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Cultivating Sacramentality through
Administrative Work: Guidance from St. Benedict on Being a Catholic Department Chair
Rodger Narloch, Ph.D.
One dilemma encountered by department chairs and administrators at Catholic colleges and universities is how to respect the pluralistic religious views of the faculty while being faithful to one's own and the institution's Catholic tradition. The Rule of St. Benedict offers guidance that can result in deepening the respect for all individuals by welcoming all as Christ, adapting to the temperament of the individual, and listening with the ear of one's heart. Through these practices one may cultivate a sacramental vision of the world in oneself and within the academic culture of the department or institution, creating an environment in which all can feel valued.
What does a Catholic department chair look like? When I was appointed chair of the psychology department at my institution, I was initially overwhelmed with all of the pragmatic elements of the job: setting department meeting agendas, crafting course schedules, reviewing the ubiquitous paperwork, etc. I am a lifelong Catholic and I work at a Catholic university, but those personal characteristics did not seem particularly relevant to the pressing departmental tasks at hand. My job was to help make the department run as smoothly as possible. However, it began to occur to me that my Catholic beliefs and the Catholic tradition of my institution should not be irrelevant to my service as department chair. Yet I was uncertain how to integrate them.
Rodger Narloch chairs the Department of Psychology at St. John's University/College of St. Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota.
The Culture
The field of psychology has a long history of not being particularly friendly to religion and spirituality. For example, Freud thought of religion as means by which people avoided the anxiety of death.[1] Later, B. F. Skinner and the behavioral psychologists disregarded anything other than observable behavior as a reliable component of psychology worthy of study, leaving the spiritual realm as irrelevant.[2] Although some notable psychologists such as Jung[3] and Maslow[4] certainly incorporated spiritual elements into their theories, the spiritual elements of these and other theories were not well-accepted within the field because of psychology's emphasis on gaining knowledge through the scientific method. Therefore, even when religion and spirituality are studied within psychology, they are typically studied as objects, as phenomena that may help explain behavior, but there is often either an explicit or implicit suggestion that these religious or spiritual elements are not themselves "real." Instead, they are viewed as a concoction that can motivate people to behave in certain ways, perhaps ways that seem counter to common sense.
Given this historical lack of friendliness between religion and my discipline of psychology, I suspect that most professionals educated in graduate psychology departments (a) were drawn to the field because it does not rely on or even pay much credence to religious or spiritual matters; (b) lost their faith as a result of the culture within the field; or (c) learned that, if they retained their faith, it ought not be expressed or applied to their professional work. As a result, in my experience, it is not uncommon for academic psychologists to be atheist or agnostic, even within religiously affiliated institutions. For those who do subscribe to religious beliefs, it can be difficult to fully embody and live out one's beliefs in a culture that marginalizes their relevance.
The Task
Given this academic context, I did not see the relevance of my Catholic faith for my role as department chair. Although I maintained deeply held religious beliefs, I knew the culture of my academic discipline would suggest compartmentalizing those beliefs. In fact, I often joked that when the day came that I no longer wished to be department chair I could simply suggest beginning our department meeting with a prayer; then I would soon be ousted from my position by my colleagues-and perhaps rightfully so, given such an overt and potentially alienating act. So if being overtly Catholic would be unproductive (or even damaging), how was I to honestly live out my Catholic worldview within this role?
What I have come to learn is not how to be a Catholic department chair, a phrase that suggests one ought to implement overtly Catholic policies or practices in the department. Such a view may very well require opening department meetings with a prayer or forcing things Catholic into the department and the discipline. To me, this way never felt right as it smacked of imposition and alienation, thereby disrespecting both the culture of my discipline and the personal views of my non-Catholic departmental colleagues (of which there are many). At first, the alternative to this approach was to simply ignore my Catholic beliefs while in this role.
Instead, I have learned a manner of integration that allows me not just to respect, but also to learn from, the diversity of individuals and ideas in my discipline. In short, I have learned how to be a department chair as a Catholic, approaching the position by using my Catholic worldview to guide how I interact with my departmental colleagues. I have learned that chairing is much less about tasks and procedures than it is about being in relationship with one another. This relates to the platitude, "Everyone has a story." There is something completely unique and completely precious about each person's story because it is, in fact, solely that person's. Principles of Catholicism have helped me both see and act upon this idea. Thus, rather than checking my beliefs at the door of the departmental world and thereby living a masquerade, I have been able to live out my beliefs more genuinely and cultivate relationships with my colleagues that are based on a sincere wholeness of myself, and an honest respect of their wholeness. Therefore, my Catholic beliefs have been an indispensable source of strength and guidance, particularly and especially within my role as department chair, not apart from it.
But what about Catholicism provided such guidance? In a faith rich with axioms, principles, commandments, and so forth, the ones I have found most helpful come from the Benedictine tradition, the religious order that founded the educational institution at which I work. Written in the sixth century by St. Benedict, the 73-chapter Rule of St. Benedict reads as a manual for establishing and running monasteries, with chapters on topics such as "Summoning the Brothers for Counsel," "Distribution of Goods According to Need," and "Community Rank."[5] Beyond the concrete practicalities, however, there is a particular spirituality implicit in the Rule which has defined the central values of the Benedictine order for centuries, values such as hospitality, community, and stability. Yet the Rule can also provide guidance for how all people can live in and sustain a community in Christ. There are three particular elements of the Rule upon which I, as department chair, have attempted to ground my relationships with my colleagues.
1. Welcome all as Christ.
The first guidance comes from Chapter 53 of the Rule, which states, "All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: 'I was a stranger and you welcomed me' (Matt 25:35)."[6] This statement is often used as the basis for Benedictine hospitality. Yet it also helps remind us of the sacramental vision of Catholicism, that each person is a manifestation of God's love. According to St. Benedict, we are to see each guest or each stranger as if they were Christ and treat them accordingly. At first glance, this statement is more about how to interact with people we do not know rather than with the colleagues in our department with whom we are quite familiar. However, in my experience, the message of this statement is probably more pertinent for those already in our acquaintance. When we meet a stranger, we have little information upon which to base the character or nature of that individual. Perhaps we may be a bit swayed by our own biases based on gender, age, or race, for instance, but by and large, the stranger is a relatively blank slate to us. Therefore, welcoming the stranger as Christ may pose a challenge, but it would seem plausible that we could train ourselves to view each new person in our lives with the default perspective that they are Christ.
Now, consider taking this statement to heart regarding people we interact with on a regular basis. Unlike the stranger with a relatively blank slate, the people who regularly inhabit our lives have texture. We know their behavioral tendencies, their preferences, and their demeanors. We also have explicit memories of them. If we are drawn to or have something in common with those behaviors, preferences, and demeanors, or if we have had positive encounters with the person, it may be easy to see him or her as Christ. Essentially, it can be easy to see the beauty in those we love or admire. Consider, however, the people we know who have behaviors, preferences, and demeanors that do not resonate with us, or who bring us negative memories. In such situations, I would argue that not only is it more difficult to welcome and treat that person as Christ, but it is also more difficult than compared to a stranger who is devoid of that personal texture. Thus, it may be those with whom we prefer not to interact who are the most difficult to "welcome" as Christ.
All parts of our lives are probably filled with such individuals with whom we regularly interact, though we do not particularly love or admire them. This is likely true of our neighborhoods or the communities in which we live. In these settings, I suspect we often simply choose not to interact frequently with those individuals; thus, we are not often confronted with how we are or are not treating them as Christ. In our workplace, however, it often becomes impossible to simply avoid or ignore such individuals. This is precisely why the Benedictine principle of welcoming all as Christ is so important to remember as a department chair. Our colleagues may not be the particular people we would choose to be around, yet they are the people with whom we spend large portions of our lives and people with whom we need to work to accomplish significant shared goals.
As a department chair, I have struggled to remain true to this vision: I am not always able to see and then interact with each of my colleagues as Christ. Nevertheless, making continual efforts to see my colleagues in this way (even if I fail) has made all the difference in my attitude toward them, toward my job as chair, and toward my own faith journey. I have found that the same people who challenge me the most are those who I have come to truly appreciate the most, thanks to the richer faith journey I have experienced because of them. I only hope that my efforts in welcoming them as Christ have helped them to be accepted and appreciated in our educational community.
2. Adapt to each person's temperament.
A second item from the Rule of St. Benedict provides instruction for leaders. In Chapter 2, in which Benedict wrote about the qualities that an abbot must possess, he stated that the abbot must "serve a variety of temperaments, coaxing, reproving, and encouraging them as appropriate. He must accommodate and adapt himself to each one's character."[7] For me as a department chair, this advice has been indispensable. Not only does everyone have a story, but everyone also has a particular temperament and character. To attempt to treat each person identically would likely have disastrous results. Clearly, each person needs to be dealt with in a way that is fair and just, but each also needs to be treated in a manner particular to his or her own temperament and character.
In reality, of course, some people are easier to work with than others. Take, for example, a colleague I will call "Sam." Sam often expresses ideas that are somewhat counter to the culture of the department or the institution. Furthermore, Sam has a rather blunt confrontational style and can quickly become impatient and angered. When working with Sam, colleagues, myself included, respond in different ways. Sometimes the response is anger, either directed toward Sam or suppressed, where it can fester in hiding before reappearing later. At other times, people simply dismiss Sam and Sam's ideas, often acting as if the expressed perspective didn't even exist. Personalities like Sam's can threaten a leader's authority and cause great disruptions within the group.
Catholicism implores us to respect the dignity of each person. Respect is not earned or conditional; rather it is a function of simply being. If we envision each person as a manifestation of God's love in the world, then each person ought to be respected. Furthermore, they ought to be respected not despite their temperament or character, but respected for their temperament or character because those are part of what makes each of us unique, beautiful individuals. If I tried to avoid, ignore, or dismiss Sam because of his temperament, I would also miss seeing an intelligent and passionate person who is deeply committed to his field and his students in a way that has challenged me to become a better educator.
Referring back to the "each person has a story" platitude, I think the power of the statement comes in reminding us that people's behaviors or attitudes, which can sometimes rub us the wrong way, are often rooted in historical or current life circumstances of which we may be unaware. Often the life circumstances at the root of the behavior we find objectionable are filled with pain and vulnerability. Although I could speculate about the roots of Sam's temperament, I do not know his story and, quite frankly, it should not matter whether I know it or not. My respect for Sam's dignity should not be dependent upon anything other than that Sam is. If I am to truly respect Sam's dignity, I must recognize his temperament and character as well as the vulnerability that may be at their root. If I instead treat Sam's temperament as a problem to be dealt with or solved, I am ignoring what makes Sam the unique individual he is; I am wishing he were someone else rather than valuing the person. Treating Sam as a problem would be antithetical to my quest to live out my Catholic faith within my role as department chair.
3. Listen with the ear of your heart.
In the previous section I noted that the abbot as leader of the monastery, and thereby the chair as leader of the department, is called by St. Benedict to "accommodate and adapt himself to each one's character."[8] While he does not provide a guidebook for relating to certain temperaments in prescribed ways, St. Benedict does provide a guiding principle, which is the third element of the Rule. In the prologue to the Rule, St. Benedict commands us to listen with the ear of our hearts.[9] In academia, we are typically trained to listen with a critical ear. We carefully dissect, analyze, and critique statements to determine how we can argue against them. We listen with an attitude of judgment and critique. Listening with the ear of our heart suggests, instead, that we hear individuals with a sense of openness, respect, and wholeness. It requires more than just listening to their statements or arguments. It requires listening to the values, motivations, and emotions that are embedded in their statements and arguments. In short, we must listen holistically, respecting the entirety of the person rather than just the words they are saying.
When we listen in this manner, we hear people and their ideas for what they are and value them for what they are, rather than trying to deny them and change them to fi t our position. This can do two things. First, it grants more respect and acceptance of the speaker, thereby increasing the odds that they will be open and potentially transformed by the interaction. Second, listening with the ear of the heart opens up the listener, who can then learn from and be transformed by the speaker.
Retired Minnesota judge Elizabeth Hayden spoke of the transformative effect of being listened to in this manner.[10] She reflected on the influence of the Benedictine nuns on her own professional development when she was a student at the College of St. Benedict. She communicated that the monastics "simply listened to her" and allowed her to think out loud rather than trying to influence her. But, paradoxically, influence her is what they did. Through their modeling, they taught Judge Hayden how to listen with the ear of her heart. The judge further reflected the value of this lesson in her professional life, stating, "The more I listened... the more I understood people." She was told by a Benedictine sister that, "You don't need to develop patience; you need to develop understanding. Then you don't have to tolerate and be patient; you simply understand people." The implication was that if one listens and understands another, the need for patience with that person evaporates. Understanding conveys a deeper sense of support, a truer sense of welcoming the person as Christ, than patience; and listening is the key to understanding. With this sense of support and understanding, conditions are in place for transformation to occur.
Thus, listening with the ear of your heart affirms others, allowing them a greater opportunity to bring forth their true voices. If we are to respect the dignity of each person, Catholic Social Thought instructs us to create the conditions under which each person can become most fully developed.[11] Listening in a manner that is accepting of others allows them the opportunity to grow in the ways that are authentic to them.
The beauty of listening with the ear of our hearts is that the process has the potential to transform ourselves as well as others. Such listening facilitates the flourishing of the other while providing opportunities for self-enrichment because it does not pit our own needs or perspectives against those of another. As I learned to listen to my colleagues, I grew in compassion. I thought less often about how someone could hold a view so different from mine or how I could get others to adopt my way of thinking. Instead, I began to see people more fully for who they were. Furthermore, as I started to better understand and accept people, I started learning more about them, the world, and even myself. The greatest transformation of listening in this manner may have occurred in me; I can only hope that through my change in perspective, others may feel more welcomed and supported, leading to their own flourishing.
Through these three principles of St. Benedict I learned how to be a department chair as a Catholic. Furthermore, I feel I have become a better department chair. While I hope my colleagues agree with the latter, I suspect very few of them have much awareness that these Catholic Benedictine principles have guided my performance as chair. So, I have been able to sincerely live out my Catholic faith within my role as department chair, but without alienating my non-Catholic colleagues.
A Broader Scope
Because these guiding Benedictine principles focus on relationships in a broad sense rather than just department chairs' relationships with their departmental colleagues, the principles are relevant to other responsibilities of chairs. For example, department chairs typically continue to teach and mentor students, facets of the position to which these same Benedictine principles can apply. In fact, one of my most successful teaching moments stems from such application. A former student who I will call "Kim" was enrolled in my 8:00 a.m. research methodology course. For the first three weeks of the course, she portrayed characteristics of the quintessential sullen, disengaged student. She rarely paid attention, nearly fell asleep in class, never participated in or asked questions outside of class, and had a perpetual scowl on her face. During one class session students complete computerbased statistical analyses and interpret the results. As the students worked individually on their statistical problem sets, several students asked the same question. Sensing that there was general confusion about this particular issue, I asked the class to stop what they were doing and pay attention while I gave a five-minute impromptu lecture on the issue. After asking repeatedly if there were any questions, I told them to continue working on their problems. About a minute later, Kim raised her hand. When I came over to help, she proceeded to ask me the very same question I had just spent five minutes explaining. When I asked what part of the lecture she wanted me to clarify, she admitted that she had not paid attention to any of it! She was clearly embarrassed and seemed to be readying herself for a speech about life lessons. And, at that moment, every fiber of the teacher in me wanted to oblige.
Instead, I took a deep breath and reminded myself to welcome her as Christ, adapt to her temperament, and listen with the ear of my heart. As graciously as I could, I proceeded to help her understand the statistical problem. Without actually knowing her story, I remembered that she had one, as do we all. I tried to be accepting of this person, even if what she was asking was beyond what many teachers would consider reasonable. Throughout the rest of the semester, Kim asked more questions, engaged better with course content, her classmates, and me, and ultimately received a high grade in the course. After that course, Kim asked me to be her academic adviser and went on to assist me and other colleagues with various research projects. She is now in graduate school in psychology. I am convinced that if I had delivered the life lesson speech at that moment, I would have lost Kim for the semester. She would have quit caring about the course. As her adviser, I later learned that her parents had divorced just prior to that semester and, as a result, she was not receiving familial financial support. Not only was she dealing with the stress of her parents' divorce, she was getting up at 4:30 a.m. each morning to work a second job to help fund her education. I would have missed this story, and a young woman would have been denied the support to flourish if I had acted on impulse rather than let Catholic Benedictine principles guide my interaction.
I recount Kim's story not to suggest that every teacher should accommodate every student's request. Similarly, a department chair should not give in to the requests of every faculty member. Rather, we need to recognize that each person does indeed have a story, typically one ripe with vulnerabilities. We also need to recognize our own vulnerabilities that stem from our stories.
In my teaching, as with my work as department chair, I was unfortunately a good student of the culture of my discipline, perhaps even the culture of academia as a whole. I learned to check my religious beliefs at the metaphorical academic door; I learned to analyze and critique others and their arguments; I learned to deny how certain destructive behaviors or philosophies of mine stemmed from my deepest vulnerabilities and insecurities. I am now in the process of learning how to transform my previous instincts with the guidance of St. Benedict by welcoming others as Christ, adapting to each person's temperament, and listening with the ear of my heart. Adopting this perspective is providing me a path by which I can live out my faith within my occupation in a way that facilitates my sense of wholeness and integrity. These principles have also allowed me to experience a sense of awe in the beauty of the uniqueness of each of my colleagues and students, rather than becoming frustrated that they were not as I had initially wanted them to be.
In this way, a department chair who follows these Benedictine principles has the potential to impact the culture of the departmental faculty and students. If a department chair creates conditions where the faculty members feel welcomed, accepted for their temperaments, and listened to, the faculty may experience greater wholeness and integration. Nurturing these characteristics among faculty can create the conditions for further transformation, where faculty welcome, accept the temperaments of, and listen with the ear of the heart to their students.
[1] Sigmund Freud, The Future of an Illusion, trans. James Strachey (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1961; original work published 1927).
[2] B. F. Skinner, About Behaviorism (New York: Vintage Books, 1976; original work published 1974).
[3] Claire Dunne, Carl Jung: Wounded Healer of the Soul: An Illustrated Biography (London: Parabola Books, 2000).
[4] Abraham Maslow, Religions, Values, and Peak-Experiences (New York: Penguin Books, 1964).
[5] Timothy Fry, et al., eds., The Rule of St. Benedict in English (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1981).
[6] Ibid., 73.
[7] Ibid., 24.
[8] Ibid., 24.
[9] Ibid., 15.
[10] E. J. Dionne, Jr., et al., "Faith and Public Service," College of St. Benedict and St. John's University McCarthy Center Events. Video archives, March 22, 2011, http:// www.csbsju.edu/McCarthy-Center/Events/Video-Archives.htm.
[11] Bernard F. Evans, Lazarus at the Table: Catholics and Social Justice (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2006).


