Bar Association as the Hon. Peter Ciolino Professional Lawyer of the Year. Abraham is a founding member of Women Lawyers in Bergen County, and a former member of the State Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee, the New Jersey Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, and the board of trustees of the Bergen County Bar Association.
Dennis A. Auciello '73, who maintains a practice in New Brunswick where his practice areas include family law, land use law, personal injury, and general litigation. In 2002 he was the recipient of the David Pavlovsky Service to the Bar Award. Auciello served as president of the Middlesex County Bar Association from 1996-1997 and as president of the Middlesex County Bar Foundation from 2003-2004. He also served for two terms on the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) nominations committee and three years on the NJSBA Judicial Appointments Committee.
Dara A. Govan '01, an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey. She began her legal career as a litigation associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and then was an associate at Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti LLP for seven years. Govan is a member of the Garden State Bar Association.
Suzette T. Rodriguez '03, an associate counsel of Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, Inc. where she is responsible for managing defensive and affirmative litigation matters, including vicarious and direct liability claims, employment litigation, franchise litigation, and enforcing intellectual property rights. She was previously an associate in the labor and employment departments of LeClair Ryan and at Wong Fleming. Rodriquez was 2011-2012 president of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey. She serves as secretary of the New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority and is a member of the advisory board of the New Jersey Educational Empowerment Project (NJ LEEP).


text:
I was just wondering if there are any integer solutions to the Diophantine equation:
$x^2 - (n^2 - 2)y^2 = -1 \ \ $ for $n > 2$
I don't think there are any but can't prove why.
I was just wondering if there are any integer solutions to the Diophantine equation:
$x^2 - (n^2 - 2)y^2 = -1 \ \ $ for $n > 2$
I don't think there are any but can't prove why.
Note that if $d$ is divisible by a prime $p$ of the form $4k+3$, then the equation $x^2-dy^2\equiv -1$ cannot have a solution, for $x^2\equiv -1\pmod{p}$ does not have a solution.
If $n>2$ is odd, then $n^2-2\equiv -1\pmod{4}$, so $n^2-2$ is divisible by a prime of the form $4k+3$.
If $n$ is divisible by $4$, then again $n^2-2$ is divisible by a prime of the form $4k+3$. But this leaves the possibility $n\equiv 2\pmod{4}$, where $n^2-2$ need not have a prime divisor of the form $4k+3$.
Remark: Will Jagy has settled the problem in general, by observing that the continued fraction of $\sqrt{n^2-2}$ has period $4$. (If $\sqrt{d}$ has continued fraction with even period, then the equation $x^2-dy^2=-1$ has no integer solutions.)
There is an approach that does not use properties of continued fractions, but instead uses basic properties of Pell equations. Note that $x=n^2-1$, $y=n$ is a solution of the Pell equation $x^2-(n^2-2)y^2=1$. If there were solutions of $x^2-(n^2-2)y^2=-1$, there would be a fundamental solution $(a_0,b_0)$, and $(n^2-1,n)$ would be an "even power" of $(a_0,b_0)$, in the sense that $n^2-1+n\sqrt{n^2-2}=(a_0+b_0\sqrt{n^2-2})^{2k}$ for some positive integer $k$. This is not possible, for if $(a_0+b_0\sqrt{n^2-2})^{2k}=a+b\sqrt{n^2-2}$, then $a \ge n^2-1$, and we cannot have equality.
This can be a form of Pell's equation if $\,n^2-2\,$ is not a square, and it always has non-trivial solutions with $\,y>0\,$ by a theorem of Lagrange.
EDIT: in simple terms, this follows from the fact that the continued fraction for $\sqrt{n^2 -2}$ has period $4,$ with coefficients $$ [n-1;1,n-2,1,2n-2] $$
There are no solutions for $$ x^2 - (n^2-2)y^2 = -1 $$ with $n>2.$The small values of $ x^2 - (n^2-2)y^2,$ given by continued fractions or by this, the method of neighboring reduced forms, are $$ 1, \, 2, \; 3 - 2 n. $$
Since Andre is asking about $n \equiv 2 \pmod 4$ when $n^2 -2$ may happen to have no prime divisors $q \equiv 3 \pmod 4,$ I have also run $n=6,14.$


text:
Short links for December 5th, 2007
Some interesting things I bookmarked on del.icio.us on December 5th, 2007:
- Gibson Robot Guitar – The guitar is tuned by tiny servo motors that tune all strings in no more than five seconds.
