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The heart of modern economics, he argues persuasively, was lifted wholesale from physics in the late nineteenth century. The trouble was that the main figures of the marginalist revolution, such as Walras, Jevons and Marshall, didn't quite understand all the math they imported into political economy.
The neoclassical founders almost all came from an engineering or natural science background. But they had a limited grasp of the state of the art of physics even at the time. Above all, says Mirowski, they failed to understand the importance of conservation principles in the math. To accurately measure change, something must stay the same. That means most of the edifice of neoclassical economics is based on stale physics contaminated by basic errors.
Substance and fieldsWhat happened was basically this. Natural scientists struggled in the early nineteenth century with ideas of heat and motion, imagining fluids or ethers or substances. By the 1870s, that had given way to a unified view centered on energy, and the conservation of energy as it was transformed from one kind to another. Instead of fluids or other kinds of substance, physicists now thought of fields and forces, and worked out the vector math of kinetic and potential energy.
The heart of neoclassical economics, says Mirowski, is that economists replaced energy with utility in the same equations, and lifted the framework wholesale. The marginalist revoluton paralled the revolution in physics in preceding decades. Classical economists saw Value as a substance, such as the equivalent of wheat for the physiocrats or the labor theory of value for Ricardo and Marx. But for neoclassicals, Value was a field, like electromagnetism in physics. Kinetic energy was essentially spending and income; potential energy was utility.
He quotes several of the major marginalists who explicitly acknowledged that this is how they thought. But later economists mostly forgot these origins. The discipline has never been that historically self-conscious.
There were two main problems with all this, however. First, without a conservation principle, the math didn't work. Conserving energy implied income and utility were a constant - so essentially the same thing. That would mean utility would be superfluous as a separate measure to money, which was not at all desirable. The point was often lost in a technical debate about "integrability". Leading physicists tried to explain the point to economists, who appeared to have been mostly baffled and nonplussed at the argument.
Secondly, physics moved on from its 1870-vintage "proto-energetics" state, as Mirowski termed it. The second law of thermodynamics implied entropy was always increasing, so interactions were not easily reversible. Special relativity, general relativity and quantum theory all upset the mechanical "Laplacian dream" of 1870s physics, bringing frames of reference, probability, indeterminacy and the role of the observer into the picture. Symmetries and conservation principles could be broken. Matter could decay. Particles could pop in and out of existence. In contrast to notions of inherent "scarcity", the whole universe might be a "free lunch", something which came from a temporary variation in nothing.
None of these could easily be incorporated into the neoclassical framework. However, economists insisted all the more stridently that they were pursuing disciplined science, in contrast to sociologists or anthropologists, while actual scientists were increasingly doing something quite different.
And the outcome?
As long as the Laplacian Dream was their dream, they clutched neurotically at their portrait of persons as irrotational mental fields suffusing an independent commodity space, as science ebbed ever further away toward a world subject to change, diversity and indeterminacy, and at one with the observer. P275
Mirowski wrote the book in 1989. Of course, the metaphor of utility as (potential) energy looks even more strained today. We now know that the visible universe of 1870s physics is only 4% of the universe. The rest is dark matter and dark energy that we cannot as yet observe and don't understand.
In brief, the practical dissolution of the energy concept in advanced twentieth-century physics has painted neoclassical economics into a corner. p388
So what? Some mainstream economists concede to his argument about the origin of the neoclassical model, notes Mirowski, but they claim it is not relevant to the subsequent evolution of the discipline.
But it is. They still want the appearance of science, while being stuck with a model which is increasingly divergent from science in reality, he claims. To talk about analogies to entropy, said Samuelson, for example, is always the mark of a crank. But Mirowski points out that Samuelson frequently published articles with tenuous links to physics himself. Indeed, the key to Samuelson's career was maintaining the appearance of scientism.
Economists have produced various ad-hoc conservation principles in the twentieth century, according to Mirowski, "but in the final analysis this is all one big shell game, with the offending conservation principles passed from one assumption to another." p274
ProductionThe metaphor of utility as an energy field is too embedded to be given up by neoclassical economics, he says The trouble is it is also a metaphor of instantaneous exchange, and as such it has proved consistently difficult to reconcile with production, which had been the focus of classical economics. Classical economics thought that value was created in production, circulated in trade, and consumed in consumption. Neoclassical economics was focused on exchange, and found it hard to explain production at all.
That inconsistency explains a proliferation of production functions in postwar economics, and difficulties with temporarily and the existence of firms through time.
Economists have effectively tried to reinvent a substance theory when it comes to production, says Mirowksi. But this is bound to be inconsistent with utility as a potential energy field. So the profession has not been able to settle on a satisfactory answer.
The situation was embarrassing, but no neoclassical was willing to come right out and say that production was superfluous or irrelevant in their scheme of things. (Lionel Robbins came the closest). p272
ScarcityThere are also implications for scarcity. The idea of scarcity as the heart of the economic (and human) condition was largely an artifact of the neoclassical approach, he says.
This caused obvious problems.
Prior to that time, scarcity as some sort of primordial state of mankind did not play any signficant role in the value theory of classical political economy. Only with the dominant impression that Nature enforced a general state of dearth, say, rather than the physiocratic notion of Nature's bounty, could it become possible to even think of economic equilbrium as a state of psychological counterpoise, hemmed in by the urgent necessity to clear markets in a state of stringent limitations. p240
Of course, I think this is fascinating given I think one of our main challenges now is thinking through the implications of abundance.
The metaphor of utility as potential energy was predicated upon a Weltanschauung of a closed, bounded system that exemplified the natural state of mankind as enduring ineluctable scarcity. If and when production was to be introduced into this morality play, it had to be done in such a way as to prevent the contravention of the scarcity principle, all the while maintaining the field theory of value. p293
Keynes, he says. succeeded in introducing a kind of value substance in the guise of "national income". That allowed the idea of an economic process to be reintroduced. There has been an immense effort in recent decades to link macro with rational choice "microfoundations." But this is doomed to failure, says Mirowski.
Fields are just not suitable when time is involved.
Keynes generated a theory of an unstable economic process by the instrumentality of his reversion to a substance theory of value, a tactic that allowed the joint conceptualization of production, growth and the passage of time in (relatively) internally consistent manner. In contrast, it is the avowed intention of the microfoundations school to renounce all value substances and to recast all macroeconomic analysis in the format of production and utility fields. It is precisely this choice that prohibits the logical modeling of process in priduction, in growth, and in exchange, as explained earlier in this chapter. The field metaphor cannot represent a circular economy where outputs become inputs and so on, ad infinitum. It cannot specify precisely what it is that grows in an economy. p346
.. the formalism of the field is useful only in cases where one can safely abstract away all considerations of process and the passage of time. p346
UtilityMid-twentieth century neoclassical economics would have found an alternative to utility if it could, he says. The mainstream forgot how widespread concern about utility had become in the profession before the second world war. Mirowski quoted Viner as saying economists' understanding of utility was comparable to "the knowledge of heat prior to the discovery of the thermometer." It could not be satisfactorily measured. There had always been concern at how locating value in a purely mental framework came close to idealism or solipsism.
The development of the indifference curve approach and Samuelson's theory of revealed preference were not durable responses, either, and only served to obscure the origin of the utility metaphor. Revealed preference was not empirically tractable, for one thing, and confused preferences and behavior.
So what does this lead to? There is, Mirowski says, no scientific method that can guarantee economics' scientific status.
In the absence of the metaphor of utility as nineteenth-century potential energy, there is no alternative theory of value, no heuristic guide to research, no principle on which to base mathematical formalism, no causal invariant in the Meyersonian sense, and most threatneing, no basis for the claim that economics has finally become scientific. p368
It is hard to revise the neoclassical framework without undermining it. New approaches do not have that problem. This means, he says, neoclassical economics will be vulnerable to new contenders for the role of social physics.
This lesson is the legacy of the decline of positivist philosophies of science in the late twentieth century. Juxtapose this fact with the hypothesis that economic research has always met with the greatest difficulties in establishing the credibiliy of its results and fending off charges of charlatanism and quackery. p357
Theories of ValueAnd is there an alternative theory of value? Mirowski says there are two main alternatives. One is to deny any separate value, rarely advocated, but as represented by someone called Samuel Bailey (who I have never heard of).
The other alternative is a "social theory of value", he says, based not on scientific or social metaphors , but in social institutions such as accounting conventions or property rights.
This position argues that no economic phenomenon is conserved through time, and therefore scientific analysis is impossible. Whatever one might think of the truth of this option, it should be clear than the nihilism inherent in the program assures that in this instance there can be no legitimate research program called economics. p400
I doubt myself whether this is true. I imagine evolution is the main contender for an alternative scientifc framework, together with the notion of adaptability and "fitness" of some kind or another.
ConclusionsOverall, it is a very bracing read. It seems, at least to me, highly persuasive - but I would want to read some reviews and responses to make sure I am not overlooking flaws in Mirowski's own analysis. .
What it underlines is that utility and scarcity were chosen not so much because of their psychological or social accuracy, but because the math "worked". And if the math worked there was more scientific respectability. I have always had the firm impression that this was the driving force of major parts of the discipline, which is likely the main reason I did not become an academic economist. It did not ring true. It was about the aesthetics of models rather than genuine insight. It was about a particular quasi-religious view of rationality rather than solving problems.
The book is also highly illuminating , not to say shocking, about the origins of utility in modern economics. I've often talked before about how ethical theory went off the rails in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, dropping the older tradition of the virtues and the good life for a more utilitarian, neutral and welfarist approach. Mirowski excavates a much deeper layer of intellectual history underlying current economics. It was not a matter of an import from Bentham. It was an import from physics, and just more or less happened to be called utility.
The metaphor of potential energy as a utility field locked economics into an increasingly less productive path for a century - and to a large extent still does. I knew most of the arguments about indifference curves, production functions and revealed preference, of course, but I was much less familiar with the intellectual history of the arguments. It is fascinating. And disturbing.
Perhaps most of all, it shows how value theory is the great unsolved problem at the heart of economics. That is what I have been grasping toward in my own terms on this blog. To understand the future of the economy , we have to be back up into ethics and the question of the good life and human flourishing. That, after all, is the only place a valid notion of value can come from.