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Scholar Spotlight
Nick Pessarra: Abroad in France
Nicholas Pessarra's big city dreams came true after being admitted to the University of Houston as a Tier One Scholar where he went on to travel to lavish Angers, France — completing a minor in French — while currently studying creative writing and advertising.
"Houston offers everything I want and still has southern hospitality. Also, I knew I wanted one of my majors to be creative writing, and Houston has the second best (graduate) creative writing program in the nation, so that was definitely a selling point. And then of course I was offered the Tier One scholarship," Pessarra said.
"That was the cherry on top. The opportunity to study abroad and do research being here every day I've grown to love it more and more. I love the international student body. I feel like I learn just as much with the student body, and in the city, as I do in the classroom. Everything is an experience and a new chance to learn."
Pessarra was enrolled in French classes throughout his high school career, despite being encouraged to take Spanish, because of its prominence in Texas. It was where he fell in love with the language and even surpassed his high school language requirement, which prompted his interest in completing a French minor when he got to college.
"French had been very much to me that romance language, and being a writer, I had always been into these romantic ideals … I was always interested in learning French and as I researched the language I discovered that it is also the most widely spoken language, meaning spoken in the most different places throughout the world due to French colonization, so in every continent you go to, there is someone speaking French," Pessarra said.
As a result Pessarra studied abroad Summer 2012 and stayed with a French family where he was able to be immersed in the culture. Pessarra took classes that counted for UH credit, which went toward his French minor. He described his summer as an eye-opening experience by being surrounded by younger siblings — 8- and 10-year-old boys and a 13-year-old girl — for the first time in his life.
"I hope in the future no matter what I do, whether it's advertising, or a writing career taking off, I want to be able to come back to this University and share my experience of what I've learned and what I've achieved and give back in whatever way I can," Pessarra said.
"Whether it's in monetary value by giving to the Tier One Scholarship to help the next generation to come up and find themselves and what they have to offer to the world, or if it's just being able to come back here and share what I've learned with students; being able to do readings or whatever else I can do to inspire another generation and help make their life on campus what it has been for me; to make them excited and realize all of the opportunities that we have here and everything we can learn from our faculty, staff, peers and alumni as well."