- CASH Music: Kristin Hersh – CASH will soon be open to any and all independent artists who want a set of tools to offer their music directly to their audience for collaboration as well as financial support.
- Edit your photos on Flickr! – Flickr partners up with Picnik for some nice online photo editing tools.
- Mike Libby – Insect Lab – Artist studio that customizes real insects with antique watch parts and electronic components.
- National Geographic International Photography Contest Winners – Winners and runners-up from the 2007 international photo contest.
- The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard – a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns.


text:
How does Mario Kart Wii decide your rank letter (A, B, C, D, E, F) or star in a Cup that you raced?
A number of factors determine your rank.
A full breakdown is detailed here:
The short answer is that no one knows. Some sites on the Internet claim that it is based on how often you went off the track, but I think it is more likely based on simple time around the course. Since going off course slows you down, it would be easy to confuse the two.
My belief (completely unconfirmed) with regards to the one, two and three star rankings is that if you beat the required time, you get the stars based on how many laps you were the fastest kart on the track. So for the three star ranking, you would need to be the fastest kart the entire race. However, it is difficult to get any data to back my belief up, so I'm probably wrong...
I'm 90% sure that it it the time you got in the race (e.g. getting under x minutes gets a C) although the time required for the rank is different on each course.
The currently accepted answer is nice speculation, but it is not fact. The author of his source link speaks authoritatively but provides no sources for the information.
The real answer is that no one knows the details outside of the Nintendo developers, because it has not been released publicly. However if you do finish all courses in particularly good times, you will get a 3-star rank.
Some people obsessed with the game have tried over many years to discover the formula, so maybe this approved guide on the Mario Kart Wii forums will help. It has been the most comprehensive article on it that I have found, despite poor spelling.


text: I purchased a NN5 L about a month ago and I'm having difficulty putting together the illusive pano. I've downloaded umpteen different programs with no success in creating even one pano. I was really hoping this would be easier and more enjoyable but it doesn't look that way at this point. There seems to be lots of sites offering information on this and that but I've yet to see one definitive tutorial that covers all the bases. It's like trying to organize a soup sandwich!! Exposure is confusing as well. Should you meter for the brightest part of the whole deal and bracket with 3 shots or 5 or 7 or 9. How many stops in between? I rented a 15mm fisheye lens this weekend and the panos I've attempted are all distorted and it's as though the software doesn't work correctly. I'm definately NOT willing to futz with EVERY photo in photoshop and spend hours to create one photo worth keeping. Actually I was hoping to create a profitable sideline as I've seen such wonderful panos ( QTVR'S ) on the web. Am I missing something.... or is it really THIS difficult to create a decent pano? If so, I'm losing interest fast!! Any helpful input would be appreciated.


text:
Standing still with Orange is the New Black
"Taking steps is easy. Standing still is hard." You'd be forgiven if you thought these words came from Blaise Pascal, the seventeenth-century philosopher and mathematician, who famously said that all of humanity's problems stem from the fact that people are not able to sit quietly by themselves. The words come not from Pascal, but his twenty-first century avatar Regina Spektor, who sings them in her latest single "You've Got Time," which is the theme song for the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black. The show has gotten a lot of good press, and it seems as though everyone in my demographic watches it. The good press the show has received has focused rightly on the solid writing, the excellent acting, the tight storyline. And although I appreciate all these things, I also think Orange is the New Black is the most morally serious television show since The Wire. It helps us confront uncomfortable truths.
[Below there is some profane language and perhaps a mild spoiler.]
Orange is the New Black was created by Jenji Kohan, who brought us Weeds, the television show starring Mary Louise Parker that portrayed a widowed suburban mother who grew and distributed marijuana to support her family. I always thought Weeds was cheap. The story line was too predictable, the acting was subpar, and the vulgarity was there to mask show's defects. It was high on titillation and low on cogitation.
Orange is the New Black is based on a memoir of the same name by Piper Kerman. In the show, we meet Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) who has to serve a 15-month jail term in a federal prison in upstate New York. She was convicted of carrying narcotics for her then-girlfriend, the international drug dealer Alex Vause (Laura Prepon), even though she committed the crime 10 years earlier. It turns out Alex is serving time in the same prison as Piper. Piper's wedding to aspiring writer Larry Bloom (Jason Biggs) is put on hold until she serves her sentence. The characters include a Russian mobster (Kate Mulgrew), a Haitian maid-cum-murderer (Michelle Hurst), a transgender former firefighter and credit card thief (Laverne Cox), and a Latina mother and daughter who were both involved in drug running (Elizabeth Rodriguez and Dascha Polanco). There's even a nun who was convicted of protesting nuclear facilities (Beth Folwer). The list goes on. The show does a remarkable job making you care about all these characters. We get flashbacks on some of them, which help us understand why they ended up behind bars.