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subset: commoncrawl


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One way this could happen is if even a small change initiates a series of events that reinforce the original change; this is called positive feedback. It is a runaway process that continues until the system is destroyed. Some of these processes are already happening to our climate, and others are serious possibilities.
One example is the melting of the polar icecaps, which is already having devastating effects on people living in the Arctic. In several places their traditional method of hunting seals is no longer possible because the ice has melted. As the ice melts the albedo, a measure of the fraction of sunlight that is reflected, falls rapidly from 0.8—0.9 to less than 0.1 The result is that more sunlight is absorbed, melting more ice in a continuing feedback effect. This is one of the main reasons why the Arctic ice is melting so rapidly, thus providing a sensitive indicator of global warming. Some computer models indicate that by 2080 the Arctic will be ice-free in summer, making it impossible for the polar bears to survive.
Satellite observations have shown that the perennial Arctic sea ice covers about seventeen billion acres. This area varies from year to year, but in recent years the overall trend has been strongly downward, particularly in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas and also to a lesser extent in the Siberian and Laptev seas. The shrinkage now amounts to about 250 million acres.
Another example is the melting of the permafrost, a thick layer of frozen soil in the Arctic. This contains moss and lichen that has accumulated for thousands of years and frozen before it could rot. The dry weather has caused widespread forest fires in Alaska, and the temperature of the permafrost has risen by two or three degrees. It has been predicted that most of the top three metres of permafrost across the Arctic will melt during the present century. As the thawed vegetation finally rots, it will release ten of billion tonnes of carbon dioxide if there is oxygen present, and the far more damaging gas methane if it is not. This methane will increase the rate of global warming still further, melting the permafrost by a positive feedback loop.
Antarctica occupies 13.2 million sq.km., about 1.3 times the area of Europe, and the ice cap is up to 4 km. thick. No less than 90 percent of the world's ice is in Antarctica, and if this were all to melt the world sea level would rise by 70 to 90 meters. However the ice in central Antarctica is at a temperature from–40 to–60 degrees and so is unaffected by a rise in temperature of a few degrees. The same applies to central Greenland which occupies an area about one-sixth of Antarctica. The ice shelves surrounding Antarctica are somewhat warmer, but are floating like the Arctic ice and so melting them has little effect on the sea level. However the sea level is affected by warmer coastal glaciers flowing into the sea from the ice caps of Antarctica, Greenland, and Northern Canada. The glaciers are very thick, and the pressure on the ice where it rides over the ground is enough to liquefy it, and this makes it easier for it to slide down into the sea. An additional effect has been suggested: when the surface of the ice melts, lakes are formed and this water flows down through cracks in the ice until it reaches the bedrock. There it spreads and reduces the friction between the ice and the bedrock, further increasing the rate of travel of the ice towards the sea. When this happens it causes the sea level to rise, but by an amount that is difficult to estimate. There is increasing evidence that the ice shelves are breaking up, and this reduces the pressure on the glaciers so that their rate of flow increases.
The possibility of another type of irreversible change is provided by the Gulf Stream, which warms northwestern Europe. Without it, the climate would be like that of Labrador, at the same latitude on the western Atlantic. At present the Gulf Stream brings warm water from the tropics toward Europe by what is called the thermohaline circulation. This is due to the freezing of the Arctic water, which causes the salt water to drain out of the ice. This salty water is heavier than fresh water and so it sinks, thus drawing warmer water northwards from the tropics. As this water cools it becomes denser and also sinks, thus attracting more warm water. If the oceans are heated by global warming and more freshwater enters the polar seas it could slow and even stop the Gulf Stream. This could cause the temperature to fall by six to eight degrees celsius and so it would then be frozen for much of the year, and London would become like Siberia.
Further evidence of major climate changes is provided by the melting of glaciers in the tropics. In many countries in the Andes and the Himalayas, the Arctic, Alaska, and East Africa, studies of ice cores and the glaciers themselves provide massive evidence of permanent changes. Isotopic analyses of the ice cores show the evolution of climate from the start of the El Niños about 5,500 years ago, the drought that terminated the Moche empire, and the current effects of global warming. The glaciers began to form in South America about 25,000 years ago and were followed by glaciers in other tropical countries. The growth of the glaciers depends on the latitude, and this is linked with the slow precession of the earth's axis. During this period the latitude at which the sun was directly overhead moved steadily from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn. It might seem strange that glacier formation takes place predominantly when the temperature is highest, but this is because maximum sunshine brings maximum rainfall and at the altitudes where glaciers form the temperature is always low enough to freeze the rain, forming glaciers. The melting of glaciers right across the tropics is quite unprecedented and seems to be an irreversible effect of global warming.
About three billion people, half the people on the earth, depend on the monsoon rains to grow their food. There have been several failures in the monsoon rains in the last two centuries, and the resulting droughts and food shortages have killed tens of millions of people. The reasons for this variability are not entirely clear, but a connection with the El Nino current seems very likely. Famines in India occur during large fluctuations in the Pacific climate. A study of the strength of the monsoons over ten thousand years based on the amount of plankton in marine sediments showed that that weak summer monsoons are correlated with colder periods in the North Atlantic whereas strong monsoons occur when the Northern Atlantic seas are warm. It is not clear just why these effects occur or how they interact with each other. The effects may prove to be benign or catastrophic.
Can These Changes Be Stopped and Reversed?
Whatever we do, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will inevitably increase. The danger of catastrophic climate change can be mitigated, however, if resolute action is taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The first essential step is to replace fossil fuels power stations with sources that emit nothing or only minuscule amounts. Already, several countries have substantially reduced their emissions by building nuclear power stations. Thus France (80 percent nuclear) has halved their emissions, Japan (35 percent nuclear) by 20 percent, and the USA (20 percent nuclear) by 6 percent.
Several international conferences have been held to encourage nations to promise reduction. At the Kyoto Conference in 1997 Britain promised to reduce emissions by 20 percent by 2020. Already there has been a reduction by 6 percent due to the improved efficiency of nuclear power stations. As most of these are scheduled to close in the next few years, emissions are bound to rise. Both Britain and the USA have no hope of reaching these very modest targets.
The importance of the atmospheric half-life of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is seldom recognised. Carbon dioxide lasts about a hundred years, whereas methane is mostly used up in a decade. A molecule of methane causes a hundred times as much global warming as one of carbon dioxide so methane is much more important in the few years after emission. Averaged over a longer period, the effect of carbon dioxide increases, so that over a hundred years the ratio of effectiveness falls to about ten. It is therefore of great importance to reduce methane emissions as soon as possible, although this was not recognized by the targets set at Kyoto. The reduction of methane emission from landfill sites, gas pipelines, coal mines, and many other sources would have an important effect in reducing global warming on the short term. Soot lasts only a few days in the atmosphere but has a large effect on global warming and so its emission should also be reduced.
During the next forty years about two thousand fossil fuel power stations must be replaced. This can be done in several ways. One is to build 4000 windmills occupying 500 square km each week. Or we can cover ten square km of desert with solar panels each week. Perhaps we can find more Severn estuaries and build barrages costing £9 billion every five weeks. Or finally, we can build fifty new nuclear power stations each year. This figure may be compared with the 43 that were built in 1983, the peak year for nuclear construction. This is the choice faced by world governments.
The next article will be devoted to an account of how governments have reacted to the world-wide threat to their very existence.
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I will sing forever of your love, O Lord."
Final Profession of Annabelle delos Santos, fcJ
I will sing forever of your love, O Lord." This is the final hymn we sung on my perpetual profession 22nd of April 2006, at Holy Family Parish Church, Kamias, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
On that very day I felt being united with Marie Madeleine our foundress. Her life story and spiritual journey inspires me a lot and I would like to repeat these words which she first pronounced during her life. "To have this name Faithful Companion of Jesus I would give everything, all that I am…". With enthusiasm I pronounced my commitment to follow Jesus with all my heart, my mind, my soul and my strength. In God's heart our covenant was sealed.
Many of those who attended and witnessed my final profession were part of my spiritual growth, including my Jesuit spiritual directors and FCJ formators. All of them are God's instrument for me to see him clearly, to follow him faithfully and to love him dearly.
Truly God is faithful to me; and always brings me life when I feel lifeless. He brightens my days when I am in darkness. He gave me loving persons in my family, in the FCJ communities and in my ministries to remind me of his faithful love.
Our foundress, Marie Madeleine said that the good God would do everything Himself! I have experienced the truth of this in my life and thus I can entrust the future with confidence to Le Bon Dieu! And to "sing forever of your love o Lord…."
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who rejoiced with me and prayed for me on that day,. May you all experience God's faithful love in your life.


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text: Pelican was driven to near extinction in many areas due to mankind's pollution but he managed to bounce back. He has shown us his determination to survive, but more importantly how to thrive even when the odds are stacked against us. Green (Nephrite) Jade connects us to the energy of the Earth and can be used for connecting us to the life-force, and for building and maintaining a sense of well-being in all areas of life.