subset: commoncrawl


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Back in October of 2009 we launched SocialMediaExaminer.com. The response was immediate and it was big (I'll share some of the back story in the video below).
We relied 100% on social media tactics to drive traffic to this site.
In less than 5 months, Social Media Examiner was declared the #1 small business blog in the world by Technorati, added more than 13,000 email subscribers, brought nearly 100,000 people a month to the site and is ranked as one of the top 4200 websites in all of America by Alexa.
We didn't advertise, didn't rely on the press and almost none of our traffic is coming from search engines. Nearly overnight, this site has become a top destination for businesses.


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Advertise with Delish
Delish readers are a savvy lot, who appreciate traditional aspects of living but with some modern twists and tools. Advertising with Delish gives appropriate advertisers the opportunity to reach our readers through our popular quarterly magazine issues, regular (3-4x weekly) blog posts, newsletter list, and avenues such as Twitter and Facebook.
Contact us for all the details on getting in front of the Delish reader!


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|Young Man With A Horn
|David Rambo
|Jeffrey Hunt
|Original Airdate
|December 4, 2008
|Previous Episode: Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda
|Next Episode: 19 Down...
Young Man With A Horn is the eighth episode in season nine of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
While investigating the death of a popular TV singing contestant, the CSIs come across a lead in the murder of a nightclub owner in the early days of Vegas.
|This section is a stub and requires expanding
Main Cast
- William Petersen as Gil Grissom
- Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows
- George Eads as Nick Stokes
- Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders
- Robert David Hall as Dr. Al Robbins
- Wallace Langham as David Hodges
- Lauren Lee Smith as Riley Adams
- Paul Guilfoyle as Jim Brass
Guest Cast
- Liz Vassey as Wendy Simms
- David Berman as David Phillips
- Archie Kao as Archie Johnson
- Larry M. Mitchell as Officer Mitchell
- Tippi Hedren as Karen Rosenthal
- Robert Guillaume as Sonny Bridges
- Bill Cobbs as Harry Bastille
- Ralph Waite as Sheriff Claude Montgomery
- George Schlatter as Himself
- Holt McCallany as Mr. Westerman
- Ben Bledsoe as Kip Westerman
- Seamus Dever as Drew Rich
- Tiffany Hines as Layla Wells
- Richard Steinmetz as Jules Rosenthal
- La Monde Byrd as Young Harry Bastille
- Sarah Poynter as Young Karen Rosenthal
- Kanesha Washington as Jasmine (uncredited)
See Also
- List of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episodes
- CSI:Crime Scene Investigation Season 9
- Category:Images from Young Man with a Horn
|CSI:Las Vegas Season 9
|For Warrick • The Happy Place • Art Imitates Life • Let It Bleed • Leave Out All The Rest • Say Uncle • Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda • Young Man with a Horn • 19 Down... • One to Go • The Grave Shift • Disarmed and Dangerous • Deep Fried and Minty Fresh • Miscarriage of Justice • Kill Me If You Can • Turn, Turn, Turn • No Way Out • Mascara • The Descent of Man • A Space Oddity • If I Had a Hammer... • The Gone Dead Train • Hog Heaven • All In


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The 1980s saw John Carpenter direct films at a prolific clip, a streak that included 1988's politically subversive slice of sci-fi action, "They Live."
The film starred professional wrestler Roddy Piper as an out-of-work blue-collar fella who inadvertently learns of a vast alien conspiracy to subjugate the people of Earth by using invisible mind-control messages. Naturally, Piper's character, a man with the not too subtle moniker John Nada, isn't about to let the human race go down without a fight.
As "They Live" arrives on a new collector's edition Blu-ray and DVD from Shout! Factory, there's one particular fight that looms large — the one that breaks out when Nada tries to convince his reluctant ally Frank (Keith David) to put on special glasses that make the coded messages visible. The confrontation turns physical, and the all-out brawl that ensues goes on for what seems like maybe 20% of the movie's running time.
"'They Live' was definitely an entertainment movie," Carpenter said by phone last month. "It was not meant to be a treatise on anything. I remember the head of the studio told me, 'Now, don't preach.' I thought, 'OK, in that case we'll put a big nine-minute fight in the movie.'"
The sequence took three days to shoot, but Piper and David rehearsed the choreography with stunt man Jeff Imada for six weeks, Carpenter said.
"Roddy is an expert at staged fights in front of people in big arenas," Carpenter explained. "Keith David was not a fighter – he's an actor from Julliard of all places. They went out in the backyard of the office I had in the Valley at the time on pads and with Jeff Imada, learned the fight and created it.
"They were so good they knew exactly what the fight was going to entail," he continued. "They were making contact with each other — what I mean by that is, they weren't doing cowboy punches, the misses that you see in movies a lot. They were actually touching flesh. They had it so well choreographed and that all comes from Roddy. He knows all about how to do that."
Action movie moments aside, the larger ideas in the film — media manipulation, the displacement of the lower socioeconomic classes, rampant consumerism — remain wildly relevant. And according to Carpenter, who, with Piper, recorded a new commentary track for the Blu-ray release, there's a very good reason for that.
"The '80s never ended," Carpenter said. "The consumerism has gotten bigger since then. It's all still going on. That's why it seems prescient. That was just a cry in the dark against Reaganism and Thatcherism. There was nothing particularly special about it — it was just my rage about what had happened to the culture, which is not shared by a lot of people. A lot of people thought everything was great – 'Let's make some more money.'"
— Gina McIntyre
Follow us on Twitter: @LATHeroComplex
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Universal horror: 'Essential' spotlights classic actors
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'Attack the Block' turns a hoodlum into a hero
Burton's 'Frankenweenie' regeneration is personal tale
PHOTOS: On the set of 'The Walking Dead'
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'Sinister': Scott Derrickson on horror, Tavis Smiley


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Content tagged with 'greg wilson'
Listen and you'll see – play Bob Marley's Exodus this Sunday
"I wake up in the morning and do a Masters Voice thing in front of the speakers for a while; then I go outside. Music defines a total environment. Straight… Read more
Posted on: Thursday, 9 Jun 2011
Categories: Music, Classic Album Sundays, Listen and you'll see
Tags: LP, audiophile, bob marley, classic album sundays, colleen murphy, greg wilson, vinyl


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As the days go by, it's starting to seem more and more plausible that Evelyn Lozada will not be returning to Basketball Wives.
For starters, TMZ reported last week that Evelyn gave the show producers an ultimatum to either pay her $20,000 an episode or she walks for good. Sources close to the production told TMZ that Evelyn and her costars currently pull in around $7,500 an episode.
And then just yesterday, TMZ reported that Evelyn is in talks with the E! network regarding a spinoff show with fiance Chad Ochocinco. Sources close to Evelyn reveal that E! approached her with the new offer as soon as they discovered she wanted to quit Basketball Wives.
As for the reason Evelyn wants to quit the show, she is reportedly very upset with the way the finale episode turned out and is blaming producers for instigating the fight between her and costar Tami Roman. Evelyn has yet to make a final decision but sources add that she and Chad are seriously entertaining the E! offer.
And speaking of Chad and Evelyn, the couple spoke to PEOPLE magazine during which they both stated they will not be rushing to the altar anytime soon.
"He has four kids. I have one. We want to be engaged for at least a year and enjoy our time with our children, and then we're going to plan our wedding," Evelyn told PEOPLE, adding that they would both like to have more children. "The more kids, the happier I am," she said.
So how does Chad feel about the dramatic finale of Basketball Wives during which Evelyn admitted to having once slept with former NBA player Kenny Anderson, while he was still married to costar Tami? Chad revealed all is well because they don't hide anything from each other.
"I know everything about her, so there are no surprises," said Chad. "My grandma says, 'Always marry your best friend, because your best friend will be able to tell you anything and not hide nothing.' That's one of the things I really like, which is one of the reasons why she's wearing that ring."
Evelyn added that she had a hard time dealing with the backlash from the show. "I was having a hard time [watching]," she said. "I have a lot of followers on Twitter, so everyone has an opinion on your life, and they think they know you. Some of the things they say are hurtful, but he made me keep it together. He's very supportive with everything."