Orange is the New Black has its share of vulgarity, of nudity, of profanity, but it somehow never feels pornographic. We understand that these are some of the ways the inmates deal with the monotony of the lives they lead. It's not that nothing happens in the prison. There are disagreements and fights, sex and abuse, real moments of joy and laughter. There are guards who bully the inmates and guards who seem to care deeply about them. Ultimately, though, the prisoners are stuck inside their own heads. They busy themselves because the time itself is almost unbearable.
In what I take to be the climax of the first season, Piper confronts a young girl who is visiting the prison as part of the "Scared Straight" program. Here's the exchange:
Piper: I know how easy it is to convince yourself that you're something that you're not. You can do that on the outside. You can just keep moving. Keep yourself so busy that you don't have to face who you really are. You're weak.
Deena: Back the fuck off me.
Piper: I'm like you, Deena. I'm weak too. I can't get through this without somebody to touch. Without somebody to love. Is that because sex numbs the pain or because I'm some evil fuckmonster? I don't know. But I do know I was somebody before I came in here. I was somebody with a life that I chose for myself. And now? Now it's just about getting through the day without crying. And I'm scared. I'm still scared. I'm scared that I'm not myself in here. And I'm scared that I am. Other people aren't the scariest part of prison, Deena. It's coming face to face with who you really are. Because once you're behind these walls, there's nowhere to run, even if you could run. The truth catches up with you in here, Deena. And it's the truth that's going to make you a bitch.
After Piper walks away, one of the other inmates, Poussey Washington, says:
Day-mm. You cold.
Piper: Bitches gots to learn.
And what, exactly, do they "gots to learn"? Well, I wonder if Augustine, whose feast day we celebrate today and who so influenced Pascal, is helpful here. In his Confessions, when he contemplates why someone can hate the truth, which is the only way to the good life, Augustine writes,
It must be because people love truth in such a way that those who love something else wish to regard what they love as truth and, since they would not want to be deceived, are unwilling to be convinced that they are wrong. They are thus led into hatred of truth for the sake of that very thing which they love under the guise of truth. They love truth when it enlightens them, but hate it when it accuses them. In this attitude of reluctance to be deceived and intent to deceive others, they love truth when it reveals itself but hate it when it reveals them. Truth will therefore take its revenge: when people refuse to be shown up by it, truth will show them up willy-nilly and yet elude them. X.23.24 (Boulding translation)
What Piper realizes – and what she forces all of us to realize – is that without the petty distractions of our days, we would have nothing to distract us from uncomfortable truths. The truth will catch up with us. We're scared to come face-to-face with who we really are. The thought is terrifying. And without the choices she had outside prison, this is the only thought Piper has.
The show has been renewed for another season, and I have to admit that I'm of two minds about the renewal. Needless to say, I'm already looking forward to the find out what happens next. I want to get more backstories on the characters. The portraits aren't yet complete. I'm especially interested to see what happens next because the first season ended violently. The last scene blended the sacred and the profane in a way not seen since the end of the first Godfather. The show made me uncomfortable precisely because it cast the truth on me, made me wonder who I really am. It forced me to stand still. I worry, I suppose, that in another season, there will be too many steps, too much evasion. When you're alone with your thoughts, it's hard to stand still.
About the Author
Scott D. Moringiello is an an assistant professor in the Department of Catholic Studies at DePaul University, where he teaches courses in Catholic theology and religion and literature. He blogs at dotCommonweal.
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Thanks Scott,
you make the show sound fascinating. I haven't seen it - I'm not even quite sure what Netflix is :-)
And special thanks for the great quote from Augustine. Buona festa!
Yep, wherever you go, there you are. I haven't seen the show, but the book is very good, and in much the same way. Well worth reading.
P.S. The same is true for Augustine's "Confessions". ;-)
First of all, no one takes seriously a woman named Piper. Seriously. And thanks for providing some sample of the dialogue. I'll make sure I do my best to miss this gem. Orange is the new black? As in people in prison for rape, murder, child molestation, selling drugs, etc., are being victimized and treated the way racists treat black people? I'd as soon drink muddy water and sleep in a hollow log than watch the dreck you're describing. But hey! That's just me.