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Salut tout le monde!
Back again with a new post on my trip to Giverny with my sister, who came to visit me here in Paris last week.
Giverny is a tiny little town out in the country about 45 minutes outside Paris, by train. It is here where Claude Monet resided for so many years and painted his famous water lily paintings featured in the L'Orangerie museum in Paris and his other famous Impressionist paintings of Japanese bridges and his gardens.
This garden was mind-blowing. The flowers, trees, and ponds brought you back to another time and place – back to Monet's world. I felt as if I were walking in one of his paintings. I couldn't believe in just the first week of April how many different flowers were in bloom! The willow trees were just gorgeous, as was the famous Japanese bridge. My sister and I loved roaming around the gardens and ponds, taking in all the beauty.
Afterward, we visited Monet's house, which was restored to its original appearance. The one thing we immediately noticed was how colorful all the walls and crown moldings are, in pastel colors that are not traditional to French homes. Rooms were painted in bright yellows, baby blues and violets, emphasizing the Impressionist feel of this house.
Impressionism is most known for its use of light and color. We viewed Monet's large collection of Japanese prints, and could easily see how he drew such inspiration from these prints for his works of art.
His studio was incredible to see because it showed a lot of his famous paintings all hung on the wall, the work stand with his paints and brushes that he used outside to paint the gardens, and a picture of how he looked in his studio.
By far my favorite room was his kitchen, which was tiled in beautiful blue and white floral tiles. This is an obvious direct reference to Japanese prints, but I couldn't help but think that Monet somehow made this blue and white room French as well. The view of the gardens from his windows was magnificent, and every time I looked out to see the gardens I couldn't help but lose my breath due to all the beauty and color surrounding us.
I highly recommend making a quick side trip out to Giverny from Paris if you're there; it is well worth it!
A plus tard,


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GLASCOED and GWEHELLOG
USK is a market town and ancient borough, and head of a petty sessional division, parish and station on the Great Western railway, 157 miles north-west from London, 11 north-east from Newport, 13 south-west from Monmouth and 7 north-east from Pontypool, in the Southern division of the county, hundred of Usk, union of Pontypool, rural deanery of Usk, archdeaconry of Monmouth and diocese of Llandaff.
The town is seated on the banks of the river Usk, over which is a stone bridge of four arches, and is a place of remote antiquity, conjectured by some antiquaries to have been the "Burrium" of the Romans: the name Usk is derived from the Gaelic "Uisge," which signifies water: here are the remains of an ancient castle, standing on an eminence overlooking the town: this place was of great importance during the wars between the Welsh and the Anglo-Normans, and at a later period in the time of the celebrated Owen Glendower: in the civil commotions between Charles I and the Parliamentarians the castle was repeatedly assaulted, and, together with the town, partly demolished: the present remains of the castle are of considerable extent, and partially covered with ivy, and is now the property of Albert Addams-Williams esq.
The town was incorporated by charters granted by Edmund de Mortimer, Earl of March and Ulster, Edward II, Edward IV, and succeeding monarchs.
The corporation consisted of a portreeve, recorder, two bailiffs, burgesses and four constables, but was abolished by the "Municipal Corporations Act, 1883" (46 and 47 vict. c. 18).
Usk, in connection with the corporate towns of Newport and Monmouth, forms the Monmouth Parliamentary district, returning one member to Parliament. The town adopted the Local Government Act, 1858 (21 and 22 Vict. c. 98), December 3, 1872, and was governed by a Local Board, until the "Local Government Act, 1894" (56 and 57 Vict. c. 73), established the present Urban District Council. The town is paved, and lighted with gas by a company, formed in 1851, and supplied with water from works at Pandy, the property of the Usk Water Works Co.
The church of St Mary is an ancient building of stone, with portions of Norman, Late Decorated and Perpendicular work. The building is of Anglo-Norman origin and was originally cruciform: the two arms of the cross or transepts have been destroyed, also the apse; it was formerly the church of a house of Benedictine nuns, founded here before 1174 by Sir A. de Clare. It now consists of chancel, nave, north aisle, two porches and a very large and handsome central embattled tower, with turret, and containing 7 bells; the nave, north aisle and tower formed part of the ancient conventual church, and the gateway of the nunnery also remains: the tower was repaired in 1870, and in 1875 covered with slate instead of stone tile: in the church are several brasses, with inscriptions, including one placed in 1890, in memory of Col. Roden, who was murdered in Corsica: and a monument, erected in 1822, to Mr. Roger Edwards, who, in 1621, founded the Free Grammar School here: there is a good choir screen and three memorial windows; the church affords 800 sittings, 300 being free; in the churchyard are many monuments, including several of the old family of Nicholl of Ham, designed by the late Sir Digby Wyatt B.A. to whom there is also a memorial, erected by his brother.
The registers, including those of Gwehellog and Glascoed, date from 1742. The living is a vicarage, net income £188, with 1 acre of glebe and residence, in the gift of Albert Addams-Williams esq. and held since 1892 by the Rev. Percy Louis Charles Nash B.A. of Hatfield Hall, Durham University, who is also vicar of Monkswood. On the south-east of the church stands the Priory, which was rebuilt some years since, and the existing remains preserved as far as practicable.
The Catholic chapel, Porth-y-Carne street, dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, was erected in 1847; it is in the Gothic style, and was erected from designs furnished by the late Mr. Hansom, and has 120 sittings: at the back of the chapel is a small burial ground: the Rev. Joseph Hurley is the priest.
The Baptist chapel, Old Market street, was erected in 1842, and will seat 300.
The Congregational chapel, Twyn, erected in 1862, at a cost of £1,200, is a stone building in the Gothic style with a turret for one bell and has sittings for 400 persons.
The Wesleyan chapel, Maryport street, erected in the year 1817, has sittings for 350 persons.
The Court House, adjoining the prison, in which the Quarter Sessions are now held and county business transacted, is a large and handsome edifice of stone, which was completed and opened on the 16th of October, 1877, at a cost exceeding £15,000.
The Town Hall, in which Quarter Sessions until the last few years were held, is now used for public meetings. and entertainments.
Her Majesty's prison, in Maryport street, is a large. building of stone. arranged to hold about 200 prisoners on the separate system. There is a residence for the governor and the matron within the walls. The Rev.William Jones, of St. David's College, Lampeter and rector of Llansoy, is chaplain.
There are two banks, a branch of the London and Provincial Bank Limited and the Capital and Counties Bank Limited. The market is held on Friday and a cattle market the first and third Monday in every month. Fairs are held on 20th April, wool fair Trinity Monday, 29th October, and Christmas fair on the 16th December. Wood turning and chair making is carried on. There is a Working Men's Conservative Club with about 90 members. The 'G' Company 4th Volunteer Battalion, South Wales Borderers, have head quarters in the town.
At Llangeview, about 3 miles from Usk, are almshouses, founded by Roger Edwards, for 12 poor persons, each of whom receives £16 yearly; attached to the building is a chapel, with a chaplain appointed by the trustees: the chaplaincy has been held since 1897 by the Rev. William Watkin Jones, vicar of Llantrissant: a surgeon also is provided and paid by the trust, the present medical attendant being George Harrison Jenkins esq. : the almshouses were rebuilt on their old site in 1826.
The Duke of Beaufort is lord of the manor. The principal landowners are Sir Arthur John Fludyer bart. of Ayston Hall, Rutland, the trustees of George Whitlock Nichol csq. (d. 1889), John Jenkins esq. Albert Addams-Williams esq. and Col. Francis McDonnell.
The soil is Silurian, and the subsoil, sand and gravel. The area of Usk township and urban district is 383 acres of land and 23 of water; rateable value, £6,363; the area of the whole parish is 4,928 acres of land and 35 of water; the population of the parish in 1891 was 1,417, which includes 73 in H.M. Prison; the population of the parliamentary borough was 1,447.
Parish Clerk, James Simmonds.
GLASCOED is a hamlet, in the parish of Usk, 3¾ miles west from the town of Usk: the chapel of ease here is a small building of stone, consisting of chancel and nave, with 110 sittings, and a burial ground attached: divine service is conducted in the chapel once on Sundays, by the vicar of Usk or his curate: there is also a Baptist chapel. The area is 1,749 acres; rateable value, £1,428; the population in 1891 was 224.
Letters from Pontypool arrive at 9.30 a.m. Wall Letter Box cleared at 5.25 p.m. week days only.
A School Board of 7 members was formed 27 May, 1879, for the united district of LIanbadoc, Glascoed & Monkswood; Evelyn Waddington, clerk to the board; Henry Williams, Bryn farm, Glascoed, school attendance officer
Board School, built in 1882, at a cost of £600, for 80 children; average attendance, 53; William Webb, master; Mrs. Jones, sewing mistress
GWEHELLOG is also a hamlet, in the parish of Usk, occupying the north-eastern part of the parish, and closely adjoining the town of Usk. An evening service is held in the schoolroom on Sunday at 6 o'clock by the vicar or a lay member of his church. Here is a Wesleyan chapel. The area is 2,796 acres of land and 12 of water; rateable value, £2,546; the population in 1891 was 315.
Letters arrive from Usk at 8.30 a.m. Wall Letter B.~xes cleared at 6 p.m. & at Lancayo at 5.10 p.m. week days only.
National School, built in 1872, for 60 children; average attendance, 40; Miss Annie Nixon, mistress
OFFICIAL ESTABLISHMENTS, LOCAL INSTITUTIONS, &c.
Post, MO, TO, TMO, Express Delivery, Parcel Post, SB & Annuity & Insurance Office.- Mrs. Mary Frances Creese, postmistress, Bridge street. Letters through Newport. Mails dispatched to London & all parts at 9.40 a.m. & 1, 5.15 & 7.50 p.m.; mails arrive from London & all parts at 5.27 a.m. & at 2.40 p.m.; delivery commences at 7 a.m. & 3 p.m. Money order office & savings bank open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; sat. to 8 p.m.; sundays excepted. Post office closes at 8pm Wall Letter Box, Castle parade, cleared 9.30 a.m. & 12.45 & 5.5 p.m. week days only
Chairman, Henry Arthur Addis.
PONTYPOOL RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL. Chairman, R. W. Spencer, Graigolway, Usk Meet at the Court house on the first fri. in each month. Clerk, Thomas Watkins, Club chambers, Pontypool Treasurer, William Collins, Lloyds Bank Lim. Pontypool Medical Officer of Health, George Harrison Jenkins, LRCP, LRCS (Edin.), LFP & S & LM. (Glas.), Ty Cornel, Usk Sanitary Inspector, R Derrett, Kensington cottage, Llanbadoc
County Court (sits at the Sessions house every other month), His Honor William Stephenson Owen, judge; A. E. Bowen, registrar; William Graham, high bailiff; Alfred Griffiths, sub-bailiff; -Frederick William Pratt, clerk; offices, Bridge street; the district comprises the following places within its jurisdiction :-Bettws Newydd, Bryngwyn, Clytha, Glascoed, Goytrey, Gwehcllog, Gwernesney, Kemeys Commander, Kemeys Inferior, Llanbadoc, Llandegfeth, LIandenny, Llangeview, LIangibby, Llangwm-Ucha, Llangwm-Isha, LIanhennock, LIanishen, Llanllowell, Llansoy, Llantrissent, Llanvihangel-tor-y-Mynydd, Monkswood Chapel, New Church West, Raglan, Tredunnock, Trostrey, Usk, Wolves Newton
For Bankruptcy purposes this court is included in that of Newport; George Henry Llewellyn, Westgate chambers, Commercial street, Newport, official receiver
Clerk of the Peace Office, Bridge street
County Police Station, New Market street, William Sheddick, sergeant, & 2 constables
Her Majesty's Prison, Maryport street, Rev. Wm. Jones, chaplain; Donald Fludyer Boulton MRCS (Eng.), surgeon; Frank Walker Gibson, governor; Mrs. Ward, matron
with times of services.
St. Mary's Church, Rev. Percy Louis Charles Nash BA, vicar; Rev. Edward William Wynn Pugh BA, curate; 8.30 & 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; daily, 10 a.m. & 6 p.m., & saints' days & festivals, 8.30 a.m. & 7 p.m
St. Francis Xavier (Catholic), Porth-y-carne street, Rev. Joseph Hurley, priest; mass, 11 a.m. ; vespers & benediction, 6 p.m.; daily mass, 8.30 a.m
Baptist, Old Market street, Rev. Henry Beresford Robinson; 11 a.m. & 6 p.m.; thurs. 7.30 p.m
Baptist, Glascoed (various); 11 a.m. & 6 p.m. ; thurs. 7.30 p.m
Congregational, Twyn, Rev. Jacob Clyn Williams; 11 a.m.& 6 p.m.; wed. 7 p.rn
Wesleyan, Maryport street; 11 a.m. & 6 p.m.; & every alternate thurs. at 7.30 p.m
Wesleyan, Gwehelog; 11 a.m. & 6 p.m
National, Maryport street, erected in 1869, for 200 children; average attendance, 160; Thos. Chambers, master
National (infants), Maryport street, erected in 1876, for 150 children; average attendance, 88; Miss Florence Downes & Mrs. Price, mistresses
Newspaper.-The County Observer & Monmouthshire Advertiser, published saturday; The County Observer Newspaper & Printing Co. Limited, proprietors
Railway Station, Albert King, station master