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It would be easy to close the book and say justice has been served in the Steubenville, Ohio, rape case.
Two high school football stars were found guilty Sunday of raping an intoxicated 16-year-old at a party in a case that became a national scandal after videos and photos of the assault wound up on YouTube and Instagram.
The text messages, pictures and jokey tweets that teenagers from the party shared online suggest a communal lack of conscience. That made it easy to blame locals so enamored of their football team that jocks thought they could get away with just about anything.
But this isn't just about the athletes and small-town ennui.
We've had similar episodes here: Ten years ago, an Orange County girl was raped and sodomized with a bottle, cigarette and pool cue by three 17-year-olds who turned the attack into a homemade porn video. In 2009, a girl was gang-raped for hours outside a homecoming dance in Northern California while young people watching sent text messages inviting their friends to join them.


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Working With The Animal Totems
24 members
Tom Willis has not received any gifts yet
My name is Mrs Kate,I was impressed to contact you today because i have something very vital to disclose to you.
Its important that you get back to me because it is about you,In addition, please kindly contact me direct with my email( firstname.lastname@example.com )to enable me to send the details to you,for you to know whom i am,am Waiting to hear from you,Remember do not reply me in the
http://totemtalk.ning.com use my private email address
Kate Kwame.
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General News
: Local News
Bill would increase information on Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry
Submitted: 10/03/2013
- Republican State Rep. Mary Williams introduced a bill this week that would increase more information on Wisconsin's Sex Offender Registry.The bill addresses what Rep. Williams thinks are weaknesses in current law.The bill has three goals. One makes the Department of Corrections and Department of Health Services tell local police when a sex offender changes their address. Current law doesn't require them to do so.Another change would require all addresses and aliases of sex offenders to be posted online. Only one address is required under current law.Finally, sex offenses can be dismissed if the prosecution and defense strike a deal. Williams' bill would also have those show up on the registry.Williams hopes the bill gains enough support to move forward. Once that happens, it will be sent to committee.
Written By: Adam Fox
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Our church family has members who are experiencing trials in their life and we want to help. If you can provide a meal for a family, please sign up below.
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I would like to bring a meal for:Select OneMartha Shull FamilyChad & Stephanie HancockCamellia Briggs and family
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text: Our Work CREST Awards Each year, over 32,000 CREST Awards are undertaken by 11-to-19-year-olds, giving them opportunities to explore real-world science, technology, engineering and maths projects in an exciting way.CREST is a UK award scheme that recognises success, and enables students to build their skills and demonstrate personal achievement in project work. It offers educators an easy-to-run framework for curriculum enhancement and is student-led, which means that young people take ownership of their projects and choose to undertake them in areas they enjoy or see as relevant. Levels There are four different levels of CREST Award: Discovery (a great first introduction to project work, these take about five hours and can be done in one day; typically undertaken by 11-to-14-year-olds) Bronze (around 10 hours project work; typically undertaken by 11-to-14-year-olds) Silver (around 30 hours project work; typically undertaken by 14-to-16-year-olds) Gold (around 70 hours project work; typically undertaken by 16-to-19-year olds) Find out how to introduce CREST to your school or organistion! The British Science Association are piloting a new programme to enable and encourage students from all backgrounds to participate in the CREST Awards scheme. We will provide support and up to £300 worth of funding for schools and organisations to run CREST Awards for the first time, as well as to enable those familiar with CREST to broaden the reach to more underrepresented students. Find out more about the funding programme Further information and resources Project ideas can be created by students, teachers, organisations or local businesses – ideally the decision should be student-led, so that they choose a topic they are interested in investigating. Have a look at our overview of CREST resources and get some tips about how to support your students.CREST Awards can be undertaken at school or college, within an after school club or youth group setting, or by participating in one of our accredited link schemes.Once students have completed their project work, they are individually assessed and successful students will receive a personalised certificate. Team up with Royal Horticultural Society and European Space Agency to determine the effect of space on seed growth and earn a CREST Award! Benefits In addition to giving young people the opportunity to undertake hands-on science, CREST Awards also build skills that are transferrable to other subjects, further education and future employment (time management, project management, teamwork, communication). You can use CREST to enhance your personal statement on your UCAS form.The Duke of Edinburgh's Award: a CREST Award can count towards your Skills section at any DofE Award level.Children's University: a CREST Award is also validated towards the Children's University Passport to Learning. Artsmark: CREST projects that link art and science, along with participation in other activities through British Science Week, can support a schools planning for the Artsmark. What's after CREST? If students have completed a CREST Award, there are other opportunities for them to develop and showcase their projects and to network with others. Sponsors The British Science Association is grateful to URENCO for their sponsorship of the CREST Awards.


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STOCKTON - James Okazaki spent years violating the trust of those he loved. He's willing to spend the rest of his life trying to win it back.
Second of two parts
STOCKTON - James Okazaki spent years violating the trust of those he loved. He's willing to spend the rest of his life trying to win it back.
Reconciliation begins with love, and he knows it.
Okazaki was scheduled to spend Christmas - his new favorite holiday - with his four children and his brother, Dennis, and his family.
What may seem routine to others holds the promise of deeper meaning and emotion for Okazaki. The highlight will be a midday dim sum meal at Stockton's China Palace Restaurant, a longtime family tradition that seemed impossible to continue at the end of 2011.
Okazaki, 46, once a successful businessman, is rebuilding his life after years of drug abuse and loss.
"Last year was pretty dark," the 46-year-old Okazaki says. "This is huge - to be reunited with my kids, even my brother. They realize that I'm doing so well. I want to show my kids my strong belief. We're celebrating the birth of Christ. That is priceless. Hope is now a reality. I am experiencing everything I ever prayed about."
It wasn't always so.
When a series of personal tragedies hit in the mid-2000s, Okazaki moved from recreational drug use to addiction.
The 2004 death of his mother hit particularly hard. It was followed by the death of his stepfather and the end of his 18-year marriage.
Okazaki was depressed and turned to crystal meth as an escape.
And that's where trust was broken. He used all of his money from a successful landscaping business to buy methamphetamine and lost everything in the process - his cars, his condominium, his family.
"I was a functioning addict," Okazaki admits. "But I had to borrow for food because I spent all my money on drugs. I burned bridges with my friends."
Everything was a hustle to get more money.
He tried several rehabilitation programs but either washed out, walked away or relapsed.
Hardest of all was the dissolution of his 18-year marriage and the lost connection - and trust - with his children.
"It was a downward spiral," Okazaki says. "I couldn't pay my bills. I had no food. It was a dark world. I was lost. I had no answers."
That's when he connected with Gravity Church in Lodi. Pastor Jason McEachron recommended he try a new ministry on the frontage road of Highway 99 just south of Armstrong Road.
"I kind of surrendered," Okazaki says.
McEachron and Vince Yorba, Gravity's outreach coordinator, drove him to Wayside.
That was nine months ago.
"James was quiet when he arrived," remembers Sarah Ayala, a pastor and counselor at Wayside Motel, a residential outreach of Inner-City Action, a "church without walls" better known for its Thursday church services underneath Stockton's Crosstown Freeway.
"He didn't say much at the beginning. He was very distant."
Trust, or the lack of it, was the issue.
Little by little, Okazaki began to hear the encouragement he needed, and he began to see the love in action of the Rev. Frank Saldana, founder of both ministries.
"He's blossomed from being quiet and an introvert to now," Ayala says. "He has the ability to draw people. He's a great listener. He can minister to others because of what he's been through."
Okazaki has become a leader in the Inter-City Action and Wayside ministries. He's also restarted his business and has reconnected with his children: Samantha, 22; Derek, 18; Sidney, 12; and Danielle, 11.
"Samantha was instrumental in my getting on the right track," Okazaki says. "I wouldn't have made it without her."
Trust restored, the family will gather today for a unique east-west celebration of Christmas.
China Palace serves up the Cantonese version of dim sum, also known as "yum cha." It is a family-style meal served on carts.
"Christmas will have more meaning," Okazaki says, "because my mother loved this place, and because I now have a different purpose in my life."
Contact reporter Kevin Parrish at (209) 546-8264 or email@example.com.