Carry on Scott.
Bob S. ==
Why are you convinced that some people are beyond redemption? What is your idea of being "saved"?
Dear Bob Schwartz,
Thanks for that cogent and generous comment. I'm sure you're busy, but if you get a chance, would you mind sending me a list of other upper crust WASP names that I shouldn't take seriously? It might cost me some friends, but hey, I want to be serious.
I don't understand the following sentence: "As in people in prison for rape, murder, child molestation, selling drugs, etc., are being victimized and treated the way racists treat black people?" Yes, prisoners are usually in prison because they've committed crimes. And sometimes those crimes are heinous. I don't think the crimes they've committed rob them of their humanity.
Does OITNB reach the aesthetic heights of the Iliad, the Inferno, Titan's Europa, or Mozart's Don Giovanni? No, no, no, and no. I don't know of anything created recently (by which I mean the last couple hundred years) that does. I've actually discussed two of those works for this website already. OITNB is just a television show that I happen to think is more interesting than people might give it credit for. It sounds as though you disagree. Fair enough. But if you're concerned that art might portray human beings who have committed heinous acts as human beings, you might want to skip all four of the works I just mentioned.
And, as Ann Oliver suggested, you also might want to skip most of the Bible as well. There are a lot of unworthy people described in that book.
Anybody confused by the "X is the new black" joke construction in 2013 is probably going to want to skip most things, just to be safe.
Piper Laurie and Eddie Miller both deserve better.
P.S. show is better than the book.
Abe: I think she had a child called Piper Cub (?).
Scott: Your statement,
I don't think the crimes they've committed rob them of their humanity.
You're absolutely right. It was their decisions to commit those crimes that robbed them of their humanity. Otherwise known as They are responsible for what they do. If you believe that a person's sins reward that person with victim status, you and I have antipodal understandings of Christian teaching about how one is to treat sinners. Since I am a perfect example of a sinner, I at least know that much. Christ didn't treat sinners as victims, he required that they acknowledge their sins and reform their lives. I try very hard not to regard myself as a victim when I sin (and believe me, that is rather often). And by the way, equating blacks with convicts kind of infers that there is something, er, irregular (to be polite) about being black. And that is just plain insulting. But I'm sure that is not what was meant, is it?
As Mollie's comment suggested, to say X is the new black is a reference to fashion. There have been times when blue was the new black or beige was the new black. Even brown has been the new black.
The title is tongue in cheek. The inmates wear orange. Orange is the new black.
Get it? That is, the title doesn't have anything to do with race.
Committing a crime does not rob a person of his or her humanity. A person can only be responsible for his or her crime because he or she is still a human being after he or she has committed that crime. I do not believe sins reward anyone with a victim status. Nor did anything I write imply that. Furthermore, most of the characters in the show (which you haven't seen) take responsibility for (and therefore acknowledge) their crimes.
I'm sure what you meant when you said "infers" was "implies."
Fair enough.
Thanks for the thread. I've only watched the first episode, so haven't wanted to say anything about it. It's also been the subject of a number of critiques about how it handles race, and again, seeing only the first episode, I'm ill-equipped to comment.
However, a couple points I want to raise:
Women in prison are almost completely invisible to broader society. Even restorative justice programs tend toward an androcentric vision of crime and reconciliation. Women's prisons tend to draw fewer volunteers and have fewer programs than men's institutions. And, in a stunningly cruel exercise of institutional efficiency, women may be incarcerated so far from their kids that visiting is practically impossible. I could go on and on...If nothing else, OITNB makes invisible people visible, even if the show's imperfect in any number of ways.
So from the significant to the fan-girl. It's great to see Kate Mulgrew, who's had a busy TV career, but who will always be Captain Janeway to me...


text:
I just installed Ubuntu Netbook Version 10.04 LTS on an Acer Aspire One and it works perfectly, but For some reason I'm not allowed to use the little scrollpad at the side of the trackpad to scroll like I would on Windows. I checked the settings and it appears to be enabled there, so do I need to install any extra drivers?
May be you are experiencing, this bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-input-synaptics/+bug/549727
Try this open a terminal by pressing ctrl+alt+t then type:
Then if it works please create a file "/etc/modprobe.d/touchpad.conf" and put "options psmouse proto=imps" in it, so, type:
put the row:
into the file, save and close, then reboot to test if it works...