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Most people associate getting a massage with a deep state of relaxation. While it is true that massage can help you relax and alleviate stress, it also provides a number of other benefits. Massage Toronto can be a great way to improve your overall level of health. The benefits of massage therapy in Toronto are almost too many to count. Apart from its natural stress relieving properties, massage can heal the body in many different ways. This is largely due to the fact that it encourages optimal circulation and provides relaxation. This, in turn, can make it easier for the body to heal itself. If you have been experiencing any type of illness, disease, or uncomfortable symptoms, it is worth talking to your doctor about whether or not massage may be a good treatment option.
Learn Four Steps To Take In Finding The Best Professional Chiropractor
If you are blessed to spend time in Toronto, then you get to enjoy one of the culturally diverse marvels among North American cities. Individuals from many walks of life around the world flock to Toronto for a better life, and whether you call Toronto home as a resident, a temporary worker, or just a visitor, you learn quickly why people love this city. Unfortunately, you sometimes need healing hands to keep you healthy enough to enjoy this vibrant place. Keep reading to learn 4 steps you should take in finding the best professional chiropractor in the greater Toronto area.


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Everyone is extraordinary
I am constantly amazed by young people. Many say they are too preoccupied with electronic games, that their sound bites usually have less than 140 characters, and that they're simply not very deep. I take issue with that.
Working smarter, not harder
If you've read my blog, you've noticed I tend to impart things I've learned from the corporate world into lessons for the classroom. I guess there are several reasons for this: First, it's part of my DNA. Secondly, the big push is on "career and college readiness." (Having worked for several of Fortune magazine's "Most Admired Companies," and as a father of two grown sons now successful in the workplace, career readiness is near and dear to my heart.) And, thirdly, being a Six Sigma Green Belt has made me an efficiency geek. "Work smarter, not harder" is a mantra you hear all the time at progressive companies like GE.
Unfortunately, while teachers constantly remind students to work smarter, they often don't take their own medicine. Stephen Covey observes this keenly in the seventh of his celebrated habits for Highly Effective People. The last habit is "Sharpen the Saw." That's right. It comes from the story of a man sawing back and forth until dusk to cut down a tree. "How long have you been at it?" a friend asks. "Five hours," the other replies. "Maybe you should take a break for a few minutes and sharpen that saw. Then the work would go faster."
Aha! Sometimes we must force ourselves to take time to sharpen our saw. Covey recommends physical activity, such as exercise, nutrition, or stress management; mental activity, such as reading, visualizing, planning, or writing; social or emotional activity, such as volunteering; or spiritual activity, like reading, study, or meditation.
Think about what you have done for yourself lately. (It reminds me of my father's sage advice about how not to go into debt. "Pay yourself first," he would say, reminding me of the importance of saving.)
The way I "pay myself" is genealogy, and it fits perfectly with being a writer, historian, and teacher. After all, history is stories. And there are few greater rewards than finding interesting information about the ship my Danish grandfather boarded for his crossing to America, or about my great-great grandfather who marched barefoot for a hundred miles from Murfreesboro to Chattanooga during the Civil War, a great-grandmother who encountered "Indians" along the Oregon Trail in 1853, or another brave ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War. (These are all true stories.)
Not only am I reliving history through my own ancestors, but I'm finding many friends along the way through Ancestry.com who have given me tips about how to look up pension files through the National Archives or unraveling pedigrees when that great grandfather you thought only married once had in fact married several times. Yes, the plot thickens.
Sadly, too many teachers suffer from burnout and leave the profession. If they would only work smarter, not harder, and take time for themselves, perhaps they'd come to class more refreshed and eager for the day. I'm certainly going to continue trying to 'pay myself first' so my battery reserves are always there for my students.
Hearing versus listening
One of my strongest-held beliefs is that you can learn from anyone. (In business, the smarter companies believe that innovation can come from anyone.) Teachers, especially, must have this humility. It also is the fourth habit of Steve Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." The skill one must develop to be an active listener versus just hearing – to understand, then be understood – is empathy. Empathic listening is with the ears, eyes, and heart – for feeling as well as meaning, according to Covey.
Last night I was in a graduate class where we had to read an article written by a Canadian teacher from northern Manitoba. He was proud of his 20-year teaching career and was looking forward to Parent Night that evening. His next appointment would be with the father of a boy in his class from the Cree tribe. Matthew had not been doing well in class, and his teacher was all prepared to confront the father to see what he would do about Matthew's joking in class and unwillingness to learn.
The conversation did not go as expected. "How can you say that he can't learn? He's learned lots!" shouted the father. Then he proceeded to tell the teacher how Matthew had learned skills related to fishing and trapping that were way beyond the young boy's years. Matthew also was a good artist.
"I had tried all kinds of methods to reach into Matt's psyche," the teacher reflected afterward. "I used basal readers, SRA Language Labs High-Interest/Low-Vocabulary reading series. I made him listen to prerecorded tapes while having the book in front of him. I threatened, I pleaded, I bribed – all to no avail. What I didn't really attempt was that which would come from the boy himself. His father provided the key that unlocked it all. With this new-found knowledge, I began to work with Matthew and – wonder of wonders – he began to learn."
Matthew's teacher learned the hard lesson, even after 20 years in the classroom, that he had not been an empathic listener. Once he realized the error of his ways, he did a course correction and became a much better observer and listener.
"Do you hear the people sing? Singing a song of angry men? It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again. When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes."
Those words are the lyric to a well-known song in the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Miserable. In history, mistakes are made when people hear but do not listen. The same is true in the classroom and in our personal lives.
From 1995 until 2000, I lived in Hong Kong and traveled throughout Asia. That is when I learned this Chinese proverb, which I will never forget: "To listen well is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well and is as essential to all true conversation."
In the classroom, I will be speaking. But, if I'm a good teacher, I also will be doing a lot of listening.
First things first
Some people have asked me, what was it about James Michener's The World is My Home that inspired you to create this blog? The answer has to do with creativity, setting one's priorities, and putting first things first, as Steve Covey would say. I listened to the audio version of The World is My Home during my commute from Redmond, Washington, to Renton, when I worked at Boeing. Michener told how when he returned from the war and was working as a copy editor in New York City, he would get up at 4 in the morning to write down his tales of the South Pacific, which later became a best-selling novel and was the basis for the musical South Pacific. He would do all this before work in the morning.
I thought to myself, "If he can do it, I can do it!" And so I did - going to bed at 10 and getting up at 4 am, cocooning myself in a warm robe and heading downstairs, trying hard not to wake anyone, so I could turn on the lights and a space heater in my office where I sorted stacks of paper (mostly photocopies of California medical archives) so I could write the fictional story of Dr. Jack Pitman, the young protagonist in my book, Inside the Barbary Coast.
The discipline paid off. What I learned in the process is that you (and only you) have to set your own priorities, and it starts with taking care of yourself. When I first got married, I used to tell my wife: "Eat right, exercise, and get plenty of rest" -- to which she would jokingly add, "And take Geritol twice a day!!" recalling a well-known television commercial. "You can, if you want!" I replied, usually adding that if you eat right, you don't need vitamin supplements. But she knew that this was part of my constitution: to exercise every morning, eat balanced meals, and ensure I got enough rest, even getting up at 4 in the morning, to not be tired during the day.