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LEGO Batman Key Light
Tiny Superhero
- LEGO® minifig keychain and flashlight combo
- One super-bright LED in each (poseable) foot
- Batteries included & replaceable
If you could take one minifig-sized superhero with you wherever you went who would you want? Superman would be sweet, because he'd still have the ability to fly and that amazing strength, it'd just be that much more impressive at 3" tall. Deadpool would probably just get you in trouble. It'd be like having only the bad side of the tiny devil and angel on your shoulders. Plus, you'd have to find a source for tiny tacos. Batman wouldn't be bad. Now, Bruce Wayne's tiny money wouldn't be of much use, and the tools in his utility belt are only going to be good if you have a serious plaque problem (for which 9 out of 10 dentists recommend him). But Batman's got a head on his tiny shoulders, and even at 3" high, it'd be nice to have him along to help you think through logistics.
Yep. We'd pick Batman. As an added bonus, this Batman is a keychain and a flashlight.
Product Specifications
- For ages 5 and up
- WARNING: Small parts - Not intended for children under 3 years of age
- Officially-licensed Batman merchandise
- Comes with cape
- Aim each leg where you need the light
- Materials: Plastic body, metal keychain, LED light
- Batteries: 2 CR2025 3V batteries (included, replaceable)
- Dimensions: 3" tall


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Choosing a course is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make! View our courses and see what our students and lecturers have to say about the courses you are interested in at the links below.
University Life
University Life
Each year more than 4,000 choose NUI Galway as their University of choice. Find out what life at NUI Galway is all about here.
About NUI Galway
About NUI Galway
Since 1845, NUI Galway has been sharing the highest quality teaching and research with Ireland and the world. Find out what makes our University so special – from our distinguished history to the latest news and campus developments.
Colleges & Schools
Colleges & Schools
NUI Galway has earned international recognition as a research-led university with a commitment to top quality teaching across a range of key areas of expertise.
NUI Galway's vibrant research community take on some of the most pressing challenges of our times.
Business & Industry
Guiding Breakthrough Research at NUI Galway
We explore and facilitate commercial opportunities for the research community at NUI Galway, as well as facilitating industry partnership.
Alumni, Friends & Supporters
Alumni, Friends & Supporters
There are over 90,000 NUI Galway graduates Worldwide, connect with us and tap into the online community.
Community Engagement
Community Engagement
At NUI Galway, we believe that the best learning takes place when you apply what you learn in a real world context. That's why many of our courses include work placements or community projects.
International Criminal Law (LLM, full-time or part-time)
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Course Overview
This programme is offered at the Irish Centre for Human Rights within the School of Law. This Centre is one of the world's premier university-based institutions for the study and promotion of human rights and humanitarian law. The LLM in International Criminal Law (ICL) will provide students with an advanced understanding of the history and institutional structures of the various international criminal tribunals and the International Criminal Court. It will equip students with an in-depth knowledge of the principles of international criminal law and its component crimes and procedural issues, while also allowing them to develop a critical approach to the relationship between other accountability mechanisms, such as truth commissions.
Students are introduced to experts working in the area of international criminal law through seminars, guest lectures, the summer school on the ICC and the annual study trip to the Hague. Distinguished visitors to the Centre for Human Rights have included Judge Carmel Agius, Senator Robert Badinter, Judge Maureen Harding Clark, Richard Goldstone, President Philippe Kirsch, Judge Theodor Meron, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Judge Navanethem Pillay and Judge Kimberly Prost.
Applications and Selections
Who Teaches this Course
Professor William A. Schabas (Part Time)
Dr. Kathleen Cavanaugh
Dr. Shane Darcy
Prof. Ray Murphy
Dr. Ekaterina Yahyaoui Krivenko
Dr. Noelle Higgins
In addition, every year we have a number of courses taught by adjunct and visiting lecturers.
Requirements and Assessment
Key Facts
Entry Requirements
Additional Requirements
1 year, full-time
2 years, part-time
Next start date
September 2018
A Level Grades ()
Average intake
Closing Date
Please view the offer rounds website.
NFQ level
Mode of study
ECTS weighting
Course code
GYL06, full-time GYL07, part-time
Course Outline
The LL.M. in International Criminal Law is typically a one-year Masters programme that involves two semesters of courses and the preparation of a dissertation, although it is also available on a part-time basis over two years. The degree of Master of Law in International Criminal Law is awarded by the Faculty of Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
The two-year programme comprises part-time study, combining two semesters of course work the first year with a third semester the second year, devoted entirely to the research required for preparation of a final dissertation.
The Introduction to International Criminal Law and the dissertation are compulsory. International Humanitarian Law and Procedure before International Criminal Courts and Transitional Justice are also recommended for ICL students.
Courses each year are subject to change, but may include the following:
- African and Inter-American Regional Systems of Protecting Human Rights
- Business and Human Rights
- Children's Rights
- Conflict and Post-Conflict
- Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights
- Economic, Social & Cultural Rights
- European Convention on Human Rights
- European Union and Human Rights
- Genocide
- How to Argue with an Economist
- International Criminal Law
- International Criminal Procedure
- International Humanitarian Law (Term I)
- International Humanitarian Law (Term II)
- International Refugee Law
- Introduction to Human Rights Law
- Minority Rights
- Peace Support Operations
- Public International Law
- Procedure before International Criminal Courts
- Right to Development
- Transitional Justice
- Women's Rights
Module details for the Full Time Course
Module details for the Part Time Course
Why Choose This Course?
Career Opportunities
Students who have undertaken and successfully completed the programme tend to fall into one of four categories:
- those who work within UN or UN-affliated organisations;
- those who work in NGOs and quasi-NGOs both human rights and development;
- those who work in academic institutions or pursue a PhD/JD;
- those who work in diplomatic or government-based work (in the human rights division of the Department of Foreign Affairs, for example).
Underneath these umbrella categories, students have pursued work in the ICC, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, ICRC, the UN system (Geneva and NYC), locally-based NGOs, trade and health organisations, domestic law firm work that draws on international legal mechanisms, and research-based work in university research centres, to name but a few. The main and sub categories are by no means exhaustive, but give a flavour of the different fields that students have pursued.
Who's Suited to This Course
Learning Outcomes
Work Placement
Study Abroad
Related Student Organisations
Course Fees
Fees: EU
Fees: Tuition
Fees: Student levy
Fees: Non EU
Find out More
E: firstname.lastname@example.com
What Our Students Say
Sharon Walker | LLM International Criminal Law Graduate
I chose NUI Galway because of its academic profile, the facilities and the location (Galway is a vibrant, beautiful city). Also, the Irish Centre for Human Rights is internationally acclaimed for its work and staff and attracts some very high profile guest lecturers and speakers. The Centre provides a small community of dedicated researchers who are extremely approachable, helpful and welcoming. The LLM is challenging and interesting—the lecturers are encouraging and motivating, and the degree of autonomy allows you to pursue topics of individual interest and develop new ideas and theories with excellent academic support. The classes were very small and the "round-table" discussion format allowed everyone to be included. No opinions were disregarded and staff in my classes knew every student by name. The lecturers were almost always available for an informal chat. I love NUI Galway—small enough to be friendly and large enough to receive critical acclaim on the international stage.


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Tommy J. Phillips died October 11, 2013
Tommy J. Phillips, Jr., age 56, of Edgemont, Arkansas, passed away on Friday, October 11, 2013, at Baptist Health Medical Center in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Born April 2, 1957, in Heber Springs, he was the son of Betty Smith Phillips and the late Tommy Phillips, Sr.
Tommy was retired from Southwestern Bell/AT&T. He loved spending time outdoors.
He was preceded in death by his father Tommy J. Phillips, Sr.
Tommy is survived by
his wife, Susan Phillips of Edgemont,
one son, Devin Phillips of Prim;
one daughter, Terra Blangy of Greers Ferry;
his mother, Betty Phillips of Edgemont;
three brothers, Jack Phillips and Larry Phillips, both of Greers Ferry,
and Ron Phillips of Little Rock;
one sister, Tresa Gadberry of Quitman;
and eleven grandchildren.
Mr. Phillips is also survived by many other relatives and friends.
Funeral services were Tuesday, October 15, at the family home: 1707 Hwy. 263, Edgemont, with Rev. Jack Robinson officiating. Pallbearers were Devin Phillips, Stacy Rider, Van Cothren, Shane Mason, Shaun Mason, Steven Strayer, and Marcus Stevens. Honorary pallbearer was Ashlie Phillips.
Arrangements were by Olmstead Funeral Home. www.olmstead.cc


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No. 15 UCF escapes Temple 39-36 on last-play FG
Nov. 16, 2013
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A sensational one-handed catch to tie. An unlikely long-gainer to set up the last-second winning kick.
UCF's latest comeback victory was the wildest yet.
Shawn Moffitt kicked a 23-yard field goal as time expired after Rannell Hall got behind the Temple defense for a 64-yard reception, and the 15th-ranked Knights survived a scare with a 39-36 victory Saturday.
For the fourth time this season, UCF (8-1, 5-0 American Athletic Conference) trailed in the second half and won.
UCF's last possession started at its own 19, with no timeouts. Overtime seemed likely until Blake Bortles found Hall deep to get to the Temple 6.
"Rannell Hall has previously said that Temple was sitting on everything and jumping things outside," Bortles said. "He told me he wanted to go and he went and made a big play."
Bortles managed to get the ball spiked with 2 seconds left and Moffitt booted through the game winner to keep UCF in control of the American Athletic Conference race and its BCS bid. The Knights are the only unbeaten team in AAC play, and with three games to go can even afford to lose a game.
Bortles completed 27 of 38 attempts and finished with a career-high 404 yards passing and four touchdowns.
Freshman P.J. Walker was spectacular for Temple (1-9, 0-6), with a season-high 382 yards passing, four TD passes and a touchdown run. He finished 26 of 44 and his yardage was the third-best passing game in school history.
"This is by far the toughest one to deal with," Walker said. "We had this game. For them to be a top-ranked team, we felt like we were better than them. We just had another game where we came up short."
Temple dropped to 2-78 all-time against the Top 25 opponents, and eight of the Owls' 10 opponents this season have passed for at least 300 yards.
Bortles threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Worton to tie the score at 36 1:06 left. Worton made a diving, one-handed catch in the left corner of the end zone.
"That's the best catch I've ever had," Worton said. "Practice or in a game. All glory to God right now. I'm just lucky I was able to come down with the ball."
Worton finished with a career-high 178 yards receiving on 10 catches and pulled in three touchdowns.
Moffitt said he had never kicked a game-winning field goal before.
"I'm glad I got the opportunity," he said. "My line did great, my snapper, my holder — I love them. They all picked me up afterwards. It was just a great feeling."
Walker gave Temple a 36-29 lead with 2:04 to play when he found tight end Chris Parthemore for a touchdown, and then a 2-point conversion.
That was how it went Saturday in a game that featured 10 lead changes. The first half alone offered five touchdowns, two field goals, a safety and six lead changes.
Temple and UCF combined for 75 points, 1,175 total yards and 50 first downs.


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(CNN) -- America's contentious and costly war in Iraq officially ended Thursday with an understated ceremony in Baghdad that contrasted sharply with its thundering start almost nine years ago.
U.S. troops lowered the flag of command that flew over the Iraqi capital, carefully rolled it and cased it in camouflage in accordance with Army tradition.
The quiet ceremony, under a bright Iraqi sun, was the opposite of the nighttime "shock and awe" bombardment of Baghdad that launched the war against Saddam Hussein in March 2003.
Justified by President George W. Bush on the grounds that Hussein was seeking weapons of mass destruction that he could share with terrorists such as al Qaeda, the invasion cased deep divisions in America and around the world.
The legacy of IEDs in Iraq U.S. military leaves Iraq Obama honors troops returning from Iraq U.S. ends Iraq mission Fareed Zakaria on Iraq and Iran
CNN Photos: Looking back at 8 years of war in Iraq
After that, men and women from Maine to Hawaii began crossing the border into Iraq -- and began dying or coming home with lifelong injuries.
Hussein's regime proved easy to topple, but no weapons of mass destruction were found, and the United States and its allies were left occupying a country where they were not greeted as liberators, despite the prediction of Bush's vice president, **** Cheney.
Iraq erupted into sectarian violence, leaving U.S. troops to try to contain what threatened to become a civil war. Improvised explosive device became a household term, traumatic brain injuries a signature wound of the war.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who flew into Baghdad for Thursday's flag-lowering ceremony, recalled that when he visited in 2006 as a member of Bush's Iraq Study Group, "sectarian violence was skyrocketing, and it seemed as if nothing was working."
But, he said, "After a lot of blood spilled by Iraqis and Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern and secure itself has become real."
On Thursday, the Iraq war officially ended as President Barack Obama described it: not with a final battle but with a final march home for U.S. troops.
In all, the United States spent more than $800 billion in Iraq.
Panetta reflected on a greater cost.
He said the United States was "deeply indebted" to all Americans in uniform. Nearly 4,500 of them were killed in this war, more than 30,000 wounded.
In their own words: Eight lives changed by the Iraq war
And he hailed the advances made in Iraq since Hussein was ousted.
"This is a time for Iraq to look forward," he said. "This is an opportunity for Iraq to forge ahead on a path to security and prosperity. We owe it to all of the lives that were sacrificed in this war not to fail."
No one knows how many Iraqis have been killed since March 2003, but the independent public database Iraq Body Count has compiled reports of more than 150,000 between the invasion and October 2010, with four out of five dead being civilians.
Thousands of other Iraqis struggle to cope with lives marred by war. For them, the battle goes on as the Americans leave behind a fragile nation struggling to establish democracy, struggling to establish stability.
Violence still claims innocent lives in Iraq. People are frustrated with the lack of electricity. Baghdad is awash in trash. No one can predict Iraq's future without the presence of Americans.
"As long as there are assassinations and explosions from time to time in this country, then of course I have fears," said ministry of transportation employee Abu Hadeel. "When I walk in a crowded street, I have concern of any sudden explosion. There are no guarantees."
Student Moutazz Sami said Iraq was not prepared militarily or politically to handle challenges. But businessman Ethar Mohammed said "every beginning has an end."
"The political divisions are huge and no one knows what will happen after December 31," the date by which American troops must leave, said Iraqi journalist Mina al-Oraibi, assistant editor-in-chief of Asharq Alawsat newspaper in London.
Fareed Zakaria on Iraq's oil potential
All U.S. troops must be out of Iraq by the end of this month after Washington and Baghdad failed to agree on terms under which they could remain.
At the height of the war in 2007, when Bush ordered a so-called surge, more than 170,000 American troops were stationed in Iraq, living on more than 500 bases and outposts across the nation.
As of Tuesday, only 5,500 American troops remained. A senior defense official traveling with Panetta said that some troops -- perhaps 3,000 to 4,000 -- will remain in Kuwait for a certain period of time but said the details have not been worked out with the Kuwaitis.
Only half of Americans think their nation achieved its goals in Iraq, according to a CNN/ORC International poll conducted last month. Still, 61% favored the withdrawal of all troops by the end of the year. And 68% said they opposed the war in Iraq.
Opinion: I'm grateful my husband served in Afghanistan, not Iraq
Iraqis, on the other hand, are worried that the United States wants to disengage from their country entirely, al-Oraibi said, pointing out that Obama came to office partly on the strength of his opposition to the war and sent Vice President Joe Biden to visit recently rather than coming himself.
But Brett McGurk, a former adviser to three U.S. ambassadors, pointed out that U.S. disengagement has been a process, rather than a sudden action. Iraq, he said, has been in charge of its own security since 2009.
"It's not like we were controlling Iraq's security situation last week, and now we're suddenly leaving," he said. "We haven't had troops in Baghdad for over two years."
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained in practical terms what the end of the U.S. military mission meant.
Departing from his prepared text, he said he had been able to fly into Iraq on this occasion simply because he wanted to do so.
"The next time I come here, I'm going to have to be invited by the Iraqi government, and I kind of like that," Dempsey said before concluding his speech with thanks and a blessing in Arabic.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States will help the people "realize their own ambitions for a free and sovereign Iraq." It also will work closely with the Iraqi government to ensure the safety of U.S. civilians staying in the country, she said.
"I think it's understood this is one of the most challenging missions that the State Department has ever led, but we've had a great deal of thought given to what needs to be accomplished," Clinton said in Washington.
Back home, many of those Americans who sacrificed in Iraq harbor mixed feelings about the war.
But if Iraq can emerge as a free and democratic nation, every American soldier should feel proud, said retired Army Gen. Mark Kimmitt.
"If that's the case, then these soldiers can say, yes, indeed, they won," he said. "Every soldier and their families should walk away extremely satisfied and proud of what they accomplished and what they left behind. I just hope it can remain that way."
Obama laid out that same message as he welcomed home returning troops Wednesday at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
"Because of you, because you sacrificed so much for a people that you had never met, Iraqis have a chance to forge their own destiny," Obama said. "That's part of what makes us special as Americans. Unlike the empires of old, we did so not for territory or for resources. We do it because it's right.
Obama said there was no fuller expression of U.S. support for self-determination than its withdrawal from Iraq. That, he said, speaks volumes for the American people.


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Grants available to improve shooting ranges
Deadline is Jan. 31
Grants available to improve shooting ranges
Deadline is Jan. 31
MONTPELIER, Vt. —
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says grant money is available to improve shooting ranges in the state.
Shooting clubs, sportsmen's groups and operators of shooting ranges, including archery ranges, have until Jan. 31, 2013 to apply for the funding.
The grant program - which provides 75 percent reimbursement and requires a 25 percent non-federal match from the recipient - was created in 2010 to improve shooting ranges and enhance their safety and operation.
Projects eligible for funding could be adding safety berms, shooting pads and stations, or reducing noise. Grant money also is available for lead mitigation.
The funds are derived from the federal excise taxes on hunting, shooting and fishing equipment.