Teachers routinely have to get up at 5 am to get ready and drive often considerable commutes to be prepared when their students walk in the door at 7:30. It requires creativity -- maybe having some exercise equipment at home to work out, rather than going to a gym -- and discipline to have lesson plans prepared well in advance so that your personal life is not stressed or in disarray. With the amount of energy teachers expend in their craft, they cannot afford to be inefficient about how they spend it.
Vision, Mission, and Values
These are things we talk a lot about in corporate communications. If businesses, large or small, don't get it right, they waffle and lose direction. That's often when more focused companies swoop in and take away their marketshare.
Before I relate the importance of Vision, Mission, and Values to teaching, let's look at Hilton's example. You can click on the screen shot to go directly to Hilton's page detailing these attributes. Their Vision statement is appropriately aspirational: "To fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality." That's awesome! As a former road warrior for GE and Boeing, a well-lit, welcoming Hilton Hotel was an oasis after a long journey.
Typically, Mission Statements tell why the organization exists (its purpose in life), and usually they imply a goal. Hilton's Mission is to "be the preeminent global hospitality company – the first choice of guests, team members, and owners alike." You can recognize Mission Statements because they're easily supported by objectives, which in corporatespeak must be measurable. Thus, Hilton undoubtedly has metrics for financial performance and for satisfaction targets among its guests, team members, and owners. [Note how Hilton implies that happy team members make for happy customers.]
Coca-Cola has an interesting mission: "to refresh the world." Quantitative and qualitative data informs Coca-Cola whether it is hitting that mark. Google's mission is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." That's a BIG mission! However, if you look at Google's business decisions over the last three years (development of GoogleEarth and purchase of YouTube), you can see these decisions are aligned with Google's stated mission.
Besides Vision, which is long-range and aspirational, and Mission, which is purposeful and nearer-term, companies hold true to Values, which I think are as fundamental as Vision and Mission. You hire, train, and reward people according to a company's values. They are the conscience that weighs on all important decisions, such as whether to acquire a company with a contrarian culture, or not.
Hilton's values are hospitality, integrity, leadership, teamwork, ownership, and now. As you can see if you go to Hilton's website, each value is explained by a simple sentence. For example, its rather unusual value of "now" means, "We operate with a sense of urgency and discipline." That's critical when it comes to guest safety and customer service. Tomorrow is too late. Hilton is pledging through its values that it acts quickly and with rigor.
You can see from the above that Vision, Mission, and Values are easily translatable to any district, school, classroom, or teacher.
My vision is to educate and inspire students to objectively understand the lessons of history and be informed citizen-agents in the world they will inherit.
My mission is three-fold: 1) to encourage kids to think, 2) to encourage kids to care – about the past, the present, the future, and each other; and 3) to create a classroom climate that encourages discovery; that makes sense out of history and shows connection and relevance; that fosters inquiry, embraces and accommodates diversity, respects different opinions and historical perspectives, and is fun; and that meets state standards while recognizing the performance of every individual and team in my class.
My values are expressed in a commitment to always be…
Professional – in my dealings with students, parents, teammates, administrators, and the community
Informed – well-read in my subject, current on the latest trends and news, and an active participant in pedagogy, learning technologies and professional associations
Curious – so that I never get stale and am always inquisitive, always learning
Passionate – in hopes my love of history is contagious and that I never bore my students
Engaging – communicating with my students, not to them
Humble - checking my ego at the door (who needs it?!); forgetting self so I can be an active listener, and…
In the moment – disallowing distraction; concentrating, and being happily engaged with whatever lesson I am teaching and whose company surrounds me.
Full disclosure: I won't live up to this Vision, Mission, and Values all the time. There will be weak moments; everyone has them. But I am determined to give it my utmost, because these words are my moral compass. It is who I am and what I promise.
The re-blooming of Bloom
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Remember when grandma used to say, "Don't put the cart before the horse"? Benjamin Bloom was an educational theorist who also believed that. Essentially, he said students need to receive and learn knowledge before being able to fully comprehend it. The implications for teachers is that we have a responsibility to pre-teach certain information so that when it's introduced, it has meaning; we have to convey the major ideas, events, places, and even dates. But more importantly we must introduce why it's important to know. That, according to Bloom, begets comprehension, and comprehension begets application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and creation. I saw this being put into practice in Mr. Woods's World History class at Chaparral High School. A veteran teacher with an impressive background in Illinois and Arizona, he introduces the unit lesson on Monday (knowledge), allows for practiced reading on Tuesday (comprehension and application), encourages notes and cooperative groups on Wednesday (application and analysis), has groups present on Thursday (analysis and synthesis), and goes over current events and summarizes the unit on Friday. Bloom's original taxonomy of educational objectives first appeared in 1956. It was revised again in 2000. It may be that Mr. Woods's 2013 application is the latest re-blooming of Bloom.
It's all in the storytelling
Good storytellers always know their ending before they sit down to write a book. It should be the case with teachers, too. On Monday I had the opportunity to teach "Pre-History to 2,500 BC" as the opening lecture in Mr. Woods's World History class at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale. We would be covering more history in 45 minutes than the students would get for the rest of the year! How could I pack it all in? And, more importantly with all those paleolithic and neolithic eras as such, how could I not put them to sleep. The dinosaurs had already come and gone. What's a teacher to do?! I started with a great YouTube video, "Why Study History?" featured on my homepage, and then started off with a bang -- literally. I used the analogy of rising raisin bread to explain how scientists have theorized that the universe started with a big bang and by close observation we can see the planets and stars gradually moving away from each other, just like those raisins being baked in a loaf of bread in the oven. Throw in a few graphic shots of "Lucy," and the 5,000-year-old "Ice Man" that was discovered in 1991 by two hikers in the Italian alps, and suddenly Catal Huyuk in Turky and Ur in Sumeria are a bit more palatable. Drama, yes. And now my 10th graders know that more is in store from that fertile crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. To be continued!
Carpe diem
There are great scenes of Robin Williams who portrays an innovative teacher in The Dead Poet's Society, and one of his mantras is Carpe diem, or "seize the day." It's important for teachers and students to live in the moment -- with planning -- but fully utilizing foresight as well as insight to make the use of every minute of every day. In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (and a subsequent version written by his son for teenagers), Stephen Covey says the first habit is to "Be Proactive." Two simple words, yet powerful. So when I got the good fortune of being assigned to intern at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, I made early contact with World History teacher James Woods, and he invited me to his school's in-service for all teachers at the beginning of the year. It wasn't required by my graduate program at ASU, but for a second-career educator-in-training it was a good and helpful dose of reality to learn that teachers are not just responsible for content and helping students progress in their academic career; we're responsible for their safety above all else. Thankfully, Chaparral has an excellent safety program, managed in part by dedicated, quality staff from the Scottsdale Police Department. Being proactive and seizing the day helped gain excellent insights to the complex dynamics, including safety, that comprise today's secondary schools.
David Jensen is a teacher, student, and life-long learner. He has traveled to 49 countries and credits many mentors and friends throughout the world, as well as family, for the positive influence they have had on his life.
July 2015


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Does Latino Marketing Deserve a Bigger Pie?
Can Google go where no other company has gone before? Can it persuade advertisers to take a closer look at this thing called Latino digital?
Can Google go where no other company has gone before? Can it persuade advertisers to take a closer look at this thing called Latino digital?
For some time now, Latino marketers have been frustrated with the reluctance of advertisers to spend more on digital when study after study shows that Latinos out-index other groups on practically every aspect of technology adoption. The current Latino advertising spend is $5 billion, across all media – broadcast, print, and digital. Yet only 4 percent of that spend – $200 million – is going to digital.
Two months ago, Google hosted a forum to discuss its new direction in Latino marketing; it attracted more than 300 vendors, advertisers, and Latino digerati. And the response from my peers was effusive.
Which raises the questions: Can Google – the biggest technology brand in digital marketing – go where no other company has gone before? Can it persuade advertisers to take a closer look at this thing called Latino digital?
Google might have a shot at this opportunity – which is both about market leadership and thought leadership – because it enjoys a few hard-to-match market advantages: a unique place in the new digital marketing stack; a unique access to data that matters to advertisers; and a unique time in the evolution of the Latino digital marketing category where leadership in the technology arena has been lacking. But recently I've seen that there are a few bigger, unspoken questions on the minds of advertisers who have been slow to warm up to the market.
Should There Be a Latino Pie in the First Place?
I get this question quite often, and not only from traditional advertisers. In an age where digital has enabled marketers to attract, engage, and mobilize people around shared interests, demographic-driven marketing seems way outdated. A great piece of the Latin American population has so much in common with the general population that it seems shortsighted to "target" them discretely. In fact, if you add up all the dollars spent reaching Latinos in general marketing campaigns, the total Latino advertising spend would go way beyond the $5 billion estimate. The fact is, many marketers do both – general and discrete advertising – and that trend is very much in favor of doing both. For market indicators, look at the media (CNN, Fox News), politics (Newt Gingrich's The Americano), and the CPG market (Kraft, General Mills), and you can see the principle in action. More and more, marketers are coming to see that producing content that is targeted and culturally relevant can be an effective way of engaging people with shared values. And, note, when we say culture, we don't necessarily mean language. Most of these programs are in English. As a number of marketers have noted, Latino marketing today is more about values than language.
If Yes, How Big?
As much as marketers grouse about the tiny current Latino digital spend ($200 million), the total current advertising spend ($5 billion) also deserves some scrutiny. But another number that marketers love to cite is the $1.3 trillion-plus in buying power that Latinos will have by 2015 (reported by Packaged Facts). So, is $5 billion enough? According to Outsell, the total U.S. general advertising spend was $365 billion. With Latinos now representing roughly 10 percent of U.S. buying power, one might argue that the Latino spend should be closer to $36 billion. That number certainly can't hold up – as I noted above, a good deal of the general advertising spend goes to reaching Latinos indirectly. Still, the delta between $5 billion and $36 billion is big enough that people in advertising should care. And as the U.S. Latino continues to grow as a percentage of the overall population, more advertisers will definitely care.
How Much of That Pie Should Go to Digital?
So it's reasonable to assume that there should be a pie, and that the pie should be bigger. How big a slice should digital get? Let's start with Google's view. At a recent event in New York, executives for Google Hispanic suggested that the number should be closer to 12 percent – $600 million – which, as Advertising Age's Chiqui Cartagena noted, "corresponds to the…usage of the medium by Hispanic consumers." That's 8 percent higher than the current figure (4 percent). But perhaps this is still too small. At the same event, Google released a report that found 78 percent of Latinos use the "Internet as their primary source of information, above TV and friends and family."
Again, we're looking at a delta that deserves close attention. And it's not just that digital is becoming the preferred mode of communication among Latinos. It's also about the future of marketing. Along with the many studies documenting the rise of Latino technology adoption, there have been a number of opinion pieces about the new role of digital in marketing campaigns, Latino and non-Latino alike. In many cases, digital is no longer just a part of the marketing mix. Increasingly, digital is the lead. And with Latinos outperforming other groups in digital adoption, they are a big part of that story. It's one reason that so many Latino marketers are excited to see Google show up; it's recognition for the role that Latinos are playing and will continue to play.
In the meantime, whether it's a pragmatic spend today, or a strategic investment for tomorrow, expect digital to get a larger slice from an increasingly larger pie. Both slice and pie are going to get bigger.
This column was originally published in SES Magazine, March 2011.


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|Tween Scene
Event Type: For Youth
Age Group(s): Grade School (age 5 - 12), Teens (age 13 - 17)
Date: 2/12/2018
Start Time: 4:30 PM
End Time: 5:30 PM
Ages 10-14 years
Are you ages 10-14? Want something fun to do after school? Mix up some slime, get crafty, do trivia, play games, and more!
Please register at 708.795.8000 ex 3088, on our website, or in person at the Youth Services desk. Sign up begins 30 days before event. You must register for each individual session.
Location: Community Room
Status: Closed
|Please Note


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Übersetzung Comm-NewsPATCH 1.05 GOING LIVE THURSDAY
Hey guys,
We've been approved by all the right people, agencies, aliens, organizations, you name it, we're approved, patch 1.05 is good to go and will be deploying live tomorrow. Keep your eyes peeled, we'll keep you posted once its officially on all the servers.
I'll have more info once the patch is live on everything else including the ladder reset and what that will mean.
Please note, it is likely the ladder will not reset until Friday, but we'll be sure to let you know what to expect.
Thanks again for your undying patience, believe us, its extremely appreciated and we have some great plans going forward for future patches, the MOD SDK, ladder seasons, tournaments, etc.
This is a new beginning for Command & Conquer 3 no matter how you slice and dice it. The patch should really enhance a lot of balance, technical, and aesthetic aspects of the game.
And don't forget the 4 new multiplayer maps and alternate mouse setup!
Hey guys,
No patch today, however, we are anticipating approval from our final divisions tomorrow afternoon which would then mean a Thursday deploy. It takes about a half day to deploy a patch to all the servers around the world.
We tried getting approval today so we could deploy tomorrow, but no such luck.
Confidence level is very high. I hate to say anything else, but i'm just trying to keep you guys updated daily in as much as I can comfortably.
Damn this is a hard job!
p.s. - our motives don't work out always as planned and yes we've learned about big patches. We had some unexpected setbacks, it happens. I've stated numerous times we are looking to do smaller patches after 1.05.
Sie erwarten, dass der Patch Mittwoch Nachmittag freigegeben wird, was bedeutet, dass er Donnerstag verfügbar ist (es dauert laut Apoc einen halben Tag alle Server rund um die Welt mit den Patchdaten zu bestücken).
noch eine Randbemerkung:
Guys, I think we (me+dev team) can admit it was a mistake in some sense not to do another emergency patch. We contemplated it but did not anticipate 1.05 having these unexpected issues. Had we foreseen this, we would have released a smaller emergency patch.
But we made the choice, sometimes they are not the best, we live and learn and move on. Its just a video game, it will get better and the wait is almost over.


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High field strength (4.7T) magnetic resonance imaging of hydrocephalus in an African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus)
Fleming, G.J., Lester, N.V., Stevenson, R. and Silver, X.S. (2003) High field strength (4.7T) magnetic resonance imaging of hydrocephalus in an African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus). Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, 44 (5). pp. 542-545.
*Subscription may be required
Hydrocephalus was diagnosed in a juvenile African Grey parrot by high-field strength (4.7-Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Excellent anatomic detail was achieved, and there was severe dilation of all ventricles. Relative obstruction was localized to the level of or beyond the outflow of the fourth ventricle. There have been several reports of hydrocephalus diagnosed postmortem in psittacines (i.e., hook-billed parrots), however, this is the first report of an antemortem diagnosis in a psittacine using high-field strength MRI.
|Publication Type:
|Journal Article
|Murdoch Affiliation:
|School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
|Blackwell Publishing Inc.
|Item Control Page


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10 U.S. Code §§ 3444, 3445 - Repealed. Pub. L. 96–513, title II, § 207, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2884]
Section 3444, acts Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 196; Sept. 2, 1958, Pub. L. 85–861, § 1(81)(A), 72 Stat. 1480, authorized the President, in time of war or national emergency, to appoint any qualified person, including a person who is not a Regular or Reserve, in any temporary grade, provided for vacation of the appointment, and permitted, for purposes of determining grade, position on a promotion list, seniority in temporary grade, and eligibility for promotion, an officer of the Medical Corps or Dental Corps who is appointed in a temporary grade to be credited, when he enters active duty, with constructive service authorized by section 3294(b) of this title. See section 603 of this title.
Section 3445, acts Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 196; Sept. 2, 1958, Pub. L. 85–861, § 1(81)(B), 72 Stat. 1480, provided that in addition to the temporary appointments authorized, in time of war or national emergency, a regular officer or a reserve warrant officer may be appointed in any temporary grade higher than his regular or reserve grade, without vacating that grade, or a person who holds no commissioned grade in the Regular Army be appointed in any temporary commissioned grade. See section 603 of this title.
Repeal effective Sept. 15, 1981, see section 701 of Pub. L. 96–513, set out as an Effective Date of 1980 Amendment note under section 101 of this title.
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


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Basseterre: All-rounder Andre Russell has been called up to the West Indies squad for the third and final One-Day International (ODI) against Bangladesh here Monday.
Russell`s addition pushes the squad to 14 and is the only change to the unit which contested the opening games in Grenada last week, reports CMC.
The 26-year-old is a lively seamer and a powerful lower order batsman and is also a good out-fielder. He has played 35 ODIs, the last of which was against New Zealand on the West Indies tour there last January.
The Windies hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after winning the first game by three wickets and the second by 177 runs.
The third match is a day/night contest at the Warner Park.
Squad: Dwayne Bravo (Captain), Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Nikita Miller, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons.


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OMG! I had recently asked my 32yr old single, struggling artist, naturalistic son what he wanted or needed for Christmas. Last year I got him sketch pads, canvases, paint etc. Year before I got him a Violin and the year before that a Mandalin. He has self taught himself to play many instruments and his education in graphic design ha changed to from computer graphics to actual paint, watercolors, pencils stetches etc.
WELL last night is told me a few things he wanted supply wise and when I ask if anything else, his reply was.... ( here come the exciting part) He has been intriged and interest working with FABRIC!!!!!!!!!!!
OH MY! You can't imagine how my heart soared! He requested basic sewing stuffs. His current idea is to purchase clothing items at the Goodwill and see what he can create from that! He said he is really kinda excited about this new venture! ( like I'm not! HA!)
I couldn't sleep last night for thinking of all the things I want to send him way. He lives in Pensacola, FL and me here in NC. I need to find him a used sewing machine, hopefully my sister can locate one there in town as she lives in Pensacola too. I can't wait to see some of his first creations! OF course I'll post pictures here for all to see as the momma brags on her baby boy! Yep, He'll always be my baby even though he is my oldest!


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For the sixth year in a row, Kimley-Horn has been named to FORTUNE magazines "100 Best Companies to Work For" list.
Details of the most recent listing appear on the CNN/Money web site and in the February 8 issue of FORTUNE. Kimley-Horn is nationally ranked by Engineering News-Record as number 1 in multi-unit residential site engineering, number 2 in retail site development and in the top 10 U.S. design firms providing services for airports, highways, and green design. The firm's growing transit practice is ranked number 15 in the nation.


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Latest News
GRC is shouting out a huge THANK YOU to team members and nonmembers alike who participated in our training rides and raced and volunteered at our two popular race venues in 2018, the MASS Neshaminy Classic Mountain Bike Race and the MAC Whirlybird Cyclocross Race. GRC especially shouts THANK YOU to our supporting corporate and product sponsors. Please visit their web sites linked on this page.
Guys Racing Club's Road Team has been celebrating the closure of 2017 Road Racing season, for good reason having surpassed 2016 results and achieving several hard fought PA Cycling BAR 1st Place and Top Ten finishes! Salute to all that raced and supported !
The final PA BAR rankings are impressive for Guy's Racing Club:
Masters Men & Women Team Category - 1st place !
Large Team Category - 4th place
Individual achievements:
Masters Men 55+ - Sean O'Rielly, 1st place !
Masters Men 55+ - Joe Manacchio, 4th place
Masters Men 55+ State Championship Race - Pete Thaller, 1st place !
Masters Men 65+ - Andrew Buck, 4th Place
Masters Men 65+ - Martin Lorenz, 9th Place
Women's 35+ - Pamela Wahl, 7th Place
For Guy's Racing Club Cyclocross Team, many top achievements were hard earned in the action-packed 2017 Cyclocross Season in the MAC, PACX, NJBA CX and the new WPCX
race series:
MAC 40+ Women - Lisa Most, 2nd Place
PACX U19 Men - Judah Featherman, 2nd Place
MAC 9-10 Junior Men - Bryson Evens, 2nd Place
MAC 45+ Men - Ray Zeimet, 4th Place
PACX 55+ Men - Mark Featherman, 4th place
MAC 15-18 Elite Men - Judah Featherman, 6th Place
PACX 45+ Men - Ray Zeimet, 6th Place
PACX 65+ Men - Jerry Weiner, 6th Place
PACX 45+ Women - Lisa Most, 8th Place
MAC 60+ Men - Jerry Weiner, 7th Place
MAC 15-18 Elite Men - Stephen Ponzer, 8th Place
NJBA CX 60+ - Scott Reynolds, 8th Place
MAC 60+ Men - Joe Manacchio, 9th Place
WPCX 60+ - Joseph Kenas, 9th Place
MAC 45+ Men - Trevor Williams, 10th Place
Guy's Racing Club's Mountain Bike Team had another active season with many high placed rankings in the Mid-Atlantic Super Series:
XC Team Overall - 8th Place
Individual Cross Country (XC) Series achievements:
Expert CAT 1 Men 60+ - Scott Reynolds, 1st Place
Expert CAT 1 Men 50-59 - Bill Ambruster, 4th Place
Expert CAT 1 Men Singlespeed - Ed Hein, 10th Place
Sport CAT 2 Women 19-39 - Amanda Swords, 2nd Place
Sport CAT 2 Women 35-39 - Leslie Conrad, 5th Place
Enduro Team Overall - 5th Place
Individual Enduro Series achievements:
Pro/CAT 1 Women Open - Janel Demeter, 1st Place
Maxter Men 45+ - John Stenger, 6th Place
Sport CAT 2/3 Men 19-29 - Tim Smith, 6th Place
Endurance Team Overall - 13th Place
Individual Endurance Series achievements:
Endurance Singlespeed - Tim Dickson, 8th Place
Endurance Singlespeed - Gerald Nugent, 9th Place
Learn more about us by checking out the Guy's Racing on Strava link. We're a fun group of cycling enthusiasts celebrating our best and worst two wheeled action in a social forum.
Guy's Racing membership is open for enrollment. For more information, email our Membership Coordinator listed on our Contact US page.


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Travellers who arrived in Stanley have left the village after being served with enforcement action by Wakefield Council.
The council said it issued a Notice to Quit after after a group of people set up camp at Rooks Nest Road.
Glynn Humphries, Wakefield Council's service director for environment and streetscene, said: "We can confirm the travellers have moved from Rooks Nest Road, Stanley.
"This follows our swift action, in partnership with the police, to serve a notice to quit order using our enforcement powers to move them from an unauthorised encampment."


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Price Dickson is graduating the College of Veterinary Medicine this May and reflects back on her time as a volunteer and Team Leader in the Wildlife Medical Clinic:
I was a team leader in the Wildlife Medical Clinic for both my second and third year of vet school, and it was probably the best thing I did during my time at the college. From being able to manage real cases to scrubbing into surgeries, I had a lot of experiences there that made me a better doctor than I would have otherwise been. That being said, it also made me a better person. Here are the top 5 things I learned in the Wildlife Clinic!
5. Have patience. One of my first patients as a team leader wasn't doing very well, and we had to have the conversation about euthanizing. "We'll see how he's doing tomorrow", we said. We had the same conversation the next day, and made the same decision. Finally, on the third day, he began improving! He was eventually sent off to a wildlife rehabilitator. Drugs and fluids aren't magic, and sometimes you need to give them time to work. This is true of a lot of things in life; sometimes, after you try to fix the problem you must give your solution a little time to make things right.
4. Hard work pays off… or doesn't. Sometimes you can put hours of blood, sweat, and tears into a patient's care and they make it through. That's a great feeling. But sometimes, they die despite everything. In those situations, it's important to remember that sometimes you can do everything right and still have a bad outcome, and it's not your fault.
3. Teamwork is key. Imagine this scenario: You walk into the wildlife clinic and there are at least twenty baby squirrels and over ten tiny raccoons who need to be fed. You and your partner are the only ones on orphan feeding shift. What do you do? Fortunately for me, I had an amazing team backing me up. One spring when that very scenario occurred our call for help got nearly our entire team to come to our rescue, and the babies got fed! When everyone pulls together, what could have been an hours' long job that would have negatively impacted our patients (babies can get very low blood sugar if they wait too long to eat) was done in time for everyone to get to class.
2. Being a leader can be the most rewarding job you have. When I tried out for team leader, we had to describe what being a leader meant to us. Being a leader can be teaching, mentoring, organizing, or just someone for people to vent to. And at the end of it I had an amazing team who worked well together and thanked me for it! Sure, it was a lot of work planning team meetings, organizing treatments, and teaching everyone, but in the end it was such a great feeling to see everyone progress.
1. Remember to love what you're doing. Veterinary medicine is a stressful job. Modern life is stressful. But in the wildlife clinic, even though I was managing animals who were in pain and hated our treatments, I got to help animals recover. I will never forget the moment we opened the carrier and released our opossum back into the wild, nor the moment our duck shook his tail and swam off onto the lake. Sometimes having responsibilities in the Wildlife Medical Clinic was overwhelming, and sometimes I had to do some very unpleasant things (have you ever worn cormorant poop?). Still, in the middle of it all, it's important to remember that you're doing what you love. Even if you don't love accessorizing with cormorant poop.


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Billy is the awesome apprentice of the Lion's Den. Born in New Jersey, Billy lived abroad in the US Virgin Islands, St. Croix, and Mexico. He started in Creative and Advertising doing logos for many businesses. His first love is painting and fine arts and decided to get into tattooing to commercially use his fine arts skills.
Billy enjoys video games, especially Call of Duty and first person shooters.


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Herb Formulas Notebook
Liang Ge San
Cool the Diaphragm Powder<< Close Window
Source: Formulary of the Pharmacy Service for Benefiting the People of the Taiping Era (1107)
Author: Imperial Medical Bureau
Category: Formulas that Clear Heat
Pattern: Formed or unformed Heat in the Middle Jiao with blazing Heat in the Upper Jiao
Key Symptoms: Sensation of heat and irritability in the chest and abdomen, thirst, flushed face and red lips, mouth and tongue sores, sore throat, swollen tongue, red eyes, nosebleed, constipation, dark and scanty urination, delirious speech (in severe cases)
Tongue: Red body or edges with dry yellow or white coating
Pulse: Rapid, maybe slippery
|Da Huang
|Mang Xiao
|Gan Cao
|Huang Qin
|Zhi Zi
|Lian Qiao
|Bo He
In the UK Mang Xiao must be substituted with Yu Li Ren.
Preparation: Originally ground into powder and taken in 6-12g drafts three times per day with a small amount of honey and 3g of Dan Zhu Ye. Can also be prepared as a decoction with the dosages given.
Actions: Drains Fire and unblocks the bowels by clearing the Upper Jiao and draining the Middle Jiao
Contraindications: Can readily injure the Spleen and Stomach Qi so Mang Xiao and Da Huang should be removed one the constipation has resolved.
Research Links:
Science Direct
Google Scholar
Journal of Chinese Medicine
American Dragon
Reference Notes: (click to display)
Most formulas are found in Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet (2009): Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies and Chen & Chen (2015) Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications. Others are from translations of primary sources. It is recommended that the original material is cross-referenced for mistakes and additional information.
Substitutions have been taken from Ken Lloyd & Prof. Leung (2004): Mayway UK Substitution List or the above publications and are intended as suggestions to help navigate the tight restrictions in the UK quickly. More applicable substitutions may be appropriate in specific situations.
Individual herb information has initially been sourced from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted.


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Product Description
The 7360A combines the Laminar Spiral Enclosure (LSE™) technology with AutoCal™ and GLM™ control network technologies. Genelec state-of-the-art AutoCal™ allows to automatically align every subwoofer for level, timing, crossover phase and equalisation of room response anomalies. Providing extended low frequency performance, accurate tonal characteristics reproduction and high dynamic capabilities, the 7360A supports a distributed bass management architecture. This cost-effective package offers 7.1 channel analogue XLR inputs and outputs together with stereo AES/EBU XLR inputs and outputs without the need for additional external A/D converters. A Class D amplifier unit is integrated into the enclosure and contains DSP crossover filters, driver overload and protection circuitry.
- Smart Active Monitor
- Laminar Spiral Enclosure
- Bass Management
- Protection Circuitry
- Optimized Amplifiers
- Active Crossovers
- Intelligent Signal Sensing
Additional Information


text:
SCIE press release
Daniel Pelka; serious case review; SCIE comment
19 September 2013
This week, the serious case review was published into the death of Daniel Pelka. Four-year-old Daniel died in March 2012 at his Coventry home. Here is SCIE's comment about the serious case review.
The tragic case of Daniel Pelka reminds us how important it is that we get genuine learning from serious case reviews. Children and Families Minister, Edward Timpson MP, has given a useful reminder that this involves not just naming failings in the help provided by professionals, but also getting underneath why professionals acted in the way they did, and what was getting in the way of them taking the right action at the right time.
The principles of a systems approach, that all serious case reviews must now comply with, promise to provide this depth of analysis and understanding. That is vital if agencies are to instigate effective improvements for the benefit of children and families. Through our Learning Together programme, SCIE is working to support local safeguarding children boards, as well as safeguarding adult boards, to turn the promise of a systems approach to learning into a reality, so that we can provide more effective and timely help to children and families.SCIE's Chief Executive, Andrea Sutcliffe
Media contact
Steve Palmer, Press and Public Affairs Manager, Social Care Institute for Excellence.
Tel: 020 7766 7419 | Mob: 07739 458 192 | Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Tributes for March 29
April 4, 2014
Janice Speaker
Jan. 13, 1943-March 3, 2014
Age: 71
Residence: Greeley
Janice Speaker, 71, passed away unexpectedly from pneumonia on March 3, 2014. She was born Jan. 13, 1943, to Conrad and Frieda Speaker in Cornish, Colo.
A Colorado native, Janice completed her elementary education in the Briggsdale school system. Graduating in 1961, she was active in school plays, 4-H, and cheerleading. After high school graduation, she attended Barnes Business College. In 1962, she married Cecil Chesser and moved to Denver, where she was a devoted mother to her two young sons.
Jan ran her own custom drapery business for many years. She went on to retire from K-Mart and Wal-Mart. After retirement, she moved to Greeley, where she enjoyed spending time with her friends, reading and watching reality television. An entrepreneur to the end, she never missed an episode of "Shark Tank."
Jan is survived by sons, Lonnie (Brandie) Chesser, and Mike Chesser; brother, John (Sharon); sisters, Christina Ferrell, Connie (Lynne) Koenig, and Virginia (Wayne) Fritz; grandson, William Chesser; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Frieda and Conrad Speaker; sister, Bonnie; brother, William; and brother-in-law, Irvin Ferrell, Jr.


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You are using an old browser with security vulnerabilities and can not use the features of this website.
The University of Potsdam is more sought-after than ever before by international researchers. The current Humboldt Rankings put the University of Potsdam at 11th place among 79 ranked universities, which constitutes an improvement of six places since the last ranking in 2014 and makes the University one of the three most-improved institutions on the list. "The fact that we moved up by six places in the rankings is the result of a successful, consistent internationalization strategy that takes into account all of the University's fields," says Prof. Dr. Florian J. Schweigert, Vice President for International Affairs, Fundraising and Alumni. "We have delivered outstanding research achievements in several different subjects, and this makes us increasingly attractive for scientists around the world. The excellent support provided by our Welcome Center also plays a major part in drawing people to the University." The rankings show how many scholars and scientists have come to Germany in recent years with funding from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and where they have spent their time doing research. In this period of time, there were 60 fellows and award winners at the University of Potsdam.
Visiting scholars are currently starting research stays that have been facilitated by the Foundation. Dr. Helmi Chaabene from Tunisia, for example, has come to work with Prof. Dr. Urs Granacher, the Professor for Training and Exercise Science. And Dr. Iurii Ganychenko from the Ukraine, an expert in stochastics and probability theory, will work for a year at the Department of Mathematics in Prof. Dr. Sylvie Roelly's work group.
"I chose the University of Potsdam for my research work because it offers an optimal working environment with the right infrastructure for developing my project," says Dr. Maria V. del Valle, who has been working with Martin Pohl, Professor for Theoretical Astroparticle Physics, since November 2016. In the coming months, she wants to advance her research on particle acceleration in the bow shocks of stars. "It was easy to settle in here," says Dr. del Valle, who comes from Argentina's Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomie in Pereyra. "I received a sincere welcome and the working conditions are outstanding. We scientists are used to working in international teams."
The Humboldt Ranking is an indicator of a university's quality and reputation because scientists and scholars choose their own host institutions. The University of Potsdam has become an international community with many faces. Along with students from all over the world who are here for a semester abroad or who have enrolled in a full bachelor's, master's or doctoral program, numerous researchers from abroad add to the University's existing international flair. The University has set a goal to continue encouraging this development and to further expand and improve its welcoming culture.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Florian J. Schweigert, Telephone: +49 (0)331 977 1406;
Marita Böhning, Telephone: +49 (0)331 977 4190
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com; email@example.com
The complete rankings and more information are available at: www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/humboldt-ranking-2017.html
Press Release 01-09-2017 / No. 136
Petra Görlich
University of Potsdam
Department for Press and Public Relations
Am Neuen Palais 10
14469 Potsdam
Tel.: +49 331 977-1675
Fax: +49 331 977-1130
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Internet: www.uni-potsdam.de/presse
Published online by: Marieke Bäumer
Contact the online editorial office: email@example.com


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Last week a friend of mine emailed to ask what qualities we should expect in a candidate for the Order of Malta. I'd not really thought about it in great detail, so I decided to reply with some random ideas about membership in the Order of Saint Benedict. Of that I've had lots of personal experience; and in some respects the two orders have similar expectations of their members.
So what exactly do we look for in someone who wants to be a monk? An essential prerequisite, as Benedict lays out in his Rule, is that someone comes to the monastery to seek God. That's a good start, but if that's all one brings to the door of the monastery it will earn the caller a warm welcome and best wishes for a good life — somewhere else.
It's not that monasteries try to be overly fussy, in spite of the fact that Saint Benedict wrote that admission should not be easy. Still, there are hopes and expectations that every community has for its candidates. For instance, most Benedictine communities want someone who is spiritually in the mainstream of the Church. That's practical, because we don't need monks who are willing to speak with only two or three percent of our guests. We have to see Christ in all of our guests, and not just in the few who meet our personal standards.
Next, we don't need big egos. Monasteries really don't need anybody whose working principle is "my way or the highway." We need people who can respect not only their brothers but also the leadership in the community. Of course that doesn't mean a monk has to agree with every last word that comes from the mouth of the abbot. But a monk has to accept the proposition that somebody has to represent Christ and that somebody has to be in charge. He has to live with the thought that until the community elects him as the next abbot, he has to live with the guy who currently has the job.
A newcomer has to accept the mission of the community, as it exists when he enters. Of course he has the right to hope for some gradual change, but there are limits. If, for example, a community sponsors a school or some other particular ministry, a novice cannot reasonably demand that the monks chuck everything and become hermits. It's just not fair to everyone else to expect overnight change.
St. Benedict also expects his monks to respect the elders and to love the juniors. That roughly translates into acceptance of the people who got here first and some confidence that the newcomers didn't come here for the sole purpose of wrecking the place. To be blunt, monks need to welcome and gradually share responsibility with those who come after them, simply because one generation of monks cannot rule future generations from the grave.
There are a few other things we hope to see in someone who intends to become one of us. For one, they should be even-tempered and have pleasant personalities. They should have the potential to show up for important stuff, regularly. They can't be set in their ways, because the rest of the community simply won't adjust to the most recent person to come in the door. Candidates should also be capable of growth. They need to be adaptable and tolerant of some change. This takes tangible form in a willingness to make room for new people who may have slightly different gifts or personalities.
This brings me back to where I started on the discernment of a vocation to the monastic life. Such a person must truly seek God, and that candidate must be willing and able to translate this spiritual aspiration into visible practice.
I sent this list off to my friend, and only then did I realize that I don't know anybody in the monastery who has all of these qualities. In fact, I'm fairly sure that even I don't have all these qualities. So are we all pious frauds?
Actually, we're not pious frauds, because we are only people who continue to seek God. We're pilgrims en route to God, and along our way we continue to discover faults that need paring away and virtues that need shoring up. In short, we are works in progress rather than finished products. Only when we're ready for the cemetery is our work of self-improvement done.
This brings me to a last point, which is of great personal comfort. Jesus Christ did not come to save those who are already perfect and have no need of him. Rather, he came for the imperfect — to those who have need of serious growth and know it.
Coincidentally, these are exactly the people that St. Benedict had in mind for his monastery. Not surprisingly, these are the sort of people we need in the Church and in groups like the Order of Malta. These imperfect people are kindred spirits whom Jesus came to gather in. They're his kind of folks.
+I managed to stay home for the entire week, and I will continue for yet another one this week. I did not miss the security gate at the airport, and it gave me the chance to enjoy the landscape as summer winds to an end. On September 3rd I took the opportunity to attend the Saint John's/College of Saint Scholastica football game. 8,000+ people came, including Bishop Donald Kettler of Saint Cloud. He is a regular at these games when he's able to make it, and it is always great to host him. Saint John's managed to win, 49-7.
+The new school year sees the return of Fr. Nickolas Becker, who this spring completed his doctorate in theology in Rome. He takes up teaching in the theology department and in the School of Theology. Meanwhile, Fr. Michael Hahn continues his doctoral studies at Boston College, while Brother Daniel Morgan begins graduate studies at the University of San Diego. Fr. Columba Stewart left this week for a year of sabbatical at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, NJ.
+Autumn is approaching, and there are hints of color in some of the leaves. But the lush green of summer persists, as the photos in today's blog illustrate. I've also included several photos in a Game Day Gallery, which gives a portrait of a lively weekend at Saint John's. The link will connect to twenty-one photos.