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|Thread Tools
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|23rd September 2006, 11:58 PM
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 27
Finsize for speedsurfing with Sonic 95 (2006)
I have recently bought a Sonic 95 (2006 closesout) for speedsurfing with medium winds. The stock fin supplied with it is a 32 cm Drake / Deboichet.
I suppose the stock fin is optimized for medium windrange of this board, and for figure-8 slalom. For speedsurfing getting onto the plane and upwind is less relevant. I want minimum resistance.
OTOH; there is a minimum finsize for each board. Smaller, and you don't get faster. The boards doesn't unwet enough, doesn't run high enough.
What is the minimum finsize for the Sonic 95; i.c.w. 5.5-6.5 racesails?
30 cm? 28 cm?
|25th September 2006, 01:54 PM
RE: Finsize for speedsurfing with Sonic 95 (2006)
It depends on your weight.
I would use a 28 drake slalom pro. I weight 80kg.
I used the 28 drake slalom pro under my isonic 105 but it is bit small. I have just bought a 30 drake slalom pro and will test it very soon.
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2011 Starboard iSonic woodcarbon 107, iSonic speed special W54, iSonic speed special W44
Sonntag Fins
Severne Reflex Sails
|26th September 2006, 05:15 PM
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 27
RE: Finsize for speedsurfing with Sonic 95 (2006)
My weight is 88 kgs.
|27th September 2006, 01:31 AM
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 329
RE: Finsize for speedsurfing with Sonic 95 (2006)
I have a Sonic 95 too and have used it this Spring and Summer. My smallest fin is a Deboichet SL2 30, and I use it when my TR-2 6,6 is well powered up with no problems at all in chop and windswell; in perfectly flat water such as in "speed" conditions, a smaller fin would probably be OK.
IMHO, the (original) SL2 32 feels slightly smaller when compared with the stock (licensed) Drake Pro 32. I think that a 28 SL2 would work nicely with well powered up sails around 6,0, and therefore also a Drake Pro of that size would. Point is that IMHO the Drake Pro is definitely NOT a good "speed" fin, and most of its peculiar advantages that show in messy conditions are unused when sailing on flat water.
My feeling about the Sonic 95, after this season, is that it is a plenty controllable board that would have no problem when maxed out with a smaller sail (= more wind) than the 6,6 I use as "small" sail with it; and a 6,0 on flat water (no chop!) would be nicely coupled by a 26-28 fin for speed, depending on design. By sure a fin with a thin point, like an SR6b or Techtonics Goldwing or a classic elliptical, would feel smaller than fins with trapeze outlines like the SL2s or Drake Pros.
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Hi Warren, Agree with you on owners responsibility. Does you last remark mean that you would also include alternatives over the phone into the scope? Eric ________________________________________ Van: RichardWarren [firstname.lastname@example.com] Verzonden: vrijdag 2 december 2011 13:35 Aan: Velleman, Eric; Eval TF Onderwerp: Re: Finding complete processes Hi, Sorry if I appear pedantic, but if the external website is part of the process then it must be included. The site owner has decided that s/he wants to use the external service as part of the process, so if s/he has chosen a non-compliant provider that is the owner's responsibility and they are offering a non-compliant service to the consumer. Otherwise it is like a restaurant owner saying that he is not responsible for the awful wine he serves because it is supplied by the local off-licence. So - Eric, if a website owner works their !%#$ off to make a site compliant they need to spend a bit of time selecting compliant sub-contractors - OR devising an alternative method of completion that does not require the use of the non-compliant element. A few years ago we had a client who had this problem and overcame it with a contact form for screen-reader users so that the payment could be completed manually over the phone. Richard -----Original Message----- From: Velleman, Eric Sent: Friday, December 02, 2011 11:01 AM To: Eval TF Subject: RE: Finding complete processes Hi Alistair, Yes, sounds good. This would mean that the website cannot claim conformance to any level. But can explain the partial conformance on a seperate page? Partial conformance would then not just be a page thing, but a website thing. And probably easy to describe and explain. Any thoughts from others? On the other hand, this approach might not be stimulating for organisations working their !%#$ off to make their website accessible and then failing because of one external page.. Regards, Eric ________________________________________ Van: Vivienne CONWAY [firstname.lastname@example.com] Verzonden: vrijdag 2 december 2011 10:02 Aan: Alistair Garrison; Shadi Abou-Zahra; Eval TF Onderwerp: RE: Finding complete processes Hi Alistair I don't think I could fault that approach. What you are saying is complete and truthful. You aren't claiming compliance for anything that you can't vouch for. Regards Vivienne L. Conway, B.IT(Hons) PhD Candidate & Sessional Lecturer, Edith Cowan University, Perth, W.A. Director, Web Key IT Pty Ltd. email@example.com<mailto:email@example.com> firstname.lastname@example.com<mailto:email@example.com> Mob: 0415 383 673 This email is confidential and intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify me immediately by return email or telephone and destroy the original message. ________________________________ From: Alistair Garrison [email@example.com] Sent: Friday, 2 December 2011 5:25 PM To: Shadi Abou-Zahra; Eval TF Subject: Re: Finding complete processes Hi Shadi, all, Say I am owner of examplesite.com<http://examplesite.com> - which has two processes which end in third party sites (let's say a credit card process and a booking form - and, I know that one of the third parties has made a conformance claim for the credit card process - but none is made for the booking form). In order to form my conformance claim I could use sitemap indexes / the sitemap protocol to define the pages I wish to make a conformance claim for. Then I define the complete processes for which I can make a conformance claim i.e. the credit card process - listing all pages including the third party page. Then I include a 'Statement of Partial Conformance' (as defined in http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-WCAG20-20081211/#conformance-partial) about the complete processes (booking process) which end in third party content for which no third party conformance claim was available e.g. "The booking process [defined in urls] does not conform, but would conform to WCAG 2.0 at level X if the following parts [urls] from uncontrolled sources were removed." A conformance claim made in this way would, to my mind, provide a clear scope for an evaluation. You would not, however, be able to just say the "whole site" conforms - see my previous mail. Thoughts / comments? All the best Alistair Garrison On 2 Dec 2011, at 07:45, Shadi Abou-Zahra wrote: Hi Alistair, Conceptually I agree with you but we need to avoid unintentional loopholes. I think the credit card payment at the end of the process should be part of the evaluation. I don't think requiring that such "essential resources" are part of the evaluation contradicts the conformance claim declarations recommended in WCAG. It is a way of saying how these conformance claims should be completed. I guess the summary is that, as usual, we need to find the correct balance between everything and nothing in defining the scope. Regards, Shadi On 1.12.2011 21:23, Alistair Garrison wrote: Dear all, I strongly believe that the scope of the evaluation should be the wished for WCAG 2.0 defined conformance claim (detailing website sections, pages, processes, etc...) being made by the website owner / developer (based on http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/conformance), rather than what we are finding difficult to define, but easy to term, "the whole website". Top reasons for this I believe are: 1) It supports, even encourages, detailed conformance claims to be made by the people responsible for the website. If you could just say "www.mysite.com<http://www.mysite.com> conforms" what would the point of http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/conformance be... 2) It tells the public exactly what conforms in the website - a bit more like the VPAT. If the conformance claim state that a website's shopping process (defined by urls) conforms to x and y, a user will be certain that it will be accessible to them. 3) It makes evaluation more precise, and more efficient, as we know exactly what needs to be assessed (i.e. what is defined in the conformance claim) - and means that we would only ever need to assess the new parts of a conformance claim on an on-going basis; and 4) If the website contains any complete processes which back-ends into third party pages - we would not be allowed to say "the whole website" conforms in any case (as mentioned in my previous mail). That could render the evaluation methodology useless to an awful number of websites, as "their whole website" could never be said to conform - so why bother to use the evaluation methodology... As time goes on I can think of more and more good reasons for choosing WCAG 2.0 defined conformance claims, over "the whole website", as the scope of the evaluation. However, it is your thoughts / comments on the above that I am most interested in... Very best regards Alistair Garrison On 1 Dec 2011, at 11:27, Wilco Fiers wrote: Hey Eric / all, I think the question might actually answer it's self. Since the scope of the evaluation is a complete websites (we decided the methodology was to evaluate websites, not just parts of a website), if a process is part of the website, then therefore it should be included in the scope of the evaluation. I'm a big fan of using the strictest interpretation of the definition of process. Which it seems to me has two parts to it, first of is that there is a required action. Some very specific thing must occure, such as submiting a specific for, or activating a specific link or button (note that I'm not saying clicking it, because there are other ways to activate a link). Secondly, something is only a process if there is more then one required actions, to get a specific outcome. That is, something which can only be achieved by doing these required actions. An interesting consequence of requiring complete processes to be accessible, is that a single web page, if it is part of a process, can be part of multiple websites. An online payment system such as Paypal for example. Pages on paypal.com<http://paypal.com> can easilly be a used in processes originating from many different websites. Since the pages on which such processes start are clearly part of those websites (and not for instance Paypal), and WCAG 2 doesn't allow us to say these pages are conform, unless the rest of the process conforms as well, the Paypal pages must be included in the scope of the evaluation. Otherwise we can't make the claim that all web pages of a given website are conform WCAG 2. Considering that, I think that an interesting question to answer is; are there other examples of web pages that can be part of multiple websites? I'd be in favor of making this the only exception, and for all other pages to have a many-to-one relationship with a website. That might take some work to define this properly, but it seems to make intuitive sence. That was a bit longer then I intended, sorry, interesting stuff! I can't help it. Wilco ________________________________________ Van: Velleman, Eric [email@example.com] Verzonden: donderdag 1 december 2011 10:40 Aan: Martijn Houtepen; Alistair Garrison; Eval TF; KerstinProbiesch Onderwerp: RE: Finding complete processes Yes! But is a game/complete process always part of the scope if it is on a website? Can we include or exclude parts? Kindest regards, Eric ________________________________________ Van: Martijn Houtepen [firstname.lastname@example.com] Verzonden: woensdag 30 november 2011 10:01 Aan: Alistair Garrison; Eval TF; Kerstin Probiesch Onderwerp: RE: Finding complete processes Hi All, I agree. I think a predefined way of navigating, leading to a goal of some kind (a download for example) could be regarded a 'complete process' as well. In the case of point-and-click adventure games, the whole game will be a 'complete process'. Best regards, Martijn -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: Alistair Garrison [mailto:email@example.com] Verzonden: woensdag 30 november 2011 9:36 Aan: Eval TF; Kerstin Probiesch Onderwerp: Re: Finding complete processes Hi All, Just adding to my previous mail. The simplest way to find complete processes might be to search (scan) the site for forms (excluding those in every page i.e. search)... Saying that, search (and other 'on every page' forms) probably should be included once as a complete process. Again, all the best Alistair -- Shadi Abou-Zahra - http://www.w3.org/People/shadi/ Activity Lead, W3C/WAI International Program Office Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group (ERT WG) Research and Development Working Group (RDWG) ________________________________ This e-mail is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose or use the information contained within. If you have received it in error please return it to the sender via reply e-mail and delete any record of it from your system. The information contained within is not the opinion of Edith Cowan University in general and the University accepts no liability for the accuracy of the information provided. CRICOS IPC 00279BReceived on Friday, 2 December 2011 13:23:40 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 20:40:19 UTC


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A couple of weeks ago we visited the topic of a Girl Scout cookie boycott ("Cookie boycotters' case crumbles in face of reality," Oct. 27).
Calls for a boycott originate with groups that don't agree with the Girl Scouts' refusal to ban lesbians and mistakenly believe the group supports Planned Parenthood. The Girl Scouts take no official stand on sexuality or birth control and provide no financial support to Planned Parenthood. (Read their bylaws here: girlscoutsgcnwi.org/about-us).
Today we offer some of your responses. (These letters have been edited for space.)
Thank you for your piece on the Girl Scouts and their dangerously ignorant detractors. This is the image of Christianity that so many people see, giving the rest of us a bad reputation. I was a Girl Scout leader, and my daughter was a scout until eighth grade. She is a bright, independent young woman, and I couldn't be more proud of her. I consider her to also be a very godly woman — she shows love and respect to those around her, strives to help those in need and never forgets who and, more important, whose she is.
— Penni Sauer
Thanks for printing the Girl Scout law. In another lifetime, about 65 years ago, I was a scout, and that law brought back many memories. I reread it more than once and noted that if you take off the last phrase, "be a sister …," it could be a motto for every person in the whole world. Wouldn't that make it a great world?
— Shirley Dorn
I just read your Sunday column and hereby pledge to buy triple the number of Girl Scout cookies next time.
— Barb Clark
I was most disappointed to see your very bigoted and unkind column. Most people would disagree with you strongly. You didn't need to insult those men in your zeal to promote the Girl Scouts, who really aren't what they used to be by a long shot. I know, having daughters of my own who used to belong to them but no longer do.
— Mary White
As a Girl Scout leader, service unit team member and trainer for Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, as a former Girl Scout myself and, most important, a mother, I thank you.
Your article hit home for me as you described the family star (which my girls did just last year) and the meaning behind it. Take those feelings and multiply them by 20 and you have my troop. My daughter is in my troop as well as many of her school friends.
Now take those feelings to a storefront in the middle of March during a snow squall, where the snow is coming sideways, and have one of these short-sighted people tell one of your girls that she is going to hell for selling Girl Scout cookies.
It was at that moment that I realized the importance of building courage, confidence and character. The moment of pride came when this young lady lifted her chin and proudly said, "Thank you anyway, and have a great day!"
It was at that moment that I realized that what we were doing for these girls reached way beyond badges, cookies and camping. It gave them grace, patience and the courage to remain respectful, no matter what indecencies were thrown at them.
We are more than just cookies. We are girls who will be the presidents, CEOs and leaders of the future.
— Lori Janiec
I have had many reasons to avoid purchasing Girl Scout cookies over the past decade. Most are health-related; I am diabetic and I have a sweet tooth, and I have been overweight since childhood. More recently, money has been a problem.
It's not always easy to turn away a scout, of any gender, but it has been easy to look back and tell myself it had to be done.
This year is different. Having just read your column about a rumored boycott, I have resolved to track down the Girl Scouts we know and buy 10 boxes from each. There are plenty of opportunities at work to give them away. (But I'll enjoy some, too, in moderation.) Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
Oh, by the way, should I happen upon anyone defacing boxes, I intend to capture them on video and call the police. There is a word for a grown man who does that: criminal.
— Jonathan Quist
Twitter @heidistevens13


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HP lands handy half-billion taxman deal
Corrected: Hosting ATO data centres
The Australian Tax Office will spend A$738 million migrating its servers into data centres operated by Hewlett-Packard.
Announcing the agreement, HP has said it will also be deploying its Network Node Manager, Operations Manager, along with server and network automation software to modernize the ATO's data centre ops. The contract also covers storage and applications management software.
As well, the vendor will be providing virtualized Intel-based Unix environments for the ATO's midrange servers, and supply StorageWorks P9500 storage arrays.
The new deal comes just days after Australia's Inspector-General of Taxation warned against large single-vendor contracts.
According to IT News, the deal could shave A$60 million from the ATO's annual IT bill. ®
Note: The first version of this story reported the price on the deal as A$500 million. This was an error: that price tag was in US dollars, as stated in HP's press release. The new figure, A$738 million, was given in the media release later e-mailed to Australian journalists.
Since the Australian dollar is currently worth more than the greenback, El Reg would be keen to know why the currency conversion works the other way in this contract. We have asked HP, and are awaiting an answer. ®


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WAKO, Japan (AP) — The Liberal Democratic Party's victory in Japan's parliamentary election Sunday virtually ensures that Shinzo Abe, who resigned as prime minister for health reasons in 2007 after just a year in office, will get a second chance to try to lead Japan out of its economic slump.
In Abe's political resurrection, the Japanese are confiding their hopes for a national comeback, backing Liberal Democrat pledges to restore the good times of the 1980s and 90s, before the financial bubble went bust and the economy slid into a 20-year funk.
Abe epitomizes the LDP brand of conservatism and nationalism that kept the party in power for most of the post-World War II era, until it was ousted by the Democratic Party of Japan in 2009.
Despite his tough talk, it is unclear just how determined or able he will be to pursue his nationalist convictions, which could further worsen already testy relations with China, hurting automakers and other industries with huge investments in the fast-growing Chinese market.
"We are not sure what Abe will turn out to be like," said Yoichi Funabashi, former editor-in-chief of the Asahi newspaper. "Once he gets into office, he will likely retreat a bit."
Under Abe, the Liberal Democrats claim to have been reborn, though their platform differs little from strategies of the past, calling for a restoration of Japan's economic strength through public works spending, greater emphasis on patriotism and love of country, and a more nationalist foreign policy.
"We have reflected deeply over these three years," Abe proclaimed in a final day of campaigning Saturday, speaking to a crowd of several hundred mostly middle-aged and older supporters massed in the morning chill outside a train station in Wako, a Tokyo bedroom community of 80,000 in the city's northwest suburbs.
Many voters seem less interested, anyway, in new ideas than in a return to the familiar — just what Abe has to offer:
"We tried with the Democratic Party of Japan for the last three years, which made me realize how much better the Liberal Democratic Party was," said part-time worker Hitomi Furuya, 45, after Abe sped off to his next campaign stop.
"We believe the LDP is more capable," said Fumie Asano, beaming as she stood outside the train station with her husband. "I trust them more," said Asano, a member of the Buddhist-backed Komeito party, which is expected to join with the Liberal Democrats in a coalition that would return Abe to the boxy glass and granite Kantei, Japan's version of the White House.
Abe's return to the pinnacle of Japanese leadership is as unlikely a rebound as his first ascent seemed inevitable.
When he took office the first time, in 2006, Abe was the country's youngest prime minister, a princeling with an impeccable political lineage: his father Shintaro Abe was a former foreign minister, and his grandfather Nobusuke Kishi, was arrested as a war criminal after World War II, but reinstated to become prime minister.
Abe graduated from Tokyo's Seikei University in 1977 and studied politics at the University of Southern California. He worked for a time at Kobe Steel before becoming a political aide to his father in 1982. After his father's death, Abe ran for Parliament's lower house and was elected in 1993.
A soft-spoken, natty dresser, Abe's rise through the Liberal Democratic ranks was aided by a successful, high-profile battle in 2002 to win the release from North Korea of five kidnapped Japanese citizens, who returned home for what was supposed to be a brief visit and, at his insistence, stayed.
That helped burnish his image as a defense hawk. But scandals among his cabinet ministers, and problems with ulcerative colitis, brought that term in office to an abrupt end.
In a September party election, Abe came from behind to defeat ex-defense chief Shigeru Ishiba as head of the Liberal Democrats.
Abe long has allied himself with other conservative politicians who favor a higher profile role for Japan's military and support controversial visits to the Yasukuni war shrine. He denies there is proof that Japan's military really forced women into sexual slavery during the war and maintains that Japan's history textbooks are too self-critical over past wartime atrocities.
Such stances are certain to rile China at a time of already acute antagonisms over a territorial dispute.
Still, economic imperatives, and Abe's strong links to the corporate world, may help temper his hard line toward China.
His wife, Akie, is the socialite daughter of a former president of one of Japan's leading confectioners, Morinaga & Co. Despite the Liberal Democrats' conservative stance on gender equality, the future first lady is a businesswoman in her own right, owning a pub in downtown Tokyo.
Surveys forecasting a Liberal Democratic victory have driven recent rallies on Japan's stock market and helped drive the Japanese yen — which Abe has pledged to weaken — to a 20-month low against the U.S. dollar on Friday.
Abe is calling for sharply increased public works spending and further easing of Japan's already loose monetary policies. Such strategies could give Japan's construction and materials' industries at least a temporary boost, and help exporters by weakening the Japanese yen — which has remained at stubbornly high levels thanks to the conviction among global investors that the country remains a financial safe haven.
Abe-nomics, the magazine Shukan Bunshun, calls it: "From People to Concrete. The Abe Bubble is Coming!" it said in a front-page story forecasting a return to old-time pork barrel politics and a "fast-forwarding" of mortgage lending.
Despite his convictions, Abe's room to maneuver likely will be constrained, both by Liberal Democrats' coalition partner, if it is the Komeito, by powerful business interests and even by Japan's main ally, the U.S., Funabashi, now chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, told a conference last week in Tokyo.
"These will be pressuring Abe toward the center," he said.


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Governor Jay Nixon - Kansas City Land Bank
Gov. Jay Nixon today signed House Bill 1659 which allows Kansas City to create a land bank for the purpose of acquiring, rehabilitating, and reselling abandoned and blighted properties. The Governor went to the Lucile H. Bluford Branch Library in Kansas City to sign the bill.
"Kansas City both values its rich history, and invests in its promising future," Gov. Nixon said. "But alongside every landmark and historic site, that history also carries the hard truth of time. There are thousands of vacant properties in this city, and in some areas, they account for one out of every four properties. House Bill 1659 opens the way to establish the Kansas City Land Bank, which will be able to rehab vacant homes and turn deserted buildings into a viable asset for economic development. This legislation gives the city the ability to replace deterioration with innovation, and build a brighter future for all its residents."
A recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City found there were approximately 12,000 vacant properties within Kansas City, including about 3,000 properties owned by the Jackson County land Trust. The trust, which does not have the authority to rehabilitate and resell properties, will transfer the properties to the new Kansas City Land Bank, so that they may be restored to an economically viable asset.
A Kansas City Land Bank will also automatically acquire properties that have been offered for sale at three different public auctions, but have not sold. Additionally, the Land Bank can purchase properties in low-income areas that are offered at tax foreclosure auctions or Sheriffs' auctions. The Kansas City Land Bank does not have eminent domain authority.
The Land bank will list its properties on a public website and must accept formal offers equal to or greater than the fair market value of the property. Upon sale or disposition of the property, taxes generated from the property will be diverted back to the Land Bank for the first three years to help fund ongoing operations of the Land Bank. After that Time, the properties will be restored to the local tax rolls where they will generate new revenue for the